Slides for the Heroics of Weakness, presented at AwesomeCon 2016

1. THE HEROICS OF
WEAKNESS
Unexpected Heroes and The Challenges
That Make Them Something More

2. Yet Superheroes Embrace Weakness As
Present Alongside Their Strength
“Pepper, none of that matters
anymore. There is only this.”
-Tony Stark
“superantiheroine”
-Bustle.com

3. We Edit Out Weakness To The
World
⬜ Today’s Cultural Heroes
Project Success, Strength
◼Celebrities
◼Athletes
◼Musicians
◼Wall Street Wiz-Kids/Silicon
Valley
⬜ Social Media
◼ Facebook: Newsfeeds,
Personal Pages
◼ We Post the Best - Providing
False Image of Reality

4. Iron Man
⬜ Billionaire Industrialist
Captured, Tortured by
Terrorists
⬜ Heart Disability Leads to
Superhero Tech
“Terrible Privilege”
The Heroic Can Emerge From The Terrible

5. FENX Rising
⬜ Tricycle vs. Motorcycle Accident
⬜ Birth of an Idea - The FENX
project
⬜ Custom, Experimentation Inspired
by:
◼Aeronautics
◼Tron
◼Star Wars &
◼X-Men

6. “Aaron” and “Welty”

7. Aaron’s Story
⬜ Born 10 Weeks Premature, Expected to
Die
⬜ Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy
⬜ Almost Died in Hospital as Teen

8. Professor Charles Xavier
⬜ Mobility vs. Telepathic
Ability
⬜ The Professor’s Desires
vs. His Destiny
◼ Charles Xavier’s Choice
Between His Mobility &
His Telepathy
▫ Suffering, Perseverance,
Character, Hope

9. Weakness of SHAME
The Redemption of A Past: Needing Someone Who Saw
Greatness Despite the Mess. Jennifer found her Prof. Xavier
in Aaron...

10. Jessica Jones
⬜ Superhuman Strength Combined
with Rough Past
◼ Kilgrave’s Shaming
⬜ Birthed Self-Awareness
◼ “They say everyone's born a hero. But if
you let it, life will push you over the line
until you're the villain. Problem is, you
don't always know that you've crossed
that line. Maybe it's enough that the
world thinks I'm a hero.”
⬜ Despite Fear and Perceived
Limitations - Goes Full Force
Against Powerful Evil
◼ “God didn’t do this. The devil did. And
I’m going to find him.”
“Knowing it's real means you gotta
make a decision. One, Keep Denying It;
or Two, Do Something About it.”

11. Black Widow
⬜ Former KGB Assassin
◼ SHIELD’s Radar - In a “Bad Way”
◼ Rather than Kill Her, Hawkeye Saw
Potential and Recruited Her.
⬜ Agent of SHIELD
◼ Uses the weakness of her past to propel her
desire for redemption and to wipe out the
“red in her ledger”
⬜ Loki’s “Interrogation” - Attempts to Shame
Her & Her Seeming Guilt Cause Him to
Stumble and Provide Intel
⬜ Hulk - Doesn’t Fear Confronted the “Green
Guy”

12. Jen’s Story
⬜ Life Threatening Eating Disorder & Drug Abuse
◼4 Rehab Stints
◼Jail Time
⬜ HOPE
◼God Saw Potential Rather Than Making a Different
Call.
◼Aaron Saw Heroics After I Shared My Story.
Convinced Me To Go To Law School.
● Graduated Law School in
2015. Desire to Fight.
● Worked in the Middle East -
Persecuted Minorities.
○ Factory - Despite Bosses
○ Hostages with ISIS -
Costing my Job.
● Now a Human Rights Analyst
and Legal Specialist Fighting
International Extremism Message from someone involved in the
ISIS ransom negotiations

13. Redeeming the Shame-Filled Red Ledgers
⬜ Black Widow’s arc in the Marvel films
involve seeking out redemption, coming to
grips with a dark past, and embracing a
willingness to make such weakness public.
⬜ Jessica Jones uses her Past/Fears as
motivation to bring down an untouchable
evil in Kilgrave. His shaming makes her
stronger against him.
⬜ Jen has trod a similar road of redemption,
found in a spiritual focus, and embraces a
“less than sterling past” to publicly inspire
others who may walk such a guilt-ridden
path.
⬜ Just as Widow’s past qualifies her to both
defend the world and speak honestly before
any leader, Jen’s story of weakness,
brokenness, and perseverance enables her
to fight, even in the scariest circumstances.
⬜ Weaknesses and Past Experiences Allow
me to see through the BS and say what
needs to be said no matter what the cost.
Jessica Jones remains broken, but capable
of taking down evil even when
“standardized organization structure” can’t
work in her favor.

14. Why Embrace Weakness?
⬜ Authenticity/Honesty
◼ Authenticity is Courageous and Contagious.
⬜ Community
◼ Creating Space for People to be Themselves.
⬜ Leadership
◼ “Going First” – Paving the Way for Others to Share, Be
Who They Are.

15. Bruce Banner (With Regret after Hulk showed up): “Just wasn’t expecting the Code
Green.”
Natasha Romanoff: “If you hadn’t been there, there would’ve been double the
casualties. My best friend would’ve been a treasured memory.”
How many of us know what could happen if we remain silent?
Our lives are the stories of what we decide to do with powers we never asked for, the
only option unavailable to us is to deny that they exist – Donna Bowman, Professor of
English at Central Arkansas University
“I can’t control their fear. Only my own.”
-Wanda Maximoff, Captain America: Civil War
The Challenge Is Overcoming Fear of
Authenticity to Use Your “Power” for Good.

16. Images In This Presentation Given the Following Credits and Courtesies for their Usage:
⬜ http://source.superherostuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/iron-man.jpg
⬜ http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/moviemorgue/images/1/12/Profx.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140514194
037
⬜ http://images.8tracks.com/cover/i/008/439/692/red_in_ledger_playlist-
2722.png?rect=0,0,814,814&q=98&fm=jpg&fit=max
⬜ https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nWHUjuJ8zxE/maxresdefault.jpg
⬜ http://40.media.tumblr.com/6ff835d50e27861c60e6b67d79201918/tumblr_inline_nteq85yQS61swvr2g_1
280.jpg
⬜ http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/marvelcinematicuniverse/images/8/8a/Arc_Reactor2.png/revision/late
st?cb=20141129051958