Who was the 1st Superhero??

[Devil_LeonX]

hey Marvel fans, I was wondering if anyone would know who is the first superhero??

[Haunt]

Jesus Christ?????

[XPac]

hey Marvel fans, I was wondering if anyone would know who is the first superhero??

I think it was Mandrake the Magician.

[static]

damn here we go again....this is fraught with peril around every corner...who is the first marvel hero? who was the first comic book hero? do comic strips count? who appeared first in the magizine? and on and on and on...

the first damn Marvel superhero was Namor...close this damn thread now...

[Shellhead]

Depends on how you define superhero, and whether you are talking in terms of real world publication, or within continuity characters.

DC's first superhero was Superman, who debuted in June of 1938 in Action Comics #1. Within DC continuity, it was recently established in the Seven Soldiers maxi-series that the first superhero was Aurakles and he was around long centuries before our recorded history started.

Timely's (Marvel's) first superhero was Amazing-Man, who debuted in the summer of 1939, in Amazing Man Comics #1. In the coming months, they also introduced the (original) Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, the Angel, and Ka-zar. Within continuity... I'm not sure. Thor has been alive a long time, but so has Hercules.

But there were earlier characters that might be called superheroes. Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Tarzan, Doc Savage, the Shadow, the Phantom and the Spider, for example. Many of these characters wore distinctive costumes and even masks and capes.

[Peter David]

hey Marvel fans, I was wondering if anyone would know who is the first superhero??


Ever? In comics?

Popeye.

PAD

[John Nowak]

Gilgamesh of Babylon was one-third god. Enkidu was raised by wild animals, and commanded them. Eventually, Enkidu and Gilgamesh fought, but became friends, making this literally the oldest surviving plot twist.

More seriously, you have to define "Super Hero" first.

[TheIncredibleMisterFixit]

For Marvel Comics...probally Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur, or Bloodstone as far as Continuity go.
Namor as far as who was Published first.

[Evil-Spidey]

namor or the first human torch.

[ivesaidway2much]

I would guess the Two-gun kid was probably the first Marvel superhero. Unless you count time travel, since I think in a FF issue a year or two ago Reed was present at the birth of the universe, which would technically make him the first superhero.

[Leebenhouse]

Human Torch. First Anti-Hero? Namor. First Vigilante/hero? The Angel.

That is, of the modern heroic age.

Union Jack and a couple other costumed adventurers were around in WWI.

[Mariah]

THUPERMAN, WITH HITH ABILITY TO LEAP TALL BUILDINGTH WITH A THINGLE BOUND.

[Ivan Isaacs]

Lee Falk's The Phantom

[CaptainAwesome]

According to this web site http://www.supermanartists.comics.org/dchistory/DCHISTORY-1.htm Nathaniel Hawthorne created america's first superhero the Grey Champion in 1835.

Im not sure who Marvel's first superhero is, but I would assume its the original Human Torch.

[The Shadow]

Im not sure who Marvel's first superhero is, but I would assume its the original Human Torch.

Namor appeared in an 8 page giveaway called Motion Picture Funnies Weekly in April 1939. Very few went out and though covers were created for a few more issues none were ever completed... just the covers. It was a freebie promo comic to be distributed at movie theatres and only 8 are known to exist.

Timely Comics took Bill Evertt's Namor and included him in Marvel Comics #1 (changed to Marvel Mystery Comics with #2) where he appeared in the same story as shown in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly. Carl Burgos's Human Torch (who also snagged the cover) appeared second.

So from a technical standpoint the Sub-Mariner appeared first in April 1939. but from a Marvel/Atlas/Timely perspective the Human Torch appeared first as he got cover in Oct/Nov 1939.

[CyberCoyote]

At Marvel, eventually it'll be Sentry, he just made us forget he was first.

[hollando]

human torch oringinal under the timely comics name
as for marvel it would have been the fantastic four in the sexy sixties

[Devil_LeonX]

Why do many people say Superman was the first?

[dingo]

Why do many people say Superman was the first?

Because he was the first "classic" hero to appear in comics as we know them today.
Secret identity/costume/all that jazz.

