Updated
Superman history: from Action Comics #1 to the DCU
The history of Superman since 1938: Siegel and Shuster's creation, radio and cartoons, the Reeve films, the Death of Superman and the DCU reboot.
The short answer
Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and first appeared in Action Comics #1 (1938). He is Kal-El of Krypton, raised as Clark Kent in Smallville, Kansas. Through radio, cartoons, TV and film he became the world's first and most famous superhero.
Kal-El: the origin
On the dying planet Krypton, the scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara send their infant son, Kal-El, to Earth in a rocket. He lands near Smallville, Kansas, where Jonathan and Martha Kent raise him as Clark Kent. As an adult he moves to Metropolis, works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and protects the world as Superman.
1938: the first superhero
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster spent years trying to sell their creation before Action Comics #1 (cover-dated June 1938) put Superman on the cover lifting a car. It launched the superhero genre. That first Superman couldn’t fly at first: he leapt.
The 1940s: radio and cartoons
The Adventures of Superman radio show (from 1940) gave the character “Up, up and away!”, introduced kryptonite (1943) and made Jimmy Olsen a regular. Fleischer Studios’ animated shorts (1941–1943) are still admired for their art deco look.
Television and the Silver Age
George Reeves starred in TV’s Adventures of Superman (1952–1958). In the comics, the Silver Age added Supergirl, the bottled city of Kandor, the Fortress of Solitude and a wide range of kryptonite colours.
1978: the Reeve films
Richard Donner’s Superman, with Christopher Reeve, made Superman a modern blockbuster hero. See every film in order.
1986 to 1992: reboot and death
After Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Byrne’s The Man of Steel (1986) streamlined the character. In 1992, The Death of Superman made headlines worldwide.
The 2000s to 2020s
Smallville (2001–2011) and Superman Returns (2006) were followed by Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013). DC’s New 52 (2011) and Rebirth (2016) relaunches refreshed the comics, and Action Comics reached issue #1000 in 2018.
Today: the DCU
James Gunn’s Superman (2025), starring David Corenswet, launched DC Studios’ new film universe. Its sequel, Man of Tomorrow, arrives in July 2027.
Questions
Who created Superman?
Two teenagers: writer Jerry Siegel (born 17 October 1914, Cleveland) and artist Joe Shuster (born 10 July 1914, Toronto). They developed him from 1933 and sold the first story to Detective Comics in 1938, receiving $130 for its 13 pages.
Where is Superman from?
He was born on Krypton and grew up in Smallville, Kansas. As an adult he lives and works in the fictional city of Metropolis. Smallville was first named in the late-1940s Superboy stories; early tales didn't name his hometown at all.