Photo by CC user tales2astonish on Flickr
Possessing superpowers is something that can single you out within modern society, which is why a great many superheroes opt to conceal their true identities behind masks. You can explore great superhero characters like these through the comic books, movies and Marvel online slots provided at Ladbrokes. This piece will provide an insight into the superheroes’ alter egos and lives led behind these masks.
Peter Parker/Spiderman
Spiderman is of course the superhero able to fire webs to catch criminals from his wrists and climb walls, but what about the man behind the red and blue costume and mask? Peter Parker was just a teenager, still a student at high school, when he was bitten by an irradiated spider and gained his superpowers. He is also someone who is haunted by a number of personal tragedies, including the loss of his parents when he was six years old, and the death of surrogate father Uncle Ben. This makes him a classic superhero alter ego, a man determined to use his powers to prevent others suffering the way he has.
Bruce Wayne/Batman
What is striking about Bruce Wayne, the alter ego of Batman, is just how much he has in common with Peter Parker. Like him, Wayne is an orphan whose parents were murdered by crooks, and this drove him to become a superhero and fight for law and order. However, unlike Parker, Bruce Wayne was also left a multi-millionaire by the death of his parents, as Wayne Enterprises CEO, which allows him to perform philanthropic acts in his non-superhero life as well.
Clark Kent/Superman
Unlike the previous two, Clark Kent is not human – hailing from the Planet of Krypton. Having been sent to earth as a child he was adopted by a human couple and given the name Clark Kent. As an adult he went on to secure a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet, specifically so that he could learn about crimes early and to give him a cover for absences while on superhero duty. This shows Kent as a thoughtful, intelligent alter ego for Superman, able to construct a convenient identity to assist and obscure his superhero activities.
Bruce Banner/the Hulk
Bruce Banner is another superhero alter ego with his fair share of tragedy in the past, having had an abusive alcoholic father, alongside an affectionate father, growing up with a split personality. He was also bullied at school, but still grew up to become a successful nuclear physicist. It was while working in this job that he was hit by the blast from a nuclear bomb, having saved a teenager, and gained his super identity. The Hulk identity is really a metaphor for the divided personality and anger within him.
Tony Stark/Iron Man
Tony Stark is very unusual in that there is little pain or tragedy in his background. He grew up as a billionaire electronics genius and became CEO of Stark Industries. He subsequently devoted himself to producing weapons, but having been captured during a weapons testing trip to Afghanistan – by people who had suffered at the hands of his weapons. Although he succeeded in escaping, this activated his conscience and led him to abandon weapons manufacture. He instead focused on developing his Iron Man suit, reflecting his new found desire to make a positive difference.
