I don’t know about you, but I love a good superhero movie. The MCU, DCEU, X-Men, Big Hero 6, Sky High, Larryboy, etc. Whether masked vigilantes with money and technology or Mutants trying to live with their differentness, they’re plenty of fun, and quite entertaining. But they couldn’t exist in real life… could they?
Think again.
From Wikipedia:
Real-life superheroes wear masks or otherwise disguise themselves in order to perform deeds ranging from community services to deterring crime.[7][8] Some examples documented in the news media include:
Wearing specially made black knife resistant clothing and wearing a black mask, Black Rat of Sydney carries a utility belt and backpack containing a fire blanket, fire extinguisher, first aid kit and drinking water. He has campaigned for better lighting in the streets and more community involvement in neighbourhoods.[10][11][12][13]
Active since 2012, masked activists The Fauna Fighters are a Melbourne-based duo who use a Golden Age of Comic Books superhero motif as a method of publicizing animal-rights issues and supporting various animal-rights groups and charities. The Flying Fox and the extinct Thylacine have been featured in various publications.[16][17]
Canada
Polarman of Iqaluit, Nunavut, shovels snow off sidewalks and keeps playgrounds safe for children during the day and patrols the streets for criminals at night, wearing a black balaclava, white pants and snow boots.[18]
Ark of Toronto was featured in an article for Postmedia News by Douglas Quan in November 2011, who commented on his reasons and methods[clarification needed] on being a real-life superhero.[19]
The Crimson Canuck of Windsor, Ontario, was also featured in the article by Quan,[19] as well as being interviewed on the radio station AM800 by Arms Bumanlag, and was featured in an article in the Toronto Sun.[20][21]
Thanatos of Vancouver, British Columbia, dresses in a trench-coat, skull-and-crossbones tie, and wide-brimmed hat while wearing a bulletproof vest as he distributes goods and goodwill to the homeless.[22][23]
The Katalysts Ontario, also known as the Justice Crew of Oshawa, in Oshawa, Ontario, are a collection of individuals who patrol the streets at night, clean up local litter, and perform homeless outreach. Members include its founder Aftershock, Regulus, and the Nameless Crusader.[24]
Lightstep is a masked patroller currently located in Montreal. He is equipped with a bulletproof vest and a bag with first aid kit, needle collection containers, latex gloves, condoms, socks, gloves and hats.[clarification needed][25][26]
China
Redbud Woman assists the poor in Beijing, China. She has been seen several times wearing black tights and a blue mask, handing out food and warm clothing to the homeless.[27]
Colombia
Wearing a mask, Super Pan fights against hunger by handing out bread three days a week in poverty stricken areas of Bucaramanga.[28]
Dex Laserskater has been patrolling the streets of Helsinki since 1997. He has modeled his alter ego after the short lived comicbook hero Skateman. He specializes in guiding tourists, tipping waiters, doormen and street musicians and helping the police.[31]
The Defenders of France have been the subject of numerous press articles. L’Arpenteur (English: The Surveyor) is one of their leaders.[35][clarification needed]
Israel
Park Wayne is a superhero active in Jerusalem. His outfit and identity are mostly inspired by Batman and Spiderman. He has roamed the streets of the city protecting drunks, people at risk, and the creative communities in Jerusalem since 2010. He was featured in an episode of The State of Jerusalem[36] that followed him for a night in order to shed light on him.
