The Avengers, earths mightiest heroes, can you relate to them? I will discuss here my take on how relatable these characters are. Let me point out that I am only discussing the characters with more back story to them, so I am not going to discuss Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, and Bruce Banner/the Hulk. The Hulk for different reasons than the other two because I am not totally clear on the route of the character since the events of The Incredible Hulk. If anyone has any info I'd be glad to learn more. Also let me point out that this is a take on the motion picture depictions, not on any comic book stories or other depictions of these characters. Going on with the article, first off is Captain America/Steve Rodgers.
Steve Rogers/Captain America, the legend. A man out of time. Where do I start with him? Once a scrawny kid with a heart of a lion, the super soldier serum gave him the physical tools to match his strong heart. I think this side of him was depicted very well and it's easy to see that he has the will power to do whatever necessary. Afterwards we see him unwillingly tour for war bonds and his disappointment is shown. I think it was a nice point, it shows his want to do more. Then we see him make his own chance to help, and he does great things. He earns the faith of those around him and becomes the captain. One thing that I liked to see was his attitude and evolution around women. We see him become nervous when an unnamed woman comes on to him as "a thank you from all the wives". Mid-kiss Peggy comes in and afterwards tells him that Steve knows nothing about women, this after Steve accused her of being intimate with Howard Stark. This mistake prone attitude that Steve has towards women I think helps in his relatability. After all, how many of us have had to learn more about women the hard way? I skip now to the Avengers, and Steve being haunted by the events of The First Avenger. Being haunted by the past is something some of us can relate to and a nice addition to his character. Afterwards there are nods to him being out of time, but nothing essential. I would've liked to see more of his anguish shown, more that could add to his character. I've read somewhere that there was a scene that was cut featuring him and Peggy reuniting, I think this would've been great as it could've been a full circle moment, a moment that could possibly help Steve move on. I do understand though that this movie was full of major characters with limited time to spread around, so they could only do so much. Overall I think Steve Rogers/Captain America is a relatable character, from his heart to his shortcomings I think we all share something similar.
Now onto Tony Stark/Iron Man, the "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." First off, retribution. He came back from the cave and found a new calling. He found the strength. I think that's something many of us can relate to, whether it's working our way through a situation or turning ourselves around. Personally I found this event to be very great, it's something that basically showcases his character. When pressed up against the wall we see aspects of ourselves and I very much liked the depiction of Tony Stark in such a situation. Next we see him try to turn on a new leaf and find a new calling, continuing the concept of retribution. By the end we see him become a hero, a different type of hero than we're used to, but a hero nonetheless. Oh and I can't forget about his relationship with Pepper, how many of us have had similar instances where we like someone and they like us back, but no one wants to make the first move? I very much liked the romance and thought it had character to it as opposed to some of the dull romances we're accustomed to. Onto Iron Man 2. Seeing Tony Stark breaking down emotionally because he knew he would be dying soon was an aspect I liked. Too see such a confident and flamboyant character breaking down was impactful. Then we see him fascinated with his dad and learning more about him. I think that's very relatable. Whether it's a gap in our lives we're trying to fill or someone we miss, I think that depiction was very good. I would've liked to see more of that, maybe more events of him growing up. Things like that which could have added to his pain when it comes to his father. In the Avengers we see more of the same Stark except for at the end, talk about a heroic act. I think it adds greatly to his character, and it was great to see him transform from who he was in Iron Man 1 into that. Overall I think Tony Stark/Iron Man is very relatable, the man is so complicated I think he holds a bit of almost everything.
Lastly is Thor. The god of thunder. We see Thor transform from an arrogant man into a more humble one. We see him as an irresponsible war starter then transformed into a man of peace. Very humane features. We see his romance with Jane and his confidence, heck I think we all want that kind of smoothness. Also, being out of place. There are no horses at the pet shop. I think we can all relate to being out of place, or just the concept of adapting to change. I think it was very well done. He adapted to all that and made very major changes. I do wish that they would've gone more into detail about Thor's childhood, to show where his arrogance came from and to build up his character more. In doing that I think they would've built up Loki more too and I think it would've helped the story. In the Avengers we see him still defending Loki and believing that he can be turned around, I believe many of us have that kind of hope in someone and I think it was depicted very well. Overall though I do think he's relatable, heck I think they did a good job considering he's a god from a different world.
What do you think? Did they do a good job making these characters relatable? Surely I missed some stuff, what events did I miss that you think are influential? Please post below and comment what you think. Thanks for reading, farewell.