Flying through the skies in his red cape, Superman has become one of the best known contemporary heroes. First published in Action Comics in 1938, Superman was created by American writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, who were inspired by the legend of Heracles. The two heroes have many similarities. Like Heracles, Superman has great strength and defeats many foes in order to ‘clean up’ society. Strikingly, Heracles cheated death by becoming a god after dying: Superman seems almost able to conquer death.
It is the differences between ancient heroes and those of today that are most telling, however. These differences show how much our worldviews and values have changed. The heroes of the Greeks and Romans favoured revenge rather than democratic justice and upheld the primacy of the ruling elite. In contrast, Superman stands for truth and justice and battles to protect the common people. However, both Heracles and Superman uphold the values of the community they protect.
