SUPERMAN (DC)

Who he? Godlike alien bound to Earth by his compassion for weak humanity

Powers: Once only faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, his powers have grown with time to be near-limitless.

Screen appeal: Huge in 1977 – “you’ll believe a man can fly” – but tarnished by increasingly desperate sequels. Successful youth TV series Smallville led to huge-budget, so-so film by Bryan Singer.

THE SILVER SURFER (Marvel)

Who he? Godlike alien bound to earth by his compassion for weak humanity

Powers: “I wield the power cosmic!” And he’s also, like, pretty cosmic, man.

Screen appeal: Couldn’t quite save Fantastic Four II, but gave it a good try.

WONDER WOMAN (DC)

Who she? Princess of the Amazons. Though not, it seems, the same tribe of whom the Greeks reported that they cut off their right breasts, the better to shoot arrows.

Powers: Bullet-deflecting bracelets and a magic lasso.

Screen appeal: TV series hugely popular, but still unable to clinch movie deal.

STORM (Marvel)

Who she? The descendant of an ancient line of blue-eyed, white-haired African priestesses, she was mentored by a master thief when her parents were killed.

Powers: Arguably the strongest of the awesome X-Men, she unleashes the raw, elemental power of the weather.

Screen appeal: The three X-Men films have grossed more than a billion dollars between them.

BATMAN (DC)

Who he? Millionaire playboy who invents gadgets to help him fight crime.

Powers: None, but studied martial arts.

Screen appeal: Tim Burton’s Batman was the sexiest film of 1989, grossing more than $400 million. Sequels were progressively sillier until Christopher Nolan (Memento) rebooted the franchise with Batman Begins.

IRON MAN (Marvel)

Who he? Millionaire weapons manufacturer who invents an iron suit to help him fight crime.

Powers: None. In fact, he has a dicky heart, which tends to seize up at dramatic moments, and is kept beating by a pacemaker in his armoured suit.

Screen appeal: Half-a-billion bucks, baby, yeah! And rising. Two sequels already in the works.

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