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Superheroes swoop into historical photos (images)

Superman helps save looted World War II artwork, while Batman speaks to paratroopers in the field. Indonesian photographer Agan Harahap places superheroes (and an occasional villain) into iconic shots as a comment on what it means to be a hero.

Leslie Katz
Leslie Katz led a team that explored the intersection of tech and culture, plus all manner of awe-inspiring science, from space to AI and archaeology. When she's not smithing words, she's probably playing online word games, tending to her garden or referring to herself in the third person.
Leslie Katz
normandy.jpg
1 of 8 Agan Harahap/Flickr

Spider-Man in Cherbourg

Agan Harahap, a professional photographer and history buff in Jakarta, Indonesia, has placed superheroes (and the occasional villain) into famous historical photos -- to strange and sometimes ironic effect.

Here, Spider-Man appears poised for action as U.S. soldiers dodge enemy fire during the 1944 Battle of Cherbourg in Normandy, France. Harahap says his series explores the definition of a hero, and some of his photos indeed appear to comment on moments when the world needed heroes most.

germansoldiers.jpg
2 of 8 Agan Harahap/Flickr

V in Ravenoville

Revenge-seeking freedom fighter V is for Vendetta (or possibly Victory) as German soldiers surrender in Ravenoville, France, in June 1944. Harahap, a contributor to an Indonesia-based music magazine, uses Photoshop to place superheroes in iconic historic images.
batmanandtroops.jpg
3 of 8 Agan Harahap/Flickr

Batman and paratroopers

"Full victory, nothing else." In Harahap's hands, Batman replaces Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to give orders to paratroopers at Greenham Common Airfield in England before they board planes for the first assault in the invasion of Europe. The day was June 5, 1944.
stolenart.jpg
4 of 8 Agan Harahap/Flickr

Superman at Neuschwanstein Castle

Superman joins U.S. soldiers as they carry priceless works of art down the steps of Germany's famed Neuschwanstein Castle in 1945. Hoards of European art treasures, stolen by the Nazis, were hidden there during World War II. "We Europeans still love Superman for liberating us!" one Flickr commenter wrote of this photo.
churchill.jpg
5 of 8 Aran Harahap/Flickr

Darth Vader at Yalta

The so-called Big Three (Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Premier Josef Stalin) discussing Europe's post-war reorganization at the Yalta Conference in February 1945. Well, counting Darth Vader, make that the Big Four. Harahap tells CNET he learns the story of each photo, then makes up his own.
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6 of 8 Agan Harahap/Flickr

Joker in Moscow

The Joker stands on a hotel roof at the Mozhaisk defense line during the Battle of Moscow in 1941. Harahap has produced 20 images for the Super Hero series so far, and says he plans more.
castro.jpg
7 of 8 Agan Harahap/Flickr

Batman and Fidel Castro

Not all the images depict World War II. Here, the Caped Crusader photobombs Fidel Castro as the Cuban leader arrives at MATS Terminal in Washington, D.C., in 1959.
Hulk.jpg
8 of 8 Agan Harahap/Flickr

Hulk in Afghan village

Afghan resistance fighters return to a village destroyed by Soviet forces in 1986 -- and the Hulk stands right in the center of it all. Who does the Hulk represent here? It all depends on your point of view.

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