The Biggest Copycat Characters in Comic History Explained - Who Copied Who?

In this episode, we talk about the biggest copycat characters between DC and Marvel. Ever wondered who copied who? Well we're breaking it down for you!
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#CopycatCharacters #Marvel #dccomics

[@variant]

What are your favorite Comic Book Copycats?

[@kingshadow8782]

😮

[@kingshadow8782]

Awesome!

[@kingshadow8782]

🤘🏻😎👍🏻

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Deadpool

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Deadpool

[@ToneDesh]

DC does not get enough credit for their creativity when it comes to making these characters.

[@drewforster3822]

No kidding

[@nikoenciso01]

Yeah always felt DC had better Origins Marvels always felt lazy

[@AXIOSEDITZ]

Dr Fate is drastically underrated. Dude is a walking power house in terms of his magical powers.

[@pepito69]

You’re a walking powerhouse

[@byronbarrientos8471]

LMAO

[@AXIOSEDITZ]

@@pepito69 same as you!😂

[@jakblak112890]

Shit only people who don't read comics would say 😂😂😂😂

[@AXIOSEDITZ]

@@jakblak112890 so Strange is stronger?

[@BahamianSpice]

I wish people really understood how powerful Doctor Fate is Criminally underrated

[@Scikeyy]

Agree

[@cantguardgilby8742]

definitely

[@PwnageJ]

you know how the movies made Dr fate looked like a weak fool? exactly.

[@variant]

I’m excited to see that you all are digging this episode! But, as many of you have pointed out, we accidentally used a picture of Plastic Man while talking about Elongated Man, and an image that included Deathstroke in the wrong place. These are serious errors, so to insure it doesn’t happen again, each of us are taking 50 lashes from a DC labeled bamboo pole. No! Don’t try to stop us! We deserve it.

[@robt510]

😂😂😂 Thanks for keeping yourself honest.

[@ryan12177]

There is a LOT of stretches in this video. If you are going to say "Oh, a Copycat Speedster" it wouldn't be Quicksilver, especially since he was conceived as a villain "See also Hawkeye" , If I had to call out a Marvel copy of the Flash it would be The Whizzer. I wouldn't have included clearly intentional characters where being a copy is a part of the point like Hyperion and Red Lion, though I am happy that you did not go Bronze Tiger as the only similarity there is name and race.

[@KNIGHTDRAGON87]

I love that Variant can humbly acknowledge a simple mistake. For that, I'll humbly take one lash for you 😂

[@replay24681]

😂

[@rodneysshowroom7161]

You should have used plastic man instead of elongated man anyway. Plastic man debuted in 1941, 19 years before Elongated man. In a sense Elongated man was already a copycat himself.

[@smashbro67]

When you look at their origins, Man-Bat and the Lizard are very similar. Both Kirk Langstrom and Curt Conners were scientists that created serums made with animal DNA. Both took their serums to try to deal with their respective disabilities (Kirk going deaf, while Curt missing his arm), but both ended up turning into humanoid forms of the animals they got the DNA from. If you’re wondering, the Lizard came first as he first appeared in 1963, while Man-Bat first appeared 1970.

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Morbius would be better comparison

[@skymanxd6366]

And Sentry and Gladiator were copies of Superman too

[@quentinfogger5755]

​@@NadeemShekh-uy9znis the Looker the DC version of Marvel's Morbius?

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

The lizard is one of my favorite Spider-Man characters id love it if someone made a rated R body horror movie with him kinda like the fly or district 9

[@RonnieM90]

​@@NadeemShekh-uy9znWell, Mobius debuted in 1971 after Man-Bat.

[@-Super_Dario-]

Initially, the Black Cat had no superhuman abilities. Later, a test induced by the Kingpin gave her the psionic ability to affect probability fields; essentially, she could produce "bad luck" for her enemies.

[@big.gib.4L]

So if she fought Domino they'd even out and have a normal chick fight?

[@Insomnia4321]

​@@big.gib.4Loooooo spam this shit to death battle yall i wanna see this fight!

[@quentinjones6877]

I wish she still had that power

[@-Super_Dario-]

@@big.gib.4L it would seem so… Black Cat may have the fight in physical prowess but as far a their powers of probability, Domino may have it on a different level than Black Cat

[@islemisawesome6145]

@@big.gib.4LDominos is more powerful cause it’s in her DNA Black cats is synthetic

[@nathanbiller7662]

The funniest copy to me is how Captain America was written a year after this dude called “The Shield,” who was an America-themed superhero shaped like a shield. Not using, *shaped* like a shield.

[@EgyptianChiefKeef]

The shield wasn’t made by dc

[@Roninnblanca]

​@@EgyptianChiefKeefwhere did he mention dc?

[@igotthejuice2090]

@@Roninnblanca in the video description.. it’s comparison between marvel and dc comics characters copying one another.. 😂😂

[@Roninnblanca]

@@igotthejuice2090 yeah bro..😎👍 but still didnt mention dc

[@DefenestrateYourself]

@@Roninnblanca yeah bro, but the comparison is implied given the context of the conversation 🫡

[@leandros7662]

Not exactly a copy, but I’ve always thought of Ironman as Batman copy: both normal humans, both super intelligent, both extremely rich, both like to play/fight with their toys, both playboys and both a quintessential member of their respective comic super team.

[@lamaripiazza5226]

Just because you have a superhero that’s intelligent, rich, and plays with gadgets doesn’t mean it’s a Batman copy. Iron Man doesn’t fight at night, dosent have a secret identity, fights in a robot suit, and wears red.

