View source for Superman

{{Short description|DC Comics superhero}}
{{About|the superhero}}
{{redirect|Man of tomorrow}}
{{pp-protected|reason=restore indef semi|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox comics character <!-- Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics -->
 |character_name = Clark Kent / Kal-El <br />{{small|Superman}}
 |image          = Supermanflying.png
 |imagesize      =
 |converted      = y
 |caption        = Superman on a variant cover of [[Action Comics 1000|''Action Comics'' #1000]] (April 2018) <br/>Art by [[Jason Fabok]].
 |alt            = Superman with his cape billowing
 |publisher      = [[DC Comics]]
 |debut          = ''[[Action Comics]]'' [[Action Comics 1|#1]] <br/>([[cover-date]]d June 1938; published April 18, 1938)<!-- "Debut" indicates the first appearance of a character, not a change to the character's backstory. Please do not add Birthright here. -->
 |creators       = [[Jerry Siegel]] (writer) <br/>[[Joe Shuster]] (artist)
 |alter_ego      = Kal-El (birth name; Krypton identity) <br/>Clark Kent (adopted name; civilian identity)<!-- Do not enter a specific middle name; what the "J." stands for alternates depending on continuity. Also, there is no past or current, dead or alive in fiction from a real world perspective; the infobox should cover the Superman known to the public and not a current comic book storyline. -->
 |alliances      = {{ubl|[[Justice League]]|[[Legion of Super-Heroes]]|[[List of Superman supporting characters#Superman Family|Superman Family]]}}
 |homeworld      = [[Krypton (comics)|Krypton]]
<!-- * [[Smallville (comics)|Smallville]] / [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]] (Earth) -->
 |species        = [[Kryptonian]]
 |partners       = {{plainlist|
<!--Please keep this to the established long term sidekicks and partners; don't add any old Justice League member or Action Comics co-star.-->
* [[Supergirl]] (various)
* [[Superboy]] (various)
* [[Batman]]
* [[Wonder Woman]]
<!--Try to keep this list short. No need to fill with Superman supporting characters and Justice League colleagues.-->
}}
 |aliases        = {{ubl|[[Superboy (Kal-El)|Superboy]]|The Man of Steel|The Last Son of Krypton|The Man of Tomorrow|The Big Blue Boy Scout|The Metropolis Marvel}}
 |powers         = {{collapsible list
<!--Must be a defining trait: only technology or powers regularly used are listed here-->
<!--Terminology should mirror "List of superman features and abilities in fiction"-->
 | titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
 |title = ''See list''
 |
*[[Superhuman strength]], [[Speedster (fiction)|speed]], [[agility]], stamina, durability, reflexes, senses, endurance, and longevity
*[[Vulnerability|Invulnerability]]
*[[Flight]]
*[[Genius]] level intellect
*[[Heat vision (fiction)|Heat vision]]
*[[X-ray vision]]
*Wind and freeze breath
*Indomitable will
*Self-sustenance by solar energy absorption
*Master field commander
*Skilled hand-to-hand combatant
*Expert investigative journalist and novelist
}}
 |cat       = super
 |subcat    = DC Comics
 |hero      = y
 |sortkey   = Superman
}}

'''Superman''' is a <!--Do not add "fictional" as it is tautological; superheroes (and characters in general) are by definition implied to be fictionalized to some extent.-->[[superhero]] created by writer [[Jerry Siegel]] and artist [[Joe Shuster]], first appearing in [[Action Comics 1|issue #1]] of ''[[Action Comics]]'', published in the United States on April 18, 1938.<ref name=actioncomics1copyright>The copyright date of ''[[Action Comics]]'' [[Action Comics 1|#1]] was registered as April 18, 1938. <br />See {{cite book|url= https://archive.org/stream/catalogofcopyrig332lib#page/n141/mode/2up|title= Catalog of Copyright Entries. New Series, Volume 33, Part 2: Periodicals January–December 1938. |publisher= United States [[Library of Congress]] |year= 1938 |page=129}}</ref> Superman has been regularly published in [[American comic book]]s since then, and has been adapted to other media including radio serials, novels, films, television shows, theater, and video games. Superman is the archetypal superhero: he wears an outlandish costume, uses a [[codename]], and fights evil and averts disasters with the aid of extraordinary abilities. Although there are earlier characters who arguably fit this definition, it was Superman who popularized the superhero genre and established its conventions. He was the best-selling superhero in American comic books up until the 1980s;<ref name=DallasEtAl2013p208>[[#refDallasEtAl2013|Dallas et al. (2013), ''American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s'']], p. 208</ref> it is also the best-selling comic book series in the world with 600 million copies sold.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/583041/best-selling-comic-books/|title=Best-selling comic books of all time|website=[[Statista]]|access-date=April 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405153001/https://www.statista.com/statistics/583041/best-selling-comic-books/|archive-date=April 5, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Superman was born '''Kal-El''', on the fictional planet [[Krypton (comics)|Krypton]]. As a baby, his parents [[Jor-El]] and [[Lara (character)|Lara]] sent him to Earth in a small spaceship shortly before Krypton was destroyed in an apocalyptic cataclysm. His ship landed in the American countryside near the fictional town of [[Smallville (comics)|Smallville]], Kansas, where he was found and adopted by farmers [[Jonathan and Martha Kent]], who named him '''Clark Kent'''. The Kents quickly realized he was [[superhuman]]; due to the Earth's yellow sun, all of his physical and sensory abilities are far beyond those of a human, and he is nearly impervious to harm and capable of unassisted flight. His adoptive parents having instilled him with strong morals, he chooses to use his powers to benefit humanity, and to fight crime as a vigilante. To protect his personal life, he changes into a primary-colored costume and uses the alias "Superman" when fighting crime. Clark resides in the fictional American city of [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]], where he works as a journalist for the ''[[Daily Planet]]'' alongside [[List of Superman supporting characters|supporting characters]] including his [[Superman and Lois Lane|love interest]] and fellow journalist [[Lois Lane]], photographer [[Jimmy Olsen]], and editor-in-chief [[Perry White]]. [[List of Superman enemies|His enemies]] include [[Brainiac (character)|Brainiac]], [[General Zod]], and archenemy [[Lex Luthor]].

Since 1939, Superman has been featured in both ''Action Comics'' and his own ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' comic. He exists within the [[DC Universe]], where he interacts with other heroes including fellow [[Justice League]] members like [[Wonder Woman]] and [[Batman]], and appears in [[List of Justice League titles|various titles]] based on the team. [[Alternative versions of Superman|Different versions]] of the character exist in [[Parallel universes in fiction|alternative universes]]; the Superman from the [[Golden Age of comic books]] has been labeled as the [[Superman (Earth-Two)|Earth-Two]] version while the version appearing in [[Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]] and [[Bronze Age of Comic Books|Bronze Age]] comics is labeled the [[Superman (Earth-One)|Earth One Superman]]. His persona has also inspired legacy characters such as [[Supergirl]], [[Superboy]] and [[Krypto|Krypto the Superdog]].

Superman has been adapted outside of comics. The radio series ''[[The Adventures of Superman (radio series)|The Adventures of Superman]]'' ran from 1940 to 1951 and would feature [[Bud Collyer]] as the voice of Superman. Collyer would also voice the character in [[Superman (1940s animated film series)|a series of animated shorts]] produced by [[Fleischer Studios|Fleischer]]/[[Famous Studios]] and released between 1941 and 1943. Superman also appeared in film serials [[Superman (serial)|in 1948]] and [[Atom Man Vs. Superman|1950]], played by [[Kirk Alyn]]. [[Christopher Reeve]] would portray Superman in the [[Superman (1978 film)|1978 film]] and [[Superman in film#Salkind/Cannon_film series (1978–1987)|its sequels]], and define the character in cinema for generations. Superman would continue to appear in feature films, including [[DC Extended Universe|a series]] starring [[Henry Cavill]] and [[Superman (2025 film)|a 2025 film]] starring [[David Corenswet]]. The character has also appeared in numerous television series, including ''[[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|Adventures of Superman]]'', played by [[George Reeves]], and ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'', voiced by [[Tim Daly]].

==Development==
{{multiple image
 |align = left
 |total_width = 260
 |image1 = Jerry Siegel in Uniform ca1943 cropped.jpg
 |caption1 = [[Jerry Siegel]], writer
 |image2 = Joe Shuster.jpg
 |caption2 = [[Joe Shuster]], illustrator
 }}
[[File:Reign of the Superman.jpg|thumb|left|"[[The Reign of the Superman]]" is a short story by Jerry Siegel, published January 1933.]]
[[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Joe Shuster]] met in 1932 while attending [[Glenville High School]] in [[Cleveland]] and bonded over their admiration of fiction. Siegel aspired to become a writer and Shuster aspired to become an illustrator. Siegel wrote amateur [[science fiction]] stories, which he self-published as a magazine called ''Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization''. His friend Shuster often provided illustrations for his work.<ref name=Ricca2014/> In January 1933, Siegel published a short story in his magazine titled "[[The Reign of the Superman]]". The titular character is a homeless man named Bill Dunn who is tricked by an evil scientist into consuming an experimental drug. The drug gives Dunn the powers of mind-reading, mind-control, and clairvoyance. He uses these powers maliciously for profit and amusement, but then the drug wears off, leaving him a powerless vagrant again. Shuster provided illustrations, depicting Dunn as a bald man.<ref>Jerry Siegel (under the pseudonym Herbert S. Fine). "The Reign of the Superman". ''Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization'' #3. January 1933 <br />Summarized in {{harvnb|Ricca|2014|pp=70–72}} ''Super Boys''</ref>

Siegel and Shuster shifted to making [[comic strip]]s, with a focus on adventure and comedy. They wanted to become syndicated newspaper strip authors, so they showed their ideas to various newspaper editors. However, the newspaper editors were not impressed, and told them that if they wanted to make a successful comic strip, it had to be something more sensational than anything else on the market. This prompted Siegel to revisit Superman as a comic strip character.<ref>Jerry Siegel, quoted in {{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 15: "When we presented different strips to the syndicate editors, they would say, 'Well, this isn't sensational enough.' So I thought, I'm going to come up with something so wild they won't be able to say that."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"...one of the things which spurred me into creating a "Superman" strip was something a syndicate editor said to me after I had been submitting various proposed comic strips to him. He said, "The trouble with your stuff is that it isn't spectacular enough. You've got to come up with something sensational! Something more terrific than the other adventure strips on the market!""</ref> Siegel modified Superman's powers to make him even more sensational. Like Bill Dunn, the second prototype of Superman is given powers against his will by an unscrupulous scientist, but instead of psychic abilities, he acquires [[superhuman strength]] and [[Invulnerability|bullet-proof skin]].<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 17]]: "The version he was drafting would again begin with a wild scientist empowering a normal human against his will, but this time the powers would be even more fantastic, and rather than becoming a criminal, the super-being would fight crime 'with the fury of an outraged avenger'."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, c. 1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />p. 30: "The hero of 'THE SUPERMAN' comic book strip was also given super-powers against his will by a scientist. He gained fantastic strength, bullets bounced off him, etc. He fought crime with the fury of an outraged avenger." <br />50: "What, I thought, could be more sensational than a Superman who could fly through the air, who was impervious to flames, bullets, and a mob of enraged amok adversaries?"</ref> Additionally, this new Superman was a crime-fighting hero instead of a villain, because Siegel noted that comic strips with heroic protagonists tended to be more successful.<ref>Siegel in {{harvp|Andrae|1983}}, p. 10: "Obviously, having him a hero would be infinitely more commercial than having him a villain. I understand that the comic strip Dr. Fu Manchu ran into all sorts of difficulties because the main character was a villain. And with the example before us of Tarzan and other action heroes of fiction who were very successful, mainly because people admired them and looked up to them, it seemed the sensible thing to do to make The Superman a hero. The first piece was a short story, and that's one thing, but creating a successful comic strip with a character you'll hope will continue for many years, it would definitely be going in the wrong direction to make him a villain."</ref> In later years, Siegel once recalled that this Superman wore a "bat-like" cape in some panels, but typically he and Shuster agreed there was no costume yet, and there is none apparent in the surviving artwork.<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 17: "... usually [Shuster] and Siegel agreed that no special costume was in evidence, and the surviving artwork bears them out."</ref><ref>Siegel and Shuster in {{harvp|Andrae|1983}}, p.9-10: "Shuster: [...] It wasn't really Superman: that was before he evolved into a costumed figure. He was simply wearing a T-shirt and pants; he was more like Slam Bradley than anything else — just a man of action. [...] <br />Siegel: In later years – maybe 10 or 15 years ago – I asked Joe what he remembered of this story, and he remembered a scene of a character crouched on the edge of a building, with a cape almost a la Batman. We don't specifically recall if the character had a costume or not. [...] Joe and I – especially Joe – seem to recall that there were some scenes in there in which that character had a bat-like cape."</ref>

Siegel and Shuster showed this second concept of Superman to Consolidated Book Publishers, based in Chicago.<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 17</ref>{{efn|Consolidated Book Publishers was also known as Humor Publishing. Jerry Siegel always referred to this publisher as "Consolidated" in all interviews and memoirs. Humor Publishing was possibly a subsidiary of Consolidated.}} In May 1933, Consolidated had published a comic book titled [[Dan Dunn|''Detective Dan: Secret Operative 48'']].<ref name=comicbookdate>The copyright date of ''Detective Dan Secret Operative 48'' was registered as May 12, 1933. <br />See {{cite book|url= https://archive.org/stream/catalogofcopyri301libr#page/351|title= Catalog of Copyright Entries. New Series, Volume 30, For the Year 1933, Part 1: Books, Group 2. |publisher= United States [[Library of Congress]] |year= 1933 |page=351}}</ref> It contained all-original stories as opposed to reprints of newspaper strips, which was a novelty at the time.<ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'', p. 6: "''Detective Dan—Secret Operative 48'' was published by the Humor Publishing Company of Chicago. Detective Dan was little more than a Dick Tracy clone, but here, for the first time, in a series of black-and-white illustrations, was a comic magazine with an original character appearing in all-new stories. This was a dramatic departure from other comic magazines, which simply reprinted panels from the Sunday newspaper comic strips."</ref> Siegel and Shuster put together a comic book in a similar format called ''The Superman''. A delegation from Consolidated visited Cleveland that summer on a business trip and Siegel and Shuster took the opportunity to present their work in person.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}): <br />"I do recall, though, that when Mr. Livingston visited Cleveland, Joe and I showed ''THE SUPERMAN'' comic book pages to Mr. Livingston in his hotel room, and he was favorably impressed."</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Beerbohm |first=Robert |date=1996 |title=Siegel & Shuster Presents... The Superman |magazine=Comic Book Marketplace |issue=36 |pages=47–50|publisher=Gemstone Publishing Inc.}}: <br />"So this early ''Superman'' cover was done, replete with a "10¢" plug... and was placed on an entire comic book, written, drawn, inked, and shown to the Humor people by Jerry and Joe when they happened to come through Cleveland (trying to shop ''Detective Dan'' to the NEA newspaper syndicate)."</ref> Although Consolidated expressed interest, they later pulled out of the comics business without ever offering a book deal because the sales of ''Detective Dan'' were disappointing.<ref name=riccap97-98>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|pp=97–98}} ''Super Boys''</ref><ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 17]]: "Although the first response was encouraging, the second made it clear that the comic book was so unprofitable that its publishers put on hold any future stories."</ref>

[[File:Siegel Shuster Superman 1933 concept.png|thumb|left|Cover of an unpublished comic book, 1933]]
Siegel believed publishers kept rejecting them because he and Shuster were young and unknown, so he looked for an established artist to replace Shuster.<ref name=riccap99>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=99}} ''Super Boys'': "Jerry was convinced, just as he was in those early pulp days, that you had to align yourself with someone famous to be famous yourself. [...] Over the next year, Jerry contacted several major artists, including Mel Graff, J. Allen St. John, and even Bernie Schmittke [...]"</ref> When Siegel told Shuster what he was doing, Shuster reacted by burning their rejected Superman comic, sparing only the cover. They continued collaborating on other projects, but for the time being Shuster was through with Superman.<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 18]]: "When I told Joe of this, he unhappily destroyed the drawn-up pages of 'THE SUPERMAN' burning them in the furnace of his apartment building. At my request, he gave me as a gift the torn cover. We continued collaborating on other projects." <br />In an interview with {{harvp|Andrae|1983}}, Shuster said he destroyed their 1933 Superman comic as a reaction to Humor Publishing's rejection letter, which contradicts Siegel's account in Siegel's unpublished memoir. [[#refTye2012|Tye (2012)]] argues that the account from the memoir is the truth and that Shuster lied in the interview to avoid tension. <br />See also ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir by Jerry Siegel, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).</ref>

Siegel wrote to numerous artists.<ref name=riccap99/> The first response came in July 1933 from Leo O'Mealia, who drew the ''[[Fu Manchu]]'' strip for the [[Bell Syndicate]].<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 18]]:"Next on the list was Leo O'Mealia, who drew the ''Fu Manchu'' comic and soon found in his mailbox Jerry's more fully developed script for Superman."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"Leo O'Mealia's first letter to me was dated July 17, 1933"</ref> In the script that Siegel sent to O'Mealia, Superman's [[origin story]] changes: He is a "scientist-adventurer" from the far future when humanity has naturally evolved "superpowers". Just before the Earth explodes, he escapes in a time-machine to the modern era, whereupon he immediately begins using his superpowers to fight crime.<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 18]]</ref> O'Mealia produced a few strips and showed them to his newspaper syndicate, but they were rejected. O'Mealia did not send to Siegel any copies of his strips, and they have been lost.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"I no longer have a copy of the script of that particular version of "Superman". [...] I never saw [O'Mealia's] Superman drawings. He did not send me a copy of it."</ref>

