Spider-man is the most popular superhero

Question

The information that is shown here is old since it was all taken place in 2022. So i went ahead to take a journey through the internet to see if this is still true and well yes it is still true to this day. On May 22, 2024 Derek Ellerman rounded up votes from various social media groups such as IMDB, and IGN. the amount of votes for Spider-man is 48.7% of votes and for the reasons as told by said claimer.

Comments

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The assertion that "Spider-Man is the most popular superhero," is partially accurate, though it hinges on exactly what metric one uses. No one can deny that Spider-Man is one of the world’s most beloved and by no means obscure superhero figures, with a consistently high ranking across a number of categories, including, but not limited to, the following: the sales of superhero merchandise; the recognition factor of said superhero among both children and adults; and levels of social media engagement, where Spidey seems to actually excel, apparently, over characters who are popular even in the comic book medium, like Iron Man.
Sales of comic books show that Batman often beats Spider-Man, which indicates a strong amount of competition between the two characters. When we look at the sales figures for merchandise or at the appearances of either hero in public places, we almost always see Spider-Man ranking at the very top, with Batman not very far behind. In claims of this being some sort of objective Superhero Popularity Contest, supporters of the idea that Spider-Man is the most popular superhero tend to point at him being on top in these conversations.

Answer 1

April 28 is international superhero day and every year the most searched superhero is Spider-Man. CNN says, “According to online entertainment retailer Zavvi, the web slinger is the world’s most popular superhero with more than 5 million average searches per month”. People say that he’s very relatable because he has a backstory. He’s a young guy that’s in high school. Another thing that’s relatable about Spider-Man is he’s not wealthy as the other superhero such as Batman, Iron Man and others. https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/28/entertainment/spider-man-national-superhero-day-marvel-comics-cec/index.html

Comments

I don't think the source you provided is all that reliable because Zavvi's research is solely based on Google search data. Being the "most popular Superhero" really comes down to how you metrics of the world "popular." A character can be popular in one category (such as Google searches) but not in another (such as comics, company profit, how many adaptations they appear in). Since the metrics of popular is not clear, it requires looking taking a bigger picture of all the ways a Superhero can be "popular," besides just Google search data.

Answer 2

While an overwhelming amount of small media outlets have named Spider-Man as the most popular superhero (Bounding Into Comics, Redit, Zavvi US, Game UK, etc.), like the article above, I found two main problems with the integrity of the data. The first problem I found is the method by which they received this information. While data from polls can be acquired quickly and cheaply, the most effective way to get accurate evidence is to conduct a cluster random statistical sample. This ensures that the tests have an equal representation of all points of view on the subject, eliminating bias and all other external factors that could skew the results. The second issue I found is the lack of description of who got this poll. As a fan of Superhero media, I know I have my own idea of who the best superhero is, but I did not get this poll. Understanding their target base could help us determine if this data is accurate or not. Statista (a global data and business collection program) has reported that Superman comics are the best-selling as of 2016 but Spider-Man: No Way Home is the highest-grossing solo superhero film according to The Numbers, so there isn't any other data backing this claim.

Comments

Agreed.

There's no single way to determine "popularity." Does popularity mean this superhero sells the most comics? What about fan art, fiction and other media made inspired by a superhero? What about views of media that a superhero has taken place in? Did they only poll American audiences? What about superheros in other countries? Etc., etc.

It's an impossible statement to make. You'd have to get more specific if you wanted a clear answer ("which superhero sells the most comic books") and that would not alone determine if that superhero was "the most popular," but just that they sell the most comic books. A lot goes into selling comics — marketing, writing, art, etc. It's not just a superhero being on the cover.

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Agreed. There isn’t a single way to define "popularity" for a superhero. Does it mean selling the most comics? Or does it include fan-created content like fan art and fiction? Should we consider views across all media they appear in? Did the survey only target American audiences, or does it account for superheroes popular in other countries?

The statement is nearly impossible to make without specifics. A clearer question like "Which superhero sells the most comic books?" could give a straightforward answer, but even that wouldn’t fully define "the most popular." Comic sales depend on many factors—marketing, writing quality, artwork—not just the superhero’s appeal alone.

Answer 3

I found multiple media sources agreeing with the statement made above, but this source provided just seems off to me. They make statements about some kind of voting process, but provide no data other than percentages. We don't know what demographics were polled or the amount of people. So,I would have to state that this is false due to an inadequate source.