[@bluu_ice6554]

​@lamaripiazza5226 but both of them are useless without that money! Yea Batman can fight like a ninja but without those gadgets he's nothing

[@raingamzimik324]

@@bluu_ice6554lol you must be tripping… batman without his gadget.. just his fists n mind is something you shouldn’t take lightly… anything is a weapon… give him a sword n that’s the end of it… unless of course he’s fighting a superhero.

[@flyinspiders]

Speaking of Deadpool, DC created Red Tool in Harley Quinn as a jab at Marvel pretty much calling Deadpool a tool. His name is Wayne Wilkins and Everytime he gets amputated he gets another body part from a corpse attached to him. He feels no pain due to the dead nerves from so much damage to his body. He uses regular tools as weapons, screw drivers, saws, etc.

[@mushfiq_ifty]

It's not batman and iron man, Tony Stark is actually a copy of Bruce Wayne. Marvel just gave their batman a red and yellow armour and made him less serious like Bruce Wayne.

[@allsome1o1]

Black Cat does have superhuman abilities. For example she has a "reverse Domino" power which basically gives bad luck to people around her.

[@brianlittrell797]

Domino vs Black Cat would be fun to see. Doesn't Black Cat also have super strength to some degree?

[@saxofix4456]

@@brianlittrell797she does, she’s also a super serum soldier like Captain America

[@parsman9914]

@@saxofix4456I think that was just in Spider-Man TAS

[@rossjones8426]

@@saxofix4456 she did get enhanced strength reflexes and speed in comics

[@cklambo]

Isn't catwoman a metahuman?

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

I know that they are not superheroes, but Alfred Pennyworth (in April 1934) and Edwin Jarvis (in November 1964. Both are the loyal household butlers that helps the hero and know the secret identity of the hero.

[@rossjones8426]

Alfred doesn't predate Batman cira 1939

[@STRAKAZulu]

And both have been badasses in their own right. Though, Alfred gets the “W”, both for being first, and also for kicking far more ass.

[@millaray9912]

@@rossjones8426 That’s presumably an error, since Alfred first appeared in April 1944.

[@DCS3223]

Which begs the question as to why Batman and Iron Man aren’t considered copies here.

[@lamaripiazza5226]

Tony stark’s identity is not a secret. That’s the difference.

[@Stewart118Tyler]

The creators of Swamp Thing and Man Thing were ACTUALLY living together when they created the characters.

[@bloodchron1880]

I am SO happy someone has covered this. It just shows that Marvel certainly are the ones that have copied the most. The whole Darkseid and Thanos thing was good but let’s not forget either Apocalypse from X-Men who was also the Darkseid of X-Men. I’ve always been more of a DC fan than anything but this is why some Marvel stuff I like is their original stuff waay better. Like Punisher, Daredevil, Spiderman, Iron Fist, Silver Surfer just to name a few. Those are fantastic characters!

[@Reverend_Mohg]

Marvel copied and still got more succes lol

[@rednovember266]

That false

[@mattlaw2248]

🥸 yes 😋, so do you know how many employees switched from DC to Marvel or Marvel to DC, employees, or concepts rewritten in a different way, this isn’t clear cut “I copied you” “you copied me”…. Per say 🤔 Mr Lee and Mr Ditco did work together at 1 time and the number 1 character made from everything was made to be an unusual cheracter they didn’t think would stick, by Ditco and Lee (Spiderman) now maybe I don’t know all thing accurately but I am sick of people saying “DC stole this character” “marvel stole this 1” 😝 oh pish posh, people got inspiration and thought up cheracters from this inspiration, . And your right, these are fantastic cheracters we all grew up with.

[@michaelwalsh9616]

I see some people mentioning that Along with Hyperion, Marvel made an entire copy of the justice league. They were part of Squadron Supreme, and was about a post Darksied-like event where the heroes decide to become more proactive and enforcing control on the world. Somewhat of an Authority before the Authority

[@virtualrealityfitness283]

Yep and before The Watchmen

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Squadron Supreme did it before watchmen

[@jonathansoko1085]

You guys are coping so hard it's hilarious seeing you realize how much DC has been ripped off by marvel, seeing your coping mechanisms is hilarious

[@michaelwalsh9616]

@@jonathansoko1085I'm just talking about the context ofwhy Hyperion and Squadron were made, like seriously why are you jumping at my throat for?

[@kanukki84]

They are pastiches.

[@pdubb35]

Surprised ant man and Atom wasn’t on the list

[@quentinfogger5755]

Neither did Goliath and Atom Smasher

[@ervineaddy-vz5fr]

Or Wasp and Bumblebee

[@the_goofy_guyy8071]

Don’t forget doom patrol n fantastic four, sif & Wonder Woman, and spider man & black spider lol

[@RonnieM90]

​@@the_goofy_guyy8071Well some people think the X-Men was a copy of the Doom Patrol

[@quentinfogger5755]

@@RonnieM90 do you think DC Legion of Superheroes is the DC version of Marvel's X-men since both them have a large number of super-powered individuals while the only thing DC Doom patrol had in common with the X-men is the fact that they're rejected by society?

[@nastrodomis]

It's soul crushing to know that my favorite comic house copied so many characters. As a kid that was very into drawing superheroes, I created some as well. there's a fine line between inspiration and copying but some of these are purely shameful.

[@KongTheViking]

At the end of the day all these characters are very good and didferenr enough where we can read their stories without thinking about them being copies

[@jamesrodriguez3667]

​@@KongTheVikingI agree! Both companies were able to give great stories featuring these characters, and I think the comic/pop culture world would be a lot poorer if these "copies" didn't exist.

