Marvel Awesomely Invents ‘Blue Ear’  A Superhero For Hearing-Impaired Boy

marvel superheroAnthony Smith is a 4-year-old New Hampshire boy with severe hearing loss (he has no right ear and only partial hearing in his left). The child wears a blue hearing aid affectionately referred to as “blue ear” but he recently told his mom he would no longer be wearing it. “Superheroes don’t wear blue ears,” was his isn’t-it-obvious rationale.

So Smith’s mom, Christina D’Allesandro, emailed Marvel Comics her son is a big fan asking for some help. Marvel got back to her and told her all about Hawkeye, a superhero who lost 80% of his hearing and who wears a hearing aid, just like Smith. They later sent her a drawing of their newest superhero, Blue Ear, named after Smith’s very own hearing aid.

How awesome is that?

Kudos to Marvel for acting so fast and, more important, for sending a powerful message not just to Smith himself but to impressionable kids everywhere. “It’s amazing,” D’Allesandro said of the move, adding that her boy brought the comic book pictures to his preschool, prompting teachers to hold a superhero week. (Could you die?)

Marvel’s Blue Eye invention comes just days after the comic book empire announced it will celebrate its first same-sex wedding in the pages of Astonishing X-Men. I know very little about comic books except that when I leaf through them with my son they always seem rather violent and old-school (good vs. evil and all that jazz).

But it seems Marvel is getting with the times, and I am beyond impressed with their latest inventions. As we all know, real-life superheroes come in all shapes, sizes and forms amazing that Marvel supports that notion wholeheartedly.

Similar Posts