Representation of those who have disabilities, then, makes superheroes and their legacies all the more impactful.
It’s said that our favorite superheroes can reveal what we most want out of ourselves. Superheroes inspire hope, goodness, and faith in the world. Representation of those who have disabilities, then, makes superheroes and their legacies all the more impactful. That’s what inspired Christina D’Allesandro to reach out to Marvel when her son, Anthony Smith, didn’t want to wear his hearing aid the family calls “Blue Ear” because he thought superheroes didn’t need them. As a precocious 4-year-old, all he wanted was to be like his heroes. Understanding, yet frustrated because he still needed the hearing aid, Christina emailed Marvel to see if there was someone she could show Anthony that he could look up to that uses a hearing aid too.
As reported by Centuryhearingaids.com, “Christina sent her heartfelt letter into the general catch-all ‘fan mail’ account which is shared by the Heroes group in editorial,” Editor Bill Rosemann recalls. “She didn’t address it to a specific person and she even mentioned that it would probably end up in our spam filters, but she sent it in any way because Christina is one of the real heroes in this story. It was her inspiring effort to help her son that touched so many of us here and spurred us into action,” he continued. “I forwarded the e-mail around to the rest of Editorial, asking what we could do to help, wondering if anyone knew any artists who would be willing to draw something for Anthony. And just like when Captain America yells, ‘Avengers Assemble,’ the team leaped into action.”
An Avenger assembled, indeed, for Anthony. It’s no other than Hawkeye who is hearing impaired and has been since 1983 who figuratively came to the rescue. In Hawkeye Vol. 1 #4 by Mark Gruenwald and Brett Breeding, Clint Barton’s hearing was permanently damaged after battling Crossfire. Throughout his stint in the West Coast Avengers, Hawkeye always had a hearing aid too. He wore a hearing aid regularly throughout comics he featured in or was a part of until he died and came back to life in 2001. Then, in 2014, Hawkeye becomes hearing impaired once again when The Clown attacks him in Hawkeye #15 by Matt Fraction and David Aja. Fraction and Aja also incorporated an issue with American Sign Language in Hawkeye #19.
It was this knowledge of Hawkeye that resonated with Tom Brevoort, Marvel’s Senior Vice President-Editor, who is also a great resource for anything pertaining to Marvel history. He sent a cover of West Coast Avengers #1 by Roger Stern and Bob Hall to Christina so that she could show Anthony. Tom Brevoort states that “I was able to very quickly find and send a jpg of WEST COAST AVENGERS #1 cover to Christina. I told her that not only do superheroes in fact wear hearing aids but that Hawkeye, an actual Avenger, wears them and that if Anthony wore his, he’d become an honorary Avenger.”
Brevoort didn’t stop there and proved that there’s a reason why Marvel is such a powerhouse in the comic and entertainment industries. They go above and beyond for their fans and truly commit to inclusivity, diversity, and being a force of good like the heroes they create. Brevoort recalls “[Editor] Lauren Sankovitch shared the e-mail with Nelson Ribeiro in Collected Editions, who then created his Mighty Marvel Masterpiece spotlighting the bold Blue Ear,” the editor says. “Then [editor] Tom Brennan reached out to the Bullpen’s own Manny Mederos, who drew his awesome team-up shot of Hawkeye and Blue Ear.”
Blue Ear, named after the hearing aid Anthony uses, premiered in Iron Man: Sound Effects by Marc Sumerak and Karl Moline. Iron Man introduces the character within the graphic novel and features a storyline involving Tony Stark hosting a met gala to promote headphones that offer encryption capabilities and transforms signals into music videos. Though, where there’s Tony Stark and a fancy event, trouble is never too far behind. Blue Ear steps in to help Iron Man save the day, making him an honorary Avenger. The comic also involved the Children’s Hearing Institute as presenters at the gala, which is another detail that added depth to the story.
Upon completion of the comic book featuring Blue Ear, Anthony got his very own copy. He and his mother were beyond overjoyed. “One of the best things about this entire experience has been Christina relating to us in a series of e-mails how much the art has excited Anthony,” Rosemann points out. “He’s been running around with the pin-ups, showing them to his friends at school, which inspired the teachers to organize a ‘Dress Like a Super Hero’ event.” Anthony attends HEAR in New Hampshire, a school dedicated to teaching students who are hearing impaired.
Superheroes truly do represent who we are, who we want to be, and restore our hope when we may not have any. These stories persevere because they’re the best versions of ourselves. Having that be attainable to a deaf four-year-old boy made a difference in his life and so many others. Hawkeye, in this instance, became so much more than a role model, but someone that others can see themselves. He inspired a new character created for a young boy in need of representation and that’s the magic of Marvel.
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