[@poormans2522]

Vision is Red Tornado’s back story with Martian Manhunter’s powers. A big one you guys left out is killer croc being a copycat of the lizard from Spider-Man

[@jeffreycoogan09]

@poormans2522 Actually the golden age ''Vision'' who first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 (Nov. 1940), at the time when Marvel was known as (Timely Comics). Was an alien law enforcement officer named (Aarkus). Who was from a dimension known only as Smokeworld. Although the golden age ''Vision's'' powers were different from DC's ''Martian Manhunter''. He was still more like a golden age ''Martian Manhunter'' then he was a golden age version of Marvel's silver age [Android Vision].

[@PulpVision]

There's also Cyborg and Deathlok. Cyborg was co created by George Perez who actually illustrated a parody segment in Astonishing Tales #25 which also debuted Marvel's influential Cyborg created by Rich Buckler. Both Swamp Thing and Man Thing copied from an old obscure comic called, The Heap.

[@RamsTheNameCom]

13:41 In Moon Knight and Batman's case, both characters are ripoffs of the Pulp/Radio show icon "The Shadow" and the only reason why the two are similar is because they both borrowed from the same source. - The Shadow used Yellow Batarangs before Batman. - The Shadow had a secret lair before Batman. - The Shadow had a themed car and helicopter. - The Shadow had a villain that was a Clown themed Mafia guy named "The Grim Joker" who used a poison gas that made people laugh until they die. - Batman plagiarized The Shadow in Batman's first appearance comic. - The Shadow's nickname is "The Knight of Darkness". - The Shadow also had a commissioner named "Gordan". - The Shadow had 8 different Personas, including a cab driver. - The Shadow may or may not have super powers (it's up to interpretation). - The Shadow was a warlord that was forced by a higher power to become a superhero.

[@mikhailmik4152]

Batman was inspired by Shadow, The Black Bat and Zorro

[@SriroopRao]

Which comics does shadow belong to?

[@RamsTheNameCom]

@@mikhailmik4152 You mean "The Bat" silent film from 1926, right? Black Bat was a later thing. Basically Bob Kane saw a Pulp magazine hero called "Black Bat" (A blind lawyer turned vigilante) that came out a month after Batman and decided to sue. He ended up winning the case and stole Black Bat's wrist gauntlets to give to Batman. He also stole Black Bat's origin story to create the villain "Two Face" to mock the creator of Black Bat and even had someone draw Two Face to look like the creator as a joke. Now the silent film "The Bat" was essentially about an Anti- Villain called "The Bat" who went after other bad guys to remain the top biggest threat in the city. This character is known for having a tool belt full of gadgets, a Bat signal, and he wrote a letter to the commissioner that Batman would later have a one to one tribute to in his comic. There's also the character "The Bat Strikes Again and Again" which was also creator by Zorro's creator. He essentially was just a man in a suit with a bag over his head that had a Bat symbol on it..... basically Mr. Knight but for Bats. His origin was that of a cop who was framed for the murder of his parents. While on death row, he saw a Bat fly in from the window and took the electric chair for him destroying it. This gave the man the opportunity to escape and become "The Bat" to track down his parent's killer. The Bat's gimmick is that he likes to carve a Bat symbol into people's foreheads with his knife. Bonus for Moon Knight: It's worth noting that alongside The Shadow, Doug Moench was also inspired by Vampirella when creating Moon Knight. Vampirella was Doug Moench's first gig in comics and a handful of her stories were borrowed for Moon Knight. Even was inspired by the origin for the Vampirella character "Pantha" to create Moon Knight.

[@RamsTheNameCom]

@@SriroopRao None, "Conde' Nast" owns him. Meaning he gets bounced around as a license but no publisher owns him. DC comics had published comics on The Shadow, Dark Horse, Dynamite, and currently James Patterson is making The Shadow Novels..... don't read them, they are absolute dogshit. They feel like they were written by a 12 year.

[@RonnieM90]

​@@RamsTheNameCom"Black Bat" (A blind lawyer turned vigilante). It sounds like Marvel copied this with Daredevil.

[@whooligan7159]

Vincent Price was the influence for the look of Dr. Strange.

[@_vixen_4504]

You made a mistake at 11:53 that is not the elongated man that is the Plastic man on left. The elongated man was also not the first superhero with these powers it was the plastic man which was made by another comic book company which Dc bought but they forgot that they had the rights to the character so they created Elongated man for the flash comic later realising that they had the Plastic man under their umbrella. Another correction is that the red tornado actually debuted in november of 1940 which was the first version. The version which was created later is Red tornado version 2.

[@sethflix]

I was going to mention this but wanted to check and see if anyone had mentioned it before. Good catch.

[@jorgecarbajal8076]

3:39 I never expected Sabretooth to break the fourth wall. 11:37 Technically, Darkseid made his live-action debut in Season 10 of Smallville.

[@bigaj6901]

Started Smallville just over a year ago, finished it recently. Dear god I miss that show.

[@terrorazeing]

4th wall breaking is prevalent in Deadpool comics. It doesn't matter who does it, it just happens for comedic purposes.

[@KrissyBlues]

Something to note about Black Cat and Catwoman being so similar is very largely a coincidence, Catwoman as we know her now didn't really become a thing until some time way later in her existence and they both just eventually wound up in very similar narrative roles, and Black Cat was actually inspired by a Tex Avery cartoon. It's like the thing with carcinization where everything keeps evolving into crabs, but with femme fatale cat burglars.

