A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a type of stock character A stock character is a stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes, but they are often more narrowly defined. Stock characters are a key component of genre fiction, providing possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers" and dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical A prototype is an original type, form, or instance of something serving as a typical example, basis, or standard for other things of the same category. The word derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος (prototypos), "original, primitive", from πρῶτος (protos), " superhero Superman Superman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938, the character first in 1938, stories of superheroes—ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas—have dominated American comic books Since the invention of the comic-book format in 1934[citation needed], the United States has produced the most examples, with only the British comic books and the Japanese manga as close competitors in terms of quantity.[citation needed] and crossed over into other media Mass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a large audience. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such as books and manuscripts had already been in use for centuries. The word itself dates to at least 1917.[1] A female Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova (egg cells) superhero is sometimes called a superheroine (also rendered super-heroine or super heroine). "Super-heroes" is a trademark A trademark or trade mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities co-owned by DC Comics DC Comics is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner. DC Comics produces material featuring a large number of well-known and Marvel Comics Marvel Publishing, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media. Marvel Entertainment, Inc., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, owns Marvel Publishing.[2] Superheroes are authentically American, spawning from The Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s. It was the longest, most widespread, and deepest depression of the 20th century, and is used era.

By most definitions, characters do not strictly require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes,[3] although terms such as costumed crime fighters are sometimes used to refer to those such as Batman Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939, and since then has appeared in many of DC Comics’ publications. Originally referred to as "the Bat-Man" and still referred to at times as "the Batman", he is and Green Arrow Green Arrow is a fictional character, published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941. His secret identity is Oliver "Ollie" Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City without such powers who share other common superhero traits. Such characters were generally referred to as "mystery men" in the so-called Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s. During this time, modern comic books were first published and enjoyed a surge of popularity; the archetype of the superhero was created and defined; and many of the most famous superheroes to distinguish them from characters with super-powers.

Normally, superheroes use their powers to police day-to-day crime while also combating threats against humanity by supervillains A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various mediums, who as their name implies are criminals of "unprecedented powers" in the same way that superheroes are crime fighters with "unprecedented powers," though just as with superheroes they do not necessarily need genuine superpowers. Generally, at least one of these supervillains will be the superhero's archenemy An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy (compare nemesis), though several popular and long-running series, such as Batman Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939, and since then has appeared in many of DC Comics’ publications. Originally referred to as "the Bat-Man" and still referred to at times as "the Batman", he is, Superman Superman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938, the character first, and Spider-Man Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 . Lee and Ditko conceived of the character as an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and as a teenager, having to deal with the normal struggles of youth in, each have a rogues gallery A rogues gallery is a police collection of pictures or photographs of criminals and suspects kept for identification purposes. The term is also used figuratively by extension for any group of shady characters or the line-up of 'mugshot' photographs that might be displayed in the halls of a dormitory or workplace of archenemies. Superheroes sometimes will combat irregular threats that also match their powers, such as aliens In popular cultures, life forms —especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin, i.e. not coming from the Earth are referred to collectively as aliens, magical entities, godlike or demonlike creatures, and so forth.

Contents

Common traits

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose Prose is the most typical form of language. The English word 'prose' is derived from the Latin prōsa, which literally translates as 'straight-forward.' While there are critical debates on the construction of prose, its simplicity and loosely defined structure has led to its adoption for the majority of spoken dialogue, factual discourse as well. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (April 2010)
This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (June 2010)
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be and removed. (June 2010)

Many 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 DC Comics’s Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers, are "all-star" groups consisting of heroes with separate origins who also operate individually, yet will team up to confront larger threats. The shared setting or "universes" of Marvel, DC and other publishers also allow for regular superhero team-ups.

Some superheroes, especially those introduced in the 1940s, work with a young sidekick (e.g., Batman and Robin, Captain America and Bucky). This has become less common since more sophisticated writing and older audiences have lessened the need for characters who specifically appeal to child readers. Sidekicks are seen as a separate classification of superheroes.

