I wasn't terribly interested in Haka as presented in the first edition of Sentinels of the Multiverse. He seemed pretty one note and I didn't really get a sense for who he was as a person. The forums seemed to view him as Hulk with facial tattoos, as seen in the multiple "Haka smash!!!" posts from a year ago or so. But the more I learned about him from >G (and the lovely new artwork on Haka of Shielding) he fast became one of my favorite heroes. Haka is, apparently, a pretty sweet guy. He's cultured, loves kids, and can give Legacy a stern look if he gets too hot-headed. Legacy.
But what really sold me on him was the fact that he subs at a few kindergarten classes. My mom taught for a little under thirty years, so I'm fascinated with teachers and teacher characters. Especially when they are well written. I had to wonder, though: Haka has been around for a long, long time. How long has he been teaching?
When I was little, grown men and women who were in my mom's sixth grade class would chat with her whenever we ran into them at the mall or in a store. She'd always remember them (maybe not their names, but she would remember their personalities, how much their mothers and fathers helped out at school events, troubles in their lives, etc.), and it blew me away that she could have students that were full grown adults and remember them after years and years of classes with 25-30 students in each of them.
She'd also remember her students if she saw one of their obituaries.
Though my mother taught for a long time (she's older than dirt, as she likes to say), none of her students died from old age. Violence, fatal accidents, diseases, and substance abuse were always the cause, and it breaks her heart every time. These people were her kids, even if it was just for eight hours a day, five days a week.
This makes me wonder how many funerals Haka has had to attend for elderly former students he knew when they didn't even stand tall enough to reach his knee. Has he been subbing for five years? Twenty? Fifty? Ninety? How many years has he attended a kindergarten graduation and then followed it up with a funeral for a seventy-two year old woman he taught how to fingerpaint when she was six? What kind of grief does that inflict on someone, even someone as heroic as the ageless Maori warrior Haka?
I know the >G team is hard at work, but I'd love to know how long he's been teaching. And if anyone has any idea of how long Haka has been a teacher (or has any theories or perspectives on the subject) please comment. Whether Haka has had to bury an aged student or not is yet to be determined, but it will be something he'll have to face at some point in the future. We know (in at least one future) that he will continue to be for a long, long time.
Oh God. At first, I had this silly grin on my face because I was glad that someone liked Haka so much (he is one of my favorite characters), but by the end I actually had some tears in my eyes. Gosh :( Being ageless and immortal sucks.
Immortal characters can be really amazing if done right. There isn't anything wrong with the dark and brooding immortals, but the ones that actually embrace life and the people in it? That eventual loss can really sting. That isn't to say that Haka doesn't sincerely love life and have a great time! He's got one of the biggest smiles out of all of the heroes. But, man...I'd be surprised if there wasn't some real pain behind that grin of his.
I wonder how old The Scholar actually is and if he has children. Burying your students is one thing, but attending the funerals of your children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren? Yikes.
That's a little harsh on Iron Legacy - I suspect he'd be more likely to sympathize that it's terrible it took the death of his own daughter to teach him the error of "heroism," and ask if the many children Haka has seen die are enough to get him to join Legacy in sruching the world under fascism to prevent more death.
Iron Legacy is crazy, and that contrast is a great one to point out, but if Paul just goes "yeah, I'm crazy and self-involved" as soon as anyone calls him on it, he's not living up to that funereal tone from his cards. That kinds of careless psychosis is more Kismet's thing.
That's true. In retrospect my comment was hard on Iron Legacy. He's got a pretty tragic backstory and a lot of baggage. I can definitely understand where he's coming from with his extreme perspective.
What I mainly want to focus on is Haka and his immortal perspective on children and watching them grow up to the point of a natural death due to old age. It's a fascinatingly inhuman experience, and Haka is so amazingly human in his conduct with friends and heroes that I'd love to discuss his potential behavior and musings on the subject.
Haka has been teaching for most of his life, as he always has had an interest in bringing up future generations with more information and life experiences. In the formalized school system, he has been a substitute teacher for just under a century.
He has been to countless funerals. Students, friends, teammates, and even a few lovers. He has never missed a funeral, and he always sings at the grave after the other funeral attendees have left, his eyes overflowing almost as much as his heart. Aata Wakarewarewa is not brooding or depressed about outliving everyone - he knows that the progression of birth, youth, life, age, and death is a natural one, though he openly weeps for lives cut short.
Haka finds the joy in life and in getting to be a part of so many great lives. He cares more about the positive influence he has on those around him than he does how they remember him, if they remember him at all.
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Thank you all for caring about Aata. He appreciates it.
I'm fairly sure that his countless acts of good have done just as much to make the world better as his overt acts of heroism. Just think- for every single person or family that he's helped out of the the rubble of a supervillian's attack, he's helped hundreds (if not thousands) improve their lives.
I can see him participating at youth centers, charities, and all sorts of community improvements. In addition to being a fantastic teacher.
Even if just a fraction of the people he's helped went on to live more fulfilling lives, managed ot get into better circumstances, or just learned to trust people a bit more, thats a LOT of goodness he's brought into the world!
My mother has a plaque at home. "To teach is to touch a life forever." I'm unsurprised and quite happy to find out that Haka gives so much to everyone, especially his students. This just furthers my love for the character and makes me appreciate him all the more. It's not just because he's an awesome hero, but because he's an awesome teacher and is portrayed that way. That is real. That is heroic. Aata Wakarewarewa. Teacher. Warrior. Hero.
Thanks for sharing, Christopher. I'm thrilled that this character is as brilliant and three-dimensional as I had hoped he was. Again, not surprised, but quite thrilled.
So, forum, how many years do we think is "give or take a few" for our new friend John Rhodes?
I can just imagine grade schoolers freaking out a little bit on the first time when their teacher is absent, and this giant of a man steps in. They all sit up a little straighter, speak up a little clearer, and most of all, never ever make eye contact. That is, until Aata starts talking and teaching. By the end of it, the class wants him to be their regular teacher, and come break, they tell all their friends about the huge guy teacher and what a badass he is.
