An image of Superman, one of the first superheroes in comics.

A superhero is a type of stock character, dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes—ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas—have dominated comic books and crossed over into other media. The word itself dates to at least 1916.^[1] A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine. "SUPER HEROES" was registered as a trademark jointly by DC Comics and Marvel Characters, Inc. on August 25, 2009.^[2]

Characters do not require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes; the term has also been applied to costumed crime fighters, characters without superpowers who perform the same functions as superheroes, such as Batman and Green Arrow.^[3] However, broad interpretations of the superhero archetype included masked vigilantes, such as the Spirit, who fought crime with their wits, fists and guns rather than superhuman powers, while concealing their identities with only a mask, hat and coat.^[4]

In the traditional paradigm, superheroes supplement official law enforcement efforts to fight crime by using their extraordinary abilities to circumvent legal and physical limitations affecting the police. In addition to this basic function, superheroes also confront characters representing their polar opposites, known as supervillains, who employ comparable powers and abilities toward nefarious purposes. Generally, a superhero will regularly engage in physical and strategic combat with a collection of recurring idiosyncratic and iconic villains, often known as a rogues gallery, in attempting to thwart a number of schemes. It is also common for one of these characters to serve as a primary antagonist and archenemy of the superhero, with the others serving as secondary nemeses. Additionally, superheroes will combat threats against humanity, such as extraterrestrials and supernatural or mythological entities, or threats posed by supervillains.

Superheroes remain a staple of most illustrated serial fiction in Western culture, frequently drawing both acclaim and controversy for their perceived influence on social and political issues addressed in their story-lines. In the twentieth century, superheroes and comic books were occasionally attacked as proponents of subversive political and social ideologies; on other occasions, they served to support and idealize the dominant values of the national culture. They have, historically, also been used for commentary on political, social, sexual, and philosophical controversies.^{[citation needed]}

Common traits[link]

America's Best Comics #7, October 1943

Extraordinary powers, skills, equipment[link]

Superhero powers vary widely. Superhuman strength, the ability to fly, enhanced senses, and the projection of energy bolts are common. Some superheroes rely upon special weapons or technology, such as Iron Man's powered armor suit and Green Lantern’s power ring. Many characters supplement their natural powers with a special weapon or device (e.g., Wonder Woman's lasso and bracelets, Green Arrow's trick arrows, Spider-Man's webbing, Wolverine's adamantium claws, Daredevil's billy club, or Thor's hammer).

Moral code[link]

A strong moral code, including a willingness to risk one's own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward (Spider-Man's "With great power there must also come great responsibility") can be an essential element of the superhero's basic character. Such as a code often includes a refusal or strong reluctance to kill or wield lethal weapons.

Secret identity[link]

A secret identity protects the superhero's friends and family from becoming the targets of an enemy. The Clark Kent alias, for example, served this purpose for Superman. Many superheroes have a confidant (usually a friend or relative who has been sworn to secrecy). As one scholarly work analyzed in 1972,

...the rigid convention of giving super-heroes a secret identity…is part of their psychological defence mechanism. Each super-hero chooses in the beginning of his career a disguise and a battle name.… He dons a mask and in doing so reaches back to the age-old custom of exorcising demons and evil spirits by frightening them with a terrifying disguise. Today the villain stands in place of evil spirits. The super-hero's disguise has therefore become a mythical element.… The super-hero divides himself into two component parts, each part playing its role: the alter ego and the secret identity. The dream half (alter ego) expresses all that the author or designer—and with him the reader—would like to be; the other half, rooted in reality, is a symbol of the ordinary everyday man following the behaviour pattern ordained by society. It is a division of life into dream and reality…and serves to strengthen the individual's self-confidence and to justify his personal way of thinking.^[5]

Motif or theme[link]

An underlying motif or theme affects the hero's name, costume, personal effects, and other aspects of his or her character. Batman, for example, resembles a large bat, operates at night, and uses several devices given a "bat" prefix, such as his bat-like car, the "Batmobile". Spider-Man shoots webs from his hands, has a spiderweb pattern on his costume, and other spider-like abilities. Phoenix can create inextinguishable cosmic fire and, like the mythical bird of the same name, she always rises from death.

Supporting characters[link]

Often the hero's personal relationships are complicated by the dual life necessary to preserve a secret identity. This was a common theme in Spider-Man and Batman stories in particular. A supporting cast of recurring characters, includes the hero's friends, co-workers and/or love interests, some of whom may know the superhero's secret identity.

