Imlisanen Jamir
If only real life worked liked it does in the movies; or maybe it can.
As many of us mourned the loss of some of our fictional heroes in this weekend’s epic culmination of Marvel Studio’s eleven years long cinematic saga in Avenger’s Endgame, David Bowie’s words ring true; that “we can be heroes, maybe just for one day. That day could probably be now.”
If ever there was a time when our planet needed superheroes, it's probably now. But of course, the thing with superheroes that they're not real. Growing up, I loved Batman, Wonder Woman and the X-Men, but I also knew they were pretend powers and lived only in my favourite comics.
Our newsfeeds, social media timelines and day-to-day conversations are filled with the ongoing tragedies to do with violence, discrimination, apathy and greed, that occur on a nearly daily basis across the world. It is filled with people who are so blinded by their ignorance and stupidity, that never realise they're not making the world a better place. They are just leaving it more broken for future generations.
So where do we find our heroes in these troubled days of depressing, fearmongering news?
The comics and movies say that not all heroes wear capes, but in fact none do. However, there are plenty of real people who are trying to bring light to the dark, who put themselves in harm’s way to speak out against evil, stand with the oppressed, clean up their surroundings or just be decent humans. And in this age, that is heroism.
We are a diverse bunch of people and I especially noticed this while watching Avengers Endgame as thousands from various backgrounds all came together for three hours of bliss. Every face I encountered had that look of pure excitement on it and gone, even for just a little while, were the worries of our everyday lives.
Nobody inside the cinema looked at the Hulk as an abomination because of his green skin; scoffed at the Scarlett Witch’s powers because she was a woman; or told T’challa and his African soldiers to go back where they came from. We were all at peace, together, as humans watching a piece of art. Who would dare ruin that?
We all sat together in that dark hall and shared a range of emotions that people from different faiths, countries and backgrounds won't easily share at any other place.
If only things could remain the same after those three hours.
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