Superheroes

Popular Culture Module

Superheroes: Fact Sheet

S.4 (   )    Name: ________________________ (    )                      Date: ___________

Superheroes

A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage, who usually (though not always) possesses special or magic abilities beyond those of normal human beings. Many superheroes have a colorful and distinctive name and costume. A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine.

Since the 1938 debut of Superman, the character who inspired the term superhero, the stories of superheroes have dominated comic books and have become popular in other media such as films.

Although superheroes vary widely, a number of characteristics have become associated with the typical superhero:

• Amazing powers and abilities – eg. superhuman strength, the ability to fly.
• A strong moral code (to fight for good), including a willingness to risk one’s own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward.
• A secret identity that protects the superhero’s friends and family from becoming targets of his or her enemies.
• A flamboyant (colourful) and distinctive costume, often used to conceal the secret identity, and for this reason often including a mask.
• A symbol, such as a stylized letter or visual icon, usually on the chest. Perhaps the most recognizable are uppercase “S” of Superman and the bat emblem of Batman.
• A supporting cast including the hero’s friends, some of whom may know of the superhero’s secret identity.
• A number of enemies that he/she fights repeatedly, including an archenemy who is more troubling than the others.

Most superheroes usually work independently. However, there are also many superhero teams, such as the X-Men.

Superheroes most often appear in comics but are also found in radio, novels, TV series, movies, and other media such as the internet and computer games.

One of the most famous superheroes is Spiderman.  This character first appeared in comic books publishd by Marvel Comics in 1962. In the first story, shy but academically brilliant young student Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and develops spider-like superpowers. He can jump amazing distances and shoot spider webs from his hands. He can also climb up walls and is very strong. Spiderman has a distinctive red and blue costume, with the symbol of a spider on the chest.  He hides his identity by wearing a mask. In particular, he wants to hide from Mary Jane Watson, the girl he has been in love with all his life and from his best friend, Harry Osborn, who unfortunately is also the son of Peter’s enemy, the Green Goblin.  Spiderman has featured in cartoons, comic books and, most recently, in the highly successful series of films directed by Sam Raimi and starring actor Tobey Maguire.

Here are two superheroes, Mr Incredible (from the Pixar movie “The Incredibles”) and Spider man. Use the information in the article above to complete the table.

Source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero
	Mr Incredible	Spiderman
Secret Identity	Bob Parr, an insurance salesman.	_____________________
_______________________	He is very strong	________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________
How did he get his powers?	Bob was born into a family of superheroes. He got his powers from his parents.	________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________
______________________	Red tights and black gloves and boots.  He wears a black mask to hide his identity.	________________________ ________________________ ________________________
______________________	A yellow letter “i” in a black and orange oval.	________________________
Supporting cast	His wife Helen (Elastigirl), his daughter Violet, his son Dash and baby Jack Jack, his best friend Frozone.	________________________ ________________________
_______________________	Syndrome. He was Mr Incredible’s greatest fan when he was a boy.	________________________ ________________________ ________________________