Writers often place a character in an unfamiliar environment (a.k.a. “fish out of water”), which allows the writer to describe the story’s setting as if it were being witnessed for the first time. In essence, the wide-eyed character acts as a surrogate for the reader. The outsider is a variant of this literary trick: introduce a being from another time or place into our society in order to judge its merits and flaws. While presented as an objective analysis, the outsider’s own biases color his perception of humanity. As a vehicle of social commentary, the outsider either becomes a champion or a critic of civilization. In the most extreme cases, they are messiahs or destroyers.

Outsiders first appear in myths and legends as gods walking among us (~2700 BCE: Gilgamesh, ~1200 BCE: Herakles), and sometimes in disguise (~700: Odin). Mark Twain used a mysterious stranger (1910: No. 44) to expose the immorality of organized religion. Edgar Rice Burroughs’ noble savage (1912: Tarzan) finds little of value in the civilized world and returns to Africa. In the Golden Age, an alien orphan (1938: Superman) embraces the ideals of his adopted planet even after learning more about his true heritage. An impulsive Atlantean (1939: Sub-Mariner) rejects the surface world, only entering a temporary alliance to defeat the threat of Nazi Germany. A warrior princess (1941: Wonder Woman) leaves paradise to explore the world of men, but unlike Tarzan, decides to remain as a champion.

The outsider turns up in the Silver Age as minor variations. A telepathic, phasing shape-shifter (1955: Martian Manhunter) disguises himself as a police detective to gain insight on the human condition. Sent to Earth for rehabilitation, a Norse god (1962: Thor) learns the meaning of honor and humility as he experiences life as a disabled doctor. Given the chance to save his home world from destruction, an astronomer becomes a harbinger of death (1966: Silver Surfer) and then an exile. Initially amoral, the Silver Surfer reclaims his own humanity by rekindling deeply-buried emotions.

In the Modern Age, writers have explored the outsider from unique angles. A freak accident costs a nuclear physicist his humanity (1986: Doctor Manhattan) in a reversal of the  outsider’s typical character development. An opportunistic time traveler (1986: Booster Gold) uses future technology and knowledge to artificially create a new persona while the “Main Man,” a maniacal space biker called Lobo, commits planetary genocide and in doing so becomes the last of his race (1990: Lobo – retcon of the original 1983 character).

The first comic book outsider (Superman) is also re-imagined in various guises: a stressed savior from the future (1995: Samaritan) faces the consuming realities of always having to save the world. Reared by the government to be weapon, an extraterrestrial (2003: Hyperion – retcon of original 1969 character) rebels after realizing what was concealed from him.