Monday, October 28, 2013

Top 20 Fictional Swordsmen


Among blade weapons, the sword is what I find the most impressive.  And I think it’s not only me; the universal sentiment on the matter is the same, for in fiction, swords are given more emphasis than any other blade weapons and swordsmen are fondly portrayed as the coolest, most badass, and most important among weapon-wielding warriors.  And for that reason, there are plenty of notable swordsman-type characters in fiction.  That is why this list deserves 20 slots.       

As I’ve observed, the most awesome depiction of swordsmanship in fiction are those done with the Japanese katana.  Hence, in making my list, I excluded the characters that are in my lists for top ten samurais and ninjas in fiction for there are a lot of katana-wielders there (to give chance to other characters).  But katana-wielding characters that weren’t contenders on those lists for ninjas and samurais (for they were not explicit samurai-type or ninja-type characters) are still considered for this list.  Also, characters that merely have a sword as one of the weapons in their repertoire, even if they are fantastic in wielding it, are excluded as well (so, no Deadpool).  Only those that have swords as their primary weapon are considered. 

20.) SWORDSMAN

I admit that the Swordsman, a former Avenger (currently dead), despite being a proficient, er, swordsman (he should be, considering his choice for a code name) is not really a very interesting character.  Superheroes of archery concept, silly as it is on paper, like Green Arrow and Hawkeye, worked magnificently.   But a swordsman concept superhero like the Swordsman?  Not so.  However, though the attempt to duplicate the success of the archer superhero by doing it this time around with a swordsman character failed, I still think he deserves a slot here for he’s the most popular (if not only) of such kind.      

19.) VALKYRIE

Possessing all the strengths and powers of an Asgardian, Valkyrie is more than a mere sword wielder.  Prior her Avenger membership, I never found her as a remarkable character.  But when she became part of the Secret Avengers, that’s only when I’ve learned that she is one of the most badass female swordsman in fiction.  Though she is not as powerful as Thor, she however possesses the same kind of formidability, hardiness, and battle-hunger as Thor’s.      

18.) HE-MAN

Whenever Prince Adam raises his Power Sword and uttered, “By the power of Grayskull,” he transforms into He-Man, “the most powerful man in the universe.” 

Since he was conceptualized in a different era (80’s), his depiction was forbidden to actually use his sword in combat (though that would change in future portrayals).  He-Man would usually just use his intellect to outsmart his opponents, and any use of violence is mostly limited to body throws.   The only times he was portrayed using his sword to attack was on inanimate objects or robots.  Despite of this, He-Man and his Power Sword are just too iconic (at least, for me and those belonging to the past two generations) to be ignored.

At the present, He-Man’s appearance is extremely corny and even borderline gay, but during his time, He-Man could be considered as the epitome of badass manliness.

17.) GROO THE WANDERER

Sure, Groo is extremely stupid.  However, as far as being a warrior is concerned, he’s a fearsome swordsman that enjoys combat and is capable of singlehandedly routing entire mobs of adversaries in battle.
 
16.) CONAN THE BARBARIAN

As a barbarian, Conan is a toughened and gritty warrior.  However, he also possesses brilliant intellect. Thus, he succeeds in battle by the use of both brain and brawn.  He is versatile in various types of combat – both armed and unarmed – but he is most formidable with a sword, which is the weapon he is usually armed with.    

15.) HARU GLORY

Haru is the central character of Rave Master.  Despite being a mere teenager, Haru is already good in swordsmanship, a skill that he continually improves through everyday training.  Haru, being the new Rave Master, wields the kickass sword, Ten Commandments, which is empowered by his Rave (or Holy Bring).  It is called Ten Commandments for the sword has ten forms with ten respective special abilities.       

14.) CHARLES DE BATZ-CASTELMORE D’ ARTAGNAN

D’Artagnan is actually a real historical figure, but he’s more famous as a fictional character as depicted in Alexandre Dumas’ “d’Artagnan Romances”, with The Three Musketeers being its most popular title.    Initially, D’Artagnan was a talented but hotheaded youth that he even challenged and engaged the Three Musketeers  in swordfight all at the same time.  He impressed the legendary Three Musketeers – Athos, Porthos, and Aramis – so much that they adopted him into their elite ranks (making him the “4th Musketeer”) and established a great lifelong friendship with him.  With his skills and intelligence, D’Artagnan would rise among the ranks and would become the Lieutenant of the Musketeers.   

