We have all seen our favourite superheroes in action, suiting up and fighting crime in style. We recognize them by their emblems and their bad-ass personas. But little do we know these superheroes also have day jobs. After all being a hero doesn’t really pay rent. Today we will look past the glitz and glam of being a hero and take a look at who they are when they’re not wearing their suits. You will be quite amazed when you hear about some of the jobs they do.

1. Actor

What if the craziness of being a hero wasn’t enough? What if you also needed the added glamour of being a Hollywood star? Well, we know what life would look like then. Simon Williams otherwise known as Wonder Man is one such hero who has also had a decently successful acting career. Wonder Man starts out as a struggling artist like anyone else, taking on small roles for the big screen. This was until Hercules used his connections to Hollywood insiders and established Wonder Man’s career. He eventually goes on to star in Tony Stark, Arkon, Haxan 2, Oh, Rebecca, Dead Before Arrival and Toxic Janitor 2.

2. Cook

The Netflix series Daredevil cemented Matt Murdock as a lawyer but what fans of the show don’t know is that he was once a cook. During Daredevil: Born Again, Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin found out Daredevil’s identity to be Matt Murdock and systematically ruined his life. From getting disbarred, losing his bank account and assets to being on the run from Kingpin’s goons, Matt Murdock had nothing. He had to find a different, more low-key job which would allow him to sustain himself. That’s when he became a diner chef. After all, with his dialed up senses, none of us are really surprised.

3. Psychiatrist 

It would be pretty unrealistic to not have a psychiatrist in the Marvel Universe. The deaths all around them and the pressure of saving every single person must come with a heavy toll. Then there’s the guilt that follows. Plus they also have to deal with the loss of their close friends and colleagues who are out there saving the world too. One such superhero who’s also a psychiatrist is Doc Samson. He has both an M.D. and a PhD. He turned into a superhero due to exposure to gamma radiation.

4. Wrestler 

Ben Grimm aka The Thing, the muscle of the fantastic four, wasn’t just a test pilot and astronaut. He also had a side hustle as a wrestler after taking on his huge, orange, mutant form. He worked as a super strong wrestler for the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. He has earned the title of the greatest wrestler of all time and has even defeated Gavin “Gator” Grant who, as the name suggests, turned into an alligator.

5. Barista 

Benjamin Reilly aka the Scarlet Spider was a genetic clone of Peter Parker. After Peter traded his life as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man for something more quieter, Ben took over the role. During his stint as the blonde Spider-Man Ben worked as a barista in a coffee house called the Daily Grind, owned by Shirley Washington. With his Spidey reflexes I’m sure he does a great job.

6. Stunt cyclist 

I’m sure you already know who we’re talking about. Johnny Blaze aka Ghost rider was a stunt cyclist before he became a skeleton with a flaming head. Both equally cool professions if you ask me. After losing his father in a stunt accident and getting adopted by Crash and Mona Simpson, he joined the Simpson’s travelling stunt show. Johnny eventually traded his soul for Crash’s life, to cure his cancer.

7. DJ

We are all familiar with Scott Summers aka Cyclops, the mutant who blasts destructive laser beams from his eyes. We mostly know about his history as the leader of the X-Men, rivalry with Wolverine and his iconic romance with Jean Grey. He is a brave and selfless mutant who takes his job very seriously and is a reserved introverted character. So you can only imagine how surprised I was when I learnt that he was a DJ for a brief period of time. When the FBI broke up the X-Men, they were all forced to find day jobs. Funnily enough, Cyclops, the no nonsense guy became a DJ, quite contrary to what is expected.

8. Acrobat

Son of Mystique and Azazel, Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler had a rough childhood. Abandoned by both birth parents, he was raised by a witch and had two adoptive siblings. He worked as a trapeze artist in Herr Getmann’s Traveling Menagerie, a circus of so called freaks that went around Europe performing for crowds. The devilish looking blue monster fit right in. However, don’t be fooled by his yellow eyes and pointed tail. In reality he is one of the kindest and sweetest souls in the X-Men Universe.

9. Cab Driver

A cab driver has his ears to the street, picking up chatter from everywhere. Its the ideal undercover job when you need to have connections in the underworld. A cab driver can go unnoticed while picking up on conversations. I’m sure we have all let down our guards and blabbed during many cab rides. Jake Lockley, one of Moon Knight’s alter egos, has the same idea.

10. Photographer 

We are no strangers to Spider-Man and who better to top off the list. Peter Parker worked as a photographer for The Daily Bugle for several years. Its head J Jonah Jameson was out to persecute the masked “menace” who was roaming the streets of Queens. Thus, Peter Parker fueled his mission by supplying him with pictures of Spider-Man in action.

This pretty much rounds off the interesting day jobs that some of the superheroes have. There’s the obvious ones such as scientist, physicist (Bruce Banner), lawyer (Matt Murdock, She-Hulk), mercenary (Deadpool, The Punisher), Private Investigator (Jessica Jones), spy (Natasha Romanoff), journalist (Venom), teacher (Professor X) and many others. Some of them live very colorful lives even without their suits, while the others keep a low profile and live in the shadows. Someone you know could also be a superhero in disguise!