With Great Power...

"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" AVON, CT- Swinging between skyscrapers at deadly speeds, being revered as a city's greatest hero, having Mary Jane Watson, your sexy next door neighbor, fall madly in love with you, and being able to go to work everyday in an airtight spandex bodysuit. For most people this is only a dream, but for one man…it's a reality. There is no doubt about the fact that SpiderMan has spun a web around the heart of our nation and has truly won us over as one of the most revered super heroes of all times. In fact, recent data has gone even further and is now stating that SpiderMan is the most admired superhero in the history of our nation. Beating out Superman, Batman, and even Underdog for the top spot, there is no doubt that this truly is a remarkable feat. Recently one of our esteemed reporters traveled to the small town of Avon where we find the true story of a young man, Anant Johri, who truly believes his story parallels that of Spiderman's. We got the chance to chat with him about his enlightening story and got an in-depth look at why SpiderMan is held so dear to the adolescents in our nation today.
When we first met with Anant Johri we were definitely shocked by his appearance. The general thought of a superhero is somebody who would be able to stand up against all odds, yet the man who stood before us appeared to be somebody who could calculate odds for us, and that’s about all. However, a direct connection between Peter Parker and Anant began to form, as they are both undeniably nerds. Once we started conversing with Anant and some of his friends we soon realized that there was much more to this young man than would appear at first glance. We first decided to talk with Anant about why he held Spiderman in such high esteem, and his response was insightful. "The fact of the matter is that we all love Spiderman because he is a true underdog, and everybody loves a great underdog story. It is almost impossible to not feel bad for this guy, who is working so hard daily to fix all of the on-goings in his life, while trying to save the world at the same time," says Anant as he grins eagerly at the mention of his idol's name. Although Peter Parker does possess these spider-like abilities, there are many personal issues that he always finds himself involved in. Generally, it is the powers that are interfering with his life, causing problems in his relationships and as a student and employee. Due to Peter having to conceal the fact that he is Spiderman he instills doubt in many of his loved ones resulting from his excuses. Spiderman is also constantly attacked by the news as a menace that is up to no good and is truly not appreciated for all of the help he is giving to the city. However, we all truly fall in love with the fact that Spiderman never completely gives up his job. Although we constantly see him being pushed to the edge, he always resorts back to his role as this web-slinging protector. As he states at the end of the first Spiderman movie, "Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-man." It is practically impossible to not love a superhero that could be looked upon as a common man, yet possess these great powers to protect New York and will never give them up.
Soon, our conversation lingered to the story of Anant's own life, as he truly opened up to us. His closest friends described it to us best by saying, "By day he is run-of-the-mill Anant Johri, but by night he is DENOMINATOR, the superhero who checks international money transfers to ensure no sketchy business ventures are taking place between terrorist organizations and keeps an eye on the fraudulent checking in businesses here in the United States as well." The story begins a few years ago, when Anant was a sophomore at Avon High School. It was about halfway through the school year when the tragic accident occurred, which ended up changing his life forever. During an intense math project Anant was working on his calculator, when it suddenly short circuited sending an electric shock running through his body. When Anant awoke, just minutes later, he could barely remember what had just happened, yet as he took another look at the math project the answers dawned upon him right away. He searched through his math book for problems that were not even near the realm of his understanding, yet as soon as he looked at a problem he felt a tingling sensation in the back of his head telling him the answer. He realized, that just like Spiderman, this was no matter of chance, but it was destiny and he searched for the other powers which were now bestowed upon him. Taking advantage of his knowledge of Spiderman he climbed to the roof of his house and figured that he would test his new powers. As he jumped from the top of his roof he felt himself go soaring through the air, but within seconds he crashed to the ground and thought to himself, "Damn, I have the nerdiest superpower ever." With a bruised ego he walked back home to see what destiny had in store for him.
It just so happened that there were people in dire need of help from Denominator. His new "math-sense" would tell him when fishy math proceedings were lurking about. However, Anant was finding it very hard to juggle his responsibility as this mathematical savior, schoolwork, and the tennis team, yet he knew that this job was given to him for a reason and it was a burden that he had to carry. However, it turns out that in school, a new villain was developing. Going by the name Doc R, this math teacher was out to humble all students who ever thought they were of high mathematical caliber, and to prove this, he had set up an annual showdown between students and himself. For the past twenty years the Doc had mercilessly beaten down on the students and mocked them for even trying to abdicate him from his throne of mathematical greatness. Denominator knew that times had to change, and this was the reason he was given his gift. He entered the competition, striving for glory, and to stand up for the students in the past who never deserved to meet such a terrible end. When the time finally came for the tumultuous showdown, the auditorium fell completely silent. Old western music slowly played in the background as tumbleweed rolled across the stage. Both men drew their calculators as beads of sweat dripped down their faces, and once they had reached their positions all hell broke loose. The competition got ugly and as Anant recollects, "It came down to the final question. All eyes were on me and I felt the pressure of the entire student body riding on my shoulders. The next problem was announced and I simply froze. Then within seconds the answer came to me, and the next thing I knew I was on the shoulders of hundreds of people who were chanting my name. I will never forget that moment…definitely my greatest accomplishment." Several people from Anant's sophomore class remember that day as tears start to form in their eyes. There is no doubt that this young man has brought hope to all those who fear oppression in the math realm of the world. We truly take our hats off to this great man and will always remember his famous motivational words, "Remember kids, when you're the Denominator, you can't be a zero!"