Lydia’s super strength in Thunder Force
is the greatest superpower of all time.
Okay, so she can throw a bus.
But Emily’s invisibility is the real secret weapon
that makes the duo effective.
“You're about to be Thunder Forced.” [he screams, she screams]
This is Take Two,
a series brought to you by The Take,
where we compare two opposing sides to
a cultural debate of our times.
Today’s big question:
Which superpower is better— super strength or invisibility?
Take 1 will argue that Lydia’s super strength is the best
power you could choose,
because it represents the central hallmarks
required of any real hero:
emotional openness, bravery, and commitment to life.
Take 2 will argue that Emily’s invisibility is the best power
you could choose, because it represents
what actually allows you to succeed in our world:
smarts, strategy, and taking people by surprise.
So which power would you choose, and what does that say about you?
“Let’s do this.”
“It’s go time.” [both struggle]
And now here’s Take 1:
Super Strength is the Best Superpower.
“You know, I barged in here and took your power,
which is probably the cooler power, even before I said it wasn't,
but it kind of is.”
Tellingly, super strength is the first superpower treatment
that Emily was going to take before Lydia inadvertently intervened,
which implies that it’s the most primary and most important power.
It’s also fitting that Lydia ends up taking this power because it fits
her overall essence: she acts on instinct.
If you gravitate towards super strength,
this probably means you care about living life to the fullest.
“That's Lydia for you. Always finding time to have fun.”
Lydia’s super-strength is an expression of
her emotional bravery.
She isn’t afraid to show how she feels,
and she’s unapologetically herself, without worrying what others think.
Her super strength is also illustrative of her unwavering
commitment to the truly important things in life.
Perhaps her super strength most closely mirrors how
she’s a fiercely devoted and selfless friend,
even when a friend isn’t actively in her life.
“She's been your friend for a long time, Mom.
Even when you didn't want her to be.”
Super strength is the kind of power that helps us realize
our highest potential, not just for personal gain
but to be our best selves.
Invisibility, on the other hand, often appeals to people
who want to indulge their worst selves.
Psychotherapist William Berry notes in Psychology Today, quote,
“Many of those who choose invisibility do so to hear
what others say about them when they aren’t around,
to spy on others, or to procure things they don’t
have the money to pay for.”
In a 2001 episode of the podcast This American Life,
John Hodgman interviewed people about whether
they’d choose flight or invisibility as a superpower.
Those who chose invisibility cited both material and personal gain.
“I go into Barney's.
I pick out the cashmere sweaters that I like.”
“I turn invisible. I walk out”
“So, you'd become a thief pretty quickly.”
“Immediately.”
Another interviewee pointed out that powers like flight and invisibility
don’t naturally inspire people to save the world,
like super strength does:
“I don’t think I would want to spend a lot of time using my power for good.
I mean, if I don't have super strength and I'm not invulnerable, then,
I mean, it would be very dangerous.”
In fact, it’s easier to recall
famous supervillains with the power of invisibility.
And now for Take 2: Invisibility is the Best Superpower.
The invisibility of Octavia Spencer’s Emily
is an expression of her exceptional intelligence,
her ability to think multiple steps ahead,
and the way that enemies won't see her coming.
Emily has a big plan she’s able to hatch and visualize in secret,
while others can’t foresee what she’s creating
or believe it’s possible.
“I developed a genetic sequencing platform
that can alter a human's biochemistry in unimaginable ways.”
So, we can interpret her invisibility as a metaphor for how hard work,
cunning and applying the mind in private over time yields
an impact that— before it comes to fruition—
is invisible to others.
Invisibility also relates to being underestimated,
like soft-spoken, polite Emily.
“And I could probably use whatever it is that you do, too.”
Yet this is an upside:
she escapes suspicion and surprises her enemies.
“Peekaboo!”
The super-strong hero is all about attracting attention.
Take Greek warrior Achilles,
who famously chooses everlasting glory over
a long, blissful life full of love and family.
“If you go to Troy, you will never come home...
for your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom.”
In Homer’s The Iliad,
he selfishly orders Patroclus to hold off on defeating their
opponents until he shows up, because this would “rob me
of glory that should be mine.”
According to Carl Jung, we all have a “shadow—"
a dark version of ourselves, or those pieces of ourselves
that we don’t like or want to accept.
Jung believed acknowledging your shadow was a necessary
first step to actualizing yourself.
So, choosing the power of invisibility represents
radical self-acceptance.
True power only comes when we look inward
and make peace with what’s really there.
Take 1 may be right that a number of past depictions
of invisibility do suggest what’s secretly inside us
is usually evil, but that’s pretty cynical.
In Emily's case, that full, secret self that no one
can see is a hero.
“I've always wanted to make it so other people— so you—
didn't have to grow up the way I did.”
“Afraid?”
“Yeah.”
And we do see other relatable, multifaceted heroes use
the power of invisibility to do good in this way.
Harry Potter, who lost both of his parents at a young age
like Emily, may use the “cloak of invisibility”
for a bit of fun or payback,
Who's that?
but he mainly utilizes it for knowledge and leeway
to carry out noble action.
Bruce Dern’s Alan (a.k.a. Mr. Snowcone)
in the 2018 film Freaks
strategically uses his invisibility to shield
the film’s protagonist, Chloe, and keep her safe.
