Superman is the most recognizable super hero worldwide. America's another story entirely, and the only way to decide this is by which hero is the most consistently popular.
In the 40's it was a tie between Superman & Captain Marvel, 50's was predominantly Superman as well. The 60's gave way to Marvel Comics Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk. 70's was pretty much between the big three: Spider-Man, Batman & Superman. The 80's breathed new life into Wolverine (created in 1960's), with Marvel taking the throne as best publisher and Spider-Man reigning supreme. The 90's is what made Punisher, the darker Batman & Wolverine famous for anti-heroism. Spawn was also hugely popular until the movie-adaptation bombed. Kicking off 2000 with a movie, Spider-Man took the spotlight again, but now at the end of the decade there's Iron Man & Wolverine vieing for attention. As of right now its really close between Spider-Man and Wolverine with Batman at the threshold due to their success in films. As far as the score goes concerning dominant popularity at certain eras, shared or individual:
Superman = 3 eras (40's, 50's & 70's)
Batman = 3 eras (70's, 90's & 00's)
Captain Marvel = 1 era (40's)
Hulk = 1 era (60's)
Wolverine = 3 eras (80's, 90's & 00's)
Punisher = 1 era (90's)
Spawn = 1 era (90's)
Spider-Man = 4 eras (60's, 70's, 80's and 00's.)
So Spidey wins just barely. Feel free to form your own opinions but them's the facts. Just because one hero was not the MOST popular at a time does not mean they weren't at all (Spider-Man was not the MOST popular in the 90's), but the way I look at it what counts is how pop-culture as a whole sees it. Hence time frames.
But one thing everyone should know is that Superman had a radio show during the 40's or 50's (The Adventures of Superman). Stetson Kennedy posted information about the Ku Klux Klan including most if not all of their secrets and activities, to children listening to the show, making them little more than a pathetic fraternity. This is what ultimately led to their downfall, inhibiting them from strentghening their influence any more (at the time they were seen as morally in the right,) So in the end Superman is the only hero to actually traverse the realm of reality and defeat a real supervillain, cementing him as the greatest hero.
It could be argued that Superman is the most popular comic book superhero, as he is one of the most iconic and enduring characters in the genre. However, characters like Batman, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman also have immense popularity and are considered among the most well-known superheroes. Ultimately, the title of most popular superhero can vary depending on personal preference and cultural context.
Batman. He is very old, has lots of comics, and has alot of movies. The batman movie: "The Dark Knight" is the third best movie of all time. That gives him publicity!
Any thing I missed?
it's probebley either superman or spiderman
From polls that i've seen before generally Batman wins.
superman,spiderman
They are popular because they a combination of 3 qualities: personality, style, and strength. (and they can kick super hero butt!
Well you would have to ask Marvel Inc. that question seeing that they have the most popular comic book/super hero industry. I would have to say Superman and Batman though.
Captain Canuck .
it was batman.
You cannot be a comic book superhero. It is fantasy
An epic hero is a literary character; a superhero is a comic-book character.
Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
each comic book super hero has atleast one superhuman attribute.
Bart's favorite comic book hero is Radioactive Man.
A comic book hero prevails over enemies and circumstances by way of his powers and courage .
because he is a famous french comic strip hero and he is a very good super hero
the comic was on the super hero "the thing". i forgot when it was published but its really old.