Comments

I agree with your statement. Although I think it's important to back it up with evidence. An article that goes along with your statement would help with the accuracy.

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I agree with your statement, though I think it would be even stronger with supporting evidence. Including an article that aligns with your points would add credibility and improve accuracy.

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You're statement is really strong and I agree that with the lack of data, it's hard to get an accurate read on the situation. The only thing I think that would have helped this fact check is to provide another trusted source to explain why this statement is not correct.

Answer 4

While many small media outlets are calling Spider-Man the most popular superhero, this claim feels exaggerated and misleading. There are a couple of key issues that raise red flags for me. First, the way they gathered this information seems a bit off. Quick polls can be tempting, but they often miss the mark on truly representing everyone’s views. A more thorough approach, like a cluster random sample, would provide a clearer picture. Second, we don’t know who participated in these polls. As a superhero fan, I have my own favorites, but I realize my perspective might not reflect what everyone else thinks. Plus, while Statista shows that Superman comics were the best-selling as of 2016, and Spider-Man: No Way Home is the highest-grossing solo superhero film, there isn’t much data supporting the claim of Spider-Man’s popularity. It makes you wonder about the accuracy of these claims.

Comments

I love your response! It's concise, to the point, and easy to understand. Overall, very well done! However, I do have one suggestion that could enhance the strength of your response... You mention different methods to more accurately conclude if Spider-Man is the most popular superhero or not. If you provided some links to outside sources regarding these alternative methods, then your argument would be even more impenetrable. Additionally, because you use your personal perspective as an integral part of your response, having some links to outside sources in this area would make it even more balanced.

Answer 5

When looking at the source that made this claim, it gave percentages of the total vote that each superhero received; however, under each superhero, it only told the storyline of their movie. There was no evidence to back up these statistics. While fact checking this claim, I found many sources such as blogs in which people were debating which superhero was the most popular. These sources are unreliable as they were all people arguing why spider-man is the best superhero without concrete evidence. As someone who is a Marvel fan, I have a favorite superhero as well, but this does not mean that said superhero is everyone’s favorite. Therefore, the claim is false.

Answer 6

For many years Spider-Man has been considered the most popular superhero. It is not because of how strong, quick, or tough he is but is due to how relatable he is as a person and a superhero. Game conducted a poll on this topic to see who was the peoples favorite superhero, and sure enough, Spider-Man was in first place. People also love Spider-Man due to his backstory and his desires to keep his life as a human being. He goes through real-world struggles such as struggling to find love, keep his job, and keep his friends. Not only that, but he also has amazing one-liners and is young, fun, and naive. 

https://boundingintocomics.com/comic-books/lists/who-is-the-most-popular-superhero/#

Answer 7

This claim is a difficult one to back up with hard evidence. Of course, who the most popular superhero is depends on the demographic asked - are we asking children? All people? Male? Female? According to Statista, Superman is the most well-known superhero, with 87% of adults having heard of him before. This seems pretty accurate, as Superman has been a major pop culture influence for many decades. Although I definitely would not argue that among young people in 2024, Spiderman may very well be the most popular superhero now.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/989799/most-recognizable-superheros-us/

Comments

I thought you made a good point about it all depending on the demographic. I did look at your source from statista and I saw that it was data as of March 2019. I would say that if you are going to cite a source here that maybe you should try to find a source that it a little more up to date or recent. I would agree with your decision that this claim was exaggerated/misleading.

Answer 8

The claim that Spider-Man is the most popular superhero is true. In the post on Boundingintocomics.com (original source), they revealed that Spider-Man had almost 50% of votes on a poll they put together. And it’s not just their poll that gave such landslide results. 

Game.co.uk: This site gave a breakdown of the most popular superhero franchises around the world and for each individual US state, as well as the particular superhero for those as well. Overall, Marvel as a franchise is favored by 51 countries, and further, Spider-Man as a superhero is favored by 57 countries. With nearly the exact same numbers as the original article, Spider-Man takes up 48.7% of the votes in the study, as compared to the runner-up Wonder Woman, with only 12.8% of votes. 

With a wide variety of media spread including video games, movies, tv shows, and comics, Spider-Man comes out on top for the most popular superhero. This claim has been proven to be true. 

https://www.game.co.uk/blog/marvel-vs-dc