Robotics Class Debate

[George A.]

Recently in robotics class my friend and I got into a debate over one of the most trivial of cases...Is Harry Potter a Superhero or not? I say yes, he says no. Don't ask how we got to talking about this just be assured it was a long and confusing road. Anyway just want to hear your opinion and your reasons to substantiate it. I'll follow up with my arguments and hopefully he'll do the same in a later post.

[KenWittlief]

in the books witchcraft is presented as a natural ability that some people are born with

but not everyone

so if a given percentage of the population has this,ummm.... ability, then there is nothing super about him

superheros are usually freaks of nature or the result of science gone wrong - not something you are born with

except superman - he's just an alien with powers and abilties far beyond those of moral men - but the rest of his, ummm... species?! would be the same.

[JoeXIII'007]

Harry Potter is definitely NOT a superhero.
He is a wizard. Period.

[Jeff Rodriguez]

Even if he was a superhero, he's too young. How many superheros are 15? (or however HP is)

[FotoPlasma]

Heh. I'm going to take the other side.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=superhero

I say that by the definition of a superhero, according to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, yes, Harry Potter is a superhero.

[IsabelRinging]

Harry never sought out and fought evil, he just defended himself from it when it came to him.

Not a superhero, just an unfortunate kid.

[Mike Schroeder]

superheros are usually freaks of nature or the result of science gone wrong - not something you are born with

i've been called a freak of nature quite a few times, does this make me a superhero, I mean i do have the power to bearhugg at will.... would that make Paul Copioli my Archnemisis? Do i have a super cool superhero headquarters with awsome gadgets? cause if so i want a wicked awsome car :)

oh btw, using that logic, how does batman fit into the picture?

[George A.]

i've been called a freak of nature quite a few times, does this make me a superhero, I mean i do have the power to bearhugg at will.... would that make Paul Copioli my Archnemisis? Do i have a super cool superhero headquarters with awsome gadgets? cause if so i want a wicked awsome car :)

oh btw, using that logic, how does batman fit into the picture?


Good thought Mike, and by that logic I guess you could call yourself a superhero, anyway Batman isn't a SUPERhero, due to his lack of superpowers, people just think he's super cause he kicks so much butt. He's just a regular hero or if you want to get really technical, a "vigilante"

[Jeff Rodriguez]

oh btw, using that logic, how does batman fit into the picture?

If batman is considered a super hero, than so should Jackie Chan. He just doesn't have all the cool gadgets batman has.

[MissInformation]

Has there ever been a superhero created by and for the British or is it just an American thing? I know there are a few British superheroes in the American comics.

To me, Harry Potter is not a superhero: he's a wizard. To the best of my knowledge, superhero stories and wizardly magic stories have never been mixed. None of the Harry Potter books have even hinted that theirs is a world with superheroes, and I've never seen a superhero comic book with a magical world with witches and wizards, spells and potions, dragons and centaurs...

Heidi

<============>
"Using words to describe magic is like using a screwdriver to slice roast beef"
--Tom Robbins

[KenWittlief]

Technically Batman is a SuperHeroWannaBee

[shyra1353]

i say no, because he is a wizard and if by being a wizard then he is a superhero, that would make all witches and wizards superheroes .. and from the books, witches and wizards are pretty common, and i superheroes arent that common ..

But Dean Kamen is a superhero ... think about it .. he has superpowers. I mean who else can make 10000 high school students across several countries focus on one thing and compete in a competition against one another and even at the end of it, have them all be friends ?? who else can invent everything he has ?? and there arent a lot of him ... He is MY superhero!

[Andy Baker]

Even if he was a superhero, he's too young. How many superheros are 15? (or however HP is)

The PowerPuff Girls are under 15, and they are superheros. They can kick some serious butt. Watch the episode when they try to enter the league of Super Heros, and they proceed to show them all up.

(can you tell I have 3 girls under the age of 8?)

The Wondertwins were probably under 15 also. "Wondertwin power... activate! ... form of a Hamster!"

Atom Ant was probably pretty young, also... since he was an ant. They don't live very long. :)

Andy B.

[Jeff Rodriguez]

The PowerPuff Girls are under 15, and they are superheros. They can kick some serious butt. Watch the episode when they try to enter the league of Super Heros, and they proceed to show them all up.

(can you tell I have 3 girls under the age of 8?)

I was getting kinda worried about you, before I knew you had kids. :D

[Brandon Holley]

I have been apart of this debate in class. Harry Potter is NOT a superhero. He is only a superhero, he doesnt search for evil, he lets it come to him...NOT a superhero

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

I can't say I think he's a superhero, but it's fun to call him a superhero anyway just for personal amusement. Does that count as an answer?

As for the "seek out evil" question, if he were to start ACTIVELY seeking out evil in the next few books would that suddenly make him a superhero? By some definitions here that seems to be the case.

[KenWittlief]

well now that would get interesting

since in many cultures using supernatural powers (like witchcraft) is considered evil in itself

so would he have to seek out someone 'more evil' than himself?

BTW I think we should add the caviot that he has to overcome evil, not just seek it out

triumph over evil?

but then, if what he's doing is already evil......

In a way, this is starting to sound like Batman again.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

hmmmm that reallly is interesting. Does that make him eviler if he uses his "evil" superpowers to overcome evil? I think it's one big paradox.

[looneylin]

SUPER HERO!!! he is such a super hero!!! i mean he doesn't go looking for trouble, but when it comes, he fights it off nicely... like he's suppose to do. he defends his friends n everything.... it seems like a super hero to me.

[Astronouth7303]

Dudes, your all missing it.
Asuming magic, etc. existed, he was just lucky. he is endowned with a weird connection to the most hated man in society (not to mention some of his power), and is left with a question: what to do?

deny it
Beat him
Join him


And if you don't get any of my references, START READING!

[Adam Y.]

Everyone knows Harry Potter is a scientist.:) I have a book on it.

[hixofthehood]

Oh, man, a 404 error deleted my very good argument. In summation,

1. Granted special powers by his mother and arch-nemesis at a young age.
2. Fulfills a prophecy calling him to defeat the greatest villain in the world.
3. Future Career choice: auror (fights evil for a living).
4. Accepts responsibility to fight crime and seeks heroism as a trait.

My first reaction was no, but...I was wrong after I thought about it. Harry Potter, though a character of a novel and not of a comic book nor a cartoon, can easily be classified as a Superhero, though it seems strange in a setting full of characters all with the same superhuman abilities.