Real Life Vigilantes: Keeping the Peace Or Obstructing Justice?

It is vital to understand the difference between reality and fantasy. Superhero stories are modern myths. They're parables. They are not instruction manuals.

By all means, join the neighborhood watch. Don't ignore crimes, be a responsible member of your community and call them in. And be prepared to go the long haul as a witness, including going into court. But dressing up in a "uniform"—any uniform—and seeking out trouble so that you can attack someone is assault if not impersonating an officer of the law (IMO anyway).

Hollow points or anti-personel bullets will clear them up. Just saying you go up north or northeast might get into trouble. Southeast has some crazies too.

Maybe I should become the worlds first super villain and give these wanna be heroes a purpose in life.

I'm on both sides of the coin with this one. On one hand ultimately I feel what these so called superheros are doing is what they think is right. And every so often you have to stand up when things go array and law enforcement is not there to back you up. However, I can't say that I fully support those that actively go out seeking crime or these Vigilanties. There's a lot of grey areas when you try to pin down what's right and wrong. And leaving it to one individual to make these decisions is probably not the most healthy thing to do. In a hypathetical, what happens when they unite and form a militia? Do they start controling that part of the population as well? Then we have more corruption. Yes, I don't fully have respect or even a sense of trust in our government. But, when it comes down to it we all don't have much of a choice. The majority of the middle and lower class have very little to say about what's right and wrong. I've always wanted to have special abilities personally and have fought for my individual freedoms in my own way. However, I still believe the real heros are those members of the military that are put in harms way everyday. Many times without a choice to do so... I guess the short of it is I don't want to add more chaos to a world that already spinning in it.

Sorry but this is pretty stupid. Just because person "a" stopped some drug dealer for a few hours, or maybe kept a fight from breaking out does not make it worth it when they end up getting themselves, or some bystander, hurt or killed because of their stupidity.

I'm not saying people shouldn't help more then they do. But all of you saying that just because one of these mental cases does something good it makes it all ok..are delusional. Sorry but Captain Retard and crew are causing more harm then good as a whole.

Now the guy that gives to homeless in costume is one thing..it's not vigilantism....But aforementioned Captain Retard takes it too far...whether he helped that woman cross the road or not.

@nobodythere said:

If a "real life superhero" stops someone from doing something terrible, stops someone from becoming a victim, does any kind of good at all, its worth it. Period.

I saw the documentary and Master Legend is a BAMF no joke. I hope that old drunk finally defeats "The Courthouse of Evil"(his words not mine)

So this is what happens when people watch Kick Ass and movies like Defender to much.

Go Superheroes, peace of freedom, hope and just.

Sorry, but you're just putting yourself and potentially other people at risk.

You're being stupid, plain and simple.

One thing I admired about Batman is he trained and made sure he was ready before heading out...

Having watched the documentary I can definitely say that these peace are not helping. The only ones who were doing good were the couple who handed out food and toiletry bags to the homeless at significant cost to themselves, financially.

I really hope they realise what they've put themselves into and hopefully choose another hobby, or fight crime from the legal side of the law.

The single most damaging thing about these individuals is that they make a conscious decision to term (and view) themselves as superheroes.

If I see somebody attacking an individual and intervene, I'm considered a hero. If I do it whilst wearing a mask and cape, I'm considered a lunatic. The truth is that these are people simply trying to help in a way that most people won't.

For what it's worth, most of these people try and avoid any physical violence anyway. They usually try and talk the offender away and if that doesn't work, they call the police. Most of the time, they will only resort to violence if they, or someone else, is being assaulted.

I see it as, ultimately, a good thing. If one of these real life 'superheroes' can stop even one person from being hurt, being robbed, or basically suffering then the community may hang its head in shame but that individual is going to be saved some pain. I still fail to see how that's a bad thing. Understandably, this sort of thing has the potential to go wrong, any of these could choose to become some sort of absurdist or even a real life 'supervillain' but these are the choices we're all faced with everyday.

Look past the bright colours and see some people just trying to do the right thing. We could do with more of that.

Oh, wow. I didn't expect Comicvine to write an article about this. I was thinking about making a thread about this a month ago but I thought no one would care.

Anyway, I agree with most people here that these people shouldn't be doing what they're doing.

Unless you've got superpowers or skills that rival Batman's then you're an idiot in a halloween costume who's probably going to get himself killed

@Bo17 said:

The single most damaging thing about these individuals is that they make a conscious decision to term (and view) themselves as superheroes.

