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A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility and who usually has a colorful name and costume, and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. Superheroes spend much of their time battling monsters, natural disasters and supervillains. The continuing, saga-like stories of superheroes have become an entire genre of fiction which has dominated American comic books.
A dictionary definition of superhero:
Superhero (soo'per hîr'o) n., pl. -roes. 1. A heroic character with a selfless, prosocial mission; who possesses superpowers, advanced technology, mystical abilities, or highly developed physical and/or mental skills; who has a superidentity and iconic costume, which typically express his biography or character, powers, and origin (transformation from ordinary person to superhero); and is generically distinct, i.e. can be distinguished from characters of related genres (fantasy, science fiction, detective, etc.) by a preponderance of generic conventions. Typically superheroes have dual identities, the ordinary one of which is kept secret. (Definition from: Coogan, Peter. The Secret Origin of the Superhero: The Emergence of the Superhero Genre in America from Daniel Boone to Batman. Diss. Michigan State University, 2002: p. 358).
There are a range of attributes that are typically considered part of a superhero's make up, although they are by no means definitive (see Divergent character examples). Typically, the classic superhero has a few of the following features:
Most superheroes usually work alone, although there also many superhero teams. Some, such as the The Fantastic Four, The X-Men and Gen 13, are bonded together because they received their superpowers in the same way and usually operate as a group. Others, such as the Justice League and The Avengers, are ?all-star groups? consisting of heroes of separate origins, many of which also work alone.
Superheroes most often appear in comic books, and superhero stories are the ruling genre of America comic books to the point that "superhero" and "comic book character" are often considered synonymous. Superheroes but have also been featured in comic strips, radio series, TV series, movies, and other media. Most of the superheroes who appear in these other media are adapted from comic books, however, there are exceptions.
Marvel Comics Group and DC Comics, Inc. share ownership of the United States trademark for the phrase "Super Heroes" and almost all of the world?s most famous superheroes are owned by these two American companies. For example DC owns Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman and Marvel owns Spider-Man, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk. However, throughout comic book history, there have been significant superheroes owned by others, such as Captain Marvel, owned by Fawcett Comics (but later acquired by DC) and Spawn, owned by creator Todd McFarlane.
Superheroes are largely considered an American creation. However, there have been successful superheroes in other countries. These heroes share many of the conventions of the American model. The most notable examples include Cybersix from Argentina, Marvelman from the United Kingdom, and Japanese anime and manga series like Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and Sailor Moon, which feature superhero characteristics.
Although, the superhero genre is considered a subgenre of fantasy/science-fiction, it has proven remarkably flexible in the kind of stories it can tell because the fantastic nature of the superhero milieu allows almost anything to happen without seeming unnatural (despite the fact that superhero stories are typically set in a world reflecting contemporary society). For example, in an early period of the 1980s series, The New Teen Titans, the team faced off against a supervillain who controlled a cult in one story, then went off to another galaxy to participate in a space war in the following story, then returned to Earth and became involved in a gritty urban crime drama involving young runaways. The content of each of these three stories is each quite different from one another, yet the same principle characters are involved without any feeling that the stories clash in subject matter. Superhero comics combine characteristics of horror, comedy, crime, science-fiction, fantasy, and others.
In superhero roleplaying games (particularly Champions), superheroes are informally organized into a variety of categories based on how their skills and abilities are oriented:
These categories often overlap with various characters. For instance, Batman is a martial artist and a gadgeteer and Superman is extremely strong and damage resistant like a brick and also has ranged attacks (heat vision, superbreath) like an energy blaster and can move quickly like a speedster.
While the typical superhero is described above, many break the mold. For example:
The origins of superheroes can be found in several prior forms of fiction. Many of their traits are shared with protagonists of later Victorian literature, such as Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes and H. Rider Haggard?s adventurer Alan Quatermain. The dime novel stories of Buffalo Bill, Zorro and Tarzan also influenced superheroes. Also, the pulp magazine crime fighters Doc Savage and The Spider were very direct influences.
In 1939, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced Superman in Action Comics #1. Although the character was preceded by the costumed crime fighter The Phantom, featured in comic strips, Superman is still considered the first superhero, introducing many of the conventions that have come to define the term including a secret identity, superhuman powers and a colorful costume including a symbol and cape. His name is also the source of the term "superhero."
