How many different types of 'super-heroes' are there?

[LTuser]

From all the films/shows/comics it seems we have several different types of superheroes.

We have mutants (those born with the X gene),
Enhanced humans (black panther's drug thing)
Inhumans (mixed DNA that has to be activated by Terra genesis)
"Turned" humans (the fantastic 4 cosmic radiation, or dark matter for meta-humans in DC)
Tech'ed supers (like iron-man)
ANd just plain ole 'i am a bad-ass' human (oli queen, batman)..

What other types do you see there being, and where do you see certain super heroes being?)

We have for the "Turned" classification
Hulk
Spiderman
Flash
Fantastic four
Killer frost
Sara lance (lazurus pit)
Laurel lance (well black canary)
Kid flash
Jessie quick
Stretch (Dibney)
Vibe

For enhanced we have;
Buckie (The winter soldier)
Capt America
Black panther

For mutants we have practically everyone from the Xmen/force/factor grouping

For Teched we have
Falcon
Ironman
War machine
Ant man
Wasp

 

[FunkMiller]

Two.

Superman and Batman.

Everyone else is on a scale between them.

 

[psylockolussus]

Fantastic Four are definitely different to those two, as they don't hide their identity. Did Sue wear glasses and use afake name when she's not doing superhero stuff.

 

[Breogan]

I tried some categories, by no means exhaustive, I'm sure I'm overlooking allot, and there is plenty of crossover:

Self made- To survive this horror or tragedy, I will turn myself into something better. Reinvents self, mind, body, tech, weapons., to fight back.

Lab made- We will test experiment on you to "save" you, or for our use, hero eventually comes to grips with new "power" takes self control.

Accidentally made- Usually the last person(s) you'd expect, accidentally gets powers.

Born that way- Tend to be Gods, Aliens or freaks, depends how it manifests, they tend to "judge" humanity on how they are received.

Chosen- Sense something great in you, here is the power- Ahhh, you better be sure you got the right person?

All these categories can be applied to villains too, they just inevitably bitterly use the same against humanity, and to benefit themselves.
(which is where most of you would fall, just admit it)

 

[daddydivine]

Smarter than everybody billionaire tech savant: Iron Man, Batman
Overpowered hero: Superman, Incredible Hulk
Useless Hero in super group: Green Arrow, Hawkeye, Black Widow,
Black hero: Black Lightning, Black Panther, Black Mantis, Black Spider, Black Racer, Black Vulcan, Black Talon, Blacklight, The Black Ranger, Luke Cage(Power Man)... Black Power Man

This is obviously a joke post guys... don't come at me bro.

Also, DC really had some issues when it came to naming black superheroes and villains.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Two.

Superman and Batman.

Everyone else is on a scale between them.

I can't agree with that. Without getting into superheroes that don't really fit the scale at all (like Hulk who is more of a traditional Universal horror character than he is a traditional man-in-tights superhero), I would definitely say Batman is closer to Superman than some of the real gritty street level characters. Punisher, for example, is further from Superman than Batman is. He's darker, more grounded/less fantastical, and is far more of a cynic.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I personally break them down primarily in one of three ways.


Origin:

Training Based - Regular humans that don't have real powers at all. They might be athletic or smart or have good training, but they generally aren't much different from a regular person. Ex. Jim Gordon, Nick Fury

Tech Based - Regular humans that don't have real powers, but get them from special tech. Ex. Iron Man, Batman, Ant-Man

Magic Based - Similar to tech-based but gain their powers through some more supernatural means, often an object of some sort but it could just be special training. Ex. Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate, Zatanna

Experiment Based - Regular people that gained superpowers through some sort of science experiment. It can be either accidentally or intentional. Ex. Captain America, Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four

Gene Based - Characters that are "special" in some way and have powers because of that. They were born with them. Ex. Superman, The X-Men, Wonder Woman


Scale:

Street Level - Character primarily works at a local/city level fighting bank robbers and the like. Ex. Batman, Spider-Man, Daredevil

Global Level - Character primarily goes on adventures around the world and fights enemies intent on threatening the Earth or entire nations. Ex. Captain America, Iron Man, James Bond

Cosmic Level - Character primarily goes on adventures throughout the galaxy/universe/multiple dimensions. Ex. Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Green Lantern


Tone:

Idealistic - The typical hero archetype. The good guys and bad guys are clear. The good guys win and the bad guys lose. Now some of these can be darker than others, but there is a general sense of hope and optimism. Ex. Superman, The MCU

Cynical - The opposite of that. The lines between good and bad are blurred, or at the very least can be broken down to bad and worse. Outcomes tend to be bittersweet at best and positive feelings don't last. Ex. Punisher, Watchmen, Sin City

Comedic - Designed to make the audience laugh first and foremost. It could be black humor or lighter fare, but if the heroes main purpose is humor, he or she belongs here. Ex. Deadpool, Howard the Duck, Squirrel Girl

 

[Zarex]

I would separate the heroes thusly:

Save the City: Protects his or her metropolis under the guise of a secret identity and clad in a colorful costume. Often holds a "do not kill" credo.

Royalty Born: Defends his or her kingdom from threats both foreign and domestic. More than human and typically more ruthless than the Save the City hero.