13.) ICHIGO KUROSAKI

 
Ichigo is the main protagonist of Bleach (but he’s only my third most favorite character in it).  The manga/anime revolves around the Shinigami or soul reaper.  Their weapons are called Zanpakutō, which are “soul” weapons that take the form of a katana when “unrealeased.”  But once they are “released” – as shikai or bankai – each Zanpakutō takes a different form of weaponry or energy.  Few Shinigami has their Zanpakutō in sword form even after release (thus, not many Bleach characters are considered for this list).  Ichigo, however, is one of those that have their Zanpakutō constantly in sword form even when in “released” status.  Even as a bankai, his Zanpakutō solely and strictly stays in a sword form.  As a swordsman, Ichigo has shown excellent natural aptitude even though he only has been a Shinigami for a short time, as he was able to overcome opponents that are more experienced and initially stronger than him.

12.) BEATRIX KIDDO

“The Bride” is arguably the most badass female katana-wielder I have seen in movies.  Kiddo is as deadly in (open hand) kung-fu as she is with a katana.  But it was with a katana where she shone most on her path of revenge against Bill and his minions of assassins; her most epic moment being her clash with the Crazy 88 gang, Gogo Yubari, and O-Ren Ishii.

11.) MACE WINDU

With the awesomeness of lightsabers, there should be at least one Jedi in this list. And I choose Mace Windu to have that spot because I’ve always been under the impression that Mace Windu was the greatest lightsaber wielder among the Jedi (while Yoda was the best one in terms of projecting the Force).  He mastered all seven forms of lightsaber combat.  He has admitted that his greatest character flaw was his enjoyment of fighting, which is a characteristic that can lead a Jedi to the dark side.  Thus, he created Vaapad – the seventh and deadliest form of lightsaber combat – to channel this inner darkness of his into something positive.        

10.) ERZA SCARLET

As an S-class mage, Erza is one of the most powerful magi of Fairy Tail.  Erza’s magical ability is to summon, equip, and arm herself with various forms of armor and weapons at will.  Her weapons are mostly swords, but sometimes she also summons axes, hammers, lances, and staffs.  She can swiftly swap her armors and weapons even in mid-battle, allowing her to choose to perfect combination on a given situation.  She can do magical attack, which heavily rely on her swordsmanship and choice of swords.    

9.) KENPACHI ZARAKI

Here’s another Bleach character, and one of the greatest badass in fiction.  Despite of having no bankai at all, Kenpachi rose to the rank of captain and is considered as Gotei 13’s most dangerous Shinigami.  Since his Zanpakutō has no formal release, it completely stays in katana form.  He overwhelms his opponents with his raw but excellent swordsmanship, immense spiritual energy, battle lust, and sheer badassery.          

8.) TAKESHI YAMAMOTO

Yamamoto is the Rain Guardian of the 10th Vongola, Tsuna Sawada.  Yamamoto possesses a friendly and cheerful personality.  Though not really stupid, he was initially naive enough to be convinced by Reborn that the mafia adventures he was having with Tsuna and the others were mere role-playing.  He is a big baseball nut that he values it only second to his friends.  In fact, since he’s mind is fully occupied with baseball, he was not really interested in being a swordsman. It was only for the sake of fighting for and protecting his friends that he willingly took up swordsmanship.  As Hitman Reborn! progressed, Yamamoto would continue to develop into a formidable swordsman.             

7.) TOKIYA MIKAGAMI

Tokiya Mikagami is one of my most favorite anime characters of all time.  He is a tactical combatant, and can be ruthlessly cold-hearted in battle.  But what makes him a remarkable swordsman is his sword, Ensui, which is preliminary a sword handle, and then when put in contact with water, it adopts it as its blade.

6.) ZORRO

 
Zorro could be the most well-known name in this list for he is a pop culture icon that has been depicted in many forms.  He dons a mask to hide his real identity, Don Diego Vega, for as Zorro, he aims to right the injustices done by the powerful and corrupt politicians against the poor and helpless.  Zorro is a master fencer, capable of engaging several opponents at once.  His great skill as a swordsman is enhanced by his sly tactical mind, athleticism, coolness, and quick-thinking.  He is also an incredible acrobat – fluid, dexterous, and graceful; there is no waste in his movements.  He also succeeds in combat because he makes use of psychological mockery on his enemies – provoking them to become angry, hence, making them inept and unstable to fight – to his advantage.  He is also masterful in using the whip and in horsemanship. 

