# Help ID this superhero

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-superhero/526354>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 25, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-superhero/526354 "2010-01-25T12:44:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-superhero/526354/1 "2010-01-25T12:44:32Z")

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The Washington Post ran a photo this morning of a couple of kids on the National Mall playing in superhero outfits. One was identified as a Flash Gordon outfit but it didn’t look anything like Flash Gordon to me. The costume was red with a red cape, and an insignia on the chest that was a yellow lightning bolt on a solid black pentagonal shield (point down, same shape as the insignia holding Superman’s “S”). The Post’s photo does not appear to be available on its web site.

It’s not Flash. It’s not Captain Marvel.

I did an image search but couldn’t find it.

Ideas?

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**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-superhero/526354/2 "2010-01-25T12:56:06Z")

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Doesn’t ring a bell, but couldn’t the kid have been wearing a generic superhero costume meant to look like The Flash without having to pay royalties ?

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-superhero/526354/3 "2010-01-25T13:16:09Z")

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I think the kid was wearing a generic superhero costume and the writer of the article combined/mixed up _The Flash_ (for the lightning bolt) and _Flash Gordon_ (the cape), and didn’t really care about accuracy.

I mean, aside from comic book geeks, pop culture mavens, and the folks at this Board, who’d really care?

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-superhero/526354/4 "2010-01-25T13:25:14Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> I think the kid was wearing a generic superhero costume and the writer of the article combined/mixed up _The Flash_ (for the lightning bolt) and _Flash Gordon_ (the cape), and didn’t really care about accuracy.
> 
> I mean, aside from comic book geeks, pop culture mavens, and the folks at this Board, who’d really care?

You’re probably right. It wasn’t even an article, it was just a big human-interest photo with a caption. I figure maybe the photographer asked the father about the costumes (two kids) and he said, “Superman and, uh, lessee, Flash Gordon. Yeah, that’s it. Flash Gordon.”

It used to really annoy me when I was 10 and I would get a Flash comic book and my dad would say, “So, what’s Flash Gordon up to now?” 🙂