DC Comics (which published under the names National and American at the time) received an overwhelming response to Superman and, in the months that followed, introduced Hawkman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, his sidekick Robin, and Wonder Woman, the first female superhero and the only significant one for quite some time. Although, DC dominated the superhero market at this time, Fawcett Comics rivaled their popularity with Captain Marvel, Marvel Comics found success with the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner, and cartoonist Will Eisner - whose Sunday comic insert featured The Spirit, a character with some superhero trappings - developed a loyal following. Meanwhile, Quality Comics introduced the character who could be called the first parody of the genre, the surreally humourous Plastic Man.
At this time, superheroes largely conformed to the model of lead characters in American popular fiction in the first half of the 20th century. Hence, the typical superhero was a white, middle to upper class, heterosexual, professional, young-to-middle-aged man.
During World War II, superheroes grew in popularity, surviving paper rationing and the loss of many of talented comics creators to service in the armed forces. The need for simple tales of good triumphing over evil may explain the war-time popularity of superheroes. Comic book creators responded with stories in which superheroes battle the Axis Powers and the introduction of patriotically themed superheroes, most notably Marvel?s Captain America.
After the war, superheroes lost popularity. One factor was a moral crusade which blamed comic books for juvenile delinquency. The movement was spearheaded by Dr. Fredric Wertham who argued, among other things, that ?deviant? sexual undertones ran rampant in superhero comics. Other comics genres, such as horror and crime, were also targeted. In response, much of the comic book industry adopted the Comics Code, which allowed for only the most tame superhero stories. By the early 1950s, the superhero genre had all but vanished, with bland versions of only the most popular characters (Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman) still published regularly.
In 1956, DC Comics introduced a new version of The Flash, which became an immediate success. This lead the company to revive Hawkman, Green Lantern, and several others - usually with a more modern, science-fiction angle - and to launch the all-star team the Justice League of America.
Empowered by the return of the superhero at DC, Marvel Comics editor/writer Stan Lee, artist Jack Kirby and other illustrators launched a line of superheroes, beginning with The Fantastic Four in 1961, which stressed personal conflict and character development as much as action and adventure. This lead to many superheroes who differed greatly from the standards created in the 1940s. Some examples:
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, superheroes of other racial groups began to appear in Marvel Comics, including Black Panther, monarch of a fictional African nation, Luke Cage, an African-American "hero-for-hire," and Shang Chi, an Asian martial arts hero. Comic book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotypes. For example, Cage often employed lingo similar to that of blaxploitation films and Asians were often portrayed as master martial artists. Eventually, creators recognized this problem and developed more sophisticated characters such as the African-American Cyborg of the Teen Titans.
Strong female characters also gained prominence. In the early 1960s Marvel introduced The Fantastic Four?s Invisible Girl and The X-Men?s Marvel Girl, but these characters were physically weak and were portrayed primarily as romantic interests of other team members. However, the 1970s saw both these characters become more confident and assertive and the introduction of popular new female heroes, such as Spider-Woman and Storm of the newly revived X-Men. Initially, some characters seemed to be preachy radical feminist stereotypes like Marvel's Ms. Marvel and DC's Power Girl until writers grew more accustomed with society's changing attitudes.
By the early 1980s, Marvel Comics had introduced several popular anti-heroes including The Punisher, the X-Men?s Wolverine and writer/artist Frank Miller?s darker version of Daredevil. These characters were deeply troubled from within, tormenting by experiences such as the mob-related slaughter of The Punisher?s family, Wolverine?s battle with mutant animal instincts and Daredevil?s rough childhood and continual exposure to slum life.
The trend was taken to a new extreme in the 1986 mini-series Watchmen by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. Although published by DC, the story took place outside the "DC Universe" and featured new characters. The superheroes of Watchmen were emotionally unsatisfied, psychologically withdrawn, and even sociopathic.