[@thanasisv190]

Their modern looks have been inspired by the Batman 66 show. The black leather jumpsuit and eye mask became a thing because of that.

[@jonathansoko1085]

Copium my dude. Grow up and get over it

[@mitchmack5223]

Julie newmar basically made it even better by making sure her belt suited her hips. Grrrowwl

[@KrissyBlues]

@@jonathansoko1085 it's not copium, it's their actual comic histories I substantially prefer Catwoman believe me, they just weren't related on conception lol

[@thanasisv190]

@@KrissyBlues Yes, they absolutely were.

[@glenharrison983]

The video mentions Bullseye and Deadshot, but several other members of Daredevil's rogues gallery are also blatant copies of Batman villains: there's the Jester (the Joker), the Owl (the Penguin), Mr. Fear (the Scarecrow), and arguably you could darw similarities between Typhoid Mary and Poison Ivy. And I've always thought there was a connection between Power Girl and Ms Marvel (Carol Danvers). Working for DC in the late Seventies, writer Gerry Conway created Power Girl, the Earth 2 version of Supergirl (and therefore a female equvalent of Superman - DC's signature character), a blonde heroine whose main powers were flight and super-strength. Conway then left DC and joined Marvel, and within the space of a year he created Ms Marvel (a female version of Captain Marvel - Marvel's signature character), a blonde heroine whose main powers were flight and super-strength. Coincidence?

[@_YourFlyIsOpen]

The Clayface and Sandman comparison is even more wrong when you realize that Clayface didn’t start out as a clay monster and was just a regular guy with no powers.

[@jeffreycoogan09]

@yourflyisopen4807 That right! The original golden age (Clayface/Basil Karlo) was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. And first appeared in Detective Comics #40 (June 1940). Basil Karlo was a B-list actor who began a life of crime using the identity of a character he portrayed in a horror film. The original Clayface had only appeared twice in the Golden Age. But paved the way for the super powered, shape-shifting Silver Age (Clayface/Matthew Hagen).

[@nightwingaven69]

Not only is Mr. Fantastic the copy...the entire Fantastic Four is the copy. Really surprised you didn't mention Xmen being the rip off of Doom Patrol. Marvel even stole the tag line.

[@jlong908]

Doom patrol is a copy of fantastic 4. Thin man predates both elongated man and plastic man.

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

X-men is better

[@Rambrus0]

Doom who?

[@batcow6623]

DC walked so Marvel could run, MCU fanboys tremble at this fact

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

@@batcow6623 incel 😂

[@keithegan8035]

Technically Black Cat does have some luck based super powers depending on which universe she's in and got her powers from a variation of Cap's super soldier formula in Spiderman TAS. both she and Catwoman are technically more anti-heroes now w/ relationships w/ the main character from their respective comics. Although Felica is low on Parker's relationship meter next to MJ, while Selina has the stronger bond w/ Batman even being the mother of one of his kids in one universe.

[@coryverwers]

And, nobody seems to see that Deathstroke is a villain version of Captain America, from his costume to his powers and back story.

[@IJLook]

George Perez went from the Avengers where he co-created Taskmaster to Titians where he co-created Deathstroke . Both have a Captain America look

[@dennisrussell3040]

Love this video. It’s one of the best things you all have done in awhile. Nice work!!

[@rossjones8426]

Aquaman wasn't from Atlantis for 20 years after his debut while Namor was originally Atlantean.

[@rubensalvador9422]

Yeah. DC kept tweeking his origins until he eventually became a Namor. Arthur was a human kid who was altered by his dad to breathe under water.

[@kratoscraken5614]

Correct! I'm surprised you actually know that good job mate 👍

[@rubensalvador9422]

@@kratoscraken5614 Thanks. I just think its fascinating how some characters differ so much from their initial introduction.

[@KonohazFinest]

​@@rubensalvador9422eh well dc isn't as bad when it comes to copying compared to marvel

[@kingjulien9525]

According to Wokeanda, it's not Namor, it's Miamor, that means... meeeh ..Screw dishney

[@heatblast75]

I thought it was even funnier when DC then ripped off Deadpool and created Red Tool after Marvel ripped off Deathstroke

[@coryverwers]

And, nobody seems to see that Deathstroke is a villain version of Captain America, from his costume to his powers and back story.

[@maxordman4100]

This is indeed a fun topic. I do personally have some different favorites. I have always preferred Black Cat and Bullseye to Catwoman and Deadshot. However I can see why the latter two have risen in popularity due to certain stories. Thank you for mentioning Colin Farrel as he was one of the better characters in the original Daredevil film in my opinion. Good job on this video, I look forward to seeing more of your comic book related content.

[@ericnganga2117]

Big fan of vigilantes, so Green Arrow - Hawkeye and Red hood - Winter soldier are my favorite copy cats. Thank you Variant for another insightful episode.

[@GregKhar-NU-Metalhead2000]

Man I love Winter Soldier than Red Hood man but it is whack that he not only copy Red Hood but as Bucky he copy Robin too smh, he's copying both Grayson and Todd lmao

[@IJLook]

@@GregKhar-NU-Metalhead2000 Bucky was the standard Simon & Kirby side-kick look at Sand man's Sandy .Bucky colored different.

[@rednovember266]

Winter soldier came out first before red hood. go look on sale date of two comic books

[@YoungYahtz94]

Dc and marvel have both copied off of each other but marvel has done it more overall

[@rhibrammii1153]

Way more

[@thanasisv190]

Waaaaaay more.