[Jmacq1]

Actually, you could make an argument for the first Black Knight as the "first superhero in the Marvel Timeline" too. But moreover, there's also Ulysses Bloodstone, who was actually from the tail end of the Hyborian Age (though again I don't know if he quite qualifies as "superhero" more so than "immortal adventurer").

Plus Hercules probably had his Earthbound/Mythology based adventures at some point, but I dunno that I'd count Gods and Eternals as "superheroes" since they didn't regularly operate as such until the modern age.

[Xero]

The first was Hugo Danner, star of a little book called Gladiator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator_%28novel%29) by Philip Wylie.

[Mikado]

Lee Falk's The Phantom

yup :D :D :D

[Jmacq1]

Well, are we talking in a historical sense overall or just in the Marvel Universe?

Because if it's "overall" then Superman was really the first "super" hero.

Other costumed/masked heroes predate him, but by and large they were relatively "human" and any supernatural/superhuman abilities they possessed were either subtle or developed through intensive training or "magic". "Larger than life" certainly, but closer to costumed vigilantes and/or adventurers than superheroes (IE most of the literary and "pulp" characters leading up to Superman).

Superman was the first that really brought the whole package together (as noted above, the secret identity + costume, with the further addition of actual blatant "super" powers, and notably the fact that he was introduced in a comic-book rather than a book or pulp magazine). And of course he was the "trail-blazer" that eventually led to the massive roster of superheroes we have today.

Of course the line is very blurry and you can easily argue that the masked adventurers and "mystery men" that predate Superman qualify as "superheroes". You could even reach -way- back and make an argument for the mythological Gilgamesh as the first known "Super hero" if you wanted to. But really the modern concept of "super hero" is a product of the Comic Book format as much as anything else.

[hollando]

Why do many people say Superman was the first?

first one with an iconic theme
alian/immigrant

[hollando]

Well, are we talking in a historical sense overall or just in the Marvel Universe?

Because if it's "overall" then Superman was really the first "super" hero.

Other costumed/masked heroes predate him, but by and large they were relatively "human" and any supernatural/superhuman abilities they possessed were either subtle or developed through intensive training or "magic". "Larger than life" certainly, but closer to costumed vigilantes and/or adventurers than superheroes (IE most of the literary and "pulp" characters leading up to Superman).

Superman was the first that really brought the whole package together (as noted above, the secret identity + costume, with the further addition of actual blatant "super" powers, and notably the fact that he was introduced in a comic-book rather than a book or pulp magazine). And of course he was the "trail-blazer" that eventually led to the massive roster of superheroes we have today.

Of course the line is very blurry and you can easily argue that the masked adventurers and "mystery men" that predate Superman qualify as "superheroes". You could even reach -way- back and make an argument for the mythological Gilgamesh as the first known "Super hero" if you wanted to. But really the modern concept of "super hero" is a product of the Comic Book format as much as anything else.

although superman was created first batman was published before hand although like you pointed out at that time.......superman was definately the "trail-blazer"

[The Shadow]

although superman was created first batman was published before hand

Ummm... what?

Action Comics #1 containing the first appearance of Superman came out in June 1938. Batman didn't appear until Detective Comics #27 in May 1939.

In fact Bob Kane was told to create a superhero because of Superman's success.

[Evil-Spidey]

this guy:
http://encyclopedia.quickseek.com/images/MarvelComics1.jpg

[Matthew E]

I like Shellhead's answer.

To me, the key feature of the superhero as we know it, the modern superhero, is the secret identity. By which I mean, the character

1. maintains (as opposed to just using once or twice)
2. a dual identity (as opposed to leaving behind a former identity, like the Lone Ranger or Count of Monte Cristo)
3. for the purposes of routinely (which leaves out people who do this once, for personal revenge, like the Count of Monte Cristo again)
4. combating injustice (defining injustice as broadly as we need to)

And if that's our criterion, the Scarlet Pimpernel is the first modern superhero. He appeared in a novel in 1905.

So that's my answer. But it's a question that demands that you state a lot of assumptions; someone else might come up with another perfectly good way of approaching it.

[BeastieRunner]

The Phantom and The Clock both pre-dated Superman. You can technically count the Shadow in there before Superman as well.

