After a long, hard day, there are few things better than plopping down on the couch, getting under a blanket, and binging a sitcom while filling your gullet with your favorite treats. The laughs we get from these shows help melt away the stresses of life, even if it is just for a few hours.
In some ways, the characters on a sitcom are heroes. They make viewers laugh. They make viewers feel good. They make viewers see themselves in them, and if they can overcome their problems in 30-minute chunks, then maybe viewers can too. These characters are so close to being superheroes as it is, it isn’t hard to imagine some of them suiting up and fighting evil between the guffaws and pratfalls. Clearly, not every sitcom character could be a superhero, but there are plenty who fit the mold.
10 Leslie Knope Is Like A Happy Batman
Among his many talents, one thing Batman is known for is being prepared for any scenario. In the world of sitcoms, that special ability belongs to Pawnee’s own Leslie Knope. The main character of Parks and Recreation, Knope had plans for everything and had been working since she was a child to bring those plans to reality.
Powered by waffles from JJ’s Diner and the support of her friends, no one can stop Leslie’s drive to make her city a better place, and that’s the kind of thing every superhero needs.
9 Ted Lasso Is The Light That Shows The Way
For a show based on a commercial, the effect Ted Lasso has had on the pop culture landscape is hard to ignore. The series, created by Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Jason Sudeikis—who stars as the titular character—follows the journey of a Kansas college football coach as he moved to England and takes on the coaching responsibilities of an English Premier League team.
What makes Ted Lasso the perfect candidate to be a superhero is his attitude. Ted sees the good in everyone and believes in treating others with respect. He is filled with a sense of hope that rivals even that of Superman.
8 Kramer Pretty Much Lives A Superhero Life As It Is
One of the most famous next-door neighbors in all of television history, Seinfeld‘s Kramer wouldn’t be your average superhero, but he could be one all the same.
With his secret identity—even Jerry didn’t know his real name for years—and ability to find himself in strange situations, Kramer could easily align himself with heroes like Ambush Bug or the Heckler to create a team of heroes who aren’t really good at being heroes but try all the same. The only question that remains is who would be Kramer’s sidekick, Newman or Mickey Abbott?
7 Zack Morris Has Superpowers Already
In theory, Saved by the Bell took place in the real world, but considering that rich preppy boy Zack Morris had the ability to stop time by doing the “time out” hand motion so he could then turn to the viewer and speak to them, there was clearly some weirdness going on that fans were never fully filled in on.
Still, with the power to stop time and break the fourth wall, Zack could be quite the superhero. Add in his wealth and ego, and he pretty much has all the pieces of the average superhero.
6 Andy Taylor Had The Code Of A Hero
Anyone who watched The Andy Griffith Show knows that Andy Taylor was already the hero of his town, and when one looks at his lifestyle, he isn’t that different from Batman.
Andy is a bachelor with a young son and his own personal Alfred Pennyworth: Aunt Bea. He also has a sidekick in Barney Fife. But most interesting is Sherrif Andy’s moral code, which includes not using guns. As Andy explained it, “When a man carries a gun all the time, the respect he thinks he’s getting might really be fear, so I don’t carry a gun, because I don’t want the people of Mayberry to fear a gun. I’d rather they respect me.” Batman may disagree with the respect over fear bit, but the two would be on the same page about guns.
5 The Fonz Has The Powers & The Name
While Richie Cunningham may have started off as the main character of Happy Days, there’s no doubt that Arthur Fonzarelli quickly became the star. With his cool leather jacket and motorcycle and his well-known persona as just “The Fonz,” this icon of 1950s Wisconsin wasn’t just cool, he had superpowers.
The Fonz could fix mechanical devices just by hitting them, and his hair was always perfect. He was the first to jump the shark and made women swoon with a look. And like Superman with kryptonite, Fonz has his own weakness; liver. The sight of the disgusting food would make Fonz lose his cool and his powers.
4 Eleanor Shellstrop Has Something To Make Up For
On The Good Place, Eleanor Shellstrop comes to learn that she has died and gone to Hell, but comes to believe that if she does enough good things, she can clean her slate and go to Heaven. If that isn’t the origin of a superhero, nothing is.
Eleanor and her crew come to learn that no matter how much good they do, it will never be enough, but that doesn’t stop her from actually becoming a better person and, in turn, saving the souls of everyone on Earth and even convinces a demon to become a good person.
3 Phil Dunphy Has The Energy
Sometimes all someone needs to be a superhero is the drive to be a good person and a friendly face. Heroes like Captain America, heroes who believed in doing what they could to make the world a better place before getting powers, often make for the best heroes.
In truth, Phil Dunphy from Modern Family wouldn’t be a great superhero. He would be a good one, but his tendency to crack jokes and not really think things through would be a problem. He would certainly have fit in with Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, and the rest of the Justice League International crew though.
2 Will Smith Has The Origin
A young boy being raised by his single mother in West Philadelphia finds himself sent across the country to live with a wealthy family so he can get a better education and become a better man. This isn’t the origin of any of Batman’s many Robins, but it isn’t that far off from the story of Jason Todd. In this case, it is the story for Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Will’s basic start—street kid who learns to use his street smarts—is the basic start of a lot of sidekicks. Not that Will Smith would be anyone’s sidekick—everyone knows Carlton was his sidekick—but he sure could be a hero.
1 Abed Nadir Already Defeated One Alternate Reality
Considering how much Community dealt with concepts that are more often found in comic books and not on sitcoms, it’s a little shocking that none of the characters got superpowers. If any of the Greendale Seven were to ever get powers, it almost certainly would have been Abed Nadir, the resident pop culture expert and master of all things odd.
It was Abed that first brought the concept of the multiverse to Community, and it was Abed who had to deal with the evil version of himself from the Darkest Timeline in order to save everyone else. Just give him a costume and a codename and Abed would be one of the greatest superheroes in any universe.
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