Plural of superman; refers to multiple men with extraordinary powers or abilities, most famously the comic book character, or people considered to be exceptionally capable.
Compound of 'super' (from Latin 'super' meaning 'above' or 'over') and 'men' (plural of man). The term was popularized by Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the 'Übermensch' (overman), which was then adapted into comic books and popular culture.
Nietzsche's 'Übermensch' was a philosophical idea about humans transcending conventional morality, but when Superman was created in 1938, the concept became literally a man who was super—showing how deep philosophical ideas get flattened into fun action stories.
Nietzschean and pop-culture 'superman' idealize hypermasculine power (strength, domination, rationality), positioning masculine traits as universal excellence and feminine traits as deficiency.
Use 'exceptional person', 'elite performer', or 'extraordinary individual' to avoid gendered superiority assumptions.
["exceptional individual","elite performer","extraordinary person"]
Women's excellence in strength, leadership, and intellect has been reframed as anomalous rather than normal; refuse the male-as-default framework.
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