What makes a super hero "super?"

[MadAmosMalone]

I've never been into comic books. As a scifi fan that almost seems incongruous, I know. But with the glut of super hero movies and television shows out now, all based on comic books, I'm beginning to wonder about the root of that preference. If it's special abilities that makes a super hero "super" then why doesn't Mr. Spock or Luke Skywalker qualify as a super hero? If having really advanced equipment, like Batman, does it then why not Jim Kirk or Han Solo? Batman may have the Batmobile but I'd take a starship over an automobile any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Doctor Who has 'em all beat by having both the abilities and technology of a vastly more advanced species so is he a super hero?

[Dînadan]

I think it depends on how common those elements are in the setting. Using your examples, Kirk and Solo don't qualify because the tech they use is common place (and in fact in Han's case some of it is sub par considering the Falcon is described as looking like a hunk of junk and despite having one of the best hyperdrives in the galaxy, throughout ESB it's either broken down or on the verge of it with a rushed patch job being the only reason it made it to Bespin); contrast that with Batman while Batman's tech is not unique and there are some out there within the DCU with better tech, he still ranks with the top 1%, if not higher. Likewise, Kirk and Han never displayed pshical prowess above and beyond the norm; yeah Kirk is probably high up on the list when it comes to physical prowess, but Batman is even higher, bordering on the peak.

In the case of special abilities, again I think it depends on how commonplace those abilities are. Most superheroes with special abilities tend to be unique or part of a small group of indentically powered individuals.


Another aspect is possibly how the character applies their abilities (be it inate or gadgetry) and what they do with it. Spock uses his abilities in his duty to Starfleet whereas Superman fights crime for example.


One thing that isn't a necessary qualifier though is a costume, as there are numerous cases of superheroes who don't wear costumes, even if they have unique looks (e.g. Luke Cage's canary yellow tee-shirt is distinctive, but otherwise is normal clothing, and likewise the Kon-el Superboy, while he does wear the House of El crest, it's on a otherwise normal looking tee-shirt and is worn with jeans and doc martins so would look pretty much like something any regular Superman fanboy would wear). Likewise there are some who wear costumes which are actually uniforms (e.g. Bar Alan Scott, the costumes all Green Lanterns wear aren't costumes but actually their Green Lantern Corps uniforms).

[The Romulan Republic]

Its very difficult to define- why is, say Batman considered a superhero and Harry Potter not, or Sherlock Holmes* not?

I would probably mostly say that its simply that they must be well beyond the ordinary in some way (i.e., "super"), and moreover well beyond the norm for their setting (i.e. Jedi have supernatural powers, but are not considered superheroes because those abilities are a regular part of the universe in which they live- superheroes are more superheroes in contrast to a more real-world setting). This superhumanness generally takes one or more of three forms:

1. Superhuman powers. Obvious. The iconic example here is Superman.

2. Superhuman discipline/skill/dedication. The iconic example here is Batman.

3. Usually accompanying one of the above- superhuman identity- the character is in some way an icon (this is where the outlandish costumes come in). For example, Batman crafts a persona as a personification of fear, while Superman embodies an idealized vision of the American dream and America as a global protector (while Cap. is a literal personification of American ideals).

*Note, I actually would regard Sherlock Holmes as a proto-superhero, personally, as he meets most of the criteria I state above.

[MadAmosMalone]

Thanks so much for the feedback, guys. Much appreciated. You make some well reasoned points there. The main point, as far as I'm seeing it here, is "how common is this ability or equipment?" I see your point that, within the fictional realms they occupy, Skywalker and Kirk are fairly pedestrian. They're pretty remarkable individuals but nothing so awesome as to earn the label "super." Am I close? But, from the audience's perspective though, they would seem "super" wouldn't you think? Of course, everything's relative, I know. To stone age people, our modern marvels would seem to make us all super-powered. I wonder if, in ancient times, the gods in one pantheon or another were seen as super heroes? Would that make Thor one of the oldest super heroes ever?

