Superhero

Music Home >> Music Genres >> Undetermined Music



< < < < < > > > > > More Info on Superhero Similar Undetermined Music Search Artistopia

Biography

A superhero is a type of stock character , dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototype|prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes—ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas—have dominated comic book s and crossed over into other mass media|media . The word itself dates to at least 1916. A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine . "SUPER HEROES" was registered as a trademark jointly by DC Comics and Marvel Comics|Marvel Characters, Inc. on August 25, 2009.

Characters do not require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes; the term has also been applied to costumed crime fighters , characters without superpowers who perform the same functions as superheroes, such as Batman and Green Arrow .Per, among other sources, While the is "A figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime," the more longstanding Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the as "a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also: an exceptionally skillful or successful person". However, broad interpretations of the superhero archetype included masked vigilante s, such as the Spirit (comics)|Spirit , who fought crime with their wits, fists and guns rather than superhuman powers, while concealing their identities with only a mask, hat and coat.

In the traditional paradigm, superheroes supplement official law enforcement efforts to fight crime by using their extraordinary abilities to circumvent legal and physical limitations affecting the police. In addition to this basic function, superheroes also confront characters representing their polar opposites, known as supervillain s, who employ comparable powers and abilities toward nefarious purposes. Generally, a superhero will regularly engage in physical and strategic combat with a collection of recurring idiosyncratic and iconic villains, often known as a rogues gallery , in attempting to thwart a number of schemes. It is also common for one of these characters to serve as a primary antagonist and archenemy of the superhero, with the others serving as secondary nemeses. Additionally, superheroes will combat threats against humanity, such as Extraterrestrials in fiction|extraterrestrials and supernatural or mythological entities, or threats posed by supervillains.

Superheroes remain a staple of most illustrated serial fiction in Western culture, frequently drawing both acclaim and controversy for their perceived influence on social and political issues addressed in their story-lines. In the twentieth century, superheroes and comic books were occasionally attacked as proponents of subversive political and social ideologies; on other occasions, they served to support and idealize the dominant values of the national culture. They have, historically, also been used for commentary on political, social, sexual, and philosophical controversies.

Common traits

Extraordinary powers, skills, equipment

Superhero powers vary widely. Superhuman strength, the ability to fly, enhanced senses, and the projection of energy bolts are common. Some superheroes rely upon special weapons or technology, such as Iron Man 's Artificial powered exoskeleton|powered armor suit and Green Lantern ’s power ring (weapon)|power ring . Many characters supplement their natural powers with a special weapon or device (e.g., Wonder Woman 's lasso and bracelets, Green Arrow 's trick arrows, Spider-Man 's webbing, Wolverine (comics)|Wolverine 's adamantium claws, Daredevil (Marvel Comics)|Daredevil 's billy club, or Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor 's hammer).

Moral code

A strong moral code, including a willingness to risk one's own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward (Spider-Man's "With great power there must also come great responsibility") can be an essential element of the superhero's basic character. Such as a code often includes a refusal or strong reluctance to kill or wield lethal weapons.

Secret identity

A secret identity protects the superhero's friends and family from becoming the targets of an enemy. The Clark Kent alias, for example, served this purpose for Superman . Many superheroes have a confidant (usually a friend or relative who has been sworn to secrecy). As one scholarly work analyzed in 1972,

Motif or theme

An underlying motif or theme affects the hero's name, costume, personal effects, and other aspects of his or her character. Batman , for example, resembles a large bat, operates at night, and uses several devices given a "bat" prefix, such as his bat-like car, the " Batmobile ". Spider-Man shoots webs from his hands, has a spiderweb pattern on his costume, and other spider-like abilities. Jean Grey|Phoenix can create inextinguishable cosmic fire and, like the mythical bird of the same name, she always rises from death.

Supporting characters

Often the hero's personal relationships are complicated by the dual life necessary to preserve a secret identity. This was a common theme in Spider-Man and Batman stories in particular. A supporting character|supporting cast of recurring characters, includes the hero's friends, co-workers and/or love interests, some of whom may know the superhero's secret identity.

