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Proto-Superhero
- 174 statements
- 31 feature instances
- 31 referencing feature instances
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While the deeper roots of the Superhero can be traced back for millennia, with superhuman warriors such as Gilgamesh populating ancient mythology and Semi-Divine Classical Mythology heroes as well as vigilantes like Robin Hood numbering among many cultures' great folk heroes, the codification of the superhero genre had to wait until the emergence of commercial fiction. Only when word-of-mouth storytelling gave way to mass-market publication did the iconic themes and qualities that make a "superhero" captivating - impressive and extraordinary abilities, secret and/or outlaw identities, defense of others without need for reward - prove appealing (and marketable) enough to meld together into a new archetype: heroism, re-imagined for the modern age and audience. With Action Comics #1 and its introduction of Superman (June 1938), these new heroes would find their lasting home in comic books. But prior to this emergence of The Golden Age of Comic Books, earlier prototypes of the genre had to blaze the trail via a wider range of media: penny dreadfuls, pulp novels and magazines, Radio Dramas, newspaper Comic Strips, and stage plays all preceded the explosion of comic books in the 1930s. The heroes of these works, whose adventures set the stage for the Golden Age, weren't always as completely "super" as their successors, but such prototypes demonstrate the transition by which age-old heroic folktales gave way to our contemporary genre of commercial superhero fiction. Unlike their successors these heroes, especially ones found in literature, didn't have the same restrictions placed on them by the Moral Guardians and so modern readers can find themselves surprised to find that many of these characters feel like deconstructions of the superhero genre years before the genre really took off. Of the characters that arose during this transition, most have faded from the popular imagination. The Golden Age's superhuman heroes tended to overshadow their predecessors, who seldom boasted more than a Charles Atlas Superpower or a signature gadget to their advantage. (See also: Non-Powered Costumed Hero.) Only a lucky handful (Zorro, Tarzan, The Shadow, The Phantom, The Lone Ranger, Golden Bat) have remained popularly-recognized since their inception. But superpowered or not, widely-remembered or not, it's these Proto Superheroes to which later Golden, Silver, Bronze, Dark and Modern Age comic superheroes owe their success, as inspiration for their archetype and the industry that birthed them. |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_12b2b8a6 | type |
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Discussed in Unbreakable. Elijah Price expounds on the ways comic book superheroes have their roots in earlier forms and archetypes, and uses this fact to bolster his belief that they are ultimately based on real life. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_1aba05b2 | type |
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The Red Shadow from The Desert Song (1926), the son of a French general who uses a secret identity to aid Moroccan rebels against colonial powers. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_1be627ce | type |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_1be627ce | comment |
Some of the heroes in The Twelve fit the proto-superhero archetypes such as the Phantom Reporter and Mr E, the former noting in his narration how awkward it is to meet someone dressed exactly like him with the two clearly being based on characters like the Shadow. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_1ec3ec7b | type |
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A modern evocation of this trope: When the Crisis on Infinite Earths shredded DC's existing continuity, the question arose of what exactly the Justice Society of America was supposed to have been like if Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were never members. So Roy Thomas created expies of them, and Superman's expy was clearly designed in the plainclothes Proto-Superhero mold, a super-strong guy named Iron Munro. Appropriately, Thomas based him on Aarn Munro by John W. Campell and Hugo Danner, the hero of the science fiction novel Gladiator that is theorized to have inspired Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to invent Superman. Hugo Danner was also used, being the father of Iron Munro. The name Iron Munro had already been used in Shadow Comics in the 40s, in addition, Thomas also made a story of Hugo Danner to Marvel in the 70s. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_22a75349 | type |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_22a75349 | comment |
The Spider was a Pulp Magazine hero created in 1933 as a Follow the Leader Expy of The Shadow. Stan Lee, in his 1974 book Origins Of Marvel Comics, credited him as an inspiration for Spider-Man — or at least, his tagline, "The Spider, Master of Men!"; the two characters otherwise have virtually nothing in common. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_261678a3 | type |
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The original 1934 version of Black Bat qualifies as this, although the 1938 retooled version is essentially a separate, post-Superman character. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_2d16e106 | type |
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The Reverend Doctor Syn, aka "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh", featured in a series of novels starting in 1915. A swashbuckling Anti-Hero of late 18th century England, he foiled Crown agents' attempts to prosecute his neighbors for smuggling by riding out by night, dressed as a spooky scarecrow. Later books established that this was his second alternate identity, as the mild-mannered vicar-by-day had also been a notorious pirate for a time. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_3106477d | type |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_3106477d | comment |
Phantom (not that one) was a pulp-novel masked detective from 1933, and the third longest-running pulp hero after The Shadow and Doc Savage. Notable for having a secret laboratory and for aiding the police when summoned by a Bat Signal. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_3359ce51 | type |
