The Man of Steel (comics) and archenemy Lex Luthor, who was re-branded from a mad scientist to a powerful businessman and white-collar criminal. The series's legacy persisted, as it set the new status quo for all of the ongoing Superman comic series for many years after it was published. The story stayed in DC Comics continuity as the origin of Superman until it was expanded upon in the 2003 limited series "", which stayed canon until 2009. The title is a reference to one of Superman's nicknames which touted his invulnerability making him the "Man of Steel." It was later used as the title of
Superhero fiction on the general public, and to enable them to act freely, and hence illegally, without risk of arrest by law-enforcement authorities. Death in superhero fiction is rarely permanent, as characters who die are often brought back to life through supernatural means or via retcons (retroactive changes to the continuity), the alteration of previously established facts in the continuity of a fictional work. Fans have termed the practice of bringing back dead characters "comic book death". Another common trait of superhero fiction is the killing off of a superhero's significant other by a supervillain to advance the plot. Comic book writer