Superman (left) and Batman, two of the most recognizable and influential superheroes. Art by Alex Ross.

A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility, who usually has a colorful name and costume and who possesses abilities beyond those of normal human beings.

Since the definitive superhero, Superman, debuted in 1938, the stories of superheroes - ranging from episodic adventures to decades-long sagas - have become an entire genre of fiction that has dominated American comic books and crossed over into several other media.

Common traits

Green Lantern. Art by Carlos Pacheco.

Captain America. Art by Gabriele Dell'Otto.

There is a range of attributes that are commonly part of a superhero's make up, although they are by no means definitive (see Divergent character examples). Most superheroes have a few of the following features:

• An exemplary and strict moral code, especially a willingness to risk one's own safety in the service of good, without expectation of reward.
• Extraordinary powers and abilities, mastery of relevant skills and/or advanced equipment. Although superhero powers vary greatly, superhuman strength, the ability to fly, enhancements of the senses, and the ability to project energy of some kind are some of the most common. Some superheroes, such as Batman and the Green Hornet, possess no superpowers but have mastered skills such as martial arts and forensic sciences. Others have special equipment, such as Iron Man’s powered armor and Green Lantern’s power ring.
• A secret identity, instead using a descriptive or metaphoric code name for one's public deeds. In some cases a character without a secret identity may still use a code name. Some characters have unusual names (such as Dr. Strange) which are not literally code names but sound similar.
• A flamboyant and distinctive costume that usually hides the secret identity. It often has a symbol, such as a stylized letter or visual icon, on the chest. Costumes frequently reflect the superhero's name and theme, for example Daredevil resembles a red devil, and the design of Captain America's costume echoes that of the American flag. Alternatively, a character such as the Thing may have a naturally distinctive appearance similar to a costume.
• An archenemy and/or a number of enemies that s/he fights repeatedly.
• A supporting cast of recurring characters that act as the hero's friends, co-workers, or love interests, who may or may not know the superhero's secret identity. Often the superhero's personal relationships are complicated by his or her dual life.
• Either independently wealthy (e.g. Batman or Iron Man) or has an occupation that allows for minimal supervision (e.g. Superman's civilian job as a reporter).
• A secret headquarters or base of operations (e.g. Batman's Batcave).
• A backstory, called an "origin story", which explains the circumstances of the character acquiring his/her abilities, as well as his/her motivation for fighting evil.
• A special motivation, such as revenge (e.g. Batman), a sense of responsibility (e.g. Spider-Man), or a formal calling (e.g. Green Lantern).

The Fantastic Four. Art by Jack Kirby.

Most 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. Others, such as The Avengers and Justice League are "all-star" groups consisting of heroes of separate origins who also operate individually.

Many superheroes, especially those introduced in the 1940s, work with a child or teenaged sidekick (e.g. Batman and Robin). This has become less common since more sophisticated writing and older audiences have lessened the need for characters that specifically appeal to young readers and made such obvious child endangerment seem implausible.

Superheroes most often appear in comic books, and superhero stories are the dominant genre of American comic books to the point that "superhero" and "comic book character" are often used synonymously. Superheroes have also been featured in radio serials, prose novels, TV series, movies, and other media. Most of the superheroes that appear in other media are adapted from comics, but there are exceptions.

Marvel Comics Group and DC Comics, Inc. share ownership of the United States trademark for the phrase "Super Heroes" as it applies to comics, and these two companies own a majority of the world’s most famous superheroes. However, throughout comic book history, there have been significant heroes owned by others, such as Captain Marvel, owned by Fawcett Comics (but later acquired by DC) and Spawn, owned by creator Todd McFarlane.

Gatchaman, one of the most famous Japanese superheroes.

Superheroes are largely an American creation but there have been successful superheroes in other countries, most of which share many of the conventions of the American model. Japan is the only country whose entertainment industry nears that of the United States in output of superheroes. Ultraman and Kamen Rider have become popular in Japanese tokusatsu television shows and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and Sailor Moon are staples of Japanese anime and manga. Examples from other countries include Cybersix from Argentina, Captain Canuck from Canada and Marvelman from the United Kingdom.

