By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
(TMU) – The brave six-year old boy who unflinchingly put his life on the line to save his little sister from a charging dog is receiving a present that he’ll never forget: an authentic Captain America shield from the Marvel Comics Universe.
Bridger Walker of Cheyenne, Wyoming, ascended to the ranks of a real-life hero when he sustained serious injuries when rescuing his little sister from an aggressive dog, and he has since become the subject of celebration by a number of celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Evans – each of whom portrayed comic book heroes Catwoman, the Incredible Hulk, and Captain America respectively.
This past week, news about Bridger’s heroic and selfless deed began filtering out at after his aunt, Nikki Walker, posted a series of photos of her nephew and niece along with her story about the dog attack.
The attack left Bridger badly injured, requiring him to get two-hour surgery and 90 stitches to his face. Following the attack, Bridger explained that he did it because “If someone was going to die, I thought it should be me.”
In one of her posts to Instagram, Nikki requested that people share her story so that Bridger could get a special shout-out from the screen talent in the Marvel Comics Universe.
In her post, Nikki tagged a number of starts from the MCU movies in hopes to get their attention.
Upon seeing the post, actress Anne Hathaway posted to Instagram:
“I’m not an Avenger, but I know a superhero when I see one. I can only hope I’m half as brave in my life as you are in yours, Bridger. Wishing you an easeful recovery, and many cool looking rocks.”
Hulk and Avengers star Mark Ruffalo also responded, calling Bridger an example of “courage” and “heart.”
“Real courage isn’t dominating people or fighting against people or walking around like a tough guy,” Ruffalo said. Real courage is knowing what is right to do and doing it even when it might end up hurting you somehow.”
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland was the first to contact Bridger personally to have a conversation with the young hero, praising his actions and telling him “you are so brave, mate, and we are all so proud of you … it’s not easy what you did, mate, you should be so proud of yourself!”
Eventually, actor and Captain America star Chris Evans also decided to give Bridger a touching video tribute – along with a very special gift from his personal collection.
“Captain America here, so I read your story, I saw what you did and I’m sure you heard a lot of this over the last couple days, but let me be the next one to tell you, pal, you’re a hero, what you did was so brave, so selfless, your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother,” Evans said in a video message posted to Instagram.
“Your parents must be so proud of you,” he added. “I’m going to track down your address and I’m going to send you an authentic Captain America shield because pal, you deserve it.”
Hugh Jackman, Zachary Levi, the Russo brothers, and Robbie Amell are among the other celebrities who have reportedly reached out to Bridger.
