A Moment Of Marvel Aplomb

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Sometimes, Marvel can be pretty awesome.

Like when it creates a deaf superhero because a small boy is troubled that no superheroes wear hearing aids.

Also note, this is their second hearing aid-wearing superhero--they also sent him images of Hawkeye, who lost 80% of his hearing. I don't know anything about either of these heroes, but I am really hoping at least one also uses sign language and is capital-D Deaf, because that would be awesome.

Thanks to dandelion_diva for the link!

Comments

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

Hmm, Hawkeye was in the big, recent Avengers movie (thought you might be hard-pressed to tell, as they avoid using superhero names in those movies). He's the guy who looks humorously archaic using a bow in a gunfight, and as far as I know, he didn't have hearing aids in that film.

[westrider.livejournal.com]

Different Continuity. There are at least three different versions of Hawkeye (Original, Ultimate, and Movie), which are each somewhat different even tho they're theoretically the same Character.

Original Hawkeye was the one who went mostly deaf from an explosion and wore a hearing aid. I'm not sure if he still does or not, he died and got better, and sometimes that fixes other things as well ;)

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

The bow seems less archaic when you realize that he's using explosive-tipped arrows (there's a great scene with that).

Deafness isn't something that is really a definitive part of the character. It's something that happened to him in the comics, but I'm not sure if it lasted.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I briefly looked him up ... if it was due to something later in his life, it sounds like he wouldn't have had time to really pick up Deaf culture. No word on the Blue Ear, naturally, but I really like that they named the character after the way the kid refers to his own hearing aid. It's still a less-stupid superhero name than anything with "Lad" in it.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

FWIW, "Lad" and "Lass" have generally been associated with characters in DC's Legion Of Super-Heroes. I guess in the 31st century nobody thinks they sound goofy anymore.

My favorite is Matter Eater Lad.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was specifically thinking of him. ;)

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Guided By Voices did a song about him!

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

Y'know what works even better than explosive arrows? Explosive bullets. Just saying.

[baroncognito.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily, the arrows are capable of carrying a larger explosive payload (unless the bullets are quite large).

[baroncognito.livejournal.com]

If you want a super hero who is deaf, it's Echo you're looking for. She's introduced in DareDevil: Parts of a Hole, but it's Echo: Vision Quest that has the really interesting art work. She knows sign language, and it shows up in her book, but she's practically a female Taskmaster, so she can get by without it. She was also Ronin in the New Avengers for a while. She didn't get along well with Spider-man; he thought she didn't care for his jokes.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if they're counting Hawkeye's temporary(?) condition, then this would be their third deaf superhero.