This is the first in a two-part discussion assessing the initial teaching of the Overman and the Last Man. In addition, because of how important it is to properly understand both, I provide detailed analysis of both as they appear in a number of Nietzsche's pre-Zarathustra publications. At issue is ultimately the way in which Nietzsche understands Modernity, which is to say the debate on 'civilization' and 'culture' in late-Modern philosophy, which especially includes the meaning of science and technology for Nietzsche.