What makes a superhero? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway
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0:11 - 0:14First of all, I really want to thank you
-
0:14 - 0:20for letting me speak to TEDxGateway
in India about superheroes. -
0:20 - 0:25I wish I could be there in person,
but this is the next best thing. -
0:25 - 0:27I would really love to share
-
0:27 - 0:30some of the things
I've learned over the years -
0:30 - 0:35and share them with any artists
and writers in India -
0:35 - 0:38who might be wanting
to create new superheroes -
0:38 - 0:41and new superhero adventures.
-
0:41 - 0:46India has been on my mind a lot lately
because I've been working -
0:46 - 0:51with my good friend Sharad Devarajan
and with Graphic India -
0:51 - 0:56to create a new Indian superhero
named Chakra The Invincible, -
0:56 - 0:58who lives in Mumbai.
-
0:58 - 1:01My goal with Chakra was really simple.
-
1:01 - 1:05I wanted to bring an Eastern
concept, like the chakras, -
1:06 - 1:09to the Western world of superheroes.
-
1:09 - 1:15And for me, superheroes
will always spark the imagination -
1:15 - 1:19of people around the world
regardless of their background, -
1:19 - 1:23because I think that people
are always looking for something -
1:23 - 1:29that represents the ideal person
or the ideal situation. -
1:31 - 1:36Almost all of us have loved fairy tales
when we were young. -
1:36 - 1:40Just remember stories
of giants and witches -
1:40 - 1:42and wizards and monsters
-
1:42 - 1:47and things that were so colorful
and bigger than life. -
1:47 - 1:52But then, you get a little older
and you're too old to read fairy tales. -
1:52 - 1:58But you never outgrow
your love of that type of story. -
1:59 - 2:01And if you think about it,
-
2:01 - 2:07superheroes stories today are really
like fairy tales for grown-ups. -
2:07 - 2:11The characters are bigger than life,
just like in fairy tales. -
2:11 - 2:15They have the same type of superpowers:
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2:15 - 2:19some can fly, some are extra-strong,
some can be invisible. -
2:20 - 2:23It gives the viewer and the reader
-
2:23 - 2:29a chance to relive the excitement
he or she had when they were young. -
2:30 - 2:33They're really reading
fairy tales for grown-ups -
2:33 - 2:38when they read or when they see
superhero stories today, -
2:38 - 2:41and that's why I love them so.
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2:42 - 2:45To me, the human aspect of superheroes
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2:45 - 2:49has always been, perhaps,
the most important part. -
2:49 - 2:55By that, I mean: OK, we assume
your superhero might be extra-strong, -
2:55 - 3:00or might be able to fly
or run as fast as a comet, -
3:00 - 3:04but unless you care
about the superhero's personal life, -
3:04 - 3:07you're just reading a shallow story.
-
3:07 - 3:11Just because a person has a superpower
-
3:11 - 3:15doesn't mean he might not
have the same personal problems -
3:15 - 3:17that you or I might have.
-
3:17 - 3:20Maybe he doesn't have enough money,
-
3:20 - 3:22maybe he has a family problem,
-
3:22 - 3:24maybe the girl he loves doesn't love him.
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3:24 - 3:28Or maybe the girl he loves doesn't want
to be involved with a superhero. -
3:28 - 3:31There are so many things you can think of
-
3:31 - 3:36that round out the character
and the personality, -
3:36 - 3:40so the superhero isn't just
one or two dimensional. -
3:40 - 3:47You want a three-dimensional superhero
who lives and breathes and worries -
3:47 - 3:51and experiences things
just the way you and I do -
3:51 - 3:55except for the fact
that she or he has a superpower. -
3:55 - 3:58One thing I might mention, most writers -
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3:58 - 4:01and I think it's an unfortunate thing -
-
4:01 - 4:03they try to write something
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4:03 - 4:07that they think a certain
audience might enjoy. -
4:07 - 4:09I've never been able to do that
-
4:09 - 4:14because I can't put myself
in the mind of other people. -
4:14 - 4:20I only know what I enjoy,
so every time I've written a story, -
4:20 - 4:23I've always tried to write
the sort of story -
4:23 - 4:26that I, myself would enjoy reading,
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4:26 - 4:30a story that would interest me
while I'm writing it -
4:30 - 4:33as I'm waiting to find out
what happens next. -
4:33 - 4:38And I can't know what other people think,
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4:38 - 4:41but I can know what I think,
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4:41 - 4:46and I feel I'm not that unusual
if there's a type of story I like. -
4:46 - 4:51There must be lots of people
who like the same type of stories. -
4:51 - 4:56Therefore, I have always
written to please myself, -
4:56 - 5:00not to please a certain type of audience,
-
5:00 - 5:06because you can't know the audience
as well as you know yourself. -
5:06 - 5:11And if I write a story
that I'm enjoying while I'm writing it -
5:11 - 5:14and I can't wait to see what happens next,
-
5:14 - 5:18then I'm hoping that a large
proportion of the public -
5:18 - 5:21will feel the same way,
and they'll enjoy it too. -
5:21 - 5:28So to sum it up, I have always tried
to please myself, not other people. -
5:28 - 5:31And somehow, it seems to have worked
-
5:31 - 5:35because I guess I'm not
that different than other people. -
5:36 - 5:38So, to wrap it up.
