55 Copycat Characters | Marvel & DC | Part-1

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We all know that since a very long time, the two companies, Marvel and DC are the market leaders in case of superhero comics and till date there is no other potential company to give a fair challenge to any of them. Both Marvel and DC has proven their worth over time by entertaining its audience by enormous interesting stories and many cool superheroes and supervillains. But, when we dive deep into the history of both the companies, we get to see some of the characters of these brands which seem to have been inspired from some other character or in some cases, directly copied from a similar character of the other brand. Let’s know about some of the copycat characters of both Marvel and DC.

Marvel & DC | Copycat Characters

Since this is going to be a very lengthy list, hence it is divided into two parts. This is the first part of the list consisting of the first 28 copycats and you can check the second part of this list HERE.

Now Let’s Begin:

28) Quicksilver & Flash

There are lots of speedsters in both Marvel and DC, but the two most fan favourites were always been Quicksilver and Flash. Although Marvel never admitted that Quicksilver is copied from the Flash, but with time the fans realized that it may be true. The major reason for this is that both of them are speedsters. Also, the Flash debuted 24 years before Quicksilver in 1940, whereas Quicksilver first appeared in 1964.

27) Falcon & Hawkman

It may sound a little weird because Falcon from Marvel is a more futuristic superhero while Hawkman of DC is more of a traditional character, but the reality is that at the root both have a lot of similarities like winged gear, bird names and flight pattern. Like Flash, Hawkman also made his debut first in 1940, whereas Falcon made his debut in September, 1969. Hence we can say that Falcon’s character is highly inspired from DC’s Hawkman.

26) Tiagra & Cheetah

Cheers to both these characters as they are our first anti-heroes of this list. Now if you have ever seen these characters then you may have also imagined that both may be copied from each other, because both are big cats based characters and both have similar powers too. So yes my friend you’re absolutely right. Cheetah made her comic debut in the year 1943, whereas Tiagra was introduced first in 1972. Hence once again we can say that Marvel copied DC.

25) Zatanna & Scarlet Witch

The biggest similarity between both these characters is their magical powers, which made fans think that one may be copied from other. But let me tell you that Scarlet Witch made her debut in the X-men comics in 1964 and coincidentally Zatanna also made her debut in the same year 1964, but since Scarlet Witch was introduced a few months before Zatanna, so we can say that Zatanna was somewhat inspired from Scarlet Witch. This is the first time in our list where DC copied Marvel. Kudos!

24) Power Girl & Captain Marvel

After Avengers Endgame, fans are going crazy about Captain Marvel and her powers portrayed in the MCU. But if we take a look at history, we will see that once DC also tried to create their own version of Captain Marvel, whom we know today as Power Girl. Captain Marvel made her comic debut in the year 1967 whereas Power Girl was introduced after nine years in the year 1976.

23) Rocket Red & Iron Man

Rocket Red is a DC comics character which first appeared in comics in the year 1987 and got lost in time since then. If you take a close look at this character then you’ll definitely find lot of similarities between the skills of this character and one of the most fan favourite Marvel superhero, Iron man.

Iron man made his debut in the year 1963, and since then he started becoming fan’s favourite. Envious of Iron man’s popularity, DC also tried to launch their own version of Iron man named as Rocket Red, but it didn’t do so well as the original one.

22) Vision & Red Tornado

People often confuse Marvel’s Vision for being copied from a very popular DC character Martian Manhunter. But despite having some similarities, this is not the case. Vision is actually inspired from DC’s Red Tornado, who was introduced in the year 1960 whereas vision first appeared in the year 1968. If you compare them then you’ll find that both of them have a lot of similarities as compared to Vision being a copy of Martian Manhunter.

21) Killer Croc & Lizard

We are not unfamiliar with both these characters. Both are very famous anti-heroes of their respective companies and are associated with two most famous superheroes, Batman and Spiderman. Both of them have similar appearance and characteristics, which is the reason we can say that one is copied from the other. In this case Killer Croc is the copycat, as Lizard made its comic debut in 1963, whereas Killer Croc first appeared after 20 years in 1983.

20) Bucky & Robin

During the 50s, when Captain America and Batman, the top stars of their respective companies started to lose their charm the creators thought to provide them with a sidekick. But the first brand to come up with this idea was DC, which introduced Robin as Batman’s sidekick in 1940, and just after one year Marvel introduced Cap’s sidekick Bucky in 1941. Hence we can say that Marvel copied the idea of sidekick from DC at that time.

