Superheroes weren't always everywhere.
Before billion-dollar franchises, packed movie theaters, endless comic-book adaptations, and superhero characters appearing on everything from lunchboxes to video games, they were simply characters in comic books.
Somehow, they became much bigger than that.
Today, superheroes are part of pop culture in a way few fictional characters ever manage to achieve. Even people who have never picked up a comic can recognize Batman's symbol, know what Spider-Man's powers