Comics vs Climate Change: Who is the Most Eco-Friendly Superhero?
It’s San Diego Comic Con this weekend and it’s poised to be packed with our favourite sci-fi and fantasy franchises from around the world. It’s a monumental event that attracts hundreds of thousands of super-fans from all over the globe, so we were thrilled to hear about some of the ways it has been doing its bit for the planet.
From 2018’s Comic Con alone, 50 tonnes of cardboard and 20 tonnes of mixed material were recycled and organisers have now switched to using 100% LED lights for energy efficiency. Comic Con using its powers to better the planet got me thinking about how our most loved comic book good do-ers are actually doing good for our planet too.
Captain Planet
If the name doesn’t quite tell you what this guy’s about perhaps his catchphrase will, ‘Wind! Water! Earth! Fire!’ Hitting the screens in 1992, Captain Planet was literally created from a surge of environmental activism in light of new global warming statistics emerging at the time. Captain Planet gets a gold star for continuously saving the planet from Blight, Greed and Sludge.
You can’t get more planet positive than Captain Planet, 10/10!
Image @80s90skidzmemoriez
Aquaman
Being the ruler of Atlantis technically puts Jason Mamoa, I mean Aquaman, in charge of the ocean, which populates 80% of the Earth’s surface. Part of his daily routine is saving the Atlanteans and the ocean they live in from human threats such as Captain Rader and Morrel – master-villains using dangerous weaponry to kill and destroy ocean life (sounds familiar…). I have no doubt that Aquaman would be heading up Extinction Rebellion with his committed activism.
It’s hard not to give Jason Ma… AQUAMAN a 10/10!
Image @comic.art.gallery
Spider-Man
Everyone’s favourite friendly neighbourhood superhero, Spider-Man swings his way around New York, avoiding the use of cars and public transport – significantly lowering his carbon emissions! Also, his webbing is assumedly bio-degradable to boot.
This earns the web-slinger a solid 6/10.
Image @theamazingspiderboy
Iron Man
I know what you’re thinking. . . how is zillionaire tech tycoon Tony Stark even remotely eco-friendly? Recently, Marvel has posed the idea that Iron Man’s power is derived from a form of clean energy and he uses this energy to not only save lives but to power his tech. On a separate note, as we saw in Iron Man 3, his fleet of cars and his Malibu Mansion are no more. Therefore we can only assume he is no longer using those.
Good effort Iron Man! 3/10
Image @BxassIpAydl
Poison Ivy
A prime example of living that plant life to the max. Yes, Poison Ivy is a technically a villain, but she’s most definitely a hero to plants. If you take away all of the crime and killing, then essentially she’s our inner plant warrior, battling those who harm the environment.
Props for plant power but points lost for being a super-villain 8/10!
Image credit
Batman
Wayne Enterprises is on a mission to find alternative energy and fuel sources and, since it powers the whole of Gotham, that’s a pretty big deal. However, our caped crusader might need to switch to an electric Batmobile, Batcycle, Batboat, Batplane etc. before he wins over the hearts of any environmentalists.
Work to be done Batman, 1/10
Honourable Mention: Thanos
Thanos aka The Mad Titan, had a vision of a better world, not dissimilar to the world we want for future generations. I hope we can all agree however that his methods were a bit… extreme. According to Thanos, a click of his finger was all it would take to save the planet from itself; unfortunately, it’s just not that simple. One big change won’t make us more sustainable, the answer is in constant progression, changing our nature and finding balance.
For taking part, Thanos earns 1/10
Image credit
As Bruce Wayne (kinda) once said: ‘A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple as…’ using a re-usable cup.
Find out our top tips for going plastic-free at your favourite festivals.
Inspire the next generation of activists with these green themed children’s movies.