Heroes have been around for centuries and are still prevalent in modern society.  There are several diverse heroic roles including our own personal heroes, fictional superheroes, political heroes, civil heroes, etc.  Society wants and needs these figures to display a moral code, lead with conviction, and teach or demonstrate other sought after attributes.

Romans used heroic narratives as historical records, which included supernatural events and these stories often included the importance and loyalty shown to Rome. A notorious example is found in Roman poet, Vergil’s, poem “The Aeneid.” This twelve chapter epic poem outlines the story of Aeneas fleeing from Troy and sailing towards Italy.  With help from the gods on his voyage, he lands in Italy and through war he won the right to stay and thus begin his reign. Aeneas is described to be the son of goddess Aphrodite and Anchises and brings this divine leadership to the Rome. He lives his life by divine command or commonly known as pietas meaning he did the will of the gods and was very dedicated to obedience for what was seen to be right. He embodied the role of a heroic warrior always doing what was best for the majority of the people and for Italy.  As Frozone says in one of my favorite animated movies, The Incredibles, we are talking about the “greater good” 

Romulus and Remus are more examples of heroes in Roman mythology, and is the story of the founding of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus. They are twin brothers descended from Greek and Latin nobility and were spared by the god Tiberinus. They sought the gods wisdom and direction often throughout their lives and especially when deciding where to build Rome. Romulus displayed that strength and decision-making and willingness to follow the gods. He was the decision maker amongst the two and eventually became the founder and king of Rome. These attributes of strength and devotion to Rome were very important in Roman heroism.

These characters display strong influence from the gods and brute strength. The importance of dedication to family and Rome was particularly stressed in Roman literature and bravery. They are set as an example to all and seen as leaders. Over time heroes have evolved and you see the same basic principles of power and leadership, but with very different motives. Modern superheroes have supernatural powers rather than divine guidance and are driven by moral standards in society more so than honor to their family or to deity. They believe in the defending of the innocent and upholding societal structure.

Spiderman is the story of a teenage boy who is bit by a radioactive spider and then receives super human powers allowing him to use “spidey” senses, and spider webs. He uses these powers to defend the city and its citizens. He is driven by a moral code to do good and defeat the “bad guys.” Superman is a hero that comes from another planet as a child and then grows up on Earth, overtime he discovers his superhuman powers and keeps them secret to defend his family and friends. He has deep inset morals of right and wrong and the protection of the innocent. This pattern can be seen in any modern day superhero and there are a plethora of movies that show their attributes as heroes.

All these movies and media depict heroic attributes, but what makes them entertaining is the consequences of and the process of overcoming a fatal flaw. This flaw keeps things interesting and takes the stories of all these heroes for interesting turns. In Roman literature or history this is a common trait that is shown to warn listeners and readers against it. Aeneas exhibits no control especially in the end of “The Aeneid” when his enemy is surrendering and begging for mercy and he still kills him against past advice from his father. His father specifically said, “spare the conquered” and he ignores that in a rage of anger because the man that was surrendering killed his friend Pallas. Romulus as well displayed ego and inability to control himself when he kills his twin brother for power over Rome. Spiderman is very attached to his emotions and is often overcome by his enemies because they play off his strong emotions towards people, specifically Mary Jane and his family. And for Superman, the crystal Kryptonite has a crippling effect on him. This happens across the board in heroes; they always have a flaw that governs many of the decisions they make in their journey, nearly brings them to their downfall, but many of them can still come out on top. 

The employment of flaws in Roman heroes and modern day heroes is used as a teaching tool to warn against these attributes. Modern day heroes are depicted in movies as working to help each other, failing because of their flaws, and then overcoming these flaws for the greater good. It allows audiences to interpret the importance of overcoming shortcomings and how this will further their ability to help others. This helps society to cling to these figures for guidance and enlightenment. This is how heroes have been utilized for centuries and will continue to be used for many years to come.