#MondayMotivation 10/28/19: Being Different is Not a Weakness

“Being different is not a weakness”- a simple phrase that has plenty of meaning. In Avengers Annual #19, written by Roger Stern and illustrated by John Byrne, Captain America delivers a fiery speech about diversity and acceptance that is every bit as relevant today as it was when the story was originally released back in 1985.

This Avengers issue focuses on the plight of Prince Dezan, a member of the shapeshifting Skrull race. His ideals and ambition were considered so radical that his own people imprisoned him before he was able to effectively spread his message. To add insult to injury, his people also considered Dezan to be hideously ugly and, while he was imprisoned, they placed a mask over his face.

The tragedy here is that Dezan’s message was one of peace and pacifism. The Skrulls, being a warring people, found such a message offensive. In addition, most readers would not consider Dezan ugly, as he looked like a human. However, to the Skrulls, this physical attribute was disgusting.

Dezan’s story came to a head when he, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four overthrew a Skrull warlord but were unable to stop him from activating a powerful weapon. This weapon altered the DNA of every Skrull in the universe, leaving them unable to shapeshift.

At first, Dezan lamented the loss of his species’ shapeshifting ability. He explained that, before, every Skrull would change their appearance or be coerced into changing their appearance if it was “unappealing”. Now, this pathway was closed. Dezan feared that the change would make his society too “different” to move forward.

However, Captain America put things in perspective. He explained that Earth is filled with beings that look incredibly different from one another, but these differences do not make them weaker. If anything, he conjectured that the differences make humanity stronger and drive forward positive ideals.

In Captain America’s words: “Being different is not a weakness. My people have an ideal… a belief in equality of the mind, of the soul… equality, not sameness. Our nation has embraced all different sizes, shapes, and colors of people and because of that, I think, we’ve grown ever stronger in our pursuit of liberty… and of peace!”

Today’s motivation comes from Avengers Annual #19, currently collected in Avengers: The Legacy of Thanos (Review).

This is the first entry in ComicBookWire’s “Monday Motivation” series. If we get a positive response, we would like to make this series a regular occurrence and help bring some positivity into the world each Monday. So, feel free to share this dose of motivation wherever you would like and feel free to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest and let us know what you think. See you next week!