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Super strength.
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He's a normal guy, he
becomes incredibly powerful.
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Super speed.
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He had very advanced capabilities.
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And supernatural abilities.
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Suddenly he's a god with godlike powers.
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Throughout history, humans have told
tales of beings with incredible powers.
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But could these ancient stories
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that continue to be retold today
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have extraterrestrial origins?
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There's an intuitive knowing
that these stories are true,
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that beings did come from
other planets to save humankind.
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Millions of people around the world
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believe we have been visited in
the past by extraterrestrial beings.
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What if it were true?
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Did ancient aliens really
help to shape our history?
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And if so,
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could there be a connection between aliens
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and today's superheroes?
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X-ray vision.
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Incredible strength.
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The power of flight.
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These are just a few of
the superhuman abilities
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of modern day comic book heroes.
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But stories of beings
with extraordinary powers
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have been told throughout history,
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dating all the way back to ancient times.
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The most famous are those involving
the Greek gods known as the Olympians.
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These powerful beings
could create earthquakes,
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become invisible,
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and even harness lightning.
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But there is an important
difference between the Olympians
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and the fictional superheroes of today.
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The ancient Greeks believed
that the Olympians were real.
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A huge difference between the
ancient world and the modern world
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is we have developed this... this
very strict sense of real and not real,
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which really didn't
matter so much back then.
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The ancients believed that these heroes
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had been there, that they were real people.
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We're always looking at mythology
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as a basis for our storytelling.
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A character like Wonder Woman
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is immediately established
in Greek mythology.
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She's built on the story of the Amazons;
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there's Hercules, there's
Zeus; the Olympian gods play
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every aspect of who she is.
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Could it be that today's superheroes
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trace their origins
back to the ancient gods?
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And if the people who worshipped these gods
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believed them to be real,
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is it possible they actually were?
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Perhaps the answer can be found
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by more closely examining
the stories of gods and heroes
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in the ancient world.
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The Dikteon Cave on the
Greek island of Crete
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is believed by some scholars
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to fit the location and description given
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by the eighth century BC poet Hesiod
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for the childhood home of Zeus,
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the leader of the Olympians.
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Archaeologists have found remains
of religious offerings here
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that date back 4,000 years...
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to the exact period when the
stories of the Olympians took place.
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But could the ancient Greeks
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have left these offerings
to a powerful being
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they actually witnessed
with their own eyes?
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We have these stories of these
gods that had these supernatural,
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magical powers.
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Let's be honest...
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magical, supernatural
powers don't really exist.
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So what was it that was described?
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In my opinion, it was people who had access
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to advanced technology.
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There's an old saying... one man's
magic is another man's engineering.
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Magic is just some knowledge
we don't understand.
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It is, therefore, super
or above our understanding.
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It is transcendent, that's
what "super" implies.
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Ancient astronaut
theorists believe the notion
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that our ancestors actually
witnessed advanced technology
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is supported by the fact that similar stories of
godlike beings can be found on every continent.
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Historian and author Joseph Campbell
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found that even cultures that had
never had contact with the outside world
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developed similar hero stories.
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So the fact that we have all
these similar hero stories
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from all around the world, from
different types of ancient cultures,
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to me suggests that they were
visited by the same teachers.
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The myths came from ancient oral culture.
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We don't know when, but you can see almost
identical gods showing up in ancient India,
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ancient Greece, and ancient Norway,
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so it was a long time ago before
these people started to spread out.
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The power of flight,
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magical objects, which allow the
superhero to always be victorious.
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Talismans that allow the superhero
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to change from an ordinary human being to
somebody who can access those magical powers.
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Those are part of a number of different stories
of superheroes that really span time and culture.
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But what ancient astronaut
theorists find most intriguing
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is how remarkably similar the
tales of ancient heroes are
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to the superhero stories of today.
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It's fascinating to me when
you look at the Superman stories
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and how Superman has come
from this other planet,
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one that exploded.
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He comes here with superpowers.
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He can fly through the air,
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and it's very much like
the ancient Sumerian stories
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and Hindu stories of these extraterrestrial
gods coming from other planets to Earth
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in order to help us and
move our planet forward.
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Even the iconic "S" on Superman's chest
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seems to have been adapted from
legends told thousands of years ago.
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Heroes and gods from ancient Greek,
Buddhist, and Christian religions
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are portrayed with
symbols near their heart.
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In Christian art, you will see Jesus
wearing a glowing robe with a glowing heart.
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So, we see this correspondence here of
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this imagery of an archetypal
figure or a savior figure.
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Today, almost every superhero
has an icon on his chest.
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Could this be inspired by
some piece of technology
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our ancestors witnessed
on an alien being...
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like the arc reactor on Iron
Man's chest that powers his suit?
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00:08:09,095 --> 00:08:12,954
And might these similarities
mean the stories of Superman,
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Batman, and Spider-Man
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are based on our ancestors'
experiences with extraterrestrials?
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These are things that are common and
symbolic throughout these stories,
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and they, to me, imply
that we're talking about
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similar figures or figures that
are here for the same reason.
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And that is to advance us forward.
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What we may be seeing is the
reason why Superman may resonate
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so much with us is not just because we've
heard the story before in other forms.
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But because our ancient ancestors
actually experienced this story
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in a very, very real way.
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In a very, very ancient time.
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Is it possible that the reason we continue
to be fascinated by superheroes today
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is that we're trying to reconnect with similar
beings that lived among us thousands of years ago?
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It is possible some deep part of us,
perhaps in our DNA or genetic memory,
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is remembering that there was a time in
which the gods, the extraterrestrials,
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did interact with us.
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And that may be because, in the past,
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there were beings who were more
advanced than we here on Earth were,
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who were protecting us from others
who were very dangerous and harmful.
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There's an intuitive knowing
that these stories are true;
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that these events actually happened;
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that beings did come from other
planets, other worlds to save humankind.
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Could our modern stories of superheroes
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really be inspired by
encounters that early humans had
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with extraterrestrial beings?
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Perhaps further clues can be found
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by examining mankind's earliest stories,
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in which super beings waged war...
