A superhero (also known as a super hero) is a fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest". ^[1] Since the debut of the prototypal superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas — have dominated American comic books and crossed over into other media. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon An American comic book is a small Magazine originating in the United States and containing a Narrative in the Comics form "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine or super heroine. Female (♀ is the Sex of an Organism, or a part of an organism which produces ova (egg cells

By most definitions, characters need not have actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes, not, although sometimes terms such as costumed crimefighters^[2] are used to refer to those without such powers who have many other common traits of superheroes.

The two-word version of the term is a trademark co-owned by DC Comics and Marvel Comics. A trademark or trade mark, represented by the symbols ™ and ®, or mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc ^[3]

Contents 1 Common traits 1.1 Common costume features 1.2 Secret headquarters 2 Superheroes outside the United States 3 Types of superheroes 4 Character examples 5 Trademark status 6 History of superheroes in comic books 6.1 Antecedents 6.2 Golden Age 6.3 Silver Age 6.4 Deconstruction 6.5 Struggles of the 1990s 7 Superhero philosophy 8 Reception 9 Growth in diversity 9.1 Superheroines 9.2 Characters of color 9.3 LGBT characters 10 In other media 10.1 Film 10.2 Live-action television series 10.3 Animation 10.4 Radio 10.5 Prose 10.5.1 Adaptations 10.5.2 Original characters 10.6 Novels 10.7 Computer games 10.8 Internet 10.9 Music video 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References

Common traits

• Extraordinary powers and abilities, relevant skills, and/or advanced equipment. In generalDO NOT ADD INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT CONCERN COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS Although superhero powers vary widely, superhuman strength, the ability to fly, enhanced senses, and the projection of energy bolts are all common. Some superheroes, such as Batman and the Question possess no superhuman powers but have mastered skills such as martial arts and forensic sciences. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created The Question is the name used by a number of Comic book Superheroes in the DC Comics universe. Others have special weapons or technology, such as Iron Man's powered armor suits and Green Lantern’s power ring. Iron Man is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. A powered Exoskeleton is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of a skeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the This article is about the Green Lantern Corps weapon For the comic book characters see Power Ring (character. Many characters supplement their natural powers with a special weapon or device (e. g. , Wonder Woman's lasso and bracelets, Spider-Man's webbing, Wolverine's adamantium, Daredevil's billy club, Thor's hammer, Gambit's staff, etc. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daredevil is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Thor is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Gambit ( Remy LeBeau) is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics Superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. )
• A strong moral code, including a willingness to risk one’s own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward. Such a code often includes a refusal or strong reluctance to kill or wield lethal weapons. List of countries by homicide rate Homicide ( Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut kill refers to the act of killing another
• A motivation, such as a sense of responsibility (e. g. Spider-Man), a formal calling (e. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. g. , Wonder Woman), a personal vendetta against criminals (e. g. Batman), or a strong belief in justice and humanitarian service (e. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created g. Superman). Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon
• A secret identity that protects the superhero’s friends and family from becoming targets of his or her enemies (exceptions such as the Fantastic Four notwithstanding), such as Clark Kent (Superman), although many superheroes have a confidant (usually a friend or relative who has been sworn to secrecy). A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate Persona (usually adopting a Pseudonym) while keeping their true identity The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Clark Joseph Kent (middle name is also Jerome according to some versions is a Fictional character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Most superheroes use a descriptive or metaphoric code name for their public deeds.
• A distinctive costume, often used to conceal the secret identity (see Common costume features). A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do
• An underlying motif or theme that affects the hero's name, costume, personal effects, and other aspects of his or her character (e. g. , Batman resembles a large bat, calls his specialized automobile, which also looks bat-like, the "Batmobile" and uses several devices given a "bat" prefix). The Batmobile is the fictional personal Automobile of Comic book Superhero Batman.
• A supporting cast of recurring characters, including the hero's friends, co-workers and/or love interests, who may or may not know of the superhero's secret identity. A supporting character is a character of a Book, play, Video game, movie, television or Radio show other form Often the hero's personal relationships are complicated by this dual life, a common theme in Spider-Man and Batman stories in particular.
• A number of enemies that he/she fights repeatedly. Not to be confused with Peanut gallery. For other uses see Rogues gallery (disambiguation. In some cases super heros begin by fighting run of the mill criminals before super villains surface in their respective story lines. A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the Villain character type commonly found in Comic books, Action movies and In many cases the hero is in part responsible for the appearance of these super villains (The Scorpion was created as the perfect enemy to defeat Spider-Man, and characters in Batman's comics often accuse him of creating the villains he fights). Often superheros have an archenemy who is more troubling than the others. An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis (sometimes spelled arch-enemy, arch-foe, arch-villain or Often a nemesis is a superhero's doppelganger or foil (e. g. , Sabretooth embraces his savage instincts while Wolverine tries to control his. Sabretooth is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics Supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Batman is serious and grim, while the Joker is flamboyant and views the world as one big sick joke).
• Independent wealth (e. g. , Batman or the X-Men's benefactor Professor X) or an occupation that allows for minimal supervision (e. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics Superhero known as the leader and founder of g. , Superman's civilian job as a reporter).
• A headquarters or base of operations, usually kept hidden from the general public (e. g. , Superman's Fortress of Solitude, Batman's Batcave). The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional Headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. The Batcave is the secret headquarters of fictional DC Comics Superhero Batman, (the alternate identity of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne consisting
• An backstory that explains the circumstances by which the character acquired his or her abilities as well as his or her motivation for becoming a superhero. Many origin stories involve tragic elements and/or freak accidents that result in the development of the hero's abilities.

Many superheroes work independently. However, there are also many superhero teams. Some, such as the Fantastic Four and X-Men, have common origins and usually operate as a group. The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Others, such as DC Comics’s Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers, are "all-star" groups consisting of heroes with separate origins who also operate individually. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc The Avengers is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared setting or "universes" of Marvel, DC and other publishers also allow for regular superhero team-ups.

Some superheroes, especially those introduced in the 1940s, work with a young sidekick (e. SideKick was an early Personal Information Manager (PIM Software application by Borland launched in 1983 under Philippe Kahn g. , Batman and Robin, Captain America and Bucky). Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Robin (also referred to as The Boy Wonder) is the name of several Fictional characters appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics, originally Bucky is the name of several fictional masked Heroes in the Marvel Comics universe. This has become less common since more sophisticated writing and older audiences have lessened the need for characters who specifically appeal to child readers. Sidekicks are seen as a separate classification of superheroes.

Superheroes most often appear in comic books, and superhero stories are the dominant form of American comic books, to the point that the terms "superhero" and "comic book character" have been used synonymously in North America. With the rise in relative popularity of non-superhero comics, as well as the popularity of Japanese comics (manga), this trend is slowly declining. Superheroes have also been featured in radio serials, novel, TV series, movies, and other media. Most of the superheroes who appear in other media are adapted from comics, but there are exceptions.

Marvel Characters, Inc. and DC Comics share ownership of the United States trademark for the phrases "Super Hero" and "Super Heroes" and these two companies own a majority of the world’s most famous and influential superheroes. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Of the "Significant Seven" chosen by The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History (1989), Marvel owns Spider-Man and Captain America and DC owns Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and Plastic Man. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Plastic Man ( Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a fictional Comic-book Superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later Although, like many non-Marvel characters popular during the 1940s, the latter two were acquired by DC from defunct publishers. ^[4] However, there have been significant heroes owned by others, especially since the 1990s when Image Comics and other companies that allowed creators to maintain trademark and editorial control over their characters developed. Image Comics is an American Comic book publisher It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their Hellboy, Spawn and Invincible are some of the most successful creator-owned heroes. Hellboy is a Fictional character, created by writer-artist Mike Mignola, that first appeared in Comic books published by Dark Horse Comics Spawn is a fictional Comic book character created by Todd McFarlane. Invincible ( Mark Grayson) is a Fictional character, an Image Comics Superhero.

Although superhero fiction is considered a form of fantasy/adventure, it crosses into many genres. Many superhero franchises resemble crime fiction (Batman, Punisher), others horror fiction (Spawn, Spectre) and others more standard science fiction (Green Lantern, X-Men). Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Spectre is a fictional cosmic entity and Superhero who has appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Many of the earliest superheroes, such as The Sandman and The Clock, were rooted in the pulp fiction of their predecessors. Sandman ( Wesley Dodds) is a fictional Superhero appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics. The Clock is a fictional masked crime-fighter published during the Golden Age of Comic Books.

Within their own fictional universes, public perception of superheroes varies greatly. Some, like Superman and the Fantastic Four, are adored and seen as important civic leaders. Others, like Batman and Spider-Man, meet with public skepticism or outright hostility. A few, such as the X-Men and the characters of Watchmen, defend a populace that misunderstands and despises them. Watchmen is a twelve-issue Comic book Limited series written by Alan Moore, and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins

Common costume features

A superhero's costume helps make him or her recognizable to the general public. Costumes are often colorful to enhance the character's visual appeal and frequently incorporate the superhero's name and theme. For example, Daredevil resembles a red devil, Captain America's costume echoes the American flag, Batman resembles a large bat, and Spider-Man's costume features a spider web pattern. Daredevil is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The convention of superheroes wearing masks and skintight unitards originated with Lee Falk's comic strip crimefighter The Phantom. Leon Harrison Gross, more known by the alias of Lee Falk ( April 28, 1911 - March 13, 1999) was an American writer A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Several superheroes such as the Phantom, Superman, Batman and Robin wear breeches over this unitard. This is often satirized as the idea that superheroes wear their underpants on the outside.