Rogues gallery[link]

Generally, a superhero fights a rogues gallery of enemies on a recurring basis. In some cases the superhero fights run of the mill criminals before supervillains surface in their respective storylines. The hero may even be responsible for the appearance of the supervillains (the Scorpion was created as the perfect enemy to defeat Spider-Man, and characters in Batman's comics often accuse him of creating the villains he fights). Often superheroes have an archenemy who is more troublesome than the others, a nemesis who serves as the superhero's doppelganger or foil (e.g., Sabretooth embraces his instincts while Wolverine tries to control his; Batman is dark, quiet, and grim, while the Joker is colorful, loquacious, and flamboyant).

Financial support[link]

Independent wealth (e.g., Batman or the X-Men's benefactor Professor X) or an occupation that allows for minimal supervision (e.g., Superman's civilian job as a reporter) can be quite helpful in maintaining the superhero lifestyle.

Headquarters[link]

Many superheroes (and supervillains) have headquarters or a base of operations. These locations are often equipped with state-of-the-art or even alien technologies, and may be disguised or in secret locations to avoid detection by enemies or the general public. Some, such as the Baxter Building, are known to the public, although in some other cases the precise location may remain secret. Many heroes and villains who do not have a permanent headquarters are said to have a mobile base of operations. A headquarters can provide the character with a secure area for storing equipment and costumes, such as Batman's Batcave. For Superman, the Fortress of Solitude served as a quiet location to relax and study.

Backstory[link]

The backstory explains the circumstances by which the character acquired his or her abilities as well as the motivation for becoming a superhero. Many origin stories involve tragic elements and/or freak accidents that result in the development of the hero's abilities.

Achilles' heel[link]

A specific weakness or Achilles' heel can be an important plot device in a superhero story. The threat of Kryptonite provided Superman's enemies with a tool to restrict and challenge his powers. In the case of The Incredible Hulk, anger or injury triggered certain internal conditions necessary to release his powers.

Costume features[link]

A superhero's costume helps make him or her recognizable to both the reader, and the general public of the comic-book reality. Due to the serial nature of comics, the style and appearance of the title character often changes with the introduction of a new artist. To make the title character immediately distinguishable from other characters within the same title or from competing characters in other comic-book titles, it is practical to make the costumed character flamboyant and therefore more iconic. Costumes are often colorful to enhance the character's visual appeal and frequently incorporate the superhero's name and theme. For example, Daredevil resembles a red devil, Captain America's costume echoes the American flag, Batman resembles a large bat, and Spider-Man's costume features a spider web pattern. The convention of superheroes wearing masks, frequently without visible pupils, and skintight unitards originated with Lee Falk's comic strip hero The Phantom.

Most superheroes have a gadget or a weapon that is frequently associated with them. For example, Captain America has a shield, Batman has a utility belt, Thor his hammer, Daredevil his billy clubs and Wonder Woman her lasso of truth. Such an object often becomes the identifying feature which appears in most drawings so readers can identify the character by both the costume and this object. Some of these objects are the superheroes adopted symbols; some are incorporated into the main aspect of the character (Iron Man's repulsor rays which are a part of his main suit or Green Arrow's bow which is his key weapon).

Many features of superhero costumes recur frequently, including the following:

• Superheroes who maintain a secret identity often wear a mask, ranging from the domino masks of Green Lantern and Ms. Marvel to the full-face masks of Spider-Man and Black Panther. Most common are masks covering the upper face, leaving the mouth and jaw exposed (Captain America, Batman, Daredevil). This allows for both a believable disguise and recognizable facial expressions. A notable exception is Superman, who wears nothing on his face while fighting crime, but uses large glasses in his civilian life as Clark Kent. Some characters wear helmets, such as Doctor Fate, Magneto, and Thor.
• A symbol, such as a stylized letter or visual icon, usually on the chest. Examples include the uppercase "S" of Superman, the bat emblem of Batman or the spider emblem of Spider-Man and the large skull emblem of The Punisher. Often, they also wear a common symbol referring to their group or league, such as the "4" on the Fantastic Four's suits, or the "X" on the X-Men's costumes.
• Form-fitting clothing, often referred to as tights or Spandex, although the exact material is usually unidentified. Such material displays a character’s athletic build and heroic sex appeal and allows a simple design for illustrators to reproduce.
• While a vast majority of superheroes do not wear capes, the garment is still closely associated with them, likely because two of the most widely recognized superheroes, Batman and Superman, wear capes. In fact, police officers in Batman’s home of Gotham City have used the word "cape" as a shorthand for all superheroes and costumed crimefighters. The comic-book miniseries Watchmen and the animated movie The Incredibles commented on the potentially lethal impracticality of capes. In Marvel Comics, the term "cape-killer" has been used to describe Superhuman Restraint Unit, even though few notable Marvel heroes wear capes.
• While most superhero costumes merely hide the hero’s identity and present a recognizable image, parts of the costume (or the costume itself) have functional uses. Batman's utility belt and Spawn's "necroplasmic armor" have both been of great assistance to the heroes. Iron Man's armor, in particular, protects him and provides technological advantages.
• When thematically appropriate, some superheroes dress like people from various professions or subcultures. Zatanna, who possesses wizard-like powers, dresses as a stage magician, Marvel's Ghost Rider and DC's Lobo, ride superpowered motorcycles and dress in biker's leather garb.
• Several heroes of the 1990s, including Cable and many Image Comics characters, rejected the traditional superhero outfit for costumes that appeared more practical and militaristic. Shoulder pads, kevlar-like vests, metal-plated armor, knee and elbow pads, heavy-duty belts, and ammunition pouches were common features. Other characters, such as The Punisher or The Question, opt for a "civilian" costume (mostly a trench coat). A few, such as the Runaways, do not wear any distinctive outfits at all.
• Underpants worn over pants (trousers), or lack of pants altogether.

