SKOKIE, Ill.—“Superman” was created by Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in 1938, and “Batman” by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939. But before there were modern superheroes, there was Zorro, the black-caped hero who fought for justice in a tyrannical world.

Cisco Lopez as Diego/Zorro (L) faces Emmanuel Ramirez as Ramon in “Zorro: The Musical.“ Brett Beiner Photography