'Marvel's Hero Project' Recap: Genesis the Amazing Animal Ally

Every week on Marvel's Hero Project -- streaming exclusively on Disney+ -- you will meet a new young hero making a difference in their communities and all over the world! In this episode, meet Genesis!

Genesis is a fierce champion for the care and safekeeping of all kinds of creatures, and her volunteerism is inspiring others to follow her lead. She dedicates her time volunteering to help protect all kinds of animals, ensuring they are provided with safe environments and receive proper care when they are in need. Now, Marvel recognizes her compassion and service as she becomes a member of Marvel’s Hero Project.

From an early age, Genesis felt that she had a connection to animals, even saying that she could sense their emotions the way humans can sense each other’s emotions. She experienced a wake-up call when she was very little, after learning that her favorite chicken nuggets were made from animals. From that point on, she became a vegan – but she still felt like she could do more to help animals. Her mom explained different ways to support causes she cared about, and Genesis “fell in love with activism.”

Among the causes Genesis supports are providing access to plant-based meals in hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons; putting a stop to animal testing; and banning the dissection of animals in classrooms. Genesis’s passion for animal welfare – and promoting a more compassionate future – took her to her state capital. One elected official even said that when Genesis came to speak in person in support of a cause, he was inspired to keep fighting. Genesis says, “When there’s one person, it’s great – but when there’s more, it’s unstoppable.”

Another way Genesis has supported her cause is by starting her own nonprofit organization, Genesis for Animals, which raises money to support animal sanctuaries all over the world that house rescue animals. Genesis regularly volunteers at animal sanctuaries and knows how costly it can be to run the facility and provide for the animals. But it certainly doesn’t stop her, and her teacher says that when her passion for animals is ignited, “she is a girl on fire.” Her mother says, “Her passion leads the way for her to be her authentic self.”

At Marvel’s HQ in New York City, Marvel staffers Sana Amanat and Alanna Smith start crafting the comic inspired by and starring Genesis. It was easy to see what Genesis’s super power was: her ability to connect with and rescue animals. And just like any other great Marvel character with this ability, Genesis got an animal sidekick! In this case, it was a raven that her comic counterpart rescued as a baby. But other animals who made an appearance were Genesis’s dog, Prince, and Sid, the goat from the animal sanctuary. Smith specifically noted that this story was an origin story for Genesis, and the path ahead for her held so many opportunities for her to use her special powers. And what an action-packed story it is! After Genesis discovers that she has the ability to communicate with animals, she senses that something is wrong with the livestock on a nearby farm. She rushes over there with her dad, who helps her rescue them from a terrifying flood!

Now it was time to initiate Genesis into Marvel’s Hero Project. The surprise took place at the animal sanctuary, where Genesis was being honored with a plaque for all the help she provides, and a new treehouse where people can spend time with some of the smaller animals. As she came down from the treehouse, Genesis saw her father with the mighty Marvel envelope containing her initiation letter. As he read the letter, one of Genesis’s friends arrived with the box, which she opened to find her jacket. (“Don’t worry, it’s vegan,” her father said.) Then she found her comic, and was even more surprised to find her dad depicted in it too! Her biggest hope is that others will read her story and follow her lead: “People start to realize, ‘Well, if she was a Super Hero for sticking up for the animals, I should do it too.”

To show how much Genesis inspired all of us, Marvel’s Hero Project is making a donation in the amount of $10,000 to International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in recognition of their work in caring for wildlife.

Now is your chance to look inside the comic that was made for Genesis by real Marvel creators! Writer Leah Williams and artist Mario Del Pennino (pencils and inks) and Rachelle Rosenberg (colors) worked together to shape Genesis’s entrance into Marvel Comics! You can read Genesis’s comic, GENESIS THE AMAZING ANIMAL ALLY #1, for free, right here!

To learn more about IFAW, visit www.IFAW.org.

And to keep up with Genesis and her volunteer work protecting animals, visit http://genesisforanimals.org/.

There are so many heroes in the real world to celebrate, and Marvel’s Hero Project is going to bring their inspiring stories to people of all ages across the globe! Tune in to Marvel’s Hero Project, now streaming only on Disney+, every week to learn about a new young hero making a difference in their communities and beyond!