Robert Downey Jr. once said, “I think that we all do heroic things, but hero is not a noun, it’s a verb.”  This means that being heroic is not just a fantasy, or a story that people hear on T.V., it’s an action taken.  So many heroic actions in life, literature, the past, and the present are being performed, that people don't take enough time to recognize the people who are carrying out this work. Typically, a hero is someone like Hercules, saving the world, but it could also be someone fighting/battling for what and who they love, like Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
When someone is a hero, they apply himself or herself to expanding our knowledge about the world.  Heroes that don't get enough recognition are scientists.  Lots of great scientists stood for great causes, and they kept battling while still striving to make the world better.  Other scientists give a speech, or invent something that changes the world.  Some heroes make a difference that change their own world, but others make changes impacting the whole world.  A hero is someone who strives to be above average and do good in the world, just like all of the scientists in the world.
  One great example of heroism comes from a man named Albert Einstein; he kept learning about the world while fighting against Hitler.  He was so heroic in his actions, Israel offered him presidency in 1952.  Another heroic scientist is Stephen Hawking, who came up with the Big Bang Theory.  Hawking said, “We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe.  That makes us something very special.” This quote supports him being a hero because he kept believing  in the power of human beings. Hawking is a hero, because even though he is battling ALS, he still devotes his time to expanding our knowledge about the universe. He was supposed to die 50 years ago, but he is still up and running, and inspiring physicists everywhere.
People who are not famous like Einstein and Hawking can still be heroes in their own communities by helping the homeless, or helping to stop pollution.  An example of this is Dr. Jim Whithers.  He has been giving free medical care to the homeless for 23 years now in his own community of Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Whithers has said, “In the way I’d like to see things, every person who is still on the streets will have medical care that comes directly to them and says, ‘you matter’.  And I’d love to see every medical school have a classroom on the streets.”  Every community needs someone like Dr. Whithers, because he is a hero and is helping the less fortunate of his own will. Even though the world is full of people that do things that make the world better, there are still a few that make the world worse.
Anti-Hero: a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes.  Anti-Heroes are not selfless, caring, responsible, or doing good to fix the bad.  A lot are doing bad to fix the bad in a “Dexter-like” way (murdering murderers). Others are the conventional hero in the comic books.  They are always saving the world, but behind the scenes there is always a bad habit that they can't shake. Take Iron Man (Tony Stark) for example.  Everyone loves him and J.A.R.V.I.S. (his talking intercom), but what is he without the suit? Just a selfish, greedy man using his talent to make money rather than to do good.  These aren’t true heroic qualities, so people with these qualities should not be recognized as heroes.
Heroes in the past, present, life, and literature strive to be selfless, caring, friendly, and to help out the world. Those people that are heroes don’t sit back and let the world turn, they go and take action. They are courageous and have noble qualities people aim to acquire.  Not everyone is capable of being a hero, but if a hero can do anything they put their mind to, any average person can become a hero.