Do We Actually Need Super Heroes Now?

When I began my lifelong addiction hobby of reading comic books, I realized at a rather young age that super heroes existed in a rarified setting. As much as it might be cool to have the powers of Superman or the Flash in the real world, it wouldn't be the same. What would a super hero have to do? I mean if a freak tossing around exploding boomerangs turned up in, I don't now, Cleveland or something, then maybe we would need the Flash to take care of that. 

But stuff like that didn't happen in our world while in the world of comics, it's just another day. While having super heroes around to help in the case of disasters would be very helpful, there would otherwise be little to do. The world lacked super villains. 

I'm not so sure that's the case anymore. Out in the deserts of the Middle East, ISIS gathers strength and power like a veritable Legion of Doom. The cowardly bastards that make up their ranks kill with horrific impunity. As if the beheadings were not enough, ISIS killed its latest victim by burning them alive. 

This is evil off the scale. This is depravity beyond comprehension. And nothing it seems can be done to stop the murderous thugs who make up ISIS. World leaders dither and ponder as ISIS accumulates more followers, more weapons, more power. And their capacity to create terror (and not just terror but sheer horror) also grows exponentially. 

If ISIS existed in the Marvel universe, Iron Man and Capt. America would've rounded up a team of Avengers and kicked their collective asses by now. Over at DC, Superman may have dealt with ISIS more humanely than they deserve but they would've been dealt with. 

But ISIS is not HYDRA or the Secret Society in a comic book world littered with super heroes to fight them. No, they're in the real world with us. Lucky us. 

But I think its very telling that as I think about the evils being perpetrated by these murderers with their blackened dead souls that the best solution I can come up with is...

We need a super hero. 

Of course, that's a ridiculous conceit but here the thing: ISIS has gone beyond any conventional definition of lawlessness into the abyss of evil. Is that being overdramatic? Given the atrocities that ISIS commits on a continual basis, hell no, that is NOT being overdramatic. 

And our response needs to match the darkness we face. President Obama and other leaders around the world need to commit now and firmly to bring everything to bear to eradicate these scumbags from the face of the Earth. This requires...no, this demands BOLD action.  If most of the world is repulsed by the actions of these killers, we need to act now, not later. 

Maybe, here in the real world, we don't get a super hero. 

But we definitely need a hero. 

Everyone, be good to one another. 

Dave-El 
I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You