Oh drat now you've got me started on the subject of history. I'll bold the most important facts so browsers can skip through to the more important things if they want.

Comic books roughly had their start in the 1830s with The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck. These were originally published in various languages in Europe before making it to English-speaking Britain and America in the 1840s. Strips soon started after than followed by some more comic books into the early 1900s. Then in 1936, the first hero made his debut. The Phantom was the first costumed hero ever in a comic. He also gave rise that year to the first masked hero, a detective dubbed The Clock. The Clock and Phantom paved the way for the future comic book characters, the superheroes. Most superheroes would use the mask and costume template established by these two so the hero could disguise his or her true identity from the public.

1938 was the start of The Golden Age of comic books. In the summer of that year, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave the world Superman. Superman is quite easily one of the most recognized names in the world today and it’s not hard to see why; he was faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound, more powerful than a steaming locomotive, could let bullets bounce off his chest, and he could fly. He was a super man undeniably so. About a year later, Bob Kane introduced the world to Batman. Batman was the first of the grim and gritty superheroes. He showed no remorse to killing his enemies while he used his smarts, detective abilities, and the ever handy utility belt to defeat the evil doers. These two would be the architect for the future wave of superheroes.

The 1940s also gave the world some very interesting characters and events in comic book history. We saw the first super heroine who was called Wonder Woman, Archie comics, Captain America take on the Nazis, the first superhero team in the form of the Justice Society of America, and the first sidekick with Robin. The superhero team and the sidekick was the most impacting item that came from the 1940s comics.

The 1950s is also known as the Silver Age of Comics. After the comic book villain, Dr. Fredric Wertham, got people to believe comic books were evil thus leading to their massive decline (and burning) and the U.S. Government overhauling “anti-American” standards for them, the industry had to restart itself. Marvel led this charge with the triumphant return of Captain America, The Human Torch, and Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. Marvel told people what they were doing since the end of World War II. Captain America had become a history teacher and his young sidekick Bucky was a student of his. But suddenly his old arch-nemesis, The Red Skull re-emerged to help the Commies. So, Captain America and Bucky leaped back into action to stop his dastardly plans. The Human Torch was captured by gangsters that buried him underground in the desert. Once America started testing their A-bombs there, the radiation made him more powerful than before so Human Torch freed himself and was off to find his sidekick Toro. He found out that the gangsters had sold Toro to the Commies. Human Torch then had to re-capture his young sidekick Toro and free him from the brainwashing that the Commies gave him. Namor had nothing really happen to him after the war, so he merely went back to his underwater kingdom until America called for him once again. The American Navy was having a problem with some of their ships inexplicably disappearing. They suspected (guess who!?) the Commies were up to something fishy. The Sub-Mariner investigated and found out the cause of the sinking ships was not the Commies, but done by robots from the planet Venus. After the Sub-Mariner defeated their commander the robots went back to Venus, promising never to return to earth. Detective Comics (DC) also restarted their comic books with new versions of all their heroes like The Flash, Green Lantern, and the Man of Steel Superman.

The Marvel Age (1960s) came next. Marvel when bezerk this decade, whipping out their most loved comics of all time. The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The Avengers, The X-men, Black Panther, Ka-Zar, The Hulk, and Dr. Doom just to name a few. The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the X-men were the most significant comics of this decade. The Fantastic Four had a team member called The Thing that did not get along with other members of his group and had gone through several bouts of depression because of the way he looks. Thing made the comic book seem real and people got caught up in it. This was a superhero whose superpowers came with a terrible cost. Spider-Man was a hero who kids could relate to because of his age. Peter Parker (Spider-man’s secret identity) was considered to be a nerd at school, had a hard time getting dates, and bullies beat him up (little did they know he could fight back but didn’t because of fear of ruining his secret identity). Peter remained someone readers could easily relate to as he grew up; he had a short-tempered boss named J. J. Jameson and even sometimes had troubles with landlords when it came to paying his rent. Black Panther was the first black superhero and paved the way for future black superheroes. The X-men were significant and popular because they were so different than the norm at the time. They looked (well most did, the ones with wings and blue fur didn’t anyway) like normal humans. They were people just like everyone else, who happened to be born with an extra ability. They became known as mutants and were hated, feared, loathed, and despised because they were the next step in the evolutionary process. What Stan Lee (the creator of Marvel, the X-men, Spider-man, and many more) illustrated paralleled the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.


