History Main / HerosFirstRescue

* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsKamalaKhan Kamala Khan]] got her polymorph powers after encountering some [[AppliedPhlebotinum Terrigen Mist]] while walking home from a WildTeenParty. After she awakens to her new abilities, she overhears the party's very drunk hosts, Zoe Zimmer and Josh Richardson. Josh thoughtlessly pushes Zoe off the dock, and Kamala springs into action to save her life. The rescue causes Kamala to realize that she's [[GoodFeelsGood thrilled to help people]], and starts on her path to becoming a superhero.

* Manga/{{Doraemon}} once gives Nobita Comicbook/SpiderMan-like powers. Cue a lady trapped in a burning building.

* Happens in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' when Daniel Dreiberg and Laurie Juspeczyk first don their costumes - Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II - after several years of not wearing them. Almost as soon as they do, they hear of a burning apartment building and take Dan's Owlship (Archie) out to rescue them.

* In a ''ComicBook/CaptainAtom'' Christmas story, the Captain, newly resigned from the military where he was ordered to be a [[TheMole Mole]] in the ComicBook/JusticeLeague, finds out about a burning warehouse full of homeless people. He intervenes to save the day and finds that he [[GoodFeelsGood likes being a superhero for its own sake]] and resolves to continue as such on his own.
* Used in a variation in ''ComicBook/BoosterGold'', in which Booster pulls out a elevator car full of people from a burning building and because of the smoke no one can see who he is and everyone is wondering who had saved them. The decision is that Booster consciously decided not to go down and let them know who had saved them, without being guilted into it. A change from the beginning of the series.

* In ''ComicBook/AllFallDown'', Siphon performs one of these in the course of her duties... [[spoiler:moments before she's arrested for Super-Manslaughter.]]
* Subversion in ''ComicBook/NoHero''. The newest member of the Front Line, Joshua Carver, prevents a disabled plane from crashing into a building... [[spoiler: then a couple of his fellow supers show up and let him know they [[EngineeredHeroics killed the pilots and hurled the plane into the building so he'd have something to earn good publicity with.]]]]
* ComicBook/MilesMorales has only had his powers for a couple of days when he rescues a young girl and her puppy from a burning building...after which he freaks out, throws up, and declares he's going to leave superheroics to the actual Spider-Man. Of course, it doesn't last.
* Kamala Khan, otherwise known as [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]], got her polymorph powers after encountering some [[AppliedPhlebotinum Terrigen Mist]] while walking home from a WildTeenParty. After she awakens to her new abilities, she overhears the party's very drunk hosts, Zoe Zimmer and Josh Richardson. Josh thoughtlessly pushes Zoe off the dock, and Kamala springs into action to save her life. The rescue causes Kamala to realize that she's [[GoodFeelsGood thrilled to help people]], and starts on her path to becoming a superhero.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' begins a few months into Peter's superhero career, though so far he's mostly just stopped robberies; in the first episode he notes that Comicbook/NormanOsborn, currently being hunted by the Vulture, is the first "damsel" that he's rescued.

* Set up by the BigBad in ''Film/UpUpAndAway'' to capture a superhero. In fact, he uses his WellIntentionedExtremist partner as a DistressedDamsel (against her will). This happens on Scott's 14th birthday, when a bunch of superheroes gather at the Marshalls' to celebrate not only the event but also Scott becoming a superhero. Except it's all a ruse by Scott, who is a MuggleBornOfMages and is afraid to disappoint everyone (the only one who knows is his grandfather, who sees right through the ruse). So when they see the report about a woman trapped in a burning building, one of their friends suggests that Scott make this his first rescue. Since Scott doesn't really have powers, he rides his bicycle to the site, runs past the cops and the firemen, and nearly dies along with the girl. His father flies in just in time to rescue them both after finding out the truth from his own father.

** As of "Ayla and the Mad Scientist", this appears to be the backstory for Bladedancer's new roommate [=THE CRIMSON COMET!!!=], who upon getting superpowers, put together her own costume, and at the first opportunity flew downtown to rescue hostages in a bank. She got yelled at enough by the police and her parents that she ended up at SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': In the movie, their first rescue was that of a baby during the reign of monkeys.

* When [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake]] first approached ComicBook/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} about Bats requiring a partner to balance out his destructive tendencies in the wake of [[ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily Jason Todd's death]] he had no intention or desire to put on the Robin suit himself and was planning on returning to his civilian life after convincing Bruce and Dick to reconcile. It was only when a desperate Alfred sent him to rescue Batman and Nightwing from the collapsed building ComicBook/TwoFace had trapped them in and gave him some of Jason's old Robin gear for protection that the idea of becoming Robin himself formulated for him.

* The comedy film ''Hero At Large'' features a burning building rescue at the climax, but a robbery earlier in the film is the Burning Building Rescue.

* The first episode of Webcomic/OnePunchMan shows a flashback to Saitama's: while walking home from a failed job interview, he first encountered a monstrous crab-man who was looking to kill a child who drew on his chest, and then the child himself. Despite being a normal person with no powers, Saitama is unable to walk away and let the kid die. So he challenges the crab-man and proceeds to [[CruelAndUnusualDeath rip its guts out of its eye socket with a necktie]]. That lights a fire in Saitama, and he subjects himself to three years of TrainingFromHell until he's become the strongest being in the universe. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And he goes bald.]]