Superheroes: A Comparison Of Hermes And Superman

“Today I don’t want to think, I just want to run.” (Injustice Year One: 13) Being born in a postmodern era where myths are known to be fiction, most of the knowledge we grew up learning about Greek mythology was based on the stories we read and from the television shows we watched. Interestingly, one could argue that superheroes were created from ideas that are sourced from these stories, heroes such as Wonder Woman and Superman. In this essay particularly, I will explore the similarities that the Greek mythological God, Hermes, share with the DC comic book hero, The Flash. Generally speaking, Hermes and The Flash are both classified as “speedsters”, with speedsters being defined as a person or thing that operates well at high speeds. Along with their speed, both speedsters are known for their light-hearted, quick witted personalities. The cherry on top that brings us further into the conclusion that The …show more content…
The Greek God, Hermes, and DC superhero, The Flash, share appropriate similar personality and physical traits that lead us to believe that The Flash is in fact a modern recreation of the mythical God.
First off, super speed is what both Hermes and The Flash are known for. The Flash gets his speed from a concept called the Speed Force. The Speed Force is an extra-dimensional energy that powers all of the DC Universe speedsters’ superhuman abilities. It is known that Jay Garrick, the inaugural Flash, did not obtain his super speed by accident through the speed force like any other speedster, but rather obtained his speed as a blessing from the Roman God Mercury. It is not clear as to how Hermes obtained his speed, but it is safe to say that he was