Superman is a fictional superhero (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), who first appeared in American comic books (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) published by DC Comics (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and artist Joe Shuster (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), and first appeared in the comic book Action Comics #1 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) (cover-dated (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) June 1938 and published April 18, 1938).[1] (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) Superman has been adapted to a number of other media which includes radio serials, novels, movies, television shows and theatre.

Superman was born on the planet Krypton (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and was given the name Kal-El at birth. As a baby, his parents sent him to Earth (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) in a small spaceship moments before Krypton was destroyed in a natural cataclysm. His ship landed in the American countryside, near the fictional town of Smallville (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). He was found and adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), who named him Clark Kent. Clark developed various superhuman abilities, such as incredible strength and impervious skin. His adoptive parents advised him to use his abilities for the benefit of humanity, and he decided to fight crime as a vigilante (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). To protect his privacy, he changes into a colorful costume and uses the alias "Superman" when fighting crime. Clark Kent resides in the fictional American city of Metropolis (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), where he works as a journalist for the Daily Planet (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). Superman's supporting characters (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) include his love interest (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and fellow journalist Lois Lane (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and editor-in-chief Perry White (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). His classic foe is Lex Luthor (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), who is either a mad scientist or a ruthless businessman, depending on the story.

Although Superman was not the first superhero character, he popularized the superhero archetype and established its conventions. Superheroes are usually judged by how closely they resemble the standard set by Superman. He was the best-selling superhero character in American comic books up until the 1980s.[2] (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)