Superheroes most often appear in comic books, and superhero stories are the dominant form of American comic books, to the point that the terms "superhero" and "comic book character" have been used synonymously in North America[citation needed]. With the rise in relative popularity of non-superhero comics, as well as the popularity of Japanese comics (manga), this trend is slowly declining[citation needed]. Superheroes have also been featured in radio serials, novel, TV series, movies, and other media. Most of the superheroes who appear in other media are adapted from comics, but there are exceptions.

Marvel Characters, Inc. and DC Comics share ownership of the United States trademark for the phrases "Super Hero" and "Super Heroes" and these two companies own the vast majority of the world’s most famous and influential superheroes. Of the "Significant Seven" chosen by The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History (1989), Marvel owns Spider-Man and Captain America and DC owns Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and Plastic Man. Like many non-Marvel characters popular during the 1940s, the latter two were acquired by DC from defunct publishers.[4] However, there have been significant heroes owned by others, especially since the 1990s when Image Comics and other companies that allowed creators to maintain trademark and editorial control over their characters developed. Hellboy and Spawn are some of the most successful creator-owned heroes.

Reflective of his time, Charlton Comics' Captain Atom was an astronaut in his civilian identity. Strange Suspense Stories #75 (June 1965). Cover art by Steve Ditko.

Although superhero fiction is considered a form of fantasy/adventure, it crosses into many genres. Many superhero franchises resemble crime fiction (Batman, Punisher), others horror fiction (Spawn, Spectre) and others more standard science fiction (Green Lantern, X-Men). Many of the earliest superheroes, such as The Sandman and The Clock, were rooted in the pulp fiction of their predecessors.

Within their own fictional universes, public perception of superheroes varies greatly. Some, like Superman and the Fantastic Four, are adored and seen as important civic leaders. Others, like Batman and Spider-Man, are met with public skepticism or outright hostility. A few, such as the X-Men and the characters of Watchmen, defend a populace that almost unanimously misunderstands and despises them.

Common costume features

A superhero's costume helps make him or her recognizable to the general public. Costumes are often colorful to enhance the character's visual appeal and frequently incorporate the superhero's name and theme. For example, 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 The Phantom. Several superheroes such as the Phantom, Superman, Batman and Robin wear breeches (underwear briefs) over their unitard. This is often satirized as the idea that superheroes wear their underpants on the outside.[citation needed]

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

Captain America's costume displays many features common to superheroes. Art by Gabriele Dell'Otto

Secret headquarters

Many superheroes (and supervillains) have headquarters or a base of operations. These locations are often equipped with state-of-the-art, highly-advanced or alien technologies, and they are usually disguised and/or in secret locations to avoid being detected by enemies, or by the general public. Some bases, such as the Baxter Building, are known of by the public (even though their 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.

To the heroes and villains who have a secret base, the base can serve a variety of functions.

Categories of Superheroes

This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (March 2010)
This section may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (July 2010)
Plastic Man's shapeshifting abilities have often been used for humorous effect. Plastic Man #17 (May 1949). Cover art by Jack Cole.

Individual superheroes often fall into established archetypes based on their power set or modus operandi. Many heroes fit into more than one category.

In role-playing games

In superhero role-playing games, such as Hero Games' Champions, Green Ronin Publishing's Mutants and Masterminds, Cryptic Studios' MMORPG City of Heroes and Champions Online, superheroes are formally organized into categories or archetypes based on their skills and abilities.

Trademark status

Most dictionary definitions[5] and common usages of the term are 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 trademarks. Registrations of "Super Hero" marks have been maintained by DC and Marvel since the 1960s.[6] (U.S. Trademark Serial Nos. 72243225 and 73222079, among others).

