History Main / CostumedNonsuperHero

-> ''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 [[FictionalDocument his autobiography]] ''Under the Hood'', ''ComicBook/{{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 SecretIdentity and a mild-mannered alter ego to keep his private and crimefighting life separate.

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 Non-Super Hero.

If the setting has proper {{superhero}}es or other individuals with powers and the non-super can keep up with them, then the character is a BadassNormal as well. Don't confuse the two tropes, though; BadassNormal is about having no powers but matching those who do, this is about having no powers and wearing a costume. So, for example:

* '''ComicStrip/ThePhantom''' is a '''Costumed Non-Super 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.
* '''[[Literature/TheIliad Ajax]]''' does without powers in a [[GreekMythology setting filled with divine influences]], but obviously isn't a costumed crimefighter, so he's '''Badass Normal''' but '''not''' Costumed Non-Super Hero.
* '''Franchise/{{Batman}}''' is '''both''', working alongside {{Superhero}}es and fighting {{Supervillain}}s.

The character is probably SuperWeight 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 TheCowl.

The actual type of costume varies, but may involve CoolMask, CoatHatMask, BadassLongcoat, SuperheroesWearTights and/or SuperheroesWearCapes. Due to the nature of the trope, tropes about superheroes wearing stuff usually apply here too.

The trope is not about villains, at least not traditional ones (no [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]]), but the character doesn't need to be "genuinely" heroic. As long as someone, even if just the character themselves, sees them as fulfilling the "costumed hero" role, that suffices. An AntiHero or KnightTemplar could qualify.

Contrast with ClothesMakeTheSuperman, where the character ''becomes'' powered when wearing the costume.

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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Franchise/{{Batman}}, and most of his supporting Cast- Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Oracle, Huntress, Orpheus, etc.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', all the costumed crimefighters are ordinary people -- except for Dr. Manhattan, who's on [[PhysicalGod another level altogether]].
* TheQuestion.
* [[PaperinikNewAdventures Superduck/Paperinik]], the costumed hero alter ego of DonaldDuck, 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 SecretIdentity would have huge ramifications for his character.
* ''{{Kick-Ass}}'': Kick-Ass himself (though not particularly skilled), Hit-Girl and Big Daddy.
* ThePunisher
* Ted Kord, the second BlueBeetle (but not Dan Garret or Jaime Reyes).
* Also from CharltonComics, Judomaster and Peacemaker.
* Karate Kid of the ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}''.
* Avenger (formerly the Pink Avenger) from ''Comicbook/GoldDigger'' -- one of the few super-heroes in that [[TheVerse Verse]] who continues to do her thing publicly and in costume instead of joining the [[TheMenInBlack MIB]] organization Agency Zero.
* A lot of the heroes in ''TheTick,'' including Die Fledermaus, American Maid, and Sewer Urchin.
* GreenArrow
* {{Hawkeye}}
* DC's [[SevenSoldiers The Seven Soldiers of Victory]]. (The Original Lineup, none of this Grant Morrison nonsense): Shining Knight, Vigilante, the aforementioned Green Arrow, Speedy, Star-Spangled Kid, STRIPE, and Crimson Avenger. Then they joined the All Star Squadron, with powered heroes like the Flash (Jay Garrick), Superman, and Firebrand II
* Colt from ''ComicBook/{{Femforce}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/{{Super}}'' with Rainn Wilson and ''{{Defendor}}'' were built on the same premise, but got overshadowed by the more mainstream ''Film/KickAss''.
* Most of the ''MysteryMen.''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Franchise/{{Zorro}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/PadreCoraje'' from a {{telenovela}} by the same name: A hooded man in the 1950s Argentina, making justice among the rural workers of the village of La Cruz.
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'' has a variation of this. One of the victims was a teenage amateur comic book writer, having his own AuthorAvatar as the hero. He was found dead in the costume of the hero he created. [[spoiler: The kid died trying to protect an abused woman he had a crush on from her husband. The husband killed the kid, fully aware of the fact that he was dying of cancer]].
* ''Series/BlackScorpion''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Manga and Anime]]
* At the end of ''TigerAndBunny'' [[spoiler:Kotetsu]] decides that he's going to be one of these [[spoiler:once his powers run out completely]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom''. 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.
* ''TheSpirit''. He [[EnforcedTrope only wore a mask]] [[ExecutiveMeddling as a concession to the editor]], who felt [[ViewersAreMorons audiences wouldn't buy a crimefighter who didn't wear a costume]].
* Human-Man, from ''ComicStrip/TomTheDancingBug'', is a superhero with [[http://www.gocomics.com/tomthedancingbug/2008/02/02 human powers]]: "Bipedal locomotion; Functioning nervous system; Opposable thumbs". Human-Man always loses his fights, because he has no powers. Human-Man makes a contrast with God-Man, a superhero who has God powers but is too stupid to use them well.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''Franchise/TheGreenHornet''
* ''TheLoneRanger''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* The "Techno" class in ''Super TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''CityOfHeroes'', Manticore. Also, any PlayerCharacter can be this if the player so chooses (typically involving taking the Natural origin and powers that are less-obviously super).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'': The Iron Sociopath, who fights crime to get to commit more violence. His other job is as a politician.
--> "What's your superpower anyway?"
--> "Knives."
* [[Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja Doctor McNinja]]
* In the ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' [[FillerStrip filler story]] "Stick-Figure Tales of Cotton", parodying the superhero genre, Riff becomes "Science Guy", fighting bad guys with gadgets, although actually he only ever uses the bazooka. In his origin story, which is a parody of Franchise/{{Batman}}'s, his parents get shot and he first becomes "Orphan-Boy", with the proportional speed, strength and dexterity of someone without parents.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* Brigand of the WhateleyUniverse. 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck''
* ''TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'':
** Winnie-the-Pooh becomes one of these in the ShowWithinAShow 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* RealLife: There are about 300 registered superheroes in the United States. Presumably, [[CaptainObvious they don't have powers]].
[[/folder]]

