Superman

Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. He first appeared in issue #1 of Action Comics in 1938. Superman is a well-known character in American comic books from DC Comics. He wears a bright costume and uses amazing powers to fight evil and help people.

Superman was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton. Before his planet was destroyed, his parents sent him to Earth in a spaceship. He landed near the town of Smallville, Kansas. There, a kind couple named Jonathan and Martha Kent adopted him and named him Clark Kent. Because of Earth's yellow sun, he gained incredible strength and other powers. He decided to use these powers to protect people. He wears his superhero costume and fights crime in the city of Metropolis. There, he works as a journalist at the Daily Planet with friends like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White.

Superman has appeared in many stories, shows, and movies. He is part of a group of heroes called the Justice League, with characters like Wonder Woman and Batman. Many actors have played Superman in films, including Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill. Superman is one of the most famous superheroes in the world.

Development

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met in 1932 at Glenville High School in Cleveland. They loved stories with amazing powers and decided to create their own. Siegel wrote the stories, and Shuster made the pictures.

They tried to make Superman into a comic strip but had a hard time getting people to like it. They changed Superman's story many times. Finally, they decided Superman was from the planet Krypton, wearing a special suit with an “S” on it. Clark Kent, a shy journalist, hid his true powerful self. Their hard work paid off when Superman was published in Action Comics #1 in 1938, and it became very popular.

Influences

Siegel and Shuster loved reading adventure stories with heroes who had amazing powers. They were inspired by many things, like movies starring Douglas Fairbanks and characters from books and comics. The name “Metropolis” came from an old movie. They also liked strongmen and wrestlers, which helped shape Superman's look. Superman’s secret identity as Clark Kent was inspired by clever characters from movies and comics.

Comics

See also: Publication history of Superman and Superman (franchise)

Comic books

See also: List of Superman comics

Action Comics #1, the comic that first showed Superman, is very valuable today.

Since 1938, Superman has been an important part of comic books from DC Comics. The first comic with Superman was Action Comics, which started in April 1938. Another comic called Superman began in June 1939. These comics have continued ever since. Superman is part of the DC Universe, where he meets other heroes like Batman and Wonder Woman.

Superman comics have sold more copies than any other American superhero. In 1992, Superman #75 sold many copies because of a big story about Superman. Today, fewer people read these comics, but they still help make movies and TV shows.

Newspaper strips

See also: Superman (comic strip)

In 1939, Superman began appearing in newspapers. Jerry Siegel wrote many of these strips until he joined the United States Army in 1943. The strips were very popular, with millions of readers.

Editors

At first, Jerry Siegel could write Superman however he liked. But as Superman became more popular, editors helped make sure the stories were good for kids. They made sure Superman didn’t kill anyone and avoided certain topics.

Aesthetic style

In the early years, artists followed a certain style for Superman. Different artists changed how Superman looked over time. Today, there are many different styles in Superman comics.

Copyright issues

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Main article: Copyright lawsuits by Superman's creators

In 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster made an agreement to give the rights to Superman to DC Comics before Superman's first appearance. They were paid $130 for their first Superman story, but they gave away the rights for free, which was normal at the time. Later, Superman became very popular, and Siegel and Shuster wished they had kept the rights. DC Comics kept them as writers and paid them well.

In 1947, Siegel and Shuster sued DC Comics for the rights to Superman and Superboy. The court decided that Superman belonged to DC Comics, but Superboy belonged to Siegel. They settled and received money from DC Comics. Later, they tried again to get the rights back, but the court still said DC Comics owned Superman.

In 1975, Siegel and Shuster got better pay and credit from Warner Brothers in exchange for not fighting for the rights anymore. Shuster passed away in 1992, and Siegel in 1996. Their families tried to take the rights back, but DC Comics made agreements to keep the rights. In 2004, the families sued again, but the courts still ruled that DC Comics owned Superman.

Captain Marvel

See also: National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications

After Superman's success, many similar characters were created. The most famous was Captain Marvel, who first appeared in 1939. He had many of the same powers and looks as Superman. DC Comics sued because they thought Captain Marvel copied Superman.

The court decided that Fawcett Comics had copied Superman, but also said that some of DC Comics' copyright notices were not done right. This meant DC Comics might have lost some rights. However, the appeals court said the mistakes did not matter and that Fawcett Comics knew they were copying Superman. Fawcett Comics decided to stop publishing Captain Marvel and paid DC Comics money.

Later, DC Comics bought the rights to Captain Marvel and changed the character's name to "Shazam" to avoid confusion with another character from Marvel Comics.

Character overview

Superman was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. He first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938. He is one of the earliest and most famous superheroes.

Superman was born on the planet Krypton. When Krypton was destroyed, his parents sent him to Earth in a spaceship. A farming couple named the Kents found him and raised him as Clark Kent.

The Kents taught Clark to use his amazing powers to help others. To keep his identity safe, Clark created the persona of Superman. He wears glasses and a special costume. Clark works as a journalist at the Daily Planet. He uses his super strength, speed, and ability to fly to fight evil and help people.

