Superhero Imponderables #2: 'Is Popeye A Superhero?'

[Jonstern1983]

He's missing 2 things that most superheroes have. 1. He has no costume.  He has a typical sailor uniform, but nothing to differentiate himself from other sailors. 2. He has no outward altruism. He only does good things for those he considers friends, not for the general public nor for some higher ideal about justice or compassion.

[diddymuck]

is he superhero? he has super powers...strength, invulnerability (via the wiffle hen), and general all round toughness. but no costume or course of action. He just clobbers whoever messes with him and saves people he happens across.

[DOMuricu]

Haven't see the Altman/Robin Williams 'Popeye'. I would enjoy seeing reviews of the tongue-in-cheek heroes like Flash/Buck/Doc.

[spark300c]

what think about samus Aran. When I read her back story feel like I read a super hero origin story.

[diddymuck]

main element a superhero seems to have is an air of mystery. Popeye is not mysterious but in yer face no holds barred. also he does what he does cause he's making a living at what he's good at; he only fights when provoked or to save someone else from abuse.

[immagonnarockayoua]

I consider Popeye a superhero but only because my definition of superhero is broader than the people who have so far commented on this video. I also consider the Ancient Greek heroes such as Herakles and Achilles superheroes. In my opinion if a character is super and a hero then he IS a superhero! Ultimately I think everyone will have to agree to disagree because before we can define whether or not Popeye is a superhero, everyone has to agree on exactly what the definition of a superhero is!

[JudasAngel666]

I'd Say Popeye Isn't a hero either...he's basically just..Mikey Mouse on Steroids.

[markstar777]

YEP . FUKIN A

[GoblinXXX]

I agree- Popeye is NOT a "superhero". I would even add The Phantom to those you listed along with him, who is even CLOSER to being a superhero, with a hideout, a secret identity, and an entirely inappropriate costume for his name and situation, the fact that the Phantom lives on a tropical island and fights pirates makes him a proto-superhero, ALMOST THERE, but not quite.

[immagonnarockayoua]

@GoblinXXX

I agree that The Phantom isn't a superhero, but because he doesn't fulfill the "super" part of superhero. If he did have some sort of extraordinary power that made him stand out from the rest of the characters in his universe, whether that power was acquired through birth, mutation, accident, fate, aliens, divine blessing or extraordinary technology, then I would define him as a superhero. But again, it's all about how we define what a superhero is.

[GoblinXXX]

@immagonnarockayoua I think most everyone would agree that Batman was a superhero, despite not having "powers", unless you consider being a billionaire a power. His technology isn't extraordinary for the universe he lives in (though you'd think he could wrangle some stuff from Thanagar or New Genesis with his connections, but that's another argument!) Most golden age superheroes would not fit your definition-- If you had a gun and a fin on your cowl, you could be a superhero then.