Hero 6: Superman

Dun dun dun duuuun, dun dun dun dun dun dun dun... The next hero is the original and most famous superhero of all time, Son of Krypton and Man of Steel, Superman. Superman has many backstories, so we are going to focus on the most famous one. Born on the dying planet Krypton, Kal-El was shot in a rocket to Earth as Krypton explodes behind him (cool guys don't look at explosions). He was raised in Smallville, Kansas as Clark Kent where he developed his powers. He learned of his Kryptonian heritage, moved to Metropolis, and was hired as a reporter for the Daily Planet. As well as this job, he fought crime as the unmasked yet unrecognizable Superman. And so we don't get too confused, we are going to use Superman's powers AFTER Crisis on Infinite Earths. Why? Here's why. And we also are not using Superman Prime. Why? Because Superman Prime was when Superman went on a 679 century journey throughout the universe to learn all the secrets, came back to spend 1500 years in the middle of Super Sun to grow his powers more, and even briefly got his hands on a Green Lantern ring, basically making him a god... Yeah... Gonna go ahead and not worry about him... ANALYSIS TIME!
Individualism and heroism. Confused? Read my first post, on the Flash. Next.

One component of Romanticism embodied by Superman is to trust your instincts and emotions before logic and reasoning. Superman will often be seen saving his love, Lois Lane, or a group of kids in the midst of a massive fight, even when a logical analysis tells you to sacrifice the people and finish off the baddie (even though Superman does win in the end).

Another Romantic theme in the Man of Steel involves a story arc were Superman is pulled into a pocket dimension. In this dimension, he finds three escaped Kryptonian criminals and after apprehending them, executes them. He feels so bad about killing them, he leaves Earth and ventures through space (this is not when he becomes Superman Prime, I told you we were ignoring that). Here, we see a darker side of Romanticism. We see something popular in authors like Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson. Here we see sadness in the face of death. Superman executes criminals and is overwhelmed with sadness and emotion.

We can also see in this story nature over humanity. As a solace, Superman ventures away from society (Earth) and into nature (space). This relationship is well displayed in one of the most important Romantic novels ever, Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

Well, there's the Man of Steel, Superman. Comment with ideas for new heroes to investigate. YouTube savants will appreciate the next hero we look out, who falls outside of DC and Marvel. We are looking at the Super Singer and Master of the Universe, He-Man.