Many features of superhero costumes recur frequently, including the following:

• Superheroes who maintain a secret identity often wear a mask, ranging from the domino masks of Green Lantern and Ms. Marvel to the full-face masks of Spider-Man and Black Panther. A mask is an artefact normally worn on the face typically for protection concealment performance or amusement A domino mask is a small rounded Mask covering only the eyes and the space between them Ms Marvel ( Carol Susan Jane Danvers) also known as Binary and Warbird is a Fictional character, a Comic book superheroine The Black Panther ( T'Challa) is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe who is the first modern Black Most common are masks covering the upper face, leaving the mouth and jaw exposed. This allows for both a believable disguise and recognizable facial expressions. A notable exception is Clark Kent, who wears nothing on his face while fighting crime as Superman, but uses large glasses in his civilian life. Clark Joseph Kent (middle name is also Jerome according to some versions is a Fictional character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Helmets are also worn, like the titanium helmet of the Galvanizer.
• A symbol, such as a stylized letter or visual icon, usually on the chest. Examples include the uppercase "S" of Superman, the bat emblem of Batman, and the spider emblem of Spider-Man. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Often, they also wear a common symbol referring to their group or league, such as the "4" on the Fantastic Four's suits, or the "X" on the X-Men's costumes. The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics.
• Form-fitting clothing, often referred to as tights or Spandex, although the exact material is usually unidentified. Such material displays a character’s athletic build and heroic sex appeal and allows a simple design for illustrators to reproduce.
• While a vast majority of superheroes do not wear capes, the garment is still closely associated with them, likely due to the fact that two of the most widely-recognized, Batman and Superman, wear capes. In fact, police officers in Batman’s home of Gotham City have used the word "cape" as a shorthand for all superheroes and costumed crimefighters. Gotham City is a Fictional City appearing in DC Comics, and is best known as the home of Batman. Other shorthands for superheroes are used in the computer game City of Heroes, when a player's hero fights with some of the game's supervillain groups such as the Hellions, Skulls, and Clockwork, the villains will often say, "The capes are trying to stop us," "I smell spandex" (referring to the spandex costumes some heroes wear), or "Attack the mask" (an allusion to the masks used by some superheroes). There have been several groups of Fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe who have been known as the Hellions. A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical Clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion The comic book series Watchmen and the animated movie The Incredibles humorously commented on the potentially-lethal impracticality of capes. Watchmen is a twelve-issue Comic book Limited series written by Alan Moore, and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins The Incredibles is a 2004 Computer-animated feature Film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, In Marvel Comics the term "cape-killer" has been used to describe Superhuman Restraint Unit. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc

• While most superhero costumes merely hide the hero’s identity and present a recognizable image, parts of some costumes (or the costume itself) have functional uses. Gabriele Dell’Otto (born on December 20 1973) is an Italian illustrator author whose works have been published in several countries of the world Batman's utility belt and Spawn’s "necroplasmic armor" have both been of great assistance to the heroes. Batman 's utility belt is the most characteristic portion of Batman's costume, much like Wonder Woman 's Lasso of Truth, or Green Spawn is a fictional Comic book character created by Todd McFarlane. Spawn-baterangthumbnailpng|thumb|right|Spawn bleeding necroplasm after being struck by Batman 's batarang]] Necroplasm is a will-controlled substance featured in the Iron Man's armor, in particular, protects him and provides technological advantages. Iron Man's armor refers to the powered metal suit worn by Tony Stark when he assumes his Superhero role of Iron Man.
• When thematically appropriate, some superheroes dress like people from various professions or subcultures. Zatanna, who possesses wizard-like powers, dresses like a magician, and Ghost Rider, who rides a superpowered motorcycle, dresses in the leather garb of a biker. Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional Supernatural Antiheroes appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records.
• Several heroes of the 1990s, including Cable and many Image Comics characters, rejected the traditional superhero outfit for costumes that appeared more practical and militaristic. Cable is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Image Comics is an American Comic book publisher It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their Shoulder pads, kevlar-like vests, metal-plated armor, knee and elbow pads, heavy-duty belts, and ammunition pouches were common features. Other characters, such as The Punisher or The Question, opt for a "civilian" costume (mostly a trench coat). The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Question is the name used by a number of Comic book Superheroes in the DC Comics universe.

Secret headquarters

Many superheroes (and supervillains) have headquarters or a base of operations. These locations are often equipped with state-of-the-art, highly-advanced or alien technologies, and they are usually disguised and/or in secret locations to as to avoid being detected by enemies, or by the general public. Some bases, such as the Baxter Building, are known of by the public (even though their precise location may remain secret). The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building in Manhattan whose five upper floors house the Fantastic Four 's headquarters in the Marvel Many heroes and villains who do not have a permanent headquarters are said to have a mobile base of operations.

To the heroes and villains who have a secret base, the base can serve a variety of functions.

• a safehouse, where the heroes can conceal themselves from their enemies.
• a laboratory, for experiments and scientific study.
• a research library, covering a variety of topics from science, to history, to criminal profiling.
• an armory, for weapons design, construction and storage.
• a garage/hangar/dock.
• a communications center.
• a weapons platform, for defense of the facility (these are more common to supervillains).
• a trophy room, where mementos of significant battles and adventures are displayed.
• a common area, for social activity (typically for larger teams, such as the Justice League or the Avengers). The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. The Avengers is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Superheroes outside the United States

There have been successful superheroes in other countries most of whom share the conventions of the American model. Examples include Cybersix from Argentina, Captain Canuck from Canada and the heroes of AK Comics from Egypt. Cybersix is a series of Argentine Comic books created by writers Carlos Meglia and Carlos Trillo. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Captain Canuck is a Superhero, one of Comic books �� most popular Canadian -owned heroes Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page AK Comics is an Egyptian based Superhero comic publishing venture and the first large scale production of the genre in the Middle East. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics.

Japan is the only country that nears the US in output of superheroes. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The earlier of these wore scarves either in addition to or as a substitute for capes and many wear helmets instead of masks. Uses and types In cold climates a thick Knitted scarf often of Wool, is tied around the Neck to keep warm A helmet is a form of Protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries a variation of the hat A mask is an artefact normally worn on the face typically for protection concealment performance or amusement Moonlight Mask, Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai (the basis for Power Rangers), Metal Heroes and Kikaider have become popular in Japanese tokusatsu live-action shows, and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Casshan, The Guyver, and Sailor Moon are staples of Japanese anime and manga. is a fictional Superhero that has appeared in Japanese Tokusatsu and Anime TV shows and movies since The is the collective name for all the shows produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren and the myriad Ultra Monsters. The is the overall name of a franchise of Japanese Tokusatsu. The is the name given to the long running Japanese Superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Company Ltd Power Rangers is a long-running American Children's television series adapted from the Japanese Tokusatsu Super Sentai Series, though it The is a genre of Tokusatsu Superhero TV series produced by Toei for Japanese television is a Japanese Superhero created by Shotaro Ishinomori. The character has appeared in Manga, Tokusatsu, and Anime. is a Japanese word that literally means " Special effects " It is primarily used to refer to Live-action Japanese Film and is a 5-member Superhero team which comprises the main characters in several Anime originally produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions and later Casshan, known in Japan as, is an Anime series created by animation studio Tatsunoko Productions in 1973, which was based on a serialization in Kodansha’s is the title of a Japanese Media franchise created by Naoko Takeuchi. (anime in Japanese, ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly However, most Japanese superheroes are shorter-lived. While American entertainment companies update and reinvent superheroes, hoping to keep them popular for decades, Japanese companies retire and introduce superheroes more quickly, usually on an annual basis, in order to shorten merchandise lines. In addition, Japanese manga often targets female readers, unlike U. S. comics, and has created such varieties as "magical girl" (e. belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy Anime and Manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities who are forced to fight evil and protect g. Cardcaptor Sakura) for this audience. .

In 1947, Filipino writer/cartoonist Mars Ravelo introduced the first Asian superheroine, Darna, a young Filipina country girl who found a mystic talisman-pebble from another planet that allows her to transform into an adult warrior-woman. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Mars Ravelo (born October 9, 1916 in Tanza Cavite, Philippines - 1988 was one of the most successful Filipino Graphic Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular Darna is a Fictional character and Superheroine created by Filipino Komiks (Philippine colloquial term for Comics) She was the first solo superheroine in the world to get her own feature-length motion picture in 1951 and has become a cultural institution in the Philippines.

British superheroes began appearing in the Golden Age shortly after the first American heroes became popular in the UK. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books generally thought as lasting from the 1930s until late 1940s during which Comic books The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[5] Most original British heroes were confined to anthology comics magazines such as Lion, Valiant, Warrior, and 2000AD. ANThology is the first Major label album by Alien Ant Farm released on March 6, 2001 in the USA and March 19 Warrior was a British anthology comic that ran for 26 issues between March 1982 and January 1985 Marvelman, known as Miracleman in North America, is probably the most well known original British superhero (although he was based heavily on Captain Marvel). Miracleman, originally known as Marvelman in his native United Kingdom, is a fictional Comic book Superhero created in 1954 by Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Popular in the 1960s, British readers grew fond of him and contemporary UK comics writers Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman revived Marvelman in series that reinvented the characters in a more serious vein, an attitude prevalent in newer British heroes, such as Zenith. Alan Moore (born November 18 1953 in Northampton) is an English Writer most famous for his influential work in Comics, including the acclaimed Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and Zenith ( Robert MacDowell) is a British Superhero, who appeared in the Science fiction Comic 2000 AD.

In France, where comics are known as Bande Dessinée, literally drawn strip, and regarded as a proper art form, Editions Lug began translating and publishing Marvel comic books in anthology magazines in 1969. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Franco-Belgian comics are Comics that are created in Belgium and France. Editions Lug was a French Comic book publisher created in 1950 by Writer / editor Marcel Navarro and businessman Auguste Soon Lug started presenting its own heroes alongside Marvel stories. Some closely modeled their U. S. counterparts, while others indulged in weirder attributes, such as the shape-changing alien Wampus. Shapeshifting is a common theme in Mythology and Folklore, as well as in Science fiction and Fantasy. See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial Wampus is a French Comic book character written by Franco Frescura and illustrated by Luciano Bernasconi for French publisher Many were short-lived, while others rivaled their inspirations in longevity and have been the subject of reprints and revivals, such as Photonik.

In India, Raj Comics, founded in 1984, owns a number of superheroes, such as Nagraj, Doga and Super Commando Dhruva, that, while somewhat akin to Western superheroes, carry Hindu ideas of morality and incorporate Indian myths. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Raj Comics is an Indian Comic book line published by a division of Raja Pocket Books Nagraj ( "Snake-King")(नागराज in Devanagari script is an Indian Comic book character from Raj Comics who arguably can be Doga is a Superhero character appearing in Raj Comics, published and distributed across India. Super Commando Dhruva is Fictional character, an Indian Comic book Superhero created by writer and artist Anupam Sinha. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Hindu mythology is the large body of Mythology related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and

See also: Manga, Komiks, Canadian comics, and History of the British comic

Types of superheroes

In superhero role-playing games, such as Hero Games' Champions, Green Ronin Publishing's Mutants and Masterminds or Cryptic Studios' MMORPG City Of Heroes, superheroes are informally organized into categories or archetypes based on their skills and abilities. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly Comics in the Philippines ( Filipino: Komiks) is the general term used for Comics created or produced in the Philippines. In spite of US dominance of Comic book sales in Canada and the overwhelming number of U A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Hero Games ( DOJ Inc dba Hero Games) is the publisher of the Hero System, a generic roleplaying rules set that can be used to simulate many different genres Champions is a Role-playing game originally by George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Bruce Harlick, and Ray Greer, published Green Ronin Publishing is an American company based in Seattle Washington. Mutants & Masterminds (abbreviated "M&M" or "MnM" is a top-selling multiple ENnie award and Pen & Paper Fan Award winning Superhero Cryptic Studios is a Privately-held, American developer of massively multiplayer online role-playing games headquartered in Los Gatos California. A massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) is a genre of Computer role-playing games (CRPGs in which a large number of players interact with City of Heroes (CoH is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the Superhero Comic book Genre, developed by Since comic book and role-playing fandom often overlap, these labels have carried over into discussions of superheroes outside the context of games:

