It's one of the most recognized icons in the world What's the most recognized superhero symbol in the world? If you ask Zack Snyder, who directed "Man of Steel," it's Superman's. He believes Superman’s red-and-yellow S-shield is the second most recognized symbol in the world, after only the Christian cross. Whether or not that's true, you can't dispute that the symbol is iconic; that diamond shape and "S" are immediately recognizable. But it wasn't always that way.