When you’re a kid, picking a favorite hero is a no-brainer. As a child, I was a fan of Spider-man, as was my oldest son. When he was a toddler, my seven-year-old loved Batman so much he wore a mask and cape EVERY DAY for more than a year. It’s easy to see why: Superheroes exhibit the traits we all hope to have: Bravery, Determination, A dedication to serving others. Their origin stories demonstrate an ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges to triumph over evil in its many forms.

Science shows that superheroes really do inspire greatness. A 2016 study led by Rachel White of Hamilton College and Stephanie Carlson of the University of Michigan, titled “The Batman Effect,” shows the power of superheroes to inspire kids. In the study, young children demonstrated increased perseverance skills when asked to imagine themselves as a favorite character.

But as you grow up and move past the comic book superhero stage, who do you consider a hero?

As a young writer, I idolized journalists like Molly Ivins and Art Buchwald, whose words were so funny and sharp that their targets hardly knew what hit them. I was inspired by Julia Child, who didn’t take her first cooking class until she was 37 and then literally wrote the book on French cuisine and practically created the genre of TV cooking shows. When I saw Geraldine Ferraro debate then VP George H.W. Bush (and win!), I realized how brave she was to take on the establishment and how far we had to go.

They were all heroes, sans capes.

Lately, many members of society have been recognized as Pandemic Heroes: Healthcare providers, postal service employees, teachers, grocery workers. All of these folks have shown bravery, determination, a dedication to service. Unquestionably heroic and deserving of admiration and appreciation. Worthy of Hero status without a doubt.

But there are dreadfully few real-world heroes to inspire us these days.

It's far too easy to be led astray by the promise of power, a classic hero's journey plot point: The lead character must choose between a life of truth and righteousness or a life of deception and lies. It's often hard to tell the good guys from the bad just from the color of their hats anymore.

It used to be that politicians made a point of being deal makers and collaborators with those across the aisle. Now they tout their ability to shut another party down in any way they have to, even if it means repeating a lie (in this case, The Big Lie) enough times to even convince themselves.

Perhaps the saddest thing about this lack of heroism by elected officials is that it attracts future generations of entitled, narcissistic racists who care far less about the constitution than they do about their ability to hurt anyone who dares to be less wealthy or lucky or who may disagree with them on any particular issue.

But perhaps Heroes can still come to save us.

In 2020, my family and I watched the entire Marvel Avenger series together. All inappropriate parenting decisions aside, it was fantastic, and it taught me a few things about being a hero.

Focus on your strengths; they may come in more valuable than you realize.

Don’t underestimate the power of being quiet, but know when it’s time to get loud.

Look out for cats.

And perhaps most importantly: It takes a lot of people to make Heroic acts possible. (Spoiler alert) No single Avenger could have ultimately defeated Thanos alone. All of them made sacrifices and contributed to the victory. Heroism is a team sport.

The past year has been an exercise in asking ordinary people to do heroic things every day, for weeks and months. To sacrifice and to persevere. To don masks, literally and figuratively, to protect each other and ourselves. To stay away from many of the things and people we love most for their good and our own.

Thankfully, we now seem to be emerging from the pandemic gloom, just a bit. There are still some heroic things to do. Stay vigilant. Get your vaccines. Encourage others to do the same. Trust science and facts and stamp out conspiracy theories and lies as the evil forces they are.

Hopefully, new, young leaders will emerge from the ashes of the current political conflagration. They will demonstrate qualities that make them worthy of Hero status.

As I was starting this piece, my older son was reading over my shoulder. I asked him if he currently had a favorite hero.

"Captain America," he answered without hesitation. "He's strong and brave and kind."

Now that's the kind of Hero we can all believe in.