Categories of superheroes[link]

Individual superheroes can be categorized by archetypes, based upon their power set. Many heroes fit into more than one category. Examples of superhero archetype categories include the following.

Acrobat

A hero whose main ability is great control over his/her body, granting above average strength, stamina and reflexes. Usually depicted as medium-size to small frame persons, they can be either humans with extensive training (Robin, Daredevil, Super Mario) or superpowered beings (Spider-Man, The Creeper, Nightcrawler).

Aerial

A character whose main skill is flight, either by his/her own means (Angel, Hawkman, Zauriel) or because he/she is a very capable pilot (Blackhawk, Enemy Ace).

Armored Hero

A gadgeteer without personal superpowers, using powers generated from a suit of powered armor; e.g., Iron Man, S.T.R.I.P.E., and Steel.

Behemoth/Goliath

A character possessing massive superstrength and near-indestructibility and, for males, usually an oversized muscular body. One of the most powerful of the superhero archetypes; e.g., The Hulk, Lobo, He-Man, The Thing and Colossus.

Blaster

A hero whose main power is a distance attack, usually an "energy blast", this is the most common of the superhero archetypes; e.g., Black Lightning, Cyclops, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Starfire, Static, The Ray.

Chosen

A hero who usually gains powers from wielding magical or sci-fi items, such as swords (King Arthur, He-man, Lion-O, Black Knight, Shining Knight), wands (Sailor Moon), rings (Green Lantern), wrist bands (Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)) or other items generally worn on the chest (Power Rangers), arm region (Ben 10), or neck (Card Captors). This category also includes the hero who is bestowed with powers from some sort of enchantment (Captain Marvel (DC Comics)) or by human enhancement (Captain America).

Demon

A hero with demonic powers who fights against other demonic characters (Blade, Ghost Rider, Spawn, Werewolf by Night) or being a demon his/herself willing to protect humanity (Etrigan, Hellboy, Hellstorm).

Divine

A hero which powers were granted by a deity (Deadman, Phantom Stranger, The Crow, The Spectre, Wonder Woman, Zauriel) or for being a deity his/herself (Ares, Highfather, Hercules, Thor).

Energizer

A blaster who possesses the ability to generate a vast amount of energy (Ki, Chakra, etc.). Mostly associated with anime and manga heroes (Son Goku, Pegasus Seiya, Naruto Uzumaki, Yusuke Urameshi, etc.), they can summon vast reserves of energy during combat, growing in power as they train or when pushed to their limits. Some have even been known to "Henshin" into wilder versions of themselves (Super Saiyan, Nine-Tailed Forms, etc.). This category can also extend to characters who have the ability to absorb, hold, or redirect energy as well as discharge it, absorb the properties of matter, or absorb DNA to gain a being's powers (Amazing Man, Bishop, Gambit, Kevin Levin, Rogue).

Elementalist

A hero who controls some natural element or part of the natural world; e.g., Storm (weather), Magneto (magnetism), Phoenix (cosmic fire; life & death), Swamp Thing (vegetation), Human Torch and Green Flame (fire), Iceman and Ice (ice), Red Tornado (wind) or Animal Man and Vixen (animal kingdom avatars).

Feral

A hero linked somehow to the animal kingdom, granting him/her animalistic abilities and strengths either by power summoning (Animal Man, Vixen), having animal traits granting them bestial abilities (Wolverine, Dr. Hank McCoy, Sabretooth), shapeshifting (Beast Boy, Congo Bill, Timber Wolf) or being normal humans with empathic control over beasts (Tarzan, Rima the Jungle Girl, B'wana Beast).