5.) HIEI

Hiei was one of my earliest anime favorites.  One of the main reasons I grew fond of him was of his awesomely lightning fast and skillful swordsmanship; it captivated me for it was the first time I had encountered such style (since then, I’ve witnessed it countless times in other animes, which I find out  was a common trope for anime swordsmen). 

4.) ARAGORN

Aragorn stands out as the greatest warrior in Lord of the Rings.  With kingship as his birthright, Aragorn is a natural leader and commander.  He is capable of wielding other weapons (he also carried a bow) but his main identity is that of a swordsman.  He is so skillful with the sword that he can hold his ground against a mob of opponents and kill them all.  Just like with the case of Legolas, whose archery prowess was only heavily demonstrated on the movies, so was it was with Aragorn, whose swordsmanship was unparalleled and outstandingly beautiful to watch in the LOTR movies.   

3.) & 2.) CONNOR MacLEOD & DUNCAN MacLEOD

Despite having a mess of a continuity and a bunch of horrible movies to its name, Highlander has an awesome premise.  Immortals roam the earth for centuries, incapable of dying unless their heads are cut off.  Immortals duel each other in a fight to the death called “the Gathering.”  Once an Immortal won after beheading his opponent, the “Quickening” happens, wherein he gains all the power and knowledge obtained by his opponent during his lifetime, with a lightning storm commencing around the victor.  So it means that an Immortal gets stronger with each kill he does (it is also implied that in a “Quickening”, an Immortal receives pleasure that is comparable to a massive orgasm).  The purpose of this is for the Immortals to battle each other until one is left to receive “the Prize” (the tagline of Highlander is “There can only be one.”)

The two and three spots go to the two lead protagonists of the Highlander franchise.  Connor was the star of most of the movies, while Duncan was the star of the TV series.  Both of them are awesome swordsmen. 

1.) ROROANA ZORO

He is easily the most badass member of the Straw Hat Pirates.  In a world in which most of the powerful warriors gained power through devil-fruits (including the main protagonist, Luffy), Zoro’s strength and power were not products of these.  Though he is not at all the greatest swordsman in the One Piece universe (that would be Mihawk or Shanks), he is easily the most impressive nonetheless.  He is not only proficient in wielding one sword, nor just two swords, but he is completely capable in wielding three swords at once!  So outside of Himura Kenshin (for he is the best samurai in fiction, and, thus, exempted from contention for this list), Zoro is the most awesome swordsman there is.  

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Chain of Thoughts: Marvel NOW!'s Anniversary


Marvel NOW!, for me, has been more successful than DC’s New 52 which, though succeeded in rejuvenating sales, proved to be unnecessary and poorly thought out in the end.  In contrary, Marvel NOW! took what worked with the New 52 – new status quos and issue number ones – but kept the history of its continuity intact (which the New 52 didn’t , causing many problems in so many levels).

In has been a year since I wrote about my thoughts on its debut.  Now, in its anniversary, here are my thoughts about its year-long implementation: 