For the sake of argument, I'll accept the point as is; that a super hero's "super-ness" is a function of its rarity in context. Then, though, how are X-men "super" when there are new mutants being born almost every day? I have only seen one or two of the X-men movies but the impression I always got was that these mutants were a sorta "next stage" in human evolution. They might be rare, now, but their success would surely mean they would eventually become dominant yes?

Interesting point about Sherlock Holmes. I refer back to my comment about The Doctor. Would he be considered a super hero along those same lines?

[FaxModem1]

A lot of what makes a superhero a superhero is also presentation. As stated, are they out of the ordinary in some fantastic way? But are they also anchored to the real world enough to make them feel like they could be one of us? After that is another integral part, what are they doing with it? Is it a 9 to 5 job, with health benefits, paperwork, salary, coffee breaks, and ID cards? If it is, it's pretty much police with extraordinary abilities. Green Lanterns are like this, some versions of the Avengers, Justice League, etc. Superheroes usually don't fit into that mold until quite a few stories have been told, and they have evolved into team players.

We don't see that aspect of it that much with most superheroes. For them, it's an additional part of their life, not their day job. Whether actually part of them(such as a biological power, freak accident, cosmic rays, whatever), or something they trained to be the best at or are using to aid them (martial arts, archery, technology, gadgets, a sword), it's always in addition to their regular lives. So, a key part is wish fulfillment. You would want to be these people, blessed with these powers and/or abilities, and do what they do.

For instance, Clark Kent is Superman when saving the world, but that's not his job. He's a reporter at the Daily Planet. Peter Parker isn't paid to be Spider-man, he's a reporter at the Daily Bugle. Ted Kord isn't paid to be Blue Beetle, he's the CEO of Kord Industries. Hal Jordan is not fully a Green Lantern, he's also a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft. etc. A key thing to this is usually the secret identity. That they could be anyone who rose to the challenge when fate visited them, or they dedicated their lives to being this person.

That's why the secret identity has been a classic part of it for so long. To make it more accessible to the reader. We see what they do when they aren't in superhero mode, and who they are when they are off-the-clock. This is why I think the Doctor from Doctor Who probably doesn't fit the classification. He usually isn't the viewpoint character, has anything resembling a normal life. Most of his character centers around how he is different from us, with his companions being our gateway into who he is. Remember that when he first emerged, he was more of an antagonist to our human main characters, and wasn't the hero. That evolved over time. For the most part, he was a walking mystery, which still remains to this day. After all, what is the Doctor's name?

There are exceptions, like Aquaman, Wonder Woman, etc., wherein it is part of their job, but they act more as a champion of their society which is alien from ours. Arthur Curry is King of Atlantis, and part of that job is protecting the seas, hence his job as Aquaman. Wonder Woman won a tournament on Paradise Island, and acts as ambassador to 'Man's World'. Both of these show them as a cut above the people around them. But both Atlantis and Paradise Island are separate worlds from ours.

Another key thing is a power vacuum. If an organization that takes care of this problem already exists, then you don't need a lone hero or small team fixing it. The Power Rangers exist in a world where aliens and magic monsters attack Earth, and the world's governments aren't up to it, so superpowered teenagers are needed. Same with Buffy and demons/vampires. Superman and aliens. Or, if they do exist, they are so inadequate that you need individual heroes who can: bypass the corruption/have the firepower/are chosen.

So, as an example, Luke Skywalker has the firepower to deal with Darth Vader, but he doesn't have a secret identity and regular life to return to. Though, now I'm imagining Luke as a masked man who fights evil and then returns home to tend crops. Story has potential.

[The Romulan Republic]

Bit of a tangent, but to follow up on something I said earlier, the more I think about it, the more its amazing how well, beneath the slightly different image, Sherlock Holmes fits a lot of the classic superhero tropes.

Superhuman ability? Arguably his observation and deductive prowess, though its a borderline case.