• Armored Hero: A gadgeteer whose powers are derived from a suit of powered armor, e. A powered Exoskeleton is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of a skeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the g. Iron Man, Steel, Rocket Red, Samus Aran. Iron Man is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Dr John Henry Irons is the third hero known as Steel, a fictional Superhero in the DC Universe. Rocket Red is a Fictional character, a Comic book Superhero from the DC Comics universe. is the fictional protagonist of the ''Metroid'' Video game series
• Blaster: A hero whose main power is a distance attack, usually an "energy blast" e. In generalDO NOT ADD INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT CONCERN COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS g. , Cyclops, Starfire, Static. Cyclops ( Scott Summers) is a Fictional character, a Superhero that is the field leader of the X-Men in the. Starfire is the name of several fictional Comic book characters published by DC Comics. Static is a Fictional Superhero created by Dwayne McDuffie, John Paul Leon, and Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics
• Brick/Tank: A character with a superhuman degree of strength and endurance and usually an oversized, muscular body, e. g. , Robotman, Hercules, The Thing, The Hulk, Colossus, Mr. Incredible, and Savage Dragon. Hercules is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Thing ( Benjamin "Ben" Jacob Grimm) is a Fictional character, a founding member of the Superhero team known as the Fantastic Four This article is about the comic book character and series For all other media appearances see Hulk in other media. Colossus ( Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Robert "Bob" Parr (superhero name Mr Incredible) is a FAT fictional Superhero with great strength and durability introduced in the animated Disney Savage Dragon is an ongoing American Comic book series created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics. Almost every superhero team has one member of this variety, a fact X-Factor's Guido Carosella noted when he took the codename "Strong Guy" at a reporter's suggestion that was his role in the team. X-Factor is an American Comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Strong Guy is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.
• Dominus: A hero who controls a giant robot, a subtype common in Japanese superhero and science fiction media, e. Word origin and usage The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English word " mechanical " For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. g. Megas XLR, Big Guy, The Power Rangers, S.T.R.I.P.E. from the series Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. is a good example of an American comics Dominus. Megas XLR (short for e' X' tra L arge R obot is an American Anime-influenced Animated television series that aired on The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot is a Comic book by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow and an eponymous Animated Television series Power Rangers is a long-running American Children's television series adapted from the Japanese Tokusatsu Super Sentai Series, though it STRIPE (Special Tactics Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer is a fictional Superhero in the DC Comics universe. Stars and STRIPE was the title of an American comic book published by DC Comics, featuring the second Star-Spangled Kid and her stepfather
• Elementalist: A hero who controls some natural element or part of the natural world, e. g. , Storm (weather), Polaris (magnetism), Swamp Thing (vegetation), the Human Torch (fire). Storm ( Ororo Iqadi T'Challa, née Munroe is a Fictional character that appears in a number of Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Polaris ( Lorna Dane) is a Marvel Comics Superhero, a member of the X-Men. The Swamp Thing is a Fictional character created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson for DC Comics and featured in a long-running horror-fantasy The Human Torch ( Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a Fictional character and Superhero of the Marvel Comics universe
• Gadgeteer: A hero who invents special equipment that often imitates superpowers, e. g. , Batman, Nite Owl, Amazo. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Nite Owl is the name of two Fictional characters in the Comic book Limited series Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Amazo is a fictional Android from DC Comics. He has fought the Justice League of America on several occasions
• Mage: A hero who is trained in the use of magic e. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and g. , Doctor Fate, Doctor Strange, Zatanna, most Magical Girls. Doctor Fate (also known by the Diminutive, Fate) is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear within DC Comics ' universe Doctor Strange is a Fictional character, a Comic book sorcerer and Superhero in the. Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe.
• Marksman: A hero who uses projectile weapons, typically guns, bows and arrows or throwing blades, e. A gun is a particular Weapon that propels Projectiles The projectile is generally fired through a hollow tube known as the gun's barrel. Archery is the practice of using a bow or Crossbow to shoot Arrows Archery has historically been used in Hunting and Combat and has g. , Punisher, Rose Tattoo, Green Arrow, Speedy, Hawkeye. The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Rose Tattoo is the name of two characters owned by Wildstorm Productions, an independent Imprint of DC Comics. For the LNER Steam locomotive, see LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow Green Arrow ( Oliver Jones "Ollie" Queen Hawkeye ( Clint Barton) also known as Ronin and Goliath, is a Fictional character that appears in the Comic books
• Martial Artist: A hero whose physical abilities are mostly human rather than superhuman but whose hand-to-hand combat skills are phenomenal. Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. Some of these characters are actually superhuman (Iron Fist and Daredevil), while others are human beings who are extremely skilled and athletic (Batman and related characters, Elektra, and Shang Chi). Iron Fist ( Daniel Rand) is a Fictional character, a Comic book Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and a practitioner Daredevil is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Elektra Natchios, usually referred to only by her first name Elektra, is a Fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics. Shang-Chi ( is a Marvel Comics character often called the "Master of Kung Fu " Harley Quinn, Mercy Graves. Harley Quinn ( Dr Harleen Quinzel) is a Fictional character, a Supervillainess, in the animated series Batman The Animated Series Mercy Graves is the name of a DC Comics character Like Harley Quinn, she was created in the DC animated universe and later crossed into the comics
• Mentalist: A hero who possesses psionic abilities, such as telekinesis, telepathy and extra-sensory perception, e. Parapsychology is a discipline that seeks to demonstrate the existence and causes of Psychic abilities and life after death using the Scientific method The term psychokinesis (from the Greek ψυχή, "psyche" meaning mind soul heart or breath; and κίνησις, "kinesis" Telepathy ( Greek τηλε tele meaning "distant" and πάθεια patheia meaning "to be affected by" describes the purported transfer Extrasensory perception (ESP is the apparent ability to acquire information by Paranormal means independent of any known physical Senses or deduction from previous g. , Professor X, Jean Grey, Saturn Girl. Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics Superhero known as the leader and founder of Jean Grey-Summers ( née Jean Grey is a Fictional Comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Saturn Girl is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero, a telepath and a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, an organization
• Shapeshifter: A hero who can manipulate his/her own body to suit his/her needs, such as stretching (Mister Fantastic, Plastic Man, Elongated Man), or disguise (Changeling, Mystique). Shapeshifting is a common theme in Mythology and Folklore, as well as in Science fiction and Fantasy. Mr Fantastic ( Reed Richards) is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics Superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Plastic Man ( Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a fictional Comic-book Superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later The Elongated Man ( Ralph Dibny) is a fictional Comic book Superhero in the DC universe. Kevin Sydney is a Fictional character that has been a member of the X-Men in Comic book stories published by Marvel Comics. Mystique ( Raven Darkholme) is a Marvel Comics character associated with the X-Men franchise Other such shapeshifters can transform into animals as a means of combat (Beast Boy). Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan, also known as Beast Boy or Changeling, is a Fictional character, a Superhero appearing in Comic Characters like The Mask also share lots of these traits as well. The Mask originated as a Comic book series created by Mike Richardson and published by Dark Horse Comics.
• Size changer: A shapeshifter who can alter his/her size, e. Resizing (including size-changing miniaturization magnification shrinking and enlargement is a theme in fiction especially Science fiction. g. , the Atom (shrinking only), Colossal Boy, Garganta (growth only), Hank Pym, Elasti-Girl (both). Gim Allon is a Fictional character in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics universe who has gone by a variety of Superhero names Garganta is a fictional Comic book character published by AC Comics appearing in several of their titles most commonly Femforce Dr Henry "Hank" Pym is a Fictional character that appears in Publications published by Marvel Comics. Elasti-Girl is a Fictional character, a Superhero of the DC Comics universe and a member of the Doom Patrol.
• Slasher: A hero whose main power is some form of hand-to-hand cutting weapon, either devices, such as knives or swords (Zorro), Gladiator, or natural, such as claws (Wolverine). Zorro (originally called Señor Zorro) is a Fictional character created in 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley. Gladiator ( Melvin Potter) is a reformed Supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.
• Speedster: A hero possessing superhuman speed and reflexes, e. A speedster is a Fictional character in Superhero fiction particularly Comic books whose primary power is the superhuman ability to run and perform g. , The Flash, Quicksilver. Quicksilver ( Pietro Django Maximoff) is a Fictional character that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics.
• Healers: A hero who is able to quickly recover from serious injury e. g. Deadpool, Wolverine, Lobo, Xombi. Deadpool is a fictional Comic book character sometimes depicted as a Mercenary or Antihero; he appears in books published by Marvel Lobo is a Fictional character that appears in the Comic books published by DC Comics. Xombi is a Milestone Comics Superhero published by DC Comics. Characters like Mr. Immortal possess a healing factor so advanced that they are truly immortal. Mr Immortal ( Craig Hollis) is a Fictional character, a mutant Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and leader of the

These categories often overlap. For instance, Batman is both a skilled martial artist and gadgeteer and Hellboy has the strength and durability of a brick and the and some mystic abilities or powers, as a mage. Hellboy is a Fictional character, created by writer-artist Mike Mignola, that first appeared in Comic books published by Dark Horse Comics Wolverine also fits into a healing category. Very powerful characters, such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Dr. Manhattan and the Silver Surfer can be listed in many categories, and are sometimes in a category all their own, known as "original," as they were some of the earliest heroes in comics. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Doctor Manhattan ( Dr Jonathan Osterman) is a Fictional character featured in the DC Comics series Watchmen. } The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics Superhero created by Jack Kirby.

See also: List of comic book superpowers

Character examples

While the typical superhero is described above, a vast array of superhero characters have been created and many break the usual pattern:

