Superheroes are irreplaceable in popular culture. From Superman saving falling helicopters to Spider-Man stopping a crashing train, the big screen has seen the triumph of comic book heroes time and time again. Comic books and media based on them have united people around the world to see their favorite characters triumph.
National Comic Book Day will celebrate every iconic comic book character, whether they are heroes or villains. Notable competing comic book companies DC and Marvel have had a long but fun rivalry over the years. From similar heroes in comic books, animated movies, TV shows and movies at the big screen, audiences have seen each have several different takes on their favorite characters over the years.
Despite the endless competition between the iconic comic book companies, there is one superhero that helped popularize comic books for decades. For more than eighty years, this superhero has had a massive impact on fans for his incredible powers and strong values. This character is The Man of Steel himself, Superman.
In 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster introduced Superman to comic book pages. Superman is an alien from Krypton with super strength, super speed, laser vision along with a whole slew of abilities. Superman’s alter ego is Clark Kent, who poses as a mild-mannered reporter for The Daily Planet in Metropolis, who no one would suspect to be The Man of Steel.
*Superman made his debut in Action Comics 1 (Photo Via Wikipedia.org)
The Man of Steel has battled countless villains over his 83-year existence from corrupt businessmen such as Lex Luthor to outer space aliens like Doomsday, who managed to kill Superman in 1992s, The Death of Superman. Even after dying, Superman came back like he always does sending the message that no matter what obstacles or challenges arise in life, to never give up.
As a part of the DC Universe, Superman is a founding member of the Justice League. The Man of Steel has worked with other iconic figures like Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash and Wonder Woman to save the world time and time again. The Justice League has seen plenty of members come and go over the years, but the Man of Steel always figures out a way to save the world even though there may be the occasional conflict with fellow member Batman.
There have been countless adaptations of Superman over the years. Aside from comic books, there have been cartoons, movies and tv shows adapting the Man of Steel. Actors such as Henry Cavil, Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh have played the character on the big screen. Although it has been more than eight years since Superman has had his own movie, DC still looks to adapt the character on the big screen down the line.
*The most recent movie adaptation, Man of Steel starred Henry Cavil as the iconic superhero (Photo Via InBetweenCovers.com)
Regardless of if Superman works alone or not, he is an important figure in the world. Even though he is a fictional character, Superman’s values of truth and justice and hope represent a better world. A world that strives to be better and free, regardless of who you are and what power you may hold. In the darkest of times, Superman is a beacon of hope, representing what the world can be, better.
(Cover Photo illustrated by Alex Ross from twitter.com)
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