Although superhero fiction is considered a subgenre of fantasy/science-fiction, it crosses into many other genres. Many superhero franchises contain aspects of crime fiction (Batman, Daredevil), others horror fiction (Spawn, Hellboy) and many are similar to "hard" science fiction (X-Men, Green Lantern).

But because the fantastic nature of the superhero milieu allows almost anything to happen, some superhero series cross over into a variety of vastly different genres. In the 1980s series, The New Teen Titans, the Titans battled a cult leader in one story, went off to another galaxy to participate in a space war in the following story and then returned to Earth and became involved in a gritty urban crime drama involving young runaways. The content of each of these stories is quite different, yet the same principle characters are involved.

Character subtypes

In superhero role-playing games (particularly Champions), superheroes are informally organized into categories based on their skills and abilities:

• "Brick": A character with a superhuman degree of strength and endurance and usually an oversized, muscular body, e.g. The Thing, The Incredible Hulk, Colossus
• "Blaster": A hero whose main power is a distance attack, e.g. Cyclops, Havok, Starfire.
  • "Archer": A subvariant of this type who uses bow and arrow-like weapons that have a variety of specialized functions like explosives, glue, nets, rotary drill, etc., e.g. Green Arrow, Hawkeye.
  • "Mage": A subvariant of this type that is trained in the use of magic, which partially or wholly involves ranged attacks., e.g. Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate
• "Martial Artist": A hero whose physical abilities are mostly human rather than superhuman but whose combat skills are phenomenal. Some of these characters are actually superhuman (Captain America, Daredevil) while others are normal human beings who are extremely skilled and athletic (Batman, Black Widow).
• "Gadgeteer": A hero who invents special equipment that often imitates superpowers, e.g. Forge, Nite Owl
  • "Armored Hero": A gadgeteer whose powers are derived from a suit of powered armor, e.g. Iron Man, Steel
  • "Dominus": A hero that uses a Giant Robot to combat villains, e.g. Roger Smith of Big O, Super Sentai, common in Japanese superhero series
• "Speedster": A hero possessing superhuman speed and reflexes, e.g. The Flash, Quicksilver.
• "Mentalist": A hero who possesses psionic abilities, such as telekinesis, telepathy and extra-sensory perception, e.g. Professor X and Jean Grey of the X-Men, Saturn Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
• "Shapechanger": A hero who can manipulate his/her own body to suit his/her needs such as stretching (Mister Fantastic, Plastic Man) or disguise (Changeling, Chameleon).
  • "Substance oriented Bodychanger - A shapechanger who can change his/her body into the equivalent of a mass of a substance that can have variable density such as sand or water. e.g. Sand, Husk.
  • "Sizechanger": A shapechanger who can alter his/her size, e.g. the Atom (shrinking only), Colossal Boy (growth only), Hank Pym (both).

These categories often overlap. For instance, Batman is a martial artist and a gadgeteer, and Superman is extremely strong and damage resistant like a brick and also has ranged attacks (heat vision, superbreath) like an energy blaster and can move quickly like a speedster.

Wolverine #1. Art by Frank Miller.

Divergent character examples

While the typical superhero is described above, many break the mold. For example:

• Wolverine of the X-Men has shown a willingness to kill and behave anti-socially. Wolverine belongs to an entire underclass of anti-heroes who are grittier and more violent than classic superheroes, often putting the two groups at odds. Others include Rorschach, Daredevil, The Punisher, Lobo, Green Arrow and, in some incarnations, Batman.

• Spider-Man has been portrayed as an everyman hero, showing poor judgment and being overwhelmed by the combined responsibilities of his personal life and mission as a superhero.

• The Incredible Hulk is usually defined as a superhero, but he has little self-control and his actions have often either inadvertently or deliberately caused great destruction. As a result, he has been hunted by the military and other superheroes.

• Many superheroes have never had a secret identity, such as Wonder Woman (in her current version) and the members of The Fantastic Four. Others that once had a secret identity, like Steel and Captain America, have later made their identities public.

• Some superheroes have been created and employed by national governments to serve their interests and defend the nation. Examples include Captain America, who was outfitted by and worked for the United States Army during World War II, and Alpha Flight, a superhero team formed by the Canadian government.

• Spawn, The Demon and Ghost Rider are actual demons, who find themselves manipulated by circumstance to be allies for the forces of good. Hellboy, on the other hand, is a demon who is heroic on his own accord.

