History Main / ProtoSuperhero

* Dr. Jekyll of ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' is another good example of a proto-supervillain: a MadScientist who creates a PsychoSerum that turns him into ADarkerMe so he can indulge in evil without having to worry about conscience or morality. He also beats out ''The Invisible Man'' by a decade when it comes to villains with superpowers.

* Dr. Jekyll of ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' is another good example of a proto-supervillain: a MadScientist who creates a PsychoSerum that turns him into ADarkerMe so he can indulge in evil without having to worry about conscience or morality. He also beats out ''The Invisible Man'' by a decade when it comes to villains with superpowers.

* Literature/TheSpider was a PulpMagazine hero created in 1933 as a FollowTheLeader Expy of TheShadow. Creator/StanLee credits him as an inspiration for ComicBook/SpiderMan.

* ''Radio/TheShadow'' (1930) from radio dramas and pulp novels. Debuting as a HorrorHost narrator who introduced short tales of suspense, his signature creepy laugh and CatchPhrase (''"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"'') roused so much interest with listeners that he was expanded into an intimidating crime-fighter in his own right. One of the main inspirations for Franchise/{{Batman}}, who admits as much in-Verse during a crossover story (see page quote).
* ''Radio/TheLoneRanger'' (1933) and ''Radio/TheGreenHornet'' (1936) were both created by the same guy, and basically have the same shtick as masked heroes, albeit in different time-periods.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} started in 1919, when ''The Curse of Capistrano'' appeared in the PulpMagazine ''All-Story Weekly''. The Californio [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob nobleman]] Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in [[DarkIsNotEvil all-black clothes,]] including [[BadassCape cape]], [[CoolMask mask]] and [[NiceHat hat]]. Using the [[SecretIdentity alias Señor Zorro]] -- [[AnimalThemedSuperhero Mr. Fox]] -- he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He did so [[NonPoweredCostumedHero without superpowers]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower except for his superb training]], [[TheCowl masked in black and operating mostly at night]], with the sole aid of his [[BattleButler faithful valet and assistant]] [[SecretKeeper Bernardo.]] To say he's one of the biggest inspirations for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' is understating the case; in fact, it's now in-universe canon that Bruce was inspired by him.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} started in 1919, when ''The Curse of Capistrano'' appeared in the PulpMagazine ''All-Story Weekly''. The Californio nobleman Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in black clothes, [[BadassCape cape]], [[CoolMask mask]] and [[NiceHat hat]]. Using the [[SecretIdentity alias Señor Zorro]] (Mr Fox), he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He's one of the biggest inspiration for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': another superhero [[NonPoweredCostumedHero without superpowers, masked in black]], named for an animal, and dedicated to fighting crime and corruption.

* The creation of cartoonist William H.D. Koerner, ''Comicstrip/HugoHercules'' was the titular hero of a comic strip that ran less than 5 months, from September 1902 to January 1903, for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Endowed with superhuman strength, he was a lighthearted character who mostly rescued people from accidents or foolish mishaps rather than crime.

* Literature/SherlockHolmes, who debuted in 1887's ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'', is as great a detective as the later ComicBook/Batman with [[TheWatson sidekicks]], a base and impressive [[BadAssNormal martial arts skills]]. Although he worked openly and his one super-villain nemesis didn't quite threaten world domination, his serialized adventures captivated a nation and were seen as a reaction to the nefarious activities afoot in what was then the world's largest metropolis.

* The first superpowered mutant in fiction (although he was called an "anomaly" at the time), The Night Wind first appeared in ''Magazine/{{Cavalier}}'' magazine in 1913. Born with SuperStrength, he was an ordinary bank clerk who became a fugitive after he was framed for theft, seeking evidence to clear his name.

* The Man In Purple (1921) was one of the many non-powered Proto Superheroes who robbed the rich and corrupt to give to the poor. Noted for always carrying the means to dispose of his distinctive purple mask and jacket, the better to seamlessly revert to his SecretIdentity leaving no evidence behind.

* The 1930 Pulp novel ''{{Literature/Gladiator}}'' focused on Hugo Danner, who became gifted with incredible strength thanks to an experiment carried out by his father. However, unlike several examples here, all Hugo wants to do is [[MundaneUtility utilize his powers to make a normal life for himself]].

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's Literature/BlackWidowers story "{{Literature/Northwestward}}": DiscussedTrope during the dinner. The as-yet unnamed guest argues that [[{{Comicbook/Superman}} the hero Superman]] is an insult to the supernormal powers of previous heroes. He compares [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hercules]] to Superman, and says there’s too much of an imbalance of power. [[BoringInvincibleHero Nothing can be exciting or suspenseful with Superman’s powers.]]

