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Costumed Nonsuper Hero: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''A masked adventurer's costume is one of those things nobody really thinks about. Should it have a cape, or no cape? Should it be thick and armored to protect you from harm, or flexible and lightweight to allow maneuverability? What sort of mask should it have? Do bright colors make you more of a target than dark ones? All of these were things I had to consider.''
|'''Hollis Mason''', from [[Fictional Document|his autobiography]] ''Under the Hood'', ''[[Watchmen]]''}}
We all know this type of guy. He wears an unusual outfit and shows up to fight villains or monsters. He's probably got a [[Secret Identity]] and a mild-mannered alter ego to keep his private and crimefighting life separate.
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Sounds like a [[Superhero]], right? He probably will get called that, too. But in this case he hasn't got any superpowers. He's probably an expert fighter, sure, and he may have all sorts of gadgets or other unusual advantages, but there's nothing more superhuman about him than perhaps unrealistically good human skills or abilities. (Being good at it isn't a requirement, though... just highly preferable for survival.) So he's a Costumed Nonsuper Hero.
If the setting has proper [[
* '''[[The Phantom (comic strip)|The Phantom]]''' is a '''Costumed Nonsuper Hero''' but '''not''' Badass Normal, because while there is some magic in his world, there are no powered superheroes in his stories to compare to.
* '''[[The Iliad|Ajax]]''' does without powers in a [[Greek Mythology|setting filled with divine influences]], but obviously isn't a costumed crimefighter, so he's '''Badass Normal''' but '''not''' Costumed Nonsuper Hero.
* '''[[Batman]]''' is '''both''', working alongside [[Superhero
The character is probably [[Super Weight]] Class 1 (unpowered but formidable), although they could be lower if they're just, you know, bad at what they do. They tend towards being [[The Cowl]].
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{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* At the end of ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'' {{spoiler|Kotetsu}} decides that he's going to be one of these {{spoiler|once his powers run out completely}}.▼
== Comic Books ==
* [[Batman]]▼
* [[Batman]] is the [[Trope Codifier]]
* [[The Phantom (comic strip)|The Phantom]]. Even his "civilian" attire -- long coat, shades and hat on top of his bodysuit -- practically counts as a costume of this sort, and since he ''has'' no proper civilian identity, it really is more a disguise than his superhero outfit is.▼
* In ''[[Watchmen]]'', all the costumed crimefighters are ordinary
* [[
* [[The Question]]. ▼
* [[The Spirit]]. He [[Enforced Trope|only wore a mask]] [[Executive Meddling|as a concession to the editor]], who felt [[Viewers are Morons|audiences wouldn't buy a crimefighter who didn't wear a costume]].▼
* [[Paperinik New Adventures|Superduck/Paperinik]], the costumed hero alter ego of [[Donald Duck]], who's popular in European Disney comics. He's basically the Batman of Duckburg: he has no powers, he fights crime in a costume, few people know he's actually Donald, and he uses all sorts of gadgets developed by Gyro Gearloose. The stories where Donald appears in this guise seem to be in a whole different continuity from all others, as his becoming a [[Badass]] with a [[Secret Identity]] would have huge ramifications for his character.
* Ted Kord, the second [[Blue Beetle]] (but not Dan Garret or Jaime Reyes).▼
* Also from [[Charlton Comics]], Judomaster and Peacemaker. ▼
== Film ==
* ''[[Kick-Ass]]'': Kick-Ass himself (though not particularly skilled), Hit-Girl and Big Daddy.
* ''[[Super]]'' with Rainn Wilson and ''[[Defendor]]'' were built on the same premise, but got overshadowed by the more mainstream ''[[Kick-Ass]]''.
* The title character of the 2019 film ''[[Valentine: The Dark Avenger]]'' is nothing more than a skilled martial artist in a costume. But then again, she was just supposed to stop a few low-level crooks as part of a viral marketing campaign for the movie she was going to be in...
== Literature ==
== Newspaper Comics ==
▲* [[The Phantom (comic strip)|The Phantom]]. Even his "civilian"
▲* [[The Spirit]]. He [[Enforced Trope|only wore a mask]] [[Executive Meddling|as a concession to the editor]], who felt [[Viewers are Morons|audiences wouldn't buy a crimefighter who didn't wear a costume]].
== Radio ==
* ''[[The Green Hornet]]''▼
* ''[[The Lone Ranger]]''
== Tabletop Games ==
* The "Techno" class in ''Super [[Munchkin (game)|Munchkin]]''.▼
== Video Games ==
* In ''[[City of Heroes]]'', Manticore. Also, any [[Player Character]] can be this if the player so chooses (typically involving taking the Natural origin and powers that are less-obviously super).▼
== Web Original ==
* Brigand of the [[Whateley Universe]]. While considered in-universe to be a supervillain, he's an anti-hero who fights crime by stopping and exposing corporate crime, in his efforts to track down the monsters who long ago forced him to kill his own father.▼
== Western Animation ==
* [[Darkwing Duck (animation)|Darkwing Duck]]
* ''[[The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]]'':
** Winnie-the-Pooh becomes one of these in the [[Show Within a Show]] in the episode "Paw and Order", appearing to fight Nasty Jack and his gang of horse thieves (as in, they're horses) as "the Masked Bear". Eeyore, too, gets a mask as the "faithful steed".
** In "The Masked Offender", Tigger is inspired to try to be one by stories about "the Masked Avenger", though as you can see from the episode title, he doesn't quite get the name right.
* [[Real Life]]: There are about 300 registered superheroes in the United States. Presumaly, they don't have powers.▼
== [[Real Life]] ==
▲* In ''[[City of Heroes]]'', Manticore. Also, any [[Player Character]] can be this if the player so chooses (typically involving taking the Natural origin and powers that are less-obviously super).
▲*
▲* ''[[The Green Hornet]]''
▲* The "Techno" class in ''Super [[Munchkin (game)|Munchkin]]''.
▲* At the end of ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'' {{spoiler|Kotetsu}} decides that he's going to be one of these {{spoiler|once his powers run out completely}}.
▲* Ted Kord, the second [[Blue Beetle]] (but not Dan Garret or Jaime Reyes).
▲* Also from [[Charlton Comics]], Judomaster and Peacemaker.
▲* Brigand of the [[Whateley Universe]]. While considered in-universe to be a supervillain, he's an anti-hero who fights crime by stopping and exposing corporate crime, in his efforts to track down the monsters who long ago forced him to kill his own father.
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Hidden Badass]]
[[Category:Costume Tropes]]
[[Category:
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