Rogues gallery

Generally, a superhero fights a rogues gallery of enemies on a recurring basis. In some cases the superhero fights run of the mill criminals before supervillains surface in their respective storylines. The hero may even be responsible for the appearance of the supervillains (the Mac Gargan|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 superheroes have an archenemy who is more troublesome than the others, a nemesis who serves as the superhero's doppelganger or Foil (literature)|foil (e.g., Sabretooth (comics)|Sabretooth embraces his instincts while Wolverine (comics)|Wolverine tries to control his; Batman is dark, quiet, and grim, while Joker (comics)|the Joker is colorful, loquacious, and flamboyant).

Financial support

Independent wealth (e.g., Batman or the X-Men 's benefactor Professor X ) or an occupation that allows for minimal supervision (e.g., Superman 's civilian job as a reporter) can be quite helpful in maintaining the superhero lifestyle.

Headquarters

Many superheroes (and supervillains ) have headquarters or a base of operations. These locations are often equipped with state-of-the-art or even alien technologies, and may be disguised or in secret locations to avoid detection by enemies or the general public. Some, such as the Baxter Building , are known to the public, although in some other cases the precise location may remain secret. Many heroes and villains who do not have a permanent headquarters are said to have a mobile base of operations. A headquarters can provide the character with a secure area for storing equipment and costumes, such as Batman 's Batcave . For Superman, the Fortress of Solitude served as a quiet location to relax and study.

Backstory

The backstory explains the circumstances by which the character acquired his or her abilities as well as the 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.

Achilles' heel

A specific weakness or Achilles' heel can be an important plot device in a superhero story. The threat of Kryptonite provided Superman's enemies with a tool to restrict and challenge his powers. In the case of The Incredible Hulk , anger or injury triggered certain internal conditions necessary to release his powers.

Costume features

A superhero's costume helps make him or her recognizable to both the reader, and the general public of the comic-book reality. Due to the serial nature of comics, the style and appearance of the title character often changes with the introduction of a new artist. To make the title character immediately distinguishable from other characters within the same title or from competing characters in other comic-book titles, it is practical to make the costumed character flamboyant and therefore more iconic. Costumes are often colorful to enhance the character's visual appeal and frequently incorporate the superhero's name and theme. For example, Daredevil (Marvel Comics)|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. The convention of superheroes wearing masks, frequently without visible pupils , and skintight unitards originated with Lee Falk 's comic strip hero Phantom (comics)|The Phantom .

Most superheroes have a gadget or a weapon that is frequently associated with them. For example, Captain America has a shield, Batman has a utility belt, Thor his hammer, Daredevil his billy clubs and Wonder Woman her lasso of truth. Such an object often becomes the identifying feature which appears in most drawings so readers can identify the character by both the costume and this object. Some of these objects are the superheroes adopted symbols; some are incorporated into the main aspect of the character (Iron Man's repulsor rays which are a part of his main suit or Green Arrow's bow which is his key weapon).

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

Superheroes who maintain a secret identity often wear a mask , ranging from the domino mask s of Green Lantern and Carol Danvers|Ms. Marvel to the full-face masks of Spider-Man and Black Panther (comics)|Black Panther . Most common are masks covering the upper face, leaving the mouth and jaw exposed (Captain America, Batman, Daredevil). This allows for both a believable disguise and recognizable facial expressions. A notable exception is Superman , who wears nothing on his face while fighting crime, but uses large glasses in his civilian life as Clark Kent . Some characters wear helmet s, such as Doctor Fate , Magneto (comics)|Magneto , and Thor (comics)|Thor .

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 or the spider emblem of Spider-Man and the large skull emblem of The Punisher . 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.

Form-fitting clothing, often referred to as tights or Spandex , although the exact material is usually unidentified. Such material displays a character’s athletic Stature|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 because two of the most widely recognized superheroes, 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. The comic-book miniseries Watchmen and the animated movie The Incredibles commented on the potentially lethal impracticality of capes. In Marvel Comics , the term "cape-killer" has been used to describe Superhuman Restraint Unit, even though few notable Marvel heroes wear capes.

