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Super Hero or Vigilante?
Beyond normal; excedes all set standards. One who is looked up to; has special abilities. A person or persons who aid in the stopping and/or punishing of criminals. Which one or ones sounds like a super hero such as Batman? The second one is the best definition of him. But this is the definition of a vigilante.
Of the modern super heroes, only a few of them are like the first true super hero, Superman. Being incredibly helpful and non-violent led him to be the standard of all heros since Odysseus. The only problem is not all heros are like this.
Today, the two supreme heroes are Batman and The X-men. Batman is a wealthy business man whose parents' murder he witnessed as a child and, therefore, dons a cowl and cape and beats up criminals. The X-men are a group of people who were each born with a supernatural mutation that allows them to do such things as moving a boulder with his or her mind and who were brought together by a man who thought his brother was going to take over the world.
The X-men are nothing more than a jealous brother's attempt to beat his sibling. Dr. X, leader of X-men, is crippled and has telepathic powers. Albeit, his brother is evil and the X-men do good but they operate above the law and that is a vigilante.
The greatest example of a vigilante is Batman. In fact, when he was first designed, he was intended to be gregarious. He is an example of how horrible crime can be because of its effect on youth. Though he helps the police and his friend, Commissioner Gorden, he still breaks a multitude of laws. These laws range from aggervated assault to speeding and even breaking the fourth amendment.
These vigilantes are not heroes but common criminals. They only make the police's job harder, if they were real. Vigilantes today in real life are not always welcome. An example of this is the Guardian Angels. They were kicked out of Philadelphia and today are not always wanted.
Jun 10, 1993