“Up, up, and away!” Before Superman became a global icon, he was a glimmer of hope imagined in a Glenville bedroom. Forged by two Jewish teens during the Great Depression and shaped by the steel-tough spirit of Cleveland, Superman is as much a product of this city as he is of Krypton...
In 1933, 11th graders Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster began crafting a character who would become the first comic-book superhero. Their early version of Superman was a villain, but by 1938 — in the pages of Action Comics #1 from what is now DC Comics — he had evolved into the symbol of truth and justice known worldwide. Raised in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood, both boys were the children of Jewish immigrants, delivering groceries to help their families survive the Great Depression.
Superman was their way of imagining a better world.
In 1933, 11th graders Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster began crafting a character who would become the first comic-book superhero: Superman.
“Superman is one of Cleveland’s greatest exports,” says Valentino Zullo, assistant professor of English at Ursuline College and co-director of the Rustbelt Humanities Lab. “We’re not exporting steel; we’re exporting culture. The superhero genre was created here.”
That culture is more than mythology — it’s history. Cleveland’s influence is built into Superman’s DNA: His job as a journalist echoes the student newspaper the creators worked on, the Glenville Torch; his resilience mirrors the city’s own fight through industrial decline. Even his nickname — the Man of Steel — was inspired by Cleveland’s booming steel industry.
The story of Superman is also the story of the American immigrant. “He’s from a dying planet,” Zullo says. “He gets a last chance, but it’s also his first chance. That mirrors the journey of so many immigrants trying to make a home in a new world.”
That resonance is being rediscovered today, especially in Cleveland, where Superman is experiencing a long-overdue homecoming. A new DC Studios movie, Superman, directed by James Gunn, was filmed in the city in 2024, with scenes shot at recognizable landmarks like the Arcade and the Cleveland Public Library. According to Bill Garvey, president of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, the production brought more than $77 million in direct spending to northeast Ohio and created thousands of jobs.
“Clevelanders feel ownership of this story,” Garvey says. “This is where it all started. It was emotional to finally bring Superman home.”
This summer, that homecoming becomes permanent. Thanks to the efforts of the Siegel and Shuster Society, led by Gary Kaplan — Jerry Siegel’s second cousin — Cleveland is unveiling a Superman plaza in the heart of downtown. Situated outside the Huntington Convention Center, the installation features a 19-foot stainless-steel Superman on a soaring pillar, plus bronze statues of Siegel, Shuster, Siegel’s wife, Joanne (the inspiration for Lois Lane), and a phone booth with Clark Kent’s clothes inside.
“He’s an intergenerational symbol of hope,” Kaplan says. “And we want the world to know he was born right here.”
The plaza is the culmination of years of effort by the society, which also restored Siegel’s boyhood home and installed commemorative fencing panels from Action Comics #1. At Cleveland Hopkins Airport, travelers are greeted with a display that reads, “Welcome to Cleveland, where the legend began.”
For comic-book artist and writer Sina Grace, that legend is very much alive. His recent graphic novel, Superman: The Harvests of Youth, was deeply inspired by Cleveland’s resilience. “I was so taken by the spirit of the city,” Grace says. “There are old factories turned into breweries, neighborhoods reinventing themselves. I wanted Smallville to have the same vibe — a big city that still feels like a small town.”
Grace will be in Cleveland this July for the movie release, taking part in events at the Cleveland Public Library, home to one of the largest Superman collections in the country, including memorabilia from the comics, TV shows, and films.
Chuck Colletta, a professor at Bowling Green State University who teaches superhero history, believes Superman endures because he became something more than a character: an American myth. “Even if someone’s never read a comic, they know Lois Lane. They know Kryptonite. Superman is part of our culture.”
And now, after more than 85 years, he’s part of Cleveland’s cityscape, too.
Where to See Superman in Cleveland
- Siegel’s Boyhood Home: Drive down Kimberly Avenue between East 105th Street and Parkwood Drive to see the commemorative fence featuring Action Comics #1 panels.
- Superman Plaza (opening July 2025): At Ontario Street and St. Clair Avenue, outside the Huntington Convention Center.
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport: Welcome display celebrating Superman’s Cleveland roots.
- Cleveland Public Library: Home to a vast collection of Superman memorabilia and site of ongoing Superman-related events.
- Cleveland History Center: Hosts rotating exhibits featuring the city’s role in pop culture history.
