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.

Well the first time I saw this my first thought was... "Oh god no...". But as I watched it, it slowly became quite enjoyable. Even though I do feel like Stan's philosophies are a tad outdated and his idea of what a superhero is can get a bit one-dimensional, his challenges on the show do seem to bring out the best and worst qualities in the contestants. I really liked a lot of the twists and elimination results as the show progressed. The challenges too were original and entertaining. I found Stan's performance as a paternalistic guiding host very enjoyable. The contestants too just seem like really nice and entertaining people (although some of them are a bit dorky, or obviously trying to score some acting points on their resumes, and half of them probably wouldn't make the cut for narcissistic reality shows like A. Idol or Real World). I think the only part I didn't like (aside from the corniness, bad music, "reality" acting, and weirdness of the cast.) about the show was the costume remake. Sci-fi should have spent a bit more money on those costumes. It really says something that some of the originals looked better than what was given to them on the show. It gives the production values a real blow when you can't even afford a decent costume designer.

Don't get me wrong though I liked the show, saw most of it in one night when Sci-Fi aired a bunch of episodes straight. (um... don't ask me why I was watching sci-fi... I um... was channel surfing)

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...

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

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!