Life lessons from Marvel comics

Marvel comics, as well as their representations in other media, are a treasured part of my past, present, and, wallet-willing, future. The exploits of various heroes has made a great impact on my mind. With that impact, Marvel has taught me many things. The following are five examples.

1.) Even cool people have problems.
Looking at the popular kids in school or the celebrities in Hollywood can create a great misconception in one's mind. They seem to live such charmed lives. How can anything bad happen to them? Very easily as it turns out. Marvel provided examples of Heroes struggling not just against their foes but also their flaws. Iron Man had his alcoholism, Spiderman has had financial problems, and countless heroes, including Vision, Mr. Fantastic, and Captain America, have had problems being emotionally available to the ladies because of their profession. Just because you have powers it doesn't mean you don't have problems.

2.) False Geography
Ever try to find the island of Genosha on a map? With all the places that exist in the real world, Marvel found it necessary to fill my head with places that don't exist. I think for a small time I thought Madripoor was a real place. It sounds like it could be real.

3.)Even cool things can be turned lame
There are some sweet Marvel movies out there! There are also some very lame ones. I didn't think it was possible to make Ghost Rider lame. The dude wears all leather, fights with chains, rides a motorcycle, and has a skull for a head, that's on fire! When the movie came it it was revealed that all who are high can be brought down. My post concerning comic book tv shows is further evidence of this.

4.) Tolerance
Marvel comics made accepting people so much easier. The persecution of the mutants in X-Men showed how important tolerance is. How could anyone who has seen the way the mutants were treated in the comics want to perform such actions in real life? Marvel also presented a hero of every type of background. Every minority in America has a patron hero in the Marvel comics. Black people - Luke Cage
Latinos - Sunspot
Jews - The Thing
Purple people - Blink

5.) The color pink is not as lame as one might think.
If any one color were associated with the word "dainty," what would it be? Pink spells weakness. Marvel has taught that in the grand scheme of things pink is not so bad. Some very cool heroes have sported the color in the past. These greats include Archangel and Gambit

Contrary to some popular thought, comics are far from bad for a growing child. They may not always offer the best and most accurate material, but it is better to have Marvel comics filling the brain than nothing at all.