10 Shocking Cover Ups DC Comics Wants You To Forget

The most notorious thing DC has done in its 80+ years of existence revolves around one of its core characters, Superman. Back when Supes was first created, he wasn't thought up in-house by staff of the company. Superman was the brainchild of Bill Shuster and Jerry Siegel, who came up with him while in high school.

The pair attempted to get their creation published for years, and they finally found a buyer in National Allied Publications (DC) in 1938. The young men sold the character to the company that would become DC for $130, which is $2,363.87 in 2020 when adjusted for inflation.

Superman went on to become one of the most iconic superheroes in all of comics. People who have never read one of his books know him from any of the cartoons, television shows, movies, or video games that have been released over the years, earning billions for DC on that one character alone.

Siegel & Schuster continued to work in the industry, but they never received the recognition or respect they deserved. In 1975, they launched a campaign at DC, shaming the company for its treatment of them. They finally received the credit they deserved, as well as a pension, but the fight continued with lawsuits brought by the pair's family after their passing, and it wasn't settled until 2016.

The Siegel & Schuster lawsuits and public shaming campaign are a dark stain on DC's history, and despite winning the appeal in 2016 relating to a transfer of rights, the company would prefer to move on and leave the negative aspects of Superman in the past.