Self-Help for Superheroes
OPTIMISM IS HEALTHY: YOU LOST, SO WHAT?
You won’t be able to save the world every time. It’s impossible,
even if it is your duty. Don’t be so hard on yourself. There are
more superheroes. Let Superman do it. Let Wonder Woman take care of
it. Maybe you weren’t meant to save the world on that particular
occasion. Take it one fight at a time. The best is always yet to come.
Everyone deserves a second, a third, even a fourth chance.
THE TROUBLE WITH TROUBLEMAKERS
Have you suffered a disgraceful defeat against a minor supervillain
(such as Hummingbird Man)? You might feel that your days in high school
had come back to haunt you, to bully you just like that kid with the
plastic arm (remember how scared you were of his prosthesis?) that forced
you to take care of his homework every day when you were a sophomore.
Wake up! You aren’t a teenager anymore. This time, there are no
parents around. You’re a superhero! You have those incredible
superpowers! Stand up and go beat the hell out of whatever his name
is.
A BRIGHTER FUTURE? JUST PLAY SOLO
Are you sure that the most important thing in your superhero life is
to join a group? So what if you didn’t make it into The Avengers,
or even The New Avengers? Why are you moaning because The Authority
has no interest in you? Do you think that’s a mature way to behave?
What are you, an actor? They don’t like you, fine. Sometimes,
it’s better to play solo. Don’t downgrade yourself. You
don’t need to be chosen. Just wait until a good invasion comes
along. They’ll be begging for your help.
HOW TO AVOID FEELING UNDER-SUPERPOWER-RATED
Do you think that your superpowers are stupid? Not good enough for a
superhero? They are not stupid. We all have a special talent that distinguishes
us (even if it’s a high-tech armor, right, Mr. Iron Man?). There’s
no problem in being The On-Time-Man or Mr. Nap. Think positive. Put
aside those unpleasant feeling and repeat out loud: “I’m
a great superhero! I’m a great superhero! I’m worth it!
I’m worth it!” It could always be worse. You could be Long
Neck Man. Go figure how he feels.
REINVENT YOURSELF AND WIN!
It can sometimes be difficult to combine your superhero life with your
alter ego. In real life, problems can’t be solved with X-ray vision.
Embrace and concentrate on those things that you’re good at. Don’t
try to spidermanize your life. What about a little caprice? Are you
tired of the old pay-now-play-later? Maybe a little weary of being responsible
for the world’s safety 24 hours a day? Change your outfit, move
to another city (you deserve your own Metropolis, your own Gotham);
let your dark side show for a while. Reinvent yourself!
HOW TO BE CLOSE TO YOUR ENEMIES
Try to understand the psychology that motivates your most feared enemy.
Was it a dominant father? (“All right, Doom Junior. Enough is
enough. Eat your spaghetti or you’re grounded for a year!”)
Maybe it was a careless mother - an unscrupulous mommy that didn’t
show up in fifth grade to see that wonderful staging of The Wizard of
Oz—that turned her into a mean and crooked assassin? Major problems
at gym class in high school? Didn’t get the Skeleton action figure
when he was six? Find the particular “why” behind that mask.
Rafael Galán is a Spanish freelance journalist. When not writing for business and financial magazines, he tries to do his best as a reader of original manuscripts at a small science fiction publishing company based in Madrid that no one has ever heard about (Neverland).