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Superman is the Kleenex of Superheroes. A brand so ubiquitous it becomes shorthand for the entire genre. If you utter the word 'superhero,' even the most generic image of a meta-human would probably resemble the Man of Tomorrow. Since I was a child, whenever I drew some epic battle between good and evil, I always drew The Man of Steel first, then maybe Spider-Man. There are many examples of this in real-world brands. Jetski, as shorthand for personal watercraft, is similar. If you want a soda, you ask for Coke, or Frisbee is used for your favorite flying disk. Superman may not be that in name and wasn't the first superhero, but Superman is the template for superheroes. 

How to build a brand hero

Branding is all about associations. If you have positive associations from childhood with Coca-Cola, you are more likely to drink that as you age than, say, Pepsi. Owning a Samsung phone and never having an issue with it makes it easy to purchase another one. You associate it with quality. The same applies to Apple products and Amazon Prime orders. You get the idea. The better and more positive your associations are, the stronger the brand image becomes in your mind. 

Now close your eyes (after you read this) and picture the most generic version of a superhero you can. Like the most barebones, out-the-box, all-encompassing superhero with only your core understanding of what a superhero looks like. It looks like Superman. It's easy to be contrarian and say, 'Nope, I saw Thor because…' I am not here to argue with you. You and I know you pictured barrel-chested, spandex-clad underwear on the outside of their close, cape-covered, square-jawed, power-posed gentleman.

Superman is the archetype because of the associations we have created with the character. He embodies every major trope you can apply to a superhero. A secret identity, a powerset so OP, conflicts seem irrelevant, brightly colored costumes, and the physique of a Greek god. Many of us comic and animation fans grew up watching Justice League, Super Friends, or even the '40s Max Fleischer Superman animated series. In technicolor! 

Seeing Superman as a pillar of strength, virtue, and a source of hope tends to stick, especially when viewed through the eyes of a kid. As an adult who may never have liked comics, if you ask them to name a superhero or even the greatest superhero, they will likely name Superman. Because he is ubiquitous. Either through cultural or direct associations. How? First impressions, people. Superman's primary color scheme, powerful poster, heroic attitude, and iconic branding all built associations in our minds, which led to his place at the top of the hero mountain.  

The hero is in the details

There is a superhero trend that applies to a good portion of the characters in pop culture. Superheroes lean towards primary colors as their costume base. Primary colors, by definition, are colors you can't make by mixing others. They are raw and uncut, serving as the base for all other colors. Seeing the parallels yet? You can create colors from the primary colors, but it all starts with the source. Superman uses the print primary colors cyan, magenta, and yellow as his base. 

Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Flash. The list goes on. Superman applies all three. Red, Yellow, and Blue serve as his traditional costume color palette. I can say, with a level of certainty, that Superman is the first mainstream superhero who introduced this concept (after character refinement, of course). The iconic Action Comics cover of Big Blue lifting that car over his head stands as a monument to the legend of the character and its design. The bold colors, strength, and hope are all there in a single image that remains in the zeitgeist to this day.

Since then, Superman's entire aura has been synonymous with 'superhero.' I did a quick search on a popular stock photo website for 'vector superhero' (I added vector to weed out any photos of people smiling in capes), and what I got was a collection of knock-offs and characters inspired by the big guy. 

That includes his costume breakdown, the inclusion of a log on their chest, and the power poses. Some people simply lifted the iconic 'S' shield and incorporated it into their creations. It's easy to chalk this up to a lack of creativity, but the truth is these creations were made to appeal to what people would associate with a superhero and then ultimately download. Why would I want to download someone's unique idea of a superhero when I can use the generic version of the actual Superman to get the point across immediately? These vectors are reproducing and reinforcing the template.

If you take into account Kal-El's overall build in this conversation, you can see it echo through your favorite superheroes in history as well. The square-jawed, narrow-waisted, peck-blessed heroes on Marvel and DC all get that heroic stature from Supes. Captain America, Shazam/Captain Marvel, Sentry, the list goes on. They adopted the posture and frame of the original superhero, following his template to create other iconic characters.

Even your favorite evil super men like Omni-Man, Homelander, or the Plutonian are all 'What if Superman went bad' interpretations. Their costumes differ slightly, but the general makeup is there. The character popularized capes and tights! That aesthetic alone makes up 90% of superhero culture. The capes aren't particularly functional in the storytelling. The Incredibles taught us that the billowing fabric around their neck is pretty dangerous. The cape is a visual indication of power, grandeur, and almost a sense of majesty. On the page, it shows Superman and subsequent heroes' movements, indicating their speed. A simple addition that has become a staple of the superhero genre. 

The 'S' stands for simple

Superman is a simple design. It cuts a strong silhouette, incorporates bold colors in a palatable distribution, and has an iconic logo that a child can draw. There are no egregious pouches, hard-to-spot details, or ambiguous additions to bog it down. It's just a big, strong dude in a cape. That's simple. Simple doesn't mean bad or less than. It means 'less is more'. It exemplifies 'K.I.S.S: Keep It Simple, Stupid'. Superman's design is everything it needs to be without complications. This simplicity makes Superman adaptable, recognizable, and clear. More tenants of a strong brand.

Batman's silhouette is so particular that it conjures images of the Dark Knight brooding on a rooftop. Superman's silhouette is just that. A super man. It could be anyone in a cape with powers. And that's why people flock to it. These days, if you put a person in that outfit, you can call them whatever you want, and folks will just accept they are a generic superhero. If you stuff someone in a cowl, you are obviously making a Batman.

One very specific, simple detail that defines and often breaks the character of Superman is his undies on the outside. A quirky addition to the character that, from a design standpoint, breaks up his costume so he's not just a long blue dude in red boots and gives a reference point for his midsection in the middle of the action. You wouldn't think something so silly would be adopted by other superheroes. Wrong. WRONG! I mentioned Batman above. The brooding Dark Knight wears his undies on the outside. Why? Because Superman did. The X-Men did it because Superman did it. Hell, Beast wears blue undies that match his fur. No rhyme or reason for that. Just wear pants, right? No. Superman did it, so the Beast does it, too. The signs are all there, folks.

That raises another essential branding point. Superman's aesthetic set the rules of the superhero brand. Some of the best heroes tweak, break, or flat-out ignore these rules to make fantastic characters. With superheroes, like branding, you need to know what the rules are so you can break them later. Breaking the rules the right way can produce incredibly unique and enjoyable results, like Wolverine or Piccolo.

Build the mold when they made him

To put it simply, Superman is the cake mold of superheroes. Pour in your ingredients, and when it's all baked, you have a superhero. It will resemble a superhero, possess its defining features, and, depending on the other ingredients you add, it will either go down smoothly or be rejected by your audience. But it'll look the part for sure. The strength, stature, bold colors, flowing cape, iconic emblem, and heroic pose are all part of the Superman mold. It forms his real-world superpower. 

Longevity.

James Gunn's Superman is flying into theaters soon enough, and Popverse has all you need to prepare. Refreshing your cinematic memory with our Superman movie watch order, learn what we know about the upcoming Superman movie, Superman's S-Shield through the ages, and read about what DC is doing ahead of their flagship hero's triumphant return.