A superhero is a fictional character who usually has supernatural abilities.
Superhero is a term formed by the prefix super (compositional element that refers to something excessive, preeminent or to the maximum degree) and the noun hero (someone recognized for his courage and deeds).
According to the Urgent Spanish Foundation ( Fundéu ), compound terms with the prefix super are written without spaces and without a hyphen. Super, furthermore, lacks an accent, unless it is used alone and as a noun.
This means that the notion that interests us on this occasion is written as follows: superhero . It is not correct to write super hero, super hero, super-hero or super-hero.
What is a superhero
Regarding the meaning of the concept, we can say that a superhero is a fictional character who usually has supernatural abilities and who stands out for helping the community, facing all types of evil characters.
Superheroes are usually protagonists of movies , TV series , cartoons and comic magazines ( comics ). There are superheroes who are human beings and lack special powers , like Batman . Most, however, have superhuman qualities since they are mutants (such as Wolverine , also known as Cheetah or Wolverine ) or aliens ( Superman ).
Batman is one of the most popular superheroes.
The story
For many, perhaps because it is the one that has had the most relevance over the last decades or because it is the one we have seen the most times in movies, on television or in comics, the first superhero in history is Superman . This character was born on the planet Kryton under the name Kal-El and his parents decided to send him to Earth to ensure he survived. Thus, he was adopted by a couple and began a new life calling himself Clark Kent , a journalist who combined his profession with his service for humanity.
However, those most knowledgeable about this type of supernatural character establish that the first superhero was actually Ghostly , who was created in 1930 by Takeo Nagamatsu . It was a figure who had been revived from his tomb, located in Atlantis , and who from that moment proposed to work alongside the scientists who had brought him back to life in their fight against Dr. Zero , who wanted to take over control of the world.
Its appearance resembles that of a skeleton and among its main qualities or powers are enormous strength and the power to fly, without forgetting that it is also considered invulnerable.
Precisely among the frequent abilities of superheroes are the ability to fly , telepathy , unlimited strength and extreme speed . It should be noted that these powers can also be found in evil characters who, due to their lack of morals , are not called superheroes.
Superheroes and villains
The latter, who are known as villains , usually have an apparent superiority over superheroes in terms of their power, although this is nothing more than the result of an imbalance, which must be detected to overcome it. There are many reasons why these characters try to get rid of their antagonists, although generally it is a great frustration for not having achieved popularity, or for not having been rescued by them in the middle of an accident that affected their physical appearance. or your motor skills forever.
Take for example the case of Two-Face , a character belonging to DC Comics and an enemy of Batman. His real name is Harvey Dent and before becoming a villain he worked as a district attorney ; In fact, he was one of the collaborators of the "masked bat" himself. However, one day someone threw acid on his face in the middle of a trial and ruined his image, after which he lost his mind and became another criminal. While Batman was not responsible for his misfortune, Two-Face blames him for not being there to save him, thus justifying his pursuit and the crime wave he leads.
Other features
One of the fundamental characteristics of every superhero is their weak point : to prevent them from becoming gods, there must always be a way to defeat them, which creates tension in the audience during each confrontation with the villains. This not only helps keep a series moving, but it gives a hopeful message , encouraging its followers to focus on their strengths to compensate for their weaknesses, instead of aiming for perfection as the only way to succeed.
The motivation of each superhero is another of the main features of each story, since it defines them and gives meaning to their adventures. If we think about the three characters mentioned above, Batman , Wolverine and Superman , we see a clear distinction: Batman cannot overcome the wound caused by the death of his parents in an absurd robbery; Wolverine was deceived and manipulated by science, which altered his body forever; Superman feels the pressure of defending a species to which he will never fully belong but that opened its arms to him and offered him the love he will never get from "his people."
Although these types of characters may seem attractive only to the little ones, this is not the case. A good example of this is the number of adults who consider themselves unconditional fans of certain superheroes and also the magnificent figures achieved at the box office by each and every one of the films about them that are presented.