In June 1934, Siegel found another partner, an artist in Chicago named Russell Keaton.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}). Extract filed under Exhibit A (Docket 184) in ''Laura Siegel Larson v Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., DC Comics, Case no. 13-56243'': <br />"In a letter dated June 9, 1934, he wrote back expressing interesting in the possibility of our teaming-up together on a newspaper syndication comic strip. [...] Russell Keaton's letter to me of June 14, 1934, was very enthusiastic. He stated that in his opinion "Superman" was already a tremendous hit and that he would be glad to collaborate with me on "Superman"."</ref><ref name=jonesp112-113>{{harvp|Jones|2004}}. ''Men of Tomorrow'', p. 112-113</ref> Keaton drew the ''[[Buck Rogers (comic strip)|Buck Rogers]]'' and ''[[Skyroads (comics)|Skyroads]]'' comic strips. In the script that Siegel sent Keaton in June, Superman's origin story further evolved: In the distant future, when Earth is on the verge of exploding due to "giant cataclysms", the last surviving man sends his three-year-old son back in time to the year 1935. The time-machine appears on a road where it is discovered by motorists Sam and Molly Kent. They leave the boy in an orphanage, but the staff struggle to control him because he has superhuman strength and impenetrable skin. The Kents adopt the boy and name him Clark, and teach him that he must use his fantastic natural gifts for the benefit of humanity. In November, Siegel sent Keaton an extension of his script: an adventure where Superman foils a conspiracy to kidnap a star [[American football|football]] player. The extended script mentions that Clark puts on a special "uniform" when assuming the identity of Superman, but it is not described.<ref>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=101-102}} ''Super Boys'' <br />Excerpts of Siegel and Keaton's collaboration can be found in Exhibit A (Docket 373–3), Exhibit C (Docket 347–2), Exhibit D (Docket 347–2), and Exhibit E (Docket 347–2) in ''Laura Siegel Larson v Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., DC Comics, Case no. 13-56243''. <br />(Compilation available at [https://www.dropbox.com/s/shz6qthx09t482f/Siegel-Keaton%20collaboration.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox]).</ref> Keaton produced two weeks' worth of strips based on Siegel's script. In November, Keaton showed his strips to a newspaper syndicate, but they too were rejected, and he abandoned the project.<ref>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=102}} ''Super Boys'': "Jerry tried to sell this version to the syndicates, but no one was interested, so Keaton gave up."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}). Extract filed under Exhibit A (Docket 184) in ''Laura Siegel Larson v Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., DC Comics, Case no. 13-56243'': <br />"Keaton's next letter to me, sent November 3, 1934, stated "Superman" was in a locker in a bus station, and that he was going to show the feature to [[Publishers Syndicate]], after that weekend. [...] I got a brief note from Russell Keaton. He wrote that he was completely withdrawing from any participation at all in the "Superman" comic strip and that as far as he was concerned: "the book is closed". Unhappily, I destroyed the letter."</ref>

Siegel and Shuster reconciled and resumed developing Superman together. The character became an alien from the planet Krypton. Shuster designed the now-familiar costume: tights with an "S" on the chest, over-shorts, and a cape.<ref>Interview with Joe Shuster by Bertil Falk in 1975, quoted in ''Alter Ego'' #56 (Feb 2006): <br />"SHUSTER: [...] I conceived the character in my mind's eye to have a very, very colorful costume of a cape and, you know, very, very colorful tights and boots and the letter "S" on his chest. <br />FALK: You did that, not Siegel? <br />SHUSTER: Yes, yes. I did that because that was my concept from what he described, but he did inspire me [...]"</ref><ref name=TCS18>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 18</ref><ref>Over the years, Siegel and Shuster made contradictory statements regarding when they developed Superman's familiar costume. They occasionally claimed to have developed it immediately in 1933. {{harvp|Daniels|1998}} writes: "... usually [Shuster] and Siegel agreed that no special costume was in evidence [in 1933], and the surviving artwork bears them out." The cover art for their 1933 proposal to Humor Publishing shows a shirtless, cape-less Superman. Siegel's collaboration with Russell Keaton in 1934 contains no description nor illustration of Superman in costume. [[#refTye2012|Tye (2012)]] writes that Siegel and Shuster developed the costume shortly after they resumed working together in late 1934.</ref> They made Clark Kent a journalist who pretends to be timid, and conceived his colleague [[Lois Lane]], who is attracted to the bold and mighty Superman but does not realize that he and Kent are the same person.<ref>Siegel's unpublished memoir, [https://www.scribd.com/document/322254278/The-Story-Behind-Superman ''The Story Behind Superman''] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913103321/https://www.scribd.com/document/322254278/The-Story-Behind-Superman |date=September 13, 2016 }}), as well as an interview with Thomas Andrae in ''Nemo'' #2 (1983), corroborate each other that Clark Kent's timid-journalist persona and Lois Lane were developed in 1934.</ref>

[[File:Superman concept art 1934.gif|thumb|This concept art {{circa|1934-1935}} has laced sandals, based on those of strongmen and classical heroes.<ref name=Andrae1983_boots>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "I also had classical heroes and strongmen in mind, and this shows in the footwear. In the third version, Superman wore sandals laced halfway up the calf. You can still see this on the cover of Action #1, though they were covered over in red to look like boots when the comic was printed."</ref>]]
In June 1935 Siegel and Shuster finally found work with National Allied Publications, a comic magazine publishing company in New York owned by [[Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson]].<ref>Wheeler-Nicholson offered Siegel and Shuster work in a letter dated June 6, 1935. See {{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=104}} ''Super Boys''</ref> Wheeler-Nicholson published two of their strips in ''New Fun Comics'' #6 (1935): "Henri Duval" and "[[Doctor Occult]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=104}} ''Super Boys''</ref> Siegel and Shuster also showed him Superman and asked him to market Superman to the newspapers on their behalf.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}). <br />p. 55: "In addition, I submitted ''Superman'' for newspaper syndication consideration by Wheeler-Nicholson."</ref> In October, Wheeler-Nicholson offered to publish Superman in one of his own magazines.<ref name=riccap146>Letter from Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson to Siegel and Shuster, dated October 4, 1935, quoted in {{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=146}}''Super Boys'': "...you would be much better off doing Superman in full page in four colors for one of our publications."</ref> Siegel and Shuster refused his offer because Wheeler-Nicholson had demonstrated himself to be an irresponsible businessman. He had been slow to respond to their letters and had not paid them for their work in ''New Fun Comics'' #6. They chose to keep marketing Superman to newspaper syndicates themselves.<ref>Jerome Siegel, in a [https://www.dropbox.com/s/qfsiazzu8dosjow/Jerry%20Siegel%20affidavit%20%281973%29.pdf?dl=0 sworn affidavit signed 1 March 1973], filed in ''Jerome Siegel & Joseph Shuster vs National Periodical Publications et al, 69 Civ 1429'': <br />"In 1935 Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, a publisher of comic books, expressed interest in Superman and tried to persuade us that the property would be more successful if published in comic book form where it would be seen in color than it would be in a black and white daily strip. Our experience with him had been such that we did not consider him the publisher to entrust with the property and his proposal was rejected."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}). <br />p. 57 "Joe and I were not sold on Wheeler-Nicholson and hoped to place "Superman" with what we hoped would be a more responsible organization. I asked Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson to return the "Superman" strips to me. [...] I continued my marketing attempts to place "Superman" with a newspaper syndicate".</ref> Despite the erratic pay, Siegel and Shuster kept working for Wheeler-Nicholson because he was the only publisher who was buying their work, and over the years they produced other adventure strips for his magazines.<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 24]]: "So while they continued to write and draw for him, and to live off what payments they got, they determined not to trust him with their prize possession."</ref>

Wheeler-Nicholson's financial difficulties continued to mount. In 1936, he formed a joint corporation with [[Harry Donenfeld]] and [[Jack Liebowitz]] called Detective Comics, Inc. in order to release his third magazine, which was titled ''[[Detective Comics]]''. Siegel and Shuster produced stories for ''Detective Comics'' too, such as "[[Slam Bradley]]". Wheeler-Nicholson fell into deep debt to Donenfeld and Liebowitz, and in early January 1938, Donenfeld and Liebowitz petitioned Wheeler-Nicholson's company into bankruptcy and seized it.<ref name=Ricca2014/><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"On January 5, 1938, Liebowitz wrote to me [...] that the Nicholson Publishing Company had been petitioned into bankruptcy by its creditors. [...] On January 10, Vin Sullivan wrote to me that Nicholson Publishing Company was in the hands of receivers [...] and that "Detective Comics" was being published by the firm for which Liebowitz was the manager."</ref>

In early December 1937, Siegel visited Liebowitz in New York, and Liebowitz asked Siegel to produce some comics for an upcoming comic anthology magazine called ''[[Action Comics]]''.<ref>J. Addison Young, "Findings of Fact" (April 12, 1948), in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)'' ([https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839638/Young-April-12-1948-Findings-of-Facts Scan available on Scribd]): <br />"On December 4, 1937, defendant LIEBOWITZ, representing DETECTIVE COMICS, INC., met plaintiff SIEGEL in New York City."</ref><ref name=siegelmemoir>Siegel, Jerry. Unpublished memoir [https://www.scribd.com/document/322254278/The-Story-Behind-Superman "The Story Behind Superman #1"], registered for U.S. copyright in 1978 under later version ''Creation of a Superhero'' as noted by {{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 309. P. 5. Memoir additionally cited by {{harvp|Ricca|2014}} in ''Super Boys'', and available online at sites including {{cite web |title=The Story Behind Superman #1 |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/322254278/The-Story-Behind-Superman|via=Scribd.com|access-date= December 20, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222082230/http://www.superman-through-the-ages.com/t/story_behind_superman_1/ |url-status=live |archive-date= December 22, 2015}} Note: Archive of p. 1 only.</ref> Siegel proposed some new stories, but not Superman. Siegel and Shuster were, at the time, negotiating a deal with the [[McClure Newspaper Syndicate]] for Superman. In early January 1938, Siegel had a three-way telephone conversation with Liebowitz and an employee of McClure named [[Max Gaines]]. Gaines informed Siegel that McClure had rejected Superman, and asked if he could forward their Superman strips to Liebowitz so that Liebowitz could consider them for ''Action Comics''. Siegel agreed.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"I received a telephone call early in January of 1938 from Gaines of the McClure Syndicate. This was a three-way call between Gaines, Liebowitz and myself. Gaines informed me that the syndicate was unable to use the various strips which I had sent for inclusion in the proposed syndicate newspaper tabloid. He asked my permission to turn these features, including "Superman", over to Detective Comics' publishers for consideration for their proposed new magazine, "Action Comics". I consented."</ref> Liebowitz and his colleagues were impressed by the strips, and they asked Siegel and Shuster to develop the strips into 13 pages for ''Action Comics''.<ref>Via editor Vin Sullivan, in a letter to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, dated January 10, 1948. Quoted in {{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys''</ref> Having grown tired of rejections, Siegel and Shuster accepted the offer. At least now they would see Superman published.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''The Life and Times of Jerry Siegel'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1946; Scans available at [https://www.dropbox.com/s/ljcvk08p49rqbmw/The%20Life%20and%20Times%20of%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382854862/The-Life-and-Times-of-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=April 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}): <br />"Joe and I talked it over, decided we were tired of seeing the strip rejected everywhere, and would at least like to see it in print. And so we pasted our samples of a SUPERMAN daily strip into comic magazine page form, as request, and sent it on."</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kobler |first=John |date=June 21, 1941 |title=Up, Up, and Awa-a-ay!: The Rise of Superman, Inc. |url=http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/rise-of-superman.pdf |work=[[The Saturday Evening Post]] |archive-date= September 13, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160913192904/http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/rise-of-superman.pdf |url-status=live }}: <br />"[Siegel and Shuster], who by this time had abandoned hope that Superman would ever amount to much, mulled this over gloomily. Then Siegel shrugged, 'Well, at least this way we'll see [Superman] in print.' They signed the form." <br />NOTE: The form mentioned refers to a contract of sale signed on March 1, 1938.</ref> Siegel and Shuster submitted their work in late February and were paid {{USD|130|1938|round=-2}} for their work ($10 per page).<ref>J. Addison Young, "Findings of Fact" (April 12, 1948), in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)'' ([https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839638/Young-April-12-1948-Findings-of-Facts Scan available on Scribd]): <br />"Defendant THE MC CLURE NEWSPAPER SYNDICATE, then submitted to DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. the SUPERMAN comic strip created by plaintiffs, which strip consisted of a few panels suitable for newspaper syndication [...] DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. examined the old material and returned it to plaintiffs for revision and expansion into a full length thirteen-page comic strip release suitable for magazine publication. [...] Plaintiffs revised and expanded the said SUPERMAN material in compliance with the said request of DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. and on or about February 22, 1938, resubmitted such revised and expanded material to DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. [...] On March 1, 1938 [...] DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. wrote to plaintiff SIEGEL [...] enclosing a check in the sum of $412. which included $130. in payment of the first thirteen-page SUPERMAN release at the agreed rate of $10. per page [...]"</ref> In early March they signed a contract at Liebowitz's request in which they gave away the copyright for Superman to Detective Comics, Inc. This was normal practice in the business, and Siegel and Shuster had given away the [[#Copyright_issues|copyrights]] to their previous works as well.<ref name=Jones2004p125>{{harvp|Jones|2004}}. ''Men of Tomorrow'', p. 125: "They signed a release surrendering all rights to the publisher. They knew that was how the business worked – that's how they'd sold every creation from ''Henri Duval'' to ''Slam Bradley''."</ref>

The duo's revised version of Superman appeared in the [[Action Comics 1|first issue of ''Action Comics'']], which was published on April 18, 1938. The issue was a huge success thanks to Superman's feature.<ref name=actioncomics1copyright/><ref name=Tye2012/><ref>J. Addison Young, "Findings of Fact" (April 12, 1948), in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)'' ([https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839638/Young-April-12-1948-Findings-of-Facts Scan available on Scribd]): <br/>"The first thirteen pages of SUPERMAN material were published on April 18, 1938, in the June 1938 issue of "Action Comics"magazine".</ref>

===Influences===
Siegel and Shuster read [[Pulp magazine|pulp science-fiction and adventure magazines]], and many stories featured characters with fantastical abilities such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and superhuman strength. One character in particular was [[John Carter of Mars]] from the novels by [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]. John Carter is a human who is transported to Mars, where the lower gravity makes him stronger than the natives and allows him to leap great distances.<ref>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "...when I did the version in 1934, (which years later, in 1938, was published, in revised form, in Action Comics #1) the John Carter stories did influence me. Carter was able to leap great distances because the planet Mars was smaller that [sic] the planet Earth; and he had great strength. I visualized the planet Krypton as a huge planet, much larger than Earth; so whoever came to Earth from that planet would be able to leap great distances and lift great weights."</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/the-history-behind-supermans-ever-changing-superpowers-1684736603|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326231729/http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-history-behind-supermans-ever-changing-superpowers-1684736603|url-status=dead|title=The History Behind Superman's Ever-Changing Superpowers|archivedate=March 26, 2017|website=Gizmodo}}</ref> Another influence was [[Philip Wylie]]'s 1930 novel ''[[Gladiator (novel)|Gladiator]]'', featuring a protagonist named [[Hugo Danner]] who had similar powers.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978;Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"I had read and enjoyed Philip Wylie's book "The Gladiator". It influenced me, too."</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last =Feeley |first =Gregory |date=March 2005 |title =When World-views Collide: Philip Wylie in the Twenty-first Century |journal =Science Fiction Studies |volume =32 |issue =95 |pages =177–182 |doi =10.1525/sfs.32.1.0177 |issn=0091-7729 |url =http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/review_essays/feeley95.htm |access-date =December 6, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130403153230/http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/review_essays/feeley95.htm |archive-date=April 3, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Superman's stance and devil-may-care attitude were influenced by the characters of [[Douglas Fairbanks]], who starred in adventure films such as ''[[The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]'' and ''[[Robin Hood (1922 film)|Robin Hood]]''.<ref>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "... I was inspired by the movies. In the silent films, my hero was Douglas Fairbanks Senior, who was very agile and athletic. So I think he might have been an inspiration to us, even in his attitude. He had a stance which I often used in drawing Superman. You'll see in many of his roles—including Robin Hood—that he always stood with his hands on his hips and his feet spread apart, laughing—taking nothing seriously."</ref> The name of Superman's home city, Metropolis, was taken from the [[Metropolis (1927 film)|1927 film of the same name]].<ref name=Andrae1983>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}</ref> [[Popeye]] cartoons were also an influence.<ref name="Andrae1983"/>

{{multiple image
 |align = right
 |total_width = 260
 |footer = [[Douglas Fairbanks]] and [[Harold Lloyd]] influenced the look of Superman and Clark Kent, respectively.
 |image1 = Douglas Fairbanks Three Musketeers character promo.jpg
 |image2 = Harold Lloyd - A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen.jpg
 }}
Clark Kent's harmless facade and dual identity were inspired by the protagonists of such movies as Don Diego de la Vega in ''[[The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]'' and Sir Percy Blakeney in ''[[The Scarlet Pimpernel]]''. Siegel thought this would make for interesting dramatic contrast and good humor.<ref>Jerry Siegel, quoted in {{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "I loved ''The Mark of Zorro'', and I'm sure that had some influence on me. I did also see ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' but didn't care much for it."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"In movies, I had seen "The Scarlet Pimpernel", "The Mark of Zorro" and Rudolph Valentino in "The Eagle", and I thought that a mighty hero, who in another identity pretended to be an ineffectual weakling, made for great dramatic contrast. In addition, it would, in a comic strip, permit some humorous characterization."</ref> Another inspiration was slapstick comedian [[Harold Lloyd]]. The archetypal Lloyd character was a mild-mannered man who finds himself abused by bullies but later in the story snaps and fights back furiously.<ref>Siegel: "We especially loved some of those movies in which Harold Lloyd would start off as a sort of momma's boy being pushed around, kicked around, thrown around, and then suddenly would turn into a fighting whirlwind." <br />Shuster: "I was kind of mild-mannered and wore glasses so I really identified with it" <br />{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTUrFYU2e_I |title=Superman – The Comic Strip Hero |publisher=BBC |people=Anthony Wall |medium=Television production |date=1981 |time=00:04:50 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151228030413/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTUrFYU2e_I |archive-date=December 28, 2015 }}</ref>