• Alternatively, The Mighty Thor and Hercules are gods of ancient mythologies reinterpreted as superheroes. Wonder Woman, while not a goddess, is a member of the Amazon tribe of Greek mythology.

• Emma Frost, a member of the X-Men, was a supervillain for several years before she turned to the side of good. Other characters who have treaded the line between superhero and villain include Catwoman, Elektra, Venom and Juggernaut.

• Because the superhero is such an outlandish and recognizable character type, several comedic superheroes have been introduced, including Super Liar, The Ambiguously Gay Duo and The Tick

History of superheroes in comic books

Predecessors

The origins of superheroes can be found in several prior forms of fiction. Many share traits with protagonists of later Victorian literature, such as The Scarlet Pimpernel and Sherlock Holmes. The dime novel stories of Zorro and Tarzan also influenced superheroes. Pulp magazine crime fighters, such as Doc Savage, The Shadow and The Spider and comic strip characters, such as Dick Tracy and The Phantom, were probably the most direct influences.

By modern standards, characters like Doc Savage and The Phantom could well be considered superheroes in their own right, but the first appearance of Superman is considered the point at which the superhero genre truly began.

Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman. Art by Joe Shuster.

Golden Age

In 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced Superman, who possessed many of the characteristics that have come to define the superhero including a secret identity, superhuman powers and a colorful costume including a symbol and cape. His name is also the source of the term "superhero."

Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman. Art by Bob Kane.

DC Comics (which published under the names National and All-American at the time) received an overwhelming response to Superman and, in the months that followed, introduced such superheroes as Batman and his sidekick Robin, The Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman. The first team of superheroes was DC's Justice Society of America, featuring most of the aforementioned characters.

Although DC dominated the superhero market at this time, companies large and small created hundreds of superheroes. Marvel Comics’ the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner, Quality Comics’ Plastic Man and Will Eisner's The Spirit (featured in a newspaper insert) were also hits. The era's most popular superhero, however, was Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, who outsold Superman during the 1940s.

Whiz Comics #2, the first appearance of Captain Marvel. Art by C.C. Beck..

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. 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 introduction of patriotically themed superheroes, most notably Marvel's Captain America.

After the war, superheroes lost popularity. Part of the reason was that the genre had become highly formulaic and the reading public began to tire of it. This led to the rise of other genres, especially horror and crime. The lurid nature of this material sparked a moral crusade that blamed comic books for juvenile delinquency. The movement was spearheaded by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, who argued, among other things, that "deviant" sexual undertones ran rampant in superhero comics. In response, the comic book industry adopted the stringent Comics Code. By the mid-1950s, only Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman retained a sliver of their prior popularity, despite the fact that a efforts toward complete inoffensiveness made their stories absurd by modern standards. This ended what historians have called the Golden Age of comic books.

Showcase #4, first appearance of the Silver Age Flash. Art by Joe Kubert.

Silver Age

In the 1950s, DC Comics, under the editorship of Julius Schwartz, recreated many popular 1940s heroes, launching the “Silver Age of comic books.” The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and several others were revived with new origin stories. While past superheroes resembled myths and legends in their origins and abilities, these heroes were inspired by contemporary science fiction. In 1960, DC banded its most popular heroes together in the Justice League of America, which became a sales phenomenon.

Empowered by the return of the superhero at DC, Marvel Comics editor/writer Stan Lee and the artists/co-writers Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko launched a new line of superhero comic books, beginning with The Fantastic Four in 1961. These comics continued DC’s emphasis on science fiction concepts (radiation was a common source of superpowers) but greater emphasized personal conflict and character development. This led to many superheroes that differed greatly from their predecessors with more dramatic potential. Some examples:

Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man. Art by Jack Kirby.

• The Thing, a member of The Fantastic Four, was a super strong, but monstrous creature with rock-like skin, whose appearance filled him with self-pity.
• Spider-Man was a teenager who struggled to earn money and maintain his social life in addition to his costumed exploits.
• The Incredible Hulk shared a Jekyll/Hyde-like relationship with his alter ego and was driven by rage.
• The X-Men were "mutants" who gained their powers through genetic mutation and who were hated and feared by the society they sought to protect.