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5:38 - 5:42What I suggest is, use your imagination,
-
5:42 - 5:47don't be afraid to come up
with the wildest thought in the world -
5:47 - 5:51if what you create is truly
different and colorful, -
5:51 - 5:55and if it's written well,
people will enjoy it. -
5:55 - 5:56Now when I say "written well,"
-
5:56 - 6:01what I mean is you might have
the most fantastic notion in the world, -
6:01 - 6:06suddenly you have a man who
can fly faster than the speed of light. -
6:06 - 6:08That could be interesting,
-
6:08 - 6:10but you have to make him believable,
-
6:10 - 6:13you have to give
the reader or the audience -
6:13 - 6:18some reason to think
he really has the ability to do that. -
6:18 - 6:20How did he get that power?
-
6:20 - 6:24Origins of superpowers
are always very interesting. -
6:24 - 6:27If you get the right origin,
-
6:27 - 6:32like, for example, Spiderman
being bitten by a radioactive spider, -
6:32 - 6:36at least, then the viewer
has something to hold on to -
6:36 - 6:40and to say, "Well it might have
happened, now I'll enjoy it." -
6:40 - 6:42So even though you're writing
-
6:42 - 6:46what amounts to
a fairy tale for grown-ups, -
6:46 - 6:52try to keep enough facts
and try to give enough detail -
6:52 - 6:57that the reader or the audience will say,
"Well, it could have happened," -
6:57 - 7:01and then your public
goes along with the fun. -
7:02 - 7:04But if you make it too wild,
-
7:04 - 7:09and you don't give any reason
why it is as wild as it is, -
7:09 - 7:12then sometimes it can be overkill.
-
7:13 - 7:18So what I'm trying to say is,
let your imagination flow freely, -
7:18 - 7:23but always base what happens
on some sort of provable fact -
7:23 - 7:27so that the reader or the viewer
will go along with it -
7:27 - 7:31and enjoy it as much
as you enjoy writing it. -
7:31 - 7:32So good luck to you!
-
7:32 - 7:36Thanks for listening
and I really enjoyed talking to you. -
7:37 - 7:39Excelsior!
- Title:
- What makes a superhero? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway
- Description:
-
Stan Lee is known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry. His co-creations include some of the most well-known and beloved superheroes of all time including, Spider-Man™, The Avengers ™, X-Men™, Iron Man™, The Incredible Hulk™, The Fantastic Four™, as well as hundreds of others.
He was inducted into the comic book industry's The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. And now Stan is all set to launch his first original superhero for India, 'Chakra The Invincible,' on Cartoon Network.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 07:55
Riaki Ponist commented on English subtitles for What makes a superher? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway | ||
Riaki Ponist edited English subtitles for What makes a superher? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway | ||
Riaki Ponist edited English subtitles for What makes a superher? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway | ||
Riaki Ponist edited English subtitles for What makes a superher? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway | ||
Riaki Ponist edited English subtitles for What makes a superher? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway | ||
Riaki Ponist edited English subtitles for What makes a superher? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway | ||
Riaki Ponist edited English subtitles for What makes a superher? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway | ||
Riaki Ponist edited English subtitles for What makes a superher? | Stan Lee | TEDxGateway |
Riaki Ponist
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