Are Superheroes Inspired By Myths?

"More powerful than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." Those are the words that describe the most famous comic book superheroes - Superman. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster, Superman debuted in 1932.
According to the strip, Superman came to Earth as a baby from the planet Krypton with super strength, X-ray vision and the power to fly. His only weakness - substance Kryptonite - which renders him powerless. Posing as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, he changes into his Superman whenever he sets out to do good deeds.
When he debuted Superman was rough and aggressive. He was unlike the Superman of today who adheres to a strict moral code and is banned from killing. Though not cold-blooded, he was not concerned about the harm his strength may cause. A hero in the mythic tradition, he was inspired by Samson and Hercules.

So who were Samson and Hercules?

Samson
Samson is a biblical figure, who uses tremendous strength to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats unachievable by ordinary men. Some of his feats include wrestling a lion, slaying an entire army with a donkey's jawbone, and tearing down an entire building.

Hercules
Hercules was a champion and a great warrior. He was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his advantage. However, he was renowned as having "made the world safe for mankind" by destroying many dangerous monsters. His self-sacrifice obtained him the ascent to the Olympian realms and he was welcomed by the gods.
If you look around, you will see that comic heroes borrow liberally from mythology.