Shortly afterward, masked and costumed pulp fiction characters such as Jimmie Dale/the Gray Seal (1914), Zorro (1919), Buck Rogers (1928), The Shadow (1930), Flash Gordon (1934), and comic strip heroes, such as the Phantom (1936) began appearing, as did non-costumed characters with super strength, including the comic-strip characters Patoruzú (1928) and Popeye (1929) and novelist Philip Wylie's character Hugo Danner (1930). The 1903 British play The Scarlet Pimpernel and its spinoffs popularized the idea of a masked avenger and the superhero trope of a secret identity.
Real life inspirations behind costumed superheroes can be traced back to the " masked vigilantes" of the American Old West such as the San Diego Vigilantes and the Bald Knobbers who fought and killed outlaws while wearing masks.
Antecedents of the archetype include such mythologic characters like Gilgamesh, Hanuman, Perseus, Odysseus, David, and demigods like Heracles, as well as folkloric heroes as Robin Hood, who adventured in distinctive clothing.
Some popular supervillains become recurring characters in their own right and long-running superheroes and superheroines such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man have a rogues gallery of many such villains.įox Feature Syndicate's 1930s–1940s superhero the Flame. Often at least one of these supervillains will be the superhero's archenemy or nemesis. Some superheroes use their powers to help fight daily crime while also combating threats against humanity from supervillains, who are their criminal counterparts. While the definition of "superhero" is "a figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime", the longstanding Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition as "a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers also: an exceptionally skillful or successful person." Terms such as masked crime fighters, costumed adventurers or masked vigilantes are sometimes used to refer to characters such as the Spirit, who may not be explicitly referred to as superheroes but nevertheless share similar traits. Some superheroes (for example, Batman and Iron Man) derive their status from advanced technology they create and use, while others (such as Superman and Spider-Man) possess non-human or superhuman biology or study and practice magic to achieve their abilities (such as Zatanna and Doctor Strange). Superheroes come from a wide array of different backgrounds and origins. Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since the 1930s, in American comic books (and later in Hollywood films, film serials, television and video games), as well as in Japanese media (including kamishibai, tokusatsu, manga, anime). The superhero mascot for Connecticut ComiCONNĪ superhero or superheroine is a stock character that possesses superpowers, abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime.