In the ’ What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life?’ thread I mentioned the lack of real-world superheroes (which is apparently not entirely correct), and I posited this as my thinking for what might make a superhero (a real-world version, so no crazy superpowers from radioactive spiders or space aliens getting powers from our yellow sun):
I’d say to qualify as a real-world superhero, one would need something like, but maybe not all, of these qualifications:
- A desire or obsession to fight crime outside of the normal channels of law enforcement
- Some sort of identifiable costume or uniform
- A secret identity (probably the most optional)
- Gadgets or abilities that give them an edge over bad guys as well as conventional law enforcement