Claim: Hulk is a character.

A superhero -LRB- sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero -RRB- is a type of heroic stock character who possesses supernatural or superhuman powers and who is dedicated to fighting crime , protecting the public , and usually battling supervillains . A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine -LRB- also rendered super-heroine or super heroine -RRB- , although the word superhero is commonly used for females also . Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters , especially in American comic books since the 1930s .   By most definitions , characters do not require actual supernatural or superhuman powers or phenomena to be deemed superheroes . While the Dictionary.com definition of `` superhero '' is `` a figure , especially in a comic strip or cartoon , endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime '' , the longstanding Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition as `` a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers ; also : an exceptionally skillful or successful person '' . Terms such as masked crime fighters , costumed adventurers or masked vigilantes are sometimes used to refer to characters such as the Spirit , who may not be explicitly referred to as superheroes but nevertheless share similar traits .   Some superheroes use their powers to counter daily crime while also combating threats against humanity from supervillains , who are their criminal counterparts . Often at least one of these supervillains will be the superhero 's archenemy . Some long-running superheroes such as Batman , Spider-Man , Superman , Captain America , Wonder Woman , Iron Man , the Flash , Wolverine , Green Lantern , and Hulk have a rogues gallery of many villains .