It's funny, the whole superhero trope where heroes are obligated to use their powers for the good of humanity rather than live their lives for themselves.
Why don't we hold ordinary people to that standard? We do have some limited power in the world around us --- not superpowers, but the ordinary day-to-day power that comes from a place of empathy, care, and advocacy.
@whitequark More seriously, I think the thing that struck me today is that the way people relate to superheroes in fiction is similar to how I just relate to... well... people.
The best superhero stories tell us something about our own real lives, but do we imagine ourselves the heros, or the people waiting for someone more powerful and more virtuous to save us?
That's ultimately not a question about superheroes, stories, tropes, or anything else other than what we as readers, viewers, and players are willing to bring to stories and take from what stories have to offer us.
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