Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers" and dedicated to protecting the public and has some visual characteristic (typically an outfit) that makes him/her identifiable. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938 (The Shadow debuted in 1931 and The Phantom debuted in 1936 as well as radio heroes such as The Green Hornet in 1936), stories of superheroes—ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas—have dominated American comic books and crossed over into other media. The word itself dates to at least 1917.[1] A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine (also rendered super-heroine or super heroine). "Super-heroes" is a trademark co-owned by DC Comics and Marvel Comics.[2] Superheroes are authentically US-American[citation needed], spawning from The Great Depression era.

By most definitions, characters do not strictly require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes,[3] although terms such as costumed crime fighters are sometimes used to refer to those such as Batman and Green Arrow without such powers who share other common superhero traits. Such characters were generally referred to as "mystery men" in the so-called Golden Age of Comic Books to distinguish them from characters with super-powers.

Normally, superheroes use their powers to police day-to-day crime while also combating threats against humanity by supervillains, criminals of "unprecedented powers" in the same way as superheroes. One of these supervillains is often the superhero's archenemy, although sometimes the superhero has a rogues gallery of archenemies. Superheroes sometimes will combat irregular threats that also match their powers, such as aliens, magical entities, godlike or demonlike creatures.


source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero

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