Sometimes, there really are superheroes.

From Nerdvana, Inc.:

Superhero Arrested for Assault

In the early hours of Sunday, October 9th, there was quite a commotion in the streets of Seattle. It’s still unclear as to what really happened (as according to the justice system) but one thing was known for sure, a great man who sought nothing more than to make sure the world is a better place for us all, was placed under arrest for an alleged unprovoked pepper spray attack. That man… Phoenix Jones, one of America’s real life crime fighting vigilantes.

After the arrest, Phoenix only spent around seven hours in jail before getting out on a $3,800 bail. When citizens looked to the roof tops and back alleys, Phoenix was nowhere to be found. Even the commissioner was unable to hail Phoenix using the “Jones Signal.”

It wasn’t until Thursday, October 13th when he was seen again for his court hearing, where Phoenix showed up in court with his mask and court appropriate suit… over his crime fighting gear, just in case he had to make for a quick “Clark Kent to Superman” transformation.

To add insult to injury, during the hearing, a court officer asked Jones to remove his mask, and much against the code of the superhero, he complied. Prosecutors in the case said they hadn’t yet decided whether to file charges against him, leaving Jones a free man for now. Jones exited the courthouse with his mask back on and faced the dozens of reporters outside the courthouse. What happened next, no one could have predicted: Jones lifted his mighty hands, heavy from fighting injustice, to his head, and proceeded to remove that which has carefully concealed his face, protecting his identity and his family from those evil menaces that would seek to do them harm or take revenge… Phoenix Jones revealed to the world, the man behind the Black and Gold mask.

“In addition to being Phoenix Jones,” he said, facing the world as a fellow man rather than the superhuman he is. “I am also Ben Fodor, father and brother. I am just like everybody else. The only difference is that I try to stop crime in my neighborhood and everywhere else.”

Ben Fodor, the man behind the legend, is said to have once lived in a Texas orphanage. Adopted by a Seattle family at age 9, he now works with autistic children. He also is an amateur mixed martial artist, with an 11-0 record so far. This not only makes Fodor a crime fighter, but frankly kind of a badass fighting in MMA. Even when not masked, he’s helping out children with medical conditions. We haven’t even begun to take into account the fact that Fodor hailed from Texas, making him a fellow Texas native, which alone is worth bookoos of awesome.

Before the turn of events that transpired on October 9th, Fodor cited that inspiration behind creating his real-life superhero alter ego as well as his team of crime fighters, the “Rain City Superhero Movement”, was instances such as the death of Kitty Genovese, a New York City woman murdered in 1964 as her cries of help were unanswered by bystanders, and even more personal for Fodor, when his young stepson was injured by broken glass left after a car break-in.

“I got tired of people doing things that are morally questionable,” he told GQ magazine once. “Everyone’s afraid. It just takes one person to say, ‘I’m not afraid.’ And I guess I’m that guy.”

If anything, this whole event has exploded the Phoenix Jones Facebook page, jumping his fan base from the 3000 it was at to now 34,000 and rising! Comments on the page are anywhere from defending Phoenix’s actions on October 9th, to calling him an inspiration, a hero, and to keep on fighting crime. It is clear that there are people who see the truth behind who Phoenix Jones/Ben Fodor really is. A symbol of good.

It doesn’t matter what’s been said about what he’s done, or what’s to come next. Through all this, Ben Fodor, truly is a hero based on the simple fact that he is making a difference in the world. Fodor is a symbol of inspiration for us all to finally stand up and do something good. It doesn’t matter if he is or isn’t a comic book character. It doesn’t matter whether people think he’s a nut job for putting himself in danger. What matters is the message that he brings, and honestly speaking for myself, that’s all I need to know Phoenix Jones is indeed the closest thing we’ll ever get to a true to life superhero.

“I will continue to patrol with my team, probably tonight,” Jones/Fodor declared, “I have to look toward the future and see what I can do to help the city.”