By the early 1970s, the superhero genre had not just returned to mainstream American comic books; it once again dominated them. Westerns, romance, horror, war and crime comics had all but disappeared. This was due to the Comics Code Authority, which completely banned the grittier genres and wiped out many small publishers and to television, which drew away much of the audience for light entertainment. Still, comic books could produce outlandish, action/adventure stories more easily than television and film (which required expensive special effects for such genres), making the superhero genre a natural choice. In the coming decades, non-superhero comic book series would occasionally rise to popularity but superheroes and comic books would be forever interlined to the American public.

"Deconstruction" of the superhero

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 darker version of Daredevil. These characters were deeply troubled from within. Batman, The Punisher and Daredevil were driven by the crime-related deaths of family members and were continually exposed to slum life. The X-Men’s Wolverine, on the other hand, was a mysterious character who was at odds with his own savage nature.

The dysfunctional superheroes of Watchmen. Art by Dave Gibbons.

The trend was taken to a new extreme in the successful 1986 mini-series Watchmen by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, which was published by DC, but took place outside the "DC Universe" with new characters. The superheroes of Watchmen were emotionally unsatisfied, psychologically withdrawn and even sociopathic.

The Dark Knight Returns #1, which redefined Batman. Art by Frank Miller.

Another story, The Dark Knight Returns (1985-1986) continued Batman’s renovation. The mini-series, written and illustrated by Frank Miller, featured a future Batman returning from retirement. The series portrayed the hero as a madman on a brutal quest to mold society to his will.

Some critics believe that this trend is tied to the cynicism of the 1980s, when the idea of a person selflessly using his extraordinary abilities on a quest for good was no longer believable, but a person with a deep psychological impulse to destroy criminals was. Regardless, both series were acclaimed for their artistic ambitiousness and psychological depth and led to numerous imitations.

The gun-toting Cable, perhaps the archetypical 1990s anti-hero. Art by Rob Liefeld

Struggles of the 1990s

By the early 1990s, anti-heroes had become the rule rather than the exception. Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld and Todd McFarlane, all popular Marvel Illustrators, created or co-created the X-Men’s Bishop, X-Force’s Cable, and the Spider-Man adversary Venom, respectively. Grim, ruthless and militaristic, these characters became some of the most popular new characters of the 1990s.

Spawn #1. Art by Todd McFarlane.

In 1992, Lee, Liefeld and McFarlane left Marvel and founded Image Comics (along with three other Marvel illustrators), which became a haven for creator-owned characters and the biggest challenger ever to Marvel and DC's 30 years of co-dominance. Image heroes, such as Lee’s WildC.A.Ts and Gen 13, Leifeld’s Youngblood and McFarlane’s Spawn were wildly popular but, like the artists’ Marvel-owned creations, were criticized as over-muscled, excessively violent and lacking in unique personality. A boom in the comic book industry lead to a glut of new titles, from companies large and small, and many followed the trend of gritty anti-heroes.

Many comic book fans complained that the new wave of anti-heroes lacked the literary and artistic sophistication of Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. In 1990s, a counter-trend occurred where notable talents like Kurt Busiek and Alan Moore, himself, tried to reconstruct the superhero genre with acclaimed titles like Busiek's Astro City and Moore's Tom Strong that combined artistic sophistication and idealism into a superheroic version of retro-futurism.

To keep ahead of new competitors, Marvel and DC made drastic changes to beloved characters. The hugely successful "Death of Superman" found the hero killed and resurrected, a new villain broke Batman's back leading to a replacement Batman, and a clone of Spider-Man vied with the original for the title. While these stories drummed up publicity, often in the mainstream media, fans complained that the essential elements of the franchises had been diluted and they ultimately lost interest.

By the beginning of the 2000s, a majority of classic superheroes had returned to their roots. However, the comic book industry’s most acclaimed writers could make drastic changes to characters and gain general fan approval, as was the case with Grant Morrison’s New X-Men series and Brian Michael Bendis’s “Avengers Disassembled” story arc.

As of 2005, a decline in the comic book industry has cut the surplus of anti-heroes but a revival of superhero films (see below) and a rise in the sale of trade paperbacks have kept the superhero genre healthy.

