Influences
An influence on early Superman stories is the context of the Great Depression. The left-leaning perspective of creators Shuster and Siegel is reflected in early storylines. Superman took on the role of social activist, fighting crooked businessmen and politicians and demolishing run-down tenements.[37] Comics scholar Roger Sabin sees this as a reflection of "the liberal idealism of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal", with Shuster and Siegel initially portraying Superman as champion to a variety of social causes.[38] In later Superman radio programs the character continued to take on such issues, tackling a version of the Ku Klux Klan in a 1946 broadcast, as well as combating anti-semitism and veteran discrimination.[39][40][41] Siegel and Shuster's status as children of Jewish immigrants is also thought to have influenced their work. Timothy Aaron Pevey has argued that they crafted "an immigrant figure whose desire was to fit into American culture as an American", something Pevey believes taps into an important aspect of the American identity.[42]
Siegel himself noted the influence of mythic heroes in the traditions of many cultures, including Hercules and Samson.[7]Scott Bukatman sees the character to be "a worthy successor to Lindberg ... [and] also ... like Babe Ruth", and also representative of the United States' dedication to "progress and the 'new'" through his "invulnerable body ... on which history cannot be inscribed."[43] Because Siegel and Shuster were fans of pulp science fiction,[6] it is widely assumed that the 1930 Philip Wylie novel Gladiator, featuring a protagonist, Hugo Danner, with similar powers, was an inspiration for Superman,[44] though no confirmation exists for this supposition.[45]
Comics creator and historian Jim Steranko believes that the pulp hero Doc Savage is another likely source of inspiration, noting similarities between Shuster's initial art and contemporary advertisements for Doc Savage: "Initially, Superman was a variation of pulp heavyweight Doc Savage".[46] Steranko argued that the pulps played a major part in shaping the initial concept: "Siegel's Superman concept embodied and amalgamated three separate and distinct themes: the visitor from another planet, the superhuman being and the dual identity. He composed the Superman charisma by exploiting all three elements, and all three contributed equally to the eventual success of the strip. His inspiration, of course, came from the science fiction pulps",[46] identifying as another possible inspiration "John W. Campbell's Aarn Munro stories, about a descendant of earthmen raised on the planet Jupiter who, because of the planet's dense gravity, is a mental and physical superman on Earth."[46]
Because Siegel and Shuster were both Jewish, some religious commentators and pop-culture scholars such as Rabbi Simcha Weinstein and British novelist Howard Jacobson suggest that Superman's creation was partly influenced byMoses,[47][48] and other Jewish elements. More recently, this interpretation has been endorsed by biographer Larry Tye.[49]For example, Superman's Kryptonian name, "Kal-El", resembles the Hebrew words קל-אל, which can be taken to mean "voice of God".[50] The suffix "el", meaning "(of) God," is also found in the name of angels (e.g. Gabriel, Ariel), who are flying humanoid agents of good with superhuman powers. Tye suggests that this "Voice of God" is an allusion to Moses' role as a prophet.[49] Moreover, Kal-El's parents send him away in a vessel, delivering him to new adoptive parents in an alien culture in order to save him from impending doom, just as Moses' parents do.[49] "The narratives of Krypton's birth and death borrowed the language of Genesis."[49]
On the other hand, Superman has been seen by others as being an analogy for Jesus, being a savior of humanity.[38][48][49][51][52] Furthermore, the surname Kent, in early 20th century real life, was a common Americanization of "Cohen," and Clark Kent's wimpy, bumbling persona strongly resembled the classic Yiddish schlemiel.
While the term Übermensch was initially coined by Friedrich Nietzsche and translated by Shaw as Superman, it is unclear how influential Nietzsche and his ideals were to Siegel and Shuster.[48] Les Daniels has speculated that "Siegel picked up the term from other science fiction writers who had casually employed it", further noting that "his concept is remembered by hundreds of millions who may barely know who Nietzsche is."[7] Others argue that Siegel and Shuster "could not have been unaware of an idea that would dominate Hitler's National Socialism. The concept was certainly well discussed."[53] Yet Jacobson and others point out that in many ways Superman and the Übermensch are polar opposites.[47] Nietzsche envisioned the Übermensch as a man who had transcended the limitations of society, religion, and conventional morality while still being fundamentally human. Superman, although an alien gifted with incredible powers, chooses to honor human moral codes and social mores. Nietzsche envisioned the perfect man as being beyond moral codes; Siegel and Shuster envisioned the perfect man as holding himself to a higher standard of adherence to them.[54]
Siegel and Shuster have themselves discussed a number of influences that impacted upon the character. Both were avid readers, and their mutual love of science fiction helped to drive their friendship. Siegel cited John Carter stories as an influence: "Carter was able to leap great distances because the planet Mars was smaller than the planet Earth; and he had great strength. I visualized the planet Krypton as a huge planet, much larger than Earth".[23] The pair were also avid collectors of comic strips in their youth, cutting them from the newspaper, with Winsor McCay's Little Nemo firing their imagination with its sense of fantasy.[55] Shuster has remarked on the artists which played an important part in the development of his own style, whilst also noting a larger influence: "Alex Raymond and Burne Hogarth were my idols – alsoMilt Caniff, Hal Foster, and Roy Crane. But the movies were the greatest influence on our imagination: especially the films of Douglas Fairbanks."[56] Fairbanks' role as Robin Hood in 1922 was certainly an inspiration since Shuster admitted to basing Superman's stance upon scenes from the movie.[57] The movies also influenced the storytelling and page layouts,[58]while the city of Metropolis was named in honor of the Fritz Lang motion picture of the same title.[23]
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