Superhero
Costumed heroes with superhuman powers fighting evil and crime.
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character with abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans. They often wear a costume to hide their identity and act as a hero, using their powers to improve the world, protect the public, or fight crime. The genre of superhero fiction centers on these characters and has been prominent since the 1930s, first in American comic books and later in Hollywood films, television, and video games, as well as in Japanese media like manga, anime, and video games.
Superheroes come from many different backgrounds. Some, like Superman and Spider-Man, have non-human or superhuman biology. Others, such as Batman and Iron Man, rely on advanced technology they create. A few use objects with superhuman, mystical, or alien powers—Green Lantern and He-Man are examples—while characters like Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange study and practice magic. Dictionary.com defines a superhero as "a figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime," and Merriam-Webster calls them "a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also: an exceptionally skillful or successful person." Terms like masked crime fighter, costumed adventurer, or masked vigilante sometimes describe characters such as the Spirit, who may not be called superheroes but share similar traits.
Some superheroes fight daily crime while also confronting threats from supervillains, their criminal opposites. Often, one supervillain becomes the hero's archenemy or nemesis. Popular supervillains can become recurring characters in their own right.
The archetype has ancient roots in mythological figures like Hanuman, Gilgamesh, Odysseus, and demigods such as Heracles and Perseus, whose extraordinary abilities inspired later superpowers. Distinctive clothing from English folklore—Robin Hood and Spring-Heeled Jack—also provided inspiration. Spring-Heeled Jack's dark costume, complete with a domino mask and cape, influenced the masked rogues in penny dreadfuls and dime novels. Vigilantes of the American Old West, who sometimes hid their identities with makeshift masks in frontier communities lacking formal law, also shaped the superhero. Groups like the San Diego Vigilantes and the Bald Knobbers became infamous, and this masked vigilantism inspired fictional crimefighters like Deadwood Dick in 1877.
The word superhero dates to 1899. The 1903 British play *The Scarlet Pimpernel* and its spinoffs popularized the masked avenger and the secret identity trope. Over the next decades, masked pulp characters appeared, including L'Oiselle (1909), Jimmie Dale/The Grey Seal (1914), Tarzan (1912), John Carter (1912), Zorro (1919), Buck Rogers (1928), The Shadow (1930), Night Hawk (1930), Lensman (1934), and Flash Gordon (1934), along with film serial heroes Judex (1916) and Ravengar (1916) and comic strip heroes like Mandrake the Magician (1934), Magic Phantom (1935), and the Phantom (1936). Non-costumed characters with super strength emerged too, such as Patoruzú (1928), Popeye (1929), Hugo Danner (*Gladiator*, 1930), and Aarn Munro (*The Mightiest Machine*, 1934). Japan's Sarutobi Sasuke, a superhero ninja from folklore and children's novels, had superhuman powers by 1914. France produced early examples like the superheroine L'Oiselle (1909), created by Renée Marie Gouraud d'Ablancourt under the pen name René d'Anjou, and the cyborg Nyctalope (1911), who had enhanced night vision and an electromechanical cardiac implant. L'Oiselle, whose real name is Vega de Ortega, is one of literature's earliest winged heroines, using artificial wings to fly. Famany, the "flying man" of a 1937 German comic story, used a winged apparatus to fly over New York and became involved in crime, but appeared only once.
Pulp magazines of the 1930s were a breeding ground for early superhero concepts. In August 1936, *Thrilling Wonder Stories* published Zarnak by Max Plaisted. In August 1937, a letter column in the same magazine used the word "superhero" to define the title character. Also in August 1937, Olga Mesmer, "The Girl with the X-ray Eyes," appeared in a single-page comic strip in *Spicy Mystery Stories*. Real-life strongmen like Siegmund Breitbart, Joseph Greenstein, Eugen Sandow, and Charles Atlas may have also influenced the archetype. Charles Atlas gained lasting visibility through his mail-order fitness program and advertisements in comic books. These trends converged in some of the earliest superpowered costumed heroes, such as Japan's Ōgon Bat (1931) and Prince of Gamma (early 1930s).