Wonder Woman #1. Art by H.G. Peter.

Growth in diversity

From their birth to the early 1960s, superheroes largely conformed to the model of lead characters in American popular fiction in the first half of the 20th century. Hence, the typical superhero was a white, middle to upper class, heterosexual, professional, young-to-middle-aged man. An important exception was DC Comics’s Wonder Woman. Introduced in 1941, she was the first female superhero and is arguably still the most famous.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, DC debuted female versions of their most prominent male superheroes, such as Supergirl, Batgirl and Hawkgirl, as well as female supporting characters that were successful professionals.

Meanwhile, Marvel introduced The Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl and the X-Men's Marvel Girl, but these characters were physically weak and were portrayed primarily as romantic interests of their teammates. The 1970s saw these characters become more confident and assertive and the launch of several series starring female heroes, including Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel. Initially, some characters were preachy radical feminist stereotypes, like Ms. Marvel and DC's Power Girl, until writers grew more accustomed with society's changing attitudes.

Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1. Art by George Tuska.

By the late 1960s and early 1970s, superheroes of other racial groups began to appear in Marvel Comics. In 1966, the company introduced the Black Panther, the first serious black superhero. In 1972, Luke Cage, an African-American "hero-for-hire" became the first black superhero to star in his own series and in 1974 Shang Chi, a martial arts hero, became the first Asian. 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 and Asians were often portrayed as master martial artists. Subsequent minority heroes, such as DC's Cyborg, would lack the patronizing nature of these characters, as the comics industry became more mature and diverse.

Giant-Size X-Men #1, which introduced the first multi-cultural superhero team. Art by Dave Cockrum.

In 1975, Marvel revived the X-Men, introducing a new team with members culled from several different nations, including the German Nightcrawler, the Russian Colossus, the Canadian Wolverine and the Kenyan Storm (the first black, female superhero). The X-Men, which became comic books’ most successful franchise in the coming decade, continued to have a radically diverse roster and an underlining message of tolerance and diversity.

Ethnic diversity would be an important part of subsequent X-Men-related groups, as well as series that attempted to mimic the X-Men’s success, such as DC’s Legion of Superheroes and Teen Titans.

Alpha Flight #106 in which Northstar comes out of the closet. Art by Mark Pacella.

In 1992, Marvel braved a fair amount of controversy by revealing that Northstar, a member of Alpha Flight was homosexual after years of implication. Although some secondary characters in Watchmen were gay, Northstar was the first gay superhero to have a permanent presence in a continuing, mainstream series. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a few other semi-prominent gay superheroes emerged, such as Gen13's Rainmaker, The New Mutants’ Karma and The Authority's gay couple Apollo and Midnighter.

In 1993, Milestone Comics, an African-American-owned imprint of DC, introduced a line of superheroes that included characters of many racial and ethnic minorities, including several black headliners. Although the comics survived for only four years, they introduced Static, a character adapted into the popular Cartoon Network series Static Shock.

Treatment in other media

Movie poster for The Adventures of Captain Marvel

Film

Almost immediately after superheroes rose to prominence in comic books, they were adapted into Saturday movie serials aimed at children, starting with 1941's The Adventures of Captain Marvel, which has been hailed as the best example of the film format. Serials featuring The Phantom, Batman, Superman and Captain America followed. These films were successful despite their limited budgets, primitive special effects and silly plotlines and dialogue.

In the coming decades, the decline of Saturday serials and turmoil in the comic book industry put an end to superhero motion pictures, an exception being 1966's Batman, an outgrowth of the television series.

Christopher Reeve in Superman

1978's Superman, directed by Richard Donner, is considered the first, and often the best, modern superhero film. Almost a biopic of the character instead of an action movie, the film won praise for its state-of-the-art special effects, Christopher Reeve's sincere performance as Superman, and John Williams's majestic and often imitated film score. Superman and 1980s’ Superman II were extraordinary success but subsequent installments became increasingly less lucrative and critically respected.

Michael Keaton in Batman

The 1989 film Batman, directed by Tim Burton, was the first attempt to create a superhero film with the darker mood of recent comic books. Fantastic set designs and acclaimed performances from Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker made the film a model for many later superhero movies. The Batman series continued throughout the 1990s, grossing millions and drawing several star actors, until the fourth film Batman and Robin (1997) became a critical and commercial failure. This film, along with an unsuccessful movie based Image Comics' Spawn, made movie studios nervous about superhero movies.

Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man

Nonetheless, several movies based on Marvel characters began production in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The company had a minor success with 1998's Blade, but 2000's blockbuster X-Men opened the door once again to highly successful superhero movies and 2002's Spider-Man broke the record for money grossed in a film's opening five days thanks in part to Tobey Maguire's acclaimed performance in the title role.

Halle Berry as Storm and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United

X-Men and Spider-Man led to a widespread revival, which included 2003's Daredevil, Hulk and X2: X-Men United; 2004's Punisher, Hellboy and Spider-Man 2; and 2005’s Batman Begins (unrelated to the previous Batman films) and Fantastic Four, which met with varying degrees of critical and commercial success.

There were also original films that took unusual looks at the superhero genre. 2000’s Unbreakable is a dark tale about a man who learns from a mysterious comic book dealer that he is destined to become a modern day superhero. Pixar's digitally-animated The Incredibles (2004) combined a more comedic, but affectionate, approach with commentary on the superhero genre and its history.

As of 2005, many superhero films are hotly anticipated, especially Superman Returns, a reboot of the Superman franchise. Virtually every successful Marvel franchise is slated to become a film and sequels to several recent superhero films are being planned.

George Reeves as Superman

Live-Action television series

While animated series found immediate success, live limited budgets and goofy writing hampered action series. The 1950s The Adventures of Superman series starring George Reeves - an extension of the popular movie serials - featured very limited and unconvincing special effects but was hugely popular.

Burt Ward as Robin and Adam West in the 1960s' Batman

The live action Batman series of the late 1960s, starring Adam West and Burt Ward, made playful use of many of the conventions of superhero comics, including colorful costumes, visual sound effects, implausible escapes, and heavily expository dialog. The series helped sell color televisions and introduced the characters to millions of viewers. It reflected and reinforced the popular perception of superheroes as childish entertainment.

Batman led to imitators like Captain Nice and Mr. Terrific but only The Green Hornet starring Van Williams as the Hornet and a young Bruce Lee as his sidekick Kato approached the popularity of Batman.

By the late 1970s, superhero-ish series, such as The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin-off, The Bionic Woman, found success. This led to series which were explicitly superhero shows such as Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter, which, like the previous decades’ Batman was a huge hit and continues to be a cult classic despite an overhanging campiness. On the other hand, the first prime time live action (if short lived) television adaptation of Spider-Man was popular, but fans complained the producers failed to adequately emulate the book's action or spirit. In the end, both of these adaptations would fall victim to CBS TV's desire to avoid being identified as "The superhero network."

Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk

The other major superhero series of this era, The Incredible Hulk starring Bill Bixby as David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, took a more thoughtful and dramatic approach. The show focused on Banner’s nomadic lifestyle and the curse that the Hulk had placed upon him. The series was a ratings success, survived the TV superhero purge of the time and has proven to be the most durable of this period.

Meanwhile, superhero shows aimed at children, such as The Shazam!/Isis Hour and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl prospered. In addition, the PBS educational series, The Electric Company, also prominently featured Spider-Man stories, as well as its own creation, Letterman, in its premise.

The 1980s saw the launch of various live-action superhero series that did not have their origins in comic book lore, but only The Greatest American Hero, a series with a humorous yet respectful tone about a superhero who could barely control his powers, lasted for more than a few episodes.

The cover of the third season of Smallville on DVD.

The 1990s saw a resurgence in superhero series, beginning with the short lived live adaptation of The Flash which had the misfortune of being scheduled against the television classics, The Simpsons and The Cosby Show. In 1993, the ABC Network had a success with Lois and Clark, which reformatted the Superman mythos as a romantic drama. This led to several non-traditional approaches to superheroes in live action shows aimed at older audiences. The most successful were Buffy the Vampire Slayer, featuring a dyed-in-the-wool idealist superhero who exists within a consciously humorous take on the horror genre, and Smallville, another Superman reincarnation, which portrayed the hero’s early years in a teen drama format. Other recent TV superhero or superhero-ish series enjoying varying degrees of success include: Angel, Alias, Dark Angel and Mutant X.