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not against humans,
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but against supervillains.
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May 4, 2012.
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The Avengers opens in
theaters across America.
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This blockbuster film
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chronicles six superheroes
who band together
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to battle extraterrestrial forces of evil.
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Powerful superheroes
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have been popular in comic books and movies
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for over half a century...
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and nearly all have one very dark
and forbidding feature in common:
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supervillains.
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The arch-nemesis really defines the hero.
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You can see how whatever is most
interesting or powerful about the hero,
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the best villains are the opposite.
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The archvillain is
psychologically very powerful,
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because there's an echo of that archetype
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that's not just "me
versus danger and chaos,"
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but sort of "us versus them."
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Stories of superheroes
fighting supervillains,
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with the fate of the world at stake
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are common across many different
cultures and time periods.
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In the modern Avengers pantheon,
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Thor does battle with his
evil adoptive brother, Loki,
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to prevent Loki from
taking over the universe.
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The story is inspired by
ancient Norse mythology,
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where Thor engages in a
similar battle with Loki
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and his children at Ragnarok.
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The Greeks had their own
epic battle of the gods,
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which they believed created
the world as we know it.
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The Titanomachy was a conflict between
the Titans, who ruled the world,
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and an upstart group of
gods called the Olympians.
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Psychologists say these tales
of good facing off against evil
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have always been popular
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because they allow people to
project their hopes and fears
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onto fictional characters
in make-believe worlds.
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But could there be another reason
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that these stories are told
again and again around the world?
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Joseph Campbell concluded
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that somehow these hero myths
had pervaded all cultures.
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And you have to wonder if this
isn't because extraterrestrials
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came here to our planet
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and were heroes all over the world,
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and so the same story was
repeated over and over again.
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Is it possible that some
of our ancient hero myths
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recount specific events involving
extraterrestrial visitors
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in the distant past?
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Ancient astronaut theorists say yes...
195
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and, as evidence, cite a Sanskrit epic
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that describes an enormous war between gods
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that came from the stars.
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In old India,
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we have a clear description
in the Mahabharata...
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which is the fifth book, the
so-called Mausala Parva...
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a clear description of a war in Heaven.
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I mean, it reads like
modern-day science fiction,
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this incredible battle between the gods.
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Gigantic cities were said
to have orbited the earth.
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And when they came together at the
firmament, they were battling each other.
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The city Dvaraka was right at
the edge of the Arabian Sea.
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Some of the explosion split the city
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and then half of the city fell in the sea.
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And it is described how two
of these cities were destroyed,
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cities on Heaven.
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And for the people on Earth,
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it looked as if ten thousands
of little stars would fall down.
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They are describing
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what are extraterrestrial
gods with superpowers,
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with airships, with weapons,
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and it would seem that
these ancient epic stories
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are the same as these superhero
stories that we're hearing today.
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Could it be that modern stories, in
which superheroes battle archvillains
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00:14:36,318 --> 00:14:38,270
for dominance over the earth,
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00:14:38,283 --> 00:14:43,621
are actually based on ancient wars
between extraterrestrial forces?
221
00:14:44,972 --> 00:14:47,511
Perhaps further clues can be found
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00:14:47,518 --> 00:14:51,046
in the Babylonian and
Sumerian origin myths.
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00:14:52,260 --> 00:14:56,038
According to modern interpretations
of the cuneiform writing,
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00:14:56,158 --> 00:15:01,762
the Enuma Elish describes a
celestial battle some 5,000 years ago
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between two groups of gods
that may have actually resulted
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in the destruction of a
planet in our solar system.
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00:15:09,695 --> 00:15:13,268
Sumerian texts make mysterious references
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to these other planets
called Marduk and Tiamat.
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00:15:18,512 --> 00:15:21,596
And within our solar system,
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there was some destruction here,
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where one of them blew up,
232
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and this would be the theoretical
planet that was between Mars and Jupiter.
233
00:15:32,432 --> 00:15:36,342
Astronomers have often said that
there should be a planet there,
234
00:15:36,404 --> 00:15:39,239
but instead, we have the asteroid belt.
235
00:15:39,870 --> 00:15:42,754
Could the asteroid belt
that circles the sun
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between Mars and Jupiter really
be the remnants of a planet
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that existed in the distant past...
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00:15:50,187 --> 00:15:54,079
a planet that was
destroyed in an alien war?
239
00:15:55,549 --> 00:15:56,881
And if so,
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are these ancient events echoed today
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in the plots of modern superhero stories?
242
00:16:03,970 --> 00:16:07,630
In many ways, these stories,
which are so familiar to us in
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00:16:07,649 --> 00:16:09,939
TV and movies and comic books,
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00:16:09,958 --> 00:16:15,200
are really coming to us from these
ancient Sumerian and Hindu texts
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00:16:15,225 --> 00:16:17,678
that are thousands of years old.
246
00:16:19,667 --> 00:16:24,766
Good versus evil is a longstanding theme
that we see in many ancient cultures,
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00:16:24,823 --> 00:16:27,732
in which supernatural or
extraterrestrial beings
248
00:16:27,770 --> 00:16:29,653
are coming to our aid
249
00:16:29,684 --> 00:16:34,589
and helping us against the greatest
evil the world has ever known.
250
00:16:35,396 --> 00:16:39,688
Modern stories of superheroes
fighting supervillains,
251
00:16:39,751 --> 00:16:42,454
based on real extraterrestrial battles
252
00:16:42,466 --> 00:16:46,246
that took place above the
earth thousands of years ago.
253
00:16:46,527 --> 00:16:48,817
Could it be true?
254
00:16:48,855 --> 00:16:52,371
Ancient astronaut theorists
believe the answer may be found
255
00:16:52,409 --> 00:16:55,625
not with the stories
of the gods themselves,
256
00:16:55,694 --> 00:16:58,872
but with their technology.
257
00:17:00,686 --> 00:17:02,769
Lemnos, Greece.