→ I still follow X-Men books but they don’t really get me excited about them much.  I still love the pre-X-Men Schism/Avengers vs. X-Men status quo of the X-Men, wherein all X people are united under Cyclops, over the present one.   And the time-travelling of the original X-Men to the present isn’t that thrilling as I originally thought to be.  Still, the X-Men still have their moments, but not as awesome as the Avengers’.    
→ Avengers is my most favorite Marvel NOW! title.  Jonathan Hickman has made his reputation as a talented “big-picture” kind of writer, and Avengers was a perfect avenue for his kind of writing.  He assembled the most powerful, largest, and most diverse Avengers roster ever, and put them into massive crises that are deserving of Avengers attention.  And you know what’s the best thing is?  It’s implied that they will continue to become bigger! Hickman’s expansion of the Avengers is not at all finished. 
→ With this ongoing Infinity story, Hickman transformed Marvel’s standard “superheroing” into an epic space opera (reminded me of the Thanos Imperative).  And it’s just magnificent.  Infinity’s clearly one of the best major events Marvel ever put together in the 21st Century (I still can’t get over the fact Marvel missed the opportunity to create something overwhelmingly awesome from such amazing premises as Civil War and last year’s Avengers vs. X-Men, which I had hoped would be pure greatness).  Infinity has the looks of a bona fide classic.         
→ Infinity makes up for the absolute pile of horrid crap that is Age of Ultron.  I followed AoU closely, and what a waste of my time. 
→ Hickman’s other book, New Avengers, has been great as well.  I like the previous New Avengers – the Luke Cage-led team – better, but this Illuminati/Avengers roster has been very intriguing.  However, it has never been addressed if this is an official Avengers team.  Sure, it’s made up of the Illuminati, who, with the exception of Black Bolt, have Avengers membership at some point in the past.  Still, nobody addressed them as being an “Avengers” team yet.  In fact, their secrecy and methods of manipulating and operating in the shadows makes them a team that is more of Illuminati than actual Avengers; other Avengers are not aware of their existence (after they kicked out Captain America from the team and Dr. Strange erased his mind) – they are more secret than the already clandestine Secret Avengers. 
→ But maybe, just like with the main Avengers title, Hickman is not yet done establishing this book’s foundation.  Maybe the New Avengers will only be given an official Avengers status once the Infinity event is finished (that makes sense, right?).  Man, I’m itching greatly for Black Bolt’s Avenger status to be made official already.              
→ Just like this new New Avengers, the new Secret Avengers is not an official Avengers team yet.  In fact, it’s as if they are not really an Avengers team at all, since they are under S.H.I.E.L.D. command.  Hoping this concern of establishing its official “Avengers” status is addressed soon.
→ Nick Fury, Jr. is featured in one of the Avengers’ 50th-anniversary alternate covers series being done by Daniel Acuna, so he and Phil Coulson could be “official” after all.  By the way, these Daniel Acuna covers are pretty awesome.  They are far from finished, there are still a lot of Avengers to cover (pun intended).  I can’t wait till it’s done; could become the most epic poster ever.
→ At least, both Uncanny Avengers and Avengers A.I. rosters have been given official “Avengers” status right from the start.  So no confusions there.    
→ Uncanny Avengers is okay, but it’s the Avengers book I enjoy the least.  I read it, but I’m not particularly enthusiastic about its premise, theme, and current story arc.
→ Avengers A.I. has the potential for awesomeness.  Issue 1 was so fantastic, that it hooked me easily (though it seemed it got weaker since then).  Its line-up consisting of android heroes, with Henry Pym as leader, is exciting.  The Vision could be at his most awesome yet in this book.  His “brother” Victor Mancha’s recruitment was a delightful surprise. But the most entertaining character among them, hands down, is Doombot (a Doombot reprogrammed by Pym).  As a Doombot, he basically has Dr. Doom’s personality, thus, he’s a perfect answer to the question, “What if Dr. Doom is an Avenger?”  If there is something good that came out of AoU, then that would be Avengers A.I.
 → My greatest puzzlement though is why Machine Man, who was an Avenger in the past already, is not on this Avengers A.I. team?  His absence really leaves a hole in the team that just begs the question why he is not in it.
→ Luke Cage is back into leading an independent Avengers team with this new Mighty Avengers book.  The roster, too, looks pretty cool.  And the mystery of the new Ronin’s identity (who is currently wearing a bad bootlegged Spidey Halloween costume) really adds an additional layer of excitement.  (Would love to have Daredevil back, too).      
→ I also like reading the new Young Avengers because of Kid Loki and… hmmm… Yeah.  Just because of Kid Loki.  I am also fond of Emma Bishop, but I enjoy her character more in Hawkeye.
→ Just like last year, Hawkeye remains a fantastic book. 