[@Dilly_Dil1y]

Waaaaaaaay Moore.

[@antoinewest6534]

Yeah I agree

[@Solocereal]

Wayyyy moreeee

[@Leroy007]

Plastic man is criminally underrated

[@just_a_tepig3611]

Whats funny is lots of these characters still get to massively differentiate in terms of actual characterization. Like, despite the mask, powers and weaponry, you would never say deadpool and slade are close in personality

[@lamonthamilton667]

Dr. Fate yes was First, but Dr.Strange is by far the more popular even with his appearance in Black Adam Fate is going to need a stand alone to do anything for him.

[@boyceallen965]

Dont forget Solomon Grundy and the Hulk.

[@cuachogaidh]

Kinda, Grundy didn't start out as a giant, muscle bound, behemoth that spoke like a mentally deficient child. And his level of strength was wildly different throughout his history. Originally he was just a zombie with normal human strength, he's gotten stronger and bigger as time went on. Batman traded punches with him and physically beat him in his early days, now he's on Superman's strength level sometimes. Grundy might have been around longer, but his more Hulk-like characteristics came after.

[@3duConstantino]

Nah, Frankstein and Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde was the source for both.

[@DonMaximo]

Doomsday more like Hulk imo

[@paulwoida8249]

Solomon Grundy is reborn every time he "dies" which leads to different strength levels and some personality changes. While Grundy normally hated the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and would go berserk when any Green Lantern appeared, there was one time where he liked Jade, who used green energy without a ring, and would work with her if she remembered to ask nicely.

[@residentrump3271]

Born on a Monday!

[@grahamcann1761]

Don't forget Marvel comics did not copy "Hyperion" they copied the Justice League, and Hyperion was one of the group, obviously was the Superman avatar. There was also Whizzer instead of the Flash, Nighthawk instead of Batman, and Doctor Spectrum instead of Green Lantern. As always thank you so very much for the videos. And you missed my favorite "copycat": Timberwolf (Brin Londo) was copied into Wolverine (James "Logan" Howlett). It is debated, but given the powers, the character, and the costumes, I think it's undeniable. And as to which is better? Well, it's probably Wolverine, but I was a Timberwolf (Legion of Super-Heroes) fan long before Wolverine appeared, so I'm biased.

[@TheCypherbladez]

Dr Strange only became more popular with the new MCU presentations but Dr Fate was more popular initially and arguably still

[@riftwytch]

There is also another Galactus clone in the DCU; Mr. Nebula. He's more parody than knock-off, but instead of destroying worlds, he redecorates them. An interesting note about Swamp Thing and Man Thing; the creators of the characters were roommates at the time. And both characters were inspired by the Heap. Also, Marvel's Imperial guard is a clone of DC's Legion of Superheroes

[@12thMandalorian]

I feel foolish that I never connected Robin and Winter Soldier together, the more you know

[@wintertrooper7918]

You can't really claim that marvel copied DC with their winter soldier reveal because winter soldier being bucky had been a very popular fan theory for a few years at least in addition just based on the release date of the comics that had both of them return it's clearly impossible for marvel to have copied because comics aren't written and releases the very same month they write a few months in advance and then it goes through the whole process

[@IJLook]

A lot of these comparisons he's going pretty drastic. If you look at Deathstroke close you could see a warped Captain America.

[@cuachogaidh]

The creators of Man-Thing and Swampthing were room mates, there may have been some shenanigans it that little scenario.

[@alextyson7717]

DC: Plastic Man (1941) ─copycated─▷ Marvel: Thin Man (1940) DC: Red Hood Jason Todd (November, 2011) ─copycated─▷Marvel: Winter Soldier (January, 2005)

[@daverichards9141]

You forgot, black cat had luck manipulation and Hawkeye and GA both have bird named girlfriends who were teammates and martial artists. Also I always viewed Vision as a copy of Martian Manhunter.

[@jonathanbien-aime5187]

One thing I dislike about the copycat thing is sometimes maybe there not. Like speedsters, magic people, strechy people, assasins, they are classic types of characters in fiction. To have a fast guy is a superhero universe is a given, yet when the power is shown in more then one character they are a copy. Its kinda a weird concept, but things like black cat and catwoman definitely show a that someone took an idea from another studio.

[@justicierodelaliga]

While that´s true the thing is that sometimes the copy goes beyond the superpowers: be it their costumes, backstories and/or importance. Let´s take importance with Flash and Quicksilver. I´m sure there are tons of characters in Marvel that have super speed. That being said Quicksilver is the most well known by far because of his role as son of Magneto, brother to Scarlet Witch, being member of the Brotherhood of Mutants and so on. Not to mention that while Flash wears red Quicksilver wears blue: two distinct colors. As such, Quicksilver is not another random character with super speed in Marvel. Or let´d do it with DC. As said, Mr. Fantastic was created in 1961 while DC´s Elongated Man was created in 1960. However, not only Mr. Fantastic is more well known (heck, Plastic Man is more well known that Elongated Man). Yet not only do they don´t look at all the same but Fantastic is member of the Fantastic Four, the importance of those characters, and the different roles in organizations and events in Marvel. Meanwhile, Elongated Man started as a villain for Flash, he decided to become a superhero and more so a detective. As such, besides their powers, there´s nothing similar between them. So, not only Fantastic is one of the most important characters in Marvel meanwhile Elongated Man is barely a character in the Flash universe and even more so Plastic Man is not only more well known but even in DC he´s more used that Elongated Man. Even his creator regreted creating him forgetting that DC bough Plastic Man. So, in this case, if Elongated Man was a founding member of the Justice League or other well known group the comparisons to Mr. Fantastic would be constantly. But since he´s not he only tends to be remembered with lists like this.