258
00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:05,560
3000 BC.
259
00:17:07,218 --> 00:17:09,426
This island in the Aegean Sea
260
00:17:09,626 --> 00:17:12,241
is said to be the home of Hephaestus,
261
00:17:12,266 --> 00:17:14,393
the Greek god of technology.
262
00:17:16,245 --> 00:17:18,598
The son of Zeus and Hera,
263
00:17:18,629 --> 00:17:20,713
king and queen of the gods,
264
00:17:20,719 --> 00:17:23,791
Hephaestus grew up on Mount Olympus,
265
00:17:23,822 --> 00:17:27,814
but he was a small and
physically deformed child.
266
00:17:27,845 --> 00:17:30,397
Unhappy with her son's physical problems,
267
00:17:30,585 --> 00:17:34,915
one Greek legend says Hera
threw him off the mountain.
268
00:17:36,810 --> 00:17:39,607
He fell for nine days and nine nights
269
00:17:39,607 --> 00:17:41,390
and landed in the ocean.
270
00:17:42,229 --> 00:17:47,083
There he was rescued by sea nymphs
who took him to the island of Lemnos.
271
00:17:48,003 --> 00:17:51,319
Hephaestus became the
blacksmith of the gods
272
00:17:51,388 --> 00:17:54,503
and he set up his forge
on the island of Lemnos,
273
00:17:54,553 --> 00:17:59,252
and volcanoes were said to
be entrances to his forge.
274
00:18:00,510 --> 00:18:03,401
Working underneath an active volcano,
275
00:18:03,445 --> 00:18:07,455
Hephaestus is said to have
forged magical objects.
276
00:18:09,413 --> 00:18:11,616
He eventually created the armor,
277
00:18:11,641 --> 00:18:16,783
weapons and other technology
used by the Greek gods and heroes.
278
00:18:20,168 --> 00:18:24,779
Hephaestus is the god of the
great forge and he is the builder.
279
00:18:25,473 --> 00:18:28,808
He creates the armor that
is impenetrable for Achilles.
280
00:18:28,864 --> 00:18:30,847
He creates chariots.
281
00:18:31,210 --> 00:18:34,758
Magical spears, magical
breastplates and so forth,
282
00:18:34,795 --> 00:18:38,756
which gave the gods all
sorts of miraculous powers.
283
00:18:38,768 --> 00:18:41,764
He's even said to have made the chariot
284
00:18:41,783 --> 00:18:43,497
that the god Helios,
285
00:18:43,848 --> 00:18:47,458
the god of the sun, rode across the skies.
286
00:18:49,572 --> 00:18:51,944
Some myths describe Hephaestus
287
00:18:51,969 --> 00:18:54,765
creating even more fantastic devices,
288
00:18:55,372 --> 00:18:58,713
including a bronze bull that breathed fire
289
00:18:58,763 --> 00:19:02,376
and is said to have had voices
coming out of its nostrils
290
00:19:02,611 --> 00:19:05,952
and a powerful robot named Talus
291
00:19:05,958 --> 00:19:08,004
that defended the island of Crete.
292
00:19:10,381 --> 00:19:13,078
He made all these wondrous creations.
293
00:19:13,198 --> 00:19:15,512
And when we look back at those stories,
294
00:19:15,512 --> 00:19:17,608
we have to ask, "Is it possible
295
00:19:17,614 --> 00:19:20,830
that Hephaestus was an
extraterrestrial being
296
00:19:20,861 --> 00:19:25,253
who brought some advanced
extraterrestrial technology to Earth?"
297
00:19:28,206 --> 00:19:32,317
Our ancestors had no experience
with advanced technology,
298
00:19:32,336 --> 00:19:37,899
so they would have described alien
visitors as having superhuman powers
299
00:19:37,961 --> 00:19:40,307
because of their frame of reference.
300
00:19:40,581 --> 00:19:45,087
If they saw an extraterrestrial
with access to incredible "powers,"
301
00:19:45,137 --> 00:19:47,458
which are due to advanced science,
302
00:19:47,502 --> 00:19:50,580
they interpreted that as witnessing God.
303
00:19:50,818 --> 00:19:54,177
And that was never the case.
304
00:19:55,204 --> 00:19:59,095
Magical weapons have been a
key feature of heroic myths
305
00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:01,134
for thousands of years,
306
00:20:01,166 --> 00:20:06,440
but they play an even larger role
in the stories of modern superheroes.
307
00:20:09,499 --> 00:20:11,557
1939.
308
00:20:12,233 --> 00:20:16,037
With new Superman comic
books flying off the shelves,
309
00:20:16,475 --> 00:20:21,648
publishers rush to develop more
heroes to satisfy the public's demand.
310
00:20:21,936 --> 00:20:24,489
The one that makes the biggest impression
311
00:20:24,539 --> 00:20:27,186
is a hero of modern technology...
312
00:20:28,243 --> 00:20:29,263
Batman.
313
00:20:29,751 --> 00:20:32,653
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger,
314
00:20:32,835 --> 00:20:36,407
the Caped Crusader leaps
onto the comic book page
315
00:20:36,414 --> 00:20:40,374
and immediately into the
pantheon of pop culture gods.
316
00:20:41,049 --> 00:20:45,916
The idea of Batman is
that he is a normal person.
317
00:20:46,036 --> 00:20:48,306
Nothing has given him super strength.
318
00:20:48,350 --> 00:20:51,579
But he's a normal person who
depends on his technology.
319
00:20:52,248 --> 00:20:56,622
He has a utility belt with
all kinds of modern gadgets.
320
00:20:57,097 --> 00:21:00,557
And he has a Batmobile,
and he has a Batcopter.
321
00:21:00,578 --> 00:21:04,464
So he is a technological
superhero in that sense.
322
00:21:04,955 --> 00:21:08,146
Batman, for us, is probably one
of the most identifiable characters
323
00:21:08,165 --> 00:21:10,942
we have with all of our fans,
with all of our audience.
324
00:21:10,980 --> 00:21:12,100
Because he's a human.
325
00:21:12,125 --> 00:21:16,923
He doesn't do something that pushes
the imagination beyond something that
326
00:21:17,043 --> 00:21:19,251
we don't believe people can actually do.
