Are heroes born or are they made?

Answer 1

I must say, I think this is one of the greatest single questions I have ever seen in the comics and animation category. It ranks up there with John Woo’s question about why we relate to comic book super heroes.

Well, to answer this properly, we must look at what makes a hero, how heroes come into being and why some people become heroes. These are not all just ways of saying the same thing differently.

Let’s start with how heroes come into being. The classic saying is that some are born great (like Superman or Thor) some achieve greatness (like Batman or Iron Man) and some have greatness thrust upon them (like Green Lantern or Spider Man.) Most of us, not having been born great and not disciplined enough to achieve greatness, are still waiting for Option Number 3.

But what makes a hero? There have been people throughout history who have been blessed from birth with great gifts and inherent talent. We tend to call them child prodigies, especially in the fields of music art or math. However some have used their natural gifts to dominate and exert cruelty on others.
All right, then. Why do some people become heroes while others become psychopaths and murderers? It has to do with their moral character.

Granted, there is such a thing as an anti-hero. And there are some people who insist that they have to have their heroes with flaws; that they have to go into a berserker rage, or have some weakness, or self-doubts, to be able to relate to them. But that reminds me a little bit of Lex Luthor, when one of his underlings discovered that Clark Kent was Superman. When she told Luthor, he refused to believe it. Why? Because Luthor could never hide that kind of power! If he had the power, he’d use it to take over and rule! (the way he thought he SHOULD.) He thought that someone like Superman could never hide in the identity of a normal, ordinary man, putting his pants on one foot at a time and obeying the speed limit like everybody else. Luthor was judging in terms of his own weaknesses.

This is why, when I compare Superman to Thor, I find Superman just a little bit more heroic. Superman does not have the memory of being worshipped as a god and a tradition of a royal family (which I fend pretentious) to uphold. When Lois met Clark, in the comics, she mocked him as a Boy Scout. But it was that personality, that unfailing goodness and kindness that she eventually fell in love with and decided that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, not the super powers. And, presto! She got that into the bargain as well.

This is why, when I compare Batman to Iron Man, I find Batman just a little bit more heroic. Tony Stark was dying from a shrapnel wound to his heart when he made the first Iron Man armor. He did it to save his own life, not others. Bruce Wayne swore NOT ONLY to find the one that killed his parents, but also declared war on all crime and all criminals everywhere. He did it to prevent crime, to protect others from becoming victims of crime… to spare other children suffering-- as HE had suffered…!

This is why, when I compare Green Lantern to Spider man, I find Green Lantern just a little bit more heroic. Peter Parker did well, very well, with his bit of good fortune. Given that Marvel wanted to show a teenage hero with all the hangups and problems of youth, they portrayed the character accurately. (Though, sometimes, I am afraid, they encouraged self-pity and morbid introspection in an entire generation of youth who did not get such powers—that is to say, the vast majority of them—because that was the one way in which they COULD emulate Peter Parker.) In contrast, when Abin Sur knew he was dying, and commanded his Power Ring to find one who was suitable as a replacement, he gave it two commands. We all know the second one—that he must be without fear. But have we forgotten the first criteria that Abin Sur named, that he must be totally honest…?

My heart breaks when I think of the way DC treated Hal Jordan, making him into a villain. (I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent. But you will see, in a moment, how this fits in.)

So, are heroes born or made? A true hero may be born with certain gifts, talents or abilities. But those are not what makes him a hero. A hero may get training from the best teachers, as Luke Skywalker got training from Obi Wan Kenobi. But in the end, it is what they choose to do, how they respond under pressure.

It is like the Rudyard Kipling poem, ‘If’. “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…” That touches on many of the moral qualities that make a hero.

Finally, how does a hero deal with failure? If it is a moral failure, the hero may have lost a good deal of stature, and public trust. Just as we have seen public leaders caught in flagrant moral wrong and then come up with some blather about how they were abused or addicted or under pressure-- but it’s okay because they are sorry and they are going into treatment for it, starting tomorrow!

A hero takes his licking and goes back to doing what he was supposed to be doing in the first place.

We all fail. Even when we give our best efforts, sometimes we fail. And we all die, eventually. How do we face the final enemy? How does a hero face it?

If a hero must die, he gives his life in a worthy cause. He strives to his last breath, knowing that even if he does not save the day, he will have done his best. Who knows? His efforts may give the next hero the stepping stone from which to succeed. This is the attitude of many of our real life heroes, the police and firefighters and military: complete the mission.

So, I guess you understand by now, what I’m saying. A person CHOOSES to be a hero, and keeps on keeping on, and keeps on getting up again when he’s knocked down. Even when he’s given no credit for what he accomplishes. Even when his enemies publicly detract from his reputation. These are the kinds of heroism we all admire.

What’s more, this is the kind of heroism we can all achieve, even without super powers.

Be a hero, today!

Answer 2

Heroes Born

Answer 3

Well, it depends on the characteristics, traits and skills that hero has.

More often physical strength and body build has something to do with heroes being born.

Skills require training and traits are the result of the environment the hero isin. So a hero of that type is made not born to be.

Answer 4

Heroes are made. Some are made by choice and training, such as the young men and women who serve in the arm forces protecting the freedom and rights of every man, woman and child in the wonderful country called the United States of American. Others are made by opportunity and love of mankind, such as in the case of the man in NY who pulled the person from the train tracks this week, all of the volunteers in New Orleans helping with the evacuation of people from Hurricane Katrina, or the rescue workers during 911. A hero is someone who will do what ever it takes, to include giving his life, to better the human race. Look around, you are probably standing next to one right now!

Answer 5

All heroes are born and all heroes are made. Both have to occur. People, events, teachings, life experiences and our own personalities give each of us the potential to be heroes or not. What turns it from potential to reality is how we react when presented with a situation that gives us the opportunity to act heroically.

Answer 6

hhmmm an interesting question. for example of a born hero, superman was born a super-human. he didnt acquire those powers any other time than after he was born. spider-man, on the other hand was bitten by a spider that gave him the powers that made him become a hero. and batman also was MADE a hero after he tried to seek vengeance on his parents after a thug shot them.

Answer 7

Heros aren't born, they do something outstanding to be called Heros. (Thats except the Super Heros, they were born heros)

Answer 8

Made. There is that quote "A hero is born" or whatever, and I guess that is kind of true. But he won't actually be a hero (even if he is born for it) if he doesn't work hard and such. So definitely made.

Answer 9

Heroes are definitely made. Whether heroes are put forth by society or they emerge as a result of their own achievements, they are made and not destined to be.

Answer 10

Both. But just because you're born extraordinary doesn't mean you'll be a hero unless you act like one.

Answer 11

YES
Heroes are of course often made. Then we see the case of Nate Grey, a hero bred to be so.