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Tea with Alice and the Cheshire Cat Special Guest Star: Spring-heeled Jack, a folkloric villain reported in actual newspapers as having strange powers and who later became a hero in serials. Spring-heeled Jack (1837) was an urban legend who developed into a superhero. At first people claimed to have seen him and he was reported in the newspapers starting in 1837. According to wiki, people said he had a "terrifying and frightful appearance, with diabolical physiognomy, clawed hands, and eyes that "resembled red balls of fire". One report claimed that, beneath a black cloak, he wore a helmet and a tight-fitting white garment like an oilskin. Many stories also mention a "devil-like" aspect. Others said he was tall and thin, with the appearance of a gentleman. Several reports mention that he could breathe out blue and white flames and that he wore sharp metallic claws at his fingertips. At least two people claimed that he was able to speak comprehensible English." "Several witnesses claimed that he escaped by jumping over a 9 ft (2.7 m) high wall while cackling with a high-pitched, ringing laughter." He was last reported in 1904 in Liverpool. He was seen as a villain causing young people to swoon, be terrifiied or go insane and become a burden on their families. A few reports of attempted sexual harassment or assault. Parents used him as a bogeyman to threaten children into good behavior or he will leap up and carry them away. Penny dreadfuls (a kind of very cheap serials popular at the time) started featuring stories about him. A few plays featured Jack as well. Over time the serial stories changed him from a villain to a costumed hero to protect the innocence and avenge wrongs. This plus his ability to make giant leaps with his special boots made him a precursor to the modern comic book hero. It may also be one of the first morphing of a villain into a hero. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring-heeled_Jack

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