- common_origins
- Non-human biology, advanced technology, mystical objects, or magic
- associated_media
- American comic books, Hollywood films, Japanese manga and anime
- notable_antecedents
- Mythological figures (Heracles, Hanuman), folklore (Robin Hood), pulp characters (Zorro, The Shadow)
Lore & Background
Superheroes typically possess abilities beyond those of ordinary people, often derived from non-human or superhuman biology, as seen with characters like Superman and Spider-Man. Others, such as Batman and Iron Man, rely on advanced technology they create and use. Some wield objects with superhuman, mystical, or alien powers, like Green Lantern and He-Man, while figures like Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange study and practice magic to achieve their abilities. They are frequently costumed to conceal their identity and fit the role of a hero, using their powers to protect the public, fight crime, and help the world become a better place. The term "superhero" dates back to 1899, and the archetype has antecedents in mythological figures like Hanuman, Gilgamesh, and Heracles, as well as folk heroes such as Robin Hood and Spring-Heeled Jack, whose dark costume with a domino mask and cape influenced later masked rogues. Vigilantes of the American Old West, who sometimes hid their identities with masks, also inspired fictional masked crimefighters. The 1903 British play *The Scarlet Pimpernel* popularized the masked avenger and secret identity trope. Superheroes often combat supervillains, their criminal counterparts, with at least one serving as an archenemy or nemesis. Some characters, like the Spirit, are referred to as masked crime fighters or costumed adventurers rather than explicitly as superheroes, yet share similar traits.
Reader's Guide
The superhero archetype draws on mythological figures like Hanuman, Gilgamesh, and Heracles, as well as English folklore characters such as Robin Hood and Spring-Heeled Jack, whose dark costume featuring a domino mask and cape influenced later masked rogues in penny dreadfuls and dime novels. Vigilantes of the American Old West, who hid their identities with masks in frontier communities where law was not yet established, also inspired fictional masked crimefighters, beginning with the character Deadwood Dick in 1877. The word "superhero" dates to 1899, and the 1903 play *The Scarlet Pimpernel* popularized the masked avenger and secret identity tropes. Early costumed pulp characters include L'Oiselle (1909), a winged heroine using artificial wings for flight, the cyborg Nyctalope (1911), and Zorro (1919). The 1930s pulp magazines further developed the concept, with characters like Zarnak (1936) and Olga Mesmer, "The Girl with the X-ray Eyes" (1937). Real-life strongmen such as Siegmund Breitbart, Joseph Greenstein, Eugen Sandow, and Charles Atlas also influenced the archetype, with Atlas’s advertisements appearing directly in comic books. Superheroes typically possess superhuman biology, advanced technology, mystical objects, or magic, and they fight crime and supervillains, often with a recurring archenemy. The genre remains a global cultural phenomenon across comics, film, television, and video games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What defines a superhero as a narrative character?
A superhero is a typically costumed figure who wields abilities far beyond ordinary human limits and commits to protecting the public, fighting crime, or improving the world. They usually conceal their civilian identity beneath a distinctive outfit.
What are common in-story origins for a superhero's powers?
Writers typically attribute a hero's abilities to non-human biology, advanced technology, mystical objects, or magic. These varied sources allow creators to build very different backstories around the same basic premise.
What narrative figures preceded the modern superhero?
Mythological heroes such as Heracles and Hanuman, folklore figures like Robin Hood, and pulp-era characters including Zorro and The Shadow all laid groundwork for the genre. They established the idea of an extraordinary individual battling evil long before the costumed archetype took shape.
What media are most associated with superhero stories?
American comic books and Hollywood films are the genre's most prominent homes, but superheroes also appear extensively in television series, video games, and Japanese media such as manga and anime.
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