Gadgeteer

A hero who invents or wields special equipment that often imitates superpowers, but has no personal super powers; e.g., Nite Owl, Tarantula, Blue Beetle, Green Lantern, and Catwoman.

Ghost

A hero with ghost-like abilities: either invisibility (such as Invisible Woman and Red Tornado); intangibility (such as Shadowcat and The Vision); or both (such as Deadman, Ghost, Martian Manhunter and The Spectre).

Healer

A hero who is able to quickly recover from serious injury; e.g., Lobo, The Crow, The Doctor, Wolverine. This may also be a hero whose primary ability is to heal others; e.g., Angel, Elixir, She-Ra.

Magician

A hero who is trained in the use of magic, another one of the most powerful of the superhero archetypes; e.g., Doctor Fate, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Zatanna.

Mariner

A hero related to the seas, usually depicted as stronger and more resilent than human beings (Aquaman, Namor, Popeye) or normal humans with skill and experience underwater (Sea Devils) and as seamen (Lance O'Casey).

Marksman

A hero who uses projectile weapons, typically guns, bows and arrows, boomerangs or throwing blades; e.g., Crimson Avenger, Green Arrow, Hawkeye, Jon Sable, Jonah Hex and Vigilante.

Martial Artist

A hero whose physical abilities are mostly human, rather than superhuman, but whose hand-to-hand combat skills are phenomenal. Some of these characters are actually superhuman (Iron Fist, Luke Cage), while others are human beings who are extremely skilled and athletic (Bronze Tiger, Richard Dragon, The Question, Shang Chi, Rick Flag, Wildcat).

Matter Manipulator

A hero with the power to alter the molecular structure of matter (Captain Atom, Doctor Manhattan, Firestorm and Silver Surfer).

Mechanical Hero

A hero related to technology, this category includes cyborgs (RoboCop, Vic Stone), remote controlled robots (Box, Bozo the Iron Man) but mostly automatons with advanced AI (Autobots, the original Human Torch, Infiltration Unit Zeta, Metal Men, Red Tornado, The Vision).

Mecha/Robot Pilot

A hero who controls a giant robot, a subtype common in Japanese superhero and science fiction media (Gundam, Robotech, Mazinger Z) as well as American versions e.g., Megas XLR, Big Guy.

Mentalist

A hero who possesses psionic abilities, such as telekinesis, telepathy and extra-sensory perception; e.g., Professor X, Emma Frost, Phoenix, Kelly Bailey, Martian Manhunter, Raven and Zatanna.

Metal Hero

A mainly space and police-based superhero who typically takes the form of an android, cyborg, or a human who dons a "metallic" suit. Henceforth, most of the Metal Heroes are also referred to as "Henshin (transforming) Heroes". They usually feature futurist or space age technology, vehicles, or weapons to fight monsters, high-tech gangs, extra-dimensional despots, or galactic crime barons. Examples include the Space Sheriffs (Shaider, Sharivan, and Gavan), Beetle Fighters (Juukou B-Fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto), and Special Rescue Teams (Exceedraft, Winspector, and Solbrain).

Militarized Warrior

Technically a combination between a martial artist and a marksman or a gadgeteer, either working within the armed forces (Captain America, Col. Nick Fury, James Bond, Sgt. Rock) or as a freelance (Batman, The Punisher, Wild Dog).

Paragon

A hero who possesses the basic powers of super-strength, flight and invulnerability. They are considered to be the most powerful of the superhero archetypes. Consisting of such heroes as the extraterrestrial Superman and Gladiator, the god Thor, the magically fueled Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman, or the solar/photokinetic Sentry.

Possessed

A hero who harbors an entity internally, which may be related to the divine or the demon archetypes; e.g., Etrigan, Ghost Rider, The Crow, The Spectre.

Reality Changer

Often a comedic hero whose set of powers include cartoon-like alterations of reality itself in his/her behalf (Big Head, Freakazoid!).

Rider

A hero who rides a powerful vehicle, e.g. Lobo, Ghost Rider or the Silver Surfer; or rides a unique creature, like Black Knight or Shining Knight.

Shapeshifter

A hero who can manipulate his/her own body to suit his/her needs, such as stretching (Plastic Man, Mister Fantastic, Elongated Man), or disguise (Changeling/Morph, Mystique). Other such shapeshifters can transform into animals (Beast Boy), alien creatures (Ben 10), inorganic materials (Metamorpho) or all of these things (Martian Manhunter).

Screamer

A blaster whose power is contained in the vocal chords (Banshee, Black Canary).

Size Changer

A shapeshifter who can alter his/her size; e.g., the Atom and The Wasp (shrinking only), Colossal Boy and Atom Smasher (growth only), Hank Pym (both).

