Dr. Occult and Rose Psychic were created three years before the creation of Superman. These were but two of the many heroes that were created before the debut of Superman in Action Comics #1 in 1938. The heroes came from various emerging mediums including novels, radio, comic strips, and the just-beginning comic books.
Many of these heroes would also become the inspiration and the template for a great number of the superheroes that would explode when the comic book genre really took off. These and others became the backbone for the adventures that we enjoy reading and watching on our TV and movie screens today.
10 Tarzan - 1912
Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan’s first appearance was in the October 1912 issue of All Story Magazine. Born John Clayton II, Tarzan was articulate, athletic, courageousness, loyal and utterly devoted to Jane Porter. Jerry Siegel once stated that Tarzan was a direct inspiration for Superman.
The quintessential feral child, Tarzan was raised by Kala, a female ape and the great ape Kerchak. Life in the jungle made him abnormally strong and agile. Tarzan learned to communicate with a variety of animals but didn’t learn to speak English until he encountered his first human, despite being able to read very young. Tarzan traveled the world but his disdain for the trappings of civilization always brought him and Jane back to Africa.
9 Zorro - 1919
Cited as an inspiration for Superman, Clark Kent, and the Batman, Zorro was created by Johnston McCulley and first appeared in All Story Weekly in August 1919. Zorro was the archetype for two superhero tropes: the masked human hero who relies on his skills rather than powers and the seemingly weak secret identity.
Don Diego de la Vega was secretly the masked hero, Zorro. With his whip, sword and his black horse Tornado, he fought against corrupt land barons, politicians, and cruel soldiers who hurt and oppressed the people of Spanish California in the early 19th Century. Zorro was often portrayed as a skilled capable fighter and rider who laughed while fighting the bumbling soldiers.
8 Buck Rogers - 1929
Philip Francis Nowlan created Anthony “Buck” Rogers for Amazing Stories in August 1928. WWI veteran, Rogers was working as an investigator of unusual phenomenon for the American Radioactive Gas Corporation. A cave-in released a radioactive gas that threw him into suspended animation for 492 years. Awakening in 2419, Rogers saved a strangely dressed woman from a gang attack. The woman, Wilma Deering, brought him back to her camp where her leaders hoped that Rogers could defeat the other factions.
Buck Rogers was one of the first series that imagined what the future might be and introduced American readers to outer space as a backdrop for adventure. The series inspired future space adventurers Flash Gordon and John Carter of Mars among others.
7 The Shadow - 1930
One of the best-known pop culture phrases of the 20th Century was “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”. The character of the Shadow began on the radio as the narrator of the Detective Story Hour on July 31, 1930. It was printed a year later as “The Living Shadow” on April 1, 1931.
The Shadow is one of the earliest super-powered characters. His power was to cloud men's’ minds. One new addition was the female assistant/love interest that knew the hero’s identity. For the Shadow, that was Margo Lane. The darkly cloaked Shadow was inspirational in both the creation of The Batman and V for Vendetta.
6 Doc Savage - 1933
Created by Henry W. Ralston, John L. Nanovic and Lester Dent, Clark Savage, Jr, aka “Doc” Savage, was the original polymath. Savage was a physician, scientist, detective, and adventurer among other skills. Savage’s father assembled people to train his son nearly from birth, giving him mastery of disguise and martial arts, photographic memory, and exceptional strength.
Published in 1933, Doc Savage quickly became a series that defied genre. No matter the situation, be it the deepest jungle or the far-flung future, Savage always had or quickly acquired the skills to succeed. The Man of Bronze was one of the earliest action heroes. Stan Lee believed that Doc Savage was one of the forerunners for the modern superhero.
5 The Lone Ranger And Tonto - 1933
The Lone Ranger first appeared on a radio show on WXYZ in 1933 and later appeared in an iconic television series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. The Lone Ranger was the surviving member of a party of Texas Rangers. The six Rangers were betrayed by their guide in pursuit of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish. Discovered by Tonto, the barely alive John Reid was nursed back to health. He made a mask from his brother’s vest and took the name The Lone Ranger.
The Ranger’s creators George W. Trendle and especially writer Fran Striker held the Lone Ranger to a very specific code of conduct. He never smoked or drank, shot only to disarm his opponents, and spoke with perfect grammar. The writers also took care not to slander any ethnic groups and never make criminals appear glamorous or enviable.
4 Mandrake The Magician - 1934
The template for the sophisticated magical hero, Mandrake the Magician was created by Lee Falk for his own newspaper strip on June 11, 1934, and it ran until July 6th, 2013. There are some comic historians that consider Mandrake, not Superman, to be the first superhero in comics.
Mandrake initially used an extremely fast hypnotic gesture to confound his enemies but later, displayed other magical abilities like levitation, teleportation and shapeshifting. He inherited the magically endowed cloak, hat, and wand of his father, Theron. Mandrake hid his hero career behind the public facade of a stage magician. Accompanied by his invulnerable partner African prince Lothar and others, Mandrake spent most of his time battling gangsters, mad scientists and space invaders.
3 The Green Hornet And Kato - 1936
George W. Trendle and Fran Striker created The Green Hornet radio program on January 31, 1936. The Green Hornet was Brett Reid, dashing newspaper publisher during the day. By night, he wore a green trenchcoat, green fedora, and mask and fought crime next to his partner, the martial arts master Kato in the sleek, high tech vehicle, the Black Beauty. The Green Hornet is the grand-nephew of the Lone Ranger.
No discussion about the Green Hornet is complete without a look at the television series and Van Williams as the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato. It was a Hollywood legend (and myth) that they had to slow down the film to see Bruce Lee move during the fight scenes. It lasted one season.
2 The Phantom - 1936
Based in the fictional jungles of Bangalla, the Phantom comic strip debuted on February 17, 1936. To the world, the Phantom is The Ghost Who Walks, an immortal warrior against injustice in all its forms and protector of the innocent. In truth, the Phantom is a mantle passed down from father to son beginning in the 16th Century.
Unlike most jungle heroes, the current Phantom, Kit Walker, had the skin-tight purple bodysuit, black boots and belt with its skull belt buckle, two rings and a black domino mask. This makes The Phantom the first to wear a traditional superhero costume.
1 Sheena, Queen Of The Jungle - 1937
Sheena was created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger. Sheena was the first female character to have her own self-titled comic book and inspired decades of future “jungle queens”. Sheena Rivington was orphaned in Central Africa, learned to communicate with the animals and became a proficient fighter with knives, spears and the bow.
Debuting in the British magazine Wags #1 in 1937, Sheena didn’t come to America until 1938’s Jumbo Comics #1 but she starred in every issue until 1953. Sheena also appeared in her self titled 18 issue series and the one-shot 3D issue Sheena, Jungle Queen. Sheena appeared in a campy 80’s film starring Tanya Roberts and two TV series.