During the late 1930s, when comics were becoming a popular fad, two emerging titans became synonymous with the superhero genre. DC Comics, which was home to some of the most iconic characters, like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman; and Marvel Comics, which was then known as Timely Comics, and featured much lesser-known heroes like the original Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner. As the decades went by, the popularity of heroes only grew. And so did the competition between Marvel and DC.
By the time the 1960s rolled in, DC’s characters had become household names for generations. Equally ambitious but falling short on ideas, Marvel hoped to gain new readers and replicate the success and recognition of its rival by replicating DC. It began introducing many new super-powered characters with obvious similarities to established DC figures. While some nods were subtle, others were downright shameless rip-offs.
It seemed as if Marvel’s strategy for gaining fame and readership was to make copies of proven heroes, with just a few tweaks to DC’s names and costumes. In many ways, it worked. Take Thanos, for example, who is a blatant ripoff of DC’s Darkseid. Others, they seem like they were simple stolen concepts. In this list, we look back at Marvel’s most blatant attempts to rip off DC’s pre-existing characters.
10 Hawkeye – Green Arrow
Introduced in Tales of Suspense #57 in 1964, the extremely talented marksman, Hawkeye, acted out of pure spite and was a villain. However, Clint Barton grabbed the opportunity to redeem himself, picked up the code name Hawkeye and became an esteemed member of the Avengers. His deadly accuracy at using a bow and a sick assemblage of trick arrows made him stand out and proved he was enormously invaluable.
Almost twenty years ago, in 1941, DC introduced a superhero character named Green Arrow, who would fight alongside Batman and Superman. He was famed for his skills with a bow and arrow. For a while, Green Arrow also functioned as a street-level vigilante, but his overall narrative marked him as a good guy overall, and he eventually joined the Justice League. That said, Marvel blatantly ripped off Green Arrow and created Hawkeye.
9 Quicksilver – The Flash
Quicksilver was a minor antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Debuting in the comics in 1964, he was a mutant with the unusual ability to manipulate kinetic energy. Originally Pietro Maximoff, he could run and think at blinding speeds. Quicksilver was a troubled but valuable member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but he went clean and joined the X-Men and Avengers to fight for the greater good.
Now, the power of speed is nothing unique or original in the superhero genre. But it is not Quicksilver who made it mainstream. Twenty four years prior to Marvel, DC introduced The Flash. And Barry Allen’s faster-than-light speedster has since been the face of this superpower. He has fought crime and investigated it. Distinctive with his red uniform and lighting bolt symbol, The Flash is one of DC’s most admired heroes of all time.
8 Sentry – Superman
Marvel has actually ripped off a couple of characters from DC’s Superman. From Gladiator to Hyperion, there isn’t a shortage of cape-wearing superheroes from another dimension arriving at Earth with some purpose. But Sentry comes with a twist. Debuting in Sentry #1 in 2000, Robert Reynolds discovered a powerful solar radiation, tapped into it, and gained superhuman abilities. Sentry, thus, is a guy with golden hair, donning a colorful outfit, and possessing the “power of one million exploding suns.”
On the other hand, Superman is a universally popular superhero. Known as the baby rocketed to Earth from the dying planet of Krypton, he emerged as the archetypal superhero who always used his powers for good. His abilities included flight, heat vision, and invulnerability. For Marvel to want its own Man of Steel is underpricing. But it has been proved that wearing a yellow cape and stylizing an “S” symbol on a suit isn’t enough to replicate the Earth’s Mightiest Hero.
7 Ultron – Brainiac
As an advanced android with the one motive of destroying civilization and replacing humanity with an army of robots, Ultron was one of the Avengers’ greatest foes. He possesses superhuman strength, speed, and durability. His metallic body, glowing red voice, robotic voice and signature twisted grin made him fearsome. That character made his debut in Avengers #54 back in 1968.
But a decade before Ultron, DC introduced the ruthless alien computer Brainiac in Action Comics #242 from 1958. He had a knack for collecting cities from civilizations he destroyed and shrinking them down to place in jars. With his superior intelligence, Brainiac was a terrifying foe even for the Man of Steel. Clearly, Ultron was ripped-off from Brainiac because both characters wanted to replace organic life with machines.
6 Bucky Barnes – Robin
Every superhero has a sidekick. Whether they are a former best friend or a protégé, they just lift the hero’s narrative. After Captain America “seemingly” died during a mysterious explosion, his best friend, thought to have been killed years earlier, was revealed to have survived. However, he was brainwashed by HYDRA, who had given him a purpose. Now Bucky Barnes was known as the Winter Soldier, the intimidating assassin working for the Soviets.
