The question they mostly ask you as a child is, “who is your favorite superhero?” That is one answer that turns out to be an ice breaker for the shyest of kids. Before the practicalities of life sink in, what every child wants to be when they grow up is a superhero. However, the superheroes of today have managed to inspire young adults as well.

There is a whole array of individuals who have dedicated their life to imitate the lives of the superheroes they idolize. From possessing every other comic strip, poster, action figure and any other object related to their idealized superhero, to going to extreme measures of even dressing up like them on numerous occasions. They take pride in enacting these heroes and have sort of a religious dedication towards them.

What initially started as a comic book craze, expanded into the world of movies, cartoons, video games and even a merchandising industry. The most prominent superheroes of today’s time and their inspirational power is explained as follows:

1. The Hulk

Going away from the traditional “good natured” superhero, the Hulk gives a more humanistic perspective to being what he is. His flaws are what made him into the unique green, aggressive ball of fury that he is. The history of The Hulk is the result of an experiment gone bad, through intense exposure of gamma radiation to Dr. Bruce Banners body- he was a monster. When enraged, a heightened form of adrenaline rush took the form of Banners alter ego known as the hulk, who at first posed to be a threat to society, due to his uncontrollable anger but ultimately learned to project his anger for the betterment to society, to stand against the oppressed and the weak and to do good in the world. Throughout the length of the story, Banner’s disapproval of his other side is evident. In an incident he is reported to have said, “You’re making me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

Lessons that scientists, who are freelancers, can learn from The Hulk is that they should be more careful about conducting their experiments. Dr. Banner was a freelancer himself and had to face the consequences of a careless mistake that would not have occurred under the supervision of an organization. Secondly, it teaches them to avoid using human subjects to conduct their experiment on. A simple mistake can result in dire consequences that the subject might have to live with the rest of his or her life.

2. Hancock

Hancock is another bad boy superhero, who changed his attitude and used his gifts for the betterment of society. He is the only superhero who is hated by his city’s citizens because when he attempts to “save the day”, he causes destruction paired with a crummy attitude. He’s a superhero with coping issues and has gone through a lot of neglect and rejection in his life which leads him to view the world in a negative way, leading to an attitude problem. With others’ help, he is eventually able to get rid of all feelings like negligence, loneliness and hatred. In the end, it made his life more like a regular hero: happy, but never content.

Hancock teaches freelancers to transpose their negative energy into better use. A bad attitude and complete isolation never benefits anyone. Secondly, it’s understood that freelancers like to work on solo ventures, but some kind of emotional support is very important for a stable attitude. Instead of pushing help away, they should embrace it because no one can survive alone on this planet.

3. Captain America

Captain America has a historical importance to his character. He was depicted as fighting the Nazi Germans in World War 2 and to curb the spread of communism. Captain America was a frail character, who was undermined in every physical field. However, he had a courageous spirit and a dedication and patriotism for his country, despite his short comings. Because of his puny figure, he was chosen as a subject of an experiment to enhance human capabilities which eventually led him to turn into captain America.

Freelancers can take inspiration from the determination and dedication of Captain America. Despite his weaknesses, he was able to achieve what he aimed out to do. Moreover, a good attitude and a positive outlook on life ultimately leads to success in every field, If you really strive for it.

4. Wolverine

Wolverine was subjected to trivial family problems from the very beginning. From having dysfunctional parents and brother to losing the love of his life, leaving him with pent up frustration. A lost identity, walking aimlessly through the course of time, experiencing all the worse things a person can imaginably be exposed to, all of which builds him as a character. Another superhero, having an animal base to his character, Wolverine is known for menacing claws protruding out of his hands. Another salient feature of his super power is his power of immortality and inhumane ability to heal.

What freelancers can learn from this superhero is not to mingle personal life with professional life and that every failure should ultimately be a driving force to achieve greater success, just like wolverine heals all his wounds.

5. Captain Planet

Captain Planet is a fictional superhero created from all the powerful elements of the earth. He is created in a time of crises by the magical powers of rings owned by “the planeteers” and leaves right after battling and defeating the super villain. What makes him different from other super heroes is that besides saving the day, he has a moral and a strong message resulting from his endeavors. His main cause however is fighting pollution and the conversation of nature. His parting phrase is, “The Power Is Yours”, implying that it’s not only the job of a superhero to make the world a better place to live in, but also the duty of every other individual as well.

A freelancer can adopt these ethical guidelines that they can include as part of their business venture. Carrying out their part to protect the environment in any way they can. Moreover, captain planet promotes team work to a great extent by emphasizing the fact that he can’t be summoned unless all the team of planeteers combine and call him together.

