Xmen First Class... and Mister Xman1... is there any connection between the two? No, I am sorry to say that this humble little old entrepreneur has nothing to do with the Xmen comics, the Xmen movies or their franchise. However, I've seen all the Xmen movies and I like them for the most part.
I didn't have a lot of money growing up, so I didn't get a chance to read a lot of comics.
Why do you dress like a superhero Mister Xman? Are you a Superhero? Why the name "Mister Xman" if you're not one of the Xmen? Those are all very fair questions. First of all, I think the Xmen are cool, but they are fictional. I am a very real person.
I'm not a mutant. I don't come from another planet, and I don't have any super powers...AT LEAST, NOT YET. I say "not yet" because I think that super powers ( on some level ) are actually possible. I just think that a person who develops actual super powers will need to spend a lot of money to develop those super powers.
I have been using disguises for over 30 years now. The original intent was not to be some kind of superhero, but rather to protect my privacy as an entertainer. Years ago, I was a struggling entertainer. People used to stop me in the street and ask me " Hey aren't you the guy who... " several times a day. Some days it was hard to go from point A to point B without getting stopped several times. I often found myself in awkward, uncomfortable situations.
I knew that things had gotten out of control when this young lady started stalking me. She eventually started showing up at my job. There was nothing I could say to get her to leave me alone, so I quit my job. I stopped performing locally, and once in a while I went out of town to perform. Only this time, I wore a disguise and used a pseudonym.
That was how it started. If you read some of my earlier blogs, you will find out, I never started out trying to become a superhero. All my life I have been in pretty decent shape, I liked martial arts and I was a pretty good runner. One of the places where I lived had a problem with purse snatchers.
If I saw someone grab a ladies purse... that made my blood boil. What a rotten thing to do to somebody. So I always ran after the guy. I got purses back because I could always out run the purse snatcher. Usually the guy was so tired by the time I caught up with him... it was very easy to snatch the purse right back.
Are these guys dangerous? Well most of them never put up a fight, they were just tired and wanted to get away. I have only had one guy try to fake me out with some half hearted martial arts stance, but I ignored him and took the purse anyway.
I did not slid down a Bat pole before I started chasing this guy, nor did I feel it necessary to change into a costume before I ran after him. I just saw a person have their whole life ripped from their arms in an instant and it seemed so unfair... and I just couldn't let it happen.
I didn't think I had done anything that was particularly heroic. I just thought I was doing the right thing. All my life I just helped people when I could. I was sure there were lots of people around the country who did the same stuff. I'm sure they did it just because someone needed their help. That's the way it should be.
So the whole idea of dressing up in a costume to patrol the streets, then calling myself a superhero was a foreign concept to me. A couple of years ago, I began to hear stories of people who were doing exactly that. Although, I found these stories interesting... I distanced myself from anything associated with the Real Life Superhero movement.
The reason being... I am ex-military, which means I am used to order, structure and a set of rules that people follow to the letter. It gives me a sense of comfort to know that my team mate who is working along side me is professionally trained and I can count on him or her when my back is against the wall.
I thought about what might happen if a bunch of half cocked untrained civilians from all over the place start engaging in vigilante activities. I did not want to be part of group where there were a hundred different interpretations of how a superhero should conduct himself.
I smelled disaster in the making. So I steered clear. Eventually, I started learning more about Real Life Superheroes... on you tube... the television news... news papers... and the Kick *$$ movie. As far as my personal life goes, I was already doing EVERYTHING that Real Life Superheroes do. I helped people. I did lots of charity work. I even looked like a Superhero.
Crossing over to the Real life Superhero movement was a process for me. Unlike my fictional comic book counterparts, I don't use my disguise the same way Batman or Superman use their disguise. If people find out that Bruce Wane or Clark Kent is a superhero, it ruins their life. Me... I just want some measure of control over my interaction with the public. All the people at work know my alternate identity.
I just want to keep things down to a dull roar. I want to regulate how much of my life I share with people. I feel like I should be entitled to privacy when I'm not in the public eye. Sometimes I go to work like an ordinary person. Then all day long I hear... Mister Xman yada yada... Mister Xman this... Mister Xman that... MisterXman bla bla bla......... all day long!
I can't get them to stop, no matter what I say. I don't come to work dressed as Mister Xman. I don't talk about Mister Xman at work and I just try to do a good job. So one day I confronted one of the guys who kept saying Mister Xman all day long. Let's just call him Harold.
Look Harold, there is no Mister Xman here. I'm just a person. I am just an entertainer, not a superhero. He said, No, you are a superhero,. You are MY SUPERHERO. Well all rightly then... how do you argue with that? Eventually I joined Real Life Superheroes .org. I am still not a hundred percent comfortable using the title "SUPERHERO" yet. So I call myself a Superhero Advisor.
That's right Superhero Advisor. I figured this is one of the ways I can address some of my concerns regarding the Real Life Superhero movement. Now I can do it as a member of the organization, not some nosey outsider.
I've done lots of charity work, I have rescued kittens, performed CPR in a live situation, chased knife welding murderers... purse snatchers, broke up fights where weapons were involved and that's just the stuff I can remember. I was also in the military for a number of years. I even did some time as a military cop.
Who better to come along side Real Life Superheroes and give them advice that will keep them on the straight and narrow?. Good advice that will keep them out of trouble. For example... If you happen to get into some kind of Adam West Wham... Bam ... Slam tuffle with some bad guy, and you hit him in the shin with a knight stick... There is a possibility you could get in trouble yourself. As a military cop, I was only authorised to hit the back of the calf with my night stick.
I doubt if most people know that.
( Even with my background, I go out of my way to tell people CALL 911 FIRST. Of course, I realize this is not always possible. )
I've only been in the Real Life superhero ranks for a few days now. However, I hope to make some positive contributions to the cause. I hope to grow to the point where I will be comfortable enough to call myself a superhero. Even more than that, I want to help to create the next level Real Life Superhero.
I can't wait to see the movie, and In the end, I hope no one will get the impression that I am trying muscle in on the Xman First Class. Although, I totally agree... they ARE first Class all the way, they're just not real. I want to be just as classy... only...I want to do it in real life.
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