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[[folder]]

[[folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* The "Techno" class in ''Super TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}''.

[[Folder:Comic Books]]

[[AC:Radio]]

* ComicStrip/ThePhantom. 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.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}}

* TheSpirit. He [[EnforcedTrope only wore a mask]] [[ExecutiveMeddling as a concession to the editor]], who felt [[ViewersAreMorons audiences wouldn't buy a crimefighter who didn't wear a costume]].
* Series/PadreCoraje from a {{telenovela}} by the same name: A hooded man in the 1950s Argentina, making justice among the rural workers of the village of La Cruz.

* ''Film/{{Super}}'' with Rainn Wilson and ''{{Defendor}}'' were built on the same premise, but got overshadowed by the more mainstream ''KickAss''.
* WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck
* ''TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'':
** Winnie-the-Pooh becomes one of these in the ShowWithinAShow 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.
* RealLife: There are about 300 registered superheroes in the United States. Presumably, [[CaptainObvious they don't have powers]].
* In ''CityOfHeroes'', Manticore. Also, any PlayerCharacter can be this if the player so chooses (typically involving taking the Natural origin and powers that are less-obviously super).
* ''Franchise/TheGreenHornet''
* The "Techno" class in ''Super TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}''.

* At the end of ''TigerAndBunny'' [[spoiler:Kotetsu]] decides that he's going to be one of these [[spoiler:once his powers run out completely]].

* Brigand of the WhateleyUniverse. 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.
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'' has a variation of this. One of the victims was a teenage amateur comic book writer, having his own AuthorAvatar as the hero. He was found dead in the costume of the hero he created. [[spoiler: The kid died trying to protect an abused woman he had a crush on from her husband. The husband killed the kid, fully aware of the fact that he was dying of cancer]].
* ''SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'': The Iron Sociopath, who fights crime to get to commit more violence. His other job is as a politician.
--> "What's your superpower anyway?"
--> "Knives."
* Most of the ''MysteryMen.''
* Karate Kid of the ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}.
* TheLoneRanger.
* [[Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja Doctor McNinja]]

* Human-Man, from ''ComicStrip/TomTheDancingBug'', is a superhero with [[http://www.gocomics.com/tomthedancingbug/2008/02/02 human powers]]: "Bipedal locomotion; Functioning nervous system; Opposable thumbs". Human-Man always loses his fights, because he has no powers. Human-Man makes a contrast with God-Man, a superhero who has God powers but is too stupid to use them well.
* In the ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' [[FillerStrip filler story]] "Stick-Figure Tales of Cotton", parodying the superhero genre, Riff becomes "Science Guy", fighting bad guys with gadgets, although actually he only ever uses the bazooka. In his origin story, which is a parody of Franchise/{{Batman}}'s, his parents get shot and he first becomes "Orphan-Boy", with the proportional speed, strength and dexterity of someone without parents.

* '''{{Batman}}''' is '''both''', working alongside {{Superhero}}es and fighting {{Supervillain}}s.

* {{Batman}}, and most of his supporting Cast- Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Oracle, Huntress, Orpheus, etc.

* In the ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' [[FillerStrip filler story]] "Stick-Figure Tales of Cotton", parodying the superhero genre, Riff becomes "Science Guy", fighting bad guys with gadgets, although actually he only ever uses the bazooka. In his origin story, which is a parody of {{Batman}}'s, his parents get shot and he first becomes "Orphan-Boy", with the proportional speed, strength and dexterity of someone without parents.

* In the ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' [[FillerStrip filler story]] "Stick-Figure Tales of Cotton", parodying the superhero genre, Riff becomes "Science Guy", fighting bad guys with gadgets, although actually he only ever uses the bazooka. In his origin story, which is a parody of {{Batman}}'s, his parents get shot and he first becomes "Orphan Boy", with the relative speed, strength and stamina of someone without parents.

* In the ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' [[FillerStrip filler story]] "Stick-Figure Tales of Cotton", parodying the superhero genre, Riff becomes "Science Guy", fighting bad guys with gadgets, although actually he only ever uses the bazooka. In his origin story, which is a parody of {{Batman}}'s, his parents get shot and he becomes "Orphan Boy", with the relative speed, strength and stamina of someone without parents.

* DoctorMcNinja

* Series/PadreCoraje: A hooded man in the 1950s Argentina, making justice among the rural workers of the village of La Cruz

* In ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', all the costumed crimefighters are ordinary people -- except for Dr. Manhattan, who's on [[PhysicalGod another]] [[FightingAShadow level]] [[DidYouJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu altogether]].