Men of Steel Superman vs Übermensch

Roy Schwartz examines whether the world’s first superhero really was inspired by Nietzsche’s ‘superior man’, and what the Nazis have to do with it.

- Roy Schwartz

Superman is probably the most famous fictional character in the world. From Australia to Algeria to Alaska, from toddlers to seniors, pretty much everyone knows who Superman is. Debuting in June 1938’s Action Comics #1, Superman was also the very first superhero, the mold from which all others were cast. And with the advent of World War II, he became a symbol of America. According to a recent survey, although he’s no longer the most bankable, Superman is still America’s favorite superhero. And yet, ironically, he’s often compared with or attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche’s Übermensch (literally translated as ‘superman’ or ‘overman’) – a philosophical construct associated by some with nihilism and fascism. Is that Superman’s true origin story?

Superman has been compared to the Übermensch since his beginning. In 1941, both the New Republic and Saturday Evening Post assumed a connection. In 1943, Catholic World denounced him for it. In 1954, in his infamous book, Seduction of the Innocent: The Influence of Comic Books on Today’s Youth, renowned child psychiatrist Fredric Wertham called Superman ‘Nietzsche in the nursery’, claiming that as the Nazi overman he engendered prejudice against ‘submen’ in children. The connection continues to be discussed and presented as fact in books and articles. The truth, as always, is more complicated.

Superman: Origins