Zorro
Zorro, Spanish for fox, is the name used by a fictional character, a Mexican-era California masked hero and master swordsman of the Old West, whose real name is Don Diego De La Vega. He fights for the people against the corrupt tyranny of Governor Montero, proving himself to be much too foxlike and cunning for the bumbling authorities to catch.
Zorro first made his appearance in a novel, The Curse of Capistrano, by pulp writer Johnston McCulley, serialized in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly in 1919. After the success of the silent film The Mark of Zorro starring Douglas Fairbanks, released the next year, the novel was rereleased by the publisher Grosset and Dunlap under the new title The Mark of Zorro. McCulley had no idea how successful Zorro would become, so at the denouement, Zorro's true identity is revealed to all. Zorro soon became a regular character in numerous pulp fiction magazines . He has been also adapted for numerous movies. Aside from the initial The Mark of Zorro they include:
- The Mark of Zorro (1940), starring Tyrone Power
- The Mask of Zorro (1998), an anti-Zorro playing against the tradition, starring Anthony Hopkins as Don Diego De La Vega and Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta, a misfit outlaw who is groomed to become the next Zorro.
- Legend of Zorro (2005), also staring Banderas
There has also been one parody for the premise called Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981) which starred George Hamilton
There were also numerous television shows with the best known one being one shown in the 1950s staring Guy Williams.
The character has also been adapted for comic books and comic strips. The most notable character whose creation was highly influenced by Zorro is Batman, created by Bob Kane in the 1930s.
