Superman

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Cultural influences

Some people incorrectly believe that Superman is partly based on philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche?s Übermensch, which literally translates to ?overman? but could also mean ?superman.? Nietzsche?s Übermensch is any person who rejects unfounded thinking. Some people argue that kryptonians? mental and physical superiority when compared to humans is meant to indicate that they are racially better, as eugenics would teach. Others say that kryptonian super powers are merely a contrivance and the more advanced world of Krypton represents what the people of Earth can achieve in our future. This theory is bolstered by the fact that our own sun is getting older and will someday turn red, so if the universe with Superman?s physics were to apply to reality then someday Earth would produce humans who, when energized by a yellow sun, would likely have the same powers as Superman.

Related Topics:
Friedrich Nietzsche - Übermensch - Eugenics

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Superman is believed to have been inspired in part by Philip Wylie's 1930 science fiction novel Gladiator, about a man whose superhuman strength inspires him to help the human race, but who is instead spurned by humanity precisely because of his power. Other sources cited as inspirations include Doc Savage and The Shadow. Superman is a staple of American pop culture.

Related Topics:
Philip Wylie - Science fiction - Doc Savage - The Shadow - Pop culture

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DC Comics has trademarked variations on the "super" theme, such as "superdog" and "supergal", to circumvent parody or product confusion. Nevertheless, a great many imitations and parodies of Superman have appeared over the years. One of the first Superman-like characters to emerge, Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, sparked legal action because of its similarities to Superman. Well-known spoofs of Superman include Mighty Mouse, Underdog, Super Grover, and Super Goof.

Related Topics:
Trademarked - Captain Marvel - Mighty Mouse - Underdog - Super Grover - Super Goof

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In the 1978 "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali" issue, DC Comics took advantage of the popularity of a real world person. The heavy weight boxing champion had been praised as Black Superman in a song by Johnny Wakelin, too.

Related Topics:
Muhammad Ali - Johnny Wakelin

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In the 1990s, comic book artist and writer Rob Liefeld created a Superman pastiche and starred him in his own comic book series, Supreme. The series, published by Liefeld's Awesome Comics, sold moderately well at first, but sales dwindled until the series was taken over with issue #41 by writer Alan Moore. Moore produced 22 issues of Supreme that paid homage to the classic "Silver Age" Superman.

Related Topics:
1990s - Rob Liefeld - Pastiche - Supreme - Awesome Comics - Alan Moore

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Comedian Jerry Seinfeld expressed his fandom of Superman in several ways. On the Seinfeld TV show, a Superman statue sat on the stereo in Jerry's livingroom, and a Superman refrigerator magnet was always visible in his kitchen. Jerry affectionately addressed some of his girlfriends as "Lois Lane". Seinfeld is also famous for having a Superman reference in every episode. In 1998, an American Express commercial featured real-life Jerry Seinfeld and an animated Superman as buddies holding a running conversation around New York City, (directed by David Kellogg).

Related Topics:
Jerry Seinfeld - Seinfeld - 1998 - American Express - New York City - David Kellogg

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One of the few Superman-like characters that DC Comics allowed to stand without litigation is Hyperion, from Marvel Comics's superhero team, Squadron Supreme. The Squadron Supreme was created to do unofficial JLA/Avengers crossovers; the "new" characters were thinly veiled versions of their DC JLA counterparts. Hyperion stood in for Superman, the Whizzer for The Flash, etc. DC in turn introduced the "Assemblers of Angar", a thinly-veiled Avengers pastiche. Hyperion has been revamped in a new Marvel series, Supreme Power, giving a new take on the Superman mythology.

Related Topics:
Hyperion - Marvel Comics - Squadron Supreme - Supreme Power

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In 2004, local authorities in Sweden refused to allow a child to be named Stålmannen, which means Superman (literally: The Man of Steel). The Swedish parliament was considering at the time whether to intervene and overrule the initial judgement.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3701802.stm

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Actor Nicolas Cage and wife Alice Kim Cage named their first baby boy (born in 2005) Kal-el.

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