A scene from an episode of Ultraman

Tokusatsu superheroes

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, shows such as Ultraman, Spectreman Kamen Rider defined the Japanese tokusatsu style of action/science fiction/superhero shows. These series rivaled the American model in campiness but differed in that the superheroes could often grow or transform, fought monsters and robots as often as traditional supervillains and the shows were more violent, albeit in a stylized fashion. These shows found a wide audience in Japan and many other parts of the world but gained only a sizable cult following in the U.S.

In 1993 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, based on Japan’s Super Sentai, became the first adaptation of a tokusatsu show to become a widespread hit in the U.S.

This image of Superman appeared at the beginning of each of the Fleischer cartoons.

Animation

In late 1941, Superman became the first superhero to be depicted in animation, The Superman series of groundbreaking theatrical cartoons was produced by Fleischer/Famous Studios from 1941 to 1943 and featured the famous "It's a bird, it's a plane" introduction.

With the rise of television in the 1960s, superheroes have found success in animated television series geared towards children, including Filmation's Superman-Batman Adventure Hour and Grantray-Lawrence Animation's Spider-Man, featuring the "does whatever a spider can" theme song.

In the 1970s, Japanese anime strove to emulate American superhero cartoons with their own creations. The most successful was Kagaku ninja tai Gatchaman (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman) which became a television classic that created a template that many other anime series followed.

A frame from the opening sequence of Super Friends

In the 1970s and 1980s American superhero animated series were constrained by the broadcasting restrictions that activist groups like Action for Children's Television lobbied for. The most popular series in this period, Super Friends, an adaptation of DC's Justice League of America, was designed to be as nonviolent and inoffensive as possible. The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends were similarly tame. Kagaku ninja tai Gatchaman aired in North America as the Battle of the Planets but it was so severely edited for violence that plots were incoherent although it still won many fans for its distinctive take on the genre.

A scene from Batman: The Animated Series

Starting with Batman: The Animated Series, which debuted on the Fox Network in 1992, superhero animated series gained a new maturity and respect for the comic books on which they were based. This continued with Fox's X-Men, and Spider-Man and the original series Gargoyles, which, like Batman were geared towards older audiences but accessible to kids.

The widely successful Batman: the Animated Series also had a significant influence on American animation. The show featured simple graphics but lavish animation, a style that was replicated in the sequels Batman: Gotham Knights and Batman Beyond and the spinoffs, Static Shock and Superman: The Animated Series and Cartoon Network’s successful adaptations of DC's Justice League and Teen Titans.

Animal superheroes

In addition to the human superheroes found in comic books, animated superhero series have often featured comedic anthropomorphic animal superheroes. These series combine two timeless niches in children’s television: superheroes and funny animals. The first such series was the Superman-inspired Mighty Mouse, which was the flagship series of the Terrytoons company in the 1940s. Underdog, ThunderCats and Biker Mice from Mars are popular examples from later decades.

Radio

In the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s, Superman was one of the most popular radio serials in the United States. Along with, Green Hornet, the series helped popularize superheroes during their earliest years. By the early 1950s, the rise of television ended radio serials, including Superman, Green Hornet and their imitators.

Prose

Popular superheroes have occasionally been adapted into prose fiction, starting with the 1942 novel Superman by George Lowther. Elliot S! Maggin also wrote two popular Superman novels, Last Son of Krypton and Miracle Monday, in the 1970s.

Juvenile novels featuring Batman, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Justice League, have also been published from time to time, often marketed in association with popular TV series.

George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards novels, launched in 1987, were a non-comic book-based science fiction series that dealt with super-powered heroes.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Marvel and DC released novels based on important stories from their comics, such as The Death of Superman and the year-long Batman: No Man’s Land.

Additional examples of original superhero prose can be found in zines, including both fanfic and original content by amateur writers.

Computer Games

Superheroes have appeared very irregularly in the world of computer games. One of the most successful recent games has been Freedom Force (2002) and its sequel Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich (2005). The games have the tone of the Silver Age comics, and the sets/characters resemble very highly the style of the 60's, namely Jack Kirby's art. The mixture of Real Time Strategy and Roleplaying elements give these games a distinct "old times" superhero feeling.