Hawkeye, the Adult Superhero

By Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Jason T. Poplin (http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=14389) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Superheroes are definitely having their moment in the sun, they are the modern pantheon of  pop culture. They conjure up childhood memories about tucking a blanket in the collar of our shirts and running around fast as you can pretending you're flying.

Superheroes are super because they have powers that we don't posses. They are super strong, they can fly, they know martial arts and they fight really well. When you're a kid you dream of these powers; how much better would life be if one had the strength to open the pickle jar yourself or knock out the bully who won't leave you alone? How great would it be to fly to the park or arcade instead of begging one of your parents to drive you?

So much childhood play was pretending to get the best of villains and saving the day which contrasted embarrassingly to having to be strapped into a car seat a thousand ways and running to your parents with any problem more difficult than building a really tall lego tower.

We are not kids anymore, we pick out our own clothes, we do our own cooking,  we pay our own bills and it's our job to make sure we do what we have to do to maintain our well being. We may not do it well but we're adults and we expected to have responsibility for ourselves and our actions.

Kid problems are the not same as adult problems. Being super strong doesn't pay the rent, being able to fly doesn't mean you can maintain a healthy, happy relationship and go around beating people up will most certainly get you sent to jail (but officer, I am the Night!).

While superheroes are almost exclusively adults they are adults through kids eyes. Looking at them with adult eyes we see flawed people. The Incredible Hulk reminds us of people who can't be happy because they can't control their anger and harm themselves and those around them. Batman is a man who has grown up never able to escape the trauma of his youth. His only lasting relationship is with his caretaker and his only true motivation is trying to undo the past by being a ceaseless guardian of the grimy city that took his parents' lives from him. Spiderman is forever a pubescent boy, constantly trying to figure out his powers, constantly trying to figure out how to fit in socially and never quite figuring how to use his powers without putting his friends and family in danger.

Where are the adult superheroes? The grown-ups who have it all. Where are the people who can defect unending obstacles that reality throws at us like Superman deflecting bullets (and emotional intimacy). When we get a superhero movie about an adult superhero?

We already have, it's Avengers 2 and the superhero is Hawkeye.

"Wait," you may say, "Hawkeye doesn't even have super powers!" I would disagree with that. Look at all the things we learn about Hawkeye in the film. He has mastered the family/work mix, he spends quality time with his kids, he has a meaningful life, he never gets overwhelmed, he builds strong relationships including a platonic relationship with a member of the opposite sex, he works hard and that hard work pays off, and he has the skillset to deal with all sorts of problems physical and emotional. In the previous Avengers' movie Hawkeye had something horrifying happened to him, he lost his own volition and was force to cause harm to those close to him. This trauma will be with him for the rest of his life but he doesn't let that interfere with his job and relationships.

While the rest of the Avengers are behaving childish and in dangerous ways (including falling down a well?) Hawkeye is able to keep the group together and be the adult of the group. He doesn't work alone. He's part of a team and he makes sure the team is greater than the sum of its parts.

Being an adult has many pitfalls. They can be carrying around emotional baggage, missed opportunities, regrets both personal and interpersonal, the feeling of wasted and aimless work and uncertainty about the future. Being able to overcome these problems, to face them and beat them sure seems like a superpower to me.

What would make you happier, flying around in your underwear and boots or not feeling overwhelmed when life throws you a curveball?