327
00:21:22,642 --> 00:21:24,788
In 1963,
328
00:21:25,088 --> 00:21:28,529
the comics gave birth to
another iconic character
329
00:21:28,566 --> 00:21:32,670
that is completely dependent on
science for his superpowers...
330
00:21:33,921 --> 00:21:35,398
Iron Man.
331
00:21:35,592 --> 00:21:38,364
In the Iron Man story,
there's this incredible suit
332
00:21:38,376 --> 00:21:42,756
that can make him virtually into a
superman even though he's, he's a mortal.
333
00:21:42,876 --> 00:21:48,255
This is a... a great melding
of the human-machine interface.
334
00:21:48,292 --> 00:21:52,178
This is how we use technology
to do extraordinary things.
335
00:21:57,120 --> 00:21:59,154
Are Batman and Iron Man
336
00:21:59,185 --> 00:22:03,834
modern representations of what
ancient astronaut theorists believe
337
00:22:03,871 --> 00:22:06,524
the ancient gods really were...
338
00:22:08,319 --> 00:22:11,673
mortal beings with advanced technology?
339
00:22:12,105 --> 00:22:15,070
We see a similarity with
modern-day superheroes
340
00:22:15,071 --> 00:22:17,785
in some of the ancient texts of a god who
341
00:22:17,817 --> 00:22:20,670
wears a special ring or
holds a certain staff and can
342
00:22:20,707 --> 00:22:23,029
magically become a creature of flight or
343
00:22:23,149 --> 00:22:25,081
can fly a magic carpet.
344
00:22:26,245 --> 00:22:30,843
Many of the superheroes that we have
today are just normal human beings.
345
00:22:30,856 --> 00:22:32,896
But when they strap on their technology,
346
00:22:32,940 --> 00:22:37,081
like Batman in his super suit or
Iron Man in his flying capabilities,
347
00:22:37,106 --> 00:22:38,913
well, these are just normal mortals
348
00:22:38,938 --> 00:22:40,975
that are using advanced technology
349
00:22:40,990 --> 00:22:43,725
and become superhuman or godlike.
350
00:22:45,349 --> 00:22:48,680
Could modern-day superheroes
like Batman and Iron Man
351
00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:53,116
be the true realization of what
our ancestors were describing
352
00:22:53,166 --> 00:22:56,563
when they wrote about
powerful gods and heroes?
353
00:22:58,309 --> 00:23:03,396
Was Hercules' great strength the
result of a robotic exoskeleton?
354
00:23:04,672 --> 00:23:06,619
Could Hermes' power of flight
355
00:23:06,662 --> 00:23:09,709
have been inspired by
something like a modern jet pack
356
00:23:10,172 --> 00:23:11,699
or gliding suit?
357
00:23:12,956 --> 00:23:15,090
And could Zeus' lightning bolts
358
00:23:15,109 --> 00:23:20,100
have used electrical coils to generate
extraordinarily large voltages?
359
00:23:21,416 --> 00:23:25,176
The ancient people simply
used the vernacular of the time
360
00:23:25,213 --> 00:23:28,661
to express what they were seeing,
and as far as they were concerned,
361
00:23:28,674 --> 00:23:31,320
this could only be the
work of a supreme being.
362
00:23:34,067 --> 00:23:37,696
Superhumans using advanced technology.
363
00:23:38,047 --> 00:23:40,362
Gods at war.
364
00:23:40,950 --> 00:23:44,659
And extraterrestrials
coming from the heavens.
365
00:23:44,728 --> 00:23:50,734
Could these ancient tales really be evidence
of an otherworldly presence on Earth?
366
00:23:51,248 --> 00:23:53,882
Perhaps further clues can be found
367
00:23:53,925 --> 00:23:56,767
in the stories of superheroes hiding
368
00:23:57,681 --> 00:23:59,551
in plain sight.
369
00:24:02,304 --> 00:24:05,263
July 3, 2007.
370
00:24:07,003 --> 00:24:10,263
After spending decades
as larger-than-life toys
371
00:24:10,281 --> 00:24:13,009
and animated television characters,
372
00:24:13,034 --> 00:24:15,775
the Transformers hit the big screen
373
00:24:15,806 --> 00:24:19,767
with the American premiere
of their first feature film.
374
00:24:21,218 --> 00:24:24,616
The extraterrestrial
storyline is a familiar one.
375
00:24:26,868 --> 00:24:30,603
The Transformers, in a way, are
m... mechanical versions of Superman.
376
00:24:31,536 --> 00:24:33,438
They come from another planet.
377
00:24:34,690 --> 00:24:37,167
They can adapt to being here.
378
00:24:38,762 --> 00:24:41,277
And then, as in a lot of Superman stories,
379
00:24:41,397 --> 00:24:43,087
the enemy is from that planet.
380
00:24:43,091 --> 00:24:46,162
There's some evil that follows
them, that chases them down.
381
00:24:46,174 --> 00:24:49,796
So, they're having this ancient
battle from their homeland,
382
00:24:49,815 --> 00:24:51,955
but they're having it here.
383
00:24:52,174 --> 00:24:54,532
Unlike Batman or Iron Man,
384
00:24:54,589 --> 00:24:58,173
the Transformers aren't
humanoids that use technology.
385
00:24:58,293 --> 00:25:00,969
They actually are technology.
386
00:25:01,526 --> 00:25:05,631
But the most remarkable power the
Transformers use against their foes
387
00:25:05,806 --> 00:25:09,904
is one of the most important
in all of heroic myth.
388
00:25:09,935 --> 00:25:12,963
The ability to change from ordinary beings
389
00:25:13,019 --> 00:25:16,805
into superheroes when evil threatens.
390
00:25:17,230 --> 00:25:22,204
It's the archetype of
metamorphosis or transformation.
391
00:25:23,775 --> 00:25:25,796
Shape-shifting, if you will.
392
00:25:25,821 --> 00:25:29,500
This comes down to us from
the ancient mythologies.
