First Superhero

Just wondering       Who was the first Superhero ever created?

"Jesus "

Greek, Roman, Babylonian Mythology, etc should get credit too.
 
And Doctor Occult

Wasn't it Zorro?

If we are talking about comic book superheroes (and specifically characters with super powers) than wasn't it Superman? I know there have been a bunch of characters in comics before (and after) Supes that don't have powers, but I thought he was the first one who did. Before him there were "masked crime-fighters" and "mystery men" but the term superhero started with Superman, I think. 

OK ill narrow it down because there seem to be a lot of characters who could be considered firsts 
How about 
Who was the first Crime-fighter with a costume and an original name?

Chronological first hero: Gilgamesh circa: Ancient Sumerian Pre-History

"OK ill narrow it down because there seem to be a lot of characters who could be considered firsts  How about  Who was the first Crime-fighter with a costume and an original name? "

First Superhero: SUPERMAN circa.1939

"First Superhero: SUPERMAN circa.1939 "

" @turoksonofstone said:

"First Superhero: SUPERMAN circa.1939 "

Mandrake the Magician began in 1934. "

" @Vitality said:

" @turoksonofstone said:

"First Superhero: SUPERMAN circa.1939 "

Mandrake the Magician began in 1934. "

Was he a masked Crime-fighter? A "Mystery-Man"? or a Magician? Phantom fits the bill more closely than Mandrake. "

I don't think it was Superman, but I would say that he definitely kick-started the super hero phenomenon. 

This excellent blog entry from kottke.org offers up plenty of theories about who the first superhero was. The author concludes that "Mandrake the Magician" may have been the first true superhero. Toonpedia agrees, calling Mandrake "the first super-powered, costumed crime fighter in comics." Created by Lee Falk, Mandrake made his debut in 1934, approximately four years before Superman landed on Earth.

So what sort of powers did Mandrake have? King Features Syndicate explains he was a master of hypnotism and illusion. Like all the great superheroes who followed him, Mandrake used his powers to combat evil. But unlike other superheroes, Mandrake appears to have been based on a real person, a stage magician named Leon Mandrake.    

Gilgamesh probably

I'm tempted to throw John Carter of Mars (1912) in the mix too but it sounds like we're just talking about characters specifically created for comics.  And John Carter wasn't a crimefighter, he's considered more of the Fantasy character these days.  He kicked a lot of martian ass though thanks to his augmented strength.

Sherlock Holmes?

"Wasn't it Zorro? "

So we've decided that Mandrake the Magician was the first superhero, so is it safe to say that his nemesis Cobra was the first supervillian?
 
 

" OK ill narrow it down because there seem to be a lot of characters who could be considered firsts  How about  Who was the first Crime-fighter with a costume and an original name? "

Zorro fits the bill and that criteria

Oh, look it's this topic again. Anyway people have different opinion on what should count as a superhero so i guess it's hard to come up with a definite answer. 
An often forgotten character is Hugo Hercules who was introduced in 1903

" @fesak: I've heard of this character before but wasn't he 1st introduce in like 1901? I may be wrong. "

" @Liberty:  Yes your right Liberty, but what I forgot to add in was "super-powers".  Zorro was definitely the first mask crime fighter, however I don't think he can be classified as the first superhero. Mandrake the Magician did have powers. "

Ok that's valid and you can definitely argue that he was the first superhero. But personally I don't think he fits into what I consider a superhero.

Well, before Superman no one used the term "superhero", they were just "heroes". So it looks like Superman was the first Superhero by defintion. 

Zeus.

Superman

Anansi from western Africa trickster spider. It is surprising how many legends deal with the spiders.        

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