While most superhero costumes merely hide the hero’s identity and present a recognizable image, parts of the costume (or the costume itself) have functional uses. Batman's utility belt and Spawn (comics)|Spawn 's " necroplasm ic armor" have both been of great assistance to the heroes. Iron Man's armor , in particular, protects him and provides technological advantages.

When thematically appropriate, some superheroes dress like people from various professions or subcultures. Zatanna , who possesses wizard-like powers, dresses as a stage magician, Marvel's Ghost Rider (comics)|Ghost Rider and DC's Lobo (DC Comics)|Lobo , ride superpowered motorcycles and dress in biker's leather garb.

Several heroes of the 1990s, including Cable (comics)|Cable and many Image Comics characters, rejected the traditional superhero outfit for costumes that appeared more practical and militaristic. 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 Punisher|The Punisher or Question (comics)|The Question , opt for a "civilian" costume (mostly a trench coat). A few, such as the Runaways (comics)|Runaways , do not wear any distinctive outfits at all.

Underpants worn over pants ( trousers ), or lack of pants altogether.

Categories of superheroes

Individual superheroes can be categorized by archetype s, based upon their power set. Many heroes fit into more than one category.
Examples of superhero archetype categories include the following.
;Acrobat: A hero whose main ability is great control over his/her body, granting above average strength, stamina and reflexes. Usually depicted as medium-size to small frame persons, they can be either humans with extensive training ( Robin (comics)|Robin , Daredevil (Marvel Comics)|Daredevil ) or superpowered beings ( Spider-Man , Creeper (comics)|The Creeper , Nightcrawler (comics)|Nightcrawler ).
;Aerial: A character whose main skill is flight, either by his/her own means ( Warren Worthington III|Angel , Hawkman , Zauriel ) or because he/she is a very capable pilot ( Blackhawk (comics)|Blackhawk , Enemy Ace ).
;Armored Hero: A gadgeteer without personal superpowers, using powers generated from a suit of powered armor ; e.g., Iron Man , S.T.R.I.P.E. and John Henry Irons|Steel .
;Behemoth/Goliath: A character possessing massive superstrength and near-indestructibility and, for males, usually an oversized muscular body. One of the most powerful of the superhero archetypes; e.g., Hulk (comics)|The Hulk , Lobo (DC Comics)|Lobo , He-Man , Thing (comics)|The Thing and Colossus (comics)|Colossus .
;Blaster: A hero whose main power is a distance attack, usually an " energy blast ", this is the most common of the superhero archetypes; e.g., Black Lightning , Cyclops (comics)|Cyclops , Human Torch , Invisible Woman , Starfire (comics)|Starfire , Static (superhero)|Static , The Ray .
;Chosen: A hero who usually gains powers from wielding magical or sci-fi items, such as swords ( King Arthur , He-man , Lion-O , Black Knight (comics)|Black Knight , Shining Knight ), wands ( Sailor Moon ), rings ( Green Lantern ), wrist bands ( Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics) ) or other items generally worn on the chest ( Power Rangers ), arm region ( Ben 10 ), or neck ( Card Captors ). This category also includes the hero who is bestowed with powers from some sort of enchantment ( Captain Marvel (DC Comics) ) or by human enhancement ( Captain America ).
;Demon: A hero with demonic powers who fights against other demonic characters ( Blade (comics)|Blade , Ghost Rider (comics)|Ghost Rider , Spawn (comics)|Spawn , Werewolf by Night ) or being a demon his/herself willing to protect humanity ( Etrigan , Hellboy , Son of Satan|Hellstorm ).
;Divine: A hero which powers were granted by a deity ( Deadman , Phantom Stranger , Crow (comics)|The Crow , Spectre (comics)|The Spectre , Wonder Woman , Zauriel ) or for being a deity his/herself ( Ares (Marvel Comics)|Ares , Highfather , Hercules (Marvel Comics)|Hercules , Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor ).
;Energizer: A blaster who possesses the ability to generate a vast amount of energy ( Qi|Ki , Chakra(Naruto)|Chakra , etc.). Mostly associated with anime and manga heroes ( Son Goku (Dragon Ball)|Son Goku , Pegasus Seiya , Naruto Uzumaki , Yusuke Urameshi , etc.), they can summon vast reserves of energy during combat, growing in power as they train or when pushed to their limits. Some have even been known to " Henshin " into wilder versions of themselves ( Super Saiyan , World of Naruto#Tailed beasts|Nine-Tailed Forms , etc.). This category can also extend to characters who have the ability to absorb, hold, or redirect energy as well as discharge it, absorb the properties of matter, or absorb DNA to gain a being's powers ( Amazing Man (DC Comics)|Amazing Man , Bishop (comics)|Bishop , Gambit (comics)|Gambit , Kevin Levin , Rogue (comics)|Rogue ).