* A modern evocation of this trope: When the ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' shredded DC's existing continuity, the question arose of what exactly the Comicbook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica was supposed to have been like if ComicBook/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, and Franchise/WonderWoman [[RetCon were never members.]] So Roy Thomas created [[{{Expy}} expies]] of them, and Superman's expy was clearly designed in the [[NotWearingTights plainclothes]] ProtoSuperhero mold, a super-strong guy named Iron Munro. Appropriately, Thomas based him on Hugo Danner, the hero of the science fiction novel ''[[Literature/{{Gladiator}} Gladiator]]'' that inspired Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to invent Superman.

* Following a series of unsolved attacks upon servant-women in and near 1837 London, reports of a mysterious, [[InASingleBound leaping]], possibly-inhuman culprit "Spring-Heel(ed) Jack" spread rapidly via yellow journalism and street rumor. Descriptions of "Jack" varied wildly, from a human sexual predator dressed in a bearskin to a fire-breathing, shape-shifting apparition, but many of the most popular accounts (dramatized in sensational plays and penny dreadfuls that titled him The Terror of London) portrayed him as a Proto Supervillain of sorts: a jilted lover bent on vengeance against women, with artificial WolverineClaws and spring-loaded boots.
** Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom's timeline ''Literature/FightAndBeRight'' has an allohistorical development of British comic books, where Victorian era penny dreadfuls about Spring-heeled Jack develop over time into comic books about a Batman-like superhero, also named Spring-heeled Jack. The [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?p=5410488#post5410488 chapter]] that focused on this cultural development doubled as the timeline's 2011 [[ChristmasEpisode pre-Christmas special]], hence its more lighthearted tone and subject matter.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} started in 1919, when ''The Curse of Capistrano'' appeared in the PulpMagazine ''All-Story Weekly''. The Californio nobleman Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in black clothes, [[BadassCape cape]], [[CoolMask mask]] and [[NiceHat hat]]. Using the [[SecretIdentity alias Señor Zorro]] (Mr Fox), he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He's [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing cunning like a fox]] and a MasterSwordsman. The first Proto Superhero to feature in his own movie (''Film/TheMarkOfZorro'', 1920), he's one of the biggest inspiration for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': another superhero [[NonPoweredCostumedHero without superpowers, masked in black]], named for an animal, and dedicated to fighting crime and corruption.

* Literature/TheSpider was a PulpMagazine hero created in 1933 as a FollowTheLeader Expy of TheShadow. Creator/StanLee credits him as an inspiration for SpiderMan.

* The best-known [[InvertedTrope proto-super]]''[[InvertedTrope villain]]'' by far, ThePhantomOfTheOpera was created by Gaston Leroux in 1909. A key TropeCodifier for the elegant masked criminal, complete with themed obsessions and a RedRightHand, Erik bears all the trappings of a RoguesGallery bad guy: the dehumanizing StartOfDarkness, the SupervillainLair, the ample use of DeathTrap weapons, even a RoboticTortureDevice.

Of the characters that arose during this transition, most have faded from the popular imagination. The Golden Age's superhuman heroes tended to overshadow their predecessors, who seldom boasted more than a CharlesAtlasSuperpower or a signature gadget to their advantage. (See also: NonPoweredCostumedHero.) Only a lucky handful (Zorro, Tarzan, The Shadow, The Phantom, Franchise/TheLoneRanger, Anime/GoldenBat) have remained popularly-recognized since their inception. But superpowered or not, widely-remembered or not, it's these Proto Superheroes to which later Golden, Silver, Bronze, Dark and Modern Age comic superheroes owe their success, as inspiration for their archetype and the industry that birthed them.

* ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'' (1933) and ''Radio/TheGreenHornet'' (1936) were both created by the same guy, and basically have the same shtick as masked heroes, albeit in different time-periods.

* Ka-Zar was a {{Tarzan}} Expy who started in pulp novels in 1936, then migrated to Marvel Comics. Unlike Tarzan, his physical abilities were acquired via a witch doctor's potion, and when he spoke to animals, he'd hear them respond in complete sentences that no one else could hear.

* The Green Archer, from the 1923 novel of that name, was a mysterious bow-wielding vigilante whose costume was designed to emulate a ghost story, ScoobyDooHoax-style. He stalked an unscrupulous tycoon who'd done his family wrong, killing first the man's accomplices and then their boss, who himself had some supervillain-like traits (e.g. leaving victims unattended in a slow-acting DeathTrap to die). The first masked hero to feature in episodic film serials of the day (1925).

* Literature/SherlockHolmes is as great a detective as the later ComicBook/Batman with [[TheWatson sidekicks]], a base and impressive [[BadAssNormal martial arts skills]]. Although he worked openly and his one super-villain nemesis didn't quite threaten world domination, his serialized adventures captivated a nation and were seen as a reaction to the nefarious activities afoot in what was then the world's largest metropolis.