Kent is a journalist because Siegel often imagined himself becoming one after leaving school. The love triangle between [[Lois Lane]], Clark, and Superman was inspired by Siegel's own awkwardness with girls.<ref>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: Siegel: "As a high school student, I thought that someday I might become a reporter, and I had crushes on several attractive girls who either didn't know I existed or didn't care I existed. [...] It occurred to me: What if I was real terrific? What if I had something special going for me, like jumping over buildings or throwing cars around or something like that? Then maybe they would notice me."</ref>

The pair collected comic strips in their youth, with a favorite being [[Winsor McCay]]'s fantastical ''[[Little Nemo]]''.<ref name=Andrae1983/> Shuster remarked on the artists who played an important part in the development of his own style: "[[Alex Raymond]] and [[Burne Hogarth]] were my idols&nbsp;– also [[Milt Caniff]], [[Hal Foster]], and [[Roy Crane]]."<ref name=Andrae1983/> Shuster taught himself to draw by tracing over the art in the strips and magazines they collected.<ref name=Ricca2014/>

As a boy, Shuster was interested in fitness culture<ref>Shuster in {{harvp|Andrae|1983}} "I tried to build up my body. I was so skinny; I went in for weight-lifting and athletics. I used to get all the body-building magazines from the second-hand stores — and read them...."</ref> and a fan of [[Strongman (strength athlete)|strongmen]] such as [[Siegmund Breitbart]] and [[Joseph Greenstein]]. He collected fitness magazines and manuals and used their photographs as visual references for his art.<ref name=Ricca2014/>

The visual design of Superman came from multiple influences. The tight-fitting suit and shorts were inspired by the costumes of wrestlers, boxers, and [[Strongman (strength athlete)|strongmen]]. In early concept art, Shuster gave Superman laced sandals like those of strongmen and classical heroes, but these were eventually changed to red boots.<ref name=Andrae1983_boots/> The costumes of Douglas Fairbanks were also an influence.<ref>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "It was inspired by the costume pictures that Fairbanks did: they greatly influenced us."</ref> The emblem on his chest was inspired by [[Crest (heraldry)|heraldic crests]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Of Supermen and kids with dreams |url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/0s3lbpbsetmqe5v/Siegel%20and%20Shuster%20interview%20with%20Andrae%20%28in%20Nemo%20%232%2C%201983%29.pdf?dl=0}}</ref> Many pulp action heroes such as swashbucklers wore capes. Superman's face was based on [[Johnny Weissmuller]] with touches derived from the comic-strip character [[Dick Tracy]] and from the work of cartoonist Roy Crane.<ref name=Ricca2014p124>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys'', p. 124: "The overall physical look of Superman himself is from Johnny Weissmuller, whose face Joe swiped from movie magazines and news articles. ... Joe just squinted the eyes like his idol Roy Crane [did with his characters] and added a Dick Tracy smile." Ricca cites {{cite news|author-link=Robert Beerbohm|last=Beerbohm|first= Robert L.|title=The Big Bang Theory of Comic Book History|work=Comic Book Marketplace|volume= 2|issue= 50|location= Coronado, California|publisher=[[Gemstone Publishing]]|date=August 1997}}</ref>

The word "superman" was commonly used in the 1920s and 1930s to describe men of great ability, most often athletes and politicians.<ref>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys'', p. 129: "What the boys did read were the magazines and papers where "superman" was a common word. Its usage was almost always preceded by "a". Most times the word was used to refer to an athlete or a politician."</ref> It occasionally appeared in pulp fiction stories as well, such as "The Superman of Dr. Jukes".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Flagg |first=Francis |date=November 11, 1931 |title=The Superman of Dr. Jukes |magazine=Wonder Stories |publisher=Gernsback}}</ref> It is unclear whether Siegel and Shuster were influenced by [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s concept of the ''[[Übermensch]]''; they never acknowledged as much.<ref>{{cite news |first=Howard |last=Jacobson |page=5 |title=Up, Up and Oy Vey! |date=March 5, 2005 |work=[[The Times]] |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/article2396955.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516071809/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/article2396955.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 16, 2015 |location=UK }}: "If Siegel and Shuster knew of Nietzsche's Ubermensch, they didn't say..."</ref>
{{-}}

==Comics==
{{See also|Publication history of Superman|Superman (franchise)}}

===Comic books===
{{See also|List of Superman comics}}
{{multiple image
 |align             = right
 |direction         = Horizontal
 |header            = 
 |header_align      = left/right/center
 |header_background = 
 |footer            = 
 |footer_background = 
 |total_width             = 260
 |image1            = Action Comics 1.jpg
 |width1            = 
 |caption1          = ''[[Action Comics]]'' [[Action Comics 1|#1]], the comic that first featured Superman. Original copies fetch the highest of prices for comic books at auction.<ref name="15million">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/comic-with-first-superman-story-sells-for-15m-1930852.html |title=Comic with first Superman story sells for $1.5m |work=[[The Independent]] |date=March 30, 2010 |access-date=March 30, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100402104134/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/comic-with-first-superman-story-sells-for-15m-1930852.html |archive-date= April 2, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |alt1              = 
 |image2            = Superman issue 6 1940.jpg
 |width2            = 
 |caption2          = The cover of ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' #6 (Sept. 1940) by [[Joe Shuster]], the original artist and co-creator
 |alt2              = 
 |image3            = 
 |width3            = 
 |caption3          = 
 |alt3              = 
}}

Since 1938, Superman stories have been regularly published in periodical comic books published by [[DC Comics]]. The first and oldest of these is ''[[Action Comics]]'', which began in April 1938.<ref name=actioncomics1copyright/> ''Action Comics'' was initially an anthology magazine, but it eventually became dedicated to Superman stories. The second oldest periodical is [[Superman (comic book)|''Superman'']], which began in June 1939. ''Action Comics'' and ''Superman'' have been published without interruption (ignoring changes to the title and numbering scheme).<ref name=gcd-action1938>[http://www.comics.org/series/97/ ''Action Comics''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223222919/http://www.comics.org/series/97/ |date=February 23, 2016 }} at the Grand Comics Database.</ref><ref name=superman1939>[http://www.comics.org/series/116/ ''Superman''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227153800/http://www.comics.org/series/116/ |date=February 27, 2016 }} (1939–1986 series) and [http://www.comics.org/series/3345/ ''Adventures of Superman''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305150736/http://www.comics.org/series/3345/ |date=March 5, 2016 }} (1987 continuation of series) at the Grand Comics Database.</ref> Several other shorter-lived Superman periodicals have been published over the years.<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/name/Superman/sort/chrono/ "Superman"-titled comics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305202812/http://www.comics.org/series/name/Superman/sort/chrono/ |date=March 5, 2016 }} at the Grand Comics Database.</ref> Superman is part of the [[DC Universe]], which is a [[shared universe|shared setting]] of superhero characters owned by DC Comics, and consequently he frequently appears in stories alongside the likes of [[Batman]], [[Wonder Woman]], and others.

More Superman comic books have been sold in publication history than any other American superhero character.<ref name="sells">{{cite web |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/583041/best-selling-comic-books/ |title=Best-selling comic books of all time worldwide as of February 2015 (in million copies) |website=Statista |access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref> Exact sales figures for the early decades of Superman comic books are hard to find because, like most publishers at the time, DC Comics concealed this data from its competitors and thereby the general public, but given the general market trends at the time, sales of ''Action Comics'' and ''Superman'' probably peaked in the mid-1940s and thereafter steadily declined.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comicsbeat.com/unbalanced-production-the-comics-business-in-the-1940s/ |title=Unbalanced Production: The Comics Business in the 1940s |website=The Beat |first=Carol|last= Tilley |date=March 1, 2016 |access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref> Sales data first became public in 1960, and showed that Superman was the best-selling comic book character of the 1960s and 1970s.<ref name=DallasEtAl2013p208/><ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 163: "It did work. In 1960, the first year in which sales data was made public, Superman was selling more comic books than any other title or character, and he stayed on top through much of the decade.</ref><ref>Comichron. [http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales.html Comic Book Sales By Year] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723085633/http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales.html |date=July 23, 2016 }}</ref> Sales rose again starting in 1987. ''Superman'' #75 (Nov 1992) had over 23 million copies sold,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1998/voices/columns/thesp-trio-eyes-nurse-superman-may-fly-1117480870/|title=Thesp trio eyes 'Nurse'; 'Superman' may fly |date=Sep 29, 1998 |website=Variety.com}}</ref> making it the best-selling issue of a comic book of all time, due to a media sensation over [[the death of Superman]] in that issue.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 245: "Journalists, along with most of their readers and viewers, didn't understand that heroes regularly perished in the comics and almost never stayed dead."</ref> Sales declined from that point on. In March 2018, ''Action Comics'' sold just 51,534 copies, although such low figures are normal for superhero comic books in general (for comparison, ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #797 sold only 128,189 copies).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2018/2018-03.html |title=2018 Comic Book Sales to Comic Book Shops |publisher=Comichron |access-date=July 8, 2018 }}</ref> The comic books have become a niche aspect of the ''Superman'' franchise due to low readership,<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 294: "The remaining audience [by 2011] was dedicated to the point of fanaticism, a trend that was self-reinforcing. No longer did casual readers pick up a comic at the drugstore or grocery, both because the books increasingly required an insider's knowledge to follow the action and because they simply weren't being sold anymore at markets, pharmacies, or even the few newsstands that were left. [...] Comic books had gone from being a cultural emblem to a countercultural refuge."</ref> though they remain influential as creative engines for the movies and television shows. Comic book stories can be produced quickly and cheaply, and are thus an ideal medium for experimentation.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 212: "So Jenette [Kahn] and her business-savvy sidekick, Paul Levitz, started viewing comics as creative engines rather than cash cows, able to spin off profitable enterprises in other media."</ref>

Whereas comic books in the 1950s were read by children, since the 1990s the average reader has been an adult.<ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'', p. 166: "Whereas in the 1950s, the average comic book reader was 12 years old, by the 1990s, the average comic book reader was 20. A mere decade later, in 2001, the average age of comic book readers was 25."</ref> A major reason for this shift was DC Comics' decision in the 1970s to sell its comic books to specialty stores instead of traditional magazine retailers (supermarkets, newsstands, etc.) — a model called "direct distribution". This made comic books less accessible to children.<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'' p. 164</ref>

===Newspaper strips===
{{See also|Superman (comic strip)}}
Beginning in January 1939, a ''Superman'' daily comic strip appeared in newspapers, syndicated through the [[McClure Syndicate]]. A color Sunday version was added that November. Jerry Siegel wrote most of the strips until he was [[conscription|conscripted]] into the [[United States Army]] in 1943. The Sunday strips had a narrative continuity separate from the daily strips, possibly because Siegel had to delegate the Sunday strips to [[ghostwriter]]s.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.tcj.com/reviews/superman-the-golden-age-sundays-1943-1946/ |title= Reviews: ''Superman: The Golden Age Sundays 1943–1946'' |first= Paul|last=Tumey |work=[[The Comics Journal]] |date=April 14, 2014 |access-date= March 1, 2016|archive-date=May 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529211844/http://www.tcj.com/reviews/superman-the-golden-age-sundays-1943-1946/ |url-status=live |quote=...Jerry Siegel had his hands — and typewriter — full, turning out stories for the comic books and the daily newspaper strips (which had completely separate continuities from the Sundays).}}</ref> By 1941, the newspaper strips had an estimated readership of 20 million.<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 74</ref> Joe Shuster drew the early strips, then passed the job to [[Wayne Boring]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.supermansupersite.com/boring.html |publisher=SupermanSuperSite.com |editor-first=Neil A. |editor-last=Cole |title=Wayne Boring (1905–1987) |access-date=March 2, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008215738/http://www.supermansupersite.com/boring.html |archive-date=October 8, 2016 }}</ref> From 1949 to 1956, the newspaper strips were drawn by [[Win Mortimer]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.supermansupersite.com/mortimer.html |publisher=SupermanSuperSite.com |editor-first= Neil A. |editor-last=Cole |title=Win Mortimer (1919–1998) |access-date=March 1, 2016 |archive-date= June 30, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140630192703/http://www.supermansupersite.com/mortimer.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The strip ended in May 1966, but was revived from 1977 to 1983 to coincide with a series of movies released by Warner Bros.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.supermanhomepage.com/other/other.php?topic=newspaper-strip |title=Superman Newspaper Strips |publisher=SupermanHomepage.com |editor-first=Steven|editor-last=Younis|access-date= February 28, 2016 |archive-date= March 26, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150326134156/http://www.supermanhomepage.com/other/other.php?topic=newspaper-strip |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Editors===
Initially, [[Jerry Siegel]] was allowed to write Superman more or less as he saw fit because nobody had anticipated the success and rapid expansion of the franchise.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 49: "Initially Harry [Donenfeld], Jack [Liebowitz], and the managers they hired to oversee their growing editorial empire had let Jerry [Siegel] do as he wished with the character..."</ref><ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 41: "Neither Harry [Donenfeld] nor Jack [Liebowitz] had planned for a separate Superman comic book, or for that to be ongoing. Having Superman's story play out across different venues presented a challenge for Jerry [Siegel] and the writers who came after him: Each installment needed to seem original yet part of a whole, stylistically and narratively. Their solution, at the beginning, was to wing it..."</ref> But soon Siegel and Shuster's work was put under careful oversight for fear of trouble with censors.<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 42: "...the publisher was anxious to avoid any repetition of the censorship problems associated with his early pulp magazines (such as the lurid ''Spicy Detective'')."</ref> Siegel was forced to tone down the violence and social crusading that characterized his early stories.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 49: "Once Superman became big business, however, plots had to be sent to New York for vetting. Not only did editors tell Jerry to cut out the guns and knives and cut back on social crusading, they started calling the shots on minute details of script and drawing."</ref> Editor [[Whitney Ellsworth]], hired in 1940, dictated that Superman not kill.<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 42: "It was left to Ellsworth to impose tight editorial controls on Jerry Siegel. Henceforth, Superman would be forbidden to use his powers to kill anyone, even a villain."</ref> Sexuality was banned, and colorfully outlandish villains such as [[Ultra-Humanite]] and [[Toyman]] were favored over gangsters as they were thought to be less frightening to young readers.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 47: "No hint of sex. No alienating parents or teachers. Evil geniuses like the Ultra-Humanite were too otherworldly to give kids nightmares... The Prankster, the Toyman, the Puzzler, and J. Wilbur Wolngham, a W. C. Fields lookalike, used tricks and gags instead of a bow and arrows in their bids to conquer Superman. For editors wary of controversy, 1940s villains like those were a way to avoid the sharp edges of the real world."</ref>

[[Mort Weisinger]] was the editor on Superman comics from 1941 to 1970, his tenure briefly interrupted by military service. Siegel and his fellow writers had developed the character with little thought of building a coherent mythology, but as the number of Superman titles and the pool of writers grew, Weisinger demanded a more disciplined approach.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 162: "Before Mort came along, Superman's world was ad hoc and seat-of-the-pants, with Jerry and other writers adding elements as they went along without any planning or anyone worrying whether it all hung together. That worked fine when all the books centered around Superman and all the writing was done by a small stable. Now the pool of writers had grown and there were eight different comic books with hundreds of Superman stories a year to worry about."</ref> Weisinger assigned story ideas, and the logic of Superman's powers, his origin, the locales, and his relationships with his growing cast of supporting characters were carefully planned. Elements such as [[Bizarro]], his cousin [[Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)|Supergirl]], the [[Phantom Zone]], the [[Fortress of Solitude]], alternate varieties of [[kryptonite]], [[Superman robots|robot doppelgangers]], and [[Krypto]] were introduced during this era. The complicated universe built under Weisinger was beguiling to devoted readers but alienating to casuals.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 173: "But Weisinger's innovations were taking a quiet toll on the story. Superman's world had become so complicated that readers needed a map or even an encyclopedia to keep track of everyone and everything. (There would eventually be encyclopedias, two in fact, but the first did not appear until 1978.) All the plot complications were beguiling to devoted readers, who loved the challenge of keeping current, but to more casual fans they could be exhausting."</ref> Weisinger favored lighthearted stories over serious drama, and avoided sensitive subjects such as the [[Vietnam War]] and the [[civil rights movement|American civil rights movement]] because he feared his [[right-wing]] views would alienate his left-leaning writers and readers.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 165: "Weisinger stories steered clear of the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, the black power movement, and other issues that red the 1960s. There was none of what Mort would have called "touchy-feely" either, much as readers might have liked to know how Clark felt about his split personality, or whether Superman and Lois engaged in the battles between the sexes that were a hallmark of the era. Mort wanted his comics to be a haven for young readers, and he knew his right-leaning politics wouldn't sit well with his leftist writers and many of his Superman fans."</ref> Weisinger also introduced [[Comic book letter column|letters columns]] in 1958 to encourage feedback and build intimacy with readers.<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 102: "One of the ways the editor kept in touch with his young audience was through a letters column, 'Metropolis Mailbag,' introduced in 1958."</ref>

Weisinger retired in 1970 and [[Julius Schwartz]] took over. By his own admission, Weisinger had grown out of touch with newer readers.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 168: "He admitted later he was losing touch with a new generation of kids and their notions about heroes and villains."</ref> Starting with [[The Sandman Saga (Superman)|The Sandman Saga]], Schwartz updated Superman by making Clark Kent a television anchor, and he retired overused plot elements such as kryptonite and robot doppelgangers.<ref>Julius Schwartz, quoted in {{harvp|Daniels|1998}}: "I said, 'I want to get rid of all the kryptonite. I want to get rid of all the robots that are used to get him out of situations. And I'm sick and tired of that stupid suit Clark Kent wears all the time. I want to give him more up-to-date clothes. And maybe the most important thing I want to do is take him out of the Daily Planet and put him into television.' I said 'Our readers are not that familiar with newspapers. Most of them get their news on television, and I think it's high time after all these years.'"</ref> Schwartz also scaled Superman's powers down to a level closer to Siegel's depiction. These changes would eventually be reversed by later writers. Schwartz allowed stories with serious drama such as "[[For the Man Who Has Everything]]" (''Superman Annual'' #11), in which the villain [[Mongul]] torments Superman with an illusion of happy family life on a living Krypton.

