Hugo Hercules was a good-natured man with superhuman strength, who walked around the city and helped people in need.
Neither Marvel nor DC were the first brands to bring to market a character considered as Super Hero. This privilege corresponds to an unknown and obscure character named Hugo Herculeswhose adventures came out into the world in 1902. Keep reading and learn a little more about what is considered first superhero ever!
Hugo Hercules preceded famous characters like Superman, Spiderman, Batman or Hulk by at least 36 years. The character was a creation of Wilhelm Heinrich Detlev Körner for him Chicago Tribunea newspaper in which his adventures were published between 1902 and 1903, in a total of 17 stories.
The character was an ordinary good-natured man with a superhuman strength, who walked around the city and helped people in need. His stories were short and sweet, quite simple compared to the modern superhero, but there is no doubt that the characteristics of him are those of a full-fledged hero.
A superhero with unusual physical prowess
To understand it, let’s define what a superhero is. It is a fictional character unprecedented physical and mental prowess who engages in acts of heroism in the public interest. It is not necessary for a character to have superhuman powers to be considered a superhero, it is enough that they have special abilities that help them fight evil or their enemies.
Hugo Hercules did not have big enemies I didn’t even have one secret identity. She was also not dressed in a colorful tight-fitting outfit. Many may say that to be a superhero you must have the above, in addition to a strange name, but perhaps this is an idea that is too influenced by what Marvel and DC have accustomed us to today.
Another fact “against” the idea of Hugo Hercules as a hero is that does not have an origin story nor is it explained where or how he acquired his extraordinary strength. We are very used to the fact that every fictional character with special powers always has an origin behind it, but this was something that evolved as superhero stories demanded more stories.
The first mutant that Alan Moore honored
Today, Hugo would fall into the category that might sound very familiar to comic book readers: that of a mutant. In that sense, perhaps we are talking about the first superhero and mutant in the world of comics.
And if anyone has doubts about whether Hugo Hercules should be considered a superhero, just remember that in 2015 Allan Moore and Kevin O’Neill The graphic novel was released Nemo: River of Ghostswhich is part of a trilogy about the captain of the nautilusderived from the saga of The League of Extraordinary Men (1999-2000).
In this material, we can see the appearance of Hugo Hercules, although here his last name is coghlan, instead of the name of the Greek demigod. In the story, Hugo shows off his enormous strength and his characteristic clothes: jacket, striped pants and hat.
Perhaps his strength has nothing to do with that of other characters like Thor or Superman, but I think you have to give your place in history to whoever deserves it. And did you already know Hugo Hercules?
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