Where do comic book writers and artists get inspiration from? The history of the cartoons has left us with minds as privileged as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, John Romita either jerry siegel, but not everything we see is completely original. So much DC as Marvel they have been flagrantly copied for almost 100 years, because good ideas don’t always come from the imagination. There are plenty of examples, so here we show you some of the most representative ones.
Superman and Watcher
The hero among superheroes. Superman is a legend of legendary caliber and has been with us for nearly 100 years since its creation in 1933 by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. The DC emblem’s powers encompass super strength, flight, invulnerability, and being a weapon of mass destruction.
On the other hand we have Look-out, a fairly recent hero of the House of Ideas. He appeared in the year 2000 and possesses the same abilities as the son of Krypton, although, despite everything, his success does not even reach the soles of Clark Kent’s alter ego.
Darkseid and Thanos
Both DC and Marvel’s greatest villains? Of course they compete for that position, but the idea of a being with unusual intelligence, enormous resistance and amazing strength came before the mind of Jack Kirby. Yes, one of the main architects of Marvel’s success created one of DC’s great baddies in 1970. Just three years later, Jim Starlin replicated the formula with another alien in the Iron Man comics. The rest is history and the We have also seen the screens of cinemas.
Captain America and Guardian
The hero of the American citizen, the last hope of the United States. Steve Rogers is a living legend having fought under the name Captain America during World War II. After surviving a decades-long freeze, he returned to lead the avengers. The shield is his main weapon, which also seemed appropriate to replicate to DC.
The Guardian emerged just a year later than the super soldier. Once again, Jack Kirby together with Joe Simon created his design in 1942, although eliminating the factor of abilities above the human average thanks to a serum. Jim Harper got an exo-armor that enhanced his abilities along with another indestructible golden shield.
Catwoman and Black Cat
The muse that brings the bat man headlong in front of one of the most romantic loves of the wall-crawler. Selina Kyle became fond of stealing jewelry, paintings and any valuables with great ease, because stealing is a task that is given to him marvelously. We saw her debut in the first issue of Batman in 1940 and it wouldn’t be until 1979 when Felicia Hardy slipped through the Spider-Man cartoons. A similar design, a practically identical motivation and a forbidden attraction with the hero of the day.
Ghost Rider and Atomic Skull
One of the best visual works to come out of Marvel is that of Ghost Rider. The ghost rider, with the skull set on fire and a chain waving in his hand, is an icon that has received a film adaptation with Nicholas Cage as protagonist. That happened in 1972 and four years later DC had a very similar idea.
Atomic Skull was born as a Superman villain, but the closest incarnation to the rival publisher’s demonic is that of 1991’s Joseph Martin. In other colors, albeit with slightly different clothing and getting powers from an alien gene.
namor and aquaman
He king of atlantis He had not supported humanity since 1931, but it was not after the sale of his rights to Timely Comics in 1939 that we saw him debut with all of the law. Winged feet, furious gaze and a combination between the best of Atlanteans and human beings. Virtually unbeatable by anyone, he got his replica in 1941 with such a prolific banner as DC’s Aquaman. Jason Momoa has embodied him in theaters, while Namor has recently appeared in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Red Skull and Black Mask
Never has Captain America had such a persistent, malevolent and terrifying rival as the Red Skull. Johann Schmidt, a former member of the nazi army and a person close to Adolf Hitler, has been causing Marvel headaches since 1941. For his part, Black Mask made an appearance in Batman #386, back in 1985, and quickly became one of Bruce Wayne’s most iconic villains. . Both share that skull on the face, of different colors, and neither has superpowers beyond their ability to organize spectacular plans.
Red Tornado and Vision
A synthetic android created by Ultron who joins The Avengers in October 1968. Simon Williams’ consciousness fused with a copy of the Human Torch original to get one of the most powerful heroes in all of Marvel. It was in 1968 when it emerged from the creativity of Roy Thomas and John Buscema, while Red Tornado also appeared because of an unexpected union.
DC gave him form in August 1968, just a few months before Vision, and he did so as a fusion of Tornado Champion from the planet of Earth-One Rann with an android created by the villain TO Morrow. Although at the beginning he gave the Justice League problems, the truth is that events have led him to join their ranks.
Cheetah and Tigra
The Wonder Woman’s archenemy She has had several incarnations, but the first appeared under the name of Priscilla Rich in 1943. Sharp claws, superhuman strength and incredible agility are the range of abilities that Cheetah presents to defeat the Amazon. For her part, Tigra first saw the light of day in Marvel as a take-up hero in 1972. Champion of the Cat People, her appearances haven’t been nearly as stellar as her DC counterpart.
Flash and Quicksilver
Faster than sound, faster than light and whatever you want. Flash is a flash of speed, an imperceptible blink that appeared in DC comics in 1940 as Jay Garrick, but its most famous version is that of Barry Allen from 1956. In any case, it is long before Marvel thought of incorporating a superhero with blazing speed. Not at the level of Flash, but Quicksilver can also be tremendously fast and he showed it starting in 1964 in the fourth issue of X-Men.
Green Arrow and Hawkeye
Oliver Jonas Queen uses his mastery as a bow shooter to be one of the most recognizable characters in all of DC. Mort Weisinger and George Papp created it in 1941, while Clint Barton began his career as a villain in 1964. He subsequently reformed himself to be one of the leaders of The Avengers.
Wasp and Bumblebee
Janet Van Dyne is flirtatious, smug, and has donned different costumes in almost every issue since her appearance in Tales to Astonish #44 in 1963. Another prominent Avengers figure who is able to shrink to diminutive sizes while retaining her original strength. For her part, Bumblebee possesses similar powersbut he got them in 1976 as a member of the Teen Titans.
Doom Patrol and X-Men
One of the bloodiest cases of copies between DC and Marvel. In the first case we have a group of outcasts who do not want their powers, appearing in June 1963 with Dr. Niles Caulder as the main figure. A wheelchair-bound leader organizing a group of renegades sounds too much like what emerged in September of that same year. The unbeatable duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-Men with Charles Xavier as the leader of mutants who don’t want his powers either. Of course, in popularity the components of the Patrol X are unmatched.
Plastic Man and Mr. Fantastic
He didn’t come up with the concept of a man who stretches like gum from DC, instead buying the rights to Plastic Man from Quality Comics. the editor created the hilarious character in 1941 being little less than a joke with legs and that has been its hallmark over the years. For his part, Reed Richards acquired the same powers after an incident with cosmic rays. The Marvel character is distinguished for being one of the most privileged minds in the world and a relevant figure in The Fantastic 4.
Batman and Moon Knight
Leaving aside that Batman needs an introduction, we just have to point out that he began his career with Robin in 1939. For his part, Marc Spector is distinguished by camouflage like few others at night, wear a kevlar suit, have a great fortune and be trained in practically every possible martial discipline. Of course, he got it in 1975, 36 years after the Wayne son.
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