Origins of Superman | Superman Costume

“He’s faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound; He’s Superman!” Everyone in America is familiar with these powerful opening sentences from either the comics or animated Superman cartoon series. This superhero has two origins – earthly and unearthly. It‘s interesting to know that without the earthly origin, there is no unearthly origin for this great superhero. That’s because he is but a figment of imagination. He exists in the minds. He exists in the books. He’s there in the movies. That’s about it. Let’s take a quick look at how The Man of Steel became what he is today in the minds of millions of fans (though they’ve never seen him).

The masterminds behind this iconic character were Jerry Siegel (the writer) and Joe Shuster (the artist) who first conceived this idea in 1932. The character was then sold to Detective Comics (now known as DC Comics) in 1938. Superman was the first superhero ever to grace the comics world. He became an instant hit with the people. This was something new for the readers and it created an interest that would never die. More than 80 years later, the superhero is still thriving on planet Earth. That’s how Superman began his reign on earth.

The Origins of the Superhero, Superman

Superman was not from earth. He was from planet Krypton. Readers were curious to find out more about the origins of Superman. The writers did a good job revealing details gradually. This kept the interest spark going. Kal-El was Superman’s original name. His parents on planet Krypton Jor-El and Lara were worried about their one-year-old son not being able to read yet. The planet was filled with highly intelligent beings and Kal-El wasn’t fitting in. That’s when the parents discussed about Earth. They believed that planet Earth along with the yellow sun would bestow incredible powers on Kal-El if he were sent to reside on the planet.

In a short while, planet Krypton experienced great quakes. Jor-El tried to urge the people of Krypton to abandon it before it explodes like a bomb. He suggested that they make Earth their new home. The administrators only laughed at this idea. The leaders refused to believe him. Months passed and then the end came, just like Jor-El had warned his people. All the mighty structures came crashing down, transit tubes broke and cities were destroyed in an instant.

Jor-El had been working on a spaceship model to transport his family to Earth. However, when destruction struck, the model wasn’t completed. It was only big enough for Lara and Kal to travel. Lara pledged loyalty to her husband and placed only Kal in the spaceship for take off. The parents stayed on Krypton. Within moments after the spaceship took off, the unstable planet exploded into tiny bits. Everyone perished; but little Kal moved on through time-warped space at incredible speeds to reach his destination – Earth.

Superman and His New Home Planet

After circling the planet, the rocket landed on the surface close to Smallville. Kal was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent who put him in an orphanage with the intention of adopting him. In the orphanage the little child displayed amazing abilities – he lifted the doctors who were trying to carry him, broke hard toys just by holding them, and hung by the ceiling lamp. The docs couldn’t even get a strong enough needle on their syringes to vaccinate him. Finally, when the Kents came back to the orphanage to take him home, they gladly gave him away. Little did they realize that this boy would grow up to be Superman, some day.

The Kents took him home and named him Clark (after Martha’s family). Here was the superhero, on Earth, and named Clark Kent. Nobody knew of his super powers, not yet; and not even himself. He soon began to discover his powers: flight, strength, and x-ray vision. He decided to use these powers as Superboy. He did. In a few years after that he was orphaned. Both his parents died. Jonathan asked Clark to vow that he would use his powers for the good of mankind.

Superman and Fame

Superman moved from Smallville to Metropolis where he graduated from university and took up a job as a reporter. He was happy about this job because it gave him firsthand information about where crimes were taking place. He would fight it to save the innocent. His deeds were recognized and soon awarded honorary citizenship in all the countries of the UN. His good deeds established him as a superhero in Metropolis and the world.

Superman in American History

The character was an inspiration and a fighting champion during the Great Depression. He was seen as the savior fighting corrupt politicians and diplomats. He was also found to be the champion to various social causes. Superman’s character was inspired by a host of other characters that ran criss-cross in the lives of Siegel and Shuster.

The Man of Steel soon became an American icon. His adventures and life proved to have a positive impact on the people. In fact, some of the characters and names from the comics have become very popular among the people – Kryptonite and Brainiac are just two examples. If you’ve heard the phrase “I’m not Superman” you know it means that the speaker agrees he is not invincible. The Man of Steel’s success gave rise to the creation of many other superheroes. During this time, merchandising became popular. Businessmen started licensing the character in order to make money through the sales of figures and other products.

If that’s not all, poets, writers and musicians started writing and singing on the theme of the character. Homages were given to many people in the form of songs and writings based on the name of Superman. He is also mentioned in many superhero films, at least as a passing remark.

This not only tells us that the character has been ingrained into every heart. The honor and trust that the character brought to the screen and books have found their way into the lives of millions of fans. Superman truly became the icon of the century in America. Is his character relevant in today’s context? The most probable answer you will hear is “Yes”.