The Man of Steel Before Superman: Was Joe Magarac Stronger?

Before Superman soared, there was another Man of Steel—Joe Magarac.
A towering figure born in the steel mills of Pittsburgh, Joe could lift trains, drink molten metal, and work without rest. But was he stronger than Superman—or even real at all?

This episode uncovers the legend of Joe Magarac: part folk hero, part labor myth, and maybe part corporate propaganda. We’ll explore how an imaginary steelworker became a symbol of working-class endurance and how his legacy challenges everything we think we know about strength, sacrifice, and storytelling.

📣 Share this with the strongest person you know.
💬 And tell us in the comments: Who would you back—Joe or Superman?

🎧 Related episode you might enjoy:
An Ounce – The Legend of Paul Bunyan: Big Lies and Tall Truths
https://youtu.be/zCQZST8n2Xw

#JoeMagarac #Superman #Folklore #LaborHistory #AmericanLegends #AnOuncePodcast
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🕒 Chapters (Timestamps – estimate and adjust after edit)
00:00 – Intro: The Steel Man vs. Superman
00:58 – Chapter 1: Born from Fire
02:16 – Chapter 2: The Original Man of Steel
03:48 – Chapter 3: Too Strong to Be True?
04:09 – Chapter 4: Superman vs. Magarac
06:06 – An Ounce
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🔗 References (Plain URLs with context)
• Collier’s Weekly (1931 article by Owen Francis): Origin of Joe Magarac
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b4147162&view=1up&seq=11
• “Joe Magarac” entry, American Folklore.net
https://www.americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/joe_magarac.html
• Superman debut issue (Action Comics #1, June 1938)
https://www.comics.org/issue/586/

Images : Representative images generates by AI as indicated in video(multiple Sources), Wikimedia, and Picryl; as well as iStock and Getty
Music: Via YouTube Music – Spoons by Telecasted, Boomin by Dan (lebo) Lebowitz and Tone, Seekers, Comom Vamos by Casa Rosa, and Down with your Getup by Mini Vandals
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