The Hulk is a Terrible Role Model

One of the things I love about working with kids is that they love super heroes as much as I do. Occasionally one of the kids will bring up their favorite super/team/villian and I can actually have a discussion about it with them, or reciprocate by telling them my own favorite super hero.
This occasionally means a comment from other teachers to the effect of "you actually know this stuff?" but the kids typically enjoy it. Plus, it gives me a bit of insight into those kids- we idolize heroes because they have strengths that we value, and in turn they serve as a model for us so that we can build those strengths ourselves. The Avengers is still one of the biggest super hero movies in recent memory, and so the Avengers are the super heroes I hear about the most. And so one day as a little boy acted out his favorite super hero and excitedly told me "I'm the Hulk! Arrrgh!" I realized something.
The Hulk is a terrible role model.

Ignore this picture.

Seriously, just the worst.

Friends who have discussed The Incredible Hulk with me in the past know that I'm not really a fan, for largely the same reasons that I'm not a fan of Superman. When your super powers come down to "strongest one there is" it just doesn't make for interesting plots. When a friend and I had a discussion of Hulk vs Spiderman (that may have broken down into name calling, and a few unfair shots at the Red Sox. Tim loves the Hulk, but not as much as he loves the Red Sox) I pointed out that all of the things that make Spiderman interesting- he's clever! He's acrobatic! He's intelligent! Simply do not apply to the Hulk. Peter Parker can have story lines where his spider powers won't defeat a villain, or where the problem isn't a villain but a relationship, and it's interesting to see how he'll deal with it. When your super power is "Tank Punching!" it removes any possibility of these plots. Powers don't work? Punch it harder! Relationships don't work? That hitchhiking scene, with the sad walking away music.

Even when he's smart, Hulk still relies on punching.

Which is why the Hulk isn't just boring, he's a terrible role model. To a 4 year old, it's all about what's on the surface, namely the costume and the powers. But if you can tie those powers to the other reasons that hero is great, and then connect that to their own problem, they totally get it! It gives them a framework to say "Yes, this works, because it worked for Batman. And yes, I want to do it, because Batman is awesome." (The one exception being the time I tried to explain that Superman once walked across the US instead of flying, so he could get to know people, and they just looked at me like they wondered why I thought they would fall for something so stupid. I don't write this stuff, kid.) But Hulk doesn't have any other problem solving skills. Captain America is powerful because he is brave! Iron Man is powerful because he is smart! But Hulk is powerful because he is angry. (And he has magic purple pants.)

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