Answer: Captain Marvel

Superheroes from the planet Krypton and billionaire playboys with crime-fighting obsessions can step aside; the first silver screen appearance of a comic book superhero is an award bestowed upon none other than Captain Marvel.

The Adventures of Captain Marvel, released in 1941, was the very first adaptation of a comic book story to movie format. The movie was filmed in just over a month during the winter of 1940 and released in serialized format (12 “chapters” that averaged 17-18 minutes each and had a total run time of around 209 minutes) to theaters across the United States.

The serialized format and the movie itself proved to be quite popular. Not only did it enjoy widespread acclaim when it was released, but it was also re-released to theaters in 1953 as a filler between popular films, and yet again during the comic book nostalgia craze surrounding the Batman television show during the mid-1960s.

It was there, during the 1960s, that all of the serialized chapters were compiled into one film and shown as a standard movie. If you happen to have just shy of three hours to kill, you can watch the entire thing for free on YouTube.