Slasher

A hero whose main power is some form of hand-to-hand cutting weapon—either devices, such as knives or swords, (Deadpool, Elektra, Blade, Link) or natural, such as claws or fangs (Wolverine, Timber Wolf, Werewolf by Night).

Speedster

A hero possessing superhuman speed and reflexes; e.g., The Flash, Quicksilver, Sonic.

Super Genius/Master Mind

A hero possessing superhuman/superior intelligence or intellect; e.g., Professor X, Weasel, Forge, Brainiac 5, Dr. Hank McCoy, Mister Fantastic, the teenager Toyman, The Doctor.

Sleuth

Technically a type of Super Genius, but mainly someone who relies more on keen observation skills and deductive reasoning, often depicted as a very capable two-fisted fighter; e.g., Sherlock Holmes, The Question, Human Target, Elongated Man, Green Hornet, Rorschach, Van Helsing.

Teleporter

A hero who is able to teleport from point A to point B. Some teleport due to their own body chemistry (such as Nightcrawler), others teleport via telekinetic energy (such as Mysterio II).

Time Traveller

A hero with the ability to manipulate time itself. This category includes standard time traveler (Waverider, and Curtis Donovan), characters who manipulate the flow of time so as to either slow time down or to speed it up (Tempo and Hiro Nakamura), and characters (Phoenix and The Doctor) who travel through space as well as time.

Role-playing games[link]

In RPGs such as Hero Games' Champions, Green Ronin Publishing's Mutants & Masterminds, Cryptic Studios' MMORPG City of Heroes DC Universe Online and Champions Online, superheroes are formally organized into categories or archetypes based on their skills and abilities.

Trademark status[link]

Most dictionary definitions^[6] and common usages of the term are generic and not limited to the characters of any particular company or companies.

Nevertheless, variations on the term "Super Hero" are jointly claimed by DC Comics and Marvel Comics as trademarks. Registrations of "Super Hero" marks have been maintained by DC and Marvel since the 1960s.^[7] (U.S. Trademark Serial Nos. 72243225 and 73222079, among others).

Joint trademarks shared by competitors are rare in the United States.^[8] They are supported by a non-precedential 2003 Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision upholding the "Swiss Army" knife trademark. Like the "Super Hero" marks, the "Swiss Army" mark was jointly registered by competitors. It was upheld on the basis that the registrants jointly "represent a single source" of the knives, due to their long-standing cooperation for quality control.^[9]

Critics in the legal community dispute whether the "Super Hero" marks meet the legal standard for trademark protection in the United States-distinctive designation of a single source of a product or service. Controversy exists over each element of that standard: whether "Super Hero" is distinctive rather than generic, whether "Super Hero" designates a source of products or services, and whether DC and Marvel jointly represent a single source.^[10] Some critics further characterize the marks as a misuse of trademark law to chill competition.^[11]

History[link]

Growth in diversity[link]

For the first two decades of their existence in comic books, superheroes largely conformed to the model of lead characters in popular fiction of the time, with the typical superhero a white, middle- to upper- class, tall, heterosexual, professional, 20-to-35-year-old male. A majority of superheroes still fit this description as of 2011, but many characters began to break out of the mold in the 1960s.

Female superheroes[link]

The first known female superhero is writer-artist Fletcher Hanks' minor character Fantomah,^[12] an ageless, ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into a skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House's Jungle Comics #2 (cover-dated Feb. 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg".

Another seminal superheroine is Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, a non-costumed character who fought crime and wartime saboteurs using the superpower of invisibility; she debuted in the eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip by Russell Stamm on June 3, 1940. The first costumed, superpowered superhero character, the antihero the Black Widow—a costumed emissary of Satan who killed evildoers in order to send them to Hell—debuted in Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940), from Timely Comics, the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics.

Though non-superpowered, like the Phantom and Batman, the earliest female costumed crimefighter is The Woman in Red, introduced in Standard Comics' Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940);^[13][14] Other early examples, all non-superpowered, include Lady Luck, debuting in the Sunday-newspaper comic-book insert The Spirit Section June 2, 1940; the comedic character Red Tornado, debuting in All-American Publications All-American Comics #20 (Nov. 1940); Miss Fury, debuting in the eponymous comic strip by female cartoonist Tarpé Mills on April 6, 1941;^[15] the Phantom Lady, introduced in Quality Comics Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941); and the Black Cat, introduced in Harvey Comics' Pocket Comics #1 (also Aug. 1941).^[16][17] The superpowered Nelvana of the Northern Lights debuted in Canadian publisher Hillborough Studio's Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 (Aug. 1941), and Holyoke introduced the superhumanly strong Miss Victory the same month. The character was later adopted by A.C. Comics.

