Heroes or Zeros?

I was never really into superheroes as a child. Yeah, I saw "Hercules" a few times growing up, but it was not a movie that was I obsessed with or anything. In fact, it was one of my least favorite Disney movies. As a kid, I could not really pinpoint why I did not like Hercules very much. Now that I am older, and especially since I just read "Beowulf", I am kind of starting to see why I had a problem with it. These two guys, Hercules and Beowulf, their characters are so....unattainable.
Hercules made it look so easy to go from the scrawny little guy to this buff Greek demigod. Beowulf swam for seven days in armor without taking a breathe. That is crazy! I can understand why people like the larger-than-life figures. Beowulf was loved by his people and his story has lasted hundreds of years. Hercules, well, this song can explain how famous he got better than I can!

I think one of the biggest issues that I have with these two characters is their arrogance. Hercules thinks that just because he has beaten off all of these villains and he has his own action figure that he deserves a place on Mount Olympus. Beowulf, while he does not think he is a god, he is very proud. He tries to slay a dragon by himself in his very old age. Now what about that sounds like a good idea?
I think the one time I was really able to sympathize with Beowulf was when he was losing and Wiglaf had to come to his aide. That had to be a really big reality check for him because he was able to get by on his own for most of his life. It was such a human moment for Beowulf. Granted, it came really late in the story, but it was still a very interesting moment. For me, Beowulf was one of those stories that I enjoyed reading, but I have a hard time pinpointing a character that I actually like. It is kind of conflicting to feel this way!
Now, I am not completely a cynic when it comes to superheroes. While I do think that many of them tend to have overinflated egos, I think there is a lot of good that comes out of them. Not the good deeds that they go around doing in the comic books, I'm talking about the good things that happen as a result of them in everyday life. Stories like "Beowulf" and "Hercules" can provide people with an escape, all stories like this can. There are a lot of crappy things that happen in the world, the news makes a point to remind us every day. Superheroes serve as a reminder that there are good people and it can be very comforting. Look at that guy who went around to hospitals dressed as Batman in order to cheer up sick children. Stuff like that makes me really happy that we have superheroes in the world. Like Phil says to Hercules "To be a true hero, kid, is a dying art/ Like painting a masterpiece, it's a work of heart". Anyway, these are just my thoughts.