For many decades, dating back to the 1930's, people have always loved superheroes and masked vigilantes in American comic books, radio shows, television, and action thriller movies. Even long before the 1930's, people were drawn to mysterious folkloric (old school literature and passed on tradition storytelling) heroes as early as the 1300's and into the 1900s.

One of the earliest heroes/vigilantes known is Robin Hood, who is traced back to a poem written in 1377, "Piers Plowman." Since the early 1900s, heroes were written and created with powers and unnatural abilities. Ever since then, many people have been obsessed with heroes.

My first memory of superheroes was watching the Spider-Man and X-Men TV series on Fox Kids. From an early age, I was hooked. Unlike others, my love for superheroes came from television shows.

While many people out there are hooked reading and collecting comic books, heck, I wish I had a time machine, so I can go back to when I was a kid and start collecting books. But, my love for heroes came a different way.

I used to love watching The Adventures of Batman and Robin (1950s). I loved watching 1980s and 1990s Batman movies. I also remember admiring Christopher Reeves as Superman. Ever since a young age, I admired the heroes depicted in media through their powers, responsibility, and in the end, overcoming everyday problems to save the world.

As I got older, I wondered why so many people, young and old, love superheroes. Then, I realized the reason why many people love superheroes is not only because they are amazingly awesome, but in many ways, they deal with day-to-day issues like everyday people.

As I watched movies, read comic books and enjoyed my favorite drama/action shows, it showed me that superheroes' lives are actually a lot more difficult and sad than we may think.

One character that sticks out is Spider-Man. Almost everyone knows who Spider-Man/Peter Parker is. The character was created by the main Marvel man, Stan Lee, and artist Steve Ditko. Peter Parker was birthed from the idea of an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and his Uncle Ben, and as a teenager, he deals with day-to-day teenage issues while having a great responsibility to use his powers for good.

Throughout the origin of the story, his uncle gets killed and that enables him to use his powers for good. But then, his first girlfriend Gwen Stacy dies in different translations/comic books before he ever falls in love with Mary Jane. What I don't understand is, after dealing with horrible events and situations in his life, why does he still use his powers for good?

I believe the reason why people admire superheroes so much is because, even though the great ordeals and issues they go through, they still carry the responsibility of doing good in their hands.

With all the issues this world faces, many people look for a way to escape through hope, faith and peace. Even though superheroes are designed to entertain, these characters actually do more than that...