Another series, The Dark Knight Returns (1985-1986) adapted the trend to a familiar character. The mini-series, written and illustrated by Frank Miller, featured a future Batman returning from retirement. The series portrayed the hero as a madman who takes out his inner rage, drawn from the childhood murder of his parents, in a violent quest to mold society to his will.
Some critics believe that this trend is tied to the cynicism of the 1980s, when the idea of a person selflessly using his extraordinary abilities on a quest for good was no longer believable, but a person with a deep psychological impulse to destroy criminals was.
Regardless, both series were heavily acclaimed for their artistic ambitiousness and psychological depth, and led to numerous imitations. By the early 1990s, anti-heroes had become the rule rather than the exception. Many critics complained these series missed the essential artistic elements of redemption and tragedy of their inspirations. Without those elements, the imitations often came off as unlikable psychotics with little redeeming value.
In the 1990s, there was a reaction where notable talents like Kurt Busiek and Moore himself tried to reconstruct the superhero genre with titles like Busiek?s Astro City and Moore?s Tom Strong that combined artistic sophistication and idealism into a superheroic version of retro-futurism.
By the early 1990s, Marvel and DC rarely introduced new superheroes with regular, ongoing series. Instead, most of their lines consisted of traditionally successful titles, revivals of past titles, and many spin-offs. For example two newer popular Marvel superheroes were Venom, a former enemy of Spider-Man, and Cable, leader of the X-Men offshoot X-Force (making his solo series a spin-off of a spin-off).
Image Comics, founded in 1992 by a group of former Marvel illustrators, became the biggest challenger ever to Marvel and DC's 30 years of co-dominance, and introduced many new popular heroes including Spawn, Witchblade, Savage Dragon, and teams such as Gen 13, WildC.A.T.s and The Authority. These characters were owned by their creators, and without a corporation exercising editorial control, they deviated substantially from the traditional superhero mold. For example, Spawn was a man resurrected by Satan to fill Hell by killing criminals, and Witchblade featured a scantily-dressed female detective with a magical weapon. However, many critics complained that the dominance of illustrators at Image made for superficial writing and character development.
To keep ahead, Marvel and DC make drastic changes to beloved characters. The hugely successful "Death of Superman" found the hero killed and resurrected, a new villain broke Batman?s back leading to a replacement Batman, and a clone of Spider-Man vied with Peter Parker for the title. While these stories drummed up publicity (often in the mainstream media), fans began to complain and, by the beginning of the 2000s, a majority of classic superheroes had returned to their roots.
By the 1990s, ethnic and gender diversity among superheroes was greater than ever before. Many characters in the X-Men, the most widely successful franchise of the time, were female, such as Storm and Rogue, or minorities, such as the Cajun Gambit and the African-American Bishop. There were also a few prominent gay superheroes, such as Alpha Flight?s Northstar, Gen 13?s Rainmaker and The Authority's gay couple Apollo and The Midnighter.
The super hero genre has dominated comic books in the US for half a century. Before the 1960s, there were popular comics in many genres, including funny animal comics, westerns, romance, horror, war stories, and crime, with dozens of publishers both small and large. This diversity disappeared rapidly in the 1950s, largely due to two factors.
The first was a series of highly publicized campaigns against "unwholesome" children's comics, leading to the establishment of the highly restrictive Comics Code Authority; the Comics Code made most of the popular genres forbidden and wiped out many small publishers, but left the large superhero companies intact.
Second, the increasing popularity of television drew away much of the audience for light entertainment. By the time publishers felt free to move away from the Comics Code and produce something other than light entertainment, television and movies were far more profitable. However, comics were still able to depict outlandish action-oriented adventures such as superhero tales without expensive special effects budgets, and in a higher volume than the movie industry. (Animation - which shares many of comics' advantages in depicting the genre - remained another popular medium for superheroes, but also proved successful in keeping other genres of entertainment popular with children, for similar reasons.)
Superheroes have always found success in animated series geared towards children, starting with Fleischer Studios? groundbreaking Superman cartoons of the 1940s, which featured the famous "It?s a bird, it?s a plane" introduction. The 1960s saw the rise of Filmation?s Superman-Batman Adventure Hour and several attempts at series based on Marvel characters, the most successful of which was Grantray-Lawrence Animation?s Spider-Man, featuring the ?does whatever a spider can?? theme song.
