A group of bullied children from all over the world recently got the thrill of a lifetime: they assembled as the Avengers in an effort to lift their spirits and combat bullying.

Photographer Josh Rossi brought 15 kids who were victims of bullying together and turned them into characters from Avengers: Infinity War. Each child became a member of the Avengers team, wearing costumes designed especially for them. Julie Whiteley spent three months designing and sewing the costumes, which made the kids look as if they were stepping right out of the silver screen and into their superhero personas. The children come from all over the world, but they all have one sad thing in common: they were bullied and mocked by both other children and adults. Now, though, they get to rise up above that and become superheroes.

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NowThis posted the video about the children on Twitter. The idea was to create an "Infinity War" against bullying. The Avengers would probably approve: the actors behind the characters in the upcoming movie often spend their free time helping children just like them. Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and Chris Evans (Captain America) even invited a bullied child to the Infinity War premiere. Rossi shared each child's story on his website and wrote:

"After recently seeing the trailer for the new Avengers movie, my wife Roxana and I were inspired to bring bullied kids together to provide a platform where their voices could be heard. In the movie, the bully of the universe, Thanos, comes to take over the world, but the Avengers unite to destroy him.

Each Avenger has unique differences and strengths ranging from green and purple skin to being able to stop time. Without each superhero's strength and power, their efforts to defeat Thanos will be unsuccessful.

Similar to bullying, as we unite against it we can stop it.”

Bullying is a problem that nearly every child faces at least once. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, one out of five students report being bullied. It's likely that the number of students bullied is much higher than that; many will never report incidents of bullying for fear of retaliation.

Last year, Rossi did something similar for children with disabilities by dressing them up as the Justice League and doing an epic photo shoot with them. It just goes to show that real heroes aren't always those we see on movie screens. Sometimes, they're the kids who dress up as superheroes in an effort to stop the bullying that affects them in their own personal lives and the lives of other children.

More: Infinity War Directors Wanted to Include Wolverine

Source: Now This

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