Italy
Entomo, the Insect-Man, is a masked patroller and activist[clarification needed] who has been inspired by earlier real-life superheroes.[37][38] In February 2009, Rai 4 filmed a night-time patrol and interview with Entomo at an abandoned factory in Naples, aired on the TV program Sugo.[39] Following an interview on Il Riformista,[40] Entomo was depicted in Panorama.[41]
Liberia
Lion Heart educates Liberians about the dangers of human trafficking and the importance of clean drinking water. He is part of a grassroots movement in Africa.[42][43]
Mexico
Superbarrio Gómez of Mexico City
CNN covered Mexico City‘s Superbarrio Gómez, who is a high school dropout who wears red tights and a red and yellow wrestler’s mask. He uses his unique image to organize labour rallies, protest, and file petitions to prevent families from being evicted.[5]
South Africa
Spinnekop (English: Spider), whose real name is Eric Nefdt, a father of three, runs the through Pretoria in a Spiderman costume. He does this to raise awareness for children born with congenital heart defects. In 2017, he completed the Comrades Marathon in a time of 11:30:06.[44]
Sweden
Väktaren (English: The Watchman) patrols[clarification needed] the streets of Malmö, wearing a dark suit with a white mask and white “V” symbol on his chest. When interviewed, the police stated that as long as he was not impersonating a police officer, he was not breaking any laws.[45]
United Kingdom
The BBC reported on Angle-Grinder Man, a British self-described “wheel-clamp superhero” who claims to use an angle grinder to illegally cut wheel clamps off vehicles which have been clamped in by police and parking officials in Kent and London. Police indicate that they have received no word or complaint of his actions.[46]
The newspaper This Is Local London featured an article on SOS (whose real name is Steve Sale), a UK superhero who gatecrashed the premiere of the film Kick-Ass in April 2010.[47]
Knight Warrior (whose real is name Roger Hayhurst) wears a costume and attempts to break up fights in the Salford area. His mother has expressed concern for his safety.[48]
The Statesman is a super hero who patrols the streets of Birmingham wearing a mask[49], Union Jack shirt and dark trousers. Reports of his effectiveness[clarification needed] are mixed.[50][51]
A vigilante known as the Bromley Batman has been seen in by several witnesses to have saved people from knife-wielding gangs and muggers in South London.[53] His activities have been reported as far as Cornwall.[54]
United States
Real-life superheroes are notably prevalent in the USA compared to other countries, which may be attributed to the greater popularity of superherocomic books.[55][56][57][58]
One of the earliest examples of a RLSH was California’s Richard Allen Pesta, alias Captain Sticky. Starting around 1974, clad in a blue jumpsuit with gold lame cape and boots and driving the “Stickymobile” he campaigned against abuses in nursing homes, supplied information on health insurance frauds to authorities, and advocated for consumer rights.[59] He testified before the Federal Trade Commission hearings in 1978 and Congress in 1979 wearing his uniform.[60] He was arrested in 1986 when he rented his house to a film crew shooting pornography.[61][62]
Phoenix Jones is a mixed martial artist who patrols[clarification needed]Seattle in a bulletproof vest and stab plating. Initially wearing a ski mask to intervene in a public assault, Jones later developed a full costume and adopted the pseudonym.[63][64]
Master Legend assists the homeless of Orlando and is a member of the Justice Crusaders.[65][66][67] Amazon based the 2017 black comedy series Legend of Master Legend on his super hero persona.[68]
Captain Ozone has starred in PSAs, made appearances at grade schools and hemp festivals, created a video documentary on environmentalism, and organized a public demonstration for renewable energy.[71]
Mr. Xtreme, a security guard, spends his free time as a costumed crime fighter handing out food and juice in San Diego, California.[72][73]
Captain Oyster, whose real name is Liam Davenport,[74] patrols his Queens neighborhood looking for late-night crimes to solve through “intimidation and intellectual discourse”.[citation needed]
Crimson Fist patrols Atlanta twice a month with his wife, Metadata, to help the homeless in their area.[75][76][77][78]
Terrifica is a New York City-based woman who patrols bars and parties in an effort to prevent inebriated women from being taken advantage of by men. Since the mid-1990s, she has donned a mask, blonde wig, red boots and cape, because, in her words, women “need to be protected from themselves”.[83]
In 2010, The Viper was stopped by police in Columbia, Tennessee, for patrolling the streets after midnight in a black and green mask and costume. He claimed that he was “just a guy trying to do what was right in tights”.[84]
In Portland, Oregon, Zetaman patrols the streets in a minivan, giving help to the homeless.[86]
Dark Guardian of New York, whose real name is Chris Pollack, has patrolled the streets of New Jersey since the age of 19.[87] He has also patrolled Greenwich Village after attacks on the gay community[88] and planned to launch a school for younger children to teach them super hero values.[89][90][91] In 2017, he became the head of the Guardian Angels, a volunteer crime prevention organisation.[92][93]
The Eye of Mountain View in California is a licensed investigator. His speciality is patrolling using homemade gadgets to record criminal activity so that it can be reported to police. He often works with his wife, Lady Mystery.[38]
Squeegeeman “fights grime and crime”[attribution needed] in Manhattan wearing a red mask and cape.[94][95] He was reported as making a mock run for President in 2008.[96]
Real-life superhero groups
SkyMan, Red Ranger, El Caballero, and Dragon (members of Emerald City Heroes Org, or ECHO) monitoring the 2017 May Day protests in Seattle.
There are a number of organized groups of real-life superheroes in the United States.
