Real-life Superhero
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A real-life superhero (RLSH) is a person who dresses up in a
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
costume or mask in order to perform
community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...
such as
neighborhood watch A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch (see spelling differences), also called a crime watch or neighbourhood crime watch, is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within a neighborhood. The aim of neig ...
, or in some cases
vigilantism Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
. Early examples of this type of behaviour are reported from the 1990s. For example,
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
's
Superbarrio Gómez Superbarrio Gómez is a Mexican "real-life superhero," celebrity, satirist, and organizer. Inspired by the Luchador wrestler El Santo, and his social-justice superhero persona in comics and movies, Superbarrio wears red tights and a red and yellow ...
, who, in 1997, donned red tights and a red and yellow wrestler's mask in order to organize labour rallies, protest, and file petitions to prevent families from being evicted. A "real-life superhero community" in the sense of an online subculture began to develop in the mid-2000s.


Reception

Police response to the actions of real life superheroes is typically negative. An article from ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' reports that the police "fear for the safety of these 'superheroes' and argue that sometimes they can get in the way of police work and become a liability". Police have expressed concern that RLSH insert themselves into situations without knowing all the facts and indicate that this is "not a smart thing to do". Police have indicated that super heroes who physically involve themselves in preventing crimes are practicing vigilantism. Different organisations have used the concept of the real-life superhero for other purposes. In Austria, the artist collective qujOchÖ created Miss Magnetiq as a parody of the real-life superhero phenomenon. Together with her companions Nickel, Cobalt and Mangan, Miss Magnetiq tries to protect the city of
Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
from catastrophe but always fails. Real-life superheroes have also been used for publicity and marketing campaigns. Super Vaclav was a 2011 promotional figure for a Czech webhosting company. Purporting to combat the antisocial behavior of
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
citizens, the company released YouTube videos featuring him pouring buckets of water on individuals smoking near public transport stops and assaulting dog owners with their own animal's excrement left behind in parks. While garnering many views, the campaign did not appear to translate into takeup of the webhost being advertised. Metro Woman was a short-lived publicity stunt in 2005 intended to gather support for the Washington purple line metro project.Miller, Mitchell
'Metro Woman' Enlisted to Help Purple Line
,
WTOP-FM WTOP-FM (103.5 FM) – branded ''WTOP Radio'' and ''WTOP News'' – is a commercial all-news radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C. Owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, the station serves the Washington metropolitan area, extending its re ...
. Published April 6, 2005.


Fictional depictions

While superheroes in the strict sense are characters with superhuman powers, superhero fiction depicting vigilantes with no such powers have long been part of the genre, notably with ''
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'' and ''
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
''. Such characters are also known as "costumed crime fighters" or "masked vigilantes". With the development of the real-life superhero community, there have also been more realistic depictions of masked vigilantes in fiction performing the actions of real-life superheroes, such as in the comedy films ''
Hero at Large ''Hero at Large'' is a 1980 American superhero comedy film starring John Ritter and Anne Archer. The film was written by AJ Carothers and directed by Martin Davidson. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. Plot Steve Nich ...
'' and ''
Blankman ''Blankman'' is a 1994 American superhero comedy parody film directed by Mike Binder and starring Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier. It was written by Wayans and J. F. Lawton. Plot As kids, Darryl and Kevin Walker grew up as fans of the te ...
'', and the comic book '' Kick-Ass'' and its film adaptations. The concept has also been depicted in television series, including a story arc in the second season of ''
Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...
'' (featuring a delusional man who believes to be a superhero and calls himself "Captain Freedom"), the ''
Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...
'' episode " The Superhero in the Alley," the ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
'' episode "Hero to Zero," and the '' NCIS'' episode "Secrets."


List of real-life superheroes


See also

* Local hero (Japan) * ''
Stan Lee's Superhumans ''Stan Lee's Superhumans'' is a documentary television series that debuted from August 5, 2010 to September 17, 2014 on History. It is hosted by Marvel comic book superhero creator Stan Lee and follows contortionist Daniel Browning Smith, "th ...
'' * '' Beyond Geek''


References


External links


The Real Life Super Hero Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Real-Life Superhero Comics fandom Film and video fandom Fandom fr:Super-héros#Imagerie dans la vie réelle