; Elemental ist: A hero who controls some natural element or part of the natural world; e.g., Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm (weather), Magneto (comics)|Magneto (magnetism), Jean Grey|Phoenix (cosmic fire; life & death), Swamp Thing (vegetation), Human Torch and Green Flame (fire), Iceman (comics)|Iceman and Ice (comics)|Ice (ice), Red Tornado (wind) or Animal Man and Vixen (comics)|Vixen (animal kingdom avatars).
;Feral: A hero linked somehow to the animal kingdom, granting him/her animalistic abilities and strengths either by power summoning ( Animal Man , Vixen (comics)|Vixen ), having animal traits granting them bestial abilities ( Wolverine (comics)|Wolverine , Beast (comics)|Dr. Hank McCoy , Sabretooth (comics)|Sabretooth ), shapeshifting ( Beast Boy , Congo Bill , Timber Wolf (comics)|Timber Wolf ) or being normal humans with empathic control over beasts ( Tarzan , Rima the Jungle Girl , B'wana Beast ).
;Gadgeteer: A hero who invents or wields special equipment that often imitates superpowers, but has no personal super powers; e.g., Nite Owl , Tarantula (DC Comics)|Tarantula , Blue Beetle , Green Lantern , and Catwoman .
;Ghost: A hero with ghost-like abilities: either invisibility (such as Invisible Woman and Red Tornado ); intangibility (such as Kitty Pryde|Shadowcat and Vision (Marvel Comics)|The Vision ); or both (such as Deadman , Ghost (Dark Horse Comics)|Ghost , Martian Manhunter and Spectre (comics)|The Spectre ).
;Healer: A hero who is able to quickly recover from serious injury; e.g., Lobo (DC Comics)|Lobo , Crow (comics)|The Crow , Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor , Wolverine (comics)|Wolverine . This may also be a hero whose primary ability is to heal others; e.g., Warren Worthington III|Angel , Elixir (comics)|Elixir , She-Ra .
; Magician (paranormal)|Magician : A hero who is trained in the use of magic (paranormal)|magic , another one of the most powerful of the superhero archetypes; e.g., Doctor Fate , Doctor Strange , Scarlet Witch , Zatanna .
;Mariner: A hero related to the seas, usually depicted as stronger and more resilent than human beings ( Aquaman , Namor , Popeye ) or normal humans with skill and experience underwater ( Sea Devils (comics)|Sea Devils ) and as seamen ( Lance O'Casey ).
;Marksman: A hero who uses projectile weapons, typically gun s, archery|bows and arrows , boomerang s or throwing blades; e.g., Crimson Avenger , Green Arrow , Hawkeye (comics)|Hawkeye , Jon Sable , Jonah Hex and Vigilante (comics)|Vigilante .
; Martial arts|Martial Artist : A hero whose physical abilities are mostly human, rather than superhuman, but whose hand-to-hand combat skills are phenomenal. Some of these characters are actually superhuman ( Iron Fist (comics)|Iron Fist , Luke Cage ), while others are human beings who are extremely skilled and athletic ( Bronze Tiger , Richard Dragon , Question (comics)|The Question , Shang Chi , Rick Flag , Wildcat (comics)|Wildcat ).
;Matter Manipulator: A hero with the power to alter the molecular structure of matter ( Captain Atom , Doctor Manhattan , Firestorm (comics)|Firestorm and Silver Surfer ).
;Mechanical Hero: A hero related to technology, this category includes cyborg s ( RoboCop (character)|RoboCop , Vic Stone ), remote controlled robot s ( Box (comics)|Box , Bozo the Iron Man ) but mostly automaton s with advanced AI ( Autobot s, the original Human Torch (android)|Human Torch , The Zeta Project|Infiltration Unit Zeta , Metal Men , Red Tornado , Vision (Marvel Comics)|The Vision ).
;Mecha/Robot Pilot: A hero who controls a mecha|giant robot , a subtype common in Japanese superhero and science fiction media ( Gundam , Robotech , Mazinger Z ) as well as American versions e.g., Megas XLR , Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot|Big Guy .
; Psychic|Mentalist : A hero who possesses parapsychology|psionic abilities, such as telekinesis , telepathy and extra-sensory perception ; e.g., Professor X , Emma Frost , Jean Grey|Phoenix , Kelly Bailey (Misfits)|Kelly Bailey , Martian Manhunter , Raven (comics)|Raven and Zatanna .