In the 1970s and 1980s, superhero animated series were severely constrained in the action they could depict due to the strict broadcasting restrictions that activist groups like Action for Children's Television successfully lobbied for. For instance, the most durable of the series in this period, Super Friends, an adaptation of DC's Justice League of America was designed to be as nonviolent and inoffensive as possible.
Starting with the Batman: The Animated Series, which debuted on the Fox Network in 1992, superhero animated series gained a new maturity and respect for the comic books on which they were based. This continued with new Fox X-Men, and Spider-Man series, which, like Batman were geared towards older audiences in addition to being accessible to children.
In the early 21st century, the Cartoon Network has found success with adaptations of DC?s Justice League of America and Teen Titans.
While animated series found imitate success, live action series were often hampered by limited budgets and goofy writing. The 1950s Adventures of Superman series starring George Reeves - an extension of the popular movie serials - featured very limited and unconvincing special effects. The live action Batman series of the late 1960s starring Adam West and Burt Ward, was a campy spoof of comics and superheroes. Although a ratings success, the series stereotyped superheroes as laughable and stupid.
By the late 1970s, the format had failed to improve with Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter, the Bionic Woman starring Lindsay Wagner and the short-lived Spider-Man series starring Nicholas Hammond. However, the Incredible Hulk series of the late 1970s, starring Bill Bixby as Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, took a more thoughtful and dramatic approach.
In 1993, the ABC Network had a success with Lois and Clark, which reformatted the Superman mythos as a romantic drama. This lead to several non-traditional approaches to superheroes in live action television shows, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where the protagonist is a dyed-in-the-wool idealist superhero (superpowers, a secret identity and supervillains come with the package) who exists in the horror genre. The series presents a believable superhero, while nevertheless poking gentle fun at the superhero genre (along with other genres).
Smallville has proven very successful in reinterpreting the characters of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor in their younger years, with a greater focus on their personalities, in a narrative format more familiar to the mainstream television audience. Other recent TV superhero series enjoying varying degrees of success include: Angel, Alias, Roswell, Timecop, Sheena, Dark Angel, and Mutant X.
Almost immediately after superheroes rose to prominence in comic books, they were adapted into Saturday movie serials aimed at children, starting with 1941?s The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Serials featuring The Phantom, Batman, Superman and Captain America followed. These films were successful despite their limited budgets, silly storylines and dialogue, and primitive special effects.
In the coming decades, the decline of Saturday serials and turmoil in the comic book industry put an end to superhero motion pictures, an exception being 1966?s Batman, an outgrowth of the television series.
By 1978, special effects had reached such a point that the first modern superhero film, Superman: The Movie, directed by Richard Donner and starring Christopher Reeve, was possible. Almost a biopic of the character instead of an action movie, the film was an astounding success, but its three sequels, produced throughout the 1980s, became increasingly silly.
The 1989 film Batman, directed by Tim Burton, was the first attempt to create a superhero film with the darker mood of recent comic books. Fantastic set designs and acclaimed performances from Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker made the film perhaps the definitive superhero movie.
Although it launched some imitators, the Batman series degenerated into the same silliness of the 1960s TV series under director Joel Schumacher. This trend culminated with the fourth Batman film Batman and Robin (1997), which was a huge critical and commercial failure. That film, along with unsuccessful movies based on DC?s Steel, and Todd McFarlane's Spawn, made movie studios nervous about superhero movies for several years.
Nonetheless, several Marvel Comics-based movies began production in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The company had a minor success with 1998's Blade, but 2000?s blockbuster X-Men opened the door once again to successful superhero movies. 2002?s Spider-Man broke the record for money grossed in a film?s opening five days. Lesser successes include 2003?s Daredevil and Hulk and 2004?s Punisher. Sequels, such as 2003?s X2: X-Men United and 2004?s Spider-Man 2 have also been successful.
Films based on superheroes from other comic book companies, such as 2003?s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and 2004?s Hellboy, have followed. DC plans to join the revival with Batman Begins, a prequel to 1989?s Batman and a new Superman film. Meanwhile, a handful of additional Marvel films are in various stages of production.
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