Joint trademarks shared by competitors are rare in the United States.[7] They are supported by a non-precedential 2003 Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision upholding the "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.[8]

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.[9] Some critics further characterize the marks as a misuse of trademark law to chill competition.[10]

America's Best Comics, originally an imprint of Wildstorm, used the term science hero, coined by Alan Moore.[citation needed]

History

Main article: Superhero fiction#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 American popular fiction of the time, with the typical superhero a white, middle- to upper- class, tall, heterosexual, professional, 20-to-30-year-old male. A majority of superheroes still fit this description as of 2010, but many characters began to break out of the mold in the 1960s.

Female superheroes

The first known female superhero is writer-artist Fletcher Hanks's minor character Fantomah,[11] an ageless, ancient Egyptian 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 (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 syndicated newspaper comic strip by Russell Stamm on June 3, 1940. A superpowered female antihero, the 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 crimefighters are The Woman in Red,[12] introduced in Standard Comics' Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940); Lady Luck, debuting in the Sunday-newspaper comic-book insert The Spirit Section June 2, 1940; the comedic character Red Tornado, debuting in All-American Comics #20 (Nov 1940); Miss Fury,[13] debuting in the eponymous comic strip by female cartoonist Tarpé Mills on April 6, 1941; the Phantom Lady, introduced in Quality Comics Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941); and the Black Cat,[14] introduced in Harvey Comics' Pocket Comics #1 (also Aug. 1941). The superpowered Nelvana of the Northern Lights debuted in Canadian publisher Hillborough Studio's Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 (Aug. 1941), and the superhumanly strong Miss Victory was introduced in Holyoke (comics) 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 and their mutual lover Olive Byrne.[15][16] Wonder Woman debuted in 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 Oracle, the premiere information broker of the DC superhero community and leader of the superheroine team Birds of Prey In addition, the company introduced Zatanna and a second Black Canary and had several female supporting characters that were successful professionals, such as the Atom's love-interest, attorney Jean Loring.

As with DC's superhero team the Justice League of America, with included Wonder Woman, the Marvel Comics teams of the early 1960s usually included at least one female, such as the Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl, the X-Men's Marvel Girl and the Avengers' 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, Catwoman, Witchblade, and Spider-Girl became stars of popular series. The series Uncanny X-Men and its related superhero-team titles included many females in vital roles.[17]

In American comics, superheroines often sport improbably large breasts and an illogical lack of muscle-mass, and their costumes sexualise their wearers almost as a matter of course. For example, Power Girl's includes a small window between her breasts; Emma Frost's costume traditionally resembles erotic lingerie; and Starfire's started as a full-body covering and has, over four decades, been reduced to a thong, pelvic covering, mask, and stiletto heels. This visual treatment of women in American comics has led to accusations of systemic sexism and objectification.[18][19]

Superheroes of color

In the late 1960s, superheroes of other racial groups began to appear. In 1966, Marvel Comics introduced the Black Panther, an African king who became the first non-caricatured black superhero.[20] The first African-American superhero, the 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, Red Wolf became the first Native American in the superheroic tradition to headline a series.[21] In 1974, Shang Chi, a martial artist, 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 stereotypes; 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 (the first black superheroine) and the Teen Titans' 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 Kenyan Storm, German Nightcrawler, Russian Colossus and Canadian Wolverine. Diversity in both ethnicity and national origin would be an important part of subsequent superhero groups.

In 1989, Marvel's Captain Marvel was the first female black superhero from a major publisher to get her own title in a special one-shot issue. In 1991, Marvel's Epic Comics released Captain Confederacy, the first female black superhero to have her own series.

In May 1992, Steve Englehart and David Lapham of Valiant released a black superhero by the name of Shadowman. Though, when this character played through the series, there were no overly African overtones. Instead he was the opposite of most black heroes at the time. He lived in a nice house in New Orleans, and also had a maid by the name of Nettie. He didn't listen to hip hop or rap, but instead listened to Jazz and Rock and Roll.

