Superhero fiction

Superhero fiction is a branch of speculative fiction centered on costumed crime-fighters called superheroes. These characters often have superhuman abilities and face off against similarly empowered villains known as supervillains. The genre typically sits between hard fantasy and soft science fiction on the scale of scientific realism, frequently blending into science fantasy. While most closely tied to comic books, it has grown to include adaptations and original works in other media.

The main character in superhero fiction is usually the superhero, though some stories, like *Marvels*, place them in supporting roles. A superhero is a stock character with extraordinary or superhuman powers who is dedicated to protecting the public. The term "superhero" dates back to at least 1917, and a female version is sometimes called a superheroine. In the U.S., "SUPER HEROES" was a trademark jointly owned by DC Comics and Marvel Comics until 2024. Characters do not strictly need superhuman powers to be considered superheroes; those without such powers, like Batman, are sometimes called costumed crime fighters or masked vigilantes. During the Golden Age of Comic Books, these non-powered characters were referred to as "mystery men." Superheroes typically use their abilities to fight everyday crime and larger threats to humanity, often from supervillains. Long-running heroes like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man have a "rogues gallery" of enemies, sometimes including a single archenemy. They may also combat aliens, magical beings, natural disasters, political ideologies like Nazism or communism, and godlike or demonic creatures.

Some superhero fiction explores discrimination against these characters. This is often shown through "Registration Acts" that require superpowered individuals to register with the government or laws regulating vigilante activity. For instance, in the alternate world of *Watchmen*, the "Keene Act" bans costumed adventuring except for government-employed heroes. Similarly, Marvel Comics introduced a "Superhero Registration Act" in the mid-2000s, forcing superpowered individuals to register and be available for emergency response. The backlash against heroes in the *JLA: The Nail* series has been compared to the real-world moral campaign against comic book superheroes in the mid-1950s. In an essay, Ethan Faust argued that the 2004 film *The Incredibles* uses its depiction of superheroes to examine societal attitudes toward disabilities, first through ableism and later as characters forced to hide their differences due to discrimination.

A supervillain is a villain type common in comic books, action movies, and science fiction. They often serve as foils to superheroes, possessing powers or abilities that make them a serious challenge. Even without physical or mystical powers, a supervillain may have a genius intellect for complex schemes or fantastic devices. They often have considerable resources and share traits with real-world dictators, mobsters, mad scientists, warlords, corrupt businesspeople, serial killers, and terrorists, frequently aiming for world domination. Superheroes and supervillains often mirror each other in powers or origins, with the key difference being that heroes use their abilities to help others, while villains use theirs for selfish or destructive ends.

Both superheroes and supervillains frequently use alter egos while in action. Sometimes a character’s real name is public, but alter egos usually hide a secret identity from enemies and the public. For superheroes, this duality is closely guarded to protect loved ones and avoid being called for minor problems. This can create drama, as the hero must find ways to change without revealing their identity or bear the cost of keeping the secret. This trope also allows fantasy characters to appear in realistic stories without the fantasy element being obvious. For supervillains, the duality of their identities serves a different purpose, often to conceal their schemes or personal lives.