6. Superman

Without any doubt, one of the most influential superhero of all times is superman. The history of this superhero starts with him being the only survivor of Planet Krypton. He was sent to earth by his father due to his father’s findings of the planet Krypton about to be destroyed due to a nuclear chain reaction. Clark, named by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who found him inside the vessel, took the infant and decided to take care of him. As he grew older, Clark started discovering his unique, immortal abilities and as soon as he realized his gift, he decided to work for the betterment of the people and use his “powers” to do good rather than cause destruction.

Superman is known for his ability to fly, his super vision, being able to see anything at a great distance, also his ability to see through opaque objects, not to forget his super strength and being able to hear things that are being said by people that are far away. All these “Super powers” have led to a huge amount of children to idolize him. His popularity is unquestionable and undeniable. A famous quote describes how being superman was not an easy thing. Timothy Dalton says a superhero cannot be related to a superman but can be recognized as a real person who helps people with his amazing qualities at times of crisis and succeeds, after a struggle though!

The most important thing a freelancer can learn from superman is that like superman, he should use his power, in terms of money or status, to help others and not use it to degrade the less privileged ones or put them down.

A freelancer can also learn that everyone has a weakness regardless of how strong they believe they are. But there is always a way to overcome the weakness and that defeat is not an option.

7. Batman

Another very popular superhero of the past and the present is Batman. His journey onto becoming a superhero started with a very tragic moment in his childhood. While going back home from a movie, Bruce, who later became batman, was walking through a very dangerous alley with his parents. Unfortunately, a mugger after robbing them, killed both his parents. On that day, Bruce knew he had to avenge the death of his parents and so that day onwards he decided to work on the good side and fight against crime.

Batman was known for his superhero costume. The contrast of black and grey with a bat logo on his shirt became a very popular Halloween costume for children. Not to forget his amazing gadgets and the infamous bat mobile. The way batman was called upon was also a very popular among his fans. The bat signal was flashed in the air when help was needed and this was a very innovative and popular aspect with batman among his viewers.

A freelancer can learn greatly from batman. As batman was an entrepreneur himself, he gave large amounts of charity with an open heart and a freelancer should definitely exercise this. Also, he should treat their employees the way Bruce treated his. He treated his butler with great respect even though he was below him in terms of status. He took him as a family member rather than a servant.

8. Spiderman

The name of this superhero is derived from the source of his powers, a spider. Peter was bit by a spider on the back of his neck when on a field trip. The spider was not a normal one, he was an experimental subject and so his bite led to Peter developing superpower like abilities which he did not posses before. He was a very unpopular student in his school and his family life was not that easy either as his parents had died while he was a boy.

Children are influenced by Spiderman greatly. The concept behind his movies is innovative and distinct as compared to previous superheroes. His flashy red costume and spider logo are what defines him as a superhero. His spidey sense gives him the ability to sense danger around him. His wall crawling ability popularizes his character and also his web slinging is what has made children want to be him.

Freelancers can learn a great deal from this superhero. He was able to make his life better by getting over his past and working toward his future. He did not let his previous life stop him from achieving greatness in his upcoming life. Also a freelancer can learn that no matter how much people put you down, if you believe in yourself and are confident in your abilities, you can overcome all the negatives in your life and work towards that one positive that can change your life greatly.

9. Iron Man

The upcoming hero Iron man is the most recent popular superhero of our time. He is a wealthy inventor. His attribute, intelligence, and his skills of inventing things led to him developing his armor, made of iron, thus the name Iron man. He is a cocky person without his suit, living in luxury, thinking no end of himself but as soon as he puts his suit on, he starts to think about other people and helping them. He, like every other superhero, is for the people and even though unlike the stereotypical superheroes that were modest, iron man does not possess that attribute and in short, thinks no end of himself. Obviously, every child desires to grow up and become a wealthy inventor. Iron man is known for his iron suit and also his playful and cocky attitude that adds a charm to his arrogance.

Freelancers should adopt his free and playful attitude and not take everything very serious all the time. Having a little fun now and then is okay and all work no play just causes stress and nothing else. They should also have two sides, as possessed by iron man. First, the business side, which involves working and being professional about things then the other side which involves helping people with the status, prestige and money you gain from working. Iron man did it through his suit freelancers should do it with what they have.

10. Cyclops

Cyclops is part of the group of mutants in X men, the movie. He is one of the superheroes among many others in the movie. He joins Professor Charles Xavier’s school of mutants that teaches ways to have a grasp over their powers rather than the other way round. He was a trustworthy hero and the professor had complete faith in him to lead the mutants if anything was to happen to him. Cyclops was a great leader and this is what made him a great superhero.

