Iron Man. Thor. Black Widow. Spider-Man. Captain America. Forget ninja developers and rockstar developers. How can we all strive to be superhero developers? What lessons can we learn from the Marvel superheroes on being better developers?

1. guide for developers
Melinda Seckington presents

2. A long time ago…
in 2007…
there was a girl.
hi! I’m
Melinda!

3. melinda had just
moved to london…
there was just one problem…
while she loved
the city with all its
busyness and events…

4. well, two
problems actually…
Professor fear and…
doctor imposter syndrome

5. these two villains plagued
the city, causing doubt and
hopelessness…
everywhere they went.

6. one day…
i need to
do something
This needs
to stop.
I need to
do something

7. she became…
miss geeky!

8. with this alter ego, miss geeky discovered…
…the power of her words.

9. Eventually Professor
fear was defeated…
But Doctor Imposter
Syndrome was still a
problem…
how could she defeat him?

10. the solution?
find more superheroes

11. who am i?

12. I’m a…
speaker

13. I’m a…
…blogger

14. I’m an…
…event organizer

15. I’m a…
Developer

17. I’m a…
Developer
speaker

18. find more superheroes

19. rockstar developers

20. unicorn developers

21. ninja developers

22. superhero
developer

23. how do we
become a
superhero
developer?

24. superhero |ˈsuːpəәhɪəәrəәʊ, ˈsjuː-|
noun (pl.superheroes)
a benevolent fictional character with
superhuman powers, such as Superman.

25. “In modern popular fiction, a superhero
(sometimes rendered super-hero or super
hero) is a type of heroic character
possessing extraordinary talents,
supernatural phenomena, or superhuman
powers and is dedicated to a moral goal
or protecting the public”

26. how to become a superhero?
- extraordinary powers or abilities
- a strong moral code
- a motivation
- a secret identity
- a distinctive costume

27. how to become a superhero?
- extraordinary powers or abilities
- a strong moral code
- a motivation
- a secret identity
- a distinctive costume

28. meanwhile at wdc…

29. how to become a superhero?
- extraordinary powers or abilities
- a strong moral code
- a motivation
- a secret identity
- a distinctive costume

30. 10 lessons
we can learn from
superheroes

31. warning:
disclaimer

32. 10 lessons
we can learn from
superheroes

33. iron man

34. iron man
Real name:
Height:
Weight:
Occupation:
Origin:
Tony Stark
Place of
birth:
6’1”
225 lbs
Long Island, New York
Genius, Billionaire,
Playboy, Philanthropist
Tales of Suspense #39 (1963)
Powers: None
Abilities: Tony has a genius level
intellect that allows him
to invent a wide range of
sophisticated devices,
specializing in advanced
weapons and armor.

35. tony’s hackday project

36. shiny

37. minimum viable armour

39. iterate
&
reflect

40. personal
retrospective

41. daredevil

42. daredevil
Real name:
Height:
Weight:
Occupation:
Origin:
Matt Murdock
Place of
birth:
6’0”
200 lbs
New York City
Lawyer
Daredevil #1 (1964)
Powers: Enhanced senses
Abilities: Possesses the strength,
speed, agility, endurance,
and gymnastic skills, of an
Olympic-level athlete.
Skilled in a hybridized form
of American boxing and the
Japanese arts of ninjutsu,
judo and aiki-jujutsu.

43. seeing without seeing

44. the Man without fear

45. listen
actively

46. pay attention
to your
environment

47. hulk

48. hulk
Real name:
Height:
Weight:
Occupation:
Origin:
Bruce Banner
Place of
birth:
8’
1400 lbs
Dayton, Ohio
Unemployed,
former nuclear physicist
Incredible Hulk #1 (1962)
Powers: Possesses an incredible
level of superhuman
physical ability. Capacity
for physical strength is
potentially limitless due to
the fact that his strength
increases proportionally
with his level of emotional
stress, anger in particular.

49. bruce banner

50. hulk smash!

51. embrace
failure

52. “Many people think it means accept failure with
dignity and move on.
The better, more subtle interpretation is that
failure is a manifestation of learning and
exploration.
If you aren’t experiencing failure, then you are
making a far worse mistake:
You are being driven by the desire to avoid it.”
~ Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc.

