Making a Difference

By Joshua "Dante" Epstein

Chapter I: A Normal Man's Lament

A dull light streamed through a broad, open window. In the distance, the Hollywood sign was visible through a slight haze. Against one wall sat a cluttered desk with papers and magazines scattered about. A young man sat at the desk, tapping away at the keyboard of a laptop.

"I look at their pictures on my wall while I sit in my desk. So colorful and brazen. They're all there, all that I could fit on my tiny little dormitory room wall. Even the weird ones who we don't know. They show up every now and then, but no one seems to know why. Heros. I even have a few villains up there too. You know, because "a man is judged by the quality of his enemies". Too bad everyone likes me. That's my problem, you see. I'm normal. I look out the window some times and I can see them. I've got a great view from my room, and my old room had a pretty good view too. I remember seeing Wonder Man and the others when I was younger. Wonder Man, that's who started it. He was on TV all the time, and back then all I wanted to do was be an actor, but seeing him changed that. I'll never forget the time that I saw him for the first time in real life. It was the time that he fought some big metal guy… he was so amazing. He was huge, strong, and he was trying so hard to make sure that no one got hurt. That's when I got hooked. My parents thought it was just a phase, but I never grew out of it. I've taped every news story that came on TV about super heroes. I clipped every newspaper article. Since I was seven, my walls have been covered with pictures of Spider-man, the Avengers, even the Hulk…"

"The thing is this… well, my shrink tells me anyway, that this is a symptom of a serious inferiority complex. See, I want to make a difference. Ever since I saw Wonder Man, I knew that I wanted to be able to change the world, I wanted to be able to do something for people… but I'm just a normal guy. In every way but this, I'm normal. I'm not fast, I'm not strong, I'm average. I can't be a guy like Tony Stark, who makes a hero with his own hands; I'm not smart enough. I'm doomed to look out my window and watch their colorful forms fly by, knowing that's all I'll ever do: watch."

He saved and shut the laptop, then leaned back in the chair, staring out the window to his right. In the far distance he can see the bright colored flashes of superhuman battle. He looked over at the pictures on the wall and mentally added checkmarks to two of them. It was Iron Man and, unless he missed his guess, Abomination. He had to look up the name before he could place the flashes and the suit he caught a glimpse of with binoculars. Strange. Abomination usually fought the Hulk, but he'd also been the villain that Wonder Man had fought the first time the young man had seen him. Sighing, he put down the binoculars and dropped onto his bed. He looked above him at the poster of Captain America. Cap had been a normal guy, just like him.

"Some guys get all the breaks."

He closed the blinds on the battle over the hills and let himself drift off into dreams of the power to make a difference…