If I see somebody attacking an individual and intervene, I'm considered a hero. If I do it whilst wearing a mask and cape, I'm considered a lunatic. The truth is that these are people simply trying to help in a way that most people won't.

For what it's worth, most of these people try and avoid any physical violence anyway. They usually try and talk the offender away and if that doesn't work, they call the police. Most of the time, they will only resort to violence if they, or someone else, is being assaulted.

I see it as, ultimately, a good thing. If one of these real life 'superheroes' can stop even one person from being hurt, being robbed, or basically suffering then the community may hang its head in shame but that individual is going to be saved some pain. I still fail to see how that's a bad thing. Understandably, this sort of thing has the potential to go wrong, any of these could choose to become some sort of absurdist or even a real life 'supervillain' but these are the choices we're all faced with everyday.

Look past the bright colours and see some people just trying to do the right thing. We could do with more of that.

Completely agree with you, sir.

As much as I enjoy the idea of real life superheros, I've got to say that self-imposed peace-keeping isn't that way to go. Not that we all shouldn't strive for justice, but what happens to law & order when someone decides to take justice upon themselves? Ironically law & order would dissolve into chaos.

I know that these guys don't like Law Enforcement, but if they really wanted to uphold justice I think they had ought to join their local Police Forces. No unique costumes or customizable hours, but you do get to lawfully keep the peace.

watch the HBO documentary rather then just making up your minds by just seeing a news article.

also i dont like the word Vigilante used for them, u don't need superpowers to be a superhero, all u need is the will and courage to help someone who cant help themselves or need your help.

in theory it sounds promesing but idk if it would be good in practice i mean i would love to be batman or superman but ik it will never happen. i do think theese people who do this are brave but idk if they really thought it all the way through.

I like heroes, so long as they don't try to stop me.

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

Until people start taking it seriously enough to emulate the Punisher, it's pointless.

Everyone should have a little bit of Frank in their daily routine.

I absolutely adore how most comic book fans bag on these guys but everyone else thinks its cool.

I actually believe vigitanlism could work if you have the right idea and skillset (martial arts, good physical form, self-defence weapons, good gear, etc.) It would obviously be really hard to pull off properly, but I'm sure it could happen, if you try a mix between The Punisher, Batman and an actual spy or whatever. It might just be my imaginative mind at work though.

@zombietag said:

i was wondering when this would come up.

the thing is, for most of them (and DEF for phoenix), its not even about being superhero as much as it is a publicity thing. i mean the guy tells people all about his suit, his secret hideout, etc. he does all these public appearances and interviews and yada yada, but i haven't heard of him doing much more than breaking up a few fights.

so no, they arent superheroes at all to me. its more about getting attention it seems.

i think if a REAL superhero were to come about, it would probably be something more like year one, where its in the shadows and behind the scenes, and most of us wouldnt even know about it.

pretty much. you'd see them on the news, but it'd be more likely talking about how the police are searching for an unknown assailant who intervened in some altercation and left some people hospitalized.

comic book superheroes are (or were) so larger than life and silly that their escapades seemed reasonable for their peculiar world. real life 'superhero' situations would probably require more pragmatism and brutality than costumes and announcement.

THESE PEOPLE NEED HELP.

Sure some are helping the homeless...but I'm feeding people at a food bank I don't need a costume to do it.

You can be a Night Time iReporter and phone in crime as it happens if you want to go that root, But a costume..no way.

Plenty of realistic ways to do this (ALL STILL DANGEROUS), they should just report crime and record it as it happens, plenty of devices for that to.

Or they should go home and view KickAss the movie again...to be warned not get inspiration.

Hate to say it. But there fuckin nuts. Going out in costumes dressing up. There Mental. We need to arrest them

Unless they can make an Iron Man style power suit or find someway to give themselves super powers they are just crazy people that will eventually hurt people and ruin their lives. For anyone who tries to make the Batman argument about not needing powers you are wrong. His super power is his intelligence, which no real person could ever have, and an unlimited supply of money.

When I was listening to an interview with phoenix. He said that the officer who arrested him, already had a grudge on him showing the corruption of some seattle officers. I'll come clean and say I dress up at home and look in a mirror like Kick Ass. I won't go on the streets (unless there's a convention) but I could kinda see myself doing something like that.

It is a quick way to get hurt badly. Well intentioned I guess, but dumb.

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

Until people start taking it seriously enough to emulate the Punisher, it's pointless.

Punisher has military expierence and is in great shape.

