Look into the history of the character and you'll find someone DID create the character first. Siegel and Shuster stole liberally from DOC SAVAGE (The Man of Bronze), JOHN CARTER OF MARS and his super muscles on a new planet, Philip Wylie's GLADIATOR, and some other novels I can't remember right now.

Eventaully i think it would have happened but it wouldn't be superman per say.It would have been some other character. We were already getting heroes from pulp magazines and characters like The Shadow, Zorro and the Phantom which were costumed crime fighters.It would only make sense that somewhere someone would take that next step with powers.

I would have.

No. Some things are sacred.