Superman has many friends, like Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. He faces many villains, including Lex Luthor and General Zod. His story has been told in many books, shows, and movies. But the core of his character stays the same: a hero who uses his powers to do good.

Impact and legacy

The superhero archetype

Superman is often called the first superhero. Some say other characters like Ogon Bat, the Phantom, Zorro, and Mandrake the Magician were superheroes too, but Superman became the most popular. He set the rules for superheroes: a special costume, a secret name, amazing powers, and a goal to help people. Superman's big success in 1938 led to many new heroes like Batman, Captain America, and Captain Marvel. This time is known as America's Golden Age of Comic Books, from 1938 to about 1950. Even when sales dropped and many heroes disappeared, Superman stayed popular. His continuing success helped start the Silver Age of Comic Books in the late 1950s, which brought us heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and The X-Men.

After World War II, superhero stories from America influenced Japan. Astro Boy, who first appeared in 1952, was inspired by Mighty Mouse, which itself was inspired by Superman. The Superman animated shorts from the 1940s were shown on Japanese TV in 1955, followed in 1956 by the TV show Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves. These shows were very popular in Japan and led to Japan's own many superhero stories. The first Japanese superhero movie, Super Giant, came out in 1957, and the first TV show, Moonlight Mask, began in 1958. Famous Japanese superheroes include Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Sailor Moon.

Fine art

Since the 1960s and the Pop Art movement, Superman has appeared in artwork by many famous artists, including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Mel Ramos, Dulce Pinzon, Mr. Brainwash, Raymond Pettibon, Peter Saul, Giuseppe Veneziano, and F. Lennox Campello.

Vernacular

Words from Superman's stories are now used in everyday English. "Kryptonite" means a special weakness, "brainiac" describes someone very smart, and "bizarro" means something very strange or unusual.

Auctions

In November 2025, a nearly perfect copy of Superman No. 1, the 1939 comic that first introduced Superman, sold for a record $9.12 million at Heritage Auctions.

Literary analysis

Superman has been talked about in many ways. Some thinkers believe he shows how people can become great through hard work. Others see him as a reflection of the times he was created in, from the days of gangsters like Al Capone to worries after big world events.

Superman has also been linked to social issues. During hard economic times, he stood up for ordinary people against unfair business practices and corrupt leaders. Some see him as a symbol of the immigrant experience, showing how someone from another place can find a home and make a difference.

There are ideas that Superman's story has roots in religious stories, though this is debated among historians. Some compare his journey to famous tales from different cultures, but the creators never said this was their intent.

An allegory for immigrants

Superman’s story as an outsider who finds a place in a new world has meant a lot to many people. Some see him as a symbol of the immigrant experience, challenging old ideas about power. Others view him as a reminder of the struggles and strengths of those who come to a new country with dreams.

Religious themes

Some people believe Superman's story has connections to religious tales, like the journey of Moses. For example, Superman's journey as a baby sent away and raised by others mirrors parts of Moses' story. Others see hints of Christian ideas in movies where Superman's role is compared to guiding people toward a better future. However, the creators of Superman never said these connections were planned, and historians debate how strong these links are.

In other media

Radio

The first time Superman appeared outside of comic books was on a radio show called The Adventures of Superman. It ran from 1940 to 1951 with many episodes for kids. Most episodes were performed live. Bud Collyer was the voice of Superman. It was produced by Robert Maxwell and Allen Ducovny.

Stage

In 1966, Superman had a musical play on Broadway called It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman. Bob Holiday played Superman, and Patricia Marand played Lois Lane.

Film

Paramount Pictures made animated Superman shorts between 1941 and 1943. The first movie with Superman was Superman and the Mole Men, released in 1951. The first big-budget Superman movie was Superman in 1978, starring Christopher Reeve. It was very successful. The movie had three sequels. In 2006, Superman Returns came out, with Brandon Routh as Superman.

In 2013, Man of Steel was released, starring Henry Cavill as Superman. A sequel called Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came out in 2016. Cavill also played Superman in Justice League in 2017.

Television

The first Superman TV show was Adventures of Superman, which aired from 1952 to 1958. There were many animated series with Superman, such as The New Adventures of Superman and Super Friends. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman focused on Superman's relationship with Lois Lane. Smallville showed Superman's life before he became a hero. Superman: The Animated Series was very popular. In recent years, Superman has appeared in shows like Superman & Lois and My Adventures with Superman.

Video games

Main article: List of video games featuring Superman

The first Superman video game came out in 1979. The last game focused only on Superman was Superman Returns in 2006. Since then, Superman has been in games like the Injustice series.

Merchandising

DC Comics protected the Superman logo in 1938. A company called Superman, Inc. was created in 1939 to grow Superman's presence beyond comic books. This company later joined with DC Comics.

In 2018, products with the Superman name earned over $634 million worldwide. Many of these products, like toys and buttons, were made for children, but adults also buy them now.

During World War II, Superman helped encourage people to support the war by buying bonds and saving scrap material. Other heroes like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain America also joined in.