HEROES & VILLAINS: T H E F A B R I C A N D M A K I N G O F A T R U E S U P E R H E R O

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2 HEROES & VILLAINS: T H E F A B R I C A N D M A K I N G O F A T R U E S U P E R H E R O WHO IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SUPERHERO? H ollywood has always been infatuated with superhero movies. Starting with the full length Batman movie in 1966, Hollywood has continued to produce superhero movie including: Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, X-men, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Spawn, Thor, Daredevil. In fact nearly every major comic book character has starred in their own movie. WHAT SUPERHERO HAS BEEN THE MOST PROFITABLE? #1 TOTAL UNITED STATES GROSS FOR A SUPERHERO MOVIE: The Dark Knight (Warner Brother) $533,345,358 4,366 $158,411,483 4,366 7/18/08 WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR BATMAN S MASSIVE POPULARITY AND PROFITABILITY? THE ANSWER GIVEN BY MANY MOVIE-CIRITICS, EDITORS, AND COMIC BOOK ENTHUSIASTS MAY SURPRISE YOU. Comic Book Quiz Heroes & Villians Page 1

3 SUPERHERO POP-QUIZ HOW MANY VILLAINS CAN YOU NAME FOR EACH SUPERHERO? (10 SECONDS MAX PER-HERO) Each film is only as good as its villain. Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only a great villain can transform a good try into a triumph -Roger Ebert Any story where you have good guys versus bad guys can only be as smart as the intelligence of your baddest guy. -Bruce Willis Heroes & Villians Page 2

4 THE BIGGEST FACTOR IN BATMAN S SUCCESS? HIS VILLIANS U N D E R S T A N D I N G T H E R O L E O F T H E V I L L A I N I N T H E M A K I N G O F A H E R O TRUE GREATNESS IS ALL ABOUT WHO YOU STRUGGLE WITH PIRKEI AVOS 4:1 משנה מסכת אבות פרק ד משנה א איזהו גבור הכובש את יצרו שנאמר )משלי טו:טז( טוב ארך אפים מגבור ומושל ברוחו מלוכד עיר Who is mighty? He who conquers his own desires, as it says, Patience is greater than strength and controlling your emotions and temperament is great that a conquerer of citys. WHY IS CONQUERING YOUR OWN DESIRES A THE ULTIMATE SIGN OF STRENGTH? FINDING YOUR STREGTH BY CONFRONTING YOUR WEAKNESS RAMBAN, BEREISHIS 22:1 רמב"ן בראשית פרק כב פסוק א והאלהים נסה את אברהם - ענין הנסיון הוא לדעתי, בעבור היות מעשה האדם רשות מוחלטת בידו, אם ירצה יעשה ואם לא ירצה לא יעשה, יקרא "נסיון" מצד המנוסה, אבל המנסה יתברך יצוה בו להוציא הדבר מן הכח אל הפועל, להיות לו שכר מעשה טוב לא שכר לב טוב בלבד. ודע כי השם צדיק יבחן )תהלים יא ה(, כשהוא יודע בצדיק שיעשה רצונו וחפץ להצדיקו יצוה אותו בנסיון, ולא יבחן את הרשעים אשר לא ישמעו. והנה כל הנסיונות שבתורה לטובת המנוסה: Heroes & Villians Page 3

5 א ' T he matter of trial, in my opinion, is as follows: since a man s deeds are at his absolute free command, to perform them or not to perform them at his will, on the part of the one who is tried it is called a trial. But on the part of G-d, who tries the person, it is a command that the one being tested should bring forth the matter from potential into actuality so that he may be rewarded for a good deed, not for a good thought alone. Furthermore, G-d only tests the righteous. He does so knowing that the righteous will do His will and therefore tests him in order to make him more upright. G-d does not test the wicked because he knows they will not obey. Thus all trials in the Torah are for the good of the one who is being tried. R TZADOK OF LUBLIN, TZIDKAS HATZADIK #49 ר 'צדוק הכהן מלובלין -צדקת הצדיק אות מט כל אחד ידע שבמה שיצרו תוקפו ביותר הוא כלי מוכן לאותם דברים ביותר להיות נקיים וזכים אצלו.ובדברים שהירבה לפשוע בהם ידע שהוא כלי מוכן להיות דייקא באותו דבר נקי ובר לבב ולכן אמרו (ויקרא רבה כ"א ה)שבאבר שבו חטא בו יעשה מצוות ואין זה רק תיקון לעבירה הקודמת מדה כנגד מדה,אבל הוא גם תיקון נפשו בפרט כי כל אחד נברא לתיקון איזה דבר פרטי אשר בו נתיחדה נפשו בפרט ואין לה חבר]כמו שלא נמצא פרצופים שוים ופרצוף פנים רומז על צלם אלהים דנפש [כנודע מאמר הקדמונים על מאמר חז"ל )שבת קי"ח ב (אבוך במאי זהיר טפי : ועל כזה אמרו (גיטין מ"ג א )אין אדם עומד על דברי תורה אלא אם כן נכשל,שעל ידי המכשלה הוא מבין שלכך נוצר לתקן אותו דבר.הלא תראה אחז חתם התורה כמו שאמרו בחלק) סנהדרין ק"ג ב (ובמדרש )בראשית רבה מ"ב ג (' שמנע תינוקות של בית רבן אמר אם אין גדיים וכו 'לפי שהוא היה כלי מוכן להוליד חזקיה שהיה מרביץ תורה ביותר כדאיתא סוף פרק קמא דבבא קמא )י"ז א (ופרק ב 'דסנהדרין )כ (ועד שלא נמצא עם הארץ בימיו כדאיתא בחלק )שם צ"ד ב (עיין שם ממש ההיפוך : I t is well known that in the very area in which a person is spiritually struggling the most, that area is a vessel of potential to become a successful master in that very area. The struggles and failures in a particular area can be an indication that there is much potential in that very same area in a person s live for every person has been created to redeem a certain aspect for which their soul was specifically created for. And regarding this, the Talmud teaches that a person cannot establish himself in Torah until he first struggles with Torah. It is through the areas of Torah in which a person struggles that the area in which they were created in order to redeem can be identified. WHAT STREGNTH HAVE YOU FOUND BY CONFRONTING YOUR WEAKNESSES? Heroes & Villians Page 4