A group of real-life superheroes from all over the United States, called Superheroes Anonymous, held their first meeting near Times Square in New York City on October 28, 2007. Along with filming a documentary and giving interviews to news media, their activities included cleaning up litter, helping the homeless, and handing out crime prevention materials.[97]
The Jibsheet ran an article about a group of ten real-life superheroes in Seattle trying to help the homeless prevent their belongings from being stolen by gangs.[108]
KSTP-TV reported on Razorhawk, Geist,[104] and the Great Lakes Hero Guild while they patrolled Minneapolis. The segment was re-broadcast nationally on ABC Overnight News.[109]
The Extreme Justice League, founded in 2006[110] by Mr. Extreme, regularly patrols San Diego. Their duties include homeless outreach, safety patrols and attempting to de escalate fights. A registered non profit, they work with the local community and the police,[111] and have featured in several news stories.[112][113][72]
A Thrillist article on the world’s first superhero training center called The Superhero Foundry in Las Vegas was published in August 2018.[114] The group, called the Guardians of Tomorrow, is a citywide neighborhood watch group created to address the concerns of mass shootings and felony crimes after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that happened across from the Mandalay Bay during a country music concert.[citation needed]
The Trillium Guards of Ontario are a group of real-life superheroes started in 2011 by Ark Guard of Toronto, Blackhat of Ottawa, and the Crimson Canuck from Windsor. The group focuses on homeless outreach missions, and other charitable work. Some members also perform patrols around Ontario, comparable to a neighbourhood watch. The team has expanded over the years to include Canadian Justice, Urban Knight, T.O. Ronin (formerly Hidden Sparrow), Ninja Knight, and Nameless Crusader. Crimson Canuck retired around the end of 2013, but was instrumental in helping build the real-life superheroes movement in Canada.[115][better source needed]
Those are the ones who dress up. Some of the following are closer to the X-Men Mutants, others simply talented individuals. (They’re not actually superheroes, though.)
Meet the humans with superpowers
Wim Hof
Known as the ‘The Iceman’, Wim is able to run without any clothes on during winter for over five hours. This man can also withstand almost polar-like temperatures. According to him, all this can be achieved through the power of the mind.
Al Herpin
Known up to this day as the ‘Man Who Never Slept’, he lived through all 94 years of his long life without sleeping. Scientists believe this condition is due to the fact that his mother suffered a hemorrhage before Al was born.
Arthur Lintgen
This man had a ‘vinyl vision’. What’s that? The ability to read vinyl records’ details to such a degree that he was able to tell when a song would stop or identify the more up-tempo part of the song.
Ben Underwood
Diagnosed with eye cancer when he was two years old, Ben had both eyes removed when he was three. However, he developed an excellent echolocation; the same skill bats use to navigate at night. By making sounds with his tongue he could feel the vibrations of the objects around him. Unfortunately, Ben passed away in 2007, victim of the same cancer that took both of his eyes.
Cassie Graves
This woman’s ‘talent’ is her rotten fish breath and a general fishy body odor, which she has to smell. Every day. Constantly. This condition is called trimethylaminuria and it’s an extremely rare disease. It can be a useful superpower: if someone was to attack her, they would certainly think twice.
Daniel Browning Smith
Known as the ‘The Rubberboy’, this American actor can twist his arms and back more than 90 degrees.
Daniel Tammet
This man can do mental calculations at extraordinary speeds. If that wasn’t enough, he is also fluent in seven languages and is currently developing his own.
Dave Mullins
This swimmer from New Zealand can dive 108 meters deep without any equipment. He can also swim 244 meters in four minutes and two seconds.
Dean Karnazes
This marathon runner did something that nobody has ever done before. In 2005 he ran 560 Km in 80 hours and 44 minutes, nonstop.
Garry Turner
We’ve met Rubberboy, but this is the real elastic man. Garry can manipulate his skin to such a degree that he is able to serve drinks on a tray solely made from his stretched skin. This condition is due to a certain quantity of collagen present in the body.
Harold Williams
How many languages can you speak? Two? Five? Maybe ten? The former editor of The Times was able to speak 58 different languages and is, to this day, considered one of the most successful multi-linguists of all time.
Isao Machii
This man was able to cut a tennis ball in half with a sword. Not impressed? The ball was travelling at 700 km/h.
Jesus Aceves
This is the real werewolf. Twenty four members of Jesus Aceves’ family had already suffered from this rare condition. The family was used by a circus owner to work on his Freak Show. Currently, Jesus travels the world showing off his mutation.
John Chang
This is the name of the mysterious acupuncture practitioner of the 20th century. With his ‘qi’ energy, John was able to cure many people and even radiate great quantities of heat through the palm of his hands, enough to set objects on fire.
