Pulp writer Johnston McCulley created Senor Zorro, or Zorro, in 1919. Zorro, which is Spanish for fox, is the secret identity of Don Diego de le Vega. Don Diego Vega is a nobleman and swordsman in the Spanish colonial era of California. His disguise is a black mask and matching outfit with black cape. Zorro also wears a flat-brimmed Andalusian-style hat. His weapons of choice include a rapier and a bullwhip. With the rapier he leaves his calling card; the letter “Z.”
Zorro has inspired other heroes which include; The Phantom, The Long Ranger,
Batman, The Green Arrow, and Doc Savage. Zorro has appeared in books, films, television, comics, stage productions, and video games. He first appeared in Johnston McCulley's The Curse of Capistrano in 1919. The story was serialized in All-Story Weekly magazine. Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford chose the story of Zorro as the first film made by their studio, United Artists. Zorro has been portrayed on-screen by Douglas Fairbanks, Robert Livingstone, Reed Hadley, Tyrone Power, Guy Williams, George Hamilton, and Antonio Banderas.
