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Acelynn Bradshaw

Professor Scott

10:30 MFW Comp I

28 October 2018

Hero Vs. Hero

There are many definitions of a hero. Ancient heroes, like Perseus whose destiny defined

his life, have been marveled at for generations for their godliness and their tales of triumph over

evil, but these heroes had dark sides. Contemporary ideas of heroes are seen everywhere: from

police officers, to political figureheads, to fictional superheroes, such as Captain America who is

seen as the poster boy of America. Superheroes are loved nowadays because they are seen to

have no bad qualities, and they are seen as perfect. Who can say which of these heroes are right?

Perseus and Captain America are similar in their courage, but they differ in their power and

morality.

Perseus and Captain America are both undeniably courageous. “Perseus is most famous

for his expedition against the Gorgons, during which he slew the only mortal of the three,

Medusa, taking with him her severed head – capable of turning anyone into stone – and using it

as a powerful weapon” (“Perseus” par.13). Perseus had to prove himself worthy time and time

again, which he did my performing these courageous acts. He not only slayed Medusa, he also

saved Andromeda who was being sacrificed to the sea monster Cetus. Perseus fell in love with

her at first sight, so he killed Cetus and turned it to stone (“Perseus” par. 16). Captain America,

also known as Steve Rogers, embodies the modern version of courageousness. “Rogers found

himself subjected to Erskine’s treatments— a specialized serum and exposure to a unique form
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of radiation—and realized the professor’s dream, becoming the world’s first, fully developed

Super-Soldier” (Marvel.com par. 3). Captain America allowed himself to be used in a science

experiment, not knowing the outcome because he wanted to fight for the freedom of his country.

He selflessly and continuously puts himself in harm’s way for the greater good, unlike Perseus

who used his courage to perform deeds that bettered himself and his situation. Both Captain

America and Perseus overcame struggles and did them with enviable courage. Courage is a huge

part of what makes a hero heroic. Although the two are similar in this regard, they have greater

differences.

Captain America and Perseus were vastly different in their powers; Captain America was

the more powerful of the two. Perseus was born with his powers; he was a demi-god and had the

strength of the Gods. Perseus was given many gifts by the Gods to help him slay Medusa: he

was given a shield by Athena, a sword by Zeus, the helm of darkness by Hades, and winged

sandals by Hermes (“Perseus” par. 13). Perseus never really used his own demi-god powers, he

just used his gifts, therefore, how can one ever know how powerful Perseus actually is. Captain

America, on the other hand, used his powers he gained from the experiment in all of his trials

and tribulations. “After being infused with the Super-Soldier serum, Steve Roger’s body reached

the upper-most limits of human perfection in strength, stamina, agility, and durability. With

training, he learned to use these traits in perfect unison in any given situation” (Marvel.com par.

7). He did also use his shield, but other than that, his powers were all him. Perseus is not as

powerful as Captain America because he needed the gifts he was given to be successful in killing

the Gorgon Medusa, while Captain America did not need gifts to carry out his tasks. These two

were not only different in powers, but also in morality.

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Captain America had better morals than Perseus. Perseus was rash and killed people out

of spite without worrying about the consequences. Perseus’ grandfather Acriseus, who he was

prophesized to kill, was exiled from his throne. Perseus returned Acriseus to the throne in

Argos, and Acriseus accused him of not actually having killed Medusa, this enraged Perseus, so

he pulled out the severed head and turned Acriseus to stone (“Perseus and”). Perseus had no

reason to kill Acriseus, he lashed out at him. The power of having Medusa’s head got to

Perseus’ head and morally corrupted him. Captain America, however, struggled with hurting

people, even if they were bad guys, because he didn’t enjoy it. It made him feel like a bad

person to hurt people. Captain America is morally perfect. “Rogers’ charisma and shrewd

decision-making ability are also recognized as being at the top-level of any human on Earth”

(Marvel.com par. 7). He only hurt bad people that deserved to be hurt. Perseus was easily

angered and let his powers go to his head, leaving him with little morality. Captain America

used his powers for good only, and had strong morals that he did not waiver from.

While Captain America and Perseus are similar in their levels of courage, they differ in

their powers and morality. They were both very courageous, but Captain America is more

powerful than Perseus and he has better morals than Perseus did. Captain America is a better

hero than Perseus because he had more heroic qualities. Regardless of your definition of a hero,

it is quite obvious that Captain America is better than Perseus.

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Works Cited

“Captain America.” Marvel, https://www.marvel.com/characters/captain-america-steve-

rogers/in-comics. Accessed 22 October 2018.

“Perseus.” Greek Mythology,

https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Heroes/Perseus/perseus.html. Accessed 19

October 2018.

“Perseus and the Crazy Things that Emerge When You Behead a Gorgon.” Let’s Talk About

Myths, Baby! from Liv, Greek Mythology Geek, 20 July 2017,

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3H9a8PZiJ9b6LCY7t6VmBm?si=2j8XhDGuTqqLJLv

E50jl4A. Accessed 30 October 2018.