Random thought.
Of the Twelve Labours of Heracles, precisely none revolve around killing people. If he had been a better diplomat when he visited the Amazons, he could have completed them with no human casualties whatsoever.
Of course, the Labours started because he did kill a bunch of people -- and that was a bad thing.
Pretty much every other great cultural hero I can think of is presented as a warrior, leading armies or slaughtering them. Only the Greeks deified a dude who was notable for performing community service and bringing dangerous animals under control.
(And yeah, there are plenty of other myths in which Hercules kills like a champion. But they're probably later accretions, and the core myth has as its central message: Killing people bad. Helping people good)
With that plus the dstinctive costume and explicitly superhuman powers, it's pretty clear that Heracles was the first true superhero.
Of course, the Labours started because he did kill a bunch of people -- and that was a bad thing.
Pretty much every other great cultural hero I can think of is presented as a warrior, leading armies or slaughtering them. Only the Greeks deified a dude who was notable for performing community service and bringing dangerous animals under control.
(And yeah, there are plenty of other myths in which Hercules kills like a champion. But they're probably later accretions, and the core myth has as its central message: Killing people bad. Helping people good)
With that plus the dstinctive costume and explicitly superhuman powers, it's pretty clear that Heracles was the first true superhero.