I have more but I'll stop. I wrote my history dissertation on the history of the comic book, and this was just the small overview document portion.

[Expletive Deleted]

Since we're on a more "classic comics" footing, here . . .

[Cei-U!]

Timely's (Marvel's) first superhero was Amazing-Man, who debuted in the summer of 1939, in Amazing Man Comics #1. In the coming months, they also introduced the (original) Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, the Angel, and Ka-zar.

Although the same shop, Lloyd Jacquet's Funnies, Inc, produced both the early Martin Goodman comic books and the Amazing-Man title, the latter was published by Centaur, not Timely.

Cei-U!
I summon the point of order, Mr. Chairman

[dan bailey]

The X-men were significant and popular because they were so different than the norm at the time. They looked (well most did, the ones with wings and blue fur didn’t anyway) like normal humans. .

Just to be pedantic, because I have no doubt that you're well aware of the fact (& I realize you were giving us the extremely condensed version), the X-Men were of course not popular until the mid-'70s relaunch, before which time their title had become devoted solely to reprints before being cancelled altogether (& during which interval the Beast of course was pre-blue fur).

I wrote my history dissertation on the history of the comic book, and this was just the small overview document portion

How neat! Maybe if I'd gone in that direction instead of concentrating on the Share the Wealth movement in Arizona in the '30s & the New Left in the '60s, I'd have *choke* finished my degree.

[T GUy]

Beastierunner: The 1950s is also known as the Silver Age of Comics...

The Marvel Age (1960s) came next.

Not according to most historians. The Silver Age runs from 1956 to 1970.

[BeastieRunner]

Just to be pedantic, because I have no doubt that you're well aware of the fact (& I realize you were giving us the extremely condensed version), the X-Men were of course not popular until the mid-'70s relaunch, before which time their title had become devoted solely to reprints before being cancelled altogether (& during which interval the Beast of course was pre-blue fur).

Yeah, it was general terms for not-as-informed :) and my final paper had the word "became" before popular, which makes better sense. Most people who just know who the X-men are, don't know that Beast started out without the blue fur. I could only find a draft version my paper for the post, though.

Beastierunner:

Not according to most historians. The Silver Age runs from 1956 to 1970.

Yeah but that's old school now. :) I like the more modern approach were each decade gets labeled. It all depends on your interpretation, which is fine by me. I know my class textbook I teach from calls it the "Marvel Age" and that seems to be the way things are going. Us old schoolers are dying out . . .

I personally believe the changes are coming via the massive outpouring and popularity of Marvel movies right now.

[Hintermann]

The Silver Age runs from 1956 to 1970.

I thought that 'Silver Age' for comics was between 1955 and 1968. I have always considered the time in Spring 1968 when most standard comics went up in price from 12c to 15c an issue as the start of 'Bronze Age'.

[T GUy]

I'd consider the first appearance of the Barry Allen Flash as the first Silver Age comic, and end the Silver Age with Mort Weisinger's retirement from control of the Superman books and Jack Kirby's leaving Marvel. The Bronze Age begins with the first Kirby DC books in 1970, the Green Lantern/Arrow 'relevence' stories, Schwartz/Boltinoff/Etc. taking over the Supes line and Marvel (as 'Marvel')'s first licensed character, Conan the Barbarian (also their first commercially successful non-superhero since the begining of the 'Marvel age' with FF 1, if we subscribe to the POV that Sgt. Fury is more-or-less a superhero).

Having said all that, of course, this only applies to the History of American comicbook superheroes. It's completely irrelevent to you, as a comicbook funny-animal fan, and, indeed, to myself when I'm in the context of DC's Big Five war comics, where the ages (if ant exist...) are pre-series, series, and post-Kanigher-as-editor. Oh, and EC fans would say the ages are Pre-Trend, New Trend, New Direction and Mad. Romance comics collectors probably also have a different way of looking at it (for example, there's a definate break at some point in the swingin' 'sixties where the art style changes from Sekowsky/Romita to something more loose and 'sixtiesesque).

