Hero Can Be Defined in Numerous Ways.

Hero can be defined in numerous ways. In more recent years, Hollywood has brought comic book heroes to the public via blockbuster films. These cinema heroes have helped audiences redefine what it is to be heroic without taking away from true heroism. One of the most patriotic films to come out of this comic book genre is Captain America: The First Avenger. In the film, Steve Rogers demonstrates that one does not have to have superhero power to want to do the right thing -- although he does eventually acquire superhuman powers that enable him to fulfill his goals.

Steve Rogers, at the beginning of the film, is deemed not fit to join the army, yet he does everything possible, including lying on his enlistment forms -- a federal offense, in order to move towards the fulfillment of his goal, to serve his country and fight against those that would threaten others' freedom. Although Rogers' intentions are heroic in nature, it is his character and unwillingness to give up that makes him a hero, before and after he is transformed into Cpt. America. Through the film, it is demonstrated that a person does not have to have superhuman powers in order to be a hero or have heroic intentions. In similar context, thousands of men and women have demonstrated heroic intentions by enlisting in the armed forces and defending their country against foreign threats. Just like Steve Rogers, these men and women are not equipped with superhuman powers that will aide them in their goal.

In order for a person to be considered a hero, he or she must actually go out and do something heroic. Steve Rogers not only is willing to sacrifice himself by volunteering for an experimental procedure that will give him the necessary tools to achieve his goal, but he also is willing to put his life at risk in order to save others. Steve Rogers/Cpt. America are driven by the desire to protect fellow soldiers and the United States from evil forces and he will do anything in his power to make sure that he protects and rescues those whose lives and freedoms are in danger. In the film, he refuses to be put on the sidelines, so to speak, and used to simply garner support and sell war bonds. He recognizes that he has unique attributes that are better suited for actual combat. Likewise, men and women in the armed forces put their lives at risk in order to secure freedoms not only for themselves, but also for people, which may be oppressed by dictatorial governments. These men and women knowingly and unselfishly give everything of themselves for their country and their beliefs. Even though their lives are in constant danger, the acknowledge and accept the risk, which is heroic in and of itself.