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Old 04-03-2010, 04:54 AM
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Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
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It's fairly easy to run into the "a superhero has superpowers" trap, but there are a number of dogooders that have no powers, but still get the title. Batman (and most of his associated characters), Hawkeye (and Green Arrow and associated archers), The Question, and so forth.

Here's a sample definition that I'm just now inventing off the top of my head:

"A superhero is a person who uses their talents and gifts (whether natural or artificial) to fight crime and injustice wherever it occurs, usually using an alias (a costumed persona) in order to protect those close to them."

By this definition James Bond is not a superhero. He's an agent of his government. He doesn't fight "injustice", he fights threats to his nation's security.

Along these lines, agents for hire are not "superheroes." Also note "fight crime and injustice," not "fight enemies to a particular government or organization."
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