; Metal Hero : A mainly space and police-based superhero who typically takes the form of an android, cyborg, or a human who dons a "metallic" suit. Henceforth, most of the Metal Heroes are also referred to as "Henshin (transforming) Heroes". They usually feature futurist or space age technology, vehicles, or weapons to fight monsters, high-tech gangs, extra-dimensional despots, or galactic crime barons. Examples include the Space Sheriffs ( Shaider , Sharivan , and Uchuu Keiji Gavan|Gavan ), Beetle Fighters ( Juukou B-Fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto ), and Special Rescue Teams ( Exceedraft , Winspector , and Solbrain ).
;Militarized Warrior: Technically a combination between a martial artist and a marksman or a gadgeteer , either working within the armed forces ( Captain America , Nick Fury|Col. Nick Fury , James Bond , Sgt. Rock ) or as a freelance ( Batman , Punisher|The Punisher , Wild Dog (comics)|Wild Dog ).
; Paragon : A hero who possesses the basic powers of Powers and abilities of Superman|super-strength, flight and invulnerability . They are considered to be the most powerful of the superhero archetypes. Consisting of such heroes as the extraterrestrial Superman and Gladiator (Kallark)|Gladiator , the god Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor , the magically fueled Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman , or the solar/photokinetic Sentry .
; Spirit possession|Possessed : A hero who harbors an entity internally, which may be related to the divine or the demon archetypes; e.g., Etrigan , Ghost Rider (comics)|Ghost Rider , Crow (comics)|The Crow , Spectre (comics)|The Spectre .
;Reality Changer: Often a comedic hero whose set of powers include cartoon-like alterations of reality itself in his/her behalf ( The Mask|Big Head , Freakazoid! ).
;Rider: A hero who rides a powerful vehicle, e.g. Lobo (DC Comics)|Lobo , Ghost Rider (comics)|Ghost Rider or the Silver Surfer ; or rides a unique creature, like Black Knight (comics)|Black Knight or Shining Knight .
; Shapeshifting|Shapeshifter : A hero who can manipulate his/her own body to suit his/her needs, such as stretching ( Plastic Man , Mister Fantastic , Elongated Man ), or disguise ( Morph (comics)|Changeling/Morph , Mystique (comics)|Mystique ). Other such shapeshifters can transform into animals ( Beast Boy ), alien creatures ( Ben 10 ), inorganic materials ( Metamorpho ) or all of these things ( Martian Manhunter ).
;Screamer: A blaster whose power is contained in the vocal chords ( Banshee (comics)|Banshee , Black Canary ).
; Resizing (fiction)|Size Changer : A shapeshifter who can alter his/her size; e.g., the Atom (comics)|Atom and Wasp (comics)|The Wasp (shrinking only), Colossal Boy and Albert Rothstein|Atom Smasher (growth only), Hank Pym (both).
; Swordsmanship|Slasher : A hero whose main power is some form of hand-to-hand cutting weapon—either devices, such as knives or swords, ( Deadpool (comics)|Deadpool , Elektra (comics)|Elektra , Blade (comics)|Blade ) or natural, such as claws or fangs ( Wolverine (comics)|Wolverine , Timber Wolf (comics)|Timber Wolf , Werewolf by Night ).
; Speedster (comics)|Speedster : A hero possessing superhuman speed and reflexes; e.g., The Flash , Quicksilver (comics)|Quicksilver , Sonic The Hedgehog (character)|Sonic .
;Super Genius/Master Mind: A hero possessing superhuman/superior intelligence or intellect; e.g., Professor X , I Am Weasel|Weasel , Forge (comics)|Forge , Brainiac 5 , Beast (comics)|Dr. Hank McCoy , Mister Fantastic , the teenager Toyman , Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor .
; Detective|Sleuth : Technically a type of Super Genius , but mainly someone who relies more on keen observation skills and deductive reasoning, often depicted as a very capable two-fisted fighter; e.g., Sherlock Holmes , Question (comics)|The Question , Human Target , Elongated Man , Green Hornet , Rorschach (comics)|Rorschach , Van Helsing .
; Teleportation|Teleporter : A hero who is able to teleport from point A to point B. Some teleport due to their own body chemistry (such as Nightcrawler (comics)|Nightcrawler ), others teleport via telekinetic energy (such as Mysterio (Francis Klum)|Mysterio II ).
;Time Traveller: A hero with the ability to manipulate time itself. This category includes standard time traveler ( Waverider (comics)|Waverider , and Curtis Donovan ), characters who manipulate the flow of time so as to either slow time down or to speed it up ( Tempo (comics)|Tempo and Hiro Nakamura ), and characters ( Jean Grey|Phoenix and Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor ) who travel through space as well as time.

