Today, the superhero genre is one of the highest-grossing pop culture industries in the world, generating billions of dollars annually through movies, TV shows, video games, merchandise, and, of course, comic books. However, superhero comics had very humble beginnings back in the late 1930s. Pulp fiction magazines and newspaper comic strips were very popular at the time, telling short anthology stories of adventurers and detectives. Some creators told stories of masked vigilantes in tights, such as the Phantom.
Still, they were mostly confined to comic strips and weren’t very popular. Costumed crimefighters gained popularity with the beginning of the Golden Age of Superheroes, which lasted from 1938 to 1956. Inspired by heroes of ancient myth, the modern idea of superheroes with fantastical powers and epic origin stories became an instant hit. Instead of short stories, these costumed characters had entire magazines or “comic books” dedicated to their adventures. From the very beginning, DC and Marvel laid the groundwork for the comic book industry and the superhero genre. From humble beginnings to global powerhouses, these are the DC and Marvel superheroes that set in motion nearly a century of epic tales of heroism.
7) Angel (Thomas Halloway)
Marvel’s original Angel was neither an X-Man nor a mutant, but instead, a man named Thomas Halloway. Thomas was born in the 1870s and raised in a prison by his father, the warden. After getting electrocuted in an accident, Thomas’s aging slowed down considerably, making him look like a young adult 50 years later. In the 1930s, inspired by the heroes he read about as a child, Thomas became the vigilante known as Angel. However, he was more like an angel of death, as he used a pair of pistols to gun down evildoers. Eventually, an immortal Greek woman bestowed the Mystic Cape of Mercury upon Thomas, granting him the power of flight. With this power, Angel became the terror of the skies, fighting crime lords and Nazis alike.
6) Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett)
Today, the Blue Beetle is a mantle that has been passed down through several generations. This heroic lineage began with Dan Garrett. Dan was a police officer whose father was murdered by a mob boss. To avenge his father, Dan became the superhero Blue Beetle and began a crusade against organized crime. While Dan initially lacked any powers, a scientist named Dr. Franz later provided him with a special vitamin that granted him enhanced strength and endurance. Created by the independent company Fox Comics, DC Comics acquired the rights to the Blue Beetle character in 1983. Dan died heroically, saving the world from an army of killer robots. Thankfully, his legacy lives on through his protégé, Ted Kord, the new Blue Beetle.
5) Sandman
Wesley Dodds, aka the Sandman, is a DC Comics noir-style detective superhero who became a founding member of the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America. For his whole life, Wesley suffered from vivid dreams of brutal crimes and murders. It turned out that his dreams weren’t imaginary, but instead prophetic visions of actual illegal activities. These nightmares inspired Wesley to apprehend the criminals that plagued his dreams so that he and the rest of New York could rest easier. To help him fight New York’s seedy underbelly, Wesley donned a gas mask and used a sleeping gas gun that could incapacitate multiple enemies at once. With his incredible skills of deduction and haunting atmosphere, the Sandman became the living nightmare of the criminal underworld.
4) Human Torch (Jim Hammond)
Not to be confused with Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four, the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond, was the very first superhero created by Marvel Comics. Despite the name, Jim is actually an android made of a special material that allows him to burst into flames and shoot fireballs. Jim wanted to understand humanity, so he became a cop in New York, while secretly having the heroic persona of the Human Torch. When America joined World War II, Jim fought alongside other Golden Age heroes against the Axis Powers like Captain America and Namor. Although he may not be as popular as his Fantastic Four counterpart, Jim Hammond played a crucial role in helping Marvel Comics become the comic powerhouse it is today.
3) Namor the Sub-Mariner
The first superhero capable of flight is probably the last one you’d ever expect: Namor the Sub-Mariner. Considered by many to be the first anti-hero in superhero comics, Namor is the hot-headed king of Atlantis. He has super-strength, can breathe underwater, and can talk to fish. Namor’s most unique power is having tiny wings on his ankles that let him fly. Namor is the son of a human sea captain and an Atlantean princess. He was raised as undersea royalty and was very prideful and arrogant. Namor’s belief in his people’s superiority and his violent tendencies have earned him a reputation as both a hero and a villain to the surface world. Still, he will always defend the people of Atlantis.
2) Batman
In 1939, the criminals of Gotham City had a reason to fear the night: the Batman. With one of the most iconic character designs in all of fiction, the Dark Knight instantly became an icon. Combining the tones of the superhero and noir genres, Batman is an amalgamation of fantastical adventures and gritty detective stories. When he was just a child, billionaire Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents and swore to avenge their deaths. Training his body and mind to achieve physical and mental perfection, Bruce donned the mask and cowl to strike terror into the hearts of criminals. With his mastery of numerous martial arts, his brilliant detective skills, and his vast arsenal of gadgets, Batman became the archetype of the powerless superhero.
1) Superman
Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Superman is undoubtedly one of the most influential characters in American history. The lone survivor of the planet Krypton, the baby Kal-El crash-landed in Kansas and was adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who renamed him Clark Kent. As he grew up, Clark began exhibiting incredible powers due to his alien heritage. He went on to become the hero Superman. Although Superman’s first appearance was in Action Comics #1 in 1938, the very first solo-superhero comic book was published in 1939, featuring him as the title figure. Superman became the blueprint for the superhero genre because of his powers, costume, and sense of justice. Even today, the Man of Steel stands as the ultimate symbol of heroism and the power of human decency.
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