The primary role of a superhero is to save people. Whether that be from an end-of-the-world style disaster, a personal situation or a life threatening conundrum, the superhero is there to swoop in and give that person the chance to continue living their life, normal and trouble free. In popular culture, our superheros usually don a spandex style creation with the occasional incorporation of a cape and most importantly that have a super power. They are larger than life and show no signs of fear. In popular culture the superhero is often misunderstood, people assume he is there for alternative reasons, he’s alienated and villanised by the police and the press (sound familiar?) However, he manages, with one big display of caring and heroism, he manages to change the hearts and minds of the peopleand becomes a celebrated hero.
But what of a different type of superhero? What if it was simply an ordinary person who accomplished extraordinary things? That’s a story that sounds all too familiar if you’re reading this magazine. Michael Jackson was a non-superhuman Superhero whose actions were something the pages of DC and Marvel could only hope to emulate..
The above is an extract from the Iconic Magazine article ‘Last Night a Hero Saved My Life’ which features in Issue 18.
Tell us….How is Michael Jackson a Hero to you?