Schwartz retired from DC Comics in 1986 and was succeeded by [[Mike Carlin]] as an editor on Superman comics. His retirement coincided with DC Comics' decision to [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] the [[DC Universe]] with the companywide-crossover storyline "[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]". In [[The Man of Steel (comics)|The Man of Steel]], renowned artist and writer [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]] rewrote the Superman mythos; again reducing Superman's powers, which writers had slowly re-strengthened, and revised many supporting characters, such as making [[Lex Luthor]] a billionaire industrialist rather than a mad scientist, and making Supergirl an [[Supergirl#Matrix|artificial shapeshifting organism]] because DC wanted Superman to be the sole surviving [[Kryptonian]].

Carlin was promoted to Executive Editor for the [[DC Universe]] books in 1996, a position he held until 2002. K.C. Carlson took his place as editor of the Superman comics.

===Aesthetic style===
In the earlier decades of Superman comics, artists were expected to conform to a certain "house style".<ref>{{harvp|Harvey|1996|p=144}}: "Artistic expressiveness of a highly individualistic sort had never been particularly welcomed by traditional comic book publishers. The corporate mind, ever focused on the bottom line of the balance sheet, favored bland "house styles" of rendering..."</ref> Joe Shuster defined the aesthetic style of Superman in the 1940s. After Shuster left National, [[Wayne Boring]] succeeded him as the principal artist on Superman comic books.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{harvp|Eury|Adams|Swan|Anderson|2006}}. ''The Krypton Companion'', p. 18: "In 1948 Boring succeeded Shuster as the principal superman artist, his art style epitomizing the Man of Steel's comics and merchandising look throughout the 1950s."</ref> He redrew Superman taller and more detailed.<ref name="ReferenceC">{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 74: "...Superman was drawn in a more detailed, realistic style of illustration. He also looked bigger and stronger. "Until then Superman had always seemed squat," Boring said. "He was six heads high, a bit shorter than normal. I made him taller–nine heads high–but kept his massive chest."</ref> Around 1955, [[Curt Swan]] in turn succeeded Boring.<ref name="Curt Swan 1987">Curt Swan (1987). ''Drawing Superman''. Essay reprinted in {{harvp|Eury|Adams|Swan|Anderson|2006|pp=58}}: "For 30 years or so, from around 1955 until a couple of years ago when I more or less retired, I was the principal artists of the ''Superman'' comic for DC Comics."</ref> The 1980s saw a boom in the diversity of comic book art and now there is no single "house style" in Superman comics.{{CN|date=January 2023}}

==Copyright issues==
===Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster===
{{Main|Copyright lawsuits by Superman's creators}}
In a contract dated March 1, 1938, [[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Joe Shuster]] gave away the copyright to Superman to their employer, [[DC Comics]] (then known as Detective Comics, Inc.){{efn|National Allied Publications was founded in 1934 by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. Due to financial difficulties, Wheeler-Nicholson formed a corporation with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz called Detective Comics, Inc. In January 1938, Wheeler-Nicholson sold his stake in National Allied Publications and Detective Comics to Donenfeld and Liebowitz as part of a bankruptcy settlement. On September 30, 1946, these two companies merged to become National Comics Publications. In 1961, the company changed its name to National Periodical Publications. In 1967 National Periodical Publications was purchased by Kinney National Company, which later purchased Warner Bros.-Seven Arts and became Warner Communications. In 1976, National Periodical Publications changed its name to DC Comics, which had been its nickname since 1940. Since 1940, the publisher had placed a logo with the initials "DC" on all its magazine covers, and consequently "DC Comics" became an informal name for the publisher.|name=dccomicshistory}} prior to Superman's first publication in April. Contrary to popular perception, the $130 that DC Comics paid them was for their first Superman story, not the copyright to the character — that, they gave away for free. This was normal practice in the comic magazine industry and they had done the same with their previous published works ([[Slam Bradley]], [[Doctor Occult]], etc.),<ref name=Jones2004p125/> but Superman became far more popular and valuable than they anticipated and they much regretted giving him away.<ref>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys'', p. 150: "It was then Donenfeld who not only now owned the property, but received the lion's share of the profits; whatever Jerry and Joe got was parsed out by him."</ref> DC Comics retained Siegel and Shuster, and they were paid well because they were popular with the readers.<ref>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys'', p. 155: "[Harry Donenfeld] knew readers had become accustomed to Siegel and Shuster's work, and he didn't want to risk upsetting a secret formula that he still didn't completely understand, especially when it was selling so well."</ref> Between 1938 and 1947, DC Comics paid them together at least $401,194.85 (equivalent to ${{sigfig|{{sum
|{{Inflation|US|4530|1938}}
|{{Inflation|US|8612.21|1939}}
|{{Inflation|US|38080.42|1940}}
|{{Inflation|US|56573.48|1941}}
|{{Inflation|US|63776.46|1942}}
|{{Inflation|US|61489.90|1943}}
|{{Inflation|US|57638.52|1944}}
|{{Inflation|US|48794.46|1945}}
|{{Inflation|US|49938.58|1946}}
|{{Inflation|US|11148.82|1947}}
}}
|3
}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 119: "In the ten years from 1938, when the first Action was published, to the filing of the suit in 1947, Jerry and Joe were paid [...] a total of $401,194.85."</ref><ref>Exhibit Q (Docket 353–3) in ''Laura Siegel Larson v Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., DC Comics, Case no. 13-56243'' (Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/sk076sjuybozjlm/Siegel%20%26%20Shuster%20earnings%201937-1947.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382772026/Siegel-Shuster-Earnings-1937-1947 Scribd]). Originally submitted as an exhibit in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)''</ref>

Siegel wrote most of the magazine and daily newspaper stories until he was [[conscription|conscripted]] into the [[United States Army]] in 1943, whereupon the task was passed to ghostwriters.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''The Life and Times of Jerry Siegel'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1946; Scans available at [https://www.dropbox.com/s/ljcvk08p49rqbmw/The%20Life%20and%20Times%20of%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382854862/The-Life-and-Times-of-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=April 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}): <br />"While I was in service, the majority of SUPERMAN's adventures were ghost-written by writers employed by DETECTIVE COMICS, Inc.</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel, in a 1975 interview with Phil Yeh for ''Cobblestone'' magazine. Quoted in [https://books.google.com/books?id=WCmjvlWSngsC&dq=While+I+was+in+the+service+they+started+ghosting+the+Superman+scripts%2C+because+obviously+I+couldn%27t+write+them+while+I+was+away+in+the+service&pg=PA49 ''Siegel and Shuster's Funnyman'' by Tom Andrae and Mel Gordon] on page 49.: <br />"While I was in the service they started ghosting the Superman scripts, because obviously I couldn't write them while I was away in the service."</ref> While Siegel was serving in Hawaii, DC Comics published a story featuring a child version of Superman called "[[Superboy]]", which was based on a script Siegel had submitted several years before. Siegel was furious because DC Comics did this without having bought the character.<ref>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys'', p. 223: "Jerry felt angryand instantly very isolated: ''Harry had gone ahead and okayed the title without telling him—or paying for it''?"</ref>

After Siegel's discharge from the Army, he and Shuster sued DC Comics in 1947 for the rights to Superman and [[Superboy]]. The judge ruled that Superman belonged to DC Comics, but that Superboy was a separate entity that belonged to Siegel. Siegel and Shuster settled out-of-court with DC Comics, which paid the pair $94,013.16 ({{Inflation|US|94013.16|1948|fmt=eq}}) in exchange for the full rights to both Superman and Superboy.<ref name=Sergi2015/> DC Comics then fired Siegel and Shuster.<ref>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys'', p. 226: "Jerry and Joe got a final check—and were promptly shown the door by National."</ref>

DC Comics rehired Jerry Siegel as a writer in 1959.

In 1965, Siegel and Shuster attempted to regain rights to Superman using the renewal option in the [[Copyright Act of 1909]], but the court ruled Siegel and Shuster had transferred the renewal rights to DC Comics in 1938. Siegel and Shuster appealed, but the appeals court upheld this decision. DC Comics fired Siegel once again, when he filed this second lawsuit.<ref>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014}}</ref>

In 1975, Siegel and several other comic book writers and artists launched a public campaign for better compensation and treatment of comic creators. Warner Brothers agreed to give Siegel and Shuster a yearly stipend, full medical benefits, and credit their names in all future Superman productions in exchange for never contesting ownership of Superman. Siegel and Shuster upheld this bargain.<ref name=Ricca2014/>

Shuster died in 1992. DC Comics offered Shuster's heirs a stipend in exchange for never challenging ownership of Superman, which they accepted for some years.<ref name=Sergi2015/>

Siegel died in 1996. His heirs attempted to take the rights to Superman using the termination provision of the [[Copyright Act of 1976]]. DC Comics negotiated an agreement wherein it would pay the Siegel heirs several million dollars and a yearly stipend of $500,000 in exchange for permanently granting DC the rights to Superman. DC Comics also agreed to insert the line "By Special Arrangement with the Jerry Siegel Family" in all future Superman productions.<ref>Exhibit 2 (Docket 722–1) in ''Laura Siegel Larson vs Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., DC Comics, case no 13-56243''.</ref> The Siegels accepted DC's offer in an October 2001 letter.<ref name=Sergi2015/>

Copyright lawyer and movie producer [[Marc Toberoff]] then struck a deal with the heirs of both Siegel and Shuster to help them get the rights to Superman in exchange for signing the rights over to his production company, Pacific Pictures. Both groups accepted. The Siegel heirs called off their deal with DC Comics and in 2004 sued DC for the rights to Superman and Superboy. In 2008, the judge ruled in favor of the Siegels. DC Comics appealed the decision, and the appeals court ruled in favor of DC, arguing that the October 2001 letter was binding. In 2003, the Shuster heirs served a termination notice for Shuster's grant of his half of the copyright to Superman. DC Comics sued the Shuster heirs in 2010, and the court ruled in DC's favor on the grounds that the 1992 agreement with the Shuster heirs barred them from terminating the grant.<ref name=Sergi2015/>

Under current US copyright law, Superman's first appearance in ''[[Action Comics]]'' [[Action Comics 1|#1]] is due to enter the US public domain on January 1, 2034.<ref>{{harvp|Sergi|2015|p=214}}</ref>{{efn|See [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_States_Code/Title_17/Chapter_3/Sections_304_and_305 USC Title 17, Chapter 3, § 304(b) and § 305]. Because the copyright to ''Action Comics'' #1 was in its renewal term on October 27, 1998 (the date the Copyright Term Extension Act became effective), its copyright will expire 95 years after first publication and at the end of the calendar year.}} However, this will only apply (at first) to the character as he is depicted in 1938. In addition [[DC Comics]] retains [[trademarks]] on Superman's name, image and 'S' logo, and unlike copyrights, trademarks do not expire unless they cease to be used.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=Scott Niswander |date=July 22, 2015 |title=Why Isn't SUPERMAN a PUBLIC DOMAIN Superhero?? |medium=YouTube video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzZIQJMYKc8 |access-date=May 21, 2016 |time=3:03~3:33 |publisher=NerdSync Productions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122232638/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzZIQJMYKc8 |archive-date=November 22, 2016 }}</ref>

===Captain Marvel===
{{See also|National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications}}
Superman's success immediately begat a wave of imitations. The most successful from this period was [[Shazam (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]], first published by [[Fawcett Comics]] in December 1939. Captain Marvel had many similarities to Superman: Herculean strength, invulnerability, the ability to fly, a cape, a secret identity, and a job as a journalist. DC Comics filed a lawsuit against Fawcett Comics for copyright infringement.<ref>[https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/191/191.F2d.594.197.21832.html 191 F.2d 594 NATIONAL COMICS PUBLICATIONS, Inc. v. FAWCETT PUBLICATIONS, Inc. et al.]</ref>

The trial began in March 1948 after seven years of [[Discovery (law)|discovery]]. The judge ruled that Fawcett had indeed infringed on Superman. However, the judge also found that the copyright notices that appeared with the Superman newspaper strips did not meet the technical standards of the [[Copyright Act of 1909]] and were therefore invalid. Furthermore, since the newspaper strips carried stories adapted from ''Action Comics'', the judge ruled that DC Comics had effectively abandoned the copyright to the ''Action Comics'' stories and Superman, and therefore forfeited its right to sue Fawcett for copyright infringement.<ref name="Sergi2015"/>

DC Comics appealed this decision. The appeals court ruled that unintentional mistakes in the copyright notices of the newspaper strips did not invalidate the copyrights. Furthermore, Fawcett knew that DC Comics never intended to abandon the copyrights, and therefore Fawcett's infringement was not an innocent misunderstanding, and therefore Fawcett owed damages to DC Comics.{{efn|See [https://www.copyright.gov/history/1909act.pdf Copyright Act of 1909] § 20}} The appeals court remanded the case back to the lower court to determine how much Fawcett owed in damages.<ref name="Sergi2015"/>

At that point, Fawcett Comics decided to settle out of court with DC Comics. Fawcett paid DC Comics {{US$|400000|1953|round=-3|long=no}} and agreed to stop publishing Captain Marvel. The last Captain Marvel story from Fawcett Comics was published in September 1953.<ref>''The Marvel Family'' #89. Copyright date registered as September 25, 1953. <br />See [https://archive.org/stream/catalogofcopyrig372libr#page/268/mode/2up/search/marvel+family ''Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, Volume 7, Part 2, Number 1: Periodicals, Jan–Jun 1953'']. United States Library of Congress. 1954. p. 268.</ref>

DC Comics licensed Captain Marvel in 1972 and published crossover stories with Superman. By 1991, DC Comics had purchased Fawcett Comics and with it the full rights to Captain Marvel. DC eventually renamed the character "Shazam" to prevent disputes with [[Marvel Comics]], who had created [[Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)|a character of their own named "Captain Marvel"]] back when the Fawcett character had been out of print.<ref name="AlterEgo9Article">{{cite journal |last1 = Thomas |first1 = Roy |author-link1=Roy Thomas|first2= Jerry|last2= Ordway|author-link2=Jerry Ordway|title = Not Your Father's Captain Marvel! An Artist-by-Artist Account of a Doomed Quest for a 1980s Shazam! Series |journal =Alter Ego |volume = 3 |issue = 9 |pages = 9–17 |publisher = Two Morrows Publishing|location = Raleigh, North Carolina |date = July 2001}}</ref>

==Character overview==
Several elements of the ''Superman'' narrative have remained consistent in the myriad stories published since 1938.

===Superman===
In ''[[Action Comics]]'' [[Action Comics 1|#1]] (1938), Superman is born on an alien world to a technologically advanced species that resembles humans. Shortly after he is born, his planet is destroyed in a natural cataclysm, but his scientist father foresaw the calamity and saves his baby son by sending him to Earth in a small spaceship. The ship is too small to carry anyone else, so Superman's parents are forced to stay behind and die in the cataclysm. The earliest newspaper strips name the planet Krypton, the baby Kal-L, and his biological parents Jor-L and Lora;<ref>[http://www.thespeedingbullet.com/daily/ep01_15/episode1_1.jpg ''Superman'' comic strip, January 16, 1939] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008215921/http://www.thespeedingbullet.com/daily/ep01_15/episode1_1.jpg |date=October 8, 2016 }}, reprinted at {{cite web|url=http://www.thespeedingbullet.com/daily/ep01_15/ep1.html |title=Episode 1: Superman Comes to Earth |publisher=TheSpeedingBullet.com |access-date=March 27, 2016 |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306164334/http://www.thespeedingbullet.com/daily/ep01_15/ep1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> their names were changed to Jor-el, and Lara in a 1942 spinoff novel by George Lowther.<ref>Lowther, George (1942). ''The Adventures of Superman''. Per {{harvp|Ricca|2014|p=204}}: "The book is also the first time that Superman's parents are named "Jor-el" and "Lara"—a slight spelling change that would stick."</ref> The ship lands in the American countryside, where the baby is discovered by the Kents, a farming couple.

The Kents name the boy Clark and raise him in a farming community. A 1947 episode of the radio serial places this yet unnamed community in Iowa.<ref>''The Secret Rocket'' per {{cite web|url=http://www.supermanhomepage.com/radio/radio.php?topic=radio-reviews/102347-secretrocket |title=Superman Radio Series – Story Reviews |publisher=SupermanHomepage.com |first=James |last=Lantz |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626134324/http://supermanhomepage.com/radio/radio.php?topic=radio-reviews%2F102347-secretrocket |archive-date=June 26, 2016 }}</ref> It is named [[Smallville (comics)|Smallville]] in ''Superboy'' #2 (June 1949). The [[Superman (1978 film)|1978 Superman movie]] placed it in Kansas, as have most Superman stories since.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blastr.com/2012/09/the_campaign_to_make_a_re.php|title=The campaign to make a real Kansas town into Superman's Smallville|first=Matthew |last=Jackson|work=SyfyWire |date=December 17, 2012|access-date=March 22, 2016 |publisher=Blastr.com ([[Syfy]]) |quote=Decades of comic book mythology and a hit TV series have made Superman's hometown of Smallville, Kan., one of the most famous places in America. |archive-date= March 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322225128/http://www.blastr.com/2012/09/the_campaign_to_make_a_re.php |url-status=live}}</ref> ''New Adventures of Superboy'' #22 (Oct. 1981) places it in Maryland.

In ''Action Comics'' #1 and most stories published before 1986, Superman's powers begin developing in infancy. From 1944 to 1986, DC Comics regularly published stories of Superman's childhood and adolescent adventures, when he called himself "[[Superboy (Kal-El)|Superboy]]". From 1986 on (beginning with ''Man of Steel'' #1), Superman's powers emerged more slowly and he began his superhero career as an adult.

