Growing up as a kid I was never an ardent fan of the comic book genre. The closest I came was Mad Magazine at its peak in the '70's. It wasn't because I couldn't appreciate the stories and adventures of the superheroes. I just couldn't keep all the characters straight beyond Batman, Superman, and Spiderman.
The consensus is that Blade (1998) ushered in the modern superhero film genre. Now there are dozens of superhero films on the market, with a new release or two every year. With the advent of CGI and other technologies and the creation of multiple universes, the possibilities for the genre seem limitless.
And yet, unless you're a super fan of superhero movies, at some point it's going to be difficult to keep track of the characters, stories, and various "universes" that make all of these films possible. It is for me anyway. It's great to be entertained, but there must be a limit, right?
All superhero movies revolve around the origin story of the hero at some point. How did these superheroes come to be? Who are they, and what motivates them? In nearly every case (except for the supernatural variety), a superhero is a person that goes through a transformation. Psychologist Robin Rosenberg suggests there are three variations of the origin story: 1) a traumatic event such as the murder of Batman's parents, 2) an external change such as Spiderman's radioactive bite, or 3) by destiny, such as Superman flung to earth from Krypton to become protector of the planet. Rosenberg says "[superheroes] inspire us and provide models of coping with adversity, finding meaning in loss and trauma, discovering our strengths and using them for good purpose."
In that sense then, we all have the capacity to be superheroes, each with our own origin story. The down-to-earth term for this is self-concept. It is the mental picture that we have of ourselves. This is different then self-esteem, which is a more subjective evaluation of our worth. Self-concept gets to the root of "who am I?" rather than "how good am I?" Although one certainly informs the other, our self-concept is formed by our experiences, accomplishments, and feedback from others, whereas our self esteem is affected by cultural norms, including personal experiences around racism, sexism and other social biases.
To have a self-concept that is strong and true, you may have to do battle with your adversaries; those tangible and intangible enemies that want to do harm to your self-esteem. You must draw from the superpower of your origin story to overcome doubt in your abilities or fear of unknown consequences. As with all heroes, you need support from your allies-- your circle of Avengers, Justice League, X-Men or Fantastic Four. The superhero invariably has a moment of crisis. In your career, you may also experience such crises, including layoffs, firings, or just plain old bad bosses. You must continually reflect on your personal mission. What motivates you to succeed? What is your path to success? All of these things should be kept in mind when you think about your self-concept.
Your goal is to live your authentic self. Stand in your power pose (not literally though, 'cause that seems weird) and prepare to face your hardships, obstacles, and setbacks. You can be a superhero. The cape is optional.