It has been one heck of a year for super heroes.
It has already been a great year for super heroes and more are on their way!
In the past 12 months, we have seen:
- A watchable D.C. movie in Wonder Woman
- A brand new and incredibly fun Spider-Man
- An absolutely hilarious and action packed Thor movie
- Julia Roberts taking her first crack at playing a super hero
- The first blockbuster hit based on an African hero in Black Panther
- The first movie that could possibly earn $2 billion in the latest installment of The Avengers franchise
Wait. What? Julia Roberts played a Super Hero?
Was she in one of the incredibly boring scenes in Justice League?
Did she not make the Joss Whedon cut?
No.
Earlier this year, Julia Roberts played the most powerful super hero ever...
A mother.
Specifically, Julia Roberts wonderfully portrayed Isabel Pullman in one of my favorite movies of all time: Wonder.
Best Wonder Woman of the year.
If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading this, grab a box of tissues, and treat yourself to a good old fashioned fairy-tale about super human strength, the power of kindness... and a mother.
One of the things I like best about recent super hero movies is that all of the good ones begin with an action sequence within the first ten minutes of the film. They seem to jump right into a catastrophe that can only be avoided with the help of some super powers. Wonder is no exception.
At just the 4 minute and 18 second mark, we know there is going to be a daunting challenge ahead for our heroes. A terrified little boy with a craniofacial deformity lies in his bed knowing he must face his greatest adversaries ever... ten year old children. Lamenting his impending doom he says, "I'm pretty much totally and completely petrified."
Would Black Panther, Spider-Man, or Thor be able to reach him in time and save him from his peril?
No need.
Why?
He has a mother. And mothers happen to be bestowed with the greatest superpower in the history of time.
What other hero can look into the eyes of a terrified child and fill them with strength, courage and confidence by uttering only four monosyllabic words...
It
will
be
fine.
If you don't believe me, check out the 6 minute mark of Wonder. If you do, you will see my favorite super hero of the year convincing that same terrified boy that he will be OK. You will also see him believe it. Then, over the next 90 minutes, you will see him live it. Then (if you are me) you will cry.
If you can't wait to see the entire movie, check out the 1:13 mark of this clip. I assure you that you will see one of the most amazing super powers ever!
You can keep your iron suits, leaping tall buildings in a single bound, spidey senses, magic hammers and super cool cat costumes. I'll take a mom's ability to convince any child that they are... "braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think"* any day.
Bullet proof bracelets are cool and all, but they are nothing compared to the protection a mother's reassuring words mean to a child.
Dr. Strange may be the Master of the Mystic Arts, but he has yet to learn the spell that transforms the words "it will be fine" into reality. And yet, somehow, every mother has.
Some mothers also know a few more "magic" words.
I know my mother has. When my father died when I was 9, my mother uttered that mighty spell. And it worked. Of course it did. Because she willed it to work.
I know my wife has. When my daughter did not feel she had the strength to stand on a stage and utter the line "Kippered smelt!" in an auditorium packed with parents and peers, Helen whispered the incantation and filled MJ with enough confidence to recite everyone's lines.
I know @karenb54 has. Heck she even found a way to make it work on a child whom she took in and treated as her own.
I know @mumofmany has. She uses that spell to make her children feel safe no matter what the challenges are.
I know @giantbear has. I know she used it on her own children... and all of the ones on steemit who she loves like her own.
I know @bdmomuae has. She uses them in between studying for her degree.
I know life @lifes-a-donut has. She raised @hotrod... who happens to be one of the coolest kids on this platform.
I know @dreemit has. Her daughter is brave enough to be seen in public with her mom at a Supernatural convention or two.
I know @accio has. Although, with a name like "accio" I have a feeling she knows as many spells as Hermione herself.
@runridefly may not technically be a mom, but I bet he swiped this page from the mother spell book.
@slowwalker's mom must know them. If you don't believe me, you can check out their adventures in his blog.
@surpassinggoogle's mom knew them for sure. How else did someone get a heart that big?
I could go on forever, but what fun is that?
Now it's your turn. What other mothers or motherly figures here on steemit (or the world in general) have mastered that essential motherly spell?
Who else can say "It will be fine" in such a way that it is impossible not to believe?
Please fill the comments below with shout outs to the Earth's Mightiest Heroes...
Mothers!
By the way, if a mother has cast this spell on you and it has not worked... wait for it. Some super powers take a little time to charge.
*Quote from A.A. Milne