@DannyG said:

The idea is noble, as are the sane people attempting it. However, overall the people doing it generally aren't doing it right. In order to effectively play the vigilante game, a subject must be well trained in various forms of martial arts, first aid and lifesaving skills, law and weapons. Also one should be in peak physical condition and trained in acrobatics. Then they can begin to know A) what they're getting themselves into and B) exactly what they're doing and facing. Once they set themselves up, they'd need an 'in' with local police. Also, a tech support crew who can monitor police bands and other such things. Real equipment is essential as well. If they're going to go running around in a rubber suit and try and fight gang bangers with guns and knives, they're committing suicide. They'd want kevlar, a flak vest, something that can take a knife shot and hopefully stop a bullet. Of course, this is all ideology. I would NEVER reccommend you go out and do this.

Phoenix Jones is an amateur mixed martial artist and he wears a bulletproof vest. he seems to be quite well versed in the law and carries a taser and pepper spray which are really the few weapons he can carry legally.

Here he stops an assault on 2 men by 4-6 assailants with pepper spray saving the 2 from a terrible beating.

@RainEffect said:

I support vigilantism, provided it doesn't cross any lines such as killing or unnecessary violence.

What I don't support is these jokers. Some of them are overweight and geeky looking, Phoenix Jones' costume looks ridiculous. The only guy who even might be able to be taken seriously is that archery guy. If he rocks a bow and that mask, then I'm sure he won't be having any ladies hitting him with shoes. But, they need to take a lesson from Batman. You can't just run around in a costume, you look ridiculous. You have to conceal yourself and use the night to your advantage. If you can't, then don't wear a mask. If you're so concerned about your identity, then just wear a scarf over half your face - that looks more intimidating than these fools.

Well what about crime in the daytime? Plus Bruce Wayne is a billionaire, which helps him out alot in fighting crime.

@nobodythere said:

This is something I used to have a strong opinion on, felt very strongly these "real life superheroes" were all lunatics. After watching the Superheros Documentary from HBO my opinion changed. Several of them are doing good things and are incredably brave. Dark Guardian, for example, goes out and confronts drug dealers head on. Showing no fear, even when a person threatens violence, he stands his ground. The man was almost twice his size, totally intimidating, and Dark Guardian made him go away; he made that area of the park safe. Another one is Life, he spends most of his time getting to the know the homeless on a personal level, handing out food and drinks at his own personal expense. He wears a costume so people take notice of what he is doing, leading by example.

Do feel more then a handful of them have some issues, Master Legend comes readily to mind, he was not portrayed well in the documentary. Quite a few of them are untrained and will get hurt when they upset the wrong person, nonetheless, their hearts are in the right place and the idea of doing good deeds loudly is a good one.

The story of Kitty Genovese is a great example of why these people are popping up and several of them say hers was the story that inspired them, thirty eight people watched her get brutally killed in a New York neighborhood on March 13, 1964 and no one did a thing. Its terrible and not totally isolated around the world. Scream rape and no one comes running. Scream fire and you have a crowd.

If a "real life superhero" stops someone from doing something terrible, stops someone from becoming a victim, does any kind of good at all, its worth it. Period. Can't take the crazies and lump them up with the ones who are making a difference. Every clique has a few bad eggs. Pay attention to the ones doing good things and not the ones failing. Would be nice if the media showed the good for once. Guess a man handing out food and water while sitting down with a homeless man in a costume that looks like a dead cowboy isn't sensational enough.

Amen brotha.

Why Cant we have Guy`s Like Charles Bronson`s Character from Death Wish or Like Clint Eastwood`s Dirty Harry 
( you know somewhat real vigilantes who dispense justice at the drop of a hat ) Superheroes are fine and all but seriouly guys .. and a few gals ( there is a reason why batman in the comics and the movies can do what he does and come back from it alive and us regular people cannot . even if you fancy yourself to be a Steven Seagal ( this could be true ..)but Truth is Superheroes or plane ol Comic book and Movie Viglanties can do what they do is because they are not meant to be based on fact ( it`s all make believe ...sorry to say even the titacular Dirty Harry ..sigh ..) but lets just leave the crime fighting to the professionals ( that includes Dog :the bounty hunter and Steven Seagal too and a few thousand other highly trained Law enforment professionals ( just watch out for the crooked cops and paid off mafia ones ) I mean the real heroes are the ones who do not hide under mask ,capes and cowls . 
they are the people who do whats right without flashy theatrics . they are the ones who expose corruption to the world with just the use of their already commonplace tech ( you know smartphones with cameras , the internet and the various like .) truth and Justice should not come in the form of an brightly colored costume or an codename ) it should come from within .  I am sure these people may have good intentions and want to do charitable acts of kindness and the like but not like this . leave the Larger than Life Heroics to the comic book superheroes . and just be yourself ( whoever you are out there ) besides I know for a fact that this is current trend right now is only going to lead to worse things down the road (good to some , but pain and embarrassment to others  )   so lastly All I can say is lets just hope that they just stay away from any advances in the field of current Scientific Progress such as Cross species  Genetic gene splicing or Nano Technology or any other weapon of the  future type deal or this could just be even bigger problem down the road ( but enough rambling now back to your scheduled programing ) 

