If you ask an intense Marvel fan what it means to be a hero, you will get a totally different response from what a firefighter would say.

From a person who wears a cape, to a sick child in a hospital room, what does it really mean to be a hero? In today's society, there are so many different ideas of what it really means to be a hero.

When you Google search, innumerable results show up. The Webster's dictionary definition of a hero is, "a person admired for achievements and noble qualities, or one who shows great courage."

TV shows and movies often show the hero of the story using violence to achieve his or her goals or to take down the bad guys, such as the the Blade killing vampires, becoming very bloodthirsty.

This then poses the question, "Do heroes use violence to get the job done?"

Comics fans would tend to say that heroes do have to use violence to save the town, city, damsel in distress, etc.

Men and women in the workforce would then tend to say that one does not have to use violence to be a true hero.

What about the firefighters who save people?

The answer is simple. Heroes can be anyone you look up to. They are people who are brave enough to make sacrifices in their lives.

So no, heroes do not need to use violence to get the job done. Heroes do need to have strength inside and out, compassion, confidence and bravery.

So then this brings up a new argument: Are there heroes in your life who are not getting enough credit? Think about a hero in your life? Could it be someone battling cancer? Or your neighbor who always takes time to talk to you?

Heroes do not just have to be people praised in comic books or movies.

The selfless humans who help you through your tough struggles. Those are the people who are heroes.

Society and pop culture have manipulated the way that children view people as heroes, but as teens we can figure out that heroes do not have to be a male, with a cape, tights and a mask.

In the 21st century, there are so many different ideas of what defines a hero.