Superman
In American mythology, Superman is the god of strength and justice. Superman was one of the more popular cults of 20th and 21st century America, and was worshipped throughout its sphere of influence. He was part of the pantheon of Deecee, forming a triumvirate with Batman and Diana. He is considered to be equivalent to the Marvel god Hyperion, and Apollo in the Wildstorm religion. Superman is known by various epithets, particularly "The Man of Steel", "The Last Son of Krypton" and "The Man of Tomorrow".
Mythology
Birth and childhood
Most accounts of Superman's birth agree that he is only son of his father, Jorel (also Jor-El, Jor-L), from the realm of the Kryptonians. It is said that Jorel, a seer, foretold the destruction of the Kryptonian realm, but his warnings were dismissed by the rulers of Kryptonia. He placed the baby Superman on a vessel, and then sent it to the land of the mortals ("Earth"), becoming the last survivor of Kryptonia (but see below).
The baby Superman was found by a peasant couple, and raised as their own. These adoptive parents are known variously as Jonathan, John, or Eben, and Mary, Martha or Sarah, but they are generally agreed to have named the baby Superman "Clark". Superman was brought up by the couple in a small village near a major metropolis.
Godhood
Superman starts manifesting godly powers at some point during his teenage years (or sometimes earlier), at which point his adoption is revealed to him by his parents, and he is shown the vessel in which he was found. After undergoing a series of trials (including in some versions the death of his father, Jonathan) he becomes a champion of justice, and a model for others.
He defeats many enemies, including Luthor, Braniac, and also a twisted and bizarre version of imself, and allies himself with other gods and demigods, such as the Batman. He is also supposed to have fought Zod, another Kryptonian (it is thought that this is a later addition). Superman is sometimes seen as a messianic figure, and is said to have come back from death at least once, when he was killed by the eschatological Doomsday. During Superman's presumed death, several several pretenders took his subsidiary titles of "The Man of Tomorrow", "The Man of Steel" and "The Last Son of Krypton".
Superman took a mortal woman, Lois, to be his wife, and they had a child, Connor, who is sometimes capable of acting in Superman's stead. Superman dwells in an ice-palace that he has constructed near the Earth's pole, but often spends time in the metropolis he was brought up near.
Depictions
Superman is typically depicted wearing a tight-fitting blue, red and yellow costume, with a long red cape. He is associated with a distinctive shield based on the American letter "S", shown to the right, although no images of him actually holding such a shield are known to survive (and indeed, his skin is strong enough to make one unnecessary - it is thought that this image was fixed before subsequent accounts exaggerated the extent of his abilities). Instead, the "S" shield design is shown on the front of his raiment.
Superman has great strength, and in one well-known illustration is depicted raising a motor vehicle above his head. He is also shown in flight, catching bullets, and outpacing steam trains. When in flight he is sometimes at such a height that he is confused with the birds. As time goes on, additional powers are added to Superman's repertoire, and Superman is occasionally attributed with supernatural speed and perceptions, as well as the power to burn things merely by looking at them.
The source of his strength is usually reckoned to be the effect of the Sun on his Kryptonian body, although in some stories, Kryptonians exhibit similar powers on Kryptonia itself.
Superman has few weaknesses, one being rocks from his home of Kryptonia, although stories differ on what effects they have on him.
In addition to his great physical power, Superman is often considered to be a god of justice - might and justice being two concepts often linked by contemporary American political thinking, and some scholars have suggested he can be seen as a personifcation of America itself (but see Captain America, a rival demigod more explicitly linked to American identity.)
Worship
Although the name Superman (and particularly its German cognate "Übermensch"), crops up before, as early as the late 19th century, the first surviving written record of Superman as a deity dates from 1938. The cult spread quickly, and there is evidence that radio and film serials devoted to Superman had developed by the end of the 1940s, although none of these survive. Publication of Superman material continued, in increasing quantities through the 20th century.
Many small Superman statues (generally made of plastic) can be found in landfill sites over a long timespan, indicating that his popularity waxed and waned during this era.