Role-playing games

In RPGs such as Hero Games ' Champions (role-playing game)|Champions , Green Ronin Publishing 's Mutants & Masterminds , Cryptic Studios ' MMORPG City of Heroes DC Universe Online and Champions Online , superheroes are formally organized into categories or archetypes based on their skills and abilities.

Trademark status

Most dictionary definitions and common usages of the term are Genericized trademark|generic and not limited to the characters of any particular company or companies.

Nevertheless, variations on the term "Super Hero" are jointly claimed by DC Comics and Marvel Comics as trademark s. Registrations of "Super Hero" marks have been maintained by DC and Marvel since the 1960s. (U.S. Trademark Serial Nos. 72243225 and 73222079, among others).

Joint trademarks shared by competitors are rare in the United States. They are supported by a non-precedential 2003 Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision upholding the Swiss Army Knife|"Swiss Army" knife trademark. 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.

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. Some critics further characterize the marks as a misuse of trademark law to chill competition.

History

Growth in diversity

For the first two decades of their existence in comic books, superheroes largely conformed to the model of lead characters in popular fiction of the time, with the typical superhero a white, middle- to upper- class, tall, heterosexual, professional, 20-to-35-year-old male. A majority of superheroes still fit this description as of 2011, but many characters began to break out of the mold in the 1960s.

Female superheroes

The first known Girl Heroes|female superhero is writer-artist Fletcher Hanks ' minor character Fantomah , at Don Markstein's Toonopedia . Erroneously credited here to a Hanks pseudonym , "Henry Fletcher". from the original on April 8, 2012. an ageless, ancient Egypt ian 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 ( cover-date d Feb. 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 print syndication|syndicated newspaper comic strip by Russell Stamm on June 3, 1940. The first costumed, superpowered superhero character, the antihero the Black Widow (Claire Voyant)|Black Widow —a costumed emissary of Satan who killed evildoers in order to send them to Hell —debuted in Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940), from Timely Comics , the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics .

