Lara Croft

[Fidelio]

Is Lara Croft a superhero? Why (not)?

Wikipedia doesn't mention her as one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_superheroes

[Klar Ken T5477]

She has no super powers? Is one dimensional?  Is a video game franchise?

[nightwing]

Although "superhero" is a broad term, I'd say all of them fit one or more of these criteria:

1.) they have special powers
2.) fighting crime and/or saving the world is their raison d'etre
3.) they wear distinctive costumes that "brand" them (with an "S," for example, a bat, a spider, a "4" etc)
4.) they have secret identities

Again, various examples may not follow all the above rules (the FF has no secret ID's, Batman has no powers, etc) but most of them fit more than one.

Lara Croft is closer to an Indiana Jones, really.  She's an adventurer who may end up saving the world in the course of her job.  She's not "out for justice" per se.  Of course, she has had her own comic book, but so have Dale Evans, Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis.  They're not superheroes, either.