THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL(1934)
Not sure I'd classify this as "superhero", but the man
(Stan) says he sees this as the first superhero movie,
so who am I to argue! Some similarities to Batman, the
Scarlet Pimpernel utilizes make-up to hide his identity,
and he does this well! The basic story is set in 1797 where
France and England are at bitter odds with one another,
and the SP is on the side of England, trying to stop the
attrocities being dealt upon the noblemen(and women
and children)! A pretty good movie overall!! B+
From IMDb.com:
There is no question that a day will come in which yet
another version of the eternal "Pimpernel" tale will
emerge. No matter how brilliant the new cast, set and
the Special Effects may be, this future pretender will
not be able to beat the feeling of authenticity that
the original stock provides. I have watched it several
times: every time it looks as charming as the first.
I recommend it not only for Classic Cinema lovers but
for anyone trying to discover (or re-discover) one. - moviola-2