393
00:25:29,620 --> 00:25:34,362
Shape-shifting allows gods
to interact with humans
394
00:25:34,399 --> 00:25:37,409
in a way that they would
not otherwise be recognized.
395
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,372
In fact, often times
396
00:25:39,415 --> 00:25:44,402
the god or goddess cannot appear
to the mortal in their full splendor
397
00:25:44,402 --> 00:25:47,255
because such a thing would
actually kill the mortal.
398
00:25:51,015 --> 00:25:53,005
Ancient astronaut theorists
399
00:25:53,030 --> 00:25:56,852
suggest that stories of gods
living anonymously among us
400
00:25:56,896 --> 00:26:02,295
are common because they describe a time
when extraterrestrials did just that.
401
00:26:02,858 --> 00:26:07,269
As evidence, they cite an
ancient story they believe
402
00:26:07,275 --> 00:26:11,799
bears an uncanny resemblance to the
Transformers' shape-shifting myth.
403
00:26:12,399 --> 00:26:15,703
A story about the Mayan god Kukulkan
404
00:26:15,823 --> 00:26:18,963
who is portrayed both as a flying serpent
405
00:26:19,469 --> 00:26:20,977
and a man.
406
00:26:21,647 --> 00:26:27,033
We have descriptions of a winged serpent
that flew over our ancestors' heads.
407
00:26:27,071 --> 00:26:33,408
But at the same time, we also know that Kukulkan
was also someone that gave instructions to the people
408
00:26:33,471 --> 00:26:35,804
in pretty much humanoid form.
409
00:26:35,986 --> 00:26:41,495
So does that mean that Kukulkan
was, in fact, a shape-shifter?
410
00:26:43,168 --> 00:26:47,048
Ancient astronaut theorists
propose another possibility.
411
00:26:47,298 --> 00:26:50,320
They contend that perhaps
the ancient people,
412
00:26:50,332 --> 00:26:53,123
being unfamiliar with advanced technology,
413
00:26:53,243 --> 00:26:56,820
witnessed an alien being in a spacecraft.
414
00:26:58,503 --> 00:27:01,770
Imagine for a moment a craft lands,
415
00:27:02,276 --> 00:27:07,482
a hatch opens and then the pilot
walks out and gives instruction.
416
00:27:07,526 --> 00:27:10,003
There isn't really a
differentiation between
417
00:27:10,047 --> 00:27:13,212
the machine and the
person coming out of it,
418
00:27:13,262 --> 00:27:19,537
because they didn't understand the
technological concept behind it.
419
00:27:20,420 --> 00:27:25,450
The instructor then went back
into the craft and took off.
420
00:27:25,488 --> 00:27:29,580
All of a sudden, Kukulkan
becomes this winged serpent
421
00:27:29,630 --> 00:27:32,189
that flies across the sky.
422
00:27:35,236 --> 00:27:39,014
Is it possible that this scenario
may have actually played out
423
00:27:39,054 --> 00:27:40,760
in the distant past?
424
00:27:41,917 --> 00:27:43,225
And if so,
425
00:27:43,345 --> 00:27:45,684
did it inspire the shape-shifting myths
426
00:27:45,721 --> 00:27:48,142
that humans have told for millennia?
427
00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:52,028
We have the same stories,
428
00:27:52,053 --> 00:27:56,282
the core of the stories, worldwide
in most of the mythologies.
429
00:27:56,332 --> 00:27:58,634
They are all linked together.
430
00:27:58,965 --> 00:28:01,843
They had different names,
were different heroes,
431
00:28:01,893 --> 00:28:04,483
different personalities, but at the end,
432
00:28:04,539 --> 00:28:07,567
it was all the same extraterrestrials
433
00:28:07,611 --> 00:28:12,753
having contact with the humans some
thousands and thousands of years ago.
434
00:28:17,170 --> 00:28:19,873
But could there be an even deeper meaning
435
00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:23,026
behind the tales of otherworldly heroes...
436
00:28:23,057 --> 00:28:25,610
like the Transformers and Kukulkan...
437
00:28:25,641 --> 00:28:27,068
hiding among us?
438
00:28:27,688 --> 00:28:30,096
Perhaps further clues can be found
439
00:28:30,159 --> 00:28:33,025
by examining the stories of godlike beings
440
00:28:33,069 --> 00:28:36,741
disguising themselves as ordinary humans.
441
00:28:36,861 --> 00:28:38,881
Superman hides his identity by
442
00:28:38,906 --> 00:28:43,392
pretending to be mild-mannered
newspaper reporter Clark Kent.
443
00:28:43,598 --> 00:28:48,609
Wonder Wan disguises herself
as a nurse named Diana Prince.
444
00:28:48,729 --> 00:28:52,500
And Spider-Man's alter ego is Peter Parker.
445
00:28:53,326 --> 00:28:58,700
Virtually every really popular
superhero has a clear and recognizable
446
00:28:58,732 --> 00:29:01,047
ordinary human identity.
447
00:29:01,115 --> 00:29:03,261
It's an essential part
of the superhero archetype
448
00:29:03,299 --> 00:29:05,539
that they be able to look like us and
449
00:29:05,545 --> 00:29:08,123
feel like us and live like us, but then
450
00:29:08,179 --> 00:29:13,165
be able to explode into
their super-powered self.
451
00:29:14,623 --> 00:29:17,100
We have a deep inner longing
452
00:29:17,131 --> 00:29:19,365
to have that story retold,
453
00:29:19,984 --> 00:29:24,426
perhaps through some sort of genetic
memory written right into our DNA.
454
00:29:25,796 --> 00:29:29,412
We seem to be remembering,
on some deep level,
455
00:29:29,532 --> 00:29:32,121
a part of us that can come in contact
456
00:29:32,152 --> 00:29:36,150
with extraterrestrial
capabilities and actualize them
457
00:29:36,663 --> 00:29:40,851
as we ourselves reach the
next level of human evolution
458
00:29:40,879 --> 00:29:45,491
or what may have been a
level that we had long ago
459
00:29:45,611 --> 00:29:49,797
and was deliberately turned
off in our DNA for some reason.