The first widely recognizable female superhero is Wonder Woman, from All-American Publications, one of two companies that would merge to form DC Comics. She was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston with help and inspiration from his wife Elizabeth and their mutual lover Olive Byrne.^[18][19] Wonder Woman debuted in All-American Publications' All Star Comics #8 (Jan. 1942).

Starting in the late 1950s, DC introduced Hawkgirl, Supergirl, Batwoman and later Batgirl, all female versions of prominent male superheroes. Batgirl would eventually shed her "bat" persona and become Oracle, the premiere information broker of the DC superhero community and leader of the superheroine team Birds of Prey In addition, the company introduced Zatanna and a second Black Canary and had several female supporting characters that were successful professionals, such as the Atom's love interest, attorney Jean Loring.

As with DC's superhero team the Justice League of America, which included Wonder Woman, the Marvel Comics teams of the early 1960s usually included at least one female, such as the Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl, the X-Men's Marvel Girl and the Avengers' Wasp and later Scarlet Witch. In the wake of second-wave feminism, the Invisible Girl became the more confident and assertive Invisible Woman, and Marvel Girl became the hugely powerful destructive force called Phoenix.

In subsequent decades, Elektra, Catwoman, Witchblade, and Spider-Girl became stars of popular series. The series Uncanny X-Men and its related superhero-team titles include many females in vital roles.

Superheroes of color[link]

Initially superheroes were almost universally white. Superheroes of other racial groups began to appear in from the late 1960s. They succeeded the non-superpowered stars of various features in the little-circulated All-Negro Comics #1 (1947); the feature "Waku, Prince of the Bantu", starring an African chieftain in Africa, in Atlas Comics' 1950s omnibus title Jungle Tales; and Dell Comics' 1965-1966 Western title Lobo, with the first African-American to star in his own series. First, in 1966, came Marvel Comics' the Black Panther, an African king who became the first black superhero.^[20] The first African-American superhero, the Falcon, followed in 1969, and three years later, Luke Cage, a self-styled "hero-for-hire", became the first black superhero to star in his own series. In 1971, following the appearances of such non-superpowed Native American protagonists as DC Comics' 1949 Pow Wow Smith and 1951 Strongbow, the non-superpowered but costumed Red Wolf became the first in the superheroic tradition to headline a series. In 1974, Shang Chi, a martial artist, became the first prominent Asian hero to star in an American comic book. (Asian-American FBI agent Jimmy Woo had starred in a short-lived 1950s series named after a "yellow peril" antagonist, Yellow Claw.)

Comic-book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotypes; Cage often employed lingo similar to that of blaxploitation films, Native Americans were often associated with wild animals and Asians were often portrayed as martial artists.

Subsequent minority heroes, such as the X-Men's Storm (the first black superheroine) and the Teen Titans' Cyborg avoided such conventions. Storm and Cyborg were both part of superhero teams, which became increasingly diverse in subsequent years. The X-Men, in the particular, were revived in 1975 with a line-up of characters culled from several nations, including the Kenyan Storm, German Nightcrawler, Russian Colossus, Irish Banshee and Canadian Wolverine. Diversity in both ethnicity and national origin would be an important part of subsequent superhero groups.

In 1989, the Monica Rambeau version of Marvel's Captain Marvel became the first female black superhero from a major publisher to get her own title, a one-shot issue. In 1991, Marvel's Epic Comics released Captain Confederacy, the first female black superhero to have her own ongoing series.

In 1993, Milestone Comics, an African-American owned imprint of DC, introduced a line of series that included characters of many ethnic minorities, including several black headliners. The imprint lasted four years, during which it introduced Static, a character adapted into the WB Network animated series Static Shock.

In addition to the creation of new minority heroes, publishers have filled the roles of once-Caucasian heroes with minorities. The African-American John Stewart debuted in 1971 as an alternate for Earth's Green Lantern Hal Jordan. In the 1980s, Stewart joined the Green Lantern Corps as a regular member. The creators of the 2000s-era Justice League animated series selected Stewart as the show's Green Lantern. Other such successor-heroes of color include DC's Firestorm (African-American) and Blue Beetle (Latino). Marvel Comics, in 2003 retroactive continuity, revealed that the "Supersoldier serum" that empowered Captain America was subsequently tested on an African American.^[21]

LGBT characters[link]

In 1992, Marvel revealed that Northstar, a member of the Canadian mutant superhero team Alpha Flight, was homosexual, after years of implication.^[22] This ended what one Marvel writer claimed was an mandate that there would be no LGBT characters in Marvel comics.^[23] Although some secondary characters in DC Comics' mature-audience miniseries Watchmen were gay, Northstar was the first openly gay mainstream superhero. Other gay and bisexual superheroes have since emerged, such as Pied Piper, Gen¹³'s Rainmaker, Freedom Ring, Tasmanian Devil (comics), and the gay couple Apollo and Midnighter of Wildstorm Comics' superhero team the Authority.

