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There are some heroes who don't have any super powers but are still super heroes. Why wouldn't they be dead by now or kicked off their super hero teams if their regular humans? Is there more to being a hero then powers?

Heroes have certain qualities that put them above regular, every day humans. They have super strength, invulnerabilities to poisons and disease, some have the ability to fly, and many other talents and powers. There are those who don’t have any super powers but who aren’t told to sit on the sidelines when the world needs saving. Why are they allowed to be a part of the hero community if they are more vulnerable than super heroes?

Both DC and Marvel have normal humans who take up the mantle to become heroes. DC has Batman, Green Arrow, and Blue Beetle (Ted Kord version), Marvel has Hawkeye and Iron Man and many others in each universe. These characters are regular everyday human beings. They aren’t bolstered by a yellow sun; they weren’t transformed with cosmic rays, or affected by any type of explosion. All these people are everyday humans, yet they are considered heroes along with Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, etc.

It would be one thing for these heroes to go around on an individual basis and consider themselves heroes, but this is not the case. Each of the heroes mentioned before have been members of either the JLA or Avengers. Being on the team has allowed non-powered heroes to go up against characters who have significant powers and strengths greater then their own. Each time that has occurred powered heroes recognize how non-powered heroes struggle to keep up or be on the same ground as they are, but yet no one asks them to leave or quit.

Another disadvantage to being a non-powered hero is you’re not born into your powers. Some characters had to invest a significant part of their life to become who they are. Both Green Arrow and Hawkeye are great archers as a result intense training for a long time. Batman spent all of his childhood and teen years learning how to be an acrobat, learning how to be discreet, and becoming the world’s greatest detective. In the case of Ted Kord and Tony Stark, they’re both great inventors and athletes. One invented gadgets and tools to aid him when he would battle villains, the other developed the first Iron Man suit. They knew they didn’t have the greatest physical abilities, instead they used their minds to help level the playing field.

Even if non-powered heroes use technology or a lifetime of training they still aren’t immune to the aspects of being human. Tony Stark became an alcoholic, Hawkeye went deaf, Blue Beetle gained weight, and Green Arrow lost his fortune. While super powers can’t solve these problems, having super powers might have avoided some of them. With all these disadvantages why are they still considered heroes of the same caliber of Superman and Captain America?

I believe it has something to do with the spirit of a hero, not their powers. Being a hero doesn’t mean you can lift 100 tons on your back, fly through clouds, or be resilient to poisons. Powers don’t define a hero, or a person. It’s what the person does that makes them a hero. Each non-powered hero has wanted to help in his/her own way when the time came. Going above and beyond what is expected of them has earned them the privilege to be considered super heroes along with all the others. While Batman or Hawkeye may never lift a house over their head, they will always be there, giving it all they have, to do the things heroes do. They might face personal struggles that affect us all but just like other heroes they will rise above the obstacles in their path and save the day. Saving the day is what all heroes do, whether they have powers or not.