It’s always kinda crummy to find out your favorite celebrities, athletes, and public figures aren’t very good people in reality.
But for every Gandhi or Steve Jobs out there, there is a famous person who exceeds expectations. It’s pretty awesome to discover that the peeps who play our favorite superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are actually great folks when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Robert Downey Jr. loves being a philanthropist on and off screen. He dabbles in many causes, usually involving children and dressing up in whatever makes them laugh. He invited 7-year old Daniel, who has cystic fibrosis, to the premiere of Captain America: Civil War while dressed up as a Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.
The Incredible Hulk is just as green in real-life, in the sense that he is a huge advocate for renewable energy and the founder of an organization called Water Defense. The Solutions Project is another cause he’s involved in, which works to create 100 percent clean, renewable energy for people all over the world. Way to go, Ruffalo!
Scarlett was an Oxfam ambassador for eight years, having toured India, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, and Kenya for various humanitarian projects. She’s also a hardcore supporter of Soles4Souls and has donated over 2,000 new pairs of shoes.
She says, “If you can’t dig deep in your pockets, than dig in your closet! Americans can make a huge difference with Soles4Souls by donating shoes. Souls4Soles gives away a pair of shoes every 13 seconds in over 120 countries, with over 55 percent donated to fellow Americans.” Black Widow works with over 20 other organizations as well.
Chris Evans placed a charitable Super Bowl Bet with Chris Pratt: whoever supported the losing team had to go visit a children’s hospital in character. Even though Pratt’s Seahawks lost, Evans decided to join him at Seattle Children’s to visit sick kids as Cap anyway. Oh, and he loves rescuing dogs. There’s a laundry list of awesome things he does.
He may play an arrogant, self-centered surgeon-turned-magician in the Marvel Universe, but Benedict’s been steadily helping those in need. He received a Commander of the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth herself for his services in the arts and charity. He recently raised money to help Syrian refugees.
Star Lord surprised fans at a charity screening of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom that benefited police officers suffering from cancer. The actor was introduced to the audience by his brother, Deputy Daniel Pratt. The event raised several thousand dollars and Chris stayed with fans to watch the film and pose for some selfies, as well as to thank them for their service to the community.
The cast of the film came to Disney to celebrate huge cash donations from Disney, LEGO, Hasbro, Funko, and Amazon for children’s hospitals in the US and UK. Disney also donated tons of toys and Marvel merchandise to the hospitals.
If that ain’t super, then I don’t know what is.
However, the efforts don’t stop there. After the success of “Black Panther,” Disney donated $1 million to the Boys and Girls Club of America to further their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.
“Black Panther” opened to a record breaking weekend at the box office on Feb. 16, gaining the title of fifth-highest opening weekend of all time.It is also the highest grossing film by a black director and boasts the second-highest second weekend ever at the box office.
It’s nice to see these actors supporting some great charities during this uncertain time. The inclusion of all six original Avengers actors is quite the draw and will hopefully result in substantial donations. Many celebrities have already stepped in helping to fight the coronavirus any way they can, but hopefully these campaigns will inspire others to do the same.