Interview With Real Life Superhero Red Voltage

Interview done by Michael Wilkerson

MW: Please introduce yourself?

RV: I am Red Voltage and I lead a group of Real life superheroes out of Salt Lake City called The Black Monday Society. We have been called the X-men of the real life superhero community, me getting compared to Cyclops as team lead, but we are much darker than that. With dark personas, dressed up in creepy and or villainous looking garb our look alone diffuses most situations. I joined the group in 2009, and the BMS started back in 2006.

MW: How did Red Voltage come about?

RV: Red Voltage the name comes from an odd place, I always like the superheroes who have their own mobile, like the bat mobile, or the bat pod. Stuff like that; I drive a red dodge charger and thought that red charger/red voltage worked nicely. In the beginning I normally went out with my stun baton which emits massive volts, not anymore, but that was also a contributor to the name. My first patrol was back in 2009 with Professor Midnight and the now retired Locust/Darkowl. This movement is something I feel fulfilled doing, and I feel is a calling in my life. I am in it for the love of justice and inspirational efforts. Who knows, if we all did something instead of sitting on our butts and being apathetic, and criticizing others for at least doing something positive , if we all did something, the world would be a much better place and people would be able to rely on one another in tough times.

MW: Tell me all about Red Voltage?

RV: Red Voltage is my superhero persona, but my every day life encompasses the same life beliefs in helping one another. Red Voltage is in an extravagant suit so that citizens in need and criminals alike know that this is the real deal. After all you show up in a superhero looking suit, its going to be a lot more memorable and stick in your brain, maybe just maybe enough to inspire others, that there are still good people in the world.

MW: Where do you fight crime?

RV: Salt Lake City, Utah is our citywide diffuse criminal efforts; I want to be clear we are not vigilantes.

MW: Tell me about one of your times fighting crime?

RV: We really only had one close call. It was a night when we were only 2 men. Professor Midnight and I were walking down Main Street close to the trax station and we were about to cross the road when we heard some commotion. There was a fight between at least 5 guys, after a moment of gauging the situation, a bystander asked the “Superheroes” to help. Midnight ran towards the fight and the guy who started the fight took off on his weapon…his skate board headed towards the alleyway close by. I chased him down the alleyway, Midnight followed. The guy was hiding behind the dumpster and came out to talk with us, after deciding that we weren’t going to perform a citizens arrest because of his story. We let him go and went back to the site of the fight, where the police had arrived. We walked up and greeted the police they all shook our hands, thanked us for our help and we interviewed a few of the others guys in the fight. I know that some of the other BMS guys like Insignis and Ghost have been through some fights and things since their days back in 2006 as well, I don’t know any stories off the top of my head.

MW: What does it mean to be a Real Life Superhero?

RV: It means that you have vowed to do something to help others, anyone helping others in my opinion is a superhero in someone else’s eyes.

MW: Do you feel the world needs more superheroes?

RV: We have a lot as of now, but the numbers of those who are actually out there and not just talking themselves up, is up in the air. The more the merrier, if every person did one thing in the world, it would take the most positive turn.

MW: What other superheroes do you know?

RV: Everyone in the community, I have at least spoken to once, this community constantly changes, but luckily we have social media.

MW: Tell me about a day in your life?

RV: Its pretty normal I work in a high stress environment, have a great family who supports my efforts and other people who care about me. I live my life on a day by day basis, I kind of have to, but I have passions outside the real life superhero community, it really is kinda a day and night type of thing.

MW: Did you make your superhero suit yourself?

RV: I worked with Insignis on my mask, I made it out of ABS. the Suit was entirely designed by me and my body suit was created by a seamstress that works with the BMS.

MW: What would you like to say in closing?

RV: Lets all change the world for better. Love not hate. You aint seen nothing yet, Red Voltage “Electrifying for Good”