Independent crime-fighters: 10 Marvel superheroes who started as vigilantes, including Blindspot and Kate Bishop

Protecting overlooked communities

Samuel Chung, known as Blindspot, is an undocumented Chinese immigrant and gifted inventor, acrobat and martial artist. He created a battery-powered invisible suit and used it to patrol Chinatown and nearby neighborhoods.

His experiences as an immigrant influenced his approach to heroism: he defended people often overlooked by society. He later met Daredevil, who took him on as a protégé.

Kate Bishop is a skilled archer and hand-to-hand combatant who eventually took up Hawkeye’s mantle. After surviving a violent assault in Central Park, she learned to defend herself and intervened in dangerous situations without official authorization.

Her determination to protect others and leadership helped prepare her for a superhero career. She later became a founding member of the Young Avengers.

Partners against street crime

Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen, known as Cloak and Dagger, gained abilities linked to the Darkforce dimension and psionic energy after being injected with an experimental drug. The two had run away from home before the drug activated their latent powers.

They used their abilities against drug dealers and organized crime, seeking to protect runaways and vulnerable young people. Though they often operated independently and sometimes clashed with established heroes, they have also teamed up with the X-Men and Spider-Man.

From revenge to new beginnings

Returning to New York, Rand initially sought revenge for his parents’ deaths, but let the man responsible go after deciding revenge would not bring peace. Later framed for murder, he became Iron Fist to clear his name and continued as a street-level hero.

Luke Cage, born Carl Lucas, gained bulletproof skin and great strength through an experimental procedure while wrongfully imprisoned. He escaped, swam back to the mainland, changed his name and later opened Hero for Hire because he needed income.