• Wolverine has shown a willingness to kill and anti-social behavior. He belongs to an underclass of morally ambivalent anti-heroes who are coarser and more violent rather than classic superheroes. Others include Green Arrow, Black Canary, John Constantine, Blade and, in some incarnations, Batman. For the LNER Steam locomotive, see LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow Green Arrow ( Oliver Jones "Ollie" Queen Black Canary is a Fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. John Constantine ( May 10, 1953 in Liverpool, England) is the fictional Protagonist of the comic series Blade ( Eric Brooks) is a Fictional character, a Superhero Vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Namor the Sub-Mariner is the earliest example of this archetype, originally appearing in 1939. Some, such as Wolverine, Deadpool, and Daredevil, are often repentant about their actions, while others, such as The Punisher and Rorschach, are unapologetic. Deadpool is a fictional Comic book character sometimes depicted as a Mercenary or Antihero; he appears in books published by Marvel Daredevil is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Rorschach (ʁoɐʃax is a fictional Anti-hero featured in the acclaimed 1986 DC Comics series Watchmen.
• Some superheroes have been created and employed by national governments to serve their interests and defend the nation. Captain America was outfitted by and worked for the United States Army during World War II and Alpha Flight is a superhero team formed and usually managed by an arm of the Canadian Department of National Defence. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Alpha Flight is a Fictional group a Marvel Comics Superhero team noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Ultimates, in particular, work directly under the U. The Ultimates are a fictional group of Superheroes that appear in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. S. government and are used as a metaphor for U. S. military and political power. The Savage Dragon is virtually unique in that he began his superhero career as police officer, rather than a costumed vigilante. Savage Dragon is an ongoing American Comic book series created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics. Wonder Woman's day job also works for the government as an agent.
• Many superheroes have never had a secret identity, such as Luke Cage or the members of The Fantastic Four. A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate Persona (usually adopting a Pseudonym) while keeping their true identity Luke Cage, born Carl Lucas and also called Power Man, is a fictional Superhero appearing in Comic books published by The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Others who once had secret identities, such as Captain America and Steel, later made their identities public. The third Flash and Iron Man are rare examples of "public" superheroes who regain their secret identities (though Iron Man once more gave his up in Civil War). Wally West is a Fictional character, a Comic book Superhero in the DC Comics Universe, the first Kid Flash and the Iron Man is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics.
• The Hulk is usually defined as a superhero, but he has a Jekyll/Hyde relationship with his alter ego. This article is about the comic book character and series For all other media appearances see Hulk in other media. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and first published in 1886 When enraged, scientist Bruce Banner becomes the super-strong Hulk, a creature of little intelligence and self-control. His actions have often either inadvertently or deliberately caused great destruction. As a result, he has been hunted by the military and other superheroes.
• While most superheroes traditionally gained their abilities through accidents of science, magical means or rigorous training, the X-Men and related characters are genetic mutants whose abilities naturally manifest at puberty. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant within the Marvel Comic books particularly those of the X-Men mythos is an individual who possesses a genetic trait called an Mutants more often have difficulty controlling their powers than other superheroes and are persecuted as a group.
• Some superhero identities have been used by more than one person. A character (often a close associate or family member) takes on another's name and mission after the original dies, retires or takes on a new identity. The Flash, Blue Beetle and Robin are notable mantles that have passed from one character to another. Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional, American Comic book Superheroes published by a variety of companies since 1940 Robin (also referred to as The Boy Wonder) is the name of several Fictional characters appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics, originally Green Lantern and Nova are standard titles for the thousands of members of their respective intergalactic "police corps". Nova ( Richard Rider) is a fictional character, a Comic book Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. The Phantom and the Black Panther both adopted personae and missions that have lasted several generations. The Black Panther ( T'Challa) is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe who is the first modern Black
• Thor, Hercules and Ares are mythological gods reinterpreted as superheroes. Thor is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Hercules, or Heracles, in comics, may refer to Marvel Comics Hercules (Marvel Comics, a long-running Marvel character The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Wonder Woman, while not a goddess in her current incarnation, is a member of the Amazon tribe of Greek mythology given many "god like" powers, enough to challenge the gods themselves. The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance
• Spawn, Etrigan, Ghost Rider and Hellboy are actual demons who have been manipulated by circumstance into being forces of good. Spawn is a fictional Comic book character created by Todd McFarlane. The Demon is a DC Comics Superhero series created by prolific Comic book writer-artist Jack Kirby. Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional Supernatural Antiheroes appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Hellboy is a Fictional character, created by writer-artist Mike Mignola, that first appeared in Comic books published by Dark Horse Comics
• Superman, the Silver Surfer, Martian Manhunter, and Captain Marvel (the Marvel Comics character) are extraterrestrials who have, either permanently or provisionally, taken it upon themselves to protect the planet Earth. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon } The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics Superhero created by Jack Kirby. Martian Manhunter is the Superhero alias of J'onn J'onzz, alternately known as John Jones or the Manhunter from Mars, a Fictional character Captain Marvel is the name of several Fictional characters Superheroes appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001
• Adam Strange, on the other hand, is a human being who protects the planet Rann. Adam Strange is a fictional Superhero published by DC Comics. Rann also known as Rannagar is a Fictional planet in the Polaris star system (formerly the Alpha Centauri System of the.
• Some characters tread the line between superhero and villain because of a permanent or temporary change in character or because of a complex, individualistic moral code. These include Juggernaut, Emma Frost, Catwoman, Elektra, Black Adam and Venom. The Juggernaut is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Emma Grace Frost is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Catwoman is a Fictional character associated with DC Comics ' Batman franchise. Elektra Natchios, usually referred to only by her first name Elektra, is a Fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics. Black Adam is a fictional Comic book character created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C This change often coincides with a spin-off series in which the character must be a likable protagonist. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new Organization or Entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a Television series based on a pre-existing The Protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. The Thunderbolts are a team made up mostly of former villains acting as super heroes. The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics Superhero team which consists mostly of former Supervillains The group was conceived by writer Kurt Busiek
• Because the superhero is such an outlandish and recognizable character type, several comedic heroes have been introduced, including Ambush Bug, The Tick, The Flaming Carrot, The Great Lakes Avengers, Herbie Popnecker, The Powerpuff Girls and The Simpsons’ Radioactive Man. Ambush Bug is a fictional Comic book character who has appeared in several DC Comics. The Tick is a Fictional character, an absurdist spoof of Comic book Superheroes Created by cartoonist Ben Edlund, the character Flaming Carrot Comics is a Surrealist Comic book by Bob Burden originally published by Aardvark-Vanaheim, then by Renegade The Great Lakes Avengers are a Superhero group team that appear in the Fictional Marvel Universe. Herbie Popnecker, a Parody of a Superhero, first appeared in Forbidden Worlds #73 in December 1958 published by ACG American Comics The Powerpuff Girls is an Emmy award-winning The show has come under criticism for its rather excessive violence (including images of characters gushing blood Early, Harvey Kurtzman-edited issues of Mad Magazine featured several parodies of superheroes and count as some of the first satiric treatments of this subject matter. Harvey Kurtzman ( October 3, 1924, Brooklyn New York – February 21, 1993) was a U Mad is a monthly American Humor Magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952
• The title characters of the franchise Gargoyles are powerful warrior creatures who have an instinctual need to protect their territory and the beings living in it, although that need can be broadly interpreted by individuals. Gargoyles is an American Animated television series created by Greg Weisman.

Trademark status

Most dictionary definitions^[6] and common usages of the term are generic and not limited to the characters of any particular company or companies. A dictionary is a book of alphabetically listed Words in a specific language with definitions etymologies pronunciations and other information or a book of alphabetically A genericized trademark (also known as a generic trademark or proprietary eponym) is a Trademark or Brand name that has become the colloquial

Nevertheless, variations on the term "Super Hero" are jointly claimed by DC Comics and Marvel Comics as trademarks. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc A trademark or trade mark, represented by the symbols ™ and ®, or mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual Registrations of "Super Hero" marks have been maintained by DC and Marvel since the 1960s. ^[7] (U. S. Trademark Serial Nos. 72243225 and 73222079, among others).

Joint trademarks shared by competitors are rare in the United States. ^[8] They are supported by a non-precedential 2003 Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision upholding the "Swiss Army" knife trademark. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (or " TTAB " is a body within the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO responsible for hearing and deciding A Swiss Army knife ( SAK) ( German: de Schweizer Taschenmesser, French: fr Couteau suisse) is a brand of multi-function Pocket Like the "Super Hero" marks, the "Swiss Army" mark was jointly registered by competitors. It was upheld on the basis that the registrants jointly "represent a single source" of the knives, due to their long-standing cooperation for quality control. ^[9]

Critics in the legal community dispute whether the "Super Hero" marks meet the legal standard for trademark protection in the United States—distinctive designation of a single source of a product or service. Controversy exists over each element of that standard: whether "Super Hero" is distinctive rather than generic, whether "Super Hero" designates a source of products or services, and whether DC and Marvel jointly represent a single source. ^[10] Some critics further characterize the marks as a misuse of trademark law to chill competition. ^[11]

America's Best Comics, originally an imprint of Wildstorm, used the term science hero, coined by Alan Moore. America's Best Comics is a Comic book publishing brand It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an Imprint of Wildstorm, WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, (sometimes rendered Wildstorm) is a publishing Imprint and studio of American Comic book Science hero is an alternative term for Superhero coined by Alan Moore in his work for America's Best Comics to describe basically a superhero that has

History of superheroes in comic books

Antecedents

Early mythologies feature pantheons of gods with superhuman powers, as well as heroes such as Gilgamesh and Perseus. Gilgamesh was the son of Lugalbanda and the fifth king of Uruk (Early Dynastic II first dynasty of Uruk ruling circa 2600 BC according to the Sumerian king Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas ( Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας) the Legendary founder Later, folkloric heroes such as Robin Hood and the 19th century protagonists of Victorian literature, such as the masked adventurer The Scarlet Pimpernel, featured what became such superhero conventions as secret identities. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological Robin Hood is an archetypal figure in English folklore, whose story originates from medieval times but who remains significant in popular culture where The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The Protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities The Scarlet Pimpernel is a classic play and Adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the Penny dreadfuls, dime novels, radio programs and other popular fiction of the late 19th and early 20th centuries featured mysterious, swashbuckling heroes with distinct costumes, secret identities, unusual abilities and altruistic missions. This article is about US novels For the British versions see Story papers and Penny Dreadfuls. Radio programming is the content that is broadcast by Radio stations The original inventors of radio such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo The twentieth century of the Common Era began on These include Zorro, the Green Hornet, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and Spring Heeled Jack, the last of whom first emerged as an urban legend. Zorro (originally called Señor Zorro) is a Fictional character created in 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn is the smuggler Hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike. British English --> Spring Heeled Jack (also Springheel Jack, Spring-heel Jack, etc is a character from English folklore An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them Likewise, the science-fiction hero John Carter of Mars, with his futuristic weapons and gadgets; Tarzan, with his high degree of athleticism and strength, and his ability to communicate with animals; and the biologically modified Hugo Danner of the novel Gladiator were heroes with unusual abilities who fought sometimes larger-than-life foes. Tarzan is a Fictional character, an archetypal Feral child raised in the African jungle by Apes who later returns to civilization only to Hugo Danner is a Fictional character, the Protagonist of the 1930 American novel Gladiator, by Philip Gordon Wylie (1902-1971

The most direct antecedents are pulp magazine crime fighters — such as the "peak human" Doc Savage, the preternaturally mesmeric The Shadow, and The Spider — and comic strip characters such as Hugo Hercules, Popeye and The Phantom. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Doc Savage is a Fictional character, one of the Pulp heroes of the 1930s and 1940s The Spider was the violent relentless Hero of a Pulp magazine series produced by Popular Publications from 1933 to 1943 A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist The creation of cartoonist William HD Koerner Hugo Hercules was the titular hero of a comic strip that ran from September 1902 to January 1903 for the Chicago Tribune. Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows The first masked crime-fighter created for comic books was writer-artist George Brenner's The Clock,^{[12] [13]} who debuted in Centaur Publications' Funny Pages vol. George Brenner was an American cartoonist in the mid 1900's He created comics such as The Clock, Bozo the Iron Man, and The Clock is a fictional masked crime-fighter published during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Centaur Publications (1938–1942 was one of the earliest American Comic book Publishers Centaur developed primarily from the Comics Magazine Company 1, #6 (Nov. 1936). In terms of superpowered characters, many historians consider the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) the point at which the comic-book archetype began. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon

Golden Age

Main article: Golden Age of Comic Books

In 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster, who had previously worked in pulp science fiction magazines, introduced Superman. Jerome "Jerry" Siegel (October 17 1914 – January 28 1996 who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, Siegel was a fan of movies Joseph "Joe" Shuster (July 10 1914 - July 30 1992 was a Canadian -born American Comic book Artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon The character possessed many of the traits that have come to define the superhero: a secret identity, superhuman powers and a colorful costume including a symbol and cape. A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate Persona (usually adopting a Pseudonym) while keeping their true identity His name is also the source of the term "superhero," although early comic book heroes were sometimes also called "mystery men" or "masked heroes".