In the mid-2000s, some characters were revealed to be gay in two Marvel titles: Wiccan and Hulkling of the superhero group Young Avengers; and the X-Men's Colossus in the alternate universe Ultimate Marvel imprint. Xavin, from the Runaways is a shape-changing alien filling the part of a transgendered lesbian. In 2006, DC revealed in its Manhunter title that longtime character Obsidian was gay, and a new incarnation of Batwoman was introduced as a "lipstick lesbian" to some media attention.^[24][25]

See also[link]

	Comics portal
	Speculative fiction portal
	Superhero fiction portal

• Superhero fiction
• Real-life superhero
• Supervillain
• Science hero
• Superhero film
• List of actors who have played superheroes
• List of superhero debuts
• List of comic book superpowers

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Superheroes

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Cher Lloyd
Lloyd performing in April 2011
Background information
Birth name	Cher Lloyd
Born	(1993-07-28) 28 July 1993 (age 18) Malvern, Worcestershire, UK
Origin	Malvern, Worcestershire, UK
Genres	R&B,pop, dance-pop, hip hop, synthpop, rap, dubstep
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, model,
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Syco, Epic Records
Website	cherlloyd.com

Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English recording artist. Lloyd rose to fame when she finished fourth in the seventh series of The X Factor. Shortly afterwards, Lloyd was signed by Simon Cowell to Sony Music subsidiary Syco Music.

Cher Lloyd's debut single "Swagger Jagger" was released in June 2011. Despite receiving negative reviews, the single entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the Irish Singles Chart. Her second single "With Ur Love" was released on 31 October, featuring Mike Posner, and peaked at number four in the UK, and number five in Ireland, preceding her debut album Sticks + Stones, which peaked at number four in the UK Albums Chart and number seven on the Irish Albums Chart.^[1]

Life and career[link]

Early life[link]

Cher Lloyd used to live in Malvern with her parents Darren and Dina, and three younger siblings brother Josh, and sisters Sophie and Rosie. Lloyd attended Dyson Perrins CE Sports College, where she studied performing arts.^[2] She also attended theatre arts school Stagecoach.

[edit] 2010: The X Factor

During her time on the show she was mentored by Cheryl Cole (pictured).

Lloyd had previously auditioned for The X Factor twice before (when the minimum age was lower) singing ballads, but did not make it through.^[3] Lloyd has previously performed at holiday camps and said she gets a mixed reaction to her music, but was a big hit with x-factor judge at the time Cheryl Cole. She remarked on their similarity and Cheryl went on to support her throughout the show.^[4] She auditioned singing the Keri Hilson version of "Turn My Swag On".^[4] At bootcamp she sang a rap version of "Viva La Vida"^[5] adding lyrics she claimed to have written herself, but this was disputed and reports claimed she took them from a song by rapper Swizz Beatz.^[6][7] At the judges' houses she performed "Cooler Than Me"^[8] but suffered from tonsillitis and was unable to complete her song.^[9] She was given a second chance, but broke down sobbing and could not complete the song. Despite this, she was still picked as one of the final three girls by mentor Cheryl Cole.

Lloyd sang a rendition of "Just Be Good to Me" in the first of the live shows. In the second live show she sang "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". In the third live show, she sang a mashup of "No Diggity" and "Shout", and in the fourth live show she sang "Stay". This was the first time Lloyd did not rap in her performance, and Cowell even called it "the performance of the season". In week five, Lloyd sang "Empire State of Mind", but judges stated that after last week they were disappointed, and Cowell said it was copycat. However, the judges agreed that she redeemed herself with her rendition of "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" mixed with "Mockingbird", by Elton John and Eminem respectively, in week 6. In the seventh week, Lloyd was in the bottom two for the first time after her rendition of "Imagine", but Cowell, Cole and Walsh all saved her in the final showdown, resulting in Paije Richardson being eliminated. In the following week Lloyd performed "Girlfriend", followed by "Walk This Way". Both performances were credited by the judges and she was saved by the public vote the following night, securing her position in the semi final.^[10] In the semi-final, Lloyd performed "Nothin' on You" and "Love the Way You Lie" and was in the bottom two with Mary Byrne. She was saved by the judges again and put through to the final, even though voting statistics after the show revealed that Lloyd had the fewest votes.^[11] In the final she performed a mash-up of "The Clapping Song" and "Get Ur Freak On", followed by a duet with will.i.am, which was a mashup of "Where Is the Love?" and "I Gotta Feeling". Lloyd was then eliminated in fourth place, having received the fewest public votes.^[12]