19) Hyperion & Shazam

Hyperion is one of the most under rated villains of the Marvel universe, who is also a part of the evil team named ‘Squadron Supreme’ in the comics. But the point to note in this character is his similarity with DC’s character Shazam. Both of them possess similar powers and also similar outfit. Shazam made his debut in the 1940s, whereas Marvel introduced Hyperion in 1969 in the Avengers comics.

18) Magneto & Dr. Polaris

This is a case where we cannot accurately predict which character is inspired by whom. This is because both Magneto and Doctor Polaris possess similar ferrous manipulating ability and both of them made their debut in the year 1963, which makes it difficult for researchers to find out which character’s idea was pitched first.

17) Sif & Wonder Woman

In Marvel comics, Lady Sif is portrayed as an Asgardian warrior and Thor’s love interest. But do you know that the inspiration of this character was drawn from none other than Wonder Woman of DC. You can figure this from the fact that they both are mythological characters, skilled fighters and love interests of famous characters. Wonder Woman made her comics debut in 1941, while Sif was introduced after so many years in 1964.

Not only Lady Sif, but there is another character of Marvel which is inspired so much from Wonder Woman. Check it out in the next part of this list HERE

16) Super-Adaptoid & Amazo

Amazo is a very famous super villain of DC, which was loved a lot by the readers when it was first introduced in 1960. Till date Amazo is a very popular character of the DC comics. But due to its increasing popularity in the 1960s, Marvel decided to launch its own version of Amazo, and hence we were introduced to Super-Adaptoid in 1966.

15) Black Widow & Black Canary

At present, Black Widow is one of the most famous superhero of Marvel, all thanks to the MCU. But this was not always the same. What if I tell you that Black Widow is also not original, and is inspired from a DC character named Black Canary. Black Widow was introduced in 1964, whereas Black Canary made her debut long before Widow in the Flash comics of 1947.

Spoiler: Black Widow may be inspired from DC’s character, but in later years DC also made a direct copy of Black Widow due to her immense popularity. Check out who was the character HERE

14) Mogo & Ego

Not only superheroes and villains, but planets are also copied within DC and Marvel. In DC, Mogo is a living planet and a part of the Green Lantern corps whereas in Marvel, Ego is also a living planet with cosmic abilities. Infact, both their names sound similar. Marvel introduced Ego in the year 1966, while Mogo was introduced by DC in 1985. Hence we can say that DC has straightaway copied Marvel’s character in this case.

13) Black Mask & Red Skull

In this case, DC’s Black Mask is inspired from the iconic villain of Marvel, Red Skull. We can say this because of their face which represents a skull and also by their fighting style and weaponry skills. DC introduced Black Mask in the year 1985, whereas Marvel’s Red Skull was present long before Black Mask since he debuted in the year 1941.

12) Godspeed & Runner

Since his first appearance in the 2016’s Flash comics, Godspeed has been in hot debates as a character who can defeat Flash in speed. But in the joy and excitement, people almost forgot that this character is not 100% original, and he drew inspirations from Marvel’s Runner, a long lost character who has been in the comics since 1982.

11) Cyborg & Deathlok

Deathlok is a half human-half machine character introduced by Marvel in the year 1974. But at that time for some unknown reasons this character didn’t become as famous as it was expected to be. As this was a cool character based on some new concept, DC thought of creating a similar character for their industry but with some minor tweaks. Six years later, in 1980, DC created its own version of Deathlok who is known to us today as Cyborg, and the rest is history.

10) Atomic Skull & Ghost Rider

These are the two similar characters from Marvel and DC, flaming skulls, Biker Jackets with spirits of vengeance. In this case DC’s radiation poisoned Atomic skull is the copycat which is directly copied from Marvel’s infamous anti-hero Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider first appeared in the comics in 1972, whereas Atomic Skull was introduced by DC four years later in 1976.

9) Black Racer & Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer has always been a very loved character for the Marvel fans. Within the course of time, this character has been portrayed as a hero as well as a villain too. Since his comic debut in 1966, this character has managed to be a fan favourite. Seeing Silver Surfer’s popularity, DC also created its own version of Silver Surfer with some modifications and god like powers in 1971, and this character was Black Racer.

8) Red Lion & Black Panther

Since his debut in 1966, Black Panther has always been the most unique and history maker character of Marvel. He was the first Black superhero to headline a comic cover, and not only that but MCU’s movie Black Panther has also won the Academy Award. T’Challa can be termed as the richest superhero in both Marvel and DC.

