Captain America himself reached out to the 6-year-old hero.
One little boy named Bridger is winning over hearts. The 6-year-old cutie was featured on his Aunt Nicole Noel Walker's Instagram account after he protected his younger sister from a dog attack. The animal charged at Bridger, biting him in the face, causing him to have 90 stitches from a plastic surgeon.
"He later said, 'If someone had to die, I thought it should be me,'" Walker recalled.
Not only did Bridger save his sister, but the superhero-loving kiddo also inspired many stars who have played superheroes on the big screen. In a special new video, Bridger saw a personalized message from Chris Evans in character as Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America.
"I'm sure you've heard a lot of this over the last couple of days, but let me be the next one to tell you, pal, you're a hero!" Evans tells Bridger. "What you did was so brave, so selfless, your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother. Your parents must be so proud of you."
The little cutie also got a special gift from Evans, who reveals, "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. Keep being the man you are. We need people like you."
He also encouraged Bridger to keep working through his recovery, saying, "I know recovery might be tough, but based on what I've seen, I don't think there's much that can slow you down."
Bridger's aunt revealed Evans wasn't the only on-screen superhero to reach out.
"We just got off a call with a friendly neighborhood idol," she captioned another shot of the little boy wearing a Spider-Man costume and a big smile. "(Pic is of Bridger’s reaction right after the call.) Bridger is over the moon!"
Walker didn't clarify if it was Tom Holland, who is the latest to portray Spider-Man, or another actor to take on the role, which has also been played by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire.
Brie Larson, who plays Captain Marvel, also implied that she was planning to chat with the little hero, commenting on one post, "DM’ing you ?"
Mark Ruffalo, who plays The Hulk, also commented on Bridger's story, writing, "Dear Bridger, I just read about what happened to you and I wanted to reach out to say this... People who put the well beings of others in front of themselves are the most heroic and thoughtful people I know. I truly respect and admire your courage and your heart. Real courage isn’t dominating people or fighting against people or walking around like a tough guy. Real courage is knowing what is right to do and doing it even when it might end up hurting you somehow. You are more of man than many, many I have seen or known. With Admiration... Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk/Professor) ?❤️?."
Anne Hathaway, who has previously played Cat Woman, posted about Bridger's story on her own Instagram, writing, "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."
Grant Gustin, who plays The Flash on the CW series of the same name, commented on one post, "What an amazing big brother superhero!!❤️" and his co-star Robbie Amell who plays Firestorm, added, "A real hero. Get better soon Bridger ??????????"
Here's a look at what the Avengers cast has been up to when they're not calling attention to real-life heroes.
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