Marvel Designs Deaf Hero to Inspire Boy

A 4-year-old boy was sick of wearing his hearing aid because, he told his mother, superheroes don't wear them. So she sent Marvel Comics an email asking about deaf characters—and the company designed a hero just for young Anthony Smith. First, Marvel sent Anthony a picture of Hawkeye, an existing hero who wears hearing aids. After that, they sent him a picture of all-new hero Blue Ear, who's based on Anthony and named after the boy's nickname for his hearing aid. Now Anthony's happy to wear it, Gizmodo reports. Click through for MyFox Boston's touching video. (More Marvel Comics stories.)