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, a character adapted into the 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 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 selected Stewart as the show's Green Lantern. Other such successor-heroes of color include DC's 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.[22]

See also: List of black superheroes

LGBT characters

Main article: LGBT comic book characters

In 1992, Marvel revealed that Northstar, a member of the Canadian mutant superhero team Alpha Flight, was homosexual, after years of implication.[23] This ended a long-standing editorial mandate that there would be no LGBT characters in Marvel comics.[24] 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, Gen¹³'s Rainmaker, and the gay couple Apollo and Midnighter of Wildstorm Comics' superhero team the Authority.

In the mid-2000s, some characters were revealed to be gay in two Marvel titles: Wiccan and Hulkling of the superhero group Young Avengers; and the X-Men's Colossus in the alternate universe Ultimate Marvel imprint. Xavin, from the Runaways is a a shape-changing alien filling the part of a transgendered lesbian. In 2006, DC revealed in its Manhunter title that longtime character Obsidian was gay, and a new incarnation of Batwoman was introduced as a "lipstick lesbian" to some media attention.[25][26]

See also

Comics portal
Speculative fiction portal
Superheroes portal
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Superheroes

References

  1. ^ Merriam-Webster Online: "Superhero"
  2. ^ "United States Patent and Trademark Office latest status info for trademark serial #78356610
  3. ^ Per Niccum, John. "'V for Vendetta' is S for Subversive", Lawrence Journal-World, March 17, 2006; Gesh, Lois H., and Robert Weinberg, The Science of Superheroes (John Wiley & Sons, 2002; ISBN 978-0-471-02460-6), Chapter 3: "The Dark Knight: Batman: A NonSuper Superhero"; Adherents.com, "The Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Characters: Rev. Dr. Christopher Syn, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (one of the world's first masked crime-fighters)" (undated, no byline); Lovece, Frank, The Dark Knight (movie review) Film Journal International, July 16, 2008 ("Batman himself is an anomaly as one of the few superheroes without superpowers…"), and other sources. While the Dictionary.com 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 more longstanding Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition as "a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also : an exceptionally skillful or successful person".
  4. ^ Benton, Mike. The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History (Taylor Publishing: Dallas, Texas, 1989), pp. 178–181, reprinted at website Religious Affiliation of Comics Book Characters: "The Significant Seven: History's Most Influential Super-heroes" [sic]
  5. ^ Dictionary.com: Superhero
  6. ^
  7. ^ Schwimmer, Martin. The Trademark Blog, "Do DC and Marvel Own Exclusive Rights in 'SUPER HERO'?" 2004.
  8. ^ Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Arrow Trading Co., Inc. v. Victorinox A.G. and Wenger S.A.. 2003
  9. ^ Coleman, Ron. Likelihood of Confusion, "SUPER HERO® my foot". 2006.
  10. ^ Doctorow, Cory. Boing Boing, "Marvel Comics: stealing our language". 2006.
  11. ^ Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Fantomah
  12. ^ Don Markstein's Tonnopedia: The Woman in Red and Grand Comics Database: Thrilling Comics #2
  13. ^ Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Miss Fury
  14. ^ Markstein's Toonopedia: Black Cat and Grand Comics Database: Pocket Comics #1
  15. ^ Bostonia (Fall 2001): "Who Was Wonder Woman? Long-ago LAW alumna Elizabeth Marston was the muse who gave us a superheroine", by Marguerite Lamb
  16. ^ The New York Times (February 18, 1992): "Our Towns: She's Behind the Match For That Man of Steel", by Andrew H. Malcolm
  17. ^ Comic Zone (May 1, 1996): "An Interview with Chris Claremont"
  18. ^ Gadfly (no date): "No Girls Allowed", by Casey Franklin
  19. ^ Sequart.com (March 15, 2001): "The State of American Comics Address", by Julian Darius
  20. ^ Brown, Jeffrey A. (2001). Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics and their Fans. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1-57806-281-0.
  21. ^ Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Red Wolf
  22. ^ Truth: Red, White & Black #1-7 (Jan.-July 2003) at Grand Comics Database.
  23. ^ Gay League - North Star
  24. ^ The Comics Journal: Online Features
  25. ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Batwoman hero returns as lesbian
  26. ^ TIME.com: Caped Crusaders -- Jun. 12, 2006 -- Page 1
Superhero fiction
Media Comics · Film · Live-action TV series · Animation · Video games · Role-playing games
Plot elements Superhero · Supervillain · Superpower (List) · Secret identity · Alter ego · Comic book death · Women in Refrigerators
Continuity Continuity · Canon · Retroactive continuity · Reboot · Crossover
Stock characters and Character archetypes
Heros Boy next door · Christ figure · Contender · Epic hero · Everyman · False hero · Final girl · Folk hero · Jack · Mythological king · Randian hero · Romantic hero · Superhero · Tragic hero · Whiz kid
Antiheros Byronic hero · Bad boy · Gentleman thief · Reluctant hero
Villains Alazon · Archenemy · Bug-eyed monster · Crone · Dark Lord · Evil clown · Evil twin · Femme fatale · Mad scientist · Masked Mystery Villain · Supervillain · Trickster
Miscellaneous Absent-minded professor · Archimime · Archmage · Artist-scientist · Bible thumper · Bimbo · Black knight · Blonde stereotype · Cannon fodder · Caveman · Chinese knight-errant · Contender · Damsel in distress · Dark Lady (character) · Elderly martial arts master · Essex girl · Girl next door · Grande dame · Grotesque · Hag · Handmaiden · Hawksian woman · Hellequin · Hooker with a heart of gold · Hotshot · Ingenue · Jewish mother · Jewish-American princess · Jock · Killbot · Knight-errant · Legacy Hero · Loathly lady · Lovers · Magical negro · Mammy archetype · Manic Pixie Dream Girl · Mary Sue · Miles Gloriosus · Miser · Mistress · Nerd · Nice Jewish boy · Noble savage · Petrushka · Princesse lointaine · Rake · Redshirt ·
Literature portal