In 2016, DC created a similar character, but with poor strategy. Red Lion is portrayed as a super-villain in DC, who is also an African dictator. Unfortunately, this character was not liked as much by the readers as compared to Black Panther.

7) Mocking Bird & Black Canary

Black Canary can be termed as one of the most classic and inspiring character of DC comics, who had made her debut in 1947 and since then she is an absolute inspiration to young female comics fan. On the other hand, Mocking Bird made her debut in 1980s where she was portrayed as an agent of SHIELD and later on went on to her solo title. We can say that Mocking Bird is highly inspired from Black Canary because both possess similar sound based powers and are married to the archers of their industry, Hawkeye and Green Arrow respectively.

6) Black Cat & Catwoman

Over time Batman and Spiderman have proven their worth to the readers and also stood up as the face of their respective brands. But like Killer Croc and Lizard, there exist another supervillain similarity between both these superheroes. Batman’s rival and love interest Catwoman made he debut in 1940 as a street burglar who with time fell in love with Batman. After 30 years, Black cat was introduced by Marvel as a rival and love interest of Spiderman, who also was a street burglar and eventually fell in love with Spiderman.

Both these characters may be wonderful and attention seeking for their respective companies, but the truth will always be that Black Cat is nothing but a mere copy of Catwoman.

5) Wolverine & Timberwolf

Sometimes, the inspired character shines more than the original character, and this is the case with Wolverine and Timber Wolf. After his debut in 1974, Wolverine became a fan favourite superhero and till today his charm is maintained. But unfortunately, the character from which Wolverine is inspired, Timber Wolf of DC, is lost somewhere in time. Timber Wolf was introduced in DC comics in 1964, exactly 10 years before Wolverine. Both of them possess similar powers, have healing factors and are results of experiment. This proves that Wolverine is copied from DC’s Timber Wolf.

4) Hulk & Solomon Grundy

Like Wolverine, Hulk is also a copied character which became more famous than his source character. Hulk made his comic debut in 1962 and over time it gained so much popularity that it also got placed in the cover of Rolling Stone.

But long before Hulk’s debut, in 1944, DC had introduced a character named Solomon Grundy, a mindless and uncontrollable zombie monster who didn’t listen to his human counterpart. Unfortunately, this character didn’t gain much popularity as the Hulk and got lost in the shadows with time.

There was even a Marvel-DC crossover where Hulk and Solomon Grundy merged together and formed ‘Skrulk’. You can check more of the Hulk facts HERE.

3) Guardian & Captain America

Captain America can be termed as the first superhero of Marvel on the basis of popularity. He first appeared in 1941 during the World War and since then is serving his nation selflessly. But just after one year of Cap’s debut, in 1942, DC came up with their own version of Captain America named Guardian, who had all the exact features and also a shield like Cap, but the only difference was the colour of the suit.

At present we cannot say Guardian is the exact copy of Captain America because with time this character was modified a lot, but at the roots, Guardian will always be a Captain America copy.

2) Sentry & Superman

There will be no superhero fan who doesn’t know who Superman is, or have never seen him. Superman debut in 1938 and since then he is the backbone of the DC comics. Basically, he was an alien whose planet got destroyed and came to Earth and eventually became the protector of Earth. You already know this, Right?

In 2000, Marvel thought of coming up with something similar to that of Superman, and ultimately Sentry was created. Sentry was basically a hero created by the enhanced version of super soldier serum which created Captain America.

We cannot say that Sentry is exact copy of Superman, because both characters have many differences too, but still we can say that Sentry is highly inspired from Superman. Moreover, both these characters have a giant ‘S’ symbol on their suits.

1) Thanos & Darkseid

What if I tell you that the crazy supervillain who entertained us so much and became world famous by his actions in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers Endgame’ is not an original character. Yes, you read right. Thanos may be the most loved and most cruel villain today, but back in the 1970s the idea of creating this character was inspired by one of the major supervillains of the DC universe, Darkseid.

Darkseid debuted in 1970 and by the time Thanos was created, Darkseid had already made his impact on the mind of the readers.

Thanos may not be the exact copy of Darkseid but still both of them have been in hot debates since their first appearance.

So this was the Part-1 of the list, where we saw 28 copycat characters of Marvel and DC. Checkout the second part of the list to know about the remaining 27 copycat character, which includes some of the famous characters like Aquaman, Batman, Spiderman, Doctor Strange, etc.

Check out the second part HERE

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