History of Superheroes
Who is considered to be first mainstream hero?
Superman
Superman (est. 1938) is thought to be the first most iconic superhero, but there were more before him. Zorro, Doc Savage, the Green Hornet, and the Phantom are a few characters that have origin stories that may sound familiar to superhero fans, and they all came years before Superman.
Can crawl on walls, shoots webs, and quick reflexes
Spider-Man
Rich guy nearly dies and starts to spend a lot of money to keep himself alive and look cool at the same time.
Iron Man
Who released the superhero movie that made the most money?
Marvel, Avengers Endgame
Marvel didn't release the highest-grossing superhero movie, they released the highest-grossing MOVIE of all time! In fact, as of 11/2020, Marvel has released 9 of the top 30 highest-grossing films of all time. DC has released 2/30. And they are 23rd and 30th on the list.
Stan Lee, creator of Marvel characters like Spider-Man, Thor, X-Men, Black Panther, Iron Man, and about 200 others has appeared in every single Marvel movie.
False
While he has had over 60 cameos, there are a few movies where he didn't make an appearance.
What year did the word "superhero" originate?
(range of 10)
1917
The term was used to "describe a public figure of great talents or accomplishments" (Britannica) but it wasn't used to describe characters in the comics until the mid 1940's!
Swims really well and can talk with ocean creatures
Aquaman
Rich kid sees something tragic and when they grow up vows to spend their life (and money) to make their city a safer place.
Batman
Who released the first comic book?
DC Comics
Between the two, DC is the first to create a comic book with all original content (1935). Marvel released their first comic book 4 years later in 1939.
Wonder Woman (2017) was the first feature film to have a female superhero lead
False!
Multiple attempts at a female-led superhero film had taken place before Wonder Woman, however, none of them found the same success. Supergirl (1984) is credited as the first female superhero film followed by Catwoman (2004) and Electra (2005), all considered flops.
How were superheroes first created?
A. Books
B. Newspapers/Magazines
D. Radio shows
E. Comic Books, duh
B. Newspapers/Magazines
Before there were comic books, there were comic strips printed in newspapers and magazines. These comics were then taken and put into comic books. When these comics took off, then came the radio and TV shows, and later movies.
Entire body lights on fire and can fly
The Human Torch
A surgeon who after an accident, lost the ability to work with his hands. Sought out the help from a higher power.
Doctor Strange
Who released the first mainstream superhero movie?
DC, Superman, 1978
Between the two, DC beat it to the box office. However the FIRST superhero movie credit goes to The Mark of Zorro, a silent film from 1920.
Superhero movies didn't really start to pick up until the late 1980's with the release of Batman. Marvel jumped on the bandwagon with the X-Men and Spiderman movies in the early 2000's.
Captain America was developed during World War || to boost morale.
True!
Comics saw a huge increase in "patriotic" heroes during the '40s.
What is the first superhero to have its own theme song?
Batman
We got our first superhero theme in 1966. One year later, we'd be gifted with the iconic Spider-Man theme.
No super "powers" but is brilliant and uses chemistry to do research into peoples biggest fears.
Scarecrow
Fun Fact, the actor who portrays the Scarecrow in Batman Begins (2005), Cillian Murphy, originally auditioned to be Batman. He didn't get the part, but the director loved Murphy's acting so much, he wrote Scarecrow to be the movie's villain.
Has no memory of their past or their own age. Was tested on because of their mutant abilities. Escaped and only had dog tags as a form of identity.
Wolverine
Who created the first superhero "team"?
DC, the Justice Society of America, 1940
Composed of the Flash, the Green Lantern, and some lesser-known heroes, the JSA is credited as the first DC team. Hero teams would start picking up as much attention until 1960 with DC's Justice League. To keep up with the JL's success, Marvel unveiled their first superhero team in 1961... the Fantastic Four!
Kryptonite, Superman's infamous weakness was first mentioned on a radio show.
True!
Listening to radio shows was a popular family past-time in the mid-1900s. When the Superman comics started to become popular, radio decided to jump on the bandwagon as well.
The most expensive comic book ever sold was Action Comics #1... $3 million!
What was the original price of the comic?
$0.10
10 cents in 1938 would equal about $1.78 in today's currency. However if you were to go buy a comic today, that would cost you $2.99-4.99!
This was the first comic to feature Superman!
Money and Angst
Batman
Brilliant physicist and inventor. Spends their time devoted to work and needed extra arms to get their work done. The use of the arms drive them mad and angry.
Doctor Octopus
Who at one point, filed for bankruptcy?
Marvel
In 1996, comics weren't selling well and Marvel borrowed more than they could payback. Most movie attempts leading up to 1998 were complete busts. But in 1998, Blade, based on a Marvel comic, helped Marvel see the potential. They came out of bankruptcy and found success with Fox adapting X-Men (2000) and Spiderman (2002) to film. The rest is history.
Stan Lee created Wolverine
False.