Written by: methodshop
on July 27, 2006.

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Somewhere deep inside many ordinary human beings lies an inner superhero who longs to do good deeds, right wrongs, defeat evil and save the world. But unless one happens to become a soldier or cop or firefighter or nurse or ER doctor – or is bitten by a radioactive spider or bombarded by gamma rays – those tights and cape often remain safely tucked away.

Comic-book legend Stan Lee wants to get the spandex out of the closet.

Tonight at 9, Sci Fi Channel premieres “Who Wants to Be a Superhero?” a six-week reality competition series that lets a few fortunate folk create a superhero alter ego – including a name, costume and superpower – then vie for a chance to have it immortalized in a new comic book created by Lee and in a Saturday night action movie on Sci Fi.

After a long stint at Marvel Comics as the man behind “Spider-Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “The Fantastic Four” and “X-Men,” Lee recently founded POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment Inc., with partner Gill Champion. For “Superhero,” POW! has joined forces with Bruce Nash’s Nash Entertainment (“Meet My Folks,” “For Love or Money”).

Anyone who has viewed costumed attendees at comic-book conventions could be forgiven for thinking that these would-be crusaders might have some problem distinguishing fantasy from reality – but Lee begs to differ.

Indulging a fantasy

“I don’t think they really believe” they’re superheroes, he says, “but I think they’d all like to be them. If you could go to these comic conventions and see how many of them come in costumes – it’s just a little fantasy that these fans have.”

“It’s interesting,” Champion says, “many of these contestants have other lives. Most of them have professional backgrounds. They come from diversified backgrounds and run the gamut from firemen to personal trainers to investment bankers.

“But they all have a belief or a fantasy that they and the world can somehow be a little better if they could be acknowledged or their character could be acknowledged as a superhero.”

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