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

Until people start taking it seriously enough to emulate the Punisher, it's pointless.

Punisher has military expierence and is in great shape.

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

@Mr. Smiths said:

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

Until people start taking it seriously enough to emulate the Punisher, it's pointless.

Punisher has military expierence and is in great shape.

Do you know what emulate means?

I'm just gonna say no.

@J1ml33 said:

Why Cant we have Guy`s Like Charles Bronson`s Character from Death Wish or Like Clint Eastwood`s Dirty Harry ( you know somewhat real vigilantes who dispense justice at the drop of a hat ) Superheroes are fine and all but seriouly guys .. and a few gals ( there is a reason why batman in the comics and the movies can do what he does and come back from it alive and us regular people cannot . even if you fancy yourself to be a Steven Seagal ( this could be true ..)but Truth is Superheroes or plane ol Comic book and Movie Viglanties can do what they do is because they are not meant to be based on fact ( it`s all make believe ...sorry to say even the titacular Dirty Harry ..sigh ..) but lets just leave the crime fighting to the professionals ( that includes Dog :the bounty hunter and Steven Seagal too and a few thousand other highly trained Law enforment professionals ( just watch out for the crooked cops and paid off mafia ones ) I mean the real heroes are the ones who do not hide under mask ,capes and cowls . they are the people who do whats right without flashy theatrics . they are the ones who expose corruption to the world with just the use of their already commonplace tech ( you know smartphones with cameras , the internet and the various like .) truth and Justice should not come in the form of an brightly colored costume or an codename ) it should come from within . I am sure these people may have good intentions and want to do charitable acts of kindness and the like but not like this . leave the Larger than Life Heroics to the comic book superheroes . and just be yourself ( whoever you are out there ) besides I know for a fact that this is current trend right now is only going to lead to worse things down the road (good to some , but pain and embarrassment to others ) so lastly All I can say is lets just hope that they just stay away from any advances in the field of current Scientific Progress such as Cross species Genetic gene splicing or Nano Technology or any other weapon of the future type deal or this could just be even bigger problem down the road ( but enough rambling now back to your scheduled programing )

I agree like Dirty Harry Callahan was somewhat a vigilante but he was a cop. Atleast be like him he was more realistic then a Batman.

The problem is, none of these people have done anything to remotely justify what they're doing. They have no special skills or abilities, no military or combat training, nothing to suggest they've even undergone a psychological exam.

I think generally speaking their intentions are good, but sometimes they're just seeking fame or attention (what kind of vigilante has a camera crew following them around?) or actually looking to instigate trouble like that group that dresses provocatively in the hopes that someone will attack them, and they can then jump them, that's not heroism, it's not even entrapment, that's just a mugging.

I would love it if we lived in a world where this sort of thing was seriously plausible. That there were groups of people with super powers who want to use them to help people unselfishly, but we don't live in that world. In our world, bug bites just give you infections, and radiation just gives you cancer. In our world people don't put on costumes to conceal their identity, but to draw attention to it.

If there was someone with legitimate talent, and a strong sense of morality who really wanted to make a difference, I'd like to say I'd support them, but really I'd just be wondering why they couldn't become a cop or join the military or become a fire fighter.

It is funny that we have laws to prevent vigilantism, but it is also unlawful to not report or stop a crime if you see one being committed. Another set of hypocritical laws that contradict what exactly is the citizens responsibility to society. If someone wants to actually dress up in a costume and "fight" crime, let them. It saves on the money we'll all end up paying for their mental hospital interment when they get killed.

I wish my country had problems like this, instead of cartels and a corrupt government (not to mention we also take crap from the corrupt US government, that happens to supply weapons to them and protect cartel members...), seriously, Punisher's villains are like Bratz-obsessed schoolgirls in comparison to the criminals in the northern part of my country, Mexico.