DC Comics, which published under the names National and All-American at the time, received an overwhelming response to Superman and, in the years that followed, introduced Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkman, Aquaman and Green Arrow. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created For other meanings of the term see Hawkman (disambiguation Hawkman is a Superhero in the DC Comics universe. For the LNER Steam locomotive, see LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow Green Arrow ( Oliver Jones "Ollie" Queen The first team of superheroes was DC's Justice Society of America, featuring most of the aforementioned characters. The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics Superhero group the first team of superheroes in Comic book history Although DC dominated the superhero market at this time, companies large and small created hundreds of superheroes. The Human Torch and Sub-Mariner from Marvel Comics (then called Timely Comics) and Plastic Man and Phantom Lady from Quality Comics were also hits. The Human Torch is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics -owned Superhero. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Timely Comics is the 1940s Comic book Publishing company that would evolve into first Atlas Comics, and then Marvel Comics Plastic Man ( Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a fictional Comic-book Superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first female superhero characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Quality Comics was an American comic book Publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call Will Eisner's The Spirit, featured in a comic strip, would become a considerable artistic inspiration to later comic book creators. William Erwin Eisner ( March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an acclaimed American Comics Writer, Artist and A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist The era's most popular superhero, however, was Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, whose exploits regularly outsold those of Superman during the 1940s. Fawcett Comics, a subsidiary of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful Comics publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics.

During World War II, superheroes grew in popularity, surviving paper rationing and the loss of many writers and illustrators to service in the armed forces. Charles Clarence Beck ( June 8, 1910 - November 22, 1989) was an American Cartoonist and Comic book World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The need for simple tales of good triumphing over evil may explain the wartime popularity of superheroes. Publishers responded with stories in which superheroes battled the Axis Powers and the patriotically themed superheroes, most notably Marvel's Captain America as well as DC's Wonder Woman. The Axis powers also known as the Axis alliance Axis nations Axis countries or sometimes just the Axis were those Countries

After the war, superheroes lost popularity. This led to the rise of genre fiction, particularly horror and crime. Genre fiction is a term for fictional works ( Novels short stories) written with the intent of fitting into a specific Literary genre Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Crime fiction is the Genre of Fiction that deals with Crimes their detection criminals and their motives It is usually distinguished from The lurid nature of these genres sparked a moral crusade in which comics were blamed for juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency refers to criminal acts performed by juveniles Most Legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles such as The movement was spearheaded by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, who famously argued that "deviant" sexual undertones ran rampant in superhero comics. Fredric Wertham ( March 20, 1895 November 18, 1981) was a German-American Psychiatrist and crusading author who protested ^[14]

In response, the comic book industry adopted the stringent Comics Code. The Comics Code Authority ( CCA) is part of the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA and was created to regulate the content of comic books in the United By the mid-1950s, only Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman retained a sliver of their prior popularity, although effort towards complete inoffensiveness led to stories that many consider silly, especially by modern standards. This ended what historians have called the Golden Age of comic books. The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books generally thought as lasting from the 1930s until late 1940s during which Comic books

Silver Age

Main article: Silver Age of Comic Books

In the 1950s, DC Comics, under the editorship of Julius Schwartz, recreated many popular 1940s heroes, launching an era later deemed the Silver Age of comic books. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Julius "Julie" Schwartz ( June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a Jewish Comic book and Pulp magazine The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books predominantly those featuring the Superhero The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and several others were recreated with new origin stories. For other meanings of the term see Hawkman (disambiguation Hawkman is a Superhero in the DC Comics universe. Reboot, in serial Fiction, means a discarding of much or even all previous continuity in the series to start anew While past superheroes resembled mythological heroes in their origins and abilities, these heroes were inspired by contemporary science fiction. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" In 1960, DC banded its most popular heroes together in the Justice League of America, which became a sales phenomenon. The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team.

Empowered by the return of the superhero at DC, Marvel Comics editor/writer Stan Lee and the artists/co-writers Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Bill Everett launched a new line of superhero comic books, beginning with The Fantastic Four in 1961 and continuing with the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, and Daredevil. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book Steve Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is an American Comic book Artist and Writer best known as the co-creator of the William Blake "Bill" Everett, also known as William Blake and Everett Blake ( May 18, 1917, Cambridge Massachusetts – The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. This article is about the comic book character and series For all other media appearances see Hulk in other media. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Iron Man is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Thor has appeared as a character in various Comics over the years appearing in series from a range of publishers The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daredevil is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. These comics continued DC’s use of science fiction concepts (radiation was a common source of superpowers) but placed greater emphasis on personal conflict and character development. Radiation, as in Physics, is Energy in the form of waves or moving Subatomic particles emitted by an atom or other body as it changes from a higher energy This led to many superheroes that differed from predecessors with more dramatic potential. For example, the Fantastic Four were a superhero family of sorts, who squabbled and even held some unresolved acrimony towards one another, and Spider-Man was a teenager who struggled to earn money and maintain his social life in addition to his costumed exploits.

While the superhero form underwent a revival, the rise of television as the top medium for light entertainment and the effects of Comics Code Authority obliterated genres such as westerns, romance, horror, war and crime . Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic The Comics Code Authority ( CCA) is part of the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA and was created to regulate the content of comic books in the United Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West between the years of 1860 and 1900 A romance novel is a literary Genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Crime fiction is the Genre of Fiction that deals with Crimes their detection criminals and their motives It is usually distinguished from In the coming decades, non-superhero comics series would occasionally rise to popularity, but superheroes and comic books would be forever intertwined in the eyes of the American public.

Deconstruction

In the 1970s, DC Comics paired Green Arrow with Green Lantern in a ground-breaking, socially conscious series. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company For the LNER Steam locomotive, see LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow Green Arrow ( Oliver Jones "Ollie" Queen Writer Dennis O'Neil portrayed Green Arrow as an angry, street-smart populist and Green Lantern as good-natured but short-sighted authority figure. Dennis O'Neil (often credited as Denny O'Neil) is a Comic book Writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Populism is a discourse which supports "the people" versus "the Elites " Populism may involve either a political philosophy urging social and political This is the first instance in which superheroes were classified into two distinct groups, the "classic" superhero and the more brazen anti-hero.

In the 1970s, DC returned Batman to his roots as a dubious vigilante, and Marvel introduced several popular anti-heroes, including The Punisher, Wolverine, and writer/artist Frank Miller's dark version of the longtime hero Daredevil. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American Writer, Artist and Film director best known for his dark Daredevil is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Batman, The Punisher, and Daredevil were driven by the crime-related deaths of family members and continual exposure to slum life, while X-Men's Wolverine was tormented by barely controllable savage instincts and Iron Man struggled with debilitating alcoholism. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions The trend was taken to a higher level in the 1986 miniseries Watchmen by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, which was published by DC but took place outside the "DC Universe" with new characters. A miniseries (also mini-series) in a serial Storytelling medium is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes Watchmen is a twelve-issue Comic book Limited series written by Alan Moore, and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins Dave Gibbons (born April 14, 1949) is a British Comic book Artist, writer and sometime letterer The DC Universe ( DCU) is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place Some of the superheroes of Watchmen were emotionally unsatisfied, psychologically withdrawn, sexually confused, and even sociopathic. Sociopathy is a loosely-defined term that may be used to refer to Psychopathy Antisocial personality disorder Dissocial Watchmen also examined flaws in the superhero mythos such as the inculpability of vigilantism, and the ultimate irrelevance of fighting crime in a world threatened by nuclear holocaust. A vigilante is a person who ignores Due process of law and enacts their own form of Justice in response to a perception of insufficient response by the Nuclear holocaust refers to the possibility of nearly complete annhilation of human Civilization by Nuclear warfare.

Another story, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1985-1986), continued Batman’s renovation/reinterpretation. Batman The Dark Knight Returns, originally published under the title Batman The Dark Knight, is a Batman comic book mini-series This miniseries, written and illustrated by Frank Miller, featured a Batman from an alternate/non-continuity future returning from retirement. The series portrayed the hero as an obsessed vigilante, necessarily at odds with official social authority figures, illustrated both by the relationship between Batman and retiring police commissioner James Gordon, and by the symbolic slugfest between the Dark Knight and Superman, now an agent/secret weapon of the U. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon S government. Both Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns were acclaimed for their artistic ambitiousness and psychological depth, and became watershed series.

Miller continued his seminal treatment of the Batman character with 1987's Batman: Year One (Batman issues #404-407) and 2001's The Dark Knight Strikes Again (also known as DK2). Batman Year One is the title of an American Comic book Story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli Batman The Dark Knight Strikes Again (also referred to as DK2) is a Batman mini-series by Frank Miller with Lynn DK2, the long-awaited follow-up to Dark Knight Returns, contrasts the traditional superhero-crimefighter character with the more politically conscious characters that evolved during the 1990s (perhaps epitomized by The Authority and Planetary, both written by British author Warren Ellis). The Authority is a Superhero Comic book published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint In DK2, Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor is the power behind the throne, controlling a tyrannical American government, as well as Superman himself. Superman's submission to Luthor's twisted power structure, in the name of saving lives is contrasted with Batman's determined attack against the corrupted institutions of government; the message is that crime can occur at all levels of society, and the heroes are responsible for fighting both symptoms and causes of societal dysfunction and corruption.

However, interestingly, Spiderman has steedfastly resisted partaking any part in the Deconstruction of the Superhero genre

Struggles of the 1990s

By the early 1990s, anti-heroes had become the rule rather than the exception, as The Punisher, Wolverine and the grimmer Batman became popular and marketable characters. The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Anti-heroes such as the X-Men’s Gambit and Bishop, X-Force's Cable and the Spider-Man adversary Venom became some of the most popular new characters of the early 1990s. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Gambit ( Remy LeBeau) is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics Superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Bishop ( Lucas Bishop) is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics Superhero who is a member of the X-Men. X-Force is a Fictional Marvel Comics Superhero team one of several Spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise Cable is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Venom is a Fictional character, a symbiote life form in the Marvel Comics universe. This was a financial boom time for the industry when a new character could become well known quickly and, according to many fans, stylistic flair eclipsed character development. Comic book collecting is a Hobby that treats Comic books and related items as Collectibles or artwork to be sought after and preserved In 1992, Marvel illustrators Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld — all of whom helped popularize anti-heroes in the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises — left Marvel to form Image Comics. Todd McFarlane (born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian Comic book artist writer toy manufacturer/designer and media Entrepreneur who is best known Jim Lee (born August 11, 1964) is a Korean-American Comic book Artist, Creator and Publisher. Rob Liefeld, (born October 3 1967) is an American Comic book writer illustrator and publisher Image Comics is an American Comic book publisher It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their Image changed the comic book industry as a haven for creator-owned characters and the first significant challenger to Marvel and DC in thirty years. Image superhero teams, such as Lee’s WildC.A.Ts and Gen¹³, and Liefeld’s Youngblood, were instant hits but were criticized as over-muscled, over-sexualized, excessively violent, and lacking in unique personality. Wildcats, sometimes rendered WildCats or WildCATs, is the name of multiple incarnations of a Superhero team created by the American Comic Gen¹³ is a fictional Superhero team and Comic book series originally written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by Youngblood is a Fictional Superhero team that starred in their self-titled Comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. McFarlane's occult hero Spawn fared somewhat better in critical respect and long-term sales. The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine hidden secret referring to "knowledge of the hidden" Spawn is a fictional Comic book character created by Todd McFarlane.

