Archive · 6 Sep 2026
Real-Life Superheroes Tackle Fires, Flooding and Community Problems
Some people dress like superheroes while helping others in real life.
In Indonesia, 17-year-old Rudiyansah wore a Superman costume while helping professionals fight forest fires.
The country’s forest minister called him a forest hero.
In India, Shadab Momin dresses as Spider-Man to draw attention to flooded roads and potholes in Mumbai.
He also makes videos showing these problems.
Dushyant Dubey, called the Batman of Bengaluru, helps people seek legal assistance and contact authorities.
He left his corporate job and started an NGO after many people asked for his help.
Similar costumed helpers have worked in cities across the United States and Asia.
The article says these figures show how people use familiar heroes to encourage community action, even though the results are often limited.
Seventeen-year-old Rudiyansah helped professionals fight forest fires in Indonesia while dressed as Superman.
Real-life superhero groups have operated in the United States and Asia, performing community service and outreach.
Mumbai’s Shadab Momin uses a Spider-Man costume to highlight flooding, potholes and other local problems.
Bengaluru’s Dushyant Dubey, known as Batman, helps residents pursue legal remedies and address crime and harassment.
The trend reflects hero worship and popular superhero imagery, but activists acknowledge that their practical impact remains limited.
- Who
- Real-life volunteers and activists including Rudiyansah, Shadab Momin and Dushyant Dubey.
- What
- People are using superhero costumes and identities to fight fires, highlight civic problems and help communities.
- When
- The article discusses recent activity, including Rudiyansah’s forest-fire efforts and initiatives active over the past several years.
- Where
- Indonesia, India and cities across the United States and Asia.
- Why
- They aim to help people, draw attention to problems and make communities safer or better.
Community Action
Institutional Limits
Can costumed activism help?
Community Action
Visible actions can draw attention to neglected problems, encourage people to help and sometimes lead to improvements such as pothole repairs.
Institutional Limits
Momin says only about 10 percent of the problems he addresses change, while flooding and other hazards continue.
Why use superhero identities?
Community Action
Familiar characters such as Spider-Man and Superman make civic messages accessible and can inspire people to act.
Institutional Limits
The repeated use of a small number of superhero characters may show limited imagination and can emphasize symbolism over lasting solutions.
- Indonesian volunteer
- Rudiyansah, 17, helped fight forest fires in Palangkaraya while wearing a Superman costume.
- Forest minister’s description
- Indonesia’s forest minister called Rudiyansah a “forest hero.”
- Mumbai activist
- Shadab Momin has performed Spider-Man-themed community work for about two years.
- Problems highlighted
- Momin’s videos focus on flooding, potholes and unsafe conditions during heavy rain.
- Bengaluru activist
- Dushyant Dubey is known as the Batman of Bengaluru and runs the Broseph Foundation.
- NGO founding
- Dubey quit his corporate job in 2023 after his volunteer work expanded.
- Reported impact
- Momin estimates that only about 10 percent of the problems he addresses are resolved.