Who Wants to Be a Superhero?

If you're turned off by the backbiting and Macchiavellian manipulation on such shows as Survivor or Big Brother, but the idea of a group of people competing for a big prize appeals to you, then you really should try this program. Hosted by comic book legend Stan Lee, this show challenges people to behave like superheroes.

Of course, there's much more to "behaving like superheroes" than dressing up in a colorful spandex costume and going into death-defying missions to save the day. That part just makes the contest fun. The tasks presented actually challenge the contestants, and in turn us in the audience, to be better people: courageous, kind, honest, helpful, attentive, friendly, cooperative, decisive, and willing to face our fears and become community leaders. Contestants actually score points (so to speak) for helping each other to perform better! Nearly every episode I've seen thus far has had some little lesson I could apply in my own life to make myself a better person.

Whatever "cheese" the show has, whether you consider it fun or not, that is what good drama, whether scripted or true-life, really should be about.

And I know that I'll be the only one... but this is from my favorite Comic Book writer (Stan Lee) and is an interesting show to watch... even after the Premiere! Fat Momma cracks me up, Cell Phone Girl scares me, and all the other heroes in training have something about them that makes you love them. The only problem I have with this is that some of the heroes are actors or actresses... so they have already been on TV... they should have gone with the American Idol approach and made it average people that you can find on the streets. In conclusion, I love this show and hopes it gets more a few more seasons. If you appreciate Stan Lee's work and have 6 free weeks, watch this show and you will be pleasantly surprised. I am disappointed that the third place finisher got eliminated though...

The only thing that keeps me from giving this show a ten is the fact that some of the contestants on the show are already actors. I think the chosen contestants should have been pure comic book geeks who really wanted to be a superhero and featured in a comic book, not just actors looking for a gig. I do love the show though, and it's great entertainment! The challenges are appropriate to the show's format, and I think it's cute how the "contestants" rarely break character. It also gives that superhero "feel" that Stan Lee never appears in person, just on a television screen. I also like the interesting plot twists and surprises I've seen so far!

Having seen only the premier, the missus and I watched this for a laugh. And laugh we did, the first 30 minutes were hilarious. Then after a while, it takes a turn toward your typical annoying reality show format: post-interviews, dramatic music, and pretentious, pompous elimination ceremonies. Don't forget the ridiculous 'reaction closeups' Yawn. who CARES. Thank goodness I have a DVR and a fast forward button.

Just show me Stan Lee having the time of his life, and those doofuses changing into & running around in public in those silly costumes. That is what we want. Come on, admit it. Isn't everyone getting just a LITTLE tired of these so-called 'reality' show's oh-so predictable format? Don't try tp make this one into something serious, it defeats the point.

I will say that Big Momma displays the most guts and heart out of all. She and the unabashed flamboyant style of Major Victory are the two to bet on so far. They *seem* to be just good people to the core. They are worth watching too just for sheer entertainment value. The rest, eh who cares. Iron Enforcer has about as much personality as well...a piece of, you-know-what, and should have been eliminated in the premier. His only staying power is that he LOOKS like a superhero, so far he's been acting like anything but. I can't say for sure if I'll stay with the series, but the premier was a diverting novelty for an evening.

I remember watching "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" two years back on the Sci-Fi Channel and thinking that this show was like reality television for comic book geeks, and therefore was a sure-fire way to get comic book geeks into the reality television market.

I'm proud to say that this show didn't get me into the reality TV craze, despite the fact that I'm one of those comic book geeks it's supposed to appeal to. (I'm an avid reader of Spider-Man and X-Men, both published by Marvel Comics, just to show you where I'm coming from.)

Basically, a group of wannabe superheroes get a chance to become immortalized in a comic book written by master comic book publisher Stan Lee (co-creator of my favorite superhero Spider-Man and the X-Men, among many others) himself and published by Dark Horse Comics, and a Sci-Fi Channel original movie based on their character. Lee is also the one presiding over the festivities.

The main problem with "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" is the fact that to me, the "wannabe superhero" theme is just a gimmick that doesn't really add anything new to a tried-and-true genre that wore out its welcome a long time ago. Don't get me wrong, if I had a chance to have a superhero creation of my own immortalized in a comic book written by my personal favorite comic book publisher-hero Stan Lee, I would in a heartbeat, I really, really would - that's how big a fan I am of "The Man" and the medium.

Some of the "heroes" on this show are pretty colorful and interesting characters with some pretty imaginative origin stories, don't get me wrong, but unfortunately a lot of the supposed originality that this show has so much potential to unleash gets lost in the reality TV show antics that are so worn-out and tired.

Overall, it's not a bad show but I wish it just wouldn't fall to prey so easily to the usual reality television antics.

6/10