History Main / HeroDoesPublicService

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan, ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}} and ComicBook/LukeCage'': The [[DrugsAreBad anti-smoking miniseries]] opened with Luke Cage coaching a high school track team (with Peter Parker]] covering it for the ''Daily Bugle''). The plot (something to do with organized crime and illegal casinos) gets kicked off when he investigates why his star player, Brett, is suddenly not doing so hot.

* One Creator/MarvelComics [[DrugsAreBad anti-smoking miniseries]] opened with ComicBook/LukeCage coaching a high school track team (with [[Franchise/SpiderMan Peter Parker]] covering it for the ''Daily Bugle''). The plot (something to do with organized crime and illegal casinos) gets kicked off when he investigates why his star player, Brett, is suddenly not doing so hot.
* Franchise/{{Superman}} is known for this. What makes him special amongst the superhero ranks is that no job is too big or too small for him. One day, he's halfway across the galaxy fighting a universal threat. The next, he's reading books to orphans or planting gardens. In one issue, a little girl is lost in an airport and crying because she can't find her mom. A figure in shadow offers to help her and you assume the worst. Cut to the next page and it's [[AllLovingHero Superman]]. [[FriendToAllChildren He calms the little girl and tells her that he'll help find her mom]]. After carrying the little girl on his shoulders as they float above the people in the airport, Superman picks up the shouts of the girl's mother. After reuniting them, the woman apologizes to Superman for troubling him and saying he must have more important things to do. Superman simply responds with "Honestly? I can't think of anything more important".
* In ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' the Avengers take time in between adventures with cosmic level threats to stand on street corners in bad neighborhoods to help make people feel more secure and let small-time crooks know they're not below them.
* ComicBook/SheHulk:

* In ''ComicBook/KickAss: Volume Two'', many of the heroes that Dave encounters do what essentially amounts to community service. One superheroine, for instance, devotes her efforts to making sure that young women in her area get home safely at night.
* In ''ComicBook/BatmanIncorporated'', Man-of-Bats is a doctor in his civilian identity who, in his very limited spare time, also does pro bono work and tries to battle alcoholism.
* ''ComicBook/RedRobin'': Tim is very involved in the Wayne Foundation's Gotham Knights program, which aims to open a bunch of community centers in less fortunate neighborhoods of Gotham.
* In ''ComicBook/SpiderGwen'', the Earth-65 version of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica spends her free time doing volunteer work at the V.A.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' has always had an interest in civic duty, helping out students in most iterations in reading, science and sports programs. Additionally she's [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 aided in prison reform studies]] and helped domestic violence victims who are being [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 stalked and harassed]] or [[ComicBook/WonderWoman2006 brutally attacked while on the line with a support center]].

* Deconstructed in [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2305#comic this]] ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' strip,

* In ''Series/AdamTwelve'', Pete Malloy is shown coaching kids' basketball in one episode. It turns into Pete and Jim trying to help a drug-addicted player before it's too late. The kid's brother gets into the guy's stash and dies.

** In the ''[[Comicbook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'' story arc "The Search for She-Hulk" Shulkie is eventually found helping repair a community devastated by one of [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk her cousin's]] rampages.

* Inversion: [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls Powerpuff Girl]] Blossom is ''sentenced'' to public service after she's cornered and has admitted to stealing a set of golf clubs to give to the Professor for Father's Day in the episode "A Very Special Blossom."

* One Creator/MarvelComics [[DrugsAreBad anti-smoking miniseries]] opened with ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}} coaching a high school track team (with [[Franchise/SpiderMan Peter Parker]] covering it for the ''Daily Bugle''). The plot (something to do with organized crime and illegal casinos) gets kicked off when he investigates why his star player, Brett, is suddenly not doing so hot.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' heavily enforces this. The player character is always tasked with ending world or large scale threats and are generally more than happy to help random people with their problems or chores such as culling a few monsters blocking the way or retrieving a lost item. Many [=NPCs=] that learn of the player character's godly status are amazed and grateful that someone like the player is willing to take a few minutes of their day to help them with menial tasks. Later quests that have the same characters show up will remember the deeds the player character had done for them in the past.

** All Might makes Izuku clean an abandoned, trash-ridden beach as his first step towards becoming a hero. When Izuku asks why, All Might declares that the original heroes did volunteer work to help communities rather than just punching supervillains. Not only would this exercise make him a proper vessel for One For All, but it would also instill in him the values that every superhero should embody.

** This is also one of the main factors when ranking Pros in the Hero Billboard Charts.

* Played with in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'', where Captain Carrot first appears playing football with disadvantaged kids... where this means two of the nastiest street gangs in the city who are only going along with this because Carrot has that kind of effect on people. Once Carrot's left and the spell wears off, the only thing stopping war breaking out is how embarrassed they all are by the past hour, so they'd prefer to pretend it never happened.

* ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'': Steve Rogers, being the AllLovingHero he is, literally rescues kittens from trees when not leading his team against the MonsterOfTheWeek. In a slight twist, [[ReformedButNotTamed Loki]] has created an information network composed of the homeless, taxi drivers, and cleaners, partially because they're everywhere, socially invisible, and see and hear everything, and partially because [[TheAtoner he does genuinely feel bad about his actions during his]] EvilOverlord phase. In one go, he can become world-renown as a philanthropist, genuinely help thousands of people across the world, and set up a network of informants to boot.

* Franchise/{{Superman}} is known for this. What makes him special amongst the superhero ranks is that no job is too big or too small for him. One day, he's halfway across the galaxy fighting a universal threat. The next, he's reading books to orphans or planting gardens.
** Seriously, in one issue a little girl is lost in an airport and crying because she can't find her mom. A figure in shadow offers to help her and you assume the worst. Cut to the next page and it's [[AllLovingHero Superman]]. [[FriendToAllChildren He calms the little girl tells her he'll help her find her mom]]. After carrying the little girl on his shoulders as they float above the people in the airport, Superman picks up the shouts of the girl's mother. After reuniting them the woman apologizes to Superman for troubling him and saying he must have more important things to do. Superman simply responds with "Honestly? I can't think of anything more important".

Expect a SmallStepsHero to do this often, as well as TheParagon. Beware of HoldingOutForAHero, though, when the citizens become complacent.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', All Might makes Izuku clean an abandoned, trash-ridden beach as his first step towards becoming a hero. When Izuku asks why, All Might declares that the original heroes did volunteer work to help communities rather than just punching supervillains. Not only would this exercise make him a proper vessel for One For All, but it would also instill in him the values that every superhero should embody.