On the latest episode of Marvel Make Me a Hero, retired Marine Alex van Breukelen and his service dog Tara get the Marvel hero treatment for Veterans Day! As a fan of the original Hulk movies and TV shows, Alex explained that he could relate to how Bruce Banner has learned to control "the monster inside," but wanted his Marvel to be kind of "an average Joe." He also said Tara deserved some heroic recognition for her ability to detect bad energy and turn it into something positive and comforting. It's a power that Alex wishes he could share with others.

Marvel.com had the opportunity to follow up with Alex about his thoughts on heroes:

You’ve watched some of the Marvel movies with your kids. Do you see parallels between Marvel’s heroes and real-life heroes?

I think that there are always some types of parallels between Marvels characters and real-life heroes. I use the Hulk as an example where this mild-mannered nerd of a man that no one would ever suspect of being aggressive or powerful turns into the Hulk when provoked. I think this resonates with A LOT of people (myself included). You don’t have to be an over-the-top, in-your-face personality to have hidden talents that can change the world.   

Have you ever watched a Marvel movie and kind of wished you could offer them input on their battles?

I never understood ANY cinematic battles of the physical kind, either in Marvel or in other movies. Combat is NOT like anything in the cinematic world, nor should it be. There is no possible way to actually capture combat in any type of cinematic display. I feel that Marvel has done a good job of removing the reality out of combat, fighting and battles in order to keep it truly entertaining.