In this decade, Marvel and DC made drastic temporary changes to iconic characters. DC's "Death of Superman" story arc across numerous Superman titles found the hero killed and resurrected, while Batman was physically crippled in the "KnightFall" storyline. The Death of Superman is a Comic book Storyline (culminating in Superman #75 in 1992 that served as the catalyst for DC Comics ' Batman Knightfall is the title given to a major Batman Story arc published by DC Comics that dominated Batman -related serial At Marvel, a clone of Spider-Man vied with the original for over a year of stories across several series. The Clone Saga or Spider-Clone Saga was a major story arc in Marvel Comics which ran from 1994 to 1996 involving many clones of All eventually returned to the status quo.

Throughout the 1990s, several creators deviated from the trends of violent anti-heroes and sensational, large-scale storylines. Painter Alex Ross, writer Kurt Busiek and Alan Moore himself tried to "reconstruct" the superhero form. Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American Comic book painter, Illustrator and Kurt Busiek (born September 16, 1960) is a Comic book Writer. Acclaimed titles such as Busiek's, Ross' and Brent Anderson's Astro City and Moore's Tom Strong combined artistic sophistication and idealism into a super heroic version of retro-futurism. Brent Eric Anderson (b 1955 is an American Comic book Artist. Kurt Busiek's Astro City is a Comic book series centered around a fictional American city of that name Tom Strong is a Comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics Retro-futurism, retrofuturism, retro-future or retrofuture,terms combining " Retro " and " futurism " or " Ross also painted two widely acclaimed mini-series, Marvels (written by Busiek) for Marvel Comics and Kingdom Come for DC, which examined the classic superhero in a more literary context, as well as satirizing antiheroes. A miniseries (also mini-series) in a serial Storytelling medium is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes Marvels is a four-issue Comic book Limited series written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus Magog, Superman’s rival in Kingdom Come, was partially modeled after Cable. Magog is a fictional Antihero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Kingdom Come #1 (May 1996 and was created by

Superhero philosophy

The "philosophy" informing the ethos of vigilante superheroes (especially as seen in the Punisher and Batman characters) was essentially formulated centuries ago by the famous Greek sage Aristotle: Men possessing superior virtue and self-mastery necessarily transcend the external human bureaucratic-administrative framework:

“

There are men, wrote Aristotle, so godlike, so exceptional, that they naturally, by right of their extraordinary gifts, transcend all moral judgment or constitutional control: 'There is no law which embraces men of that caliber: they are themselves law. A vigilante is a person who ignores Due process of law and enacts their own form of Justice in response to a perception of insufficient response by the The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. '"[15]

”

Note that not all superheroes are vigilantes. During the Silver Age, for example, Batman was a deputized officer of the Gotham City police force. The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books predominantly those featuring the Superhero Other superheroes have worked, either openly or covertly, with or for government or international organizations. In 1986, John Byrne's Superman was officially deputized by the Metropolis mayor to allow him to arrest criminals legally.

Reception

Almost since the inception of the superhero in comic books, the concept has come under fire from critics. Most famously, the psychiatrist Fredric Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent (1954) alleged that sexual subtext existed in superhero comics, and included the infamous accusations that Batman and Robin were gay and Wonder Woman encouraged female dominance fetishes and lesbianism. Fredric Wertham ( March 20, 1895 November 18, 1981) was a German-American Psychiatrist and crusading author who protested Seduction of the Innocent is a book by Dr Frederic Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that Comic books were a bad form of popular Literature Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Robin (also referred to as The Boy Wonder) is the name of several Fictional characters appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics, originally Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Female dominance (or Femdom) refers to BDSM activities where the dominant partner is female the submissive partner may be of either sex A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women

Writer Ariel Dorfman has criticized alleged class biases in many superhero narratives in several of his books, including The Emperor's Old Clothes: What the Lone Ranger, Babar, and Other Innocent Heroes Do to Our Mind (1980). Ariel Dorfman (born May 6 1942 Buenos Aires) is a Chilean Novelist, Playwright, Essayist, Academic Contemporary critics seem to be more focused on the history and evolving nature of the superhero concept, as in Peter Coogan's Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre (2006). Coogan is a surname of Irish origin and may refer to Amanda Coogan Brian Coogan Gwynneth Coogan

The idea of the superhero has also been explored in several well-received contemporary graphic novels. A Daniel Clowes' "The Death Ray" (2004) examines the idea of the superhero as a non-costumed delusional misanthrope and serial killer and Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (2000) reimagines the Superman archetype as a mercurial god-like figure. Daniel Gillespie Clowes (born April 14, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois) is an Academy Award -nominated American Author Misanthropy is a general dislike distrust or hatred of the Human species or a disposition to dislike and/or distrust other people A serial killer is a person who Murders usually three or more people with a "cooling off" period between each murder and whose motivation for killing is largely based Franklin Christenson Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American Comic book artist and Cartoonist, best-known Jimmy Corrigan the Smartest Kid on Earth is a widely-acclaimed Graphic novel by Chris Ware, published in 2000 Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity.

Growth in diversity

For the first two decades of their existence in comic books, superheroes largely conformed to the model of lead characters in American popular fiction of the time, with the typical superhero a white, middle- to upper- class, heterosexual, professional, 20-to-30-year-old male. A majority of superheroes still fit this description as of 2007, but beginning in the 1960s many characters have broken the mold.

Superheroines

See also: Portrayal of women in comics and List of superheroines

The first known female superhero is writer-artist Fletcher Hanks's minor character Fantomah,^[16] an ageless, ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into a skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House's Jungle Comics #2 (Feb. Fletcher Hanks Sr (1 Dec 1887 New Jersey - Feb 1976 New York was a Cartoonist from the Golden Age of Comic Books, who wrote and drew stories detailing the adventures Fantomah is a Fictional character, best remembered as the first Comic book superheroine. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now Fiction House is an American Publisher of Pulp magazines and Comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg".

Another seminal superheroine is Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, a non-costumed character who fought crime and wartime saboteurs using the superpower of invisibility; she debuted in the eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip by Russell Stamm on June 3, 1940. Invisible Scarlet O'Neil is an American Comic strip written and drawn by Russel Stamm and published by the Chicago Times, and the name of the protagonist Print syndication is a form of syndication in which News articles columns, or Comic strips are made available to Newspapers, Magazines A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist A superpowered female antihero, the Black Widow — a costumed emissary of Satan who killed evildoers in order to send them to Hell — debuted in Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. Black Widow ( Claire Voyant) is the name of a Supernaturally powered Fictional character in the Marvel Comics 's Shared universe Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering Mystic is a Comic book that was published by the since-defunct Florida-based CrossGen Comics 1940), from Timely Comics, the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics. Timely Comics is the 1940s Comic book Publishing company that would evolve into first Atlas Comics, and then Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc

Though non-superpowered, like the Phantom and Batman, the earliest female costumed crimefighters are The Woman in Red,^[17] introduced in Standard Comics' Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940); Lady Luck, debuting in the Sunday-newspaper comic-book insert The Spirit Section June 2, 1940; the comedic character Red Tornado, debuting in All-American Comics #20 (Nov 1940); Miss Fury,^[18] debuting in the eponymous comic strip by female cartoonist Tarpé Mills on April 6, 1941; the Phantom Lady, introduced in Quality Comics Police Comics #1 (Aug. Nedor Comics was the Comic book line of publisher Ned Pines, who also published Pulp magazines under a variety of company names (primarily Standard Lady Luck is a fictional, American Comic-strip crime fighter and adventuress created and designed in 1940 by Will Eisner (who wrote the first A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. For information on the Silver Age Red Tornado see Red Tornado. Black Fury is the name of several Fictional Comic book characters Tarpé Mills (1915 - 1988 was the pen name of Comic book creator June Mills Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first female superhero characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Quality Comics was an American comic book Publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call 1941); and the Black Cat,^[19] introduced in Harvey Comics' Pocket Comics #1 (also Aug. The Black Cat is a comic book adventure heroine published by Harvey Comics from 1941 to 1951 Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey Publications) was an American Comic book Publisher, founded by Alfred Harvey in 1941 after buying 1941). The superpowered Nelvana of the Northern Lights debuted in Canadian publisher Hillborough Studio's Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 (Aug. Nelvana of the Northern Lights is a Canadian Comic book character and the first Canadian national Superhero, debuting in Hillborough Studio's Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page 1941).

The first widely recognizable female superhero is Wonder Woman, from All-American Publications, one of three companies that would merge to form DC Comics. All-American Publications is one of three American comic book companies that combined to form the modern-day DC Comics, one of the world's two largest comics publishers DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company She was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston with help and inspiration from his wife Elizabeth and their companion Olive Byrne. Dr William Moulton Marston ( May 9, 1893 &ndash May 2, 1947) was an American psychologist feminist theorist inventor and Elizabeth "Sadie" Holloway Marston ( February 20, 1893 – March 27, 1993) was an American Psychologist who was ^{[20] [21]}. Wonder Woman debuted in All Star Comics #8 (Jan. All Star Comics is a 1940s Comic book series from All-American Publications, one of the early companies that merged with National Periodical Publications 1942).