[edit] 2011–12: Sticks + Stones, touring, and other ventures

Lloyd performing on the X Factor Live Tour, April 2011, the tour saw Lloyd performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK.^[13]

After the final it was announced that Lloyd had been signed by Syco Music.^[14] Lloyd and nine other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour from February 2011 to April 2011. The tour saw Lloyd performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK.^[15] Songwriter Autumn Rowe^[16] and producer RedOne^[17] worked on her debut album, scheduled for release in November 2011.^[18] Her debut single, "Swagger Jagger", received its first airplay on 20 June 2011 after it had been leaked onto the internet on 15 June 2011^[19] however, this version was later confirmed as only the demo of the track on Lloyd's Twitter account.^[20] The single was released on 31 July 2011^[21] and peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 7 August 2011.

On 28 July 2011, Lloyd previewed five tracks from her upcoming album during a Ustream session, including tracks featuring Busta Rhymes, Mike Posner, Ghetts, Mic Righteous and Dot Rotten.^[22] Lloyd confirmed on Twitter that "With Ur Love" featuring Mike Posner was to be released has her second single. The single was released on 30 October 2011. The single received its first radio airplay on 21 September 2011. The music video premiered on 1 October 2011, on morning show T4. The single sold 74,030 copies in its first week becoming the highest-selling number four single since Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)", which sold 74,248 copies in October 2010.^[23] Lloyd confirmed the album's title "Sticks + Stones" on her twitter. The album was released on 7 November 2011.^[24] The album peaked at number four and has sold 198,199 copies in the United Kingdom as of January 2012.^[25]

On 21 November 2011, Lloyd announced her debut headlining UK tour, the Sticks + Stones Tour, set for March and April 2012.^[26] In December 2011, two more dates were added due to popular demand for tickets.^[27] "Sticks + Stones" will be released in 2012 through Epic Records in the United States^[28] On 13 December, a music video for "Dub on the Track" featuring underground artists Mic Righteous, Dot Rotten and Ghetts, who also all appear in the accompanying video, premiered on SBTV.^[29][30] The song will not serve as the third single.^[31]

December 2011, Cher Lloyd signed a record deal with L.A. Reid to Epic Records in the United States. She is expected to release her debut album in the United States in late 2012.^[28]

"Want U Back" was confirmed^[32] as the third single from the album. The single version features vocals from American rapper Astro and was released 19 February 2012.^[33] Following the release of the music video on 6 January 2012, the single peaked at number twenty-six on the UK Singles Chart, due to digital downloads from the album.^[34] Cher confirmed via her official website that "Beautiful People" is the fourth single from the album, but there is no official release date.^[35]

In February 2012, Lloyd spoke out to BBC Radio on her consistent cyber-bullying and how she fears for her safety after becoming a victim of online bullying. "I'm public property and there's nothing I can do — I have got to deal with it." She continued: "The message that I have got for people is: I have always tried to act the hard person and that was just a front for me. It is about time now that I let people realise that I am a real person and if I can do it, with all these people that want a piece of me, then other victims can speak out as well. There have been many times when I have cried myself to sleep. I am very scared because I like to think people think I'm strong, because if they don't, then they might not think I can do it."^[36] Lloyd also spoke to Newsbeat on how she thinks the government should take more action in preventing cyber-bullying.^[37] On 24 February 2012, it was announced that Cher Lloyd has signed a modelling contract with Select. Select's special bookings revently stated:

Her strong individuality represents everything that we love about the youth today and their music. Like everyone, she is a melting pot of different emotions, from super confidence oozing fun to a vulnerability

Lloyd has previously appeared on the cover of RWD Magazine and modelled for fashion bible Wonderland.^[38]

2012–present: Marriage and second studio album[link]

On 10 April 2012, Cher Lloyd announced she has started work on her second album, and has done a few songs.^[39] Lloyd plans to re-release her single Want U Back in the US without Astro, but has recorded a remix with Snoop Dogg.^[40] L.A. Reid also plans to introduce Lloyd to American media in New York, hoping Lloyd will make a breakthrough in America.^[41] Cher Lloyd has recently confirmed her engagement to boyfriend Craig, and hopes to get married as soon as possible.^[42][43][44] However, Lloyd has received controversy due to marriage at a young age, but has argued her "Gypsy background means she should have already married by now". She hopes to get married sometime in the summer of 2012.^[45]

Discography[link]

• Sticks + Stones (2011)

Tours[link]

• 2011: The X Factor Live Tour 2011
• 2012: Sticks + Stones Tour

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

See also[link]

• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Cher Lloyd discography at MusicBrainz