[@jonathansoko1085]

You're wrong. What you Disney era marvel fans don't comprehend is that way way back when these characters were created DC and marvel writers were often friends and always hung out together. This bread the copying it was natural and rampant at the time. I understand that you want to defend Disney marvel, just give it up.

[@jonathanbien-aime5187]

@justicierodelaliga ye but ofc there is going to be a prominent character with super speed in one universe. Flash and quicksilver have entirely different backgrounds, no one compares them because of anything else other then the fact they have super speed.

[@jonathanbien-aime5187]

@jonathansoko1085 wdym I'm wrong? This doesn't even just apply to marvel, there are examples of dc copying marvel, this applies to all characters. Even out of these two universe characters in other universes are considered copies, like A train in the Boys. Everyone says he's suppose to be their flash, but it makes sense to have a fast guy on most superhero teams. Not to mention sometimes ideas come out at the same time like two androids, a robot character is a given. To say this has something to do with disney Era marvel fans makes you sound kinda goofy.

[@jonathansoko1085]

@@jonathanbien-aime5187 you still can't get over it dude grow up man marvel loves to copy d.c. it's always been that way. I know your Disney era marvel fan and that actually is hard to believe, get over it

[@KTMcManus4]

How does Bronze Tiger fit into the Red Lion-Black Panther conversation? 🤔

[@philjones3824]

Re: Robin and Bucky. Every hero had a teen sidekick. Superman had Jimmy Olsen, Green Arrow had Speedy, The Human Torch had Toro, etc.

[@IJLook]

Simon & Kirby had one sidekick look all their heroes sidekicks looked like Bucky just colored different.

[@maximusprime3459]

Sandman and Sandy the Golden Boy Judomaster and Tiger Aquaman and Aqualad Blue Devil and Kid Devil Flash and Kid Flash Crimson Avenger and Wing

[@TrenchAnimations]

Even though the two wasn’t mentioned in the video I really like the dynamic of black spider (DC)being a blatant copy of Spider-Man , at first he was just a thief to support his drug habit up until he killed his own father in a robbery gone wrong, but the twist is he blames the drug dealers all over Gotham for it instead of blaming himself . So naturally he went nuts,killed a hefty amount of dealers ,and clash with Batman from time to time , literally a Dark Spider-Man without the spider senses pretty dope .

[@Earth2Natalie]

I think it'd be cool to compare characters who's shared the same names: Spider-Man, the Flash, Green Lantern, etc. Who's the best version of each?

[@thanasisv190]

GL isn't a mantle.

[@Earth2Natalie]

@@thanasisv190 You know what I mean.

[@WesleyB-Rook]

I’m feel like they’ve done a legacy character list before…or maybe that was a watchmojo list…hmmmm

[@quentinfogger5755]

​@@thanasisv190Nova Corps are the Marvel version of DC Green Lantern Corps but Quasar has powers similar to the Green Lantern

[@arvinbuenaagua5161]

Why is Plastic-Man there instead of Elongated Man? Also, I think you missed both EM and Mr. F's wives are named Sue.

[@Plastic_Passion]

Plastic Man was first too btw

[@nonsuchned94]

And Elongated Man wouldn't have even been made at all if the creators had realized DC had actually bought the rights to Plastic Man. They would have just used, and probably retconed, Plastic Man.

[@wontizzlable]

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it, but namor first appears in "motion picture funnies weekly" it was supposed to be given away at movie theaters but never got that far. Marvel comics #1 is his 2nd appearance.

[@MrRonald327]

And they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[@Dopecheetah]

Christopher Priest created Red Lion. Priest had a great run on Black Panther. Also Priest wrote that Deathstroke.

[@ricky865]

Fun fact Wolverine is also a copycat of the character Timberwolf from the legion of Superheroes but Wolverine became infinitely more popular. Another fun fact is even though Mr. Fantastic is a copycat and a far better character than Elongated Man personally both of them pale in comparison to Plastic Man.

[@mrmacross]

Something I've explained to a lot of people lately is how Carol Danvers' super hero and civilian names are both ripped off. The original Captain Marvel is Fawcett's Captain Marvel/Billy Batson Supergirl's names are Kara Zor-el and Linda Lee Danvers Also, Marvel's Gladiator can also be listed as a Superman copy cat. His name origin is almost as blatantly bad as Carol Danvers (Kallark = Kal-el + Clark).

[@jamesmoor558]

great video and great research on this, massive kudos

[@manishdhar3232]

Death stroke & Deadpool are match made in heaven

[@jonathoneng4552]

No mention of the squadron supreme or was it the squadron sinister? I thought that was one of the most blatant copies. Especially nighthawk

[@jeffreycoogan09]

@jonathoneng4552 I had mentioned this earlier in the comments section. The ''Squadron Supreme'' were intentionally created as a pastiche of DC's (Justice League of America). See during the late 1960s and early 1970s, any kind of DC/Marvel crossover seemed very unlikely. So superhero teams like Marvel's ''Squadron Supreme'' and DC's ''Champions of Angor'' (a pastiche of Marvel's Avengers). Were created to fill that void.

[@ironsubculture9499]

Wildstorm was the best having the Authority battling their copy of the Avengers. Their Apollo (Superman) flying through the chest of the “Giant” was awesome! When they openly copy characters they often give us better stories than we thought were possible. This is also like the Ultimate Avengers as an internal copy of a team (which gave up the Nick Furi you see in the Marvel movies).

