> In fact, I think that a good argument can be made for D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation as the first American superhero movie, and the point of origin for all those capes and masks."

And ironically a superhero radio serial helped seriously weaken the KKK in the 40s:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/23157/how-superman-defea...

I heard elsewhere that, after the program aired, the children of KKK members were angry when they found their children playing "Superman vs. the Klan" and understanding the Klan to be the enemy.

I'm not defending the superhero genre targeted at adult audiences, and I think the movies tend to be boring and unimaginative.