460
00:29:54,779 --> 00:30:00,241
Is it really possible that we tell
stories of superheroes disguised as humans
461
00:30:00,268 --> 00:30:03,217
because it is written in our genetic memory
462
00:30:03,235 --> 00:30:07,339
that we have special abilities
hidden within ourselves?
463
00:30:07,459 --> 00:30:09,039
And if so,
464
00:30:09,159 --> 00:30:12,264
what could be the source
of those abilities?
465
00:30:12,384 --> 00:30:14,926
We may not have originated on Earth.
466
00:30:14,944 --> 00:30:18,595
We may have been seeded
on Earth by other humans
467
00:30:18,595 --> 00:30:24,224
who are far older than we are and who are
far more genetically advanced than we are.
468
00:30:24,252 --> 00:30:27,117
Perhaps some part of us remembers
469
00:30:27,126 --> 00:30:31,618
that there is a way in which we could
be exposed to certain technologies
470
00:30:31,645 --> 00:30:34,899
that activate this dormant DNA within us,
471
00:30:34,926 --> 00:30:42,061
that propel us to the next level of what
it means to be a live, evolved human being.
472
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:49,112
Could it be that stories of
superheroes hiding among us
473
00:30:49,232 --> 00:30:54,916
are so popular because extraterrestrials
have manipulated our DNA,
474
00:30:55,036 --> 00:30:59,768
hiding extraordinary powers
deep inside all of us?
475
00:31:01,219 --> 00:31:03,464
Perhaps the answer can be found
476
00:31:03,483 --> 00:31:05,849
by exploring the stories of heroes
477
00:31:06,089 --> 00:31:11,422
whose powers are the
result of genetic mutation.
478
00:31:13,954 --> 00:31:16,394
New York City.
479
00:31:16,422 --> 00:31:18,714
1962.
480
00:31:19,425 --> 00:31:21,948
Marvel Comics editor Stan Lee,
481
00:31:21,958 --> 00:31:25,747
wants to create a new breed of superhero.
482
00:31:26,098 --> 00:31:31,152
One of the masterminds behind the
Fantastic Four and the Avengers,
483
00:31:31,272 --> 00:31:35,358
Lee invents a character literally
born out of modern science:
484
00:31:35,478 --> 00:31:37,955
Spider-Man.
485
00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:43,214
Radiation was very much
in the news at the time.
486
00:31:43,251 --> 00:31:47,474
And I figured, well, let's let him
get his power through radiation.
487
00:31:49,655 --> 00:31:54,535
And I figured the spider would
bite Peter Parker on the hand.
488
00:31:54,655 --> 00:31:59,437
Since the spider was radioactive, I
assumed that his little spider sting
489
00:31:59,475 --> 00:32:03,967
would insert some radioactivity
into Peter's bloodstream.
490
00:32:04,030 --> 00:32:11,594
Now, having radioactivity in your blood,
especially if it was spidery radioactivity,
491
00:32:11,950 --> 00:32:16,011
that should give you some
of the qualities of a spider.
492
00:32:16,049 --> 00:32:21,855
Spider-Man's just a normal teenager
until he's bitten by a radioactive spider.
493
00:32:22,543 --> 00:32:26,241
Suddenly, he's a
combination of normal person,
494
00:32:26,253 --> 00:32:30,308
but also a god with godlike powers.
495
00:32:30,545 --> 00:32:35,983
I thought, "He'll have the
proportionate strength of a spider."
496
00:32:36,026 --> 00:32:40,388
In other words, if a spider
were as large as a human being,
497
00:32:40,413 --> 00:32:42,678
that's how strong the spider would be...
498
00:32:42,728 --> 00:32:45,544
which made Peter Parker very strong.
499
00:32:45,725 --> 00:32:49,010
I also figured he could stick to walls
500
00:32:49,054 --> 00:32:51,394
like a spider or any insect.
501
00:32:53,114 --> 00:32:55,302
Although exposure to radiation
502
00:32:55,323 --> 00:32:58,301
scrambles Spider-Man's genetic material,
503
00:32:58,626 --> 00:33:01,610
there's a precedent for
it in ancient mythology:
504
00:33:01,730 --> 00:33:06,935
genetic manipulation through the
mixing of mortal and immortal blood.
505
00:33:11,359 --> 00:33:13,405
Anjaneri, India.
506
00:33:14,437 --> 00:33:17,234
Two miles outside this small village,
507
00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:20,550
in a cave surrounded by
forests and mountains,
508
00:33:20,581 --> 00:33:25,524
is where many believe one of Hindu
mythology's greatest heroes was born:
509
00:33:26,375 --> 00:33:27,650
Hanuman.
510
00:33:28,601 --> 00:33:33,500
Hanuman was part god because his father
511
00:33:33,563 --> 00:33:35,716
was the god of wind
512
00:33:35,910 --> 00:33:38,224
and his mother is a mortal human being.
513
00:33:38,265 --> 00:33:40,258
So, then, obviously,
514
00:33:40,378 --> 00:33:44,763
uh, he has the qualities,
the power of wind god
515
00:33:45,182 --> 00:33:47,491
and he's able to fly
516
00:33:48,110 --> 00:33:51,383
and he is able to multiply in his size.
517
00:33:51,812 --> 00:33:55,198
So because of that, he's
definitely a demigod.
518
00:33:58,796 --> 00:33:59,960
Hanuman
519
00:34:00,029 --> 00:34:03,852
is often depicted as
half-man and half-monkey,
520
00:34:03,871 --> 00:34:06,311
which underlines his mixed bloodline.
521
00:34:08,175 --> 00:34:11,579
Is it possible that this
is a non-scientific way
522
00:34:11,629 --> 00:34:14,642
of describing genetically
engineered super beings,
523
00:34:14,645 --> 00:34:17,518
as ancient astronaut theorists contend?
524
00:34:18,594 --> 00:34:22,005
One of the common themes
in ancient texts is
525
00:34:22,061 --> 00:34:27,635
ancient gods or extraterrestrials
coming here and then manipulating our DNA
526
00:34:27,755 --> 00:34:30,469
and changing us
527
00:34:30,488 --> 00:34:34,492
into more superior beings.