Cyclops has the ability to remove laser beams from his eyes when he opens them. The difficulty he faced with his power was that he was not able to open his eyes without sunglasses. It is a definite that every other child would want to have laser beams coming through their eyes and that is why he is such a popular superhero among them.

Freelancers can learn from such a hero that they should learn to hold a grasp on their problems and deal with them in a calm manner. Not fussing about the problems and not letting them get the best of you is what freelancers should follow. Also, they should learn from his ability to lead others with a calm attitude and listening to their employees and delegating tasks according to their best ability or in Cyclops’ case, according to the super powers of other superheroes.

11. Super Girl

Super girl was the daughter of superman’s uncle, his father’s brother. She was also a part of planet Krypton but somehow her settlement, Agrocity, managed not be destroyed with planet Krypton with her city being separated somehow before its destruction. However, after 25 years, the same fate was destined for Agrocity and so super girl’s father sent her to the earth on a rocket ship.

Super girl, like superman, had the ability of superhuman strength and could fly. She also possessed the power of superhuman speed. Super girl was known for her telekinetic powers which meant that she was able to move objects just by her thoughts. Super girl was a way for young girls to idolize superheroes as well as she was among the first female superheroes to have emerged. This gave the young girls the chance to develop an interest in superheroes as was done by young boys only before. This gave them the confidence that girls’ can also posses powers and be part of the superhero family.

Freelancer women can especially learn from Super girl. They can break through the stereotypical thinking that men are the only entrepreneurs in today’s world and believe in their ability to start up their own business as well. They can also learn that a woman can also be at the same level as a man in terms of physically challenging work and that just because the society questions is doesn’t mean women should not prosper in it.

12. Mister Fantastic

Mister fantastic was played by Loan Gruffud. He was a scientist who goes to space to make some sort of a discovery, accompanied by a few other people. But instead, he gets caught in some kind of solar wave which affects him physically. He then later finds out the power he gains which is the power to stretch his body limitlessly.

Freelancers can learn from Mister Fantastic by adapting his ability to lead. The way he stood as a steadfast leader and took responsibility for his team. They could also learn from his the ways he dealt with situations calmly and used his brain and skills to solve problems and overcome them with ease.

13. Invisible Woman

She also is a superhero played by Jessica Alba in the movie Fantastic 4. She, like Mister Fantastic, was exposed to the solar wave and the power she possessed after it was the ability to become invisible as well as project powerful fields of psilocin energy which is a force that shields her or others from dangerous objects coming towards her or them. She is known for both her powers and also is famous for being the only girl on the fantastic 4 team.

Freelancers can learn from her ability to put family first and work later because that is what invisible woman stood by the most. They can also learn that sometimes sacrifices are important to be made in the short run to gain benefits in the long run.

14. Catwoman

She is a different kind of superhero. Her ways of doing good is somewhat different from all the other superheroes. Catwoman had grown up in a poor family. She believed that her kind were oppressed by the elite and rich class and so the mission she set for herself was to take from those who have more than they need and give to those who need it more.

She did not posses any sort of un-natural super powers but instead trained herself immensely and was able to fight at an extraordinary level. She had a very clever way of thinking and this is what defers her from other typical superheroes. Cat woman is a much relatable superhero because she has no special power but her goal in life is what gave her the power to possess exceptional skills to get what she wanted. She mainly stole from rich, greedy people and gave it to those who needed it the most. Freelancers can learn quite a few things from her. Her ability to train herself physically and mentally for challenges set ahead. Also, they should learn from the goal cat woman had set which was helping the unprivileged ones by taking from those who have more than necessary. The way she did it is not what should be adopted but the drive to do it is what should influence the freelancers.

15. Green Lantern

Green Lantern’s superhero life begins with a meteor falling onto the earth. Allen, who plays the character of green lantern, finds a ring which belonged to the guardian of the universe. He posses the power of the lantern that gives him great control to create anything that he can imagine. However, the twist is that he can only exercise his power if he has the will to do it. Freelancers can learn from his ability to exercise his will power greatly to achieve what they believe in. This is a necessary attribute every freelancer should posses. Also, the great responsibility the green lantern was ready to take for the protection of the people is also something freelancers should learn. Not running away from great responsibilities and facing them with confidence in their ability and themselves.

Conclusion

To conclude, it isn’t only the unbelievable superpowers that make these superheroes what they are. It’s their intention and their perception on how they want to view the world that gives them so much. Freelancers are only one sector of society that can take inspiration from these fictional beings. If all individuals living in this world release their individual super powers, the world would be a much better place to live in.

Image Credits – The Hulk, Captain America, Wolverine, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Cyclops, Super Girl, Mister Fantastic, CatWoman, Green Lantern