Rain City Superhero Movement

Last updated
Rain City Superhero Movement
Location
Leader Phoenix Jones (Benjamin Fodor)

The Rain City Superhero Movement was a Seattle-based organization active in the U.S. state of Washington between 2011 and 2014. It was composed of costumed activists who describe themselves as a crime-fighting brigade. [1] Witnesses have reported that the group has intervened in crimes on several occasions, while the police maintained they would prefer that individuals other than sworn officers not place themselves in danger, and act as good witnesses instead. [2]

In July 2011, local police recorded ten citizens patrolling the city of Seattle in superhero costumes, using the names Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, The Mantis, Prodigy, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88, Penelope, and Phoenix Jones. Other members included "Red Dragon", [3] Midnight Jack, Omega, Karma, SkyMan and El Caballero. [4] "Purple Reign" worked mainly on intelligence and advocacy against domestic violence. [5] [6]

The group stopped four people pretending to be law enforcement from robbing a blind man whose pockets they purported to be lawfully searching. [4] Red Dragon notes that the group has also "stopped car-jackings, helped stranded vehicles on the highways, stopped people from driving drunk, chased down and aided in the apprehension of a sex-offender, and even escorted people to their cars late at night". [3] They have dealt with a man making threatening statements while swinging a golf club. [2] On May Day, 2012, El Caballero, Midnight Jack, and Phoenix Jones confronted vandals damaging an old federal courthouse. [7] [8]

On May 29, 2014, Phoenix Jones officially declared that the Rain City Superhero Movement was over. [9] On February 6, 2022, Chris Piers, a member of Phoenix's team called Omega, publicly revealed his identity and reminisced about his experiences and misgivings about his involvement in the "movement" in a video on his YouTube channel, Comic Tropes. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Grey</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Jean Elaine Grey is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1. Jean Grey is a member of a subspecies of humans known as mutants, born with superhuman abilities. She was born with psionic powers. The character has also been known as Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix at various points in her history.

Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the property of The Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics, and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in August 1961 with the launch of The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many others. The Marvel brand, which had been used over the years and decades, was solidified as the company's primary brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider-Man</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He has been featured in comic books, television shows, films, video games, novels, and plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero</span> Type of stock character

A superhero or superheroine is a stock character who typically possesses superpowers or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero; typically using their powers to help the world become a better place, or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime. Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since the 1930s, in American comic books, as well as in Japanese media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Age of Comic Books</span> Mid-1950s to 70s era of comic books

The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to 1970, and was succeeded by the Bronze Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supervillain</span> Variant of the villain character type possessing "supernatural or superhuman powers"

A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character. It is sometimes found in comic books, and may possess superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comic book death</span> Apparent death and subsequent return of a fictional character

In the comic book fan community, the apparent death and subsequent return of a long-running character is often called a comic book death. A comic book death is generally not taken seriously by readers and is rarely permanent or meaningful other than for story or thematic purposes. The term is usually not applied to characters who have the ability to return from the dead as an established power or ability, such as Solomon Grundy or Ra's al Ghul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabra (character)</span> Comics character

Sabra is a female superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #250 in a cameo, before making a full appearance in Incredible Hulk #256. Sabra is the alter ego of the Israeli superheroine Ruth Bat-Seraph. She is a mutant, and serves as an agent to the Israeli secret service known as the Mossad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Jones</span> Comic book superheroine

Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appeared in Alias #1 as part of Marvel's Max, an imprint for more mature content, and was later retroactively established to have first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #4 in the Silver Age of Comic Books as an originally unnamed classmate of Peter Parker, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Within the context of Marvel's shared universe, Jones is a former superhero who becomes the owner of Alias Private Investigations. Bendis envisioned the series as centered on Jessica Drew and only decided to create Jones once he realized that the main character he was writing had a distinct-enough voice and background to differentiate her from Drew, though deciding to still name the character after her on the basis of how "two [people] can have the same first name".

