Corporate-Sponsored Superhero: Difference between revisions

[[File:mitey20whitey1_1518mitey20whitey1 1518.jpg|link=Mystery Men|rightframe|Ford just placed a bid for his [[Incredibly Lame Pun|ab-space]].]]

{{quote|''"My nemesis is Captain Hammer. '[[Incredibly Lame Pun|Captain Hammer: corporate TOOL!]]'"''|'''Doctor Horrible''', ''[[DoctorDr. HorriblesHorrible's Sing -Along Blog (Web Video)|Doctor HorriblesHorrible's Sing -Along Blog]]''}}

In many superhero works, the problem comes up of [[Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?]] Superheroes have to pay the bills, after all, and superheroics isn't really that lucrative. So what's a superhero to do? Well, if you weren't lucky enough to inherit a large fortune and head a major corporation, you can either find a day job or seek out sponsorship for your heroics! While some might turn to the government, others might want to head to the private sector for financing.

Enter the [['''Corporate -Sponsored Superhero]]'''! Captain [[Bland -Name Product]] is here to save the day, and tell you about all the great deals you can get [[Hero Insurance|on insurance to cover the damage incurred by your rescue]]!

Note that this applies only to heroes with explicit ties to their corporate sponsor. Characters who use funds from their corporation to secretly finance their heroism ([[Batman]], for example) do not count. Expect to see [[Product Placement|corporate logos printed on tights]], [[Celebrity Endorsement|advertising appearances]], and [[Merchandise -Driven|rampant toy marketing]].

Related to [[Law Enforcement, Inc.]] and [[Heroes -R -Us]]. May overlap with [[Punch Clock Hero]] if they view heroics as nothing more than a 9 to 5 job to pay the bills.

{{examples|Examples:}}

== Anime And Manga: ==

* This is the premise of ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]''. All superheroes are sponsored by corporations, who seem to serve more of an entertainment and advertising function than actual fighting crime. All of the heroes featured on HeroTV are genuinely heroic, however, and are in the business at least in part because they want to help people. As such, it's a more idealistic take on the concept than one might expect. Worth noting is that in this case the products aren't [[Bland -Name Product|Bland Name Products]] but real [[Product Placement]] from the actual anime's sponsors like Pepsi, and Bandai.

== Comic Books: ==

* In ''[[Great Lakes Avengers]]'', at least one of the ill-fated men to bear the superhero moniker of Grasshopper was sponsored by [[Bland -Name Product|Roxxon Oil]].

* The Blur in ''[[Supreme Power]]'' actually started as a corporate spokesman, seen in ads for everything from mp3 players to soda. After Nighthawk got him to start being heroic, he switched to a single sponsor -- Kylesponsor—Kyle Richmond/Nighthawk's own company.

* Capes, Inc. from ''[[Invincible (Comic Book)|Invincible]].''

== Film: ==

* Commander Cash from the ''[[Robo CopRoboCop]]'' TV show.

* The [[Power Rangers Operation Overdrive (TV)|Power Rangers Operation Overdrive]] were brought together and equipped by Andrew Hartford, head of Hartford Industries. Though the Rangers have little to do with his business ventures - Andrew's an [[Adventurer Archaeologist]] on the side and needs Rangers to help deal with a mess of trouble he stirred up on one of his treasure hunts.

* ''[[Zodiac (Webcomicwebcomic)|Zodiac]]''

* ''[[DoctorDr. HorriblesHorrible's Sing -Along Blog (Web Video)|Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]'' has "Captain Hammer, corporate TOOL!"

* As we see here on [[httpwikipedia://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_hero_<!--Local 28Japan29hero (Japan)|the other Wiki]], this is fairly common with Japanese "Local Heroes". Many of them are actually the mascot of a corporation. -->

[[Category:Corporate -Sponsored Superhero]]

[[Category:TropeWhite Collar Tropes]]