Heroes who masked themselves belong in one place,

THE COMICS!!!!!!

Otherwise go get a degree in law enforcement and then fight crime, or earn your money like Iron Man's dad, remember Stark was given the money and went to college as well. If a bullet rips his armor, then we all need to wait while he gets a weekly pay check from his paper route to fix it. I think

I saw this guy, in a COMIC CON, but obviously is elevator does not reach the top floor. He just forgot to change into he human clothes after the CON left in March.

the only dude that i take somewhat serious is the one with the bow and arrow he had muscles and was somewhat intimidating. but i think they really don't do anything. I mean it doesn't work and it's a bit dangerous

but i want to see the documentary

@spikevalentine said:

I wish my country had problems like this, instead of cartels and a corrupt government (not to mention we also take crap from the corrupt US government, that happens to supply weapons to them and protect cartel members...), seriously, Punisher's villains are like Bratz-obsessed schoolgirls in comparison to the criminals in the northern part of my country, Mexico.

I visited Reynosa and it was like a damn warzone. There had been a shooting just prior and police tore through the streets on jeeps with rifles in hand. The poor residents looked unsettled and were closing up shop/flocking home. Scared the living sh!t out of me.. My dad goes "If you hear the gunshots, hit the floor and we crawl into a marketplace". Needless to say I think vigilantism is a foolish idea.

Phoenix Jones is awesome and if you say otherwise, maybe you should come meet him in seattle yourself. I live near seattle and go there occasionally to go to gameworks with friends for some beer and games (Both are awesome) and I see him all the time. He has been around for a while and will hopefully be around for a while longer even with what happened. Who cares if he pepper sprayed people, They were fighting and needed to stop and then they even attacked him so Why not fill their eyes with pepper >:D Seattle needs him to stop shit like this as the place is already pretty sketchy at night and with the thought of someone running around with the ability to kick your ass or pepper spray you kind of makes the dumbasses think twice before doing something stupid. Those people were drunk and disorderly and were fighting so they deserved everything they got. All he did was stop the fighting and called the police which is what anyone would have done, just this man had a costume on which suddenly makes him the bad guy? Its not like he is carrying around a tazer or a gun, he is just walking around with some other friends and making sure shit like this doesn't happen. He has helped people with flat tires and many other problems. He has been shot before and lived to tell the tale so obviously he knows its dangerous and the police have yet to stop him even after being shot so why stop him now? The video shows he was in the right and the police were slow as hell to get there. I know that at night, cops are everywhere and to take almost 20minutes to get to the ferry terminal is bullshit.

@savri said:

Heroes who masked themselves belong in one place,

THE COMICS!!!!!!

Otherwise go get a degree in law enforcement and then fight crime, or earn your money like Iron Man's dad, remember Stark was given the money and went to college as well. If a bullet rips his armor, then we all need to wait while he gets a weekly pay check from his paper route to fix it. I think

I saw this guy, in a COMIC CON, but obviously is elevator does not reach the top floor. He just forgot to change into he human clothes after the CON left in March.

He is a manager at a comics shop not a paperboy. And he wears a bulletproof vest underneath his costume.

They do nice support work and if wearing a costume while they do it makes them feel better about themselves and their mission, then so be it.
 
However, I am amazed that real vigilantes of justice are not more prevalent. Former law enforcement, military, etc. and rich people, who would at least have a chance at achievement in such an undertaking. Although, it is entirely possible that there are and they just work on the down low or are suppressed by the law and media and do not engage in theatrics.
 
Drive would be a somewhat realistic example of a hero/vigilante.

Just now an article on this?

@Mr. Smiths said:

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

Until people start taking it seriously enough to emulate the Punisher, it's pointless.

Punisher has military expierence and is in great shape.

Phoenix Jones is an amateur mixed martial artist and is in great shape also.

I was just reading the comments on here, and it came to me. All these negative comments about the heroes. Now go back and read some early marvel comics. Did the civilians not say something similar about them? I believe that these Super heroes can make a difference, but I do have to say that the ones that go out and just 'do something' with no training or experience what-so-ever are putting their lives in danger, but if they get hurt. their loss.

You know the guys over at Redlettermedia interviewed The Watchman a while back, and if there's one person who I personally think is going about the "Real Superhero Movement" correctly it's him. Also I've walked past, and maybe you have also Sara, the S.F. chapter for the Guardian Angels and feel like they are totally fine.