I'm curious-who first coined the phrase"superhero/heroine"?

[Fantasyartist]

I realise that this question may be unanswerable but I would still like to know who coined the phrase "superhero/heroine".


Any takers?

Terry

 

[Keyser Soze]

I realise that this question may be unanswerable but I would still like to know who coined the phrase "superhero/heroine".


Any takers?

Terry

I'll hazard a guess:

In his philosophical writings, Friedrich Nietzsche introduced the idea of the "Ubermensch", English translation - "Overman" or, as George Bernard Shaw translated it, "Superman". In his 1883 book, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Nietzsche suggested that humanity must strive to attain the status of Ubermensch, as this quote explains:

"All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is the ape to man? A laughingstock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the superman: a laughingstock or a painful embarrassment…"

When Jerry Siegel originally created Superman a few decades later, it was as a villainous character based upon Nietzsche's philosophy, showing up in the 1933 short story, Reign of the Super-Man. But Joe Shuster then redesigned the character, giving us the heroic, iconic Superman we know and love today.

And with all other superheroes springing forth from Superman, it only makes sense that this new kind of hero - a superman hero, a superhero - give the whole genre his name.

 

[Obi-Ron]

The term "super hero" is actually a trademarked term co-owned by Marvel and DC, if that helps you. The indie book "Super Hero Happy Hour" actually had to change its name to "Hero Happy Hour." Which is ridiculous when you consider how often, and freely, advertisers use the term.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Superman is where the term superhero derives, also super-powers, so gives it up to big blue.