Categories: Fictional concepts in comics | Stock characters | American culture | Superheroes

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Sat Jul 31 00:18:47 2010. [ refresh local cache ]
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

[Hide]▼
'Super Hero' News
Swimming in a murky (Dead)pool - Los Angeles Times (blog)
latimesblogs.latimes.com
Swimming in a murky (Dead)pool - Los Angeles Times (blog)
Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:12:47 GMT+00:00
Los Angeles Times (blog) As a character, the dark superhero is becoming a little less interesting by the movie; a dark superhero movie increasingly turns on what you do with that ...
Google News Search: Super hero,
Sun Jun 20 01:07:06 2010
'Super Hero' Images
super hero masks jpg
abfab.co.uk
super hero masks jpg
180px x 180px | 14.20kB

[source page]



Yahoo Images Search: Super hero,
Thu Aug 27 20:56:07 2009
'Super Hero' Blogs
Exclusive: When Might We See Edgar Wright's Ant-Man?
superherohype.com
Exclusive: When Might We See Edgar Wright's Ant-Man?

unknown

Mon, 03 May 2010 12:37:41 GM

They were originally talking about something with Ant Man that would be quite a 're-imagining' in the kick @ss/ super ex girlfriend . super hero. comedy vein. Not even using the original character and having nothing to do with Wasp. ...

Google Blogs Search: Super hero,
Thu May 20 07:53:01 2010
'Super Hero' Answers
what super hero violates the law of impulse-momentum and conservation of momentum?
Q. what super hero violates the law of impulse-momentum and conservation of momentum? please help me, i can't think of any. THANKS! Charles M. do you have a picture of that instance? could you cite a specific instance? or provide me with pictures, please?
Asked by ALice - Sat Dec 15 12:17:52 2007 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Not a super hero per se, but the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote are the best examples. Every time Wile E. tries something, it backfires on him, violating conservation of momentum, energy, gravity, etc, etc.
Answered by Charles M - Sat Dec 15 12:22:30 2007

Yahoo Answers Search: Super hero,
Tue Jul 13 07:33:39 2010
[Hide]▲