Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a series of leadership lessons from famous superheroes!

For the past 15 years, superheroes have saturated our screens. Starting with Iron Man in 2008, Marvel began its mission to dominate the global box office with a series of interconnected superhero movies. And it succeeded beyond all expectations. The latest movie, The Marvels, is their 33rd superhero film in what's called the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

But superheroes have held audiences captivated for a lot longer than that. The first Superman comic book was published in 1938, followed by Batman just a year later. Audiences have been ready for the MCU for nearly 100 years. But why do we love them so much? And what lessons can they teach us?

The Super Team

Superheroes look like us but they’re better – stronger, faster, smarter, luckier, and they look good in spandex. Despite their extra powers, they still fight against insurmountable odds, battling equally strong intergalactic baddies hell-bent on humanity’s destruction.

Superheroes offer a sense of hope and inspiration. They’re something to look up to when things seem overwhelming. They take on the impossible and win. And, increasingly, they do it as a team. Egos may clash and tempers fray, but, on many an occasion, they win because they work together.

Leadership Lessons From Superheroes

It’s not easy to do, but when you’re a leader of an organization or team, there are many crucial behaviors you need to embody to succeed. Good leadership is about so much more than telling people what to do – and superheroes demonstrate some of the most important of these leadership qualities.

Here is a selection of some classic superheroes, and what they can teach us about how to be a good leader.

Spiderman: Responsibility

Sure, Spiderman climbs walls and swings between skyscrapers, but his central guiding principle is one we can all adopt – responsibility.

When New York teenager Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider he becomes Spiderman. He uses his newfound powers to fight crime for the good of the city residents. His deep sense of commitment to helping others is summed up in his calling card, “your friendly neighborhood Spiderman!” He’s here to serve, to do good for his community.

But the most famous of Spiderman’s lines was coined in a 1962 comic: “with great power comes great responsibility.” Dubbed "the Peter Parker Principle," this concept has been alive since the time of the ancient Greeks – but it took a comic book to best formulate the maxim.

Leadership lesson: The possession of power brings with it a moral imperative to do good by others. A good leader knows this and they live the Peter Parker Principle in everything they do.

Batman: Resourcefulness and Planning

The most famous superhero with no actual superpowers, Batman is a brooding loner who moves in the shadows. Not the ideal leader, you might think. But what Batman lacks in people skills and power, he makes up for with "smarts": he always has a plan, he’s ready for anything, and he can adapt.

He keeps the criminals and supervillains of Gotham in check through tactical planning and a clever allocation and deployment of his resources. He doesn’t need superpowers to lead and succeed.

Leadership lesson: Leadership is about being ready for anything. Pragmatism in the face of change and a keen eye for spotting what’s around the corner mean that a leader won’t be caught by surprise. In a fast-changing, unstable world, having plans and procedures in place for when things go wrong is often crucial to the success of a project, and the health of a whole organization.

The Hulk: Keeping Your Cool

You won’t like him when he’s angry. I’m not talking about your ex-boss but Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk.

One fateful day, Banner accidentally absorbed unhealthy levels of gamma rays, and now whenever he gets mad he becomes the Hulk – a giant green mass of rage. But, in the most recent movies, the Hulk learns to control his anger and channel it for good.

Leadership lesson: As a leader, it’s no use exploding at everything and anyone around you when things don’t go your way. Yes, you might get angry sometimes. But learning to accept and deal with it is a crucial skill for leaders. By default of your position, your team will look to you for guidance and see you as an example. You need to adopt the behaviors you want to see in them.

Black Panther: Protecting Your People

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