* Edward Teach, better known as UsefulNotes/{{Blackbeard}}, came surprisingly close to fulfilling the supervillain archetype in RealLife, holding the port of Charleston and entire small island colonies for ransom and theatrically fostering a popular image that colors Piracy Tropes to this day. His status as an HistoricalDomainCharacter made him even more of a legend after his death in 1718, with works such as the penny dreadful ''Marooned By Blackbeard'' (1903) making Teach himself, or his countless CaptainColorbeard Expies, a stock villain for adventure tales of many genres, ProtoSuperhero stories included.

* A modern evocation of this trope: When the ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' shredded DC's existing continuity, the question arose of what exactly the Comicbook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica was supposed to have been like if Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman [[RetCon were never members.]] So Roy Thomas created [[{{Expy}} expies]] of them, and Superman's expy was clearly designed in the [[NotWearingTights plainclothes]] ProtoSuperhero mold, a super-strong guy named Iron Munro. Appropriately, Thomas based him on Hugo Danner, the hero of the science fiction novel ''[[Literature/{{Gladiator}} Gladiator]]'' that inspired Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to invent Superman.

* ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'' (1933) and ''Franchise/TheGreenHornet'' (1936) were both created by the same guy, and basically have the same shtick as masked heroes, albeit in different time-periods.

* ''Literature/{{Tarzan}}'' debuted in October of 1912, boasting a slate of {{Charles Atlas Superpower}}s attributed to his blue-blooded heritage and NobleSavage upbringing by apes. Later novels also made him an {{Omniglot}}, and immortal by way of an appropriated eternal-life drug. He's a major influence on virtually every jungle-themed hero to follow, and his RaisedByWolves origin story and knack for communicating with animals were emulated by many later superheroes including ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}.

* Creator/JulesVerne created yet another proto-supervillain when he made Robur (another character with a SecretIdentity), who already is a anti-hero or anti-villain in ''Literature/RoburTheConqueror'' (1886), go into full-blown megalomaniac supervillain mode in the sequel, ''Master of the World'' (1904).

* Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo (1844) has a pretty good claim for being a proto-hero as well as an inspiration for Franchise/{{Batman}}. He's a brooding loner bent on revenge who is [[{{Fiction 500}} massively wealthy]], a MasterOfDisguise, and has [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower picked up immense physical prowess along the way]]. The Batman villain Bane, who is an EvilCounterpart of Batman, has a backstory based off of that of Dantes/The Count.

* ''Judex'' is a French FilmSerial created in 1914, but delayed from release until 1916 thanks to UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Having been criticized for how his serial adaptation of ''Fantômas'' (see Literature below) had glorified criminals, director Louis Feuillade created Judex (Judge) as a heroic alternative: a MasterOfDisguise mystery man seeking to foil the villainous banker who'd driven his father to bankruptcy and suicide. Revenge achieved, a follow-up serial ''Judex's New Mission'' (1917) depicted him as a full-on vigilante and protector of the innocent.

* ''Judex'' is a French FilmSerial created in 1914, but delayed from release until 1916 thanks to WorldWarI. Having been criticized for how his serial adaptation of ''Fantômas'' (see Literature below) had glorified criminals, director Louis Feuillade created Judex (Judge) as a heroic alternative: a MasterOfDisguise mystery man seeking to foil the villainous banker who'd driven his father to bankruptcy and suicide. Revenge achieved, a follow-up serial ''Judex's New Mission'' (1917) depicted him as a full-on vigilante and protector of the innocent.

* Literature/SolomonKane, from the pulp novels of the same name by writer Creator/RobertEHoward (the same individual who created Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian), first started in 1928. Kane is a late-sixteenth to early-seventeenth century English Puritan who travels the world, accompanied by his aide [[MagicalNegro N'Longa]], fighting and [[VampireHunter killing vampires]] and other evil beings with his musket and the [[HolyHandGrenade Staff of Solomon]].

* Prince of Gamma, another ''kamishibai'' character from the early 1930s, was a street urchin who acquired the ability to fly when he donned a PeterPan-like costume and starburst hat. The first Japanese superhero with a SecretIdentity.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's Literture/BlackWidowers story "{{Literature/Northwestward}}": DiscussedTrope during the dinner. The as-yet unnamed guest argues that [[{{Comicbook/Superman}} the hero Superman]] is an insult to the supernormal powers of previous heroes. He compares [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hercules]] to Superman, and says there’s too much of an imbalance of power. [[BoringInvincibleHero Nothing can be exciting or suspenseful with Superman’s powers.]]