Proto-Superhero | |
| Proto-Superhero / int_3359ce51 | comment |
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, premiered in a British tabloid strip in 1937, before emigrating to Golden Age American comic books. Essentially a Distaff Expy of Tarzan with a gift for talking to animals, she inspired the whole Jungle Princess genre, and is a rare case of a Proto Superheroine. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_46f0352c | type |
Proto-Superhero | |
| Proto-Superhero / int_46f0352c | comment |
The Shadow (1930) from radio dramas and pulp novels. Debuting as a Horror Host narrator who introduced short tales of suspense, his signature creepy laugh and catchphrase ("Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?") roused so much interest with listeners that he was expanded into an intimidating crime-fighter in his own right. Another of the main inspirations for Batman, who admits as much in-Verse during a crossover story (see page quote). | |
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Proto-Superhero | |
| Proto-Superhero / int_4aeea402 | comment |
Doc Savage is another early example, appearing in pulp novels from 1933 to 1949. He lacks any traditional superpowers, instead having been trained by both scholars and savages alike to become the pinnacle of humanity: a massive Genius Bruiser with his own group of partners to help him out in various fields of expertise. | |
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Proto-Superhero | |
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Popeye started out as a bit character in a 1929 Thimble Theatre syndicated strip, then migrated to Western Animation via a 1933 stint in Betty Boop. In his first appearance he could recover from injuries by rubbing the head of a magical chicken. When readers' letters urged his return, the gimmick of spinach as a Power-Up Food bestowing Super-Strength was introduced: a comedic harbinger of later Super Serum-enhanced heroes such as Captain America. | |
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Zorro started in the printed word in 1919, when The Curse of Capistrano appeared in the Pulp Magazine All-Story Weekly, before moving to the cinema; see under Live-Action Films, above. The Californian nobleman Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in all-black clothes, including cape, mask and hat. Using the alias Señor Zorro — Mr. Fox — he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He does so without superpowers except for his superb training, masked in black and operating mostly at night, with the sole aid of his faithful valet and assistant Bernardo. To say he's one of the biggest inspirations for Batman is understating the case; in fact, it's now in-universe canon that Bruce was inspired by him and the movie that the Waynes were leaving before Bruce's parents were murdered is traditionally a Zorro film. Batman wasn't the only superhero who owes his existence to Zorro, Jerry Siegel has credited Zorro along with The Scarlet Pimpernel as one of the inspirations for the creation of Superman particularly the concept of his dual identity as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, as 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 and Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Siegel thought this would make for interesting dramatic contrast and good humor. Superman's stance as the Champion of the Oppressed and devil-may-care attitude during his early Golden Age appearances were influenced by the characters of The Mark of Zorro star Douglas Fairbanks, who starred in similar adventure films such as Robin Hood. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_5c844cd | type |
Proto-Superhero | |
| Proto-Superhero / int_5c844cd | comment |
Solomon Kane, from the pulp novels of the same name by writer Robert E. Howard (the same individual who created Conan the Barbarian), first started in 1928. Kane is a late-sixteenth to early-seventeenth century English Puritan who travels the world, occasionally accompanied by his comrade N'Longa, fighting and killing vampires and other evil beings of both human and magical nature with his musket, sword and the Staff of Solomon. He shows kindness (in his own subdued way) to the oppressed and innocent, and against the corrupt and evil, nothing, not even the Eldritch Abominations of Lovecraftian bent, will escape his pursuit of justice for the downtrodden. | |
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Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (1814-1842), Japan's first breakout Serial Novel, is often regarded as a prototype of (among other things) local-style superheroes. It kicks off with a Mass Super-Empowering Event (triggered by a "curse of savagery" on the incorruptible Satomi clan backfiring) which causes eight young men scattered across the Kanto region to be born with latent dog-themed superpowers and an affinity for one of the Eight Confucian Virtues, and then follows their exploits as their own personal quests collide with them stumbling across each other and learning of their shared origins. Each of the Dog Warriors also has distinctive skills of their own, ranging from Elemental Powers to Master of Disguise. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_83b5cf0a | type |
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The 1930 Pulp novel Gladiator focused on Hugo Danner, who became gifted with incredible strength thanks to an experiment carried out by his father. However, unlike several examples here, all Hugo wants to do is utilize his powers to make a normal life for himself. | |
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Fantômas by Frenchmen Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain, is another proto-supervillain with a Secret Identity: a criminal mastermind and a master of disguise who always gets away in the end. He debuted in 1911. | |
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Golden Bat is believed to be Japan's first superhero and the first illustrated superhero, debuting in 1930 (in Kamishibai paper theatre). He may also be the first to fully fit the modern "Flying Brick" superhero motif: Super-Strength, Super-Speed and Flight plus a cape. Tokusatsu, Magical Girls, Super Robots and Sentai all go back to him. | |
