Superman "The Mark of Zorro" and "Robin Hood". The name of Superman's home city, Metropolis, was taken from the 1927 film of the same name. Popeye cartoons were also an influence. Clark Kent's harmless facade and dual identity was inspired by the protagonists of such movies as Don Diego de la Vega in "The Mark of Zorro" and Sir Percy Blakeney in "The Scarlet Pimpernel". Siegel thought this would make for interesting dramatic contrast and good humor. Another inspiration was slapstick comedian Harold Lloyd. The archetypal Lloyd character was a gentle man who finds himself abused by bullies but later in
Control (fictional character) Control (fictional character) Control is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Control is an intelligence officer who acts as the head of "The Circus" (Cambridge Circus, London), the British overseas intelligence agency. He is a character in the novels "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", "The Looking Glass War" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", and is referred to in several others, usually by association with le Carré's recurring protagonist George Smiley, who has served as Control's right-hand man. "Control" is a "nom de guerre"; the character's real name is never given, and it is suggested that