If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Flight? Heat vision? The ability to shoot spiderwebs out of your wrists? And then there are the myriad accessories, gadgets and cool rides that go along with being a superhero: cool boots, the Batmobile, tights … and of course a Star of David paddle that you could use to deflect any attack?
If you’ve never heard of that last gadget, you’re not alone. The Star of David paddle is part of the arsenal of one of the contestants on the SciFi show “Who Wants to Be a Superhero?” Named Mr. Mitzvah, he is the son of Holocaust survivors, and his other powers are flight, night vision, and super strength. His weakness? You guessed it: non-kosher food.
According to the Forward:

Mr. Mitzvah will compete for the chance to appear in a comic created by Stan Lee, and to have his character made into an action figure by Shocker Toys … [comics legend Stan] Lee is once again hosting and producing the hit show, which this season will take place in a fictional city — in the fashion of comic books — where the contestants will live full time as their heroic alter egos. Each week, the would-be superheroes, supervised by Lee, will face challenges based on courage, compassion, resourcefulness and other heroic qualities. They will even face villains in their bid to prove themselves. This season’s contestants include such diverse super people as Braid, a shape-shifter with prehensile hair; Ms. Limelight, a luscious blonde who takes on traits of famous action stars, and Hygena, who fights crime with a variety of super cleaning utensils.

You do have to admit that Braid is a pretty kick-ass name for a superhero, although I might prefer to add a “The” in front of the name. (“The Braid.” Say it out loud.) But I’m not sure prehensile (adapted for seizing, grasping, or taking hold of something) hair is a great superpower. But what kind of a chance does our Mr. Mitzvah have at winning this contest? If we’ve learned anything from the Oscars, any story involving the Holocaust may just have a decent shot.
Want to find out who wins? The second season of “Who Wants to Be a Superhero?” premieres July 26 on SciFi.