The Kents teach Clark he must conceal his otherworldly origins and use his fantastic powers to do good. Clark creates the costumed identity of Superman so as to protect his personal privacy and the safety of his loved ones. As Clark Kent, he wears eyeglasses to disguise his face and wears his Superman costume underneath his clothes so that he can change at a moment's notice. To complete this disguise, Clark avoids violent confrontation, preferring to slip away and change into Superman when danger arises, and in older stories he would suffer occasional ridicule for his apparent cowardice.

In ''Superboy'' #78 (1960), Superboy makes his costume out of the indestructible blankets found in the ship he came to Earth in. In ''Man of Steel'' #1 (1986), Martha Kent makes the costume from human-manufactured cloth, and it is rendered indestructible by an aura that Superman projects. The "S" on Superman's chest at first was simply an initial for "Superman". When writing the script for [[Superman (1978 film)|the 1978 movie]], [[Tom Mankiewicz]] made it the crest of Superman's Kryptonian family, the House of El.<ref name=MankiewiczCrane2012p203/> This was carried over into some comic book stories and later movies, such as ''[[Man of Steel (film)|Man of Steel]]''. In the comic story ''[[Superman: Birthright]]'', the crest is described as an old Kryptonian symbol for hope.

Clark works as a newspaper journalist. In the earliest stories, he worked for ''The Daily Star'', but the second episode of [[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|the radio serial]] changed this to the ''[[Daily Planet]]''. In comics from the early 1970s, Clark worked as a television journalist, which was an attempt to modernize the character. However, for [[Superman (1978 film)|the 1978 movie]], the producers chose to make Clark a newspaper journalist again because that was how most people outside of comic book readers knew him.<ref name=Daniels1998/>

The first story in which Superman dies was published in ''Superman'' #149 (1961), in which he is murdered by Lex Luthor by means of kryptonite. This story was "imaginary" and therefore was ignored in subsequent books. In ''Superman'' #188 (April 1966), Superman is killed by kryptonite radiation but is revived in the same issue by one of [[Superman robots|his android doppelgangers]]. In the 1990s ''[[The Death of Superman|The Death and Return of Superman]]'' story arc, after a deadly battle with [[Doomsday (DC Comics)|Doomsday]], Superman died in ''Superman'' #75 (Jan. 1993). He was later revived by the [[Eradicator (character)|Eradicator]] using Kryptonian technology. In ''Superman'' #52 (May 2016) Superman is killed by kryptonite poisoning, and this time he is not resurrected, but replaced by the Superman of an alternate timeline.

Superman maintains a secret hideout called the "Fortress of Solitude", which is located somewhere in the Arctic. Here, Superman keeps a collection of mementos and a laboratory for science experiments. ''Action Comics'' #241 (1958) depicts the Fortress of Solitude as a cave in a mountain, sealed with a very heavy door that is opened with a gigantic key too heavy for anyone but Superman to use. In the 1978 movie, the Fortress of Solitude is a structure made of white crystal.

===Clark Kent===
{{redirect|Clark Kent}}
Superman's [[secret identity]] is Clark Joseph Kent, a reporter for the ''[[Daily Planet]]''. Although his name and history originate from his early life with his adoptive Earth parents, everything about Clark was staged for the benefit of his alternate identity: as a reporter for the ''[[Daily Planet]]'', he receives late-breaking news before the general public, always has a plausible reason to be present at crime scenes, and need not strictly account for his whereabouts as long as he makes his publication deadlines. He sees his job as a journalist as an extension of his Superman responsibilities—bringing truth to the forefront and fighting for the little guy. He believes that everybody has the right to know what is going on in the world, regardless of who is involved.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.batman-superman.com/superman/cmp/index.html |title=The New Batman/Superman Adventures |publisher=[[Warner Bros.]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202074631/http://www.batman-superman.com/superman/cmp/index.html |archive-date=February 2, 2007}}</ref> In the [[Bronze Age of Comic Books]], Clark Kent was featured in a series that appeared primarily in ''[[The Superman Family]]'', "The Private Life of Clark Kent" where Superman dealt with various situations subtly while remaining Clark.

To deflect suspicion that he is Superman, Clark Kent adopted a mainly passive and introverted personality with conservative mannerisms, a higher-pitched voice, and a slight slouch. This personality is typically described as "mild-mannered", as in the opening narration of [[Max Fleischer]]'s [[Superman (1940s cartoons)|''Superman'' animated theatrical shorts]]. These traits extended into Clark's wardrobe, which typically consists of a bland-colored business suit, a red necktie, black-rimmed glasses, combed-back hair, and occasionally a [[Fedora (hat)|fedora]]. Clark wears his Superman costume underneath his street clothes, allowing easy changes between the two [[persona]]e and the dramatic gesture of ripping open his shirt to reveal the familiar "S" emblem when called into action. His hair also changes with the clothing change, with Superman sporting a small curl or [[spit curl]] on his forehead. Superman usually stores his Clark Kent clothing compressed in a secret pouch within his cape,<ref>{{Cite comic |penciller=John Sikela|story=The Origin of Superboy's Costume! |title=Superboy |volume=1 |issue=78 |date=January 1960 |publisher=[[DC Comics]] |location=New York, NY}}</ref> though some stories have shown him leaving his clothes in some covert location (such as the ''Daily Planet'' storeroom)<ref>{{Cite comic |writer=[[Steven T. Seagle|Seagle, Steven T.]] |penciller=[[Scott McDaniel|McDaniel, Scott]] |inker=Owens, Andy |story=Truth |title=Superman: The 10¢ Adventure |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=March 2003 |publisher=[[DC Comics]] |location=New York, NY}}</ref> for later retrieval.

As Superman's [[alter ego]], the personality, concept, and name of Clark Kent have become synonymous with [[secret identity|secret identities]] and innocuous fronts for ulterior motives and activities. In 1992, Superman co-creator Joe Shuster told the ''Toronto Star'' that the name derived from 1930s cinematic leading men [[Clark Gable]] and [[Kent Taylor]], but the persona from bespectacled silent film comic [[Harold Lloyd]] and himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://davidschutz.tripod.com/superman3.html |title=When Superman Worked at The Star |last=Schutz |first=David |website=The Adventures of Superman |date=April 26, 1992 |access-date=December 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717013550/http://davidschutz.tripod.com/superman3.html |archive-date=July 17, 2010 }}</ref> Clark's middle name is given variously as either Joseph, Jerome, or Jonathan, being allusions to creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and to his adoptive father.

===Personality===
In the original Siegel and Shuster stories, Superman's personality is rough and aggressive. He often uses excessive force and terror against criminals, on some occasions even killing them. This came to an end in late 1940 when new editor [[Whitney Ellsworth]] instituted a code of conduct for his characters to follow, banning Superman from ever killing.<ref name="TCS42">{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 42</ref> The character was softened and given a sense of [[humanitarianism]]. Ellsworth's code, however, is not to be confused with "[[Comics Code Authority|the Comics Code]]", which was created in 1954 by the [[Comics Code Authority]] and ultimately abandoned by every major comic book publisher by the early 21st century.

In his first appearances, Superman was considered a vigilante by the authorities, being fired upon by the National Guard as he razed a slum so that the government would create better housing conditions for the poor. By 1942, however, Superman was working side-by-side with the police.<ref name="Weldon33"/><ref>{{harvp|Weldon|2013a|p=55}}</ref> Today, Superman is commonly seen as a brave and kind-hearted hero with a strong sense of justice, morality, and righteousness. He adheres to an unwavering moral code instilled in him by his adoptive parents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Superman.html |title=The religion of Superman (Clark Kent / Kal-El) |work=Adherents.com |date=August 14, 2007 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828014317/http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Superman.html |archive-date=August 28, 2012 }}</ref> His commitment to operating within the law has been an example to many citizens and other heroes, but has stirred resentment and criticism among others, who refer to him as the "big blue boy scout". Superman can be rather rigid in this trait, causing tensions in the superhero community.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite comic |Writer = [[Greg Rucka|Rucka, Greg]] |Penciller = [[David Lopez (artist)|Lopez, David]] |Title = [[Wonder Woman]] |Volume =2 |Story = Affirmative Defense |Issue = 220 |date = Oct. 2005 |Publisher=DC Comics }}</ref> This was most notable with [[Wonder Woman]], one of his closest friends, after she killed [[Maxwell Lord]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> [[Booster Gold]] initially had an icy relationship with the Man of Steel but grew to respect him.<ref>''Action Comics'' #594 (1987)</ref>

Having lost his home world of Krypton, Superman is very protective of Earth,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.academia.edu/8360363 |title=Why They Won't Save Us: Political Dispositions in the Conflicts of Superheroes |first=Woody |last=Evans |author-link=Woody Evans |date=2014}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and especially of Clark Kent's family and friends. This same loss, combined with the pressure of using his powers responsibly, has caused Superman to feel [[loneliness|lonely]] on Earth, despite having his friends and parents. Previous encounters with people he thought to be fellow Kryptonians, [[Power Girl]]<ref>{{cite comic |Writer = [[Geoff Johns|Johns, Geoff]] |Penciller = [[Amanda Conner|Conner, Amanda]] |Inker = [[Jimmy Palmiotti|Palmiotti, Jimmy]] |Title = JSA: Classified |Volume =1 |Story = Power Trip |Issue = 1 |date = September 2005 |Publisher=DC Comics }}</ref> and [[Mon-El]],<ref>{{cite comic |Writer = [[Geoff Johns|Johns, Geoff]] [[Richard Donner|Donner, Richard]] |Penciller = [[Eric Wight|Wight, Eric]] |Inker = [[Eric Wight|Wight, Eric]] |Title = Action Comics Annual |Volume =1 |Story = Who is Clark Kent's Big Brother? |Issue = 10 |date = March 2007 |Publisher=DC Comics }}</ref> have led to disappointment. The arrival of [[Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)|Supergirl]], who has been confirmed to be his cousin from Krypton, relieved this loneliness somewhat.<ref>{{cite comic |Writer = [[Kurt Busiek|Buskiek, Kurt]], [[Fabian Nicieza|Nicieza, Fabian]], [[Geoff Johns|Johns, Geoff]] |Penciller = Guedes, Renato |Inker = Magalhaes, Jose Wilson |Title = Action Comics |Volume =1 |Story = Superman: Family |Issue = 850 |date = July 2007 |Publisher=DC Comics }}</ref> Superman's [[Fortress of Solitude]] acts as a place of [[solace]] for him in times of loneliness and despair.<ref name="dc-ency">{{Cite book |last=Wallace |first=Dan |contribution=Alternate Earths |editor-last=Dougall |editor-first=Alastair |title=The DC Comics Encyclopedia |pages=20–21 |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |location=[[London]] |date=2008 |isbn=978-0-7566-4119-1}}</ref>

===Abilities and weaknesses===
<!--'Heat vision (fiction)' redirects here-->
The catalog of Superman's abilities and his strength has varied considerably over the vast body of Superman fiction released since 1938.

Since ''[[Action Comics]]'' [[Action Comics 1|#1]] (1938), Superman has superhuman strength. The cover of ''Action Comics'' #1 shows him effortlessly lifting a car over his head. Another classic feat of strength on Superman's part is breaking steel chains. In some stories, he is strong enough to shift the orbits of planets<ref>Example: ''DC Comics Presents'' #3 (1978)</ref> and crush coal into diamond with his hands.

Since ''Action Comics'' #1 (1938), Superman has a highly durable body, invulnerable for most practical purposes. At the very least, bullets bounce harmlessly off his body. In some stories, such as [[Kingdom Come (comics)|''Kingdom Come'']], not even a nuclear bomb can harm him.

In the earliest stories, Superman's costume is made out of exotic materials that are as tough as he is, which is why it typically does not tear up when he performs superhuman feats. In later stories, beginning with ''Man of Steel'' #1 (1986), Superman's body is said to project an aura that renders invulnerable any tight-fitting clothes he wears, and hence his costume is as durable as he is even if made of common cloth.

In ''Action Comics'' #1, Superman could not fly. He traveled by running and leaping, which he could do to a prodigious degree thanks to his strength. Superman gained the ability to fly in the second episode of [[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|the radio serial]] in 1940.<ref name=radioserialep2>{{Cite episode |title=Clark Kent, Reporter |series=The Adventures of Superman |number=2 |station=WOR |date=February 14, 1940}}: <br />–''Look! Look! There, in the sky! It's a man!'' <br />–''Why, he's flying!'' <br />–''It can't be! It's not possible!''</ref> Superman can fly faster than sound and in some stories, he can even fly faster than the speed of light to travel to distant galaxies.

Superman can project and perceive X-rays via his eyes, which allows him to see through objects. He first uses this power in ''Action Comics'' #11 (1939). Certain materials such as lead can block his X-ray vision.

Superman can project beams of heat from his eyes which are hot enough to melt steel. He first used this power in ''Superman'' #59 (1949) by applying his X-ray vision at its highest intensity. In later stories, this ability is simply called "heat vision".

Superman can hear sounds that are too faint for a human to hear, and at frequencies outside the human hearing range. This ability was introduced in ''Action Comics'' #11 (1939).

Since ''Action Comics'' #20 (1940), Superman possesses superhuman breath, which enables him to inhale or blow huge amounts of air, as well as holding his breath indefinitely to remain underwater or space without adverse effects. He has a significant focus of his breath's intensity to the point of freezing targets by blowing on them. The "freeze breath" was first demonstrated in ''Superman'' #129 (1959).

''Action Comics'' #1 (1938) explained that Superman's strength was common to all Kryptonians because they were a species "millions of years advanced of our own". In the first newspaper strips, Jor-El is shown running and leaping like Superman, and his wife survives a building collapsing on her. Later stories explained they evolved superhuman strength simply because of Krypton's higher gravity. ''Superman'' #146 (1961) established that Superman's abilities other than strength (flight, durability, etc.) are activated by the light of Earth's yellow [[sun]]. This was shortly changed to all of his powers including strength being activated by yellow sunlight and deactivated by red sunlight similar to that of Krypton's sun.<ref>''Action Comics'' #300 (1963)</ref>

====Weaknesses====
Exposure to green [[kryptonite]] radiation nullifies Superman's powers and incapacitates him with pain and nausea; prolonged exposure will eventually kill him. Although green kryptonite is the most commonly seen form, writers have introduced other forms over the years: such as red, gold, blue, white, and black, each with peculiar effects.<ref name="TCS106107">Daniels (1998), pp. 106–107.</ref> Gold kryptonite, for instance, nullifies Superman's powers but otherwise does not harm him. [[Kryptonite]] first appeared in a 1943 episode of [[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|the radio serial]].<ref>''The Meteor From Krypton'' (June 1943). Per {{harvp|Hayde|2009}}: "Only one arc in 1943 managed to transcend its era: "The Meteor from Krypton." Debuting on June 3, it marked the debut of kryptonite..."</ref> It first appeared in comics in ''Superman'' #61 (Dec. 1949).<ref>[http://www.comics.org/issue/7882/#74473 ''Superman'' #61] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427020730/http://www.comics.org/issue/7882/ |date=April 27, 2016 }} at the [[Grand Comics Database]]. "Indexer notes ... Green Kryptonite introduced in this story."</ref>

Superman is also vulnerable to magic. Enchanted weapons and magical spells affect Superman as easily as they would a normal human. This weakness was established in ''Superman'' #171 (1964).

Like all Kryptonians, Kal-El is also highly susceptible to psychokinetic phenomena ranging along Telekinesis, Illusion casting, Mind control, etc., as shown in ''Wonder Woman'' Vol 2 # 219 (Sept. 2005). A powerful enough psionic can affect either the psyche or microbiology of Superman to induce strokes or mangle his internal organs, as well as disrupt his mind and perceptions of the world, something a young [[metahuman]] showcased in ''Superman'' #48 (Oct. 1990).

Many stories describe Superman as being vulnerable to radiation at wavelengths equal to the light of the "red sun" of the planet Krypton, which causes him to temporarily lose his powers.

Over the years, writers have invented many other weaknesses for Superman using various science fiction tropes, with some of these weaknesses only existing for a short period of time.

