Anyone can be a hero! But it takes a little bit more to be super.

In my opinion the aspects defining a superhero would be:

1. Secret Identity
The character has a second identity or persona that they put up when saving the world. Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man, Bruce Wayne becomes Batman and Prince Adam becomes He-Man but Optimus Prime is always Optimus Prime as heroic as he may be.
Some notable exceptions would include characters that use their own name while out doing hero stuff like Marvel's Shang Chi and Jessica Jones or Shoto from My Hero Academia, they of course also count!

2. Some sort of costume or transformation
You can't just go around fighting bad guys dressed like your normal Steve! Your character to count as a superhero should have some sort of costume or form they change into when fighting crime. The costume also doesn't have to be clothing, Ultraman physically becomes a giant alien but it still counts!
Some notable exceptions would include characters that aren't human so they don't change clothing but obviously also fit the bill like Martian Manhunter or Red Tornado from DC or Groot from Marvel

3. Being heroic, duh
The character has to be a hero at heart! This is written mainly in relation to The Boys where characters like Homelander muddy the water, while he is potrayed as a hero and the public in universe views him as such, frankly he's an evil bastard and he doesn't deserve the title. If you want a character from The Boys just stick to characters like Starlight. Antiheroes on the other hand are completely fine, while characters like Deadpool or Punisher may try to do good in less than heroic ways, they still try to do good.

Of course some characters could be exceptions and while not fulfilling those requirements still be obviously superheroes!
In case you're not sure if the character you have in mind counts as a superhero, feel free to post on the guest book or PM me EmuRequiem directly

It depends.

Is your submission clearly not a superhero? Example could be posting like a normal zombie or something.
Your submission will be removed from the jam but with no further consequences

Does your submission break PMC rules (by being NSFW or vulgar) or is stolen?
Your submission will be removed from the jam and reported to the moderation and you will be banned from further taking part in the jam. Go and think about what you did...

Am I not sure if your character should count as a superhero?
I will message you so we can talk this out and decide if they should count, if you do not respond in 5 days it will get taken down with no further consequences