Name any of today's superheroes and you can bet they'll be American. Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Spiderman: the list goes on and on. It's easy to think we don't have a single one to call our own this side of the Atlantic. But maybe we do.

While I was writing a novel about Robin Hood, it occurred to me that perhaps he was the original superhero, battling evil centuries before Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark were even born.

After all, isn't Robin's aim with a bow supernaturally sharp, as deadly as a blast from Superman's eyes? Dressed in green and black, slipping through the shadows, Robin is a phantom of the forest, as stealthy as Batman in the Gotham night. The great outlaw even has his place of power – Sherwood – as integral to his character as Metropolis is to Superman or Gotham to the Dark Knight.

And Robin Hood's heroics are far from over. Like all superheroes, he is effectively immortal. Time and again he is reinvented in books and films and on TV. He might change appearance, have new companions, undergo fresh adventures. But one thing is for sure: each time he's reborn, he will resume battle with his nemesis, the Sheriff.

Now I come to think of it, Robin Hood isn't the only one. In fact, the British Isles could assemble a whole super-team, good enough to rival the Avengers, or the Justice League of America. Sherwood's outlaw is in as number one. Who else would earn their place among the ultimate originals?

2. King Arthur

You can judge a hero's worth by the quality of his enemies. By this measure alone, King Arthur must be the greatest of them all. Across thousands of stories told about him, the "King of All Britons" has faced off against everyone from giants to Vikings to the Devil himself.

Defending our shores from all-comers, wielding his enchanted sword, Excalibur, King Arthur would surely be the top choice to lead our extraordinary league.

3. Beowulf

He is at least a thousand years old, but Beowulf still takes some beating in the superhero stakes. He once swam in the ocean for five days straight – battling sea monsters all the way – just to win a bet.

His watchword is courage. Preparing to face the marsh monster Grendel, he refuses to use a sword, saying it would be an unfair advantage against a demon who carries no weapons!

Luckily, Beowulf has the hand-grip strength of thirty men. He beats Grendel, tearing off his arm, before going on to defeat the monster's even more ferocious mother. Later, for good measure, he slays a fire-breathing dragon.
Beowulf's exploits were first recorded in England as long ago as 700AD, so he makes even Robin Hood look like a novice. Truly the first superhero to arrive on these shores.

4. Prospero

Many superheroes draw their powers from the elements: witness Thor summoning lightning, or Storm whipping up the wind. Prospero was pulling such tricks centuries ago. Shakespeare's great sorcerer can conjure killer seas to wreck ships; he commands spirits of the air; he casts stunning illusions to baffle and deceive.

At the end of Shakespeare's play The Tempest, Prospero denounces his magic. If he can be persuaded to come out of retirement he could prove a worthy ally.

5. Cuchulain

Let others provide the guile and the brains; Cuchulain brings the brawn. In times of strife, this ancient Irish hero erupts in "battle-spasms", warping into a grotesque killing machine. There are legends in which he fights hundreds upon hundreds of warriors, single-handed, propping himself up against a tree stump when he is too tired to stand, and then battling on regardless.

There is one drawback: like the Incredible Hulk, he may not be the best team player. Due to his mighty strength (and less impressive intellect), Cuchulain is forever destroying things and killing people by accident, friend or foe. Still, he's definitely the man for the job if the odds are stacked against you.

6. Sherlock Holmes

Some superheroes use brainpower every bit as much as brute strength, and no-one can touch the great detective for intellect. His powers of deduction are truly superhuman, able to solve complex crimes with the slimmest of clues.
What's more, Sherlock Holmes shares that all important trait: he is immortal. His creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was the first to bring him back from the dead after apparently dropping him off a waterfall. Sherlock has been periodically rising from the grave ever since. • You can buy Tim Hall's Shadow of the Wolf from the Guardian bookshop.