6 RABBI YITZCHAK HUTNER: LOSE A BATTLE AND WIN THE WAR This letter (Letter of R. Hutner #128) was composed by Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner ( ). Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, to a student who, in a letter to R. Hutner, had conveyed his pessimism regarding his potential for spiritual greatness and his faltering spirit: A failing that many of us experience is that we focus on the lofty level of accomplishments of great people. We only focus on how they are complete in this or in that area. At the same time, we omit mention of the inner struggles that had previously raged within t hem. A listener would get the impression that these individuals came out of the hand of their creator in ideal form. Everyone is awed at the purity of speech of the Chofetz Chaim, considering it a miraculous phenomenon. But who knows of the battles, struggles, and obstacles, the slumps, the regressions that the Chofetz Chaim encountered in his war with the yetzer hara? There are many such examples to which a discerning individual such as yourself can certainly apply the rule. The result of this misconception is that when an ambiguous young man of spirit and enthusiasm meets obstacles, falls and slumps, he imagines himself unworthy of being Planted in the house of Hashem (psalms 92:14). According to this young man s fallacy, flourishing in the house of Hashem means to repose with calm spirit lush meadows beside tranquil waters (see ibid 23:2), delighting in the yetzer hatov in the manner of the righteous delighting in the reflection of the Shechinah, with crowns on their heads, gathered in Gan Eden. At the same time, he should be untroubled by the agitation of the yetzer hora. Shlomo, the wisest of all men, has said a righteous man falls seven times and rises again (Proverbs 24:16). Fools believe that the intent of this verse is to teach us something remarkable: the righteous man has fallen seven times and yet he resiliently rises. But the knowledgeable know that the source of the tzaddik s ability to rise again is precisely through his seven falls. And he saw all the he had made and behold it was very good. (Genesis 1:31). The Midrash comments on this verse, Good : that is your yetzer tov. Very good: that is the yetzer hara. (Genesis Rabah 91) The source of the tzaddik s ability to rise again is precisely through his seven falls. My cherished one as things stand, with your letter telling of slumps and falls and obstacles, I say that I have received a very good letter from you. Your spirit is storming as it aspires to greatness. I beg of you, do not portray for yourself great men as being one with their yetzer tov. Picture their greatness, rather, in terms of an awesome war with their yetzer hora. Heroes & Villians Page 5

7 A CANDID APPREICATION FOR LIFE S VILLIANS CONAN O BRIEN S COMMENTCEMENT SPEECH AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE E leven years ago I gave an address to a graduating class at Harvard. I have not spoken at a graduation since because I thought I had nothing left to say. But then 2010 came. And now I'm here, three thousand miles from my home, because I learned a hard but profound lesson last year and I'd like to share it with you. In 2000, I told graduates "Don't be afraid to fail." Well now I'm here to tell you that, though you should not fear failure, you should do your very best to avoid it. Nietzsche famously said "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." But what he failed to stress is that it almost kills you. Disappointment stings and, for driven, successful people like yourselves it is disorienting Now, by definition, Commencement speakers at an Ivy League college are considered successful. But a little over a year ago, I experienced a profound and very public disappointment. I did not get what I wanted, and I left a system that had nurtured and helped define me for the better part of 17 years. I went from being in the center of the grid to not only off the grid, but underneath the coffee table that the grid sits on, lost in the shag carpeting that is underneath the coffee table supporting the grid. It was the making of a career disaster, and a terrible analogy. But then something spectacular happened. Fogbound, with no compass, and adrift, I started trying things. I grew a strange, cinnamon beard. I dove into the world of social media. I started tweeting my comedy. I threw together a national tour. I played the guitar. I did stand-up, wore a skin-tight blue leather suit, recorded an album, Heroes & Villians Page 6

8 made a documentary, and frightened my friends and family. Ultimately, I abandoned all preconceived perceptions of my career path and stature and took a job on basic cable with a network most famous for showing reruns, along with sitcoms created by a tall, black man who dresses like an old, black woman. I did a lot of silly, unconventional, spontaneous and seemingly irrational things and guess what: with the exception of the blue leather suit, it was the most satisfying and fascinating year of my professional life. To this day I still don't understand exactly what happened, but I have never had more fun, been more challenged and this is important had more conviction about what I was doing. How could this be true? Well, it's simple: There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized. I went to college with many people who prided themselves on knowing exactly who they were and exactly where they were going. At Harvard, five different guys in my class told me that they would one day be President of the United States. Four of There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized. them were later killed in motel shoot-outs. The other one briefly hosted Blues Clues, before dying senselessly in yet another motel shoot-out. Your path at 22 will not necessarily be your path at 32 or 42. One's dream is constantly evolving, rising and falling, changing course. So, at the age of 47, after 25 years of obsessively pursuing my dream, that dream changed. For decades, in show business, the ultimate goal of every comedian was to host The Tonight Show. It was the Holy Grail, and like many people I thought that achieving that goal would define me as successful. But that is not true. No specific job or career goal defines me, and it should not define you. In 2000 in 2000 I told graduates to not be afraid to fail, and I still believe that. But today I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality. WHAT IS YOU GREATEST VILLAIN? AND HOW HAS IT MADE YOU A GREATER HERO? Heroes & Villians Page 7

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