[CaptChucky]

Lee Falk's The Phantom
I'd also go with THE PHANTOM as the first superhero. The strip felt like a Superhero strip. He even had a cool costume and a great headquarters.

Popeye, while a great character, doesn't look or act like a standard superhero, although I will admit that Popeye was popular enough doing fantastic feats, that he may have lead the way to acceptance of superheroics in comics.

[BloodRedSandman]

The Fantastic Four.

I really enjoy reading their older stuff (pre-1985). When I started to get heavily into comic in the early 90's, I just did not like them as much as I used to.

[Red Oak Kid]

Spring Heeled Jack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Heeled_Jack

[Chris N]

Spring Heeled Jack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Heeled_Jack

While that's pretty damn cool if even close to real., I think you're missing the "hero" aspect of being a super-hero. Looks like he just stalked women.

People who dress in costumes to satisfy their aggressive sexual tendencies have another name.

[Perry Holley]

People who dress in costumes to satisfy their aggressive sexual tendencies have another name."Fanboy"?
.

[Chris N]

EDIT: Blah. Had a witty response, but photobucket is being fritzy and failing me. I will try again later...

[Red Oak Kid]

While that's pretty damn cool if even close to real., I think you're missing the "hero" aspect of being a super-hero. Looks like he just stalked women.



Here is what you missed by not reading the entire entry:

However, it was in the field of fictional entertainment where the legend of Spring Heeled Jack exerted the most extensive influence, due to his allegedly extraordinary nature. Almost from the moment the first incidents gained public knowledge, he turned into a successful fictional character, becoming the protagonist of many penny dreadfuls from 1840 to 1904.

In these stories (which take place in 1805, after Napoleon Bonaparte has conquered Europe), Spring Heeled Jack is Bertram Wraydon, a young and handsome lieutenant of the British Army, heir to £10,000 a year, who is unfairly framed for treason by his evil half brother Hubert Sedgefield. After escaping from his prison, Wraydon returns seeking revenge on the villains, assuming a secret identity and an odd-looking costume with mane and talons, fighting against evil and helping the innocent. He has a secret lair, where he has hidden what he managed to save of his inheritance, selflessly using it to fund his heroic activities. These include the design of a spring mechanism that allows him to leap over thirty feet, and a device to breathe flames at evildoers. He even has a trademark which he leaves at the scene of his actions; a letter "S" that he carves with his rapier after his mission is accomplished.

Although lacking durable literary value, the Spring Heeled Jack series exerted an important influence as a predecessor of modern day pulp magazine and comic superheroes, taking into consideration that they were written twenty years before the first Zorro adventure and more than half a century before other fictional characters like Batman or the Lone Ranger were created. Such lasting influence and its consequent cultural importance were, for most part of the 20th century, practically forgotten.

However, a renewed interest in the legend of Spring Heeled Jack has sparked in the last years. Several English comic characters were based directly on him since the early 1970s, like Jumping Jack, the Leaping Phantom, Spring-Heeled Jock and Spring-Heeled Jackson .

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/redoakkid/jack2.jpg

[Chris N]

Here is what you missed by not reading the entire entry:



Well, colour me embarrassed.


In the absence of further evidence, I think you've found the winner.

[Red Oak Kid]

Well, colour me embarrassed.

In the absence of further evidence, I think you've found the winner.

Don't be embarassed. In retrospect, the entry about the real SHJ was mind-numbingly long and I should have given a pointer to the relevant paragraph. My bad.:o

48 hours ago I had never heard of Spring Heel either. I was reading a book about the origins of the Detective novel(see my signature) and ran across the pic of the guy with bat wings on top of the tombstone.

Just goes to prove the old saying there really is nothing new under the sun.

There are probably even earlier examples, but back in those days you didn't have geeks saving every publication in mylar bags.:)

[Erebus]

Maybe Osiris, Egyption god of the dead. He fought against his evil brother, Set, and was brought back to life by his wife, Isis.

[Reptisaurus!]

First superhero?

Superman. Costume PLUS powers PLUS heroic moral code. I think a *pure* superhero has to have all three.

Which means I don't think Batman is as "pure" a superhero as Superman. But Spider-man or Captain America or Captain Marvel or Speedball are.