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Ka-Zar was a Tarzan Expy who started in pulp novels in 1936. Unlike Tarzan, his physical abilities were acquired via a witch doctor's potion, and when he spoke to animals, he'd hear them respond in complete sentences that no one else could hear. The name later migrated to Marvel Comics, but Marvel has stated that the Golden Age Ka-Zar is not the same character as the Silver Age one, and per Word of God, the Golden Age Ka-Zar is considered not to be part of the Marvel Universe. | |
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Proto-Superhero | |
| Proto-Superhero / int_b64f2365 | comment |
The Mark of Zorro (1920) shaped Zorro as we know him. As described below in the Literature section, it was based on the first Zorro story, "The Curse of Capistrano", published just the year before, but that story featured a Zorro who wore a sombrero and threatened people with a gun. This film invented the masked swordsman that became popular, which would later greatly inspire the creation of Batman, even moreso since canonically Bruce Wayne's parents get murdered after watching the 1940 remake in theaters. | |
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The Domino Lady, another Proto Superheroine, appeared in the risque Pulp Magazine Saucy Romantic Adventures starting in 1936. A masked Guile Hero who left calling cards similar to The Clock's, she took her revenge for the murder of her DA father by robbing corrupt politicians and gangsters, then donating the loot to charity. | |
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Tarzan debuted in October of 1912, boasting a slate of Charles Atlas Superpowers attributed to his blue-blooded heritage and Noble Savage upbringing by apes. Later novels also made him an Omniglot, and immortal by way of an appropriated eternal-life drug. He is a major influence on virtually every jungle-themed hero to follow, and his Raised by Wolves origin story and knack for communicating with animals were emulated by many later superheroes, including Aquaman. | |
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Dr. Jekyll of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) is another good example of a proto-supervillain: a Mad Scientist who creates a Psycho Serum that turns him into A Darker Me so he can indulge in evil without having to worry about conscience or morality. One of the earliest examples of a proto-super (good or evil) with a Transformation Sequence. | |
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John Carter of Mars was first released in serial form in February of 1912. John Carter has a Mysterious Past, doesn't remember his childhood and seems to have always been in his thirties. Being from Earth, he has seemingly 'Supermarsian' strength and agility in Mars' lower gravity; many stock feats of super-athleticism used throughout the genre made their debut here. | |
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The Scarlet Pimpernel was the Master of Disguise hero of a classic action-adventure story written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy in 1901 and debuted as a play in 1903-05. A one-man Underground Railroad who smuggled French bluebloods out of the clutches of unforgiving revolutionaries, the Pimpernel is the likely source of the genre's Secret Identity and Calling Card concepts. | |
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The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) has a pretty good claim to being a proto-hero as well as an inspiration for Batman. He is a brooding loner, and bent on revenge. He is also massively wealthy, a Master of Disguise, and has picked up immense physical prowess along the way. The Batman villain Bane, who is an Evil Counterpart of Batman, has a backstory based off of that of Dantes/The Count. The association between The Count and the Proto-Superhero concept goes back a long way; The Son of Monte Cristo, an original sequel to the novel filmed in 1940, depicted Dantes's heir as a Zorro-like political vigilante, The Torch. | |
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The Lone Ranger (1933) and The Green Hornet (1936) were both created by the same man, and are implied to be related in-universe. The original versions had much in common, with the notable exception that the Ranger, while masked, was universally recognized as one of the good guys, while the Hornet was feared as the worst criminal of them all. | |
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Nick Carter was a pulp detective hero created in 1886. While he didn't have a costume or superpowers, his dime novel incarnation had him possess abnormal strength able to “lift a horse with ease… while a heavy man is seated in the saddle.... he can place four packs of playing cards together, and tear them in halves between his thumbs and fingers.� and was a master of disguise, he did fight many traditional comic book-style villains, such as aliens and monsters. He was a major inspiration for Doc Savage. | |
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Sherlock Holmes, who debuted in 1887's A Study in Scarlet, was as great a detective as the later Batman with sidekicks, a base and impressive martial arts skills. Although he worked openly and his one super-villain nemesis didn't quite threaten world domination, his serialized adventures captivated a nation and were seen as a reaction to the nefarious activities afoot in what was then the world's largest metropolis. | |
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The creation of cartoonist William H.D. Koerner, Hugo Hercules was the titular hero of a comic strip that ran less than 5 months, from September 1902 to January 1903, for the Chicago Tribune. Endowed with superhuman strength, he was a lighthearted character who mostly rescued people from accidents or foolish mishaps rather than crime. | |
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| Proto-Superhero / int_fa709106 | comment |
Mandrake the Magician was created in comic strips (1934). He is the prototype for many later magician-style heroes, most notably the Zatara family. | |
| Proto-Superhero / int_fa709106 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Proto-Superhero / int_fa709106 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Mandrake the Magician (Comic Strip) | hasFeature |
Proto-Superhero / int_fa709106 |
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