List of real-life superheroes

• Menganno works on the east side of Lanús. He wears blue clothing, a helmet, and a shield similar to that of fictional superhero Captain America, but with the colours of the Flag of Argentina.[3][4]

• 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.[5][6][7][8]
• Captain Australia, featured in the mX and then The Courier-Mail[2][9] and on television's A Current Affair,[10] is based in the Brisbane, Queensland. Police have expressed their preference that Captain Australia not intervene in incidents.[2]
• Australia's Starlight Children's Foundation in Naremburn, New South Wales has their own mascot, Captain Starlight, which is played by multiple roles of men and women.

• Spider-Man of Winnipeg, Manitoba, dons a Classic Spider-Man costume and takes the full name and responsibilities of the character. Winnipeg’s Spider-Man leaves his house either during the day or in the middle of the night to patrol the streets in search of people in need, or crimes to report to the police. Spider-Man notes that he never intervenes in criminal activity, and only acts as eyes and ears for the police; like a mobile single man neighbourhood watch. He also occasionally documents his patrols and uploads them to his Instagram page Winnipeg’s Spider-Man was featured in an article by the Winnipeg Free Press

• 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.[11]

• Ark of Toronto was featured in an article for Postmedia News by Douglas Quan in November 2011, who commented on his reasons and methods on being a real-life superhero.[12]
• The Crimson Canuck of Windsor, Ontario, was also featured in the article by Quan,[12] as well as being interviewed on the radio station AM800 by Arms Bumanlag, and was featured in an article in the Toronto Sun.[13][14]
• 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.[15][16]
• 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.[17]
• 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.[18][19]
• Canada's Starlight Children's Foundation in Markham, Ontario, has their own mascot, Captain Starlight.

• Homem-Gato or Felino works on the Porto Alegre, Brazil. He dresses all in black, wears a mask with a cat face and white details throughout his clothes, with defense gear. He seeks to bring security and support to the community, he believes in a better world.

• Homem de Preto, operates in Campinas, Brazil. He is a lawyer, inspired by Batman. It always acts aiming the interests of the population of his city, his state and his country.

• 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.[20]

• Wearing a mask, Super Pan fights against hunger by handing out bread three days a week in poverty stricken areas of Bucaramanga.[21]

• Dex Laserskater has been patrolling the streets of Helsinki since 1997. He has modeled his alter ego after the short lived comic book hero Skateman. He specializes in guiding tourists, tipping waiters, doormen and street musicians and helping the police.[22]

• Captain Ozone has featured in the French Max magazine,[23] the Koikispass magazine,[24] and the German edition of the FHM magazine.[25]
• The Defenders of France have been the subject of numerous press articles. L'Arpenteur (English: The Surveyor) is one of their leaders.[26]

• Park Wayne is a superhero active in Jerusalem. His outfit and identity are mostly inspired by Batman and Spider-Man. 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[27] that followed him for a night in order to shed light on him.

• Entomo, the Insect-Man, is a masked patroller and activist who has been inspired by earlier real-life superheroes.[28][29] 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.[30] Following an interview on Il Riformista,[31] Entomo was depicted in Panorama.[32]

• In 2015, various media reported that Kamen Rider №1 based on the eponymous character patrols the streets of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, while looking for drunk drivers. Identify of the real-life Kamen Rider turned out to be Shinjiro Kumagaya, an environmental artist.[33]

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 labor rallies, protest, and file petitions to prevent families from being evicted.[34]

• Väktaren (English: The Watchman) patrols 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.[35]

• 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.[36]
• 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.[37]
• The Statesman is a super hero who patrols the streets of Birmingham wearing a mask,[38] Union Jack shirt and dark trousers. Reports of his effectiveness are mixed.[39]
• In August 2011, the BBC reported on Shadow (whose real name is Ken Andre) who patrols in Yeovil.[40]
• A vigilante known as the Bromley Batman has been seen by several witnesses to have saved people from knife-wielding gangs and muggers in South London.[41] His activities have been reported as far as Cornwall.[42]

Real-life superheroes are notably prevalent in the USA compared to other countries, which may be attributed to the greater popularity of superhero comic books.[43][44][45][46]

• 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 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.[47] He testified before the Federal Trade Commission hearings in 1978 and Congress in 1979 wearing his uniform.[48] He was arrested in 1986 when he rented his house to a film crew shooting pornography.[49][50]
• Tothian and Ecliptico were both featured in the special features of the 2009 Watchmen (film), titled Real Superheroes, Real Vigilantes.[51][52][53][54][55]
• Master Legend assists the homeless of Orlando and is a member of the Justice Crusaders.[56][57][58] Amazon based the 2017 black comedy series Legend of Master Legend on his super hero persona.[59]
• Shadow Hare wears a mask and cape and patrols Milford, Ohio, armed with tasers, pepper spray and handcuffs.[60][61]
• 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.[62]
• Phoenix Jones is a mixed martial artist who patrols Seattle, Washington in search for criminal activity 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]
• Mr. Xtreme, a security guard, spends his free time as a costumed crime fighter handing out food and juice in San Diego, California.[65][66]
• Captain Oyster, whose real name is Liam Davenport,[67] patrols his Queens neighborhood looking for late-night crimes to solve through "intimidation and intellectual discourse".
• Crimson Fist patrols Atlanta twice a month with his wife, Metadata, to help the homeless in their area.[68][69][70][71]
• Wall Creeper and Zen Blade patrol in Denver.[72]
• The Watchman and Moon Dragon were reported patrolling Milwaukee in 2009.[73][74]
• 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".[75]
• 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".[76]
• Dragonheart is a bilingual real-life superhero who operates in Miami.[77]
• In Portland, Oregon, Zetaman patrols the streets in a minivan, giving help to the homeless. (Ret.) [78]
• Dark Guardian of New York, whose real name is Chris Pollak, has patrolled the streets of New Jersey and New York since the age of 19.[79][80][81] In 2017, he became the head of the Guardian Angels, a volunteer crime prevention organisation.[82][83]
• The Eye of Mountain View in California is a licensed investigator. His specialty 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.[29]
• Squeegeeman "fights grime and crime" in Manhattan wearing a red mask and cape.[84][85] He was reported as making a mock run for President in 2008.[86]
• Superreader "fights illiteracy" across America by organizing reading activities. He began promoting literacy in the early 2000s wearing a cape and mask at each public event he organized. His organization, The American Literacy Corp, has since hosted reading events in nearly every state in America, and Superreader has personally read to more than 250,000 children across the country.