Starting in the late 1950s, DC introduced Hawkgirl, Supergirl, Batwoman and later Batgirl, all female versions of prominent male superheroes. Hawkgirl is the name of several fictional Superheroines all owned by DC Comics and existing in that company's DC Universe. Supergirl is a fictional Comic book superheroine that is depicted as a female counterpart to the DC Comics iconic Superhero Superman Batwoman (originally referred to as The Bat-Woman) is a fictional character and female counterpart to the superhero Batman, created by Bob Kane and Batgirl is the name of several Fictional characters appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts to the Superhero Batgirl would eventually shed her "bat" persona and become Oracle, the premiere information broker of the DC superhero community and leader of the superheroine team Birds of Prey In addition, the company introduced Zatanna and a second Black Canary and had several female supporting characters that were successful professionals, such as the Atom's love-interest, attorney Jean Loring. Barbara "Babs" Gordon is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics and in related media created by Gardner Fox An information broker is a person or business that researches information for clients Birds of Prey is a Comic book published by DC Comics that features the adventures of the superhero Oracle and her group of superheroines. Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Black Canary is a Fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. A supporting character is a character of a Book, play, Video game, movie, television or Radio show other form The Atom is a Fictional character, a DC Comics superhero introduced during the Silver Age of comic books in Showcase Jean Loring is a Fictional character in Comic books published by DC Comics, primarily associated with Superhero the Atom for whom

As with DC's superhero team the Justice League of America, with included Wonder Woman, the Marvel Comics teams of the early 1960s usually included at least one female, such as the Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl, the X-Men's Marvel Girl and the Avengers' Wasp and later Scarlet Witch. The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Susan Storm Richards (also known as Invisible Girl and later Invisible Woman) is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Jean Grey-Summers ( née Jean Grey is a Fictional Comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The Wasp ( Janet van Dyne) is a Fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. The Scarlet Witch ( Wanda Maximoff) is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. In the wake of second-wave feminism, the Invisible Girl became the more confident and assertive Invisible Woman, and Marvel Girl became the hugely powerful destructive force called Phoenix. Second-wave feminism refers to a period of Feminist activity which began during the 1960s and lasted through the late 1970s

In subsequent decades, Elektra, Catwoman, Witchblade, and Spider-Girl became stars of popular series. Elektra Natchios, usually referred to only by her first name Elektra, is a Fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics. Catwoman is a Fictional character associated with DC Comics ' Batman franchise. This article is about the Top Cow comic book series For its fictional star character sometimes colloquially known as Witchblade see Sara Pezzini. The Amazing Spider-Girl ( May "Mayday" Parker) is a fictional Comic book Superheroine active in an alternate future of Marvel Comics The series Uncanny X-Men and its related superhero-team titles included many females in vital roles. Uncanny X-Men, first published as simply The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics Comic book series for the X-Men franchise ^[22]

The idealized physiques and frequently sexual costumes (such as those of Power Girl, Emma Frost and Starfire) of female superheroes have led to accusations of sexism. Emma Grace Frost is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Starfire is the name of several fictional Comic book characters published by DC Comics. Sexism is the belief or attitude that one Gender or Sex is inferior to or less valuable than the other and can also refer to a Hatred or distrust towards ^[23][24]

Characters of color

In the late 1960s, superheroes of other racial groups began to appear. In 1966, Marvel Comics introduced the Black Panther, an African king who became the first non-caricatured black superhero^[25]. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc The Black Panther ( T'Challa) is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe who is the first modern Black A caricature is either a Portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness or in literature a description The first African-American superhero, the Falcon, followed in 1969, and three years later, Luke Cage, a self-styled "hero-for-hire", became the first black superhero to star in his own series. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The Falcon ( Sam "Snap" Wilson) is a fictional Comic book Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe who Luke Cage, born Carl Lucas and also called Power Man, is a fictional Superhero appearing in Comic books published by In 1971, Red Wolf became the first Native American in the superheroic tradition to headline a series. Red Wolf is the name of a number of Fictional characters in Marvel Comics ' Shared universe, the Marvel Universe. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States ^[26] In 1974, Shang Chi, a martial artist, became the first prominent Asian hero to star in an American comic book. Shang-Chi ( is a Marvel Comics character often called the "Master of Kung Fu " Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. (Asian-American FBI agent Jimmy Woo had starred in a short-lived 1950s series named after "yellow peril" antagonist, Yellow Claw. Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian Jimmy Woo is a fictional, Chinese-American Secret agent in the Marvel Comics Comic-book universe. Yellow Peril (sometimes Yellow Terror) was a color metaphor for race that originated in the late nineteenth century with Immigration of Chinese An antagonist (from Greek ανταγωνιστής - antagonistes, "opponent competitor rival" is a character or The Yellow Claw is a fictional Comic book Supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, created by EC Comics great )

Comic-book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotypes; Cage often employed lingo similar to that of blaxploitation films, Native Americans were often associated with wild animals and Asians were often portrayed as martial artists. A stereotype (from Greek: stereo + týpos = "solid impression" is a generalized perception of first impressions behaviors presumed by a group Blaxploitation is a Film genre that emerged in the United States in the early 1970s when many Exploitation films were made that targeted the urban

Subsequent minority heroes, such as the X-Men's Storm (the first black superheroine) and The Teen Titans' Cyborg avoided the patronizing nature of the earlier characters. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Storm ( Ororo Iqadi T'Challa, née Munroe is a Fictional character that appears in a number of Comic books published by Marvel Comics. For the animated TV series based on this comic see Teen Titans (TV series. Cyborg is a fictional character a Superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Storm and Cyborg were both part of superhero teams, which became increasingly diverse in subsequent years. The X-Men, in the particular, were revived in 1975 with a line-up of characters culled from several different nations, including the Kenyan Storm, German Nightcrawler, Russian Colossus and Canadian Wolverine. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Nightcrawler ( Kurt Wagner) is a Fictional character, a Comic book Superhero in the Marvel Universe. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Colossus ( Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Diversity in both ethnicity and national origin would be an important part of subsequent X-Men-related groups, as well as series that attempted to mimic the X-Men’s success. In the modern age, minority headliners are still rare but almost all teams feature at least a few minority characters. The Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid-1980s until

In 1993, Milestone Comics, an African-American-owned imprint of DC, introduced a line of series that included characters of many ethnic minorities, including several black headliners. Milestone Media is a company best known for creating the Milestone Comics Imprint (that was published through DC Comics) and the Static Shock In the Publishing Industry, an imprint can refer to two different things It can mean a Brand name under which a work is published The imprint lasted four years, during which it introduced Static, a character adapted into the WB Network animated series Static Shock. Static is a Fictional Superhero created by Dwayne McDuffie, John Paul Leon, and Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer Static Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros

In addition to the creation of new minority heroes, publishers have filled the roles of once-Caucasian heroes with minorities. The best known example is perhaps John Stewart who debuted in 1971 in the socially conscious series Green Lantern/Green Arrow. John Stewart is a Fictional Superhero, a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps. For the LNER Steam locomotive, see LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow Green Arrow ( Oliver Jones "Ollie" Queen Stewart was a black and somewhat belligerent architect who Green Lantern’s alien benefactors chose as Hal Jordan's standby, an idea that initially discomforted Jordan and was meant to discomfort some readers. An architect is a licensed individual who leads a design team in the Planning and Design of buildings and participates in oversight of Building Construction The Guardians of the Universe are a Fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. In the 1980s, Stewart became the Green Lantern permanently, making him the first black character to take the mantle of a classic superhero. The creators of the 2000s-era Justice League animated series selected Stewart as the show's Green Lantern, boosting his profile. Justice League is an American Animated television series about a team of Superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network

DC has recently passed some other long-established superhero mantles to ethnic minorities. These include the new Firestorm (African-American), Atom (Asian) and Blue Beetle (Latino). Firestorm ( Ronald "Ronnie" Raymond) is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional, American Comic book Superheroes published by a variety of companies since 1940 Alternatively, Marvel Comics revealed in an acclaimed 2003 limited series that the "Supersoldier serum" that empowered Captain America was subsequently tested on Isaiah Bradley, an African American man. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues Supersoldier is a term often used to describe a Soldier that operates beyond normal human limits or abilities Isaiah Bradley is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.

See also: List of black superheroes

LGBT characters

See also: LGBT comic book characters

In 1992, Marvel revealed that Northstar, a member of Alpha Flight, was homosexual, after years of implication. This is a list of black superheroes from the continent of Africa the United States Europe Canada Micronesia New Zealand Australia the West Indies and elsewhere For much of the 20th century gay relationships were discouraged from being shown in comics which were seen mainly as directed towards children Coming outThe expressions " closeted " or "in the closet " generally refer to undisclosed sexual behavior, Sexual orientation or Gender Northstar ( Jean-Paul Beaubier) is a Canadian mutant and one of the few openly gay characters in the Marvel Universe Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. ^[27] This ended a long-standing editorial mandate that there would be no LGBT characters in Marvel comics. ^[28] Although some secondary characters in DC Comics' mature-audience miniseries Watchmen were gay, Northstar was the first openly gay superhero. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Watchmen is a twelve-issue Comic book Limited series written by Alan Moore, and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins Other gay and bisexual superheroes have since emerged, such as Pied Piper, Gen¹³'s Rainmaker, and The Authority's gay couple Apollo and Midnighter. Pied Piper (also known as Piper) is a Fictional character in the DC Universe. Gen¹³ is a fictional Superhero team and Comic book series originally written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by Sarah Rainmaker is a fictional Superhero from the Comic book series Gen¹³ created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated The Authority is a Superhero Comic book published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint Midnighter is a Fictional Comic book Superhero, best known as a member of the rogue superhero team The Authority.

In the mid-2000s, some characters were revealed gay in two Marvel titles: The Ultimate Marvel incarnation of the X-Men’s Colossus and Wiccan and Hulkling of the superhero group Young Avengers. Ultimate Marvel is an Imprint of Comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's most popular Superhero Ultimate X-Men is a Superhero Comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Colossus ( Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Wiccan (real name William "Billy" Kaplan) is a Comic book character, a member of the Young Avengers, a team of Superheroes Hulkling ( Theodore "Teddy" Altman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero and a member of the Young Avengers, a team of Young Avengers is an American Comic book published by Marvel Comics. In 2006, DC revealed in its Manhunter title that longtime character Obsidian was gay, and a new incarnation of Batwoman was introduced as a "lipstick lesbian" to some media attention. Manhunter is a fictional character a superheroine in publications from DC Comics. Obsidian is a Fictional Superhero (formerly a Super-villain) published by DC Comics. Batwoman (originally referred to as The Bat-Woman) is a fictional character and female counterpart to the superhero Batman, created by Bob Kane and A lipstick lesbian is a Slang term used to describe Lesbian and Bisexual women who exhibit feminine gender attributes such as wearing ^[29][30]

In other media

Film

Main article: Superhero film

Superhero films began as Saturday movie serials aimed at children during the 1940s. Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were Short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a Feature The decline of these serials meant the death of superhero films until the release of 1978‘s Superman which was a tremendous success. Superman (also known as Superman The Movie) is a 1978 Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the Several sequels followed in the 1980s. A sequel is a work in Literature, Film, or other media that portrays events following those of a previous work A popular Batman series lasted from 1989 until 1997. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created These franchises were initially successful but later sequels in both series fared poorly, stunting the growth of superhero films for a time. A sequel is a work in Literature, Film, or other media that portrays events following those of a previous work In the early 2000s, blockbusters such as 2000’s X-Men, 2002’s Spider-Man, and 2005's Batman Begins have led to dozens of superhero films. X-Men is a 2000 Superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Spider-Man is a 2002 American Superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Batman Begins is a 2005 American Superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by The improvements in special effects technology and more sophisticated writing that both respects and emulates the spirit of the comic books has drawn in mainstream audiences and caused critics to take superhero films more seriously. The illusions used in the Film, Television, Theater, or Entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called

Live-action television series

Main article: Superhero live-action television series

Several popular but, by modern standards, campy live action superhero programs aired from the early 1950s until the late 1970s. Superhero live-action television series are Television series which feature the adventures of Superhero characters, typically These included Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves, the psychedelic-colored Batman series of the 1960s starring Adam West and Burt Ward and CBS’s Wonder Woman series of the 1970s starring Lynda Carter. Adventures of Superman is an American Television series based on Comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel George Reeves ( January 5, 1914 &ndash June 16, 1959) was an American Actor, best known for his role as Superman in the Batman is a 1960s American Television series, based on the DC Comic book character of the same name. Adam West (born William West Anderson on September 19, 1928) is an American Actor who is best known for playing the role of Burt Ward (born Bert John Gervis Jr, on July 6, 1945) is an American Television Actor and Activist. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Lynda Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress and Singer. The popular Incredible Hulk of the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, had a more somber tone. The Incredible Hulk is an American Television series based on the Marvel Comic book character of the same name.