528
00:34:37,726 --> 00:34:40,114
As evidence of the genetic experiments
529
00:34:40,116 --> 00:34:43,269
they believe took place
in the prehistoric past,
530
00:34:43,338 --> 00:34:47,630
ancient astronaut theorists cite
depictions of hybrid creatures
531
00:34:47,674 --> 00:34:50,726
found in cultures around the world:
532
00:34:50,846 --> 00:34:55,025
winged horses in Assyrian
and Sumerian myths,
533
00:34:55,062 --> 00:34:59,267
the elephant-headed deity
Ganea in the Hindu pantheon,
534
00:34:59,423 --> 00:35:03,471
and Khepri, the ancient
Egyptian god of the morning sun.
535
00:35:04,121 --> 00:35:08,269
The Egyptian deity,
Khepri, is shown as either
536
00:35:08,282 --> 00:35:11,886
a beetle, or as a human
with the head of a beetle.
537
00:35:12,148 --> 00:35:15,270
And you have to ask, what are they
trying to tell us here about Khepri?
538
00:35:15,289 --> 00:35:18,367
Could he have been half human, half insect?
539
00:35:19,093 --> 00:35:21,546
Some ancient astronaut theorists
540
00:35:21,596 --> 00:35:24,317
believe the hybrids
depicted by the ancients
541
00:35:24,437 --> 00:35:28,547
may have actually been the result of
extraterrestrial genetic experiments
542
00:35:28,572 --> 00:35:30,073
in the distant past.
543
00:35:31,224 --> 00:35:35,473
These things aren't very far off from what
we have in our ancient tales of creation.
544
00:35:35,593 --> 00:35:37,918
In the Sumerian epic of creation,
545
00:35:37,931 --> 00:35:41,929
we hear about the Anunnaki literally
putting their genetic marker on us
546
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:45,088
and creating us in their
image and after their likeness.
547
00:35:47,997 --> 00:35:50,343
Could genetic experiments long ago
548
00:35:50,463 --> 00:35:54,623
have been part of an ancient alien
effort to create the human race?
549
00:35:55,999 --> 00:35:59,284
Some very strange things happened
in the course of human evolution.
550
00:35:59,404 --> 00:36:01,387
We go from Neanderthals
551
00:36:01,430 --> 00:36:04,208
with no apparent "missing link" whatsoever,
552
00:36:04,328 --> 00:36:07,180
and all of a sudden,
our brain size doubles,
553
00:36:07,205 --> 00:36:09,476
our thumbs becomes more usable,
554
00:36:09,526 --> 00:36:11,935
we can walk erect more easily.
555
00:36:12,423 --> 00:36:16,646
There's a large number of changes
that take place in a very short time.
556
00:36:19,969 --> 00:36:22,472
Might the entire human species
557
00:36:22,504 --> 00:36:27,083
have been created by extraterrestrial
genetic experiments in the past?
558
00:36:28,948 --> 00:36:31,920
And could our genetic
memory of this be the reason
559
00:36:31,938 --> 00:36:35,317
we create genetically
altered superheroes today,
560
00:36:36,024 --> 00:36:38,796
including mutants like the X-Men
561
00:36:38,916 --> 00:36:40,504
and the Incredible Hulk
562
00:36:40,848 --> 00:36:46,105
and hybrids like Hawkman,
Animal Man, and Spider-Man?
563
00:36:46,249 --> 00:36:49,690
Is it possible that when we
are seeing superhero movies,
564
00:36:49,697 --> 00:36:52,425
that on some level we are remembering
565
00:36:52,475 --> 00:36:55,172
having been changed before?
566
00:36:56,548 --> 00:36:59,827
That perhaps we were like
the Neanderthals before,
567
00:36:59,896 --> 00:37:01,879
and this already happened,
568
00:37:01,917 --> 00:37:05,133
we already had some sort of genetic upgrade
569
00:37:05,151 --> 00:37:08,398
that brought us to the next
level of human evolution?
570
00:37:10,260 --> 00:37:13,685
Are modern comic books
of hybrids and mutants
571
00:37:13,735 --> 00:37:17,251
actually inspired by an
ancient alien intervention
572
00:37:17,307 --> 00:37:19,278
thousands of years ago?
573
00:37:20,054 --> 00:37:24,352
And might we create these stories
because we are subconsciously aware
574
00:37:24,383 --> 00:37:27,117
of something greater within ourselves?
575
00:37:27,831 --> 00:37:30,659
Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,
576
00:37:30,779 --> 00:37:34,482
and believe that our own
recent technological advances
577
00:37:34,525 --> 00:37:36,396
may be bringing us closer
578
00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:40,012
to a reconnection with our alien past.
579
00:37:41,595 --> 00:37:43,785
Livingston, New Jersey.
580
00:37:45,342 --> 00:37:47,526
May 2001.
581
00:37:49,559 --> 00:37:53,081
Scientists at the Institute
for Reproductive Medicine
582
00:37:53,119 --> 00:37:57,304
made headlines when they revealed
they had created the world's first
583
00:37:57,311 --> 00:37:59,513
genetically modified baby.
584
00:38:00,983 --> 00:38:04,381
Using a process called
cytoplasmic transfer,
585
00:38:04,449 --> 00:38:09,317
they implanted mitochondrial DNA
from a second mother into an egg
586
00:38:09,355 --> 00:38:14,548
to make it easier for it to bond
with sperm and form a viable fetus.
587
00:38:16,188 --> 00:38:21,080
When scientists performed genetic tests
on the babies born out of this process,
588
00:38:21,099 --> 00:38:25,140
they detected genetic
material from a third parent.
589
00:38:25,784 --> 00:38:30,383
The reason the cytoplasmic transfer
is controversial is because it's
590
00:38:30,408 --> 00:38:34,694
human manipulation of the human
germ cell line, in other words
591
00:38:34,731 --> 00:38:38,623
the, um, cell line that is
passed from parent to offspring.