===Occasional equipment===
{{expand section|date=February 2025}}
On occasion, Superman has made use of a special aeroplane called the '''Supermobile''' which has the same abilities as him and can protect him from the radiation of a red sun.<ref>''Action Comics'' #481. DC Comics.</ref>

Superman has used several [[List of fictional robots and androids|fictional robots]] that resemble his appearance and have similar abilities. '''Superman robots''' played a particularly dominant role in the late 1950s and 1960s era Superman comics, when readers were first introduced to Superman possessing various robot duplicates. These robots each possessed a fraction of Superman's powers, and were sometimes used to substitute for him on missions or protect his [[secret identity]].<ref>''Action Comics'' #282 (November 1961)</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Roberts |first1=Dan |title=Famous Robots and Cyborgs: An Encyclopedia of Robots from TV, Film, Literature, Comics, Toys, and More |publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing]] |year=2014 |isbn=9781626363892 |pages=}}</ref> One notable Superman robot was named Ajax, also known as [[Wonder Man (DC Comics)|Wonder Man]].<ref>''Superman'' #163 (August 1963)</ref> Other Superman robots had other names, including Robot Z,<ref>''Action Comics'' #274 (March 1961)</ref> Robot X-3,<ref>''Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane'' #30 (January 1962)</ref> and MacDuff.<ref>''Superman'' #414 (December 1985)</ref>

The idea of Superman robots extended into [[Superboy (Kal-El)|Superboy]] and [[Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)|Supergirl]] stories of the period as well, with the two also possessing robotic duplicates.<ref>''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #37 (June 1959)</ref><ref>''Action Comics'' #270 (November 1960)</ref> In the early 1970s, the Superman comics largely abandoned the Superman robots as part of a change in tone and writing style. In-universe, the robots are rendered unusable by Earth's pollution levels and artificial radiation.<ref>''World's Finest Comics'' #202 (May 1971)</ref> The notion of Superman robots was reintroduced for [[Crisis on Infinite Earths|post-Crisis]] comic continuity in a late 1990s storyline. While under [[Dominus (DC Comics)|Dominus]]' control, Superman builds a series of robots to oversee the Earth. Unlike the original Superman robots, they possess a more mechanical appearance.<ref>{{harvp|Weldon|2013b}}</ref> In ''Superman'' (vol. 2) #170, [[Krypto]] nearly kills [[Mongul]] and is confined to the [[Fortress of Solitude]] as punishment. A Superman robot nicknamed "Ned" is employed as Krypto's caretaker. In a later storyline, [[Brainiac (character)|Brainiac 8]] revived and increased the power to a forgotten Superman robot. The robot attacked the [[Teen Titans]], killing [[Donna Troy|Troia]] and [[Lilith Clay|Omen]] before it was defeated.<ref>''Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day'' #3 (August 2003)</ref>

===Supporting characters===
{{See also|Superman character and cast|List of Superman supporting characters}}
Superman's first and most famous supporting character is [[Lois Lane]], introduced in ''Action Comics'' #1. She is a fellow journalist at the ''[[Daily Planet]]''. As Jerry Siegel conceived her, Lois considers Clark Kent to be a wimp, but she is infatuated with the bold and mighty Superman, not knowing that Kent and Superman are the same person. Siegel objected to any proposal that Lois discover that Clark is Superman because he felt that, as implausible as Clark's disguise is, the love triangle was too important to the book's appeal.<ref>"If Lois should ACTUALLY learn Clark's secret, the strip would lose about 75% of its appeal—the human interest angle. I know that a formula can possibly prove monotonous through repetition but I fear that if this element is removed from the story formula that makes up SUPERMAN, that this strip will lose a great part of its effectiveness." Siegel, in his script notes, quoted in {{harvp|Ricca|2014}} (''Super Boys'').</ref> However, Siegel wrote stories in which Lois suspects Clark is Superman and tries to prove it, with Superman always duping her in the end; the first such story was in ''Superman'' #17 (July–August 1942).<ref>[http://www.comics.org/issue/2212/ ''Superman'' #17] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415134500/http://www.comics.org/issue/2212/ |date=April 15, 2016 }} at the Grand Comics Database.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2011/06/28/when-we-first-met-30/ |title=When We First Met |publisher=(column #30) [[ComicBookResources.com]] |first=Brian |last=Cronin |work=Comics Should Be Good @ CBR |date= June 28, 2011 |access-date=March 16, 2016 |archive-date= October 17, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131017031635/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2011/06/28/when-we-first-met-30/ |url-status=live}}</ref> This was a common plot in comic book stories prior to the 1970s. In a story in ''Action Comics'' #484 (June 1978), Clark Kent admits to Lois that he is Superman, and they marry. This was the first story in which Superman and Lois marry that was not an "imaginary tale". Many Superman stories since then have depicted Superman and Lois as a married couple, but about as many depict them in the classic love triangle. In modern era comic books, Superman and Lois are a stable married couple, and the ''Superman'' supporting cast was further expanded with the introduction of their son, [[Jon Kent (DC Comics)|Jon Kent]].

Other supporting characters include [[Jimmy Olsen]], a photographer at the ''[[Daily Planet]]'', who is friends with both Superman and Clark Kent, though in most stories he does not know that Clark is Superman. Jimmy is frequently described as "Superman's pal", and was conceived to give young male readers a relatable character through which they could fantasize being friends with Superman.

In the earliest comic book stories, Clark Kent's employer is George Taylor of ''The Daily Star'', but the second episode of [[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|the radio serial]] changed this to [[Perry White]] of the ''[[Daily Planet]]''.<ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'': "The episode also introduced Julian Noa as Clark Kent's boss, whose name had evolved from Paris White to Perry White. White's newspaper changed from ''The Daily Flash'' to the ''[[Daily Planet]]''. Soon after the radio show appeared, the comic books also changed their ''Daily Star'' editor George Taylor to ''[[Daily Planet]]'' editor Perry White..."</ref>

Clark Kent's foster parents are [[Jonathan and Martha Kent]]. In many stories, one or both of them have died by the time Clark becomes Superman. Clark's parents taught him that he should use his abilities for altruistic means, but that he should also find some way to safeguard his private life.

===Antagonists===
{{Main|List of Superman enemies}}
The villains Superman faced in the earliest stories were ordinary humans, such as gangsters, corrupt politicians, and violent husbands; but they soon grew more colorful and outlandish so as to avoid offending censors or scaring children. The mad scientist [[Ultra-Humanite]], introduced in ''Action Comics'' #13 (June 1939), was Superman's first recurring villain. Superman's best-known nemesis, [[Lex Luthor]], was introduced in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940) and has been depicted as either a mad scientist or a wealthy businessman (sometimes both).<ref name="TCS160">{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 160</ref> In 1944, the magical imp [[Mister Mxyzptlk]], Superman's first recurring super-powered adversary, was introduced.<ref>Though created to appear in ''Superman'' #30 (Sept. 1944), publishing lag time resulted in the character first appearing in the ''Superman'' daily comic strip that year, per [http://www.comics.org/issue/3811/ ''Superman'' #30] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311072244/http://www.comics.org/issue/3811/ |date=March 11, 2016 }} at the [[Grand Comics Database]].</ref> Superman's first alien villain, [[Brainiac (character)|Brainiac]], debuted in ''Action Comics'' #242 (July 1958). [[General Zod]], who first appeared in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' #283 (April 1961), is a fellow Kryptonian with similar powers. The monstrous [[Doomsday (DC Comics)|Doomsday]], introduced in ''[[Superman: The Man of Steel]]'' #17–18 (Nov.-Dec. 1992), was the first villain to evidently kill Superman in physical combat without exploiting Superman's critical weaknesses such as kryptonite.

===Alternative depictions===
{{Main|Alternative versions of Superman}}
{{See also|Superman (Earth-Two)|Superman (Earth-One)}}
The details of Superman's origin story and supporting cast vary across his large body of fiction released since 1938, but most versions conform to the basic template described above. A few stories feature radically altered versions of Superman. An example is the graphic novel ''[[Superman: Red Son]]'', which depicts a communist Superman who rules the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite web | title=COMIC REVIEW: Superman: Red Son | date=March 22, 2020 | url=https://www.victimsandvillains.net/reviews/2020/3/22/comic-review-superman-red-son }}</ref> DC Comics has on some occasions published crossover stories where different versions of Superman interact with each other using the plot device of parallel universes. For instance, in the 1960s, the Superman of "Earth-One" would occasionally feature in stories alongside the Superman of "Earth-Two", the latter of whom resembled Superman as he was portrayed in the 1940s.<ref>[https://www.supermanthroughtheages.com/a/History/e2-superman.php]</ref>

==Impact and legacy==
===The superhero archetype===
Superman is often considered the first [[superhero]]. This point can be debated: [[Ogon Bat]], [[the Phantom]], [[Zorro]], and [[Mandrake the Magician]] arguably fit the definition of the superhero yet predate Superman. Nevertheless, Superman popularized this kind of character and established the conventions: a costume, a codename, extraordinary abilities, and an altruistic mission.{{cn|date=December 2023}} Superman's success in 1938 begat a wave of imitations, which include [[Batman]], [[Captain America]], and [[Shazam (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]]. This flourishing is today referred to as America's [[Golden Age of Comic Books]], which lasted from 1938 to about 1950. The Golden Age ended when American superhero book sales declined, leading to the cancellation of many characters; but Superman was one of the few superhero franchises that survived this decline, and his sustained popularity into the late 1950s led to a revival in the [[Silver Age of Comic Books]], when characters such as [[Spider-Man]], [[Iron Man]], and [[The X-Men]] were created.
[[File:Don't be scared Superman graffiti Tel Aviv.jpg|thumb|321x321px|"Don't Panic" Superman, a [[Art in Tel Aviv|public artwork in Tel Aviv]].]]
After World War II, American superhero fiction entered Japanese culture. [[Astro Boy]], first published in 1952, was inspired by [[Mighty Mouse]], which in turn was a parody of Superman.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schodt |first=Frederik L. |title=The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution |year=2007 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |isbn=9781933330549 |page=45}}</ref> The [[Superman (1940s cartoons)|''Superman'' animated shorts from the 1940s]] were first broadcast on Japanese television in 1955, and they were followed in 1956 by the TV show [[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|''Adventures of Superman'']] starring [[George Reeves]]. These shows were popular with the Japanese and inspired Japan's own prolific genre of superheroes. The first Japanese superhero movie, ''[[Super Giant]]'', was released in 1957. The first Japanese superhero TV show was ''[[Moonlight Mask]]'' in 1958. Other notable Japanese superheroes include [[Ultraman]], [[Kamen Rider]], and [[Sailor Moon]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Craig |first=Timothy |title=Japan Pop: Inside the World of Japanese Popular Culture |year=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317467212 }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Hirofumi|last= Katsuno |title=The Grotesque Hero: Depictions of Justice in Tokusatsu Superhero Television Programs |encyclopedia= Introducing Japanese Popular Culture |editor1=Freedman, Alisa |editor2=Slade, Toby |year=2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317528937 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Jonathan |last1=Clements |first2=Motoko|last2= Tamamuro |year=2003 |title=The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |isbn=9781880656815 }}</ref>

===Fine art===
Since the [[Pop Art]] period and the 1960s, the character of Superman has been "appropriated" by multiple visual artists and incorporated into contemporary artwork,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Martin|first=Deborah|date=June 19, 2019|title=Crystal Bridges exhibit 'Men of Steel, Women of Wonder' lands in San Antonio|url=https://www.expressnews.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article/Crystal-Bridges-exhibit-Men-of-Steel-Women-of-14020822.php|access-date=July 7, 2020|newspaper=San Antonio Express-News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=June 20, 2019|title=Men of Steel, Women of Wonder Debuts at San Antonio Museum of Art|url=https://www.sanantoniomag.com/men-of-steel-women-of-wonder-debuts-at-san-antonio-museum-of-art/|access-date=July 7, 2020|website=San Antonio Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> most notably by [[Andy Warhol]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gural|first=Natasha|title=Quickly To The Whitney, And Back Again To San Francisco, Chicago For Andy Warhol Beyond Superstardom|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/natashagural/2019/03/26/quickly-to-the-whitney-and-back-again-to-san-francisco-chicago-for-andy-warhol-beyond-superstardom/|access-date=July 7, 2020|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Sante|first=Luc|date=May 3, 2020|title=Andy Warhol, Superstar|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/books/review/warhol-blake-gopnik.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503091010/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/books/review/warhol-blake-gopnik.html |archive-date=May 3, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=July 7, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[Roy Lichtenstein]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cohen|first=Alina|date=October 1, 2018|title=How Roy Lichtenstein Unwittingly Invented Pop Art|url=https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-dare-son-roy-lichtenstein-unwittingly-invented-pop-art|access-date=July 7, 2020|website=Artsy|language=en}}</ref> [[Mel Ramos]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Genzlinger|first=Neil|date=October 31, 2018|title=Mel Ramos, Painter of Female Nudes and Comic Heroes, Dies at 83|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/obituaries/mel-ramos-dead.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031234225/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/obituaries/mel-ramos-dead.html |archive-date=October 31, 2018 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=July 7, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[Dulce Pinzon]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jesus|first=Carlos Suarez De|date=January 31, 2008|title=Immigrants Are Superheroes|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/immigrants-are-superheroes-6332513|access-date=July 7, 2020|website=Miami New Times}}</ref> [[Mr. Brainwash]],<ref name="archpaper.com">{{Cite web|date=February 18, 2020|title=Mr. Brainwash will convert a Richard Meier-designed building into a Beverly Hills art museum|url=https://www.archpaper.com/2020/02/mr-brainwash-convert-richard-meier-building-art-museum/|access-date=July 7, 2020|website=The Architect's Newspaper|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Raymond Pettibon]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Storr|first=Robert|date=June 2, 2017|title=Pettibon's World|url=https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/06/02/raymond-pettibons-world/|access-date=July 7, 2020|website=The New York Review of Books|language=en}}</ref> [[Peter Saul]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Schjeldahl|first=Peter|title=The In-Your-Face Paintings of Peter Saul|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/17/the-in-your-face-paintings-of-peter-saul|access-date=July 7, 2020|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-us}}</ref> [[Giuseppe Veneziano]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Giuseppe Veneziano {{!}} artnet|url=http://www.artnet.com/artists/giuseppe-veneziano/|access-date=July 14, 2020|website=www.artnet.com}}</ref> [[F. Lennox Campello]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=F. Lennox Campello {{!}} Superman Naked {{!}} Artsy|url=https://www.artsy.net/artwork/f-lennox-campello-superman-naked|access-date=July 14, 2020|website=Artsy|language=en}}</ref> and others.<ref name="archpaper.com"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schkloven |first=Emma |date=January 25, 2017 |title=Traveling superhero-themed exhibit comes to Lynchburg College |url=https://newsadvance.com/entertainment/features/traveling-superhero-themed-exhibit-comes-to-lynchburg-college/article_0af265bb-b1e9-50cc-a74a-7370952a3851.html |access-date=July 7, 2020 |website=NewsAdvance.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Trostle|first=Adora|date=January 30, 2019|title=Results from the Miami Art Fairs a few Months Ago|url=http://www.nyundressed.com/results-from-the-miami-art-fairs-a-few-months-ago/|access-date=July 14, 2020|website=NY UNDRESSED|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Literary analysis==
Superman has been interpreted and discussed in many forms, with [[Umberto Eco]] noting that "he can be seen as the representative of all his similars".<ref>{{cite book |last=Eco |first=Umberto |author-link=Umberto Eco |editor=Heer, Jeet Heer |editor-first2=Worcesterm |editor-last2=Kent |title=Arguing Comics |year=2004 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=1-57806-687-5|page=162 |chapter=The Myth of Superman |orig-year=1962 }}</ref> Writing in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' in 1971, Gerald Clarke stated: "Superman's enormous popularity might be looked upon as signaling the beginning of the end for the [[Horatio Alger myth]] of the [[self-made man]]." Clarke viewed the comics characters as having to continuously update in order to maintain relevance and thus representing the mood of the nation. He regarded Superman's character in the early seventies as a comment on the modern world, which he saw as a place in which "only the man with superpowers can survive and prosper".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Gerald |last=Clarke |author-link=Gerald Clarke (author) |title=The Comics On The Couch |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,842864,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |issn=0040-781X |pages=1–4 |date=December 13, 1971 |access-date=January 29, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930062820/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C842864%2C00.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref> Andrew Arnold, writing in the early 21st century, has noted Superman's partial role in exploring assimilation, the character's alien status allowing the reader to explore attempts to fit in on a somewhat superficial level.

A.C. Grayling, writing in ''[[The Spectator]]'', traces Superman's stances through the decades, from his 1930s campaign against crime being relevant to a nation under the influence of [[Al Capone]], through the 1940s and World War II, a period in which Superman helped sell [[war bonds]],<ref name="60Y64">{{harvp|Daniels|1995}}. ''DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes'', p. 64</ref> and into the 1950s, where Superman explored the new technological threats. Grayling notes the period after the [[Cold War]] as being one where "matters become merely personal: the task of pitting his brawn against the brains of Lex Luthor and Brainiac appeared to be independent of bigger questions", and discusses events post [[9/11]], stating that as a nation "caught between the terrifying [[George W. Bush]] and the terrorist [[Osama bin Laden]], America is in earnest need of a Saviour for everything from the minor inconveniences to the major horrors of world catastrophe. And here he is, the down-home clean-cut boy in the blue tights and red cape".<ref>{{cite news|first=A C |last=Grayling |title=The Philosophy of Superman: A Short Course |url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/archive/features/23525/the-philosophy-of-superman.thtml |work=The Spectator |location=UK |issn=0038-6952 |date=July 8, 2006 |access-date=January 29, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011230733/http://spectator.co.uk/archive/features/23525/the-philosophy-of-superman.thtml |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref>

An influence on early Superman stories is the context of the [[Great Depression]]. Superman took on the role of social activist, fighting crooked businessmen and politicians and demolishing run-down tenements.<ref name="60Y2223">{{harvp|Daniels|1995}}. ''DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes '', pp. 22–23</ref> Comics scholar [[Roger Sabin]] sees this as a reflection of "the liberal idealism of [[Franklin Roosevelt]]'s [[New Deal]]", with Shuster and Siegel initially portraying Superman as champion to a variety of social causes.<ref name="mythology">{{Cite AV media |title = The Mythology of Superman |medium = DVD |publisher=Warner Bros.|date = 2006}}</ref><ref name="Sabin">{{cite book |last=Sabin |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Sabin |year=1996 |title= Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels |url=https://archive.org/details/comicscomixgraph00sabi |url-access=registration |edition=4th paperback |publisher=Phaidon|isbn=0-7148-3993-0 }}</ref> In later Superman radio programs the character continued to take on such issues, tackling a version of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] in a [[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|1946 broadcast]], as well as combating anti-semitism and veteran discrimination.<ref>{{cite news |first= Richard |last= von Busack |title=Superman Versus the KKK |date= July 2–8, 1998 |work=[[Metro Silicon Valley]]|location = San Jose, California |url=http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/07.02.98/comics-9826.html|access-date=January 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511114046/http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/07.02.98/comics-9826.html |archive-date=May 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Stephen J |last=Dubner |author2=Levitt, Steven D |page=F26 |title=Hoodwinked? |date=January 8, 2006 |work=The New York Times Magazine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/magazine/08wwln_freakonomics.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=January 28, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407034409/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/magazine/08wwln_freakonomics.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=April 7, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Weldon|2013a|p=83}}</ref>