A+X is a delight.  An Avenger and an X-Man team up in a bite-size adventure that usually concludes in a few pages.  With comic storylines dragging on for several issues, this kind of story format is very much welcome.  And most of the stories and team-ups so far in this book are very entertaining, magnificently tackling the chemistry and interaction between the two featured characters.  Oftentimes, though, the X-Man half of the team-up is someone that also has Avengers membership (e.g. Wolverine, Beast, Rogue, etc.), which is kind of cheating.
→ I am so glad that there’s a new ongoing Guardians of the Galaxy series.  It’s one (the original team was okay, but it was the second incarnation, founded by Star-Lord, of the GotG that I really love) of the most dynamic and entertaining super-teams in Marvel.  The current line-up has the core team of Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Drax, Gamora, and – new member – Iron Man.  However, with the revival of the team come three critical mysteries that haven’t been answered yet: a) How come Drax the Destroyer is alive when he was killed during the Thanos Imperative event?  How was he resurrected?; b) How did Star-Lord and Thanos escape Cancerverse?  And if those two escaped, what happened to Nova, who had been trapped with them during the end of the Thanos Imperative?; and c) What happened to the other members?  Why aren’t they on this team anymore?  There is a need to address these questions, and it should be done soon.  Also, I hope former members – especially Astro, Bug, Mantis, and Major Victory – will return to the team in the future.       
→ Now, that we are on the topic of the cosmic aspect of the Marvel U, I would also like to raise the question why the Guardians of the Galaxy aren’t part of the Avengers’ Infinity event?  It’s the kind of galactic threat that compels them to nose around the front lines.  And what happened to the Annihilators?  Sure, Gladiator and Ronan the Accuser are in Infinity, but where are the rest of the Annihilators?  Isn’t this the whole premise of the team?  To be the “big guns” that Star-Lord’s GotG had been not?   Why are they absent?
→ Moreover, what is the purpose of Iron Man’s inclusion to the GotG?  The most logical reason is, for the sake of the GotG film’s benefit, they intend to put Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man into the movie line-up.  If so, that would have been pure genius.  It would not only relevantly connect the GotG film to the rest of Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it would also provide the movie a familiar face for the movie goers (since not all are familiar of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which is generally unpopular among non-comic book fans, while Iron Man is now an iconic movie icon).  But there were no such happening during the movie’s production.  What then is the purpose of this Iron Man’s membership?!  It’s a clear missed opportunity.
→ Obviously, the part of Marvel NOW! I hated the most is Superior Spider-Man.  It affected me so much that it compelled me to write several times about it.  This SpOck (Spider-Ock) concept utterly crapped on everything Spider-Man represents.  The worse thing is, I still follow the book since it’s very entertaining.  And the worst thing is SpOck will probably go on for a very long time since the book enjoys solid sales.  Ugh.  I rather have a regular Scarlet Spider book (which is going to be cancelled, which is just sad) than SpOck.
→ Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O’Hara) is now stranded in the present time.  Then, the Ultimate Spider-Man (Miles Morales) is crossing over to Earth-616 (the main Marvel continuity).  It seems that Earth-1610 (the Ultimate Universe) is coming to an end in the hands of Earth-616’s Galactus and Miles will be the only survivor.  So, with those two joining SpOck and Scarlet Spider, the Marvel U is getting crowded with Spider-Men, but with the only Spider-Man that matters missing: Peter Parker the Amazing Spider-Man.
→ At least, Marvel has some flashback mini-series featuring Peter for this year, like Marvel Knights, and those Amazing Spider-Man 700-point-somethings.  But it’s not the same thing as having him alive for real.        
→ The new status-quo for the Hulk could be the best ever done for the character so far.  Hulk serves as a WMD for S.H.I.E.L.D., and in return, his alter ego, Bruce Banner, gets funding, a lab, and assistants to pursue his scientific interests.  Good deal.  Smart concept.
→ The new Thunderbolts team, made up of Red Hulk, Venom, the Punisher, Elektra, and Deadpool (with Red Leader and Mercy tagging along) is a lot of fun.  Honestly, I enjoy reading the Thunderbolts more than the X-Men these days.  The T-Bolts are just second to the Avengers on teams to watch out for.  Third is GotG.  (Yep, that’s how far the X-Men fell from my favor, considering that I hold the belief that they are the greatest superhero team ever).  
→ Marvel NOW! is not quite over.  Now, Marvel has an All-New Marvel NOW! set for its second year run.  But there’s no particular announcement of its details that compels me enough to rant about. 
→  It seems that Marvel is trying to forcibly shove the Inhumans down our throats.   
→ To summarize: best thing about Marvel NOW!? Avengers!  The worst thing? SpOck (and, maybe, Avengers Arena as close second).

