Superman was first created as a comic book character in the 1930s. He was born on Krypton, named Kal-El and sent to Earth to save him before Krypton exploded. He was taken in by farmers Martha and Jonathan Kent who named him Clark Kent and knew that he was not 'normal'. His foster parents advised him to use his powers for good. Superman on film began in the 1940s with animated short film. The first big-budget film starring Christopher Reeves came in 1978. It spawned 3 sequels in 1980, 1983 and 1987. Superman Returns appeared in 2006 with Brandon Routh as Superman.