Meanwhile, Lydia's strength comes with the weaknesses of recklessness
and not thinking things through.
“You don’t think before you act. You always do the stupid thing.”
And if we look back at the idea of super strength that we see
in Greek mythology, the bible, and Old English literature,
it’s generally rash, impulsive and violent.
In the bible, Samson,
known for his strength derived from his uncut hair,
“I wanna cut that ponytail off.”
“Is that a Samson and Delilah thing?”
doesn’t have the discipline and control to resist the charms
of the gorgeous Philistine ladies on his enemies’ side.
“Call on your god, Samson!”
“I have betrayed him. He would not hear me.”
Now back to Take 1.
Invisibility is a shady power that promotes inaction
and isn’t heroic.
“I keep seeing you taking these pills,
but are we ever going to see some action,
or should I say, are we ever going to
not see some action?”
In addition to the immorality problems with invisibility,
it’s also not associated with action or participation,
which means it’s not very conducive to heroics.
Being invisible is really Emily’s weakness—
she retreats into her books and hides away from
the real world until she feels perfectly ready to confront it,
letting her fear cripple her.
Emily might have all the tools of a superhero,
but it’s hard to imagine that she’d ever have been able
to follow through without Lydia’s heart and courage.
“Oh my god, I’m gonna barf.”
“You gotta learn to ride the lightning.”
So unlike invisibility, super strength gives you
the tangible power needed to fearlessly face challenges,
without disappearing into the background
or withdrawing from life.
“I didn't see you trying anything to stop her except disappearing,
which, by the way, you've been doing that since before you got your power.”
Meanwhile, Take 2 may have a point that there are people
who desire super strength in order to get glory
or misuse power over others.
But Lydia represents a noticeably female and contemporary
understanding of what super-strength truly is.
She holds herself to a standard of non-violence
“I can hit a lot harder, but I don’t wanna kill you.
But you will stop hurting my friends!”
She uses her power not as aggression but to fiercely
protect the city and people she loves.
“We’re not doing it for thanks. We’re here to protect the city.”
And she emphasizes teamwork instead of ego.
Her behavior might remind us of another
female idea of superheroism:
Wonder Woman, who’s even stronger than Hercules,
but is driven by love and instinctively shows compassion
towards human beings.
“I’m willing to fight for those who cannot fight for
themselves.”
When realized in this self-aware, sensitive and careful way,
super strength highlights the most heroic qualities
that human beings are capable of.
Anecdotal evidence has even documented the phenomenon
of “hysterical strength,” which allows adrenaline
to take over in life-and-death moments, enabling regular people
to achieve superhuman feats when others need help.
“Thanks, Officer.”
“Call an ambulance.” “I feel fine.”
“For ME!”
Take 2: Super Strength encourages flashy performance without a plan.
Those super strong, complicated heroes of mythology and the bible
aren’t necessarily associated with intelligence, strategy or leadership.
“You don't fear anyone. That's your problem.
Fear is useful.”
If your superpower of choice is Lydia’s super strength,
then you, too, probably have to work on your focus and restraint.
“I'm sorry. I messed up. I was trying to stop her.”
“Dang it, Lydia, you always get carried away.”
When Lydia hurls a bus with her bare hands
thankfully it doesn’t hurt anyone— but only because she gets lucky,
and it’s a high-stakes way for someone to learn a lesson.
While Take 1 insinuates
that those like Emily naturally withdraw from life,
Emily is the one who actively participates in school.
“Emily, only been in school for one week, hand's always up.
Let's give someone else a chance.”
Meanwhile, Lydia is at the back of the class,
snoozing away, not applying herself like Emily does.
“Sleeping Beauty back there.”
“Is the answer 11?”
“Incredibly incorrect.”
She doesn’t grasp that great things don’t just happen,
they have to be achieved through consistent hard work.
Her super strength may be the flashy superpower out front,
but it’s Emily’s invisibility-esque cunning and brains-of-the-operation
that are what really make any of this possible.
“I know you can do anything you put that big brain to.”
Lots of heroes may have super strength—
so doesn’t that make it run-of-the-mill?
It’s also not usually the only superpower a hero has,
because there are evidently cooler, more distinctive powers
to distinguish a hero’s personality.
Likewise, Lydia may find her training more physically
grueling than Emily’s for 33 days
“Your whole treatment is one stinking pill?”
but Emily’s empire has been twenty years in the making.
“I've worked for this my entire life.”
It’s an incredibly rare person who has the vision, brainpower
and willingness to sacrifice to pull off bringing something
important into creation.
The women of Thunder Force offer a contemporary blueprint
of how not just female superheroes but all
heroes should act,
emphasizing how anyone with extraordinary power in society
must behave responsibly to keep it in check.
“Thunder Force, I wanna thank you,
and the entire city of Chicago wants to thank you,
for your tremendous bravery.”
And of course, if you can, it’s great to model your
behavior after both Lydia’s super strength
and emotional bravery, and Emily’s invisibility
and brainpower.
“We did it, Em. We're a super team.”
In the end, you might say that Tracy’s super speed
is the perfect balance between Lydia and Emily—
she shows the ability to think on her feet and take action,
“I’m on my way.”
while also being well-prepared and thinking things through.
So which superpower do you think is best?
Tell us whether you would rather have
super strength or invisibility (or maybe super speed!),
and be sure to subscribe to Netflix Film Club!