Superman has come to be considered as something of an American cultural icon, often otherwise referred to as the 'caped crusader'. The figure was created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 and first appeared in Action Comics 1 in 1938. It subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games, and of course was portrayed with utter brilliance on the big screen in it's first incarnation by Christopher Reeves.
With the success of his adventures, Superman is fundamental to the creation of the superhero genre, the character's appearance is distinctive: a blue, red and yellow costume, complete with cape, with a stylised 'S' shield on his chest. This shield is now typically used across media to symbolise the character of all conquering hero, in the same way the swastika has come to represent essential evil.