Superheroes: reading informational text; Superheroes around the World 4

We Need a Hero

1. Americans living in the 1930s had it pretty rough. The country was in the midst of the Great Depression. Many people were unemployed, and things looked bleak. It’s no wonder that people began to dream about a hero to help. In 1936, the first American superhero, the Phantom, was born. In the following years, many of the most well-known American superheroes were created. Superman (1938), Batman (1939), Captain Marvel (1939), and Wonder Woman (1941) soon arrived, ready to fight crime and lift spirits. But the need for a hero wasn’t specific to America. Superheroes have shown up in many countries through the years.

Nelvana of the Northern Lights (Canada, 1941)

2. Nelvana of the Northern Lights was Canada’s first superhero. Part goddess and part human, she used many powers in her fight against evil. She battled against both human and non-human threats, including everything from space invaders to Nazis. Nelvana used flight, invisibility, shape-shifting, and heat vision in her quest to defend the land.

El Santo (Mexico, 1942)

3. Unlike most superheroes, El Santo began as an actual person. He started his career as a masked wrestler (called a luchador) in Mexico during the 1940s. People were wild about him! He became so popular that artists and movie producers wanted to maximize his potential. Soon, El Santo was appearing in comic books and movies, fighting off everything from criminals to zombies using his strength and wrestling skills.

Ultraman (Japan, 1966)

4. Similar to Superman, Ultraman came from another planet. But Ultraman didn’t fight criminals. Instead, he battled monstrous animals, evil aliens, or underground creatures. His character was part of a specific genre (or style of movies) in Japan: in the 1950s and 1960s, Japan had a “Kaiju Boom.” Kaiju means “strange creature” in Japanese. During this time, most Japanese movies were about huge monsters (such as Godzilla) putting cities in danger. Ultraman was the noble superhero who was created to save people from those hostile threats.

Burka Avenger (Pakistan, 2013)

5. This modern-day hero turns everything you think about superheroes upside down. Burka Avenger’s fight is centered on female education, and she uses a burqa (a traditional body covering worn by some women in Pakistan) to hide her identity during her superhero missions. She doesn’t use muscle or supernatural power: instead, Burka Avenger practices a martial art that involves throwing books and pens as weapons. This matches the show’s message that education is a powerful tool. Burka Avenger’s creator, Haroon, says he wanted young fans to see that “the pen is mightier than the sword”.
6. People all over the world look to superheroes in times of crisis. Whether the attacker is alien, human, or monster, there’s always a superhero ready to help!

Practice question