FanPost

The Fantastic Four, Hippocrates, and the Golden Retriever

(This is is part 2 of trying to understand Jrus'e value. In part one we discussed his low-ish ts% and high on/off)

Mitchell Maurer and Burt snipes inspired my thinking about categorizing players and the battle between nature and nurture.

Back in the day when graphic novels were called comic books, team of super heroes ruled the pages. Before some less than stellar movies were made of them, these guys were kind of cool. Four flawed humans that needed to overcome their own differences (the battle of with-in).

There’s a reason the Fantastic Four is considered Marvel’s First Family. Created in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the group is symbolic of everything that makes comic books great. Larger-than-life personalities? Check. Cosmic origin? Check. Fantastical stories? Check. Incredible archnemesis? Double check.

For years, Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Sue Richards née Storm (The Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (The Thing) successfully bridged the gap between showcasing family values and embarking on superpowered adventures. They paved the way for other superhero teams and groups in the decades to come, demonstrating how the drama isn’t always the battle between good and evil but also the issues that plague any ordinary family.

The powers of the Fantastic Four are: based on the classic elements, air, earth, fire and water. The powers are assigned as an element of their overall personality or psychological profile. There is nothing ironic about how their powers relate to each of them.

  • The Human Torch's fiery, risk-taking personality is reflected in his becoming a being of flame.

  • The Invisible Woman, as was the wont of women in the 1950s and 1960s, was culturally invisible and thus her powers reflect this state. Sue Richards is air, she becomes invisible, like the air, and can manipulate the "air" to create fields of force, which are also invisible.

  • Ben Grimm, a figure of strength and determination, became a Thing, forged of rock and earth.

  • Reed Richard, a being with a plastic and fluid mind, capable of encompassing anything the world has to offer, becomes Mr. Fantastic. He is protean, in the classic sense of the word, he can change his shape and fill any container, much like water does.

Stan Lee borrowed from the the Greek philosopher Hippocrates, who described four temperaments that are labeled as choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, and melancholic.

When I first studied the 4 types, my teacher used animals to hep describe and better understand choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, and melancholic.

the Dominance Personality (choleric) is an outgoing, take-charge style whose primary concern is results. I like to call this the Lion. And Giannis is the Bucks Lion. Just like the Thing, the best way to attack a wall is to go through it.

the Conscientiousness Personality (melancholic) is a reserved, analytical style whose primary concern is quality. Also know as the beaver, think of a introverted accountant or engineer. Khris Middleton embodies the beaver. Hard worker who relies on skill.

In the past, Bledsoe was the otter. Playful, extroverted, and just like Sue Richards, became invisible in the playoffs.

So what happened when those three personalities came together. Well we got wonderful regular season success, but faced Doom in the playoffs. Just like in the comics, those 3 acted as individuals. Giannis kept banging into the wall. Middleton shot over the wall and Bledsoe did Bledsoe. 1+1+1, did not equal 3 under times of stress.

This brings me to the 4th personality type (phlegmatic), also known as the Golden Retriever.

Phlegmatics could be described as cooperative, considerate, charitable, sympathetic, trusting, and warm. They like to express their feelings, sometimes dramatizing their experience. It is important to them to find harmony. And when they do, they are the conductor of a beautiful symphony.

Reed Richard probably had the weakest of the super powers on his team. Yet he was the humble glue that synergized his team. Doom does not get defeated without Reed.

Jrue Holiday might just be our Golden Retriever. Who is just trying to fit in? Who gave his salary for the greater good? Who steps up (does not disappear) in clutch moments? Maybe the least noticeable of our big three, but just might be the final ingredient. Jrue is flexible and becomes what the team needs at that moment. The guy who can have an average ts%, but the high team result (on/off).

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