Marvel & DC Characters That Are Copies (& Who Came First)

Highlights

• Quicksilver debuted in 1964, 24 years after The Flash, making The Flash the original super speedster in comics.
• Namor the Sub-Mariner was introduced in 1939, two years before Aquaman, establishing Namor as the first underwater hero in comic books.
• Darkseid first appeared in 1970, three years prior to Thanos, solidifying Darkseid as the first ‘big bad’ of a comic universe.

One of the reasons why both DC and Marvel have managed to become the two biggest comic book publishers in the world is because each company has created a universe for all their stories to take place in. These worlds are populated by hundreds of superheroes and villains, many of whom have become household names in the last eighty years.

However, both Marvel and DC have put out so much content over the years that some characters turn out to be very similar to other existing characters in the other universe. These counterparts exist by accident, and each one has its own fans. Some fans prefer one over the other because of some added powers or for story reasons. However, some people are curious as to which version came first.

6 Quicksilver and The Flash

The Flash Appeared 24 Years Before Quicksilver

• Quicksilver First Appeared in Uncanny X-Men #4 (1964) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
• The Flash First Appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940) and was created by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert

Super speed is a superpower that shows up in almost all other superhero media. However, most of these fast characters are paying homage to DC’s original speedster The Flash, who debuted in the 1940s. This red blur received his powers when lightning struck him and a mixture of chemicals, and many different people have taken on the mantle of Flash over the decades. The Flash has the additional power of being able to phase through walls and time travel and is one of the founding members of The Justice League.

Marvel’s speedster, Quicksilver, has a much simpler origin. Pietro Maximoff is the mutant son of the supervillain, Magneto, and has flipped between being a hero and a villain ever since he first showed up in the ’60s. Quicksilver was a member of the mutant team the X-Men, and even served as an Avenger. His main power is speed, but he is rarely shown to use this power as creatively as The Flash.

5 Namor and Aquaman

Namor Appeared 2 Years Before Aquaman

• Namor the Sub-Mariner First Appeared in Timely Comics’ Marvel Comics #1 (1939) and was created by Bill Everett
• Aquaman First Appeared in More Fun Comics #73 (1941) and was created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger

The Oceans of the world are a vast place, so it makes sense for fantasy writers to want to explore them. Fortunately, that is exactly what happened when Marvel introduced Namor the Sub-Mariner in 1939. This water-dwelling hero is a super strong and durable swimmer who wields a trident and rules the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. In his early appearances, Namor was a pulpy action hero who fought alongside Captain America and the original Human Torch. In modern comics, Namor is a more serious and brooding king, one who is not too fond of humans on land.

Aquaman is a DC character who is also the king of Atlantis in his own universe. He has all the powers of Namor the Sub Mariner, but is often made fun of for also being able to talk to fish. While a lot of Aquaman’s underwater subjects are not fond of the land-dwellers, Aquaman is more than happy to serve as a member of the Justice League to strengthen this relationship.

4 Thanos and Darkseid

Darkseid Appeared 3 Years Before Thanos

• Thanos First Appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55 (1973) and was created by Jim Starlin
• Darkseid First Appeared in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #130 (1970) and was created by Jack Kirby

Comic book counterparts aren’t only reserved for superheroes. As it happens, both the biggest threats to Marvel’s Avengers and DC’s Justice League are space tyrants with a big chin and access to a huge army.

The first of these baddies was Darkseid, who is the ruler of a planet called Apokalips and can shoot Omega Beams out of his eyes. He despises Superman and his ultimate goal to find and use the Anti-Life equation will see him dominate all life. The second was Thanos, another space-themed titan who is obsessed with using the infinity stones to impress Mistress Death. Both are equally evil, and both require the full might of an entire superteam to stop.

3 Batman and Daredevil

Batman Appeared 25 Years Before Daredevil

• Batman First Appeared in Detective Comics #27 (1939) and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
• Daredevil First Appeared in Daredevil #1 (1964) and was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett

Batman is a caped hero who has been part of DC Comics and pop culture for decades. This billionaire does not have any powers, but the death of his parents forced him to become a vigilante in Gotham who fights crime with martial arts and a variety of tech and gadgets. He is always known as the pinnacle of dark and brooding, and a crime-fighting vigilante.

When Daredevil first came out in 1964, he was not very close in design to Batman. This blind acrobat wore a colorful costume to fight crime, and his super-human senses helped him clean up New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen and work as a lawyer. However, when Frank Miller reinvented the character in the 80s, Daredevil became a dark and brooding hero with martial arts prowess. His costume also became the dark red one that fans know today, and so the comparison between Daredevil and Batman soon began.

2 Green Arrow and Hawkeye

Green Arrow Appeared 23 Years Before Hawkeye

• Green Arrow First Appeared in More Fun Comics #73 (1941) and was created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp
• Hawkeye First Appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 (1964) and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck

The idea of an expert archer becoming a vigilante started when Green Arrow was created in 1941. After several years stranded on a desert island, billionaire Oliver Queen returns home to become a hero like Robin Hood to fight crime using a bow and arrow.

Hawkeye’s origin is quite different. As more of a side character in Marvel Comics, Clint Barton was first shown as a supervillain who learned trick archery as he grew up in a circus. He would later join The Avengers, and use his bow to fight crime. Despite these glaring character differences, many fans still see the two archers as being counterparts.

1 Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate

Doctor Fate Appeared 23 Years Before Doctor Strange

• Doctor Strange First Appeared in Strange Tales #110 (1963) and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
• Doctor Fate First Appeared in More Fun Comics #55 (1940) and was created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman

To many fans, Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate are incredibly alike in more ways than one. Their names are similar, they both wear capes, and they both use a variety of mysterious spells to fight supernatural threats.

However, Doctor Fate’s origin was kept a mystery when he first appeared in 1940. It wasn’t until a run in the 80s that the character was eventually established as a vessel for the ancient Helmet of Fate that belongs to the magical God of Order, Nabu. Conversely, Doctor Strange has always been a fairly straightforward character, unless one counts his weird MCU cameo adventure. Steven Strange was a neurosurgeon who lost the use of his hands in a car accident, and so pursued magic to try and find a cure. All this training led to Strange becoming a sorcerer, and very much like Doctor Fate in both appearance and power level. As such, the pair are some of the most well-known DC and Marvel counterparts.

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