7 Marvel Characters Inspired By DC Characters

Most comic fans are usually either staunch Marvel lovers or staunch DC lovers. Pop culture has increasingly pitted the two most famous comic universes against each other, but even a little research will show that this isn’t the case. There are many obvious similarities between the two, including some of their characters. Here we have a list of 7 Marvel characters inspired by Dc characters. They are oddly, bizarrely similar to their DC counterparts. What’s more, these Marvel characters also appeared after their DC counterparts, sparking rumours that they are ‘copied’ or ‘inspired’. And the cherry on top – most Marvel characters have become more famous than the DC ones they took inspiration from!

Deadpool and Deathstroke

Basicaly, Deadpool and Deathstroke are both the best assassins in the world, in their respective universes. In fact, they are so similar that both their names also stand testament to their superpowers of assassination – both are harbingers of death. What’s more – DC introduced this character as a solemn, silent one, which Marvel parodied into a more dramatic one. Thus, the journey of Deadpool is one of mockery, wherein Marvel turned DC’s Slade Wilson into their own Wade Wilson. There was nothing secretive or furtive about it!

Mr Fantastic and Elongated Man

Elongated Man is nowhere close to being a popular member of the DC universe, but everyone knows Mr Fantastic. But this wasn’t always the case. Elongated Man was introduced into the comicverse first, and was also doing well economically. But once Mr Fantastic, who could also extend his arms indefinitely to punch people came into the picture, the dynamic changed. Marvel hero Mr Fantastic became way more popular than Elongated Man, despite the obvious similarities.

Sandman and Clayface

Both their names are associated with soil. And both of them are shapeshifters made out of bare earth. Moreover, both their superpowers involve the earth – they both mould and manipulate sand particles to alter their physical properties. However, not many know that DC’s Clayface preceded Marvel’s Sandman by quite some bit of time. Sandman arrived in the comicverse two years after Clayface, and became instantly popular.

Black Widow and Black Canary

Both these female superheroines share way more commonality than the world ‘Black’ in their name. First of all, both these characters look similar. Marvel has taken obvious inspiration from DC in terms of the stylistics of this character. Black Widow and Black Canary (and it’s no surprise) wear black, seductive outfits with open hair. But the similarities go beyond this. They are both also trained in the martial arts. And there is one final sad commonality – both of them lack meaty roles with real, fleshed out back stories, unlike their male counterparts.

Quicksilver and The Flash

DC’s Flash travels faster than light. Marvel’s superhero Quicksilver also has the superpower of unmatchable speed. The son of magneto is clearly not an original concept, because the use of speed as a distinctive advantage was already done by DC. However, thankfully, in this case, the original is more famous than the inspiration.

Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate

Again – there is an obvious similarity between the two. Both “Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate” are super genius scientists in the field of medicine. However, even more than that their backstories are uncannily similar. Doctor Fate is originally an archaeologist who discovers the Tomb of Nabu. Nabu thereafter trains him in the occult arts of medicine after an accident. Similarly, Doctor Strange is also a genius who, following an accident, gets healed due to magic.

Thanos and Darkseid

In the comic books, these are both formidable supervillains. Arguably, though, Darkseid is more powerful. Either way, both of these have superhuman strength and intellect. However, they differ in that Darkseid has innate mental superpowers such as telepathy, and Thanos relies on external sources to obtain them.

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