[[Scott Bukatman]] has discussed Superman, and the superhero in general, noting the ways in which they humanize large urban areas through their use of the space, especially in Superman's ability to soar over the large skyscrapers of Metropolis. He writes that the character "represented, in 1938, a kind of [[Le Corbusier|Corbusierian]] ideal. Superman has X-ray vision: walls become permeable, transparent. Through his benign, controlled authority, Superman renders the city open, modernist and democratic; he furthers a sense that Le Corbusier described in 1925, namely, that 'Everything is known to us'."<ref name="MOG">{{cite book |last=Bukatman |first=Scott |author-link=Scott Bukatman |year=2003 |title=Matters of Gravity: Special Effects and Supermen in the 20th century |url=https://archive.org/details/mattersofgravity0000buka |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Duke University Press]] |isbn=0-8223-3132-2 }}</ref>
[[File:Library of Congress celebration of Action Comics and Superman.jpg|alt=Three men seated onstage, flanked by Superman material|thumb|The [[Library of Congress]] hosted a discussion with [[Dan Jurgens]] and [[Paul Levitz]] for Superman's 80th anniversary and the [[Action Comics 1000|1,000th issue]] of ''[[Action Comics]]''.]]
[[Jules Feiffer]] has argued that Superman's real innovation lay in the creation of the Clark Kent persona, noting that what "made Superman extraordinary was his point of origin: Clark Kent." Feiffer develops the theme to establish Superman's popularity in simple wish fulfillment,<ref>[[Jules Feiffer]] ''The Great Comic Book Heroes'', (2003). [[Fantagraphics]]. {{ISBN|1-56097-501-6}}</ref> a point Siegel and Shuster themselves supported, Siegel commenting that "If you're interested in what made Superman what it is, here's one of the keys to what made it universally acceptable. Joe and I had certain inhibitions... which led to wish-fulfillment which we expressed through our interest in science fiction and our comic strip. That's where the dual-identity concept came from" and Shuster supporting that as being "why so many people could relate to it".<ref>Andrae (1983), [https://web.archive.org/web/20031207220852/http://superman.ws/seventy/interview/?part=10 p.10].</ref>

[[Ian Gordon (historian)|Ian Gordon]] suggests that the many incarnations of Superman across media use nostalgia to link the character to an ideology of the American Way. He defines this ideology as a means of associating individualism, consumerism, and democracy and as something that took shape around WWII and underpinned the war effort. Superman, he notes was very much part of that effort.<ref>[[Ian Gordon (historian)|Ian Gordon]] "Nostalgia, Myth, and Ideology: Visions of Superman at the End of the 'American Century"in Michael Ryan, ' 'Cultural Studies: An Anthology' '(2007). Blackwell {{ISBN|978-1-4051-4577-0}} [https://nus.academia.edu/IanGordon/Papers/509594/Nostalgia_Myth_and_Ideology_Visions_of_Superman_at_the_End_of_the_American_Century]{{Dead link|date=July 2025|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}.</ref>

===An allegory for immigrants===
Superman's immigrant status is a key aspect of his appeal.<ref>Fingeroth, Danny ''Superman on the Couch'' (2004). Continuum International Publishing Group p53. {{ISBN|0-8264-1539-3}}</ref><ref name="Engle">Engle, Gary "What Makes Superman So Darned American?" reprinted in ''Popular Culture'' (1992) Popular Press p&nbsp;331–343. {{ISBN|0-87972-572-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Wallace|first1=Daniel|first2=Bryan |last2=Singer |title=The Art of Superman Returns|publisher=Chronicle Books|year=2006|page=92|isbn=0-8118-5344-6}}</ref> Aldo Regalado saw the character as pushing the boundaries of acceptance in America. The extraterrestrial origin was seen by Regalado as challenging the notion that [[English Americans|Anglo-Saxon]] ancestry was the source of all might.<ref>{{cite book|first=Regalado|last= Aldo |chapter=Modernity, Race, and the American Superhero|editor-last= McLaughlin|editor-first= Jeff |title=Comics as Philosophy|year=2005|publisher=[[University of Mississippi]] Press|page=92|isbn=1-57806-794-4}}</ref> Gary Engle saw the "myth of Superman [asserting] with total confidence and a childlike innocence the value of the immigrant in [[Culture of the United States|American culture]]". He argues that Superman allowed the superhero genre to take over from the [[Western (genre)|Western]] as the expression of immigrant sensibilities. Through the use of a dual identity, Superman allowed immigrants to identify with both of their cultures. Clark Kent represents the assimilated individual, allowing Superman to express the immigrants' cultural heritage for the greater good.<ref name="Engle" /> David Jenemann has offered a contrasting view. He argues that Superman's early stories portray a threat: "the possibility that the exile would overwhelm the country".<ref>{{cite book|last=Jenemann|first=David|title=Adorno in America|publisher=U of Minnesota Press|year=2007|page=180|isbn=978-0-8166-4809-2}}</ref> David Rooney, a theater [[critic]] for ''The New York Times'', in his evaluation of the play ''Year Zero'' considers Superman to be the "quintessential immigrant story [...] [b]orn on an alien planet, he grows stronger on Earth, but maintains a secret identity tied to a homeland that continues to exert a powerful hold on him even as his every contact with those origins does him harm".<ref name="Rooney">{{cite news|last=Rooney |first=David |title=Finding America, Searching for Identity |url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/theater/reviews/03year.html |access-date=June 11, 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 3, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609111610/http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/theater/reviews/03year.html |archive-date=June 9, 2010 }}</ref> [[Junot Díaz]] argues that the character particularly resonates with the experiences of undocumented immigrants in the United States.<ref>Junot Diaz, "My Problem with Superman," ''New York Times'', July 10, 2025. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/opinion/superman-movie-immigrant-junot-diaz.html?smid=threads-nytopinion&smtyp=cur]</ref> Throughout the depictions of Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor in comics, film, and television, Luthor has frequently expressed and exploited xenophobia against Superman.<ref>Boucher, Ian. "Forging Kryptonite: Lex Luthor’s Xenophobia as Societal Fracturing, from ''Batman v Superman'' to ''Supergirl''." ''Adapting Superman: Essays on the Transmedia Man of Steel'', edited by John Darowski, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2021, pp. 216–234.</ref>

===Religious themes===
It is popularly believed that Superman took inspiration from Judaic mythology and there is some circumstantial evidence to support this. The British rabbi [[Simcha Weinstein]] notes that Superman's story has some parallels to that of [[Moses]]. For example, Moses as a baby was sent away by his parents in a reed basket to escape death and was adopted by a foreign culture. Weinstein also posits that Superman's Kryptonian name, "Kal-El", resembles the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] phrase ''qōl ʾēl'' (קוֹל-אֵל) which can be taken to mean "Voice of God".<ref name="UUaOV">{{cite book |last=Weinstein |first=Simcha |author-link=Simcha Weinstein |year=2006 |title=Up, Up, and Oy Vey! |edition=1st |publisher=Leviathan Press |isbn=978-1-881927-32-7 }}</ref> The historian [[Larry Tye]] suggests that this "Voice of God" is an allusion to Moses' role as a prophet.<ref name="Tye, 2012">{{cite book|author-link=Larry Tye|last=Tye|first=Larry|title=Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero|year=2012|publisher=[[Random House Digital]]|isbn=978-1-4000-6866-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/supermanhighflyi00tyel_0/page/65 65–67]|quote=Like Moses. Much as the baby prophet was floated in a reed basket by a mother desperate to spare him from an Egyptian Pharaoh's death warrant, so Kal-El's doomed...|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/supermanhighflyi00tyel_0/page/65}}</ref> The suffix "[[El (god)|el]]", meaning "god", is also found in the name of angels (e.g. [[Gabriel]], [[Ariel (angel)|Ariel]]), who are airborne humanoid agents of good with superhuman powers. The Nazis also thought Superman was a Jew and in 1940 the ''[[Schutzstaffel]]'' (SS) newspaper ''[[Das Schwarze Korps]]'' denounced Superman and his creator Jerry Siegel.<ref>{{cite news|last= |first=|date=April 25, 1940 |title=Jerry Siegel Attacks! |page=8 |url=http://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/superman.htm |newspaper=Das schwarze Korps |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112183828/http://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/superman.htm |archive-date=January 12, 2016 }}</ref>

All that said, historians such as Martin Lund and Les Daniels argue that the evidence for Judaic influence in Siegel and Shuster's stories is merely circumstantial. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were not practicing Jews and never acknowledged the influence of Judaism in any memoir or interview.<ref>{{harvp|Lund|2016}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman'', p. 19: "There are parallel stories in many cultures, but what is significant is that Siegel, working in the generally patronized medium of the comics, had created a secular American messiah. Nothing of the kind was consciously on his mind, apparently: his explanation for dropping Superman down from the sky was that 'it just happened that way'. And Shuster echoed him: 'We just thought it was a good idea.{{'"}}</ref>

Superman stories have occasionally exhibited Christian themes as well. Screenwriter [[Tom Mankiewicz]] consciously made Superman an allegory for Jesus Christ in [[Superman (1978 film)|the 1978 movie]] starring [[Christopher Reeve]]: baby Kal-El's ship resembles the [[Star of Bethlehem]], and Jor-El gives his son a messianic mission to lead humanity into a brighter future.<ref name=SteelDreams>{{cite magazine |last=Dickholtz |first=Daniel |date=1998 |title=Steel Dreams |url=http://supermania78.com/2010/08/tom-mankiewicz-1942-2010/ |magazine=Starlog Yearbook |page=77 |publisher=Starlog Group, Inc.}}</ref>
This messianic theme was revisited in the 2013 movie [[Man of Steel (film)|''Man of Steel'']], wherein Jor-El asks Superman to redeem the Kryptonian race, which corrupted itself through eugenics, by guiding humanity down a wiser path.<ref>''Man of Steel'' (2013; Warner Bros. Pictures). "They won't necessarily make the same mistakes we did, not if you guide them, Kal."</ref>

== In other media ==
{{Main|Superman (franchise)}}

===Radio===
The first adaptation of Superman beyond comic books was a radio show, ''[[The Adventures of Superman (radio series)|The Adventures of Superman]]'', which ran from 1940 to 1951 for 2,088 episodes, most of which were aimed at children. The episodes were initially 15 minutes long, but after 1949 they were lengthened to 30 minutes. Most episodes were done live.<ref>{{harvp|Hayde|2009}}. ''Flights of Fantasy''</ref> [[Bud Collyer]] was the voice actor for Superman in most episodes. The show was produced by [[Robert Maxwell (producer)|Robert Maxwell]] and Allen Ducovny, who were employees of Superman, Inc. and Detective Comics, Inc. respectively.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 88: "[Harry Donenfeld] drafted Maxwell into Superman, Inc., first to oversee the licensing of toys and other products, then to bring the superhero into the world of broadcast."</ref><ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'', p. 16: "Superman was brought to radio by Allen Ducovny, a press agent with Detective Comics, and Robert Maxwell (the pen name of Robert Joffe), a former pulp fiction author who was in charge of licensing the subsidiary rights of the company's comic book characters."</ref>

===Stage===
In 1966 Superman had a [[Tony Awards|Tony]]-nominated musical play produced on Broadway. ''[[It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman]]'' featured music by [[Charles Strouse]], lyrics by [[Lee Adams]] and book by [[David Newman (screenwriter)|David Newman]] and [[Robert Benton]]. Actor Bob Holiday performed as Clark Kent/Superman and actress [[Patricia Marand]] performed as Lois Lane.

===Film===
{{Main|Superman in film}}
* [[Paramount Pictures]] released a [[Superman (1940s cartoons)|series of Superman theatrical animated shorts]] between 1941 and 1943. Seventeen episodes in total were made, each 8–10 minutes long. The first nine films were produced by [[Fleischer Studios]] and the next films were produced by [[Famous Studios]]. [[Bud Collyer]] provided the voice of Superman. The first episode had a production budget of $50,000 with the remaining episodes at $30,000 each<ref>{{harvp|Pointer|2017}}: "... the budget for each short – an astonishing $30,000 ..."</ref> ({{Inflation|US|30000|1941|fmt=eq|r=-3}}), which was exceptionally lavish for the time; $9,000 – $15,000 was more typical for animated shorts.<ref>Dave Fleischer, quoted in {{harvp|Daniels|1998}} ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 58: "The average short cost nine or ten thousand dollars, some ran up to fifteen; they varied."</ref> Joe Shuster provided model sheets for the characters, so the visuals resembled the contemporary comic book aesthetic.<ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 94: "Max and Dave [Fleischer's] composers knew what Superman, Lois, and the others should look like, thanks to model sheets provided by Joe Shuster."</ref>
[[File:Kirk Alyn as Superman in a publicity still from 1948.jpg|right|thumb|[[Kirk Alyn]] as Superman, 1948]]
* The first live-action adaptation of Superman was a [[Superman (serial)|movie serial released in 1948]], targeted at children. [[Kirk Alyn]] became the first actor to portray the hero onscreen. The production cost up to $325,000<ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'', p. 37: "The challenges of the production had more than doubled its budget; the final cost was variously reported as anywhere from $250,000 to $325,000."</ref> ({{Inflation|US|325000|1948|fmt=eq|r=-3}}). It was the most profitable [[Serial film|movie serial]] in movie history.<ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'', p. 37: "With all the hype, Superman quickly became the most profitable serial in film history."</ref> A sequel serial, ''[[Atom Man vs. Superman]]'', was released in 1950. For flying scenes, Superman was hand-drawn in animated form, composited onto live-action footage.
* The first feature film was ''[[Superman and the Mole Men]]'', a 58-minute [[B-movie]] released in 1951, produced on an estimated budget of $30,000 ({{Inflation|US|30000|1951|fmt=eq|r=-3}}).<ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'', p. 49: "According to ''Variety'', the feature film and an additional twenty-four half-hour episodes were to come in for $400,000, or roughly $15,000 each."</ref> It starred [[George Reeves]] as Superman, and was intended to promote the subsequent [[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|television series]].<ref name=Scivally2007/>
* The first big-budget movie was ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'' in 1978, starring [[Christopher Reeve]] and produced by [[Alexander Salkind|Alexander]] and [[Ilya Salkind]]. It was 143 minutes long and was made on a budget of $55 million ({{Inflation|US|55000000|1978|fmt=eq|r=-6}}). It is the most successful Superman feature film to date in terms of box office revenue adjusted for inflation.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=superman.htm |title=Superman Movies at the Box Office|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 24, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140826152345/http://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=superman.htm |archive-date=August 26, 2014 }}</ref> The soundtrack was composed by [[John Williams]] and was [[51st Academy Awards|nominated for an Academy Award]].

The success of the 1978 film arguably paved the way for later big-budget superhero movies like [[Batman (1989 film)|''Batman'' (1989)]] and [[Spider-Man (2002 film)|''Spider-Man'' (2002)]].<ref>{{cite AV media |people = Bob Chipman |title = Really That Good: SUPERMAN (1978) |medium = YouTube |publisher = Moviebob Central |date=2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bitnitV078U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/bitnitV078U |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'', p. 90</ref><ref>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 197</ref>
* The 1978 film spawned three sequels: ''[[Superman II]]'' (1980), ''[[Superman III]]'' (1983), ''[[Superman IV: The Quest for Peace]]'' (1987).
* In 2006, ''[[Superman Returns]]'' was released, designed after the 1978–1987 film series. Superman was portrayed by [[Brandon Routh]], who later reprised his role in the [[Arrowverse]] crossover ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths (Arrowverse)|Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'' (2019–2020).
* Superman has appeared in a series of [[direct-to-video]] animated films produced by [[Warner Bros. Animation]] called [[DC Universe Animated Original Movies]], beginning with ''[[Superman: Doomsday]]'' in 2007. Many of these movies are adaptations of popular comic book stories.
* Superman appeared in the theatrical animated feature film ''[[Teen Titans Go! To the Movies]]'' (2018), voiced by [[Nicolas Cage]].
* Superman appeared in the theatrical animated feature film ''[[DC League of Super-Pets]]'' (2022), voiced by [[John Krasinski]].

==== DC Extended Universe ====
{{Main|Superman (DC Extended Universe)}}
* In 2013, ''[[Man of Steel (film)|Man of Steel]]'' was released by Warner Bros. as a [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] of the film series, starring [[Henry Cavill]] as Superman.
* A sequel, ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'' (2016), featured Superman alongside [[Bruce Wayne (DC Extended Universe)|Batman]] and [[Diana Prince (DC Extended Universe)|Wonder Woman]], making it the first theatrical film in which Superman appeared alongside other superheroes from the [[DC Universe]].
* Cavill reprised his role in [[Justice League (film)|''Justice League'']] (2017) and its [[Zack Snyder's Justice League|director's cut]] (2021).
* This version of Superman also makes cameos in ''[[Shazam! (film)|Shazam!]]'' (2019) and in the first season finale of the TV series ''[[Peacemaker (TV series)|Peacemaker]]'' (2022) but portrayed by stand-ins for Cavill.
* Cavill makes an uncredited [[cameo appearance]] as Superman in the [[mid-credits scene]] of the film ''[[Black Adam (film)|Black Adam]]'' (2022).
* [[Nicolas Cage]] makes a cameo appearance as an alternate version of Superman in the film ''[[The Flash (film)|The Flash]]'' (2023), Cage shooting his scenes through [[volumetric capture]], before he was [[De-aging in motion pictures|deaged]] with [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=May 24, 2023 |title={{'}}''The Flash''{{'}} Director Just Announced the Movie's Most Shocking Cameo That's Decades in the Making |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/the-flash-cameo-nicolas-cage-superman-1235623843/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524140320/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/the-flash-cameo-nicolas-cage-superman-1235623843/ |archive-date=May 24, 2023 |access-date=May 24, 2023 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref> Cavill, [[George Reeves]], and [[Christopher Reeve]] also cameo as their respective versions of Superman through the use of CGI representing their likenesses, Cavill having filmed additional scenes as the character for the film which [[Deleted scene|were removed]] during post-production.

====DC Universe====
*A new reboot of the film series, ''[[Superman (2025 film)|Superman]]'', is set in the [[DC Universe (franchise)|DC Universe]] (DCU) franchise. The film was written and directed by [[James Gunn]] and stars [[David Corenswet]] as Superman.

