The Avengers have assembled to welcome 6-year old Bridger Walker into their ranks. Bridger has been considered a superhero because he heroically stepped in front of his 4-year old sister to save her from being attacked by a dog. His actions likely saved his sister’s life, but Bridger had to undergo a two hour surgery to receive 90 stitches to his face. Heartbreakingly, Bridger stated, “If someone was going to die, I thought it should be me.”
After the incident, his aunt Nicole Walker shared her nephew’s story on social media to express her astonishment of his bravery. Like most 6-year old boys, Bridger is a huge superhero fan. In her post, she tagged silver screen heroes Tom Holland, Chris Hemsworth, Rober Downey Jr. Mark Ruffalo, Chris Pratt, Tom Hiddleston, Chadwick Boseman, Vin Diesel, and Chris Evans to let them know they have a “new hero in their ranks” and to cheer up her nephew.
She did not expect the response she received. Countless news outlets have reported on Bridger’s bravery and millions of people now know his story. The actors his aunt tagged in the original Instagram post sent messages of support to Bridger. Chris Evans, who portrays Captain American took it a step further and promised to send Bridger a real Captain America shield.
Not to be out done, Tom Holland invited Bridger to the set of Spider-Man 3. Holland told Bridger, “Your little sister is so lucky to have someone like you. I mean, you’re just such a brave little kid. It’s not easy what you did, mate, you should be proud of yourself.” Bridger was obviously star struck when talking to Holland and was even wearing his own Spider-Man suit.
Bridger got another surprise when Robert Downey Jr. sent him a video. Downey, who plays Tony Stark (Iron Man) told Bridger, “I play ‘Tony,’ that makes me an old friend of Cap’s. I heard he sent a shield your way: I’m going to do one better. You call me on your next birthday, I got something special for you.”
Downey Jr. didn’t say what the surprise would be, but there has been speculation that it’s an Iron Man suit. His aunt captioned the post by mentioning “we just celebrated Bridger’s birthday not too long ago, so it will be a while before we find out what the surprise is.”they celebrated Bridger’s birthday not too long ago, so it will be a while before we know what the surprise is.”
Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Brie Larson, Anne Hathaway, and Zachary Levi also reached out and offered messages of support for Bridger. There’s no doubt there’s more on the way.
Nicole continues to provide updates on Bridger’s condition and his virtual celebrity encounters on her Instagram page.