[@CagedPhoenixThe1st]

No Spider-Man and DC's black spider? not sure how they even got away with that one.

[@arvinbuenaagua5161]

Man-Thing and Swamp Thing were made by roommates. And it's said that Man-Thing was the copy and Marvel just beat DC to market. It's like X-Men and Doom Patrol.

[@jeffreycoogan09]

(Swamp Thing and Man Thing) were actually both inspired by ''The Heap'' A sentient comic book muck-monster who first appeared in ''Air Fighters #3'' (Dec. 1942).

[@godspeedrebirth]

One of the biggest ones(both figuratively and literally) is Ego and Mogo. Even the names are similar😂

[@expendablegerbil]

Small correction but the first incarnation of Clayface wasn't a shape shifter. If you want to compare with Sandman then you'd need to go to the Matt Hagen incarnation which debuted in 1961. Still beets out Sandman but not by nearly as much as you made it seem.

[@benjamincleaves7474]

Really hoping for more Man-Thing 🤞🏾

[@isaiahgonzales6907]

First that's not Elongated Man in that first picture with Mr Fantastic that's Plastic Man. Second I know I'm not the only one that wants to see DC And Marvel crossover again.

[@rednovember266]

Marvel character named Thin Man predates both plastic man and elongated man

[@maximusprime3459]

Ironically, Elongated Man was created by DC to be a Plastic Man proxy til they finally owned the character!😅

[@isaiahgonzales6907]

@@maximusprime3459 Really?.

[@MrTommyMayo]

Anybody else catch that they showed images of Plastic Man instead of Elongated Man a couple times?

[@Challagar]

I was gonna comment on that but got distracted and forgot.

[@ktulhuperttilemmenlautta]

Good video. Nice to hear the story behind Deadpool, he's the one that confused me the most, since I first knew about Deathstroke.

[@noahauthement7169]

Thin man was actually the first stretchy hero

[@TheOliverPras]

11:53 thats Plastic Man, not Elongated Man

[@abrealgaming5649]

Y'all! I just want to say I'm extremely proud of myself for my accuracy both with who came out first and either the exact year or general year I really feel like I'm a comic book fan now.

[@johnglielmi6428]

You forgot to mention, that Namor and Aquaman are both Half human and Half Atlantean. You also mention the elongated man while showing a picture of Plastic man. and DC copies it's own characters as they have many with similar powers. Deathstroke and Peacemaker just to name as an example. Also I forgot to mention that a lot of the copied characters may be to the fact that Jack Kirby worked for both DC and Marvel. So he just took his character and gave it new life in the other publishing house.

[@thomasshelby5454]

bro i hope gunn make dr.fate solo movie, i love that character so much. he got nerf pretty bad in black adam 😓

[@ironsubculture9499]

I have always thought The Specter would be a great multi-episode TV show - less superhero, more villain punisher.

[@STRAKAZulu]

Missed a pretty big (or small) one: Ant-Man and the Atom.

[@quentinfogger5755]

Or Goliath and Atom Smasher

[@ervineaddy-vz5fr]

Or Wasp and Bumblebee

[@alfrede.neumann5513]

Nice catch man!

[@christopherbrenon]

How do you roam around a galaxy destroying universes, that’s like roaming around a house destroying towns

[@righty-o3585]

Moon knight has had multiple complete character makeovers. Different back stories, different personalities. I'm not sure which version you were using for this video

[@TMo6]

You forget man bat and lizard, both being scientists who use cross species genetics and turn into humanoid animals while sharing the similar first name Dr Curt/Kirk Conners/Langstrum

[@goddoc97]

Quicksilver is an update Whizzer, not a Flash rip off. (Now, Whizzer may be a Flash rip off)

[@beyondcomicstv]

THAT'S PLASTICMAN next to Reid Richards in the first pic.

[@jayvonnoelsmith8445]

Quicksilver and the Flash are great character

[@gonzalo4660]

There are some things wrong with the clip, for example Green Arrow (and all the archers) are based on Robin Hood, and if we only look at the comic, The Golden Arrow came out earlier (Whiz Comics #2 feb 1940). Besides, Dr. Strange is not inspired by Fate, but by Mandrake (1934), who was the first of all (and remarkably Stephen-like). As for Catwoman and Black Cat, it should be mentioned that Selina didn't wear a leather outfit until the '90s, while Felicia being the first to have that style. Another mistake is about of the characters that stretch, the first of all was The Thin-Man (aug 1940) from Timely Comics (the Marvel of the Golden Age), Plastic Man (1941), Elongated Man (1960) and Mr Fantastic (1961) appeared much later. Anyway it was interesting.

[@brian1436]

I knew this video world trigger people like you.

[@j2174]

Many comic book characters are based on various myths, gods, etc. Whats your point? Ever seen the 60s Catwoman? ;)

[@gonzalo4660]

@@j2174 That is precisely what I say, everyone copies everyone and almost everything has already been invented. Not to mention that many creations are by the same authors (for example Fantastic 4 and Chellengers of the Unknown) or the same creators knew each other and even lived together. you are saying the same as me.

[@j2174]

@@gonzalo4660 "@gonzalo4660 3 minutes ago @j2174 That is precisely what I say, everyone copies everyone and almost everything has already been invented. " - Basing something on a well known cultural mythology/figure/etc is not really "copying" as no one owns that. It is clear that Marvel has copied from DC much much more. And the few that DC has taken, they don't really use almost ever. "you are saying the same as me." - I am not saying the same as you though.

