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Superman Becomes a Superstar

The surprising story behind the world’s first superhero

April 2020

by Tod Olson

economic

having to do with money and how it is earned and used

My mom says that saving the money I made from my summer job was a great economic decision.

photo credit: Jamie Grill/Getty

origin

the point or place where something begins or is created

The sign for the mangoes says their origin is Australia.

photo credit: Young Swee Ming/Shutterstock

disguise

clothes or other things that you wear so that people will not recognize you

I guess my wig and glasses weren’t a great disguise because all my friends could still tell it was me!

photo credit: Matt Groves/Shuttetrstock

politicians

people who are active in government

Many people went to the city hall meeting to hear politicians speak before the election.

photo credit: SDI Productions/Getty

took advantage of

used unfairly for personal gain

I took advantage of my dad napping to sneak extra cookies.

photo credit: Fancy/Veer/Getty

It was 1938, and Americans were in trouble. Millions of people had lost their jobs. Hundreds of thousands were homeless. It had been like this for nearly 10 years, and there was no end in sight.

But wait! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s—the world’s first superhero.

That’s right. Superman first appeared in comic books in April 1938. The country was in the middle of a long economic crisis called the Great Depression. Americans needed an escape from their problems. They needed a hero who fought for the poor and the powerless.

Superman was their champion. And this is his real origin story.

In the Beginning

Bettmann/Getty Images

Jerry Siegel (left) and Joe Shuster

Superman was invented by nerds. That’s how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster would have described themselves. They went to high school together in Cleveland, Ohio.

Siegel wrote the first Superman pages. Shuster drew them. They gave their hero a disguise—as a newspaper reporter named Clark Kent. He would be quiet and gentle “like Joe and I are,” Siegel said. But as Superman, he would fight for anyone who felt powerless.

The People’s Hero

In the 1930s, that’s exactly how a lot of people felt. During the Great Depression, one in four Americans lost their jobs. Millions left their homes looking for work. They stood in long lines to get free food at soup kitchens.

These hard times left many Americans feeling angry. They blamed the rich and powerful for ruining their lives. Bankers, factory owners, and dishonest politicians were their villains. They became Superman’s enemies too.

In the early comics, Superman’s favorite targets were evil businessmen. He went after a mine owner who put his workers in danger. He battled a carmaker who made unsafe cars.

Years later, Superman would take on mad scientists who wanted to destroy Earth. But for now, his job was to protect ordinary people from real-world villains.

Rise of Comics

In Superman, Americans got the hero they needed. So did the comic book business. Just five years before Superman appeared, comics were only printed in newspapers. After his arrival, the new 10-cent comic books flew off the shelves. Each Superman issue sold 1.3 million copies.

The biggest comic book companies created superheroes by the dozen. DC’s Green Lantern beat up on evil bankers. Batman handled criminals in Gotham City. They were joined by Marvel’s Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch, and more.

A few years after Superman arrived, 9 in 10 kids read comic books. More than a third of adults read them too.

Unhappy Ending

That should have made Siegel and Shuster happy. The two men had made themselves famous. They had invented the superhero and changed the way people read. They also made a fortune for DC Comics.

But Siegel and Shuster never got rich. They had sold their famous character to DC. So no matter how many comic books were sold, all they made was $5 a page.

A big, powerful company took advantage of two ordinary guys.

Now that sounds like a job for Superman.

Superheroes Take Over the World

They’re everywhere these days. But . . . why?

Turn on the news. It’s full of frightening reports. Our world has big problems: war, disease, climate change. It’s easy to feel powerless.

But in the imaginary world of movies, one superhero can rescue the entire planet. Wonder Woman can end a war by killing a god. The Avengers can travel through time to save half the universe.

That’s probably why the world loves superheroes. Last year, fans spent more than $6 billion to watch their favorite superheroes at the theater. And it makes sense, right? As you eat your popcorn, you get an escape from reality. You enter a fantasy world where good always defeats evil.

But that’s not the only reason we love superhero stories. Our favorite heroes reflect who we want to be. When we watch Clark Kent become Superman, it reminds us that ordinary people can do great things. When we see T’Challa fight for his throne in Black Panther, it makes us feel brave. We believe we can actually make a difference in our school, or stand up for that friend who is being bullied.

In other words, these characters help us to be our best selves. They make us want to do what’s right—even if we get nothing in return.

So with that in mind, let’s pretend that the head of DC Comics just called. He wants you to create a new superhero. Who will that superhero be? What will he or she fight against?