Though non-superpowered, like the Phantom and Batman , the earliest female costumed crimefighter is The Woman in Red (comics)|The Woman in Red , introduced in Standard Comics ' Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940); in Don Markstein's Toonopedia. from the original on April 9, 2012. at the Grand Comics Database . Other early examples, all non-superpowered, include Lady Luck (comics)|Lady Luck , debuting in the Sunday- newspaper comic-book insert The Spirit|The Spirit Section June 2, 1940; the comedic character Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel)|Red Tornado , debuting in All-American Publications All-American Comics #20 (Nov. 1940); Miss Fury , debuting in the eponymous comic strip by female cartoonist Tarpé Mills on April 6, 1941; at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. from the original on April 9, 2012. the Phantom Lady , introduced in Quality Comics Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941); and the Black Cat (Harvey Comics)|Black Cat , introduced in Harvey Comics ' Pocket Comics #1 (also Aug. 1941). at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. from the original on April 9, 2012. at the Grand Comics Database The superpowered Nelvana of the Northern Lights debuted in Canadian publisher Hillborough Studio's Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 (Aug. 1941), and Holyoke (comics)|Holyoke introduced the superhumanly strong Miss Victory the same month. The character was later adopted by A.C. Comics .

The first widely recognizable female superhero is Wonder Woman , from All-American Publications , one of two companies that would merge to form DC Comics . She was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston with help and inspiration from his wife Elizabeth (Sadie) Holloway Marston|Elizabeth and their mutual lover Olive Byrne. Wonder Woman debuted in All-American Publications' All Star Comics #8 (Jan. 1942).

Starting in the late 1950s, DC introduced Hawkgirl , Supergirl , Batwoman and later Batgirl , all female versions of prominent male superheroes. Batgirl would eventually shed her "bat" persona and become Barbara Gordon|Oracle , the premiere information broker of the DC superhero community and leader of the superheroine team Birds of Prey (comic book)|Birds of Prey In addition, the company introduced Zatanna and a Black Canary#Modern Age history|second Black Canary and had several female supporting character s that were successful professionals, such as Ray Palmer (comics)|the Atom 's love interest, attorney Jean Loring .

As with DC's superhero team the Justice League of America , which included Wonder Woman, the Marvel Comics teams of the early 1960s usually included at least one female, such as the Fantastic Four 's Invisible Woman|Invisible Girl , the X-Men 's Jean Grey|Marvel Girl and the Avengers' Wasp (comics)|Wasp and later Scarlet Witch . 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.

In subsequent decades, Elektra (comics)|Elektra , Catwoman , Witchblade , and Spider-Girl became stars of popular series. The series Uncanny X-Men and its related superhero-team titles include many females in vital roles.

Superheroes of color

Initially superheroes were almost universally White people|white . Superheroes of other racial groups began to appear in from the late 1960s. They succeeded the non-superpowered stars of various features in the little-circulated All-Negro Comics #1 (1947); the feature " Waku, Prince of the Bantu ", starring an African chieftain in Africa, in Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics ' 1950s omnibus title Jungle Tales ; and Dell Comics ' 1965-1966 Western comics|Western title Lobo (Dell Comics)|Lobo , with the first African-American to star in his own series. First, in 1966, came Marvel Comics ' the Black Panther (comics)|Black Panther , an African king who became the first black superhero. The first African-American superhero, the Falcon (comics)|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. In 1971, following the appearances of such non-superpowed Native Americans of the United States|Native American protagonists as DC Comics ' 1949 Pow Wow Smith and 1951 Strongbow (DC Comics)|Strongbow , the non-superpowered but costumed Red Wolf (comics)|Red Wolf became the first in the superheroic tradition to headline a series. In 1974, Shang Chi , a martial art ist, became the first prominent Asian hero to star in an American comic book. ( Asian-American FBI agent Jimmy Woo had starred in a short-lived 1950s series named after a " yellow peril " antagonist , Yellow Claw .)

