Nashville's "Citizen Hero" Shadow Patriot Aims to Keep the City Safe

Fresh off the news that an inventor in the UK has developed a "real-life" Iron Man suit of sorts (body-controlled, jet-engine-powered, wind-guided suit that can reach speeds higher than 85 miles per hour) another new hero is making headlines. Nashville's News Channel 5 has all the details on the "Shadow Patriot," a self described "citizen hero" keeping the home of ComicBook.com safe while looking after those less fortunate throughout the city. The station followed the man around the city for the better part of a day and night, documenting his escapades which you can watch in the player above.

"Nashville in day time, it's a fun place to be," the Shadow Patriot said. "It's family, its history, its really incredible buildings, its communities and it's all types of people, that's the Nashville that I see. As the sun goes down, all those things take on a greyer tone and become sometimes bad, sometimes dangerous, there are problems and that's where the Shadow Patriot comes in."

When asked by a passerby if he was like Captain America, Shadow Patriot confirmed that Steve Rogers is fictional and that he (the Shadow Patriot) is real. The citizen hero went on to describe his creed for doing what he does, four simple words: "Serve, Protect, Inform, Inspire."

"I'm a citizen patriot that patrols the streets of Nashville at night, during the day I promote America," he said. "Part of being American is protecting your neighborhood, so that's when the patrols started. Basically they're just an extended version fo the neighborhood watch. I walk the street, I keep my eyes open. Most people are ignorant of their surroundings and not know who's behind them."

The Shadow Patriot, who did not disclose his identity and said only three or four individuals know his secret, said he always suspected from a young age he would partake in something like this.

"In 2014 that's when I decided to take it all the way, to take upon myself the hero ideal. I'm going to be a citizen hero....I'm not a guy trying to emulate a comic book character. I don't want to call myself a superhero because I don't have super powers. I'm no faster than you, I'm no stronger than you, I don't have radioactive blood, I'm just a regular guy. I stay anonymous. Anonymity is the first line of defense.'

Though the idea of The Shadow Patriot might seem silly to some, the later part of the exposé shows the compassionate and caring side of the citizen hero as he approaches and aids the homeless population of the city, handing out soap, clothing, and other needs they might have. He goes on to meet others he's helped before, even one with a success story about no longer being on the street.

"If that's all I could do, just promote America and make people happy about being Americans I have achieved my goal," the hero concluded. "I can't imagine not doing this and I can't imagine not doing what I'm doing until I'm so old that I can't do it anymore....If I can make this world a better place than when it was when I got here, that's the goal. We can all leave the world a better place if we want to."