Although superheroes have become mainstays of comic books, television, and film since the debut of Superman in 1938, their presence in literary fiction like Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000), seems like a relatively new phenomenon—but is it? This talk explores the superhero’s surprising literary history, focusing particularly on the rise of “superhero fiction” as a literary subgenre, how literary superheroes differ from their comic book counterparts, and why superheroes have become such potent metaphors for contemporary experiences and dilemmas.