Superheroes earning University Degrees

Graduates assemble! Superheroes can teach us a lot about good morals and ethics, but they were all students at one point.

Superheroes are aspiration figures by their very nature. People such as Superman and Spider-Man's incredible feats motivate us and even help us deal with challenges in our own lives. However, many superheroes live modest lives at least some time for all their achievements. They're working day jobs, raising families, and even going to school.

Indeed, some of the more famous superheroes have outstanding histories in education. Unfortunately, blockbuster movies like The Avengers don't put much focus on this part of the heroes' lives. The good news is there are quite a few superheroes who went to university and most of them went to real schools you could attend yourself!

• Iron Man

Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man is considered to be one of the Marvel universe's best protagonists, so it comes as little shock that he studied from the world's top-ranked school.

That's correct, Stark is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)–a reality strongly recognized by MIT (the school refers to Stark as their "greatest alumnus in fiction"). The MIT link still holds the movie, when Tony Stark of Robert Downey Jr. can be seen sporting his school ring (known as the Brass Rat) in Iron Man (2008) in multiple scenes.

The details are a bit scarce as to what Stark studied at MIT. Stark obtained two master's degrees in science at the age of 19 in the comics, although there are contradictory sources saying he won doctorates of physics and technology and artificial intelligence. Whatever the case, Stark's MIT education helped him to become a genius, a billionaire, a playboy.

• Hulk

The Hulk is a character who always chooses brawn over minds. His alter-ego, though, is one of the Marvel universe's brightest, well-educated heroes.

Dr Bruce Banner trained at many American universities before he became the Hulk. Until going to Harvard University and then to Pennsylvania State University, he researched nuclear physics at the fictitious Desert State University. Along the way, before obtaining his PhD in nuclear physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), he established a scientific rivalry and close friendship with fellow scientist Tony Stark.

Ironically, Bruce Banner by Mark Ruffalo is much more trained than his comic book equivalent, as he states that he has seven!) (Ph. Ds in a Thor scene: Ragnarok (2017).

• Batman

Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman, lacking any real superpowers, overcomes his rivals with resourcefulness, superior intellect ... and a lot of money.

Of course, without some form of higher education, you don't become the "Greatest Detective of the World." Bruce Wayne, as it turned out, is a graduate from Harvard with a degree in law. This biographical detail is championed by Yale Alumni Magazine, which has published several articles over the years on the topic.

Sadly, the comics did not do a better job of covering this aspect of the history of Bruce Wayne, as the only confirmation of his Yale training is a single panel in Detective Comics #439 (1974). Ironically, the Batman series has taken a different approach, when trilogy producer Christopher Nolan of "Dark Knight" reported the Bruce Wayne of Christian Bale is a dropout from Princeton.

• Doctor Strange

Professor Stephen Strange was a highly regarded physician in New York City before he became the Sorcerer Supreme. Unsurprisingly, beneath his belt (er... robes?) he has a lot of education. Strange actually studied medicine at Columbia University in New York. Strange finished in record time, according to the Marvel Wiki, and had a five-year internship at New York University.

By the time he was 30, Strange was a wealthy neurosurgeon.

• Spider-Man

Learning is a major focus of the story of Spider-Man a.k.a. Peter Parker, unlike most superheroes.

Peter is a high school student struggling to balance his superhero life with his education in the new films featuring Tom Holland. Peter is a brilliant student, and at Empire State University he wins a research award in the comics. While ESU is not true, it is heavily based on two of the best universities in New York City–Columbia and the University of New York.

Peter ultimately earned a degree in biophysics and a doctorate in biochemistry, following several setbacks. Spider-Man puts his training to good use in films and comics, as he is always shown to create his own tools and guns. Spider-Man basically reveals how much you can do in STEM learning! Don't just think you're going to be able to swing from high buildings too...

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