[@gonzalo4660]

@@j2174 You're a DCzombie so everything you say lacks validity and objectivity. Kisses 😘

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Quicksilver is a really cool character man

[@davidkiem2359]

That's why there's no rivalry.

[@stardustsigner4863]

Darkseid was technically first in Smallville in live action. If you could count that. Good season btw

[@chrisjordan32]

This was interesting and fantastic and I agree about Dr. Fate especially definitely underrated and enjoy the series

[@CagedPhoenixThe1st]

I think Dr. Fate was a bigger name than Dr.strange until his recent movies. I don't think it'll take much for Dr.fate to be a well known name. If the black Adam movie did well, I'm sure that would have sky rocketed his name. Not sure why these DC movies aren't popping lately?

[@lycaniii1856]

I’ve always had a theory, that marvel made Deadpool, because Deathstroke feels like an self centered version of Captain America.

[@historydigger1]

With regards to elongated man, plastic man (developed by Quality Comics n 1940) was owned by DC when they acquired them in 1956. Making Elongated man a copy I of a DC character already. Might have mentioned that in your video.

[@semicharmedlife311]

With DC preceding Marvel, it's no surprise that the score for rip-offs is heavily slanted towards Marvel. All these characters have their deserved place in comic book lore & history, though.

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

I want Michael Giacchino to make a black and white legion of monsters movie like how he made werewolf by night

[@jonathansoko1085]

Please no that was so bad. Is why you won't ever see it again no one watched it. You like seeing Man-Thing, the rest was awful. You like the spectacle the quality of the product was abysmal

[@dariandavis7228]

Dr. Fate was the best thing about Black Adam.

[@RidMicENTERTAINMENT]

I love that when they compared Mr Fantastic and Elongated man they showed Elastic man…

[@user-ob6qf3pu8e]

Bro you did perfectly, I dont know who's missing on your list😅

[@etbme2k]

Don't forget DC turned around and said "I see you Marvel" and copied Deadpool with their character Red Tool. He even has strange tool themed speech bubbles mimicking Deadpool's different voices in different colored bubbles.

[@jonathansoko1085]

That was a literal and flat-out joke. You Disney marvel fans just can't stop coping

[@Solocereal]

Original: Dr.fate Copy: Dr. Strange 😂

[@hatemoviethatlong]

True 😅 all marvel did is remove the helmet

[@rednovember266]

That is false statement you made According to DC comics publish WHO'S WHO:THE DEFINITIVE DIRECTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE ISSUE #6 on page 26 Doctor Fate powers and weapons When wearing his original helmet, Doctor Fate is one of the most powerful of all known sorcerers, capable of virtually any kind of magical feat. However, his power is still dwarfed by that of the virtually omnipotent Spectre. When he is not wearing Nabu's helmet, Doctor Fate cannot cast spells. However, thanks to his training by Nabu, Doctor Fate can still fly and levitate objects. Nabu also made him superhumanly strong and nearly invulnerable even without the helmet, slthough Doctor Fate still needs to breathe According to THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE ISSUE #3 page 28 Doctor strange Powers: As Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Doctor Strange possesses a greater knowledge and mas- tery of the arts of magic than anyone else on Earth. t Strange's magic, like that of most magicians, is de- rived from three major sources: personal powers of the soul/mind/body (mesmerism, astral projection. thought-casting, etc.), powers gained by tapping this r universe's ambient magical energy and employing it for specific effects (teleportation, illusion-casting, energy projection), and finally, powers gained through the tapping of extra-dimensional energy by invoking entities or objects of power dwelling in mystical dimensions, tangential to our own. The latter e means of power is usually gained by the recitation of spells, either ritualized ones found in various mystical texts or by original spells invoking extra-dimensional assistance. Strange also employs a number of occult power-objects which he wields by mental control.

[@cedricjohnson9662]

Here some comparisons: Lady Sif/Wonder Woman Valkyrie/Artemis Batgirl(Cass)/Echo Cheetah/Tigra Nightwing/DareDevil Green Lanterns/Nova Corp Spiderman/Black Spider Hulk/Solomon Grundy Richard Dragon/ Iron Fist Batman/NightHawk Wonder Woman/Power Princess Honorable Mention: Colleen Wing/ Lady Vic

[@swandive46]

Black Cat has a super ability. She can manipulate probability, affording her good luck in most situations.

[@Umxel]

For the Mr fantastic Marvel actually made the first elastic character So Mr fantastic isn't really the copycat

[@jonathansoko1085]

You Disney era marvel fans need to stop you are making yourself look and sound stupid

[@rossjones8426]

Plastic man was created 4 years before Fantastic Four, Elongatedman appeared in Flash before Fantastic Four.

[@Umxel]

@@rossjones8426 I didn't say Mr fantastic was made before him.

[@Umxel]

@@rossjones8426 search for the first elastic character in all of comics

[@rednovember266]

@@rossjones8426 Marvel character named thin Man predates plastic man. Thin man first appearance in Mystic Comics #4, June 1940

[@Marx1684]

Variant is switching it up a bit & I enjoy what’s taking place over there. Your team sounds like a bunch of chill folks. A Backpack Comic Collective* that have found a proper way to break even with the public. Get that paper. 💪🏾

[@rdrummer2]

The fact Dr. Fate is underrated, should be a crime. The dude is literally op and can do basically whatever he wants

[@barrygreen5782]

We need a fantasy battle pitting these all against each other that'll be awesome