13 episodes

When darkness falls over Seattle, a masked crusader emerges from the shadows. His name? Phoenix Jones - a charismatic cage fighter, hell-bent on ridding the streets of criminals. 

Welcome to the world of real life superheroes - ordinary people who put on outrageous costumes and head out to fight crime.

Phoenix’s team of superhero sidekicks have all turned against him. They say he’s no hero and in 2020, it’s Phoenix who finds himself on the wrong side of the law. 

So is Phoenix a model citizen fighting for a better world? Or is he a fraudster who used a superhero identity to disguise his own crimes? Journalist David Weinberg sets out on a wild journey to find out.

The Superhero Complex is produced by Novel for iHeartRadio

For more from Novel visit Novel.audio

The Superhero Complex Novel

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 74 Ratings

When darkness falls over Seattle, a masked crusader emerges from the shadows. His name? Phoenix Jones - a charismatic cage fighter, hell-bent on ridding the streets of criminals. 

Welcome to the world of real life superheroes - ordinary people who put on outrageous costumes and head out to fight crime.

Phoenix’s team of superhero sidekicks have all turned against him. They say he’s no hero and in 2020, it’s Phoenix who finds himself on the wrong side of the law. 

So is Phoenix a model citizen fighting for a better world? Or is he a fraudster who used a superhero identity to disguise his own crimes? Journalist David Weinberg sets out on a wild journey to find out.

The Superhero Complex is produced by Novel for iHeartRadio

For more from Novel visit Novel.audio

    1: Out of the Shadows

    1: Out of the Shadows

    Welcome to the world of real life superheroes- ordinary people who put on outrageous costumes and head out to fight crime. Journalist David Weinberg sets out to uncover the truth about Seattle’s masked crusader, Phoenix Jones.

    • 34 min
    2: A Phoenix Rises

    2: A Phoenix Rises

    Every superhero has an origin story. David travels to Seattle to come face to face with Phoenix for the first time, but their meeting raises more questions than it answers.

    • 40 min
    3: We Can Be Heroes

    3: We Can Be Heroes

    What’s a superhero without sidekicks? David meets the ragtag recruits who became Phoenix’s crime-fighting supergroup, the Rain City Superheroes.

    • 44 min
    4: Under the Spotlight

    4: Under the Spotlight

    Phoenix and the Rain City Superheroes hit the big time. But fame comes with a price. Phoenix starts to make some powerful enemies.

    • 45 min
    5: The Rogue Era

    5: The Rogue Era

    After a run-in with the law, Phoenix’s superhero antics start to have consequences for his civilian life. When tragedy strikes in downtown Seattle, things begin to unravel for Phoenix Jones.

    • 40 min
    6: Kryptonite

    6: Kryptonite

    Tensions are brewing in the Rain City Superhero Movement. After a disastrous patrol, things boil over. David picks through the rumors, betrayals and grudges, to figure out who’s to blame for the breakup of Seattle’s super-squad.

    • 49 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
74 Ratings

74 Ratings

webhead808 ,

Fascinating insight!

This is an incredible story all about the Seattle superhero movement, Phoenix Jones and the mentality of a real life superhero. Absolutely fascinating journey to present day and really takes turns you may not expect. Worth a listen

scoobaNR ,

Good content ruined by adverts

Stop listening after 20 minutes when half of it was adverts, including 3 adverts within that time for House of Dragon. If I wasn’t interested after the first advert, why would I be after the 3rd?

Miss Pod! ,

Riveting

High production values, feels more like a docuseries than a podcast. I had no idea about these ‘real super hero’s’ beyond that movie with Dwight from The Office, but it’s crazy learning all about them and the most infamous of them all Phoenix Jones. He’s a character. Charismatic and smart but was he really a ‘hero’? I can’t wait for the next episode to come out to learn more about this guy. The journo behind it all sounds a bit like Ira Glass and has a similar approach, thoughtful and letting us know about how he feels about his subject. It’s engaging stuff. Yeah lots of ads but still it’s quality content.

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