But only a year before all of this happened in Marvel Comics, in 1940, Bruce Wayne took the orphaned circus acrobat Dick Grayson under his wing, made him a costume and trained him to become his partner in crime. Robin, who was also known as a cheerful Boy Wonder, consistently helped Batman patrol Gotham. For Marvel to have another young sidekick come back from the dead is a notorious move, but both Bucky and Robin are fan favorites. So who’s complaining, really?
5 Moon Knight – Batman
Much like Superman, Marvel has made several attempts to rip off another one of DC’s most popular characters – Batman. Moon Knight was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin. A former mercenary reborn as a hero through the blessings of an Egyptian god, he prowled the streets of Manhattan at night to battle crime using the most stylish weapons. He was also dressed from head-to-toe in a white costume complete with a cape.
If you are a diehard Batman fan, then the description must ring a bell. Batman’s origin in DC Comics dates back to 1939. After Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents, he dedicated his life to upholding justice. He would strike fear into the criminals residing and operating in Gotham City as the dark and brooding Caped Crusader. Considering Batman’s lack of superpowers and unmatched detective work, it doesn’t take much to deduce where Moon Knight got some inspiration.
4 Black Cat – Catwoman
The infamous cat burglar Felicia Hardy first slinked into Amazing Spider-Man #194 in 1979 as a villain who used her beauty and brains to her advantage. Not only was she a formidable standalone villainess in the costumed identity of the Black Cat, but she was also a love interest to Spider-Man for a while. In terms of appearance, her long hair, incredible reflexes, form-fitting black costume, and cat ear hood, reminded fans of another adversary.
Yes, we’re talking about Selina Kyle, more commonly known as Catwoman. More evolved and popular than Marvel’s Black Cat, she was a standout in Batman’s rogue gallery. A skilled thief herself, Catwoman terrorized Gotham and steered towards doing good while being mysteriously drawn to The Dark Knight. Her catsuit, feline personality and the constant love-hate push and pull with Batman made her iconic. Black Cat, on the other hand, remained a blatant ripoff.
3 Thanos – Darkseid
Debuting in Iron Man #55 in 1972, Thanos was created by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich, who even admitted that DC’s Darksied was an inspiration for the Mad Titan. A mutant Eternal with superhuman strength, great ambition, and the intelligence required to achieve it, Thanos uses his godlike powers to bring terror to anyone who tries to cross him. He wore impenetrable armor and was nearly invincible.
The reason Thanos became so popular with the masses is that Marvel’s then Editor-in-Chief, Roy Thomas, himself greenlit the attempt by saying “If you’re going to steal one of the New Gods, at least rip off Darkseid, the really good one!” The latter did not realize himself fully in the DC Comics until 1971. Both the characters are intergalactic tyrants obsessed with destroying others, but their respective arcs in the MCU and DCEU are nowhere as similar as their physical appearances.
2 Deadpool – Deathstroke
Deadpool is one of those clever Marvel ripoffs that actually worked. Wade Wilson first showed his face in New Mutants #98 in 1990 as an ex-special forces operative who underwent an experimental process that transformed into a superhero with regenerative powers. He took on the identity of a mercenary, went on odd jobs, sliced foes apart with his katanas while cracking outrageous jokes. An unserious hero was what Rob Liefeld always had in mind for Deadpool.
But one cannot deny Deadpool’s resemblance with DC’s Deathstroke. Even his alter ego, Wade Wilson, is a direct copy of Deathstroke’s Slade Wilson. A super soldier with unmatched control over weapons, he would sign himself up for paid contracts and bring calculated death to his opponents. Looking at the visual design, both Deadpool and Deathstroke are garbed in a dark outfit with a metallic eye patch. They’re both brutal assassins, with one finding more success than the other.
1 Vision – Red Tornado
With 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, the world was familiarized with Ultron. But the character has existed in Marvel Comics since 1968. A highly advanced artificial man created by Ultron, Vision has the ability to harness the power of the mystical Mind Stone and control all sorts of energy around him. He could also alter his own density and become as strong as a diamond. And while an android aiding Earth’s Mightiest Heroes was a great idea, it wasn’t Marvel’s original.
Red Tornado debuted in DC Comics only two months before Vision did. He was one of the earliest DC android heroes. Like Vision, he was created for the sole purpose of bringing an end to his superhero team, the Justice League. Apart from his powers of flight and control over elements, Red Tornado donned a red-and-blue color scheme costume. That said, ripping off Red Tornado worked for Marvel, as his near-carbon copy successor Vision is a fan favorite.
