I hate superhero movies.
I’m a soft spirit who searches for meaning in between my big toe.
So for me a flicks gotta have more than high kicks and explosions to activate my cinematic senses.
Moreover. I dig real-life storytelling, not so much fantasy.
I’d even go so far as to say, it’s impossible for me to suspend my belief for anything that is not Game of Thrones.
Show me one scene of someone heroically walking through a hail of bullets in slow motion wearing only a leotard, a rusty shield, and a magic lasso (yes you Wonderwoman) and you might as well show me the door.
Because from that point on, I’m huffin-n-puffin. I’m fidgeting in my seat. I’m counting down, in my head, the minutes until the enemy arches and we reach what we all know will be a happy ending.
That is until someone introduced me to Guardians of the Galaxy and of course as of recent, Avengers.
It was here that I learned to suspend my belief in lieu of a laugh. It was here that I learned not all make-believe stories end well. It was here that I met Mantis.
A different kind of warrior, one in which the internet describes as:
“A grandmistress of martial arts capable of beating opponents like Captain America by instinctively sensing weak points in her opponents. She has attained a mastery of meditational disciplines giving her an unusual amount of control over her body including autonomic functions like heartbeat, bleeding, breathing and awareness of pain, allowing her to more quickly heal through sheer force of will and affording almost superhuman reflexes and reactions.
She also has psychic empathy, a telepathic power that allows her to sense the emotions of others. Her empathic ability enables her to communicate with plant life and travel in space, Mantis has the ability to project her consciousness from her body, allowing her to travel interplanetary distances. She can control the vegetation within her vicinity and has the ability to project strong blasts of energy“
Thor who? Wolverine what? I literally just described for you, not a superhero, but a superhuman. An intergalactic Deepak Chopra capable of harnessing seemingly intangible powers that we all, the fuck, have.
Mantis wields no sword. There’s no fancy headpiece to identify her. Her spirit is her superpower; hidden to the natural eye and therefore capable of sneaking up on ‘in-knee‘ sucka who underestimate the power of a soft soul. Preferring not to fight physically but rather physiologically, packing a punch that though spiritual, is as impactful as whatever it is that Superman does.
And in case you needed a reminder, (spoiler alert) ya girl Mantis almost single-handedly defeated Thanos. Yes. While everyone else was sifting away, one by one, like salt & pepper shakers, Mantis was meditating in-this-bitch. Talking bout, “Hush yall. I almost got’eem!” – using her pensive powers to literally put niggas to sleep. And if wasn’t for Peter’s ol’ cakin ass, we could’ve won the infinity war.
Did I mention I hate superhero films? I am not here to avenge the Avengers. I am here to get you to see that every superpower doesn’t attract box office attention. Most are hidden inside for safekeeping. Don’t let’em sit dormant. Acknowledge’em. Nurture’em. Strengthen’em.
Here are my superpowers & a few quotes to remind me that I kick ass. What are your superpowers?
Superpower – Youth
Advantage – She never gets old.
Credo – Youth is not a time in life but is a state of mind” – Samuel Ullman
Superpower – Humor
Advantage – Skin thickens when laughing making for an impassible layer of skin.
Credo – “Humor is laughing at what you haven’t got when you ought to have it” – Langston Hughes
Superpower – Empathy
Advantage – Able to slip out of her cape and into your shoes with the blink of an eye.
Credo – “The highest form of knowledge is empathy” – Bill Bullard
Superpower – Curiosity
Advantage – Equipped with gnarled, reptilian-like fingers used to dig below surface.
Credo – “When you’re curious you find lots of interesting things to do” – Walt Disney
Superpower – Authenticity
Advantage – The seductive arch in her back not only attracts men but repels disingenuity.
Credo – “If you’re your authentic self, you have no competition” – Anonymous
Superpower – Imagination
Advantage – Forms new ideas and concepts in a flash.
Credo – “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination” – Albert Einstein
Superpower – Introspection
Advantage –Using reverse X-Ray vision (and a little THC) she can see inward.
Credo – “The problem with introspection is that it has no end” – Phillip K. Dick
Superpower – Intuition
Advantage – Deploys ricketty eyelashes to distract opponent while looking through them.
Credo – “Intuition is seeing with the soul” – Dean Koontz