High Tech Adventurer: Arrogant hero uses a genius level intellect and nearly unlimited resources to protect the world from threats and perhaps even creating some along the way.

Super Soldier: Developed skills and perhaps even physical enhancements during a career in black ops for a shady government entity. Our hero is now their biggest foe!

Hyper Powered Female: Unlike her male counterparts, cannot control her powers and will eventually have to be put down.

Vengeance Vigilante: No "no kill" rule for these folks! Not afraid to get their hands dirty. More anti hero than hero.

Sorceror: Have an impossible problem? Bring in a tortured practitioner of the mystic arts to fix what ails ya!

Alien Powerhouse: I don't understand your human ways, but I will be proud to fight alongside you.

Robot Powerhouse: See Alien Powerhouse.

Newbie: Just glad to be here, guys! Hope I don't die!

 

[Batmannerism]

I can't agree with that. Without getting into superheroes that don't really fit the scale at all (like Hulk who is more of a traditional Universal horror character than he is a traditional man-in-tights superhero), I would definitely say Batman is closer to Superman than some of the real gritty street level characters. Punisher, for example, is further from Superman than Batman is. He's darker, more grounded/less fantastical, and is far more of a cynic.

I suggest its a bit mild calling the Punisher a cynic. Batman is a cynic, Judge Dress is a cynic ( he usually attempts to take criminals alive, if he can), the Punisher is essentially a serial killer, it's just that most people don't feel sorry for his victims. That doesn't make him less interesting, but let's be honest about who and what he is. I remember when he first appeared he was so different from the average superhero it was quite shocking.

Other than that I think you've nicely summed up the different types of superheroes - reminds me of an old RPG I used to play with friends back in the 80s.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I suggest its a bit mild calling the Punisher a cynic. Batman is a cynic, Judge Dress is a cynic ( he usually attempts to take criminals alive, if he can), the Punisher is essentially a serial killer, it's just that most people don't feel sorry for his victims. That doesn't make him less interesting, but let's be honest about who and what he is. I remember when he first appeared he was so different from the average superhero it was quite shocking.

I was thinking more along the lines of a scale with cynicism being one side and idealism being the other. I meant that Punisher is closer to the cynicism end than Batman is. But yeah, you're right in that he is basically a serial killer.

Other than that I think you've nicely summed up the different types of superheroes - reminds me of an old RPG I used to play with friends back in the 80s.

Thanks.

 

[calum.davies96]

Might be the wrong thread but... What is the general hype behind superheroes, I mean why do people like them so much?

 

[2kt09]

Might be the wrong thread but... What is the general hype behind superheroes, I mean why do people like them so much?

power fantasy whilst utilizing all the tropes/cliches of action cinema

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I tried some categories, by no means exhaustive, I'm sure I'm overlooking allot, and there is plenty of crossover:

Self made- To survive this horror I will turn myself into something better.

Lab made- We will test experiment on you for our use, hero eventually takes self control.

Accidentally made- Usually the last person(s) you'd expect, accidentally gets powers.

Born that way- Tend to be Gods, or freaks, depends how it manifests, they tend to "judge" humanity on how they are received.

Chosen- Sense something great in you, here is the power- Ahhh, you sure you got the right person?

All these categories can be applied to villains too, they just inevitably bitterly use the same against humanity, and to benefit themselves.
(which is where most of you would fall, just admit it)

They work for me


Edit: I was thinking Whim of circumstance such as Kryptonians landing on Earth but I guess that could come under Accidentally.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Might be the wrong thread but... What is the general hype behind superheroes, I mean why do people like them so much?

Have a quick search online, you'll find some interesting articles arguing that Superheroes have taken the place of classical myths (such as the sagas of the Greek/Roman/Norse gods) and stories (e.g. Beowulf).

 

[MarvelFan]

In terms of American superheroes or all around the world?

In terms of American heroes, I think there are no concept left that they are not covered with Marvel and DC has been done.

But if you look around the world, there are still many creative concept that still not covered, like in Japan, there are terms "Kaizou Ningen" / Henshin (transformed) heroes like Kamen (Masked) Rider. Usually they are just a normal human who some parts of their body has been modified into a strong being.

And there is also Metal heroes, when the concept us various like ordinary cop officer who take on a metal armor suit to take down a highly bio-techoligy terrorist (like Winspector and Solbrain), or a space cop who also have a body armor to take on an invading monster or alien (like Gavan, Sharivan, Shaider, Spielvan, Juspion, Metalder, etc).
A little bit familiar with Iron Man, but the transforming phase is less techical and more magical than Iron Man. Kind of like Shazam who can transform by just yelling one word, a Metal Heroes can summon their armor into their body just in 0.01 seconds from the main space ship despite their high tech concept.

Sentai heroes is a group of different personalities who take have their own super suit and can fight enemies with super robots.

There is Ultraman, who similar to Superman, they are alien from another world but the look is not like human, and also bigger than human.

Or the popular one, like in Anime such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Gintama, etc. I believe they can be considered as "Superheroes"

The bottom line is there are more concept of what define "Superheroes" are than just Marvel or DC, or I believe beyond Japan superheroes as well.