Real-Life Superheroes

Superheroes are undoubtably extremely popular at the moment. Since 2000, there have been over 80 superhero films produced by large producing companies. The Avengers, which made $1,518,594,910 worldwide, has been topped only by Avatar and Titanic. Personally, I don't like superhero movies, but I still knew that they were very popular. However, this popularity seems to go even further. While there have always been vigilantes who try to deal with crime outside the law, there are now some people who are so into superheroes that they dress up like superheroes to do good works and vigilantism.

Called, understandably, real-life superheroes, they are people who wear masks and other costume pieces to disguise their identities while doing their good works. These "superheroes" have appeared all over the world . Some examples:

• "Anujan Panchadcharam the Polarman" lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut (Canada), and is known for shoveling people's sidewalks and deterring crime 
• "Superbarrio" from Mexico wears red tights and a red and yellow wrestler's mask to "organize labour rallies, protest, and file petitions to prevent families from being evicted." 
• "Knight Warrior" is a British 19-year-old who wears a costume an breaks up fights in Salford, a city in the borough of Greater Manchester in England. 

A project called "The Real Life Superhero Project" has met with many of these "superheroes" to photograph them as a way of celebrating their work. They have primarily photographed American superheroes--most of the the "superheroes" are American because superhero films and comics are much more popular here than anywhere else--and they are very supportive of the superhero project. I would recommend visiting their website; they have lots of portraits of the superheroes and more information on what they are actually doing: http://reallifesuperheroes.com. On their website, they give this description of the superheroes:

Indeed, there is a real subculture of genuine heroes, that bridge the gap between the fantastic and the practical. Anonymous and selfless, they choose every day, to make a difference in the world around them. Whether it be feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, or cleaning up their neighborhoods, they save real lives in very real ways. These are not “kooks in costumes,” as they may seem at first glance. They are, simply put, a radical response… to a radical problem.

Obviously, the Real Life Superhero Project is going to be complementary. But this vigilantism rubs me the wrong way. It reminds me too much of the Batman and Bernard Goetz article we read earlier in the year. These people are working outside the law for whatever cause they feel is most important. Some things, like shoveling snow, are pretty innocuous, but others, like breaking up fights, have the potential to put more people in danger, including the superhero him/herself. The examples that The Real Life Superhero Project gives are all simple, charitable things that many people do without costumes--why do the superheroes need to run around in masks and tights then? I think the only explanation is that many of them do not want to be limited to feeding and comforting people. Instead, they want the freedom to do whatever they think is necessary, even if it is against the law, even if it will harm others.

I am not entirely against the real life superheroes. I understand that most of them have good intentions. But I shy away from the fact that they are masked so that they can remain anonymous. If they want to wear a costume to look ridiculous and make people smile, that's fine. But they need to stand up and take responsibility for their actions if they truly believe they are right.