The arc of a superhero's life is usually pretty easy to understand. They gain powers or abilities beyond mortal man and then they use them to smash evil right in the face. There's a special kind of moment that comes in the lives of the best heroes, however, that elevates them to the eternal pantheon. That's when they find their edge. You know what I'm talking about. It's the little place inside you where you unlock your full potential. Here are the crime fighters who found it and upped their game permanently.
Superheroes That Find Their Edge
There comes a point in the life of every superhero when they realize that just putting on the Spandex isn't enough. To really conquer evil, they need to find that special edge deep inside them that gives them the power they need to crush evil.
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By UGO Team April 30, 2012 |
Credit: DC Comics
Animal Man |
For the first few decades of his career, Animal Man was a regular dude with a pretty limited power - he could absorb the abilities of any animal that was nearby. Pretty cool if he's fighting crime at the zoo, not so great in outer space. During the 90s, he got a serious upgrade. During a peyote trip on top of a mesa in Arizona, Animal Man discovered that he was connected to the morphogenetic field, an invisible web of energy that connects all animal life on Earth. That meant he could reach into it and get any animal. Dinosaurs, insects; you name it, he controls it. Now that's a huge edge.
Credit: Paramount Pictures
Thor |
Sometimes a hero needs to recapture their edge to really get the job done. In the Thor movie, after the God of Thunder is dispatched to Earth, he is separated from Mjolnir, his mighty hammer. Since the weapon can only be lifted by the truly worthy, Thor can't pick it up until he proves himself. When the rampaging Destroyer comes after him, the callow Thor finds inner strength and offers himself as a sacrifice. In doing so, he finds his edge, his innate worthiness, and lifts Mjolnir. This allows him to lay down a lightning-powered smackdown.
Credit: Marvel Comics
Spider-Man |
Peter Parker has had a number of incredible challenges throughout his super-heroic career, but the one that fans all point to as the best example of him finding his edge came in Amazing Spider-Man #33. Spidey has the only cure for his Aunt May's rapidly spreading disease, but he's trapped in the lair of the Master Planner underneath tons of machinery, and the place is filling up fast. With a Herculean act of will, Spider-Man reaches inside himself and pulls out the last-ditch strength to lift the weight and make his escape. It may be Stan Lee's finest hour.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Batman |
For the first half of Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne is just Bruce Wayne. Sure, he's trained himself in martial arts and he has a bunch of cool toys, but he's just a man in a costume. Then he heads down into the catacombs below Wayne Manor, where he was once trapped as a child, and confronts the bats that terrified him. This is when Batman finds his edge, the mythic power that transforms him from a dilettante playboy into the Dark Knight. Without it, he'd just be some rich chump.
Green Lantern
Credit: Warner Bros.
Green Lantern |
Hal Jordan has always been a cocky SOB, but sometimes cockiness isn't enough to get the job done. When he's chosen to be the Green Lantern of Earth's space sector, Jordan lets his mouth write checks his ass can't cash and he's quickly booted out of the Corps. When the malevolent entity known as Parallax threatens his planet, Hal steps up. First he goes to the Guardians for help, but when they refuse him he goes it alone, facing the unimaginably powerful Parallax by himself. That's the edge, baby!
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