===Television===
[[File:Stamp Day for Superman.jpg|thumb|right|Actor [[George Reeves]] portrays Superman in ''[[Stamp Day for Superman]]''. After appearing in film, he became the first to star as Superman in television.]]
[[File:Stamp Day For Superman.webm|thumb|Full film, ''[[Stamp Day for Superman]]'', 1954]]
* ''[[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|Adventures of Superman]]'', which aired from 1952 to 1958, was the first television series based on a superhero. It starred [[George Reeves]] as Superman. Whereas the radio serial was aimed at children, this television show was aimed at a general audience,<ref>Bernard Luber, quoted in ''Flights of Fantasy'' {{harv|Hayde|2009}}: "The show wasn't strictly for youngsters. We offered the dream of every man – to fly, to be super."</ref><ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007|p=52}}: "... Robert Maxwell hoped for an adult time slot, so he made Superman an adult show, with death scenes and rough violence."</ref> although children made up the majority of viewers. Robert Maxwell, who produced [[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|the radio serial]], was the producer for the first season. For the second season, Maxwell was replaced with Whitney Ellsworth. Ellsworth toned down the violence of the show to make it more suitable for children, though he still aimed for a general audience. This show was extremely popular in Japan, where it achieved an audience share rating of 74.2% in 1958.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Jonathan |last1=Clements |first2=Motoko |last2=Tamamuro |year=2003 |title=The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |isbn=9781880656815 |page=200}}</ref>
* His first animated television series was ''[[The New Adventures of Superman (TV series)|The New Adventures of Superman]]'', which aired from 1966 to 1970. The show also feature a seven-minute part focused on Superboy named ''[[The Adventures of Superboy (TV series)|The Adventures of Superboy]]''.
* Starting in 1974, Superman was one of the leading characters in the [[Hanna-Barbera]]-produced animated series ''[[Super Friends]]'' and all its sequels until 1986.
* To celebrate his 50th anniversary, [[Ruby Spears]] produced an animated series partially based on ''Superman'' (1978) and post-Crisis Superman comics created by John Byrne. The model sheets for ''[[Superman (TV series)|Superman]]'' (1988) were drawn by legendary comics artist [[Gil Kane]] and most of the episodes were written by comics writer [[Marv Wolfman]].
* ''[[Superboy (TV series)|Superboy]]'' aired from 1988 to 1992. It was produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind, the same men who had produced the Superman films starring [[Christopher Reeve]].
* ''[[Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman]]'' aired from 1993 to 1997. This show was aimed at adults and focused on the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane as much as Superman's heroics.<ref name=Scivally2007/> [[Dean Cain]] played Superman, and [[Teri Hatcher]] played Lois.
* ''[[Smallville]]'' aired from 2001 to 2011. The show was targeted at young adults.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Beeler |first=Stan |title=From Comic Book To Bildungsroman: Smallville, Narrative, And The Education Of A Young Hero |editor-last=Geraghty |editor-first=Lincoln |encyclopedia=The Smallville Chronicles: Critical Essays on the Television Series |year=2011 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810881303 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Kate|last=Aurthur|date=May 20, 2006 |title= Young Male Viewers Lift Ratings for 'Smallville' |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/20/arts/television/20smal.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060612232145/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/20/arts/television/20smal.html |archive-date=June 12, 2006 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=October 26, 2020 }}</ref> Played by [[Tom Welling]], the series covered Clark Kent's life prior to becoming Superman, spanning ten years from his high school years in Smallville to his early life in Metropolis. Although Clark engages in heroics, he does not wear a costume, nor does he call himself Superboy. Rather, he relies on misdirection and his blinding speed to avoid being recognized. Later seasons find him becoming a public hero called the Red-Blue Blur, eventually shortened to the Blur, in a proto-Justice League before taking on the mantle of Superman.
* ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'' (with the voice of [[Tim Daly]] as the adult character) aired from 1996 to 2000. After the show's conclusion, this version of Superman appeared in the sequel shows ''[[Batman Beyond]]'' (voiced by [[Christopher McDonald]]) aired from 1999 to 2001 and ''[[Justice League (TV series)|Justice League]]'' and ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' (voiced by [[George Newbern]]), which ran from 2001 to 2006. All of these shows were produced by [[Bruce Timm]]. This was the most successful and longest-running animated version of Superman.<ref name=Scivally2007/>
* In the Arrowverse, Earth-38 Superman (played by [[Tyler Hoechlin]]), appears as a special guest star in several television series: ''[[Supergirl (TV series)|Supergirl]]'', ''[[The Flash (2014 TV series)|The Flash]]'', ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]'' and ''[[Legends of Tomorrow]]''.
* Hoechlin also played his Arrowverse doppelgänger on ''[[Superman & Lois]]'' that is set outside of Earth-Prime.
* Superman appears as an ensemble character in the animated show ''[[Justice League Action]]''. He also appears as a guest character in other animated shows such as ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'' and [[Harley Quinn (TV series)|''Harley Quinn'']].
* The 2023 animated series ''[[My Adventures with Superman]]'' depicts a young Superman (played by [[Jack Quaid]]) at the start of his career, through the eyes of a reimagined [[Lois Lane]], with elements of [[romantic comedy]] alongside the standard action-adventure and science fiction tropes.

===Video games===
{{Main|List of video games featuring Superman}}
* The first electronic game was simply titled ''[[Superman (1979 video game)|Superman]]'', and released in 1979 for the [[Atari 2600]].
* The last game fully centered on Superman was the adaptation of ''[[Superman Returns (video game)|Superman Returns]]'' in 2006.
* From 2006 to present, Superman appeared in a co-starring role, such as the ''[[Injustice (franchise)|Injustice]]'' game series (2013–present).

==Merchandising==
DC Comics trademarked the Superman chest logo in August 1938.<ref name=Gordon2017/> [[Jack Liebowitz]] established Superman, Inc. in October 1939 to develop the franchise beyond the comic books.<ref name=Tye2012/> Superman, Inc. merged with DC Comics in October 1946.<ref name=FindingsOfFact>J. Addison Young, "Findings of Fact" (April 12, 1948), in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)'' ([https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839638/Young-April-12-1948-Findings-of-Facts Scan available on Scribd])</ref> After DC Comics merged with Warner Communications in 1967, licensing for Superman was handled by the Licensing Corporation of America.<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'' p. 162</ref>

The Licensing Letter (an American market research firm) estimated that Superman licensed merchandise made $634 million in sales globally in 2018 (43.3% of this revenue came from the North American market). For comparison, in the same year, [[Spider-Man]] merchandise made $1.075 billion and [[Star Wars]] merchandise made $1.923 billion globally.<ref name="thelicensingletter">{{cite web |title=Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on $100 Million+ Entertainment/Character Properties |url=https://www.thelicensingletter.com/100mil-chart/ |access-date=August 7, 2018 |website=The Licensing Letter |date=July 23, 2018}}</ref>

The earliest paraphernalia appeared in 1939: a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club. The first toy was a wooden doll in 1939 made by the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/comics.php?topic=articles/superb-manifestations |first=Ian|last= Anthony |title=Superb Manifestations: Five Anniversaries Converge In 2003 For Superman |website=Superman Homepage |date=Nov 2003 |access-date=August 7, 2018}}</ref> ''Superman'' #5 (May 1940) carried an advertisement for a "Krypto-Raygun", which was a gun-shaped device that could project images on a wall.<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'' p. 146</ref> The majority of Superman merchandise is targeted at children, but since the 1970s, adults have been increasingly targeted because the comic book readership has gotten older.<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'' pp. 162–165</ref>

During [[World War II]], Superman was used to support the war effort. ''Action Comics'' and ''Superman'' carried messages urging readers to buy [[war bond]]s and participate in [[Salvage for Victory|scrap drives]].<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'', p. 155</ref> Other [[superhero]]es became patriots who went to fight: [[Batman]], [[Wonder Woman]] and [[Captain America]].

==See also==
* [[List of Superman supporting characters]]
* [[List of DC animated universe characters]]
* [[List of DC Comics characters]]
* [[Music of Superman]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist |30em |refs=
<ref name=Tye2012>{{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman''</ref>
<ref name=Ricca2014>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}} ''Super Boys''</ref>
<ref name=Sergi2015>{{harvp|Sergi|2015}}. ''The Law for Comic Book Creators''</ref>
<ref name=Daniels1998>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History''</ref>
<ref name=Gordon2017>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}</ref>
<ref name=Scivally2007>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway''</ref>
<ref name=MankiewiczCrane2012p203>{{harvp|Mankiewicz|Crane|2012|p=203}}</ref>
<ref name="Weldon33">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Weldon|p=33|2013a}}</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}
* {{cite news |first=Thomas|last=Andrae |title=Of Supermen and Kids with Dreams |newspaper=[[Nemo (magazine)|Nemo: The Classic Comics Library]] |issue=2 |publisher=[[Fantagraphics]] |date=August 1983 |pages=6–19 |url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/0s3lbpbsetmqe5v/Siegel%20and%20Shuster%20interview%20with%20Andrae%20%28in%20Nemo%20%232%2C%201983%29.pdf?dl=0 }}
** Reprinted in ''Comics Values Monthly Superman Memorial Issue'' (1992) and {{cite web|url= http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.be/2012/08/jerry-and-i-did-comic-book-together.html |title='Jerry and I did a comic book together...' Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster Interviewed|editor-first= Daniel|editor-last= Best |date=August 3, 2012 |access-date= December 4, 2015 |publisher=20th Century Danny Boy |archive-date= December 4, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151204211112/http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.be/2012/08/jerry-and-i-did-comic-book-together.html |url-status=live}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Beerbohm |first=Robert |date=1996 |title=Siegel & Shuster Presents... The Superman |magazine=Comic Book Marketplace |issue=36 |pages=47–50|publisher=Gemstone Publishing Inc.}}
* {{cite book |last=Cronin |first=Brian |date=2009 |title=Was Superman a Spy? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SFgiXbVykSIC&q=fleischer+studios |publisher=Penguin|isbn=9781101046562}}
* {{Cite book |last=Daniels |first=Les |year=1995 |title=DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes |edition=First |publisher=[[Bulfinch Press]] |isbn=978-0821220764 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Daniels |first=Les |author-link=Les Daniels |year=1998 |title=Superman: The Complete History |edition=1st |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |isbn=1-85286-988-7 }}
* {{Cite journal |last = Dean |first = Michael|title = An Extraordinarily Marketable Man: The Ongoing Struggle for Ownership of Superman and Superboy |journal=[[The Comics Journal]] |issue = 263 |pages =13–17 |date = October 14, 2004 |url = http://www.tcj.com/263/n_marketable.html |access-date =December 22, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061201110153/http://www.tcj.com/263/n_marketable.html |archive-date = December 1, 2006 |url-status=dead }}
* {{Cite book |last1 = Eury |first1 = Michael |author-link1 = Michael Eury |last2 = Adams |first2 = Neal |author-link2 = Neal Adams |last3 = Swan |first3 = Curt |author-link3 = Curt Swan |last4 = Anderson |first4 = Murphy |title=The Krypton Companion|publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-893905-61-0 |year=2006 |location = Raleigh, NC }}
* {{cite book |last=Gordon |first=Ian |title=Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon |year=2017 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=9780813587530 }}
* {{cite book |last=Harvey |first=Robert C. |title=The Art of the Comic Book: An Aesthetic History |publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi |year=1996 |isbn=9780878057580 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/artofcomicbookae0000harv }}
* {{cite book|last=Hatfield|first=Charles|title=Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|year=2005|isbn=9781604735871}}
* {{cite book |last=Hayde |first=Michael J. |year=2009 |title=Flights of Fantasy: The Unauthorized but True Story of Radio & TV's Adventures of Superman |publisher=BearManor Media |isbn=9781593933449 }}
* {{cite book|last=Jones|first=Gerard|title=Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book|url=https://archive.org/details/menoftomorrowgee0000jone|url-access=registration|publisher=Basic Books|year=2004|isbn=0-465-03656-2}}
* {{cite news |last=Kobler |first=John |date=June 21, 1941 |title=Up, Up, and Awa-a-ay!: The Rise of Superman, Inc. |url=http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/rise-of-superman.pdf |work=[[The Saturday Evening Post]] |archive-date= September 13, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160913192904/http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/rise-of-superman.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book|last=Lund|first=Martin|year=2016|title=Re-Constructing the Man of Steel: Superman 1938–1941, Jewish American History, and the Invention of the Jewish–Comics Connection|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-3-319-42959-5}}
* {{cite book|last1=Mankiewicz|first1=Tom|last2=Crane|first2=Robert|year=2012|title=My Life as a Mankiewicz: An Insider's Journey through Hollywood|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=9780813140575}}
* {{cite book|last=Pointer|first=Ray|date=2017|title=The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer: American Animation Pioneer|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-6367-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Ricca|first=Brad|date=2014|title=Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster – the Creators of Superman|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|isbn=978-1250049681}}
* {{cite book|last=Rossen|first=Jake|date=2008|title=Superman Vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=9781569765012}}
* {{cite book|last=Scivally|first=Bruce|date=2007|title=Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786431663}}
* {{cite book|last=Sergi|first=Joe|date=2015|title=The Law for Comic Book Creators: Essential Concepts and Applications|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0786473601}}
* {{cite book|last=Steranko|first=Jim|date=1970|title=The Steranko History of Comics vol. 1|publisher=Supergraphics|isbn=9780517501887}}
* {{cite book|last=Tye|first=Larry|date=2012|title=Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero|url=https://archive.org/details/supermanhighflyi00tyel_0|url-access=registration|publisher=Random House New York|isbn=978-1-58836-918-5|ref=refTye2012}}
* {{cite book |last=Weldon |first=Glen |year=2013a |title=Superman: The Unauthorized Biography |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |location=New Jersey |isbn=978-1-118-34184-1 }}
* {{cite book |last=Weldon |first=Glen |year=2013b |title=Superman: The Unauthorized Biography |publisher=[[Turner Publishing Company]] |isbn=9781118483824 }}
* {{cite book |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s |first1=Keith |last1=Dallas |first2=Jason |last2=Sacks |first3=Jim |last3=Beard |first4=Dave |last4=Dykema |author5=Paul Brian McCoy |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=9781605490465 |ref=refDallasEtAl2013}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin |30em}}
* {{cite book
 |last=De Haven
 |first=Tom
 |author-link=Tom De Haven
 |year=2009
 |title=Our Hero: Superman on Earth
 |location=New Haven, CT
 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]]
 |isbn=978-0-300-11817-9
 |oclc=320132317
}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
<!-- ======================== {{No more links}} ============================
    | PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS IN ADDING MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. Wikipedia  |
    | is not a collection of links nor should it be used for advertising. |
    |                                                                     |
    |           Excessive or inappropriate links WILL BE DELETED.         |
    | See [[Wikipedia:External links]] & [[Wikipedia:Spam]] for details.  |
    |                                                                     |
    | If there are already plentiful links, please propose additions or   |
    | replacements on this article's discussion page, or submit your link |
    | to the relevant category at the Open Directory Project (dmoz.org)   |
    | and link back to that category using the {{dmoz}} template.         |
=== {{No more links}} ========= -->
{{Sister project links|wikt=Superman|b=no|q=Superman|s=no|commons=Category:Superman and his cast|n=no|v=no|d=Q79015}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=190 Golden Age] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121231207/http://comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=190 |date=November 21, 2019 }}, [http://www.comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=296 Silver Age] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106081931/http://comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=296 |date=November 6, 2019 }} and [http://www.comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=96 Modern Age] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121224114/http://comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=96 |date=November 21, 2019 }} Superman at the Comic book database
* {{DCdatabase|Superman}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170629030355/http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000196/ Superman] on [[IMDb]]

{{Superman}}
{{Justice League characters}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Articles and topics related to Superman
|state=collapsed
|list1=
{{Superman characters}}
{{Superman publications}}
{{Superman in other media}}
{{Superman in amusement parks}}
{{Superman and Batman}}
{{Justice League International}}
{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}
{{Lex Luthor}}
{{Steel}}
{{Suicide Squad}}
{{Superboy}}
{{Supergirl}}
{{Batman characters}}
{{Wonder Woman}}
{{GoldenAge}}
}}
{{Portal bar|Comics|Speculative fiction}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Superman| ]]
[[Category:1938 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Culture of the United States]]
[[Category:Characters created by Jerry Siegel]]
[[Category:Characters created by Joe Shuster]]
[[Category:Comics adapted into animated series]]
[[Category:Comics adapted into plays]]
[[Category:Comics adapted into radio series]]
[[Category:Comics adapted into television series]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1938]]
[[Category:DC Comics adapted into films]]
[[Category:DC Comics adapted into video games]]
[[Category:DC Comics American superheroes]]
[[Category:DC Comics extraterrestrial characters]]
[[Category:DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds]]
[[Category:DC Comics characters with accelerated healing]]
[[Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability]]
[[Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman senses]]
[[Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman strength]]
[[Category:DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes]]
[[Category:DC Comics film characters]]
[[Category:DC Comics male superheroes]]
[[Category:DC Comics television characters]]
[[Category:DC Comics orphans]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from Kansas]]
[[Category:Fictional characters who can levitate]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with X-ray vision]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with air or wind abilities]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with solar abilities]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with eidetic memory]]
[[Category:Fictional extraterrestrial humanoids]]
[[Category:Fictional immigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Fictional refugees]]
[[Category:Fictional reporters and correspondents]]
[[Category:Fictional resurrected characters]]
[[Category:Fictional sole survivors]]
[[Category:Film serial characters]]
[[Category:Kryptonians]]
[[Category:Magazine mascots]]
[[Category:Male characters in advertising]]
[[Category:Mascots introduced in 1938]]
[[Category:Superheroes who are adopted]]
[[Category:Superman characters| ]]
[[Category:Superheroes with alter egos]]
[[Category:United States-themed superheroes]]
[[Category:Literary archetypes]]
[[Category:Justice League characters]]