Sunday, October 06, 2013

The Superhero of Superheroes (A Sunday School Sermon)

Sunday, October 6, 2013, was the first time I ever delivered a Sunday School sermon for all children belonging in the intermediate department.   Below is my sermon’s rough draft.  Of course, it was not the actual words I used during actual delivery; I was mostly speaking in Tagalog (so that the children can understand it better).  Also, I didn’t use this as guide at all during my actual sermon (forgot to bring it), but the flow and content of the sermon has been parallel to this rough draft below.  Additional note: in the draft, I put the expected responses of the children on my questions (these are the italized words in parentheses).  And, essentially, during the actual, the expected responses have been spot on).    


Can you name who is this?
(Wolveriiiiiiiiine!)
Right.  That’s Wolverine.  How about this next one, can you name him?
 
(Huuuuulk!)
Right again!  That’s the Hulk.  Next…
(Captain America!)
Yes.  Captain America.  And the last one…
(Spider-Man!!!)
Correct! Spider-Man. 

Now, what is the common thing about Wolverine, Hulk, Captain America, and Spider-Man? 
(They are superheroes!)

Yes.  They are all superheroes.  They have superpowers, and they use them to save other people’s lives and fight evil.  Pretty cool of them, right?   

However, these superheroes – Wolverine, Hulk, Captain America, and Spider-Man – are fictional.  They do not exist in real life. 

Moreover, even IF they are real, they are only merely Men.  And though they have used their superpowers to save lives, those same superpowers can’t save them from the greatest danger that all of humanity faces: the curse of sin and death.  They will need a Superhero themselves to save them from this.


In real life, there is only one true Superhero.  Do you know who he is?
(JESUS!)
You are right, the ONLY real-life Superhero is Jesus!  And unlike Spider-Man and Captain America, Jesus actually exists in real life.  And best of all?  He can save us from sin and death!  Wow.  Hulk, incredibly super-strong as he may be, can’t do that.  Only Jesus can.   

 JESUS IS THE ONLY SAVIOR

According to 1 John 4:14: “…the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”     

Superheroes have saved the world, but only in fiction.  Moreover, the extent of their “saving of the world” is so miniscule compared to the magnitude of Jesus’ “saving the world.” Jesus is the only one who has literally saved the world from Hell.

Jesus is the only Savior of the world. Salvation from death and sin can be found in no one else but in him alone (John 14:6).     

THE LORD PROTECTS ME ALWAYS

In fiction, superheroes use their superpowers to protect people and fight evil.  In real life, only the Lord has true superpowers and the only one that can protect us from evil.  Once you make Jesus your personal Superhero and Savior, he promises to protect you from the evils and dangers that surround you.   He promises to fight for you.  It is said in Exodus 14:14: “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 

Moreover, Romans 8:31b states, “If God is with us, who can be against us.”  Jesus is the only real-life Superhero.  He is more powerful than Superman.  He is bigger than all of the “supervillains” – fear, temptation, bullies, tests, etc. – you face in your life.  And if he’s your Superhero, then you have nothing to fear.      

THE LORD IS MY AVENGER

Who here knows of the superhero team, Avengers?  Who here have seen the movie
Now, do you know what is the meaning of “avenger”?   It means someone who takes vengeance or the one committing revenge.  Take note of this: the Lord said in Deuteronomy 32:35: “Vengeance is Mine.”  What does that mean?  It means only the Lord has the right to take vengeance on someone!  Remember that the Lord will fight for you.  Thus, He will surely be the one who will avenge you from those who have done evil to you. 

If we take vengeance on our own, instead of letting God, then it means we do not trust Him.  Not only that, but we insult Him.  It means we don’t think of him as a just and powerful Superhero, that he is incapable of giving us justice.  So if we truly trust Him as our Superhero, we will not be vengeful – doing revenge on our own – but will rather surrender to God the offense on us and let him be our Avenger. 

Jesus will surely be happy if we let him be our Avenger. 

So always remember:
1.) JESUS IS THE ONLY SAVIOR
2.) THE LORD PROTECTS ME ALWAYS
3.) THE LORD IS MY AVENGER
   
Let us be thankful for these truths.  And let us be thankful that Jesus is our Superhero!