Superhero

A superhero or superheroine is a character who has special powers or abilities that normal people do not have. These characters wear special costumes that hide who they really are. They act like heroes. Their main goal is to help the world become a better place by protecting the public and fighting crime.

Superhero fiction is the kind of story that focuses on these amazing characters. It started in the 1930s with American comic books and later grew into Hollywood films, film serials, television, and video games. It also appears in Japanese media such as kamishibai, tokusatsu, manga, anime, and video games.

Superheroes come from many different places. Some, like Superman and Spider-Man, have superhuman powers because of how they are made. Others, like Batman and Iron Man, use advanced technology that they invented. Some rely on magical items, mystical forces, or alien powers, such as Green Lantern and He-Man, or practice magic like Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange.

These heroes often fight everyday crime and face big threats from supervillains, who are their evil opposites. Sometimes one of these supervillains becomes the superhero's biggest enemy, known as their archenemy or nemesis. Some of these popular supervillains even get their own stories.

History

The idea of superheroes started in old stories. Characters like Heracles and Odysseus had special powers, like modern superheroes. Tales from England also inspired heroes in costumes.

In the early 1900s, stories like The Scarlet Pimpernel introduced heroes with a secret identity. By the 1930s, comic books made superheroes popular. Characters like Superman and Batman became famous for their amazing powers and secret identities.

The 1940s saw many new superheroes, such as Captain America and Wonder Woman. These characters often fought evil during hard times. In later years, more heroes appeared, including characters from Japan like Astro Boy and Kamen Rider. Today, superheroes keep changing, with new stories and characters in many types of media.

Trademark status

The words "super hero" were first used in 1917 to describe someone with great accomplishments. In 1967, a company called Ben Cooper, Inc. registered the phrase for Halloween costumes. Later, Mego Corporation tried to register a similar trademark but faced legal challenges. As a result, in 1977, Mego gave its rights to two big comic book companies, DC Comics and Marvel Comics. By 1981, DC and Marvel officially owned the trademark for "superhero" for their comic books.

Today, DC and Marvel jointly own many trademarks related to "superhero" for various products like movies, toys, and games. They protect these trademarks strongly. For example, they asked a person to change the title of his book because it used the word "superhero." Some believe the term "superhero" may now simply describe any character with amazing powers.

Minority superheroes

Superheroes have often looked like young, healthy, white males. But starting in the 1960s, more superheroes from different backgrounds began to appear. This included black superheroes and others from various ethnic groups. By the 1980s, diversity and inclusion became important in superhero stories.

Main article: Portrayal of women in American comics

Female superheroes have been in comic books since the 1940s. Over time, how they look has changed, sometimes focusing too much on their appearance. Today, there is more effort to show women superheroes in stronger, more respectful ways.

See also: Ethnic stereotypes in comics, African characters in comics, List of black superheroes, List of Asian superheroes, List of Latino superheroes, List of Native American superheroes, List of Jewish superheroes, List of Filipino superheroes, and List of Russian superheroes

Many superheroes from different ethnic backgrounds have appeared over the years. For example, the Black Panther was the first famous black superhero, and others like Luke Cage and Monica Rambeau came later. Characters from Native American, Asian, and other groups also joined superhero stories.

Main article: LGBT themes in comics

See also: List of LGBT characters in comics

In the 1990s, the first openly gay superhero appeared in comics. Since then, more superheroes have been shown as LGBT, including characters who are lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. This has helped make superhero stories more inclusive.

In 2017, Sign Gene introduced a group of deaf superheroes whose powers come from using sign language. This film highlighted Deaf culture and helped represent this community in superhero stories.

Subtypes

Superheroes come in many different types and forms. One popular group of superheroes includes metahumans. These characters often appear in stories from DC Comics. They usually have special powers or abilities that make them different from ordinary people. They use these powers to protect others and fight against evil.

Main article: List of metahumans in DC Comics