FAQs

What does RLSH stand for?

Real life super hero.
This term was coined by the media and not necessarily what we prefer to call ourselves


.-What is a real life superhero?

A real life superhero is a person who selflessly serves a positive pro-social mission while in a heroic identity or motif inspired and influenced by comic book super heroes.

Real life super heroes seek to serve the public trust. As real life super heroes, we seek to inform, and, most importantly, inspire. We believe that the power to enact change lies within each and every individual, and as citizens ourselves, we work to that end.

-Are real life super heroes vigilantes?

It is the civic duty of every citizen to uphold the law, and real life super heroes are no exception. We always seek to work within the confines of the law. We believe in due process. We do not take the law into our own hands. We have no desire to endanger the public or ourselves. In short, vigilantism is against the law, and we are certainly not vigilantes.

This doesn’t mean that real life super heroes are powerless to stop crime. Many real life super heroes help fight crime by doing safety patrols, raising awareness, starting or joining neighborhood watches, and by supporting their local law enforcement in any way they can.

-Do Real Life Superheroes fight crime?

From taking on drug dealers to doing safety patrols real life superheroes seek to uphold the law and work within the confines of the law to fight and deter crime. Many real life superheroes focus more on charity work and civic activities.

-What happens if you come across a crime?

If we were to come across a crime, we would report it to the authorities and do what we could to help the situation.

-Why do you wear costumes?

We wear costumes to stand out. We are working to bring superheroes to life. While you don’t need a costume to to help make a difference, they draw attention to our causes and our deeds. You probably wouldn’t be reading this now if we didn’t wear costumes. We use the costumes to become more than just some person trying to help others. We are working to become a symbol of the hero inside us all.

Do you think you have super powers?

No. Real life super heroes adopt the costumes and certain ideals super heroes represent. We don’t have any of the powers that super heroes have. Anyone who thinks that they have super powers should seek professional help.

Many real life superheroes have skills such as martial arts, parkour, and first aid.

Are you Cosplayers?

While all real life super heroes wear some kind of uniform, we are not part of the Cosplay subculture as we are not dressed as canonical characters from existing media.

-Do you have any special training?

Many individual have different specialized skill sets. Their skills range from martial arts to first-aid. All our members seek to use their knowledge to help others.

-Do the police know about you?

Yes. Due to the publicity and the novelty of this ideal, there has been some public recognition. Real Life Superheroes strive to work with law enforcement officials and not to hinder their important public service.

-Do you have a secret identity?

Some RLSH do. However, group members know at least on other members’ real identity.

Real Life Superheroes. Photo by Peter Tangen