In the 1990s, the syndicated Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, adapted from the Japanese Super Sentai, became popular. In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (often abbreviated by fans as MMPR) is an American Live-action Television series, created For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The is the name given to the long running Japanese Superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Company Ltd Other shows targeting teenage and young adult audiences that decade included Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Lois & Clark The New Adventures of Superman (often called Lois & Clark or The New Adventures Of Superman) is a Live-action American Fictional narratives (and works of art exist beyond their completion e In 2001, Smallville retooled Superman's origin as a teen drama. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon The 2006 NBC series Heroes tells the story of several people who "thought they were like everyone else, until they woke with incredible abilities". The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Heroes is an American Science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September

In Japan, tokusatsu (Japanese term for special effects) superhero TV series are very common. is a Japanese word that literally means " Special effects " It is primarily used to refer to Live-action Japanese Film and

Animation

Main article: Superheroes in Animation

In the 1940s, Fleischer/Famous Studios produced a number of groundbreaking Superman cartoons, which became the first examples of superheroes in animation. Superheroes have been portrayed in Animation since the early 1940s Fleischer Studios Inc is an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City New York. Famous Studios, renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956 was the Animation division of the Hollywood film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 The Superman Animated cartoons, commonly but somewhat erroneously known as the " Fleischer Superman cartoons " were a series of seventeen animated The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames

Since the 1960s, superhero cartoons have been a staple of children’s television, particularly in the U.S.. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the However, by the early 1980s, US broadcasting restrictions on violence in children’s entertainment led to series that were extremely tame, a trend exemplified by the series Super Friends. Super Friends is an American Animated television series about a team of Superheroes which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part Meanwhile, Japan's anime industry successfully contributed to the genre with their own style of superhero series, most notably Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.

In the 1990s, Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men led the way for series that displayed advanced animation, mature writing and respect for the comic books on which they were based. Batman The Animated Series (often shortened Batman TAS or BTAS) is an American, two time Emmy Award winning For the newer X-Men animated series see X-Men Evolution. For other uses see the X-Men (disambiguation page A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative This trend continues with Cartoon Network’s successful adaptation of DC's Justice League and Teen Titans. Justice League is an American Animated television series about a team of Superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network Teen Titans is an American animated television series created by Sam Register and Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack

The comics superheroes mythos itself received a nostalgic treatment in the acclaimed 2004 Disney/Pixar release The Incredibles, which utilized computer animation. Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner was established Pixar Animation Studios is a CGI animation production company based in Emeryville California. The Incredibles is a 2004 Computer-animated feature Film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, Computer-generated imagery Computer animation is the art of creating moving images with the use of Computers It is a subfield of Computer graphics Original superheroes with basis in older trends have also been made for television, such as Cartoon Network's Ben 10 and Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom. Ben 10 is an American Animated television series created by "Man of Action" (a group consisting of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Nickelodeon (commonly referred to as Nick) is an American Cable television network owned by Viacom International, founded in 1977 as Pinwheel Danny Phantom was an American animated television show created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon, produced by Billionfold Studios

Radio

In the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s, Superman was one of the most popular radio serials in the United States. The Adventures of Superman, adapted from the DC Comics character created in 1938 (see Superman) came to Radio as a syndicated Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Other superhero radio programs starred characters including the costumed but not superpowered Blue Beetle, and the non-costumed, superpowered Popeye. Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional, American Comic book Superheroes published by a variety of companies since 1940 Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows Also appearing on radio were such characters as The Green Hornet, The Green Lama, Doc Savage, and The Lone Ranger, a western hero who relied on many conventions of the superhero genre (faithful sidekick, secret identity, prodigious skill in combat, code of conduct). The Green Hornet (also referred to as simply Green Hornet) is a masked fictional Crime fighter The Green Lama was an American Pulp magazine hero of the 1940s Doc Savage is a Fictional character, one of the Pulp heroes of the 1930s and 1940s The Lone Ranger is an American, long-running Old-time radio and early Television show created by George W

In the 1990s, the BBC broadcast radio plays adapting comic-book stories from at least three publishers.

Prose

Adaptations

Superheroes occasionally have been adapted into prose fiction, starting with Random House's 1942 novel The Adventures of Superman by George Lowther. Random House Inc is the world's largest English-language general trade book publisher A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story The Adventures of Superman is a Novel by George Lowther. It was first published in 1942 with illustrations by Joe Shuster, the co-creator of George Lowther may refer to George Lowther (pirate George Lowther (writer In the 1970s, Elliot S! Maggin wrote the Superman novels, Last Son of Krypton (1978) and Miracle Monday, coinciding with but not adapting the movie Superman. Elliot S Maggin, also spelled Elliot S! Maggin (born 1950 is an American writer of comic books film television and novels Last Son of Krypton is a novel written by Elliot S! Maggin and based on the DC Comics character Superman. Miracle Monday is a novel written by Elliot S! Maggin and based on the DC Comics character Superman. Superman (also known as Superman The Movie) is a 1978 Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the ^[31] Other early adaptations include novels starring the comic-strip hero The Phantom, starting with 1943's Son of the Phantom. A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist The character likewise returned in 1970s books, with a 15-installment series from Avon Books beginning in 1972, written by Phantom creator Lee Falk, Ron Goulart, and others. Avon Publications was an American paperback book and Comic book publisher Leon Harrison Gross, more known by the alias of Lee Falk ( April 28, 1911 - March 13, 1999) was an American writer Ron Goulart (born January 13, 1933) is an American Pop-culture historian and mystery, Fantasy, and Science fiction

Also during the 1970s, Pocket Books published 11 novels based on Marvel Comics characters. Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes Paperback books Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc ^[31] Juvenile novels featuring Marvel Comics and DC Comics characters including Batman, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Justice League, have been published, often marketed in association with TV series, as have Big Little Books starring the Fantastic Four and others. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U Big Little Books series first published by the Whitman Publishing Company in Racine Wisconsin in 1932 The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Marvel and DC released novels adapting such story arcs as "The Death of Superman" and Batman's "No Man’s Land". The Death of Superman is a Comic book Storyline (culminating in Superman #75 in 1992 that served as the catalyst for DC Comics ' Batman No Man’s Land is an American comic book crossover storyline that ran for the whole of 1999 through the Batman comic book

Original characters

The 1930 novel Gladiator by Philip Gordon Wylie featured a man granted super-strength and durability through prenatal chemical experimentation. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Gladiator is an American Science fiction Novel first published in 1930 and written by Philip Wylie. He tries to use his abilities for good but soon becomes disillusioned, making him an early example of both the superhero and its latter day deconstruction.

Robert Mayer's 1977 Superfolks tells of a retired hero who has married and moved to the suburbs being drawn back into action. Sir Robert Mayer KCVO ( June 5, 1879 – January 9, 1985) was a Philanthropist, businessman and a major supporter of music Super-Folks is a 1977 Novel by Robert Mayer (hb ISBN 0-207-95814-9 pb ISBN 0-417-05460-2 South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California.

The Wild Cards books, created and edited by George R. R. Martin in 1987, were a non-comic book-based science fiction series that dealt with superpowered heroes. Wild Cards is a Science fiction and Superhero anthology series set in a Shared universe George Raymond Richard Martin ( September 20, 1948) sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American Author and Screenwriter The characters in the series follow many of the superhero archetypes.

Science-fiction author Michael Bishop parodied superheroes in his 1992 novel Count Geiger's Blues in which a pop culture-hating art critic plunges into a pool of toxic waste and transforms into a costumed superhero and gains an allergy to high art. Michael Lawson Bishop (born November 12, 1945 in Lincoln Nebraska) is an award-winning American Writer. Popular culture (or pop culture) is the Culture — patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance —

Novels

Existing comic-book superheroes have appeared in original novels, as well as in novelizations of comic-book story arcs. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story A novelization is a Novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work

Computer games

While many popular superheroes have been featured in licensed computer games, up until recently there have been few that have revolved around heroes created specifically for the game. This has changed due to two popular franchises: The Silver Age-inspired Freedom Force (2002) and City of Heroes (2004), a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (or MMORPG), boths of which allow players to create their own superheroes. The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books predominantly those featuring the Superhero Freedom Force is a real-time Tactical role-playing game developed by Irrational Games and published by Electronic City of Heroes (CoH is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the Superhero Comic book Genre, developed by A massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) is a genre of Computer role-playing games (CRPGs in which a large number of players interact with

Internet

In the 80s and 90s, the Internet allowed a worldwide community of fans and amateur writers to bring their own superhero creations to a global audience. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks Fans in Little Italyjpg|thumb|right|Fans in Little Italy Manhattan celebrating the victory of the Italian association football team after the 2006 FIFA World Cup]][[Image Wm-oly-de-cr The first original major shared superhero universe to develop on the Internet was Superguy, which first appeared on a UMNEWS mailing list in 1989. A shared universe is a Literary technique in which several different authors create works of Fiction that share aspects such as settings or characters and that are Superguy was originally a creative fiction writing group on the now-defunct UMNEWS Mailing list service which began in February 11, 1989 with the story In 1992, a cascade on the USENET newsgroup rec. Usenet, a Portmanteau of "user" and "network" is a world-wide distributed Internet discussion system A newsgroup is a Repository usually within the Usenet system for messages posted from many users in different locations arts. comics would give birth to the The Legion of Net.Heroes shared universe. The Legion of NetHeroes, or LNH, is the oldest (and perhaps the first USENET -based Shared universe still in existence and the name of the premiere In 1994, LNH writers contributed to the creation of the newsgroup rec.arts.comics.creative, which spawned a number of original superhero shared universes.

Music video

In the music video "Without Me" by Eminem, he portrays himself as Robin.

The music video of the song "Kryptonite" by Three Doors down shows an old guy reminiscing about his past as a Superhero. He puts the costume back on and tries to help people, but no one takes him seriously.

See also

• Elseworlds/What If - a popular type of superhero story
• List of actors who have played superheroes
• List of Superpowers
• List of fictional secret bases in comics and animation
• List of superhero debuts
• List of superhero role-playing games
• Real-life superhero
• Science hero
• Superhero film
• Supervillain

Notes

References

• The Grand Comics Database
• Comic Book Religion Database
• Superhero Database
• Peter Coogan's "The Definition of the Superhero"

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