Real-life superhero

Real-life superheroes (RLSH) is a phenomenon where people dress up in costumes or masks in order to perform community service such as neighborhood watch or in some cases vigilantism.

Early examples of this type of behaviour are reported from the 1990s, e.g. with Mexico City's "Superbarrio", who in 1997 donned red tights and a red and yellow wrestler's mask in order to organize labour rallies, protest, and file petitions to prevent families from being evicted. A "real-life superhero community" in the sense of an online subculture began to develop in the mid-2000s.