Miranne Khaled
Marvel Universe is a fascinating world that we lose ourselves in. It has incredible powers and might, offering the world a bunch of superheroes it needs. They became too strong to be defeated.
The reason that we admire these Marvel superheroes is their humane side. It’s how they lead regular lives, just like the rest of us. They go to school or work, have conflicts, and get sad too often. Their regular human side makes it easier to relate to their struggles.
Well, this mixture of elements is typical among almost every Marvel superhero. They are not strong on every level, but they actually struggle to keep their heroic identities in the shadows and keep their relationships alive. They also have a dark side.
Let’s check together the most familiar moments that all Marvel superheroes go through.
1. They Turned Evil at Some Point
Everyone always loves a story when a villain starts seeing the truth in a different light, and they join the hero’s team. However, this is not the case here. We are referring to the times our famous Marvel superheroes scored a killing spree out of anger.
Out of all the superheroes, Thor is known to be the one with the highest murder score, which makes sense since his role is to protect the nine realms and look for his folks. Thus, he never hesitated to put down an enemy or two to ensure his responsibilities were taken seriously. Another Marvel superhero with a huge kill list is Wolverine. This is quite understandable, given the long life he lives, witnessing his people die, and his beastality side has a role in this.
Another example is Spiderman, considered the most humane among the other Marvel superheroes. The one-time Peter Parker’s eyes were wide open with evilness was during his chase for the Burglar who killed his uncle Ben. His anger stemmed from deep pain and grief that he decided to throw the man off the building instead of turning him in.
2. Marriages Are Huge Fails in Marvel Universe
Love stories play a vital role in reviving a boring storyline. We all love to see our favourite couple ending up together and living happily ever after. However, things are challenging for Marvel superheroes. After all, it is pretty hard to leave your wedding party and go save the world from endless threats.
Besides, the villains would never let their nemesis have a peaceful day. Once they learnt about their weddings, they would crash the party and turn it into a crime scene. Now we do understand why Marvel superheroes barely got married. However, we saw Reed and Sue get married in Fantastic Four. However, they were already a couple before discovering their superpowers.
On the other hand, Peter Parker and Mary Jane managed to stay together for a while. Yet, the storylines differed from the comic books to the movies. There was a storyline where MJ had to leave Parker for being overprotective, yet they happened to get back together again. In Captain America, Rogers’ love interests got complicated; he got into a relationship with Peggy Carter, yet fans believed that Bucky Barnes was his true love.
3. They Grow Stronger Over Time
There has always been a dilemma about whether things get easier over time or people get much better at carrying their conflicts. This applies to all Marvel superheroes in figurative and literal forms. They get stronger over time compared to how they started their heroic journey.
Every storyline of a superhero involves getting stronger. And to be honest, this makes sense because otherwise, they won’t be upping their games and would fail to take down their enemies. We see this clearly in Captain America’s movie, where the hero started off as skinny Steve before becoming the mighty shredded superhero.
4. Grief and Family Issues Pushed Them Forward
While sadness and grief can take a considerable toll on someone’s life, it was the force that pushed Marvel superheroes forward. Anger can be an excellent tool for someone to let out some steam by becoming more violent. It may start by causing atrocities, but it ends up with the hero managing his anger to be able to take down the bad guys.
For example, loss is the central theme of the Black Panther movie. We can see how things took a dark turn after the death of T’Challa. The same goes for Peter Parker, whose uncle’s death turned him into a vengeful person, yet he decided to use his anger for the world’s sake, remembering, “With great power, comes a great responsibility.”
5. Secret Identities Became Something of the Past
Do we need to explain this point? It is a typical superhero thing that after covering up their identities for long enough, there comes a day when everybody knows the truth. We’re not sure if the change of heart is related to the nature of recent times. People in the past used to shy away from oversharing personal information.
However, with the rise of technology, it became quite normal to know the status and whereabouts of everyone at any given time. Marvel superheroes seem to be coping with the modern world and now take pride in showing their people who they are. Or maybe it became challenging to maintain a secret identity. How would a superhero freely dive into an alley to change into their costume when everyone is holding a smartphone and ready to shoot at any time?
6. They Were Fed Up with Being Superheroes
Being a national superhero is a significant burden to carry. Most Marvel superheroes never chose this path, but it was, somehow, selected for them. This fact has made it natural for some of them to be fed up with the heavy responsibilities and want to flee.
It is human nature always to desire what you don’t have. Superheroes don’t lead everyday lives despite being humans and part of an ordinary community. However, there were times when they wanted what everyone else had, a peaceful life and a family. On the other hand, ordinary people admire those heroes so much that they wouldn’t think twice about trading their lives with them.
7. Encounters Start with a Misunderstanding
Another familiar storyline of superheroes is that first encounters are never pleasant ones. We, as viewers, are always thrilled to see two or more of our favourite Marvel superheroes sharing the screen. Most, if not all, superheroes fight due to a misunderstanding on their first encounter, thinking of each other as rivals instead of allies.
In comics and movies, superhero friends also get into fights. Given their powerful natures, regular discussions are not how they sort out their issues. Instead, they get into a brutal battle, creating a memorable scene for their fans.
8. Most Marvel Superheroes Are Orphans
If you are wondering why most Marvel superheroes are orphans, here’s your answer: they won’t have anything to lose. Sounds cliché, doesn’t it? We firmly believe this is one of the many reasons the creative team chose to give superheroes no family. This way, they can easily embark on epic adventures without worrying about their parent.
Maybe that is another reason why most marriages never go through. Yet, some superheroes had weak spots that their enemies almost always found out about and used against them. Another reason most superheroes are orphans is to have a solid reason to live. Grief can consume so much energy, but when you are responsible for protecting your own country, there’s no time for sadness.