Superhuman skill/training? Oh hell yes. The man is an accomplished observer, reasoner, actor, chemist, disguise artist, and hand-to-hand combatant with an encyclopedic knowledge of everything he deems relevant to crime fighting. His skills are not terribly dissimilar to Batman's, taking into account the difference in their wealth and time periods.

Superhuman dedication to his mission? Well, Holmes can be a bit of a dilettante, but that's more when he doesn't have a problem that interests him. He's at his happiest when he has an interesting mystery to solve. Though he's sort of subversion here in that, while he definitely has principles, he's in it at least as much for the love of the game.

Iconic character? Absolutely. We even have a "costume" of sorts, at least in the illustrations and adaptations (the cap, cape, and pipe).

Side kick? One of the most famous in literature, in Doctor Watson.

Works with police but is not one of them, and sometimes takes the law into his own hands or breaks the law, acting as a vigilante? Yes, very much so.

Rogue's gallery of super villains? A bit weaker here (most of Holmes' villains were fairly mundane humans, and not recurring), though if Holmes is a proto-superhero, then Moriarty is definitely a proto-supervillain.

The only other big thing missing that I can think of is the usual love interest, though fandom and adaptations have pushed Irene Adler into that role.

He's not quite a modern superhero, but you can definitely see the seeds of the genre in Holmes. I'd argue that he's as much a precursor of modern superhero fiction as modern detective fiction, arguably.

[MithrandirOlorin]

Ironically Batman arguably fits the intended definition of an Ubermensch better then Superman does.

[Rocketboy1313]

All genres are pretty fluid. There is no formula.

I imagine there is an element of the theatrical and showmanship.
Capes, tights, flashy colors that sort of thing.

If you were to ask a large cross section of people they would probably look at 3 elements to define it.
1) contemporary setting or contemporary adjacent (takes place in modern day out in space, or takes place in a familiar place but in a different time)
2) flashy action that goes beyond what a normal person could accomplish (even if the characters whole "thing" is that he is human)
3) elements of the supernatural either with magic, aliens, technology, or other element that is not "typical" in our real world

[ScreamingDoom]

Then, though, how are X-men "super" when there are new mutants being born almost every day? I have only seen one or two of the X-men movies but the impression I always got was that these mutants were a sorta "next stage" in human evolution. They might be rare, now, but their success would surely mean they would eventually become dominant yes?

Not all mutants are made alike. Some might have the ability to befuddle men's minds and make them literal puppets.

Others just get green hair that can't be dyed.

There is a comic series which takes the mundane exceptionalism you talk about here to its foregone conclusion, though. In it, every single person has some sort of superpower. Most of them, however, are useless, weak, or mundane in utility. There are only ten (called the Big Ten) who are exceptional enough to be considered superheroes.

Superhuman dedication to his mission? Well, Holmes can be a bit of a dilettante, but that's more when he doesn't have a problem that interests him

Yeah, but there are still an amusingly large quantity of stories where Holmes just sort of shrugs at the end and says, "It will be a mystery we will never solve, Watson." This wasn't so much as Holmes' fault as Doyle's; he'd tend to get bored with stories and just muddle up an ending. "Well, time for tea. Guess this will be another mystery Holmes won't be solving."

[MadAmosMalone]

More great responses, guys. I'm particularly intrigued by the world that has everyone with some "super" talent. Wasn't there a novel that featured this? For some reason I'm remembering "Xanth?" I'll look that up and get back to y'all.

Romulan Republic mentioned sidekicks. I thought immediately of Green Hornet. His superpower is Kato. I never watched the new(ish) movie all the way through but it seems they played up that aspect of Green Hornet's relationship with his sidekick. Seems like I read somewhere that Green Hornet was actually a descendant of the Lone Ranger. (Another Google search and I'll get back with ya on that one too.) Would the Lone Ranger fall into the category of super-hero? He does have a secret identity but it seems to be his job, or rather only purpose.

What makes The Punisher a superhero? Is it that superhuman dedication mentioned earlier? Would that also apply to the Lone Ranger or Green Hornet? Is the Punisher's secret identity more than his purpose?