Die a Hero or Live a Villain?

“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

Harvey Dent spoke these words in the final scene of the movie, Batman: The Dark Knight. It is a quote that leaves you thinking and gives you the ultimatum of either dying a hero or living as a villain.

Obviously, this is probably a decision that can’t be made over night. This is a decision that you have to sit down, grab a cup of coffee and weigh both of the options.

Being a hero is a prestigious honor. A hero is someone who is looked up to, someone who is there for others to help them decide between good and evil. At the same time, being a hero is a dangerous task. It means standing up for something that you believe in and defending it to the death. There are all different kinds of heroes. These heroes can range from sports athletes on the field to any army solider on the battlefield. Being a hero is not an easy job, it a lifestyle that you have to live by. Would you risk it all? Are you willing to take a bullet just to die with this prestigious title?

Hero or Villain? What side do you choose?

A villain is pretty much the anti-hero. This is the person who does not have a drop of kindness or remorse for anyone. They are there just to satisfy them-self and to make sure that the hero doesn’t achieve their goal. Some people act like villains in our everyday lives. I am sure that you know someone who is always jealous of another. The same person who just hates to see others succeed and that no one else can achieve happiness unless it includes them-self.

Some people are able to embrace the villain role though. There are even people who feel bad for villains and think that they can be cured to one day become a good person. Many flourish when faced with evil. They enjoy the hate and love being the bad guy. They love being the rebel and standing for everything that is wrong. Is it worth it? Would you want to live with the title of being a villain and having the world turned against you?

In the famous quote by Harvey Dent, he said that if you have the chance to die a hero and don’t take it, then you will eventually turn into a villain.

Taking the chance to die, means you are indeed a hero. Standing for something and risking death, are traits only heroes have.

After seeing both sides of the quote and thinking it over, I think I would much rather die a hero. There are people who believe in something, but aren’t willing sacrifice in order to show their true belief. I believe if you are willing to sacrifice your own life for something  you believe in, it shows the kind of person you are. It shows that you are indeed a hero no matter what anyone says and you willing to pay the ultimate price to show it.

No Love for the Sidekick

Why is it that whenever there is a heroic accomplishment by a group of people one gets remembered and the other doesn’t? It has happened multiple times over hundreds of years and no one has said anything. I am going to take a stand and announce that the sidekick never gets enough credit. Yup I said it, someone had to do it. The little guy never gets any of the fame or the respect compared to the main protagonist of any book, movie, game or anything!

Take someone like Michael Jordan, everyone knows who he is. People who don’t even watch the sport of basketball know who the best basketball player of all time is and that is Michael Jordan. What about his right hand men Scottie Pippin and Dennis Rodman? If you say those names to the average person they would say, who the heck is that? Sure, Jordan was the arguably the greatest of all time, but if he didn’t have Pippin and Rodman, he would have not been the same legendary player without them.

Jordan just has to be in the middle! Why can’t Pippin or Rodman be in the middle?

How about Luigi from Mario, he is always there for Mario every step of the way, but all he gets is a pat on the back while Mario gets the princess and all of the attention. How about Batman and Robin? Batman gets his own movies and stardom while Robin just sits back being the nice guy who gets none of that spotlight. The list can go on and on, I am talking lists and lists of duos where one always outshines the other.

Every music band has a main singer, drummer and a guitarist. Guess who gets all of the credit, fame and attention from all of the fans? You named it, the lead singer of course. What fan would brag about that them getting an autograph from the drummer or the back up guitarist, not many. The drummer and the guitarist are the ones who work the hardest and are probably the most talented. Yet the main singer gets all of the credit because they in the front and center of the stage.

Ever hear of the famous phrase it takes two to tango? I am sure you have, it pretty much means that without one there would not be the other. Say a pitcher throws a perfect game in baseball, that means that he doesn’t allow a single hit or walk the whole entire game. The only person who ever gets credit for the perfect game is the pitcher, but what about the eight other players on the field? The catcher is the one who calls what pitch the pitcher throws and there are also seven fielders who have to make sure they do their part and field any ball put into play, so that the pitcher could achieve a perfect game.

It is time that Robin, Luigi, Scottie Pippin, Dennis Rodman, all the other sidekicks and back ups take a stand. They need to stand up and say, hey you know that Michael Jordan guy? He was good and all, but without me he wouldn’t be the star he is today. Luigi needs to stop helping Mario all of the time and Robin needs to get his own movie, Robin the Green Knight. Let’s make it happen!