Getting your questions ready
Getting your questions ready
7correct to beat the crowd
This superhero trivia quiz covers 139 free questions with answers on the heroes of Marvel, DC and beyond: where Superman was born, what Wolverine's claws are made of, who Peter Parker's first love was, which villain runs Gotham's underworld and which comic-book issue started it all. Most of the questions are easy enough for kids who know the movies and cartoons, so it works for a family game night, a classroom reward or a birthday party round; the last stretch digs into origins and first appearances that will test lifelong comic readers too. Every answer has been checked against a reliable source such as the publisher's own pages or a reference encyclopaedia, and each question shows its explanation once you have answered. Play it through for a score you can share, then try the Marvel Movies and Comic Books quizzes for more.
30 of 139 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which comic book issue featured the first appearance of Superman?
Action Comics #1
Superman debuted in Action Comics #1, cover-dated June 1938, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; its cover shows him lifting a car over his head.
Q 02In his 1962 origin story, which teenager is bitten by a radioactive spider at a science exhibit?
Peter Parker
Peter Parker, a teenage high-school student from Forest Hills, Queens, was bitten by a radioactive spider in his 1962 debut story; the panel famously calls the spider an insect.
Q 03Which fictional metal makes up the shield carried by Steve Rogers?
Vibranium
In the comics it is a vibranium-steel alloy, but the MCU simplified it to pure vibranium from the Black Panther's homeland.
Q 04What planet is Superman originally from?
Krypton
Superman comes from the planet Krypton; his parents Jor-El and Lara sent him to Earth as a baby shortly before Krypton's destruction.
Q 05Which of these was one of the original five X-Men introduced in 1963?
Beast
Beast (Hank McCoy) was one of the original five X-Men in X-Men #1 (September 1963), with Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel and Iceman; Storm, Wolverine and Nightcrawler joined in 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1.
Q 06In which comic book did Batman make his debut?
Detective Comics #27
Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27, cover-dated May 1939 and on newsstands that March, in the story 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate'.
Q 07Which color was the Hulk originally intended to be before printing issues forced a change?
Grey
The Hulk was grey in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), but colorist Stan Goldberg could not keep the grey consistent in print, so Stan Lee switched him to green from issue #2.
Q 08What word does Billy Batson shout to transform into his superhero form?
Shazam
Billy Batson shouts Shazam to transform into the superhero Shazam (formerly known as Captain Marvel). The word is an acronym for six mythological figures: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.
Q 09Deadpool's civilian name Wade Wilson parodies which masked DC mercenary?
Deathstroke
Deathstroke is Slade Wilson, and writer Fabian Nicieza's comparisons of the two masked mercenaries gave Wade his name.
Q 10Which Marvel superhero was a billionaire weapons manufacturer before becoming a hero?
Tony Stark
Tony Stark ran Stark Industries, a weapons manufacturer, before becoming Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #39 (1963); later writers had him renounce arms dealing.
Q 11What is the name of Thor's enchanted hammer?
Mjolnir
Thor's hammer is Mjolnir, forged from the fictional metal uru and enchanted by Odin so only the worthy can lift it; Gungnir is Odin's spear.
Q 12Where is Batman's primary base of operations?
Gotham City
Batman operates from Gotham City, first named as his home in Batman #4 (1940); Metropolis is Superman's city and Central City the Flash's.
Q 13Which superhero was the first to appear in a Marvel comic book?
The Human Torch
The original Human Torch (an android named Jim Hammond) appeared in Marvel Comics #1 in October 1939, alongside Namor the Sub-Mariner. This was published by Timely Comics, Marvel's predecessor.
Q 21Which Marvel film was the highest-grossing film of all time from July 2019 until March 2021?
Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame passed Avatar in July 2019 to become the highest-grossing film ever, at roughly $2.8 billion; Avatar reclaimed the record after a March 2021 re-release in China.
Q 22What is the name of the hidden island of the Amazons where Princess Diana was raised?
Themyscira
Wonder Woman was raised on Themyscira, also historically known as Paradise Island. It is the hidden island home of the Amazons, shielded from the outside world by divine magic.
Q 23Which symbiote-bonded character was partly based on a fan's contest submission that Marvel purchased?
Venom
Q 14What is the name of the fictional African nation ruled by Black Panther?
Wakanda
Wakanda is the fictional African kingdom ruled by T'Challa, the Black Panther; it debuted in Fantastic Four #52 (1966) and sits on the world's richest deposit of vibranium.
Q 15Which Green Lantern villain is a former Corps member dishonourably discharged for abusing his power?
Sinestro
He went on to found the yellow-ringed Sinestro Corps, and Mark Strong played him in the 2011 film.
Q 16Which scientist debuted as the original Ant-Man, with the power to shrink to the size of an ant?
Hank Pym
Hank Pym debuted as Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #35 (1962), after first shrinking in issue #27; Michael Douglas played him in the MCU.
Q 17What type of radiation exposure transformed Bruce Banner into the Hulk?
Gamma radiation
Bruce Banner was exposed to gamma radiation during a bomb test, which caused him to transform into the Hulk whenever he experiences extreme anger or stress.
Q 18Which superhero TV character was created for Batman: The Animated Series before appearing in comics?
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. She became so popular that she was later incorporated into DC Comics continuity.
Q 19Which of these is one of the six main Infinity Gems?
Soul
The six are Mind, Power, Reality, Soul, Space and Time; Marvel later renamed them Stones and recoloured them to match the films.
Q 20Which hero was blinded as a child by radioactive chemicals that sharpened his other senses?
Daredevil
As a boy in Hell's Kitchen, Matt Murdock was hit by radioactive chemicals that fell from a truck; what he lost in sight became a radar-like sense.
Venom's black costume began as fan Randy Schueller's 1982 contest pitch for Spider-Man, which Marvel bought for $220; the alien suit later became the symbiote Venom.
Q 24Which speedster was the original Flash, debuting in Flash Comics #1 in 1939?
Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick was the original Flash, debuting in Flash Comics #1, on sale in November 1939 with a January 1940 cover date; Barry Allen did not arrive until Showcase #4 in 1956.
Q 25Kryptonite was officially introduced in 1943 not in a comic but in what medium?
A radio serial
Kryptonite debuted in the Adventures of Superman radio serial in 1943; it reached the comics only in 1949, in a Superman #61 story by Bill Finger and Al Plastino.
Q 26Which Marvel villain collected all six Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe?
Thanos
Thanos gathered the six Infinity Stones into the Infinity Gauntlet and snapped his fingers in 1991's The Infinity Gauntlet, a storyline adapted across Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Q 27Which ancient beings from the planet Oa created the Green Lantern Corps?
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, immortal beings from the planet Oa, founded the Green Lantern Corps and built its Central Power Battery; the Controllers and Zamarons are offshoots of the same Maltusian race.
Q 28Psychologist William Moulton Marston, creator of DC's Amazon princess, also co-invented an early prototype of what?
The polygraph
William Moulton Marston's systolic blood-pressure test became an early component of the polygraph, or lie detector; he went on to create Wonder Woman, who debuted in All Star Comics #8 in 1941.
Q 29Which superhero, leader of a team empowered by cosmic rays, can stretch his body into any shape?
Mr. Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) gained the ability to stretch his body into virtually any shape after being exposed to cosmic rays. He is also considered one of the most intelligent people in the Marvel universe.
Q 30Which metal are Wolverine's claws and skeleton bonded with?
Adamantium
Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with adamantium through the Weapon X program. Adamantium is a virtually indestructible fictional metal in the Marvel universe.