Comic-book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotype s; 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.

Subsequent minority heroes, such as the X-Men 's Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm (the first black superheroine) and the Teen Titans ' Cyborg (comics)|Cyborg avoided such conventions. 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 nations, including the Kenya n Storm, Germany|German Nightcrawler (comics)|Nightcrawler , Russia n Colossus (comics)|Colossus , Irish Banshee and Canada|Canadian Wolverine (comics)|Wolverine . Diversity in both ethnicity and national origin would be an important part of subsequent superhero groups.

In 1989, the Monica Rambeau version of Marvel's Monica Rambeau|Captain Marvel became the first female black superhero from a major publisher to get her own title, a one-shot (comics)|one-shot issue. In 1991, Marvel's Epic Comics released Captain Confederacy , the first female black superhero to have her own ongoing series.

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. The imprint lasted four years, during which it introduced Static (superhero)|Static , a character adapted into the WB Television Network|WB Network animated series Static Shock .

In addition to the creation of new minority heroes, publishers have filled the roles of once-Caucasian heroes with minorities. The African-American John Stewart (comics)|John Stewart debuted in 1971 as an alternate for Earth's Green Lantern Hal Jordan . In the 1980s, Stewart joined the Green Lantern Corps as a regular member. The creators of the 2000s-era Justice League (animated series)| Justice League animated series selected Stewart as the show's Green Lantern. Other such successor-heroes of color include DC's Firestorm (comics)|Firestorm (African-American) and Blue Beetle ( Latino ). Marvel Comics, in 2003 retroactive continuity , revealed that the " Supersoldier serum" that empowered Captain America was subsequently tested on an African American. #1-7 (Jan.-July 2003) at Grand Comics Database .

LGBT characters

In 1992, Marvel the closet|revealed that Northstar , a member of the Canadian mutant superhero team Alpha Flight , was homosexuality|homosexual , after years of implication. This ended what one Marvel writer claimed was an mandate that there would be no LGBT characters in Marvel comics. Although some secondary characters in DC Comics ' mature-audience miniseries Watchmen were gay, Northstar was the first openly gay mainstream superhero. Other gay and bisexual superheroes have since emerged, such as Pied Piper (comics)|Pied Piper , Gen¹³ 's Sarah Rainmaker|Rainmaker , Freedom Ring , Tasmanian Devil (comics) , and the gay couple Apollo (comics)|Apollo and Midnighter of Wildstorm Comics ' superhero team the The Authority|Authority .

In the mid-2000s, some characters were revealed to be gay in two Marvel titles: Wiccan (comics)|Wiccan and Hulkling of the superhero group Young Avengers ; and the Ultimate X-Men|X-Men 's Alternative_versions_of_Colossus#Ultimate_Colossus|Colossus in the Parallel universe (fiction)|alternate universe Ultimate Marvel imprint . Xavin , from the Runaways (comics)|Runaways is a shape-changing alien filling the part of a transgendered lesbian. In 2006, DC revealed in its Manhunter (Kate Spencer)|Manhunter title that longtime character Obsidian (comics)|Obsidian was gay, and a Batwoman#Modern Age|new incarnation of Batwoman was introduced as a " lipstick lesbian " to some media attention.

Copyright Citations

This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Superhero


1. Avengers 2. Dave Clark 3. Paul Gilbert 4. Grasshopper 5. iOTA 6. Jack Frost 7. Mick Ronson 8. Valor 9. Venus Hum 10. The Shroud 11. Garrison Starr 12. Swervedriver 13. Surfer Rosa 14. OK Computer 15. Murmur 16. Halo 17. Echo 18. Uncanny X 19. OK 20. Bloc Party 21. Golden Boy 22. Crack the Sky 23. The Phantom 24. Arcana 25. G. Love & Special Sauce

Undetermined Music Artists