Superheroes

:See Superhero for a disambiguation page.
:"Vigilante" redirects here. For the fanfiction archive, see Vigilante (archive).
A superhero is a type of fictional character possessing superpowers who is dedicated to protecting the publicSuperhero on Wikipedia. A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine. 
Such characters typically wear distinctive costumes (though this is not necessarily true, especially in live action formats). The terms costumed crime fighters or masked vigilantes are sometimes used for characters such as Batman and Green Arrow who wear this sort of costume but do not have superpowers. However, they are more commonly also referred to as superheroes. 
Some superheroes use their powers to counter daily crime while also combating threats against humanity from supervillains, who are their criminal counterparts. Often at least one of these supervillains will recur with sufficient frequency to be considered the superhero's archenemy. Some long-running superheroes have a rogues' gallery of many villains. 
Superheroes often have a "secret identity," a civilian persona that they must keep protected from enemies. This may be justified in order to protect their non-powered family and associates from being attacked by their enemies.
Stories and art containing superheroes may be created both in fandoms in which the existence of superheroes is canon and as AUs of canon sources that lack such elements (e.g. Firefly, NCIS).
==History==
Superheroes are most prominently shown in comic books, especially in the Marvel Comics and DC Comics universes, but they have also been shown in films and animated series.
Original Characters that are often added in certain fandoms such as X-Men and Justice League are often superheroes, and are added into fanfiction and fanart along with other types of fanwork.
Some long-running superheroes are Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Hulk, Green Lantern, the Flash, Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, Iron Man, Squirrel Girl, and the X-Men.
==Fandoms with canon superheroes==
Fandoms with superheroes-centric canons include:
* Arrow
* The Avengers
* Batman
* Ben 10
* Blade
* The Boys (TV series)
* Boku no Hero Academia
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer
* The Cape
* Captain America
* Danny Phantom
* Daredevil
* Deadpool
* Fantastic Four
* Gargoyles
* Ghost Rider
* Heroes
* Hulk
* Justice League
* Kick Ass
* Miraculous Ladybug
* The Powerpuff Girls
* Power Rangers
* Professional Wrestling has Jushin Thunder Liger (based on the anime series), Super Nova and UltraMantis (originally a combination of Ultraman and Kamen Rider until he turned Heel and became UltraMantis Black.)
* Runaways
* Sailor Moon
* Smallville
* Spider-Man
* Superman
* Teen Titans
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
* Watchmen
* Wonder Woman
* World Wrestling Entertainment turned Shane Helms into The Hurricane in 2001, who was actually a heel at first as a member of the (WCW/ECW) Alliance. WWE turned Molly Holly into his sidekick Mighty Molly. (While The Hurricane later turned Face, minus the time in 2006 when he dropped the gimmick and returned to his real name of Gregory Helms, Molly dropped the superhero gimmick in 2002 and remained a heel for the rest of her career.) The Hurricane later teamed with Rosey, a 400 lbs. Samoan who was billed as a "Super Hero In Training," and they had a four-month reign as WWE World Tag Team Champions. Helms has used the Hurricane gimmick on and off in the independents ever since.
* X-Men
* Young Justice
==Superhero AU==
Alternate Universe fanworks in which characters whose world does not have superheroes or vigilantism in canon are placed in an a universe where superheroes are part of society. Typically one or more main characters become superheroes. If the characters already have fantastical abilities in their canon, those abilities will likely be the hero's superpower in the AU. If not, the character's superpower in the AU may be based on other skills or traits associated with them.
Romances in which one person is a superhero and the other is a civilian whom they save (in the vein of Clark/Lois) are common. Fanworks about a larger cast may feature characters in a superhero team. Characters, whether or not they are antagonists in canon, may also be cast as Supervillains in the AU. This can be an enemyslash hero/villain relationship.
In fanart a Superhero AU can be an opportunity to imagine superhero uniforms or how superpowers look.
==Example Fanworks==
===Arts===
* I love Superheroes by despop
* Disney Princesses Aurora, Belle, Pocahontas & Snow White as superheroes by willemijn1991
* Movie Superheroes by shomanart
* X-men Evolution OC - Vivian Rosen by mekanomi111
===Fics===
Glee:
* All the Other Ghosts All the Other Ghosts by Rainjoy, Kurt/Blaine, also has its own fandom. (2012+)
The 100:
* situation normal, all fucked up by questionablemorals, Bellamy/Clarke, It would probably be beneficial to the team and national security and her sanity if Clarke stopped thinking about ARK Enemy Number 16's mouth. Especially considering he's a telepath.
Teen Wolf:
* you and me chasing paper by usoverlooked, Scott/Lydia, “I’m Scott McCall,” Scott says, offering his hand over the space between the desks. (Superman fusion)
===Vids===
* I Just Want to be a Superhero (Marvel)
* "With Great Power" - The Epic Superhero Mix
* MARVEL Tribute All Super-heroes
* 21st Century Superheroes
* Everyday Superhero Music Video (remade)
* The New Age of Superheroes
* Holding Out For A Hero: A Superheroes Music Video
* Marvel/DC Superheroes Radioactive
==Archives and Communities==
* Superheroes tagged fanworks at AO3
* Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers
==External Links==
* Superheroes tag at Deviantart
* Superheroes tag at Tumblr
* Superwomen - an defunct resource for superheroines.
* Superhero Muses
==Resources==
* Superhero at Wikipedia
* SuperHero at TV Tropes
==References==
Category:Glossary
Category:DC Comics Fandom Glossary
Category:Marvel Fandom Glossary