53. spider-man

54. spider-man
Real name:
Height:
Weight:
Occupation:
Origin:
Peter Parker
Place of
birth:
5’10”
167 lbs
Forest Hills, New York
Scientist and inventor;
former photographer
Amazing Fantasy #15
Powers: Can cling to most surfaces,
has superhuman strength
(able to lift 10 tons
optimally) and is roughly 15
times more agile than a
regular human. His acrobatic
leaps and web-slinging
enables him to travel fast.

55. with great power…
…comes great
responsibility

56. share your
knowledge

57. meanwhile at wdc…

58. with great power…
…comes great
responsibility

59. do the right
thing

60. agent carter

61. agent carter
Real name:
Height:
Weight:
Occupation:
Origin:
Peggy Carter
Place of
birth:
5’7”
120 lbs
London, England
British Liaison to the U.S.
Army, S.S.R. Agent
Captain America (2011)
Powers: None
Abilities: Carter is a skilled martial
artist, an expert markswoman,
and can speak and read
English, Russian and German
fluently.

62. Strategic Scientific Reserve

63. make me a sandwich

64. don’t focus
on job
titles

65. thor

66. thor
Real name:
Height:
Weight:
Occupation:
Origin:
Thor Odinson
Place of
birth:
6’6”
640 lbs
Asgard
Warrior, adventurer
Journey into Mystery #83
(1962)
Powers: As the son of Odin and Gaea,
Thor's strength, endurance
and resistance to injury are
greater than the vast
majority of his superhuman
race. Extremely long-lived,
immune to conventional
disease and highly resistant
to injury.

67. thunderbolts and lightning
…very very frightening

68. asgard

69. don’t be
arrogant

70. “every question is a cry to understand the world.”
~ Carl Sagan

71. there are
no stupid
questions

72. guardians
of the galaxy

73. guardians of the galaxy
Core team
members:
A group of cosmic adventurers led by
Star-Lord, the Guardians of the Galaxy
protect the universe from threats all
across space.
Base of
operations:
First
appearance:
Star-Lord
Gamora
Drax the Destroyer
Groot
Rocket Raccoon
Starship Icarus
Marvel Super-Heroes #18
(1969)

76. seek out
diversity

77. x-men

78. Core team
members:
Feared and hated by humans because
they're different, the X-Men are heroic
mutants, individuals born with special
powers who've sworn to use their gifts
to protect mutants as well as humans.
Base of
operations:
First
appearance:
Professor X
Wolverine
Rogue
Storm
Cyclops
Jean Grey
Angel
Beast
Gambit
and more
Xavier Institute For
Higher Learning
X-Men #1 (1963)
x-men

79. meanwhile at wdc…

80. Core team
members:
Feared and hated by humans because
they're different, the X-Men are heroic
mutants, individuals born with special
powers who've sworn to use their gifts
to protect mutants as well as humans.
Base of
operations:
First
appearance:
Professor X
Wolverine
Rogue
Storm
Cyclops
Jean Grey
Angel
Beast
Gambit
and more
Xavier Institute For
Higher Learning
X-Men #1 (1963)
x-men

81. mutant registration act

82. treat
people like
grownups

83. fantastic four

84. Core team
members:
The Fantastic Four is an
internationally-renowned group of
superhuman champions based in New York
City and dedicated to the betterment of
the world through scientific discovery
and defense against evil.
Base of
operations:
First
appearance:
Mister Fantastic
Invisible Woman
The Thing
Human Torch
Baxter Building
Fantastic Four #1 (1961)
fantastic four

86. human play doh

88. not very invisible woman

89. some like it hot

90. turn your
weakness
into
strength

91. avengers

92. Core team
members:
They are Earth's mightiest heroes,
formed to fight the foes no single hero
could withstand. The Avengers are the
most prestigious and powerful
super-hero team in the world, devoted
to protecting the planet from menaces
beyond the scope of conventional
authorities.
Base of
operations:
First
appearance:
Captain America
Black Widow
Hawkeye
Hulk
Iron Man
Scarlet Witch
Thor
Stark Tower
Avengers #1 (1963)
avengers

94. you are
stronger
together

95. 10 lessons
we can learn from
superheroes

97. understand
yourself

98. be a
superhero
developer

99. to be continued…
Melinda Seckington
FutureLearn
@mseckington

100. Photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/funky64/3485138671
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hamur0w0/6984884135
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fruey/7489124186
Superhero images courtesy of Marvel