The Kiss singer said people made fun of his love of superheroes as a child because it was considered “kid stuff”, as he toured a new DC Comics exhibit at Warner Bros Studios in Los Angeles.

Simmons, 66, said he felt “justice” as superhero movies dominate today’s box office and compared characters such as Superman and Green Lantern to Greek mythological figures.

He told the Press Association: “Superheroes , when you think about it, espouse the American notion that you can come from any country – even from another planet – and still scale the heights. I think it’s a phenomenal, inspiring self-motivating idea.

“The Greeks had their gods, we have ours. There is very little difference between Superman and Green Lantern and so on, and Hercules and Zeus and a ll the other mythological Greek gods.

“It also has this psychological Jungian theme of having an alter ego. The great pathos of Superman is he’s always going to feel like an outsider, and I love that.”

Simmons, who was forced to apologise last week after branding Prince’s death “pathetic”, said that nowadays the “biggest movies of all time are superhero movies”.

Meanwhile, Simmons – who describes himself as an “Anglophile” – believes “no county touches” Britain’s record of producing “iconic” musicians.

He said: “This little island that is surrounded by water, that doesn’t consider itself part of Europe, still gave the world the iconic modern performers from the Beatles all the way to modern Adele. Really no country touches it.

“Even though America invented rock ‘n’ roll and blues and jazz and hip hop, it’s England that’s taken it to the heights.”

The new DC Comics exhibit includes costumes and props from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the upcoming blockbuster Suicide Squad.