A real-life superhero (RLSH) is a person who dresses up in a superhero costume or mask in order to perform community service such as neighborhood watch, or in some cases vigilantism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noh-Varr</span> Marvel Comics character

Noh-Varr is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist J.G. Jones, the character first appeared in Marvel Boy #1. He later appeared in the Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways and the New Avengers: Illuminati limited series. After his appearance in Secret Invasion, he joined the Dark Avengers. He was a member of the main Avengers team. He was a part of the Young Avengers, West Coast Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy. The character has also been known as Marvel Boy, Captain Marvel, and Protector at various points in his history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superpower (ability)</span> Superhuman ability of a fictional character

A superpower is a special or extraordinary superhuman ability that is greater than what is considered normal. Superpowers are typically displayed in science fiction and fantasy comic books, television programs, video games, and films as the key attribute of a superhero. The concept originated in American comic books and pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s, and has gradually worked its way into other genres and media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero fiction</span> Fiction genre

Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction examining the adventures, personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as supervillains. The genre primarily falls between hard fantasy and soft science fiction in the spectrum of scientific realism. It is most commonly associated with American comic books, though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix Jones</span> American real-life superhero

Phoenix Jones is an American real-life superhero and mixed martial artist. Initially wearing a ski mask to intervene in a public assault, Fodor later developed a full costume and adopted "Phoenix Jones" as a pseudonym. From 2011 until its dissolution in 2014, Jones was the leader of the Rain City Superhero Movement, a Seattle, Washington-based citizen patrol group that described itself as a crime prevention brigade.

Mutual combat, a term commonly used in United States courts, occurs when two individuals intentionally and consensually engage in a fair fight, while not hurting bystanders or damaging property. There have been numerous cases where this concept was successfully used in defense of the accused. In some cases, mutual combat may result in killings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tea Krulos</span> American writer (b. 1978)

Tea Krulos is the pen name of an American author based in Milwaukee, WI. Krulos is known for writing several books, contributing to publications as a freelance journalist and a creator of sequential art pieces and zines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Incredible</span> Fictional character from The Incredibles franchise

Robert "Bob" Parr, also known as Mr. Incredible, is a fictional superhero who appears in Pixar's animated superhero film The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018). He is a superhero who possesses superhuman strength, durability, and stamina. He is married to Helen Parr, also known as Elastigirl, and has three children named Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack. He is voiced by Craig T. Nelson in the films, while in Mr. Incredible and Pals and the video games, he is voiced by Pete Docter, Richard McGonagle and Jeff Bergman. He was created by writer/director, Brad Bird, and is partly based on Bird's father, with Bird stating, "He’s a little bit like my dad, because my dad was a great guy, really funny and smart, and I love him dearly".

References

  1. Fezzani, Nadia (2012-04-26). "The day Phoenix Jones revealed himself to the world | Metro". Metronews.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  2. 1 2 Casey Mcnerthne (2010-11-18). "Police alerted to 'superheroes' patrolling Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  3. 1 2 "Tea with Gill: An Interview With Seattle Crimefighter Red Dragon". The Back Row. 2011-01-24. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  4. 1 2 "VIDEO: Phoenix Jones and crew stop men claiming to be police from robbing a blind man | Inside Belltown - seattlepi.com". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2012-03-15. Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  5. "Phoenix Jones "Real-Life Superhero" Unmasked". ScienceFiction.com. 2011-10-14. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  6. Goldstein, Ken. "Purple Reign interview (video, at 1:27) 7 May 2012". Peter Tangen. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  7. "Seattle's self-proclaimed 'superheroes' help out on May Day". wsbt.com. 2012-05-02. Archived from the original on 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  8. Casey Mcnerthne (2012-05-02). "May Day protests turn violent in downtown Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  9. Waylon Jordan (29 May 2014). "Real-Life Superhero 'Phoenix Jones' Makes a Disturbing Announcement". KEKB FM. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  10. Comic Tropes (2 February 2022). "I Was A Real Life Superhero". YouTube . Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.