592
00:38:38,743 --> 00:38:42,853
We typically just inherit our genetic
material from both of our parents,
593
00:38:42,884 --> 00:38:44,636
so there's a direct line of descent.
594
00:38:44,756 --> 00:38:47,990
With the introduction
of cytoplasmic transfer,
595
00:38:48,033 --> 00:38:51,093
suddenly you have, um, humans
manipulating that germ line,
596
00:38:51,112 --> 00:38:54,527
that cell line, or DNA line
passed on from parent to offspring.
597
00:38:56,373 --> 00:38:57,631
If perfected,
598
00:38:57,644 --> 00:39:00,409
genetic manipulation could
could allow scientists
599
00:39:00,453 --> 00:39:05,027
to introduce DNA from an unlimited
number of people into a fetus.
600
00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:09,532
This would allow them to rid
babies of genetic disease.
601
00:39:10,821 --> 00:39:15,345
But it could also, theoretically,
let them tinker with natural traits
602
00:39:15,388 --> 00:39:20,850
to create superhumans that are
much faster, stronger, and smarter
603
00:39:20,882 --> 00:39:22,734
than those that have come before.
604
00:39:23,071 --> 00:39:26,675
You are altering the genetic
future of the human race
605
00:39:26,687 --> 00:39:31,392
based on your sort of current, um,
preferences, let's say, for a person's traits.
606
00:39:31,424 --> 00:39:36,272
It's sort of into perpetuity affecting
the genetic line of descent in humans.
607
00:39:36,310 --> 00:39:39,839
And so, that's something very different
than had ever been performed before,
608
00:39:39,870 --> 00:39:42,048
and that's certainly controversial.
609
00:39:43,706 --> 00:39:46,165
The concept of altering genes...
610
00:39:46,184 --> 00:39:50,182
whether these genes are in
food, animals, or humans...
611
00:39:50,363 --> 00:39:53,742
has always created a firestorm of protest.
612
00:39:54,349 --> 00:40:01,056
In this case, the controversy forced an
American moratorium on cytoplasmic transfer.
613
00:40:02,933 --> 00:40:06,406
Even so, scientists say the technology
614
00:40:06,437 --> 00:40:10,798
may eventually be developed that
will allow us to give superpowers...
615
00:40:10,841 --> 00:40:15,002
including amazing strength,
eyesight, and intelligence...
616
00:40:15,052 --> 00:40:17,767
to our children while
they're still in the womb.
617
00:40:18,474 --> 00:40:22,522
Today more than ever, we're
capable of playing god.
618
00:40:22,642 --> 00:40:27,239
We have incredible superpowers at
our fingertips with genetic technology
619
00:40:27,264 --> 00:40:30,812
and you have to ask, "Are
we trying to duplicate
620
00:40:30,839 --> 00:40:34,168
what we saw the gods
possessing in the ancient world?
621
00:40:34,212 --> 00:40:38,454
Are we hardwired or programmed
to develop these technologies
622
00:40:38,467 --> 00:40:41,289
so that we can equal our makers?"
623
00:40:43,359 --> 00:40:46,143
Do we yearn to become
like the advanced beings
624
00:40:46,168 --> 00:40:49,047
that ancient astronaut
theorists believe created us
625
00:40:49,084 --> 00:40:51,130
thousands of years ago,
626
00:40:51,869 --> 00:40:56,674
and might this be why superhero
stories continue to fascinate us?
627
00:40:57,693 --> 00:41:01,524
I think the reason why people
like these superhero stories that
628
00:41:01,528 --> 00:41:07,391
literally go back thousands of years is because
they're possibly explaining our actual human origins.
629
00:41:07,453 --> 00:41:11,269
Every culture around the world
talks about an intervention event
630
00:41:11,269 --> 00:41:15,687
where beings from the heavens
came down and gave us knowledge.
631
00:41:18,345 --> 00:41:22,393
If we really are the product
of alien genetic experimentation
632
00:41:22,443 --> 00:41:25,195
as ancient astronaut theorists believe,
633
00:41:25,258 --> 00:41:29,857
might our own DNA resemble
that of otherworldly beings?
634
00:41:30,401 --> 00:41:31,821
And if so,
635
00:41:31,941 --> 00:41:34,761
are we becoming more
and more like our makers,
636
00:41:34,811 --> 00:41:39,241
through our own technological
breakthroughs and genetic advances?
637
00:41:40,467 --> 00:41:44,491
In many ways, our society
has come full circle
638
00:41:44,816 --> 00:41:50,522
where in ancient times we had
extraterrestrials here manipulating our DNA,
639
00:41:50,566 --> 00:41:55,359
and now we're the ones who
are manipulating our own DNA
640
00:41:55,399 --> 00:41:59,122
to also create a more
advanced human species.
641
00:42:00,492 --> 00:42:03,795
Who knows what's possible?
It's a brave new world.
642
00:42:03,864 --> 00:42:05,372
Everything changes
643
00:42:05,413 --> 00:42:10,681
and we have abilities that are so different that
it's as if a quantum shift in human evolution
644
00:42:10,744 --> 00:42:12,151
has taken place.
645
00:42:14,366 --> 00:42:18,846
Are ancient stories of heroes
and gods with mythological powers
646
00:42:18,966 --> 00:42:23,492
really based on encounters
with extraterrestrials?
647
00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:26,418
And might modern-day superheroes
648
00:42:26,464 --> 00:42:32,408
be inspired by our desire to
reconnect with these powerful beings?
649
00:42:34,096 --> 00:42:36,426
Could characters like Batman...
650
00:42:36,616 --> 00:42:39,660
Spider-Man... and Superman
651
00:42:39,780 --> 00:42:41,964
be the humans of tomorrow?
652
00:42:43,083 --> 00:42:46,788
Perhaps as our technology
continues to advance,
653
00:42:46,908 --> 00:42:50,342
we are drawing closer
to coming face-to-face
654
00:42:50,382 --> 00:42:53,138
with our alien ancestors.
655
00:42:53,387 --> 00:42:57,720
- synced and corrected by chamallow -
- www.addic7ed.com -
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