The Teenage Hero
This week, I watched Spiderman: Far From Home, one of my favorite Marvel movies (Tom Holland. enough said).
But as my roommate and I started watching the movie I couldn't help but get caught up in the thought that even with the super strength, cool tech, and superhero friends, Peter is just a teenager. A teenager with a lot more responsibility on his shoulders than any teenager ever should have. And as I watched, it got me thinking about the idea of the teenage hero that is so prevalent in today's media.
So many movies and books and TV shows have teenagers playing pivotal roles in saving the world and the older I get, the more unrealistic that seems. I mean superheroes aren't very realistic to begin with, but a 16-year-old superhero with severe PTSD with the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, honestly just makes me really sad. Like I know that they're not real, but the message that these teenagers have to face the world on their own without having some kind of adult that they can count on seems potentially damaging.
I guess, what I want to say about all of this is that I hope that the actual children and teenagers in this world don't ever feel like they don't have anyone to turn to. I hope to be someone in the life of my children and others that they feel they can always turn to in any situation.
We don't need any teenage heroes right now.
This is a very interesting point. I've never really thought about that, but I agree! Especially with Spiderman. I just think about how he keeps his powers from everyone, but specifically his Aunt. I fear that this might teach kids to hide more from their parents/guardians.
ReplyDeleteHm this IS a really good point. And the media makes it seem so common—the teenage superhero idea. Media is always putting More pressure on, or exaggerating to make things seem harder or more isolated for teenagers, I think, and that is a little bit of a scary thought. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting point! I saw a post recently that said that teenage characters are more fun to write about and more fun to watch because we allow them to have more emotions, make mistakes, and be a little irrational. If an adult acted as dramatically as a teenager, we write it off as immature, but if a teenager does, it makes for a great story! I hope that teenagers who view these superhero movies don't take too much away from these isolating storylines, though!
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