Kevin Richardson
This man has the ability to talk to various animals, mainly the most dangerous ones. Kevin plays, sleeps and hangs out daily with lions, hyenas and tigers.
Kim Peek
The real ‘Rain Man’ (not the one played by Dustin Hoffman), has an exceptional memory to a degree that he can cite any page of any book that he has ever read.
Liew Thow Lin
Liew is known around the world as the ‘Magnet Man’. He has the capacity to magnetize objects with less than 40 kg with his body. In truth, Liew has a strong magnetic field surrounding him that produces a suction effect. The ability is genetic as his sons also have it.
Ma Xiangang
This man can take any kind of electric shock. This is because he is immune to electricity. Plus, he can light a 60 w lamp using just his body! Xiangang discovered his talent at 16 years old, when he tried to fix a power supply cable that was discharging vast amounts of electricity.
Mas Oyama
In Japan he’s better known as ‘Godhand’. This nickname was given to him after spending a big part of his career as a Karate master training with bulls. He built up such a vast amount of strength from this ‘hobby’ that there are records of him killing a bull with a single move.
Michel Lotito
Michel has the strange ability to eat and digest literally anything. From metal, toxic products, glass, and bicycles, nothing is left out. This is due to his stomach being twice as thick as most ordinary people’s.
Natasha Demkina
Natasha has x-ray vision since she was ten years old. It has been said that she can see through muscles and is able to observe bones with the naked eye.
Noorsyaidah
The images of this superpower are way too graphic…A woman in Indonesia stated that metal cables have been growing inside her body for years. After she was accused of lying, Noorsyaidah did several x-rays that confirmed that, in fact, she had cables coming out of her body. There’s still no scientific explanation for this phenomenon.
Rathakrishnan Velu
Metal-strong teeth seems like the best way to describe Rathakrishnan’s ability. He managed to pull a train using only the power of his teeth and has the world record for the heaviest thing ever pulled with teeth.
Shakuntala Devi
This Indian writer had the talent to perform mental calculations so accurately that even several computers weren’t able to keep up with her speed and precision. She won a Guinness record in 1982.
Stephen Wiltshire
Stephen has a photographic memory. He makes huge detailed drawings of various cities of the world and all he needs is to see them once for only a few brief seconds.
Thái Ngọc
This Vietnamese man says he hasn’t slept since 1973; a total of 41 years without sleep. He doesn’t have any disease or damage caused by the lack of sleep. This has been confirmed by doctors, who say that Thái is as healthy as anyone else.
Tibetan Monks
The Garth Monks from Tibet have the impressive ability to change their body’s temperature, using only their mind.
Veronica Seider
A German dentist born in 1972 has ‘eagle eyes’ and a vision 20 times superior to that of a normal human being. Veronica is able to identify people and objects kilometers away.
Yes, he’s a good one. I’ve seen 4 of his movies: Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), both starring Michael Keaton, and Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), both starring Christian Bale.
Fair enough. I’ve never read any of the comics or books, or seen any of the TV series’, so while I’d heard about him a lot (who hasn’t?), I didn’t have much in the way of preconceived notions (other than that his movies are dark).
Heya! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the fantastic work!
Superbarrio Gómez of Mexico City
SkyMan, Red Ranger, El Caballero, and Dragon (members of Emerald City Heroes Org, or ECHO) monitoring the 2017 May Day protests in Seattle.
J-M's History Corner 
Batman is my personal favorite. Aside from the supernatural powers all the others had, he relied on his intelligence and money.
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Yes, he’s a good one. I’ve seen 4 of his movies: Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), both starring Michael Keaton, and Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), both starring Christian Bale.
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I never liked any of the movies. They just never caught the essence of what I thought who and what Batman was.
They’re very corny now but in my opinion nothing will ever beat the old 60’s series!
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Fair enough. I’ve never read any of the comics or books, or seen any of the TV series’, so while I’d heard about him a lot (who hasn’t?), I didn’t have much in the way of preconceived notions (other than that his movies are dark).
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OMG, I never knew there were actual superheros in our communities! So cool.
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Agreed!
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I love true life heros. Thank you.
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In that case, I think it’s safe to declare my other identity – Black Widow.
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Ha! In that case, I’m Wolverine.
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Well, hello there. I’m Sabretooth.
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I thought you were Black Widow. Identity issues?
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Says the man who claims he’s Wolverine yet has a picture of Indiana Jones.
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Don’t forget the Joker!
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????
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In my conversation with the Eclectic Contrarian.
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Ah. So you’ve got the most problematic identity issues. 🙂
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I do believe your pic is of Rue.
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Touche.
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Interesting
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Heya! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the fantastic work!
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