I was asked this earlier today and, not being much of a comics fan, I was totally stumped.
Are there any hugely popular superheroes in Europe, South America, Asia, or elsewhere who are not of U.S. origin (either in that official biographies or in their creators)? Any suggestions for who would be the most popular superhero not widely known in the U.S.?
British friends have referenced Action Man a lot over the years, usually nostalgically. Is he still big?
I’m guessing the answer to “biggest” would be an anime or manga character, but I’m not into either, so I’m just curious.
Action Man was a child’s toy when I was growing up. A good one, but I doubt Action Man was ever intended to be a “Superhero”. It’s a doll for (mostly) boys.
I don’t know how representative this is, but Cracked has a great list of baffling superheroes from around the world. You’ve got to watch the video embedded for their number 1 pick - it’s quite something to behold.
What is a superhero? Does he or she have to wear tights? Because there are lots of graphic art characters with fictional powers.
Is Naruto a superhero? Astro Boy? How about the characters in Neon Genesis Evangelion? That franchise has grossed over $1 billion, including merchandising.
There are plenty of superheros with non-US origins according to their biographies: Superman, Thor, and Wolverine all come to mind, just from recent movies. I don’t think that’s interesting enough to be what you’re referring to, though.
I think superheroes are almost exclusively an American thing. Only Japan would come close with their fantastical characters. International pop culture heroes tend to be a little more grounded, being spies or adventurers or space travellers, like Dan Dare, James Bond, Judge Dredd, or Doctor Who.
Not too many Yanks know about Garth, a British comic-strip superhero. He had a nice long run. Peter O’Donnell, who created the Modesty Blaise comic strip, was one of Garth’s writers.
With all regrets, no. He’s not really even an “action hero,” although some of the stories have action-adventure bits. He’s a “detective hero” – and almost certainly the best-known of the class.
At least in theory, there is nothing “super” about his talents; he consistently attempts to teach his methods to others, which indicates that he (at least) believes them to be entirely ordinary.
Most celebrated non-US superhero? That would be Canada’s own Wolverine.
From European comics? Asterix, hand down. And yes, I’m counting him as a Superhero: the Gaul has superstrength, fights against evil and always wears the same clothes.
No, they’re just normal kids. The only super thing about them is their angst. Shinji may have prevented the world from turning into delicious tang but you can’t be a super hero if I can beat you up.
Japanese heros are an entire world unto themselves. Wikipedia has articles on super sentai (kind of like the Teen Titans or Justice League, but they usually form a giant robot,) kaiju (large beasts or robots,) and individual heros like kikaida, kamen rider, etc. Manga and anime also have many heroes.
Yeah, I had Ironman in mind as a comparison when I wrote that. Tony’s suit is fantasy, as are the Evas/robots in Evangelion.
Anyway if Superheros are defined narrowly they are a US creation because that’s where Marvel and DC are located. Define them broadly and the Evangelion franchise probably beats Superman in terms of popularity ($, not mindshare). Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings defeat them both by a wide margin. As do Spiderman and Batman.
