Every year, one of the world's largest pop culture events gathers in San Diego. But Comic-con is branching out in new directions to make an impact far after the convention ends. Mark Niu has the story.

In the 50th year of Comic-Con, heroes and villains from around the world - and other galaxies, too - are out in full force. It's an experience Comic-Con wants to have year-round, showing off its work in progress-a 63-hundred square meter museum that opened for a few days to induct Batman into the Comic-Con Hall of Fame.

MARK NIU SAN DIEGO, US "And part of the Comic-Con experience is making the fan feel like they are a hero. It's time to find out whether I am worthy enough to say I'm Batman."

I'm trying out the Dark Knight Dive.

I get off to a rocky start, it's not long before I overcome my fears to soar like the "Caped Crusader".

For the Avengers Initiative, being a hero means using your special abilities for good.

While they're having a fun photo session at Comic-Con, the group also has another mission - to get volunteer "cosplayers" to visit children's hospitals and charitable organizations.

MARK CHU-LIN HEAD COMMANDING OFFICER, AVENGERS INITIATIVE "These kids are going through a very difficult time. Seeing something that they read or see in films brought to life during this very physically and emotionally demanding time brings them some comfort."

At the "Teaching with Comics" panel, educators are creating superheroes that can defeat a villain with certain powers. Working in teams, this activity and others involving comics are already being used by teacher Peter Carlson in Los Angeles public schools.

PETER CARLSON LITERACY CURRICULUM SPECIALIST, GREEN DOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS "I'm co-writing a curriculum right now that looks at Ta-Nehisi Coates run on Black Panther with William Shakespeare's 'the Tempest'."

"Wow. That must be fascinating."

"It's so much fun. So much fun to get into it and it shows the students how an older text has those applicable universal themes and also helps model that if you tell your story in any medium, that story can become part of the larger conversation that shapes the world around us."

Comics aren't just for kids, either. Susan Kirtley is the Director of Comics Studies at Portland State University, where students learn skills to help them find jobs in the industry. She is also exploring ways to incorporate comics into the university's curriculum.

SUSAN KIRTLEY DIRECTOR OF COMICS STUDIES, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY "I am by no means saying we are going to get rid of text-based literacy. However, engaging our students with multiple intelligences, engages our students in different ways. But, they are also sort of sophisticated, because they have image and text. And students have to make sense of how the text matches with the image or how do they complete, so they really call upon students to do some rigorous intellectual thinking, but they are also really great stories."

So, while the industry continues to cash in, others are exploring another dimension to comics-their power to educate and inspire. Mark Niu, CGTN.