Marvel is one of the most dominating entities in Hollywood and Comic Books today. The studio is breaking box office records with every new release. It keeps fans on their toes with mind-blowing plotlines and intriguing characters. But this finesse in creativity has existed in Marvel even before the cinematic universe took the spotlight.
During the peak of comics, Marvel kept its loyal fans hooked with popular characters like Spider-Man. This led to a new wave of copied work as Marvel’s competitors started ripping off its successful characters. Whenever a new Marvel story, character, or TV show won the attention, other comic book studios would tap on this success by creating a replica. Some rip-offs were disastrous, while some were more triumphant than the originals. Here are the 7 insane times studios successfully ended up ripping off Marvel.
Aquaman from Namor
The mere mention of the King of Atlantis brings Aquaman to our minds. But there are two Kings of Atlantis and Namor from Marvel is the first one. He was created in 1939 while DC’s Arthur Curry appeared in 1941.
Bane from Nuke & Crossbones
One of Batman’s biggest rivals, Bane was inspired by two Marvel characters, Nuke and Crossbones. Bane shares his abilities and origin the most with Nuke, and a mask similar to that of Crossbones. Bane and Nuke were created in a lab and drew strength from strong chemicals and drugs. But the DC villain ended up gaining more success than Nuke and Crossbones combined.
Killer Croc from The Lizard
The Lizard was scientist-turned, majorly known as a Spider-Man villain. He was translated to the silver screen in The Amazing Spider-Man and again in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Following this Marvel creation, DC made its own large-reptilian villain, Killer Croc for Batman. While both these sinister characters have enjoyed popularity, Killer Croc has been on the lead. He was recently featured in Suicide Squad and partially earned the film an Academy Award for Best Make-Up.
Doomsday from Hulk
DC supervillain, Doomsday was copied from Marvel’s Hulk, who in fact was inspired by another DC character, Solomon Grundy. Both Doomsday and Hulk share a similar origin as lab experiments that went haywire. These giant characters are capable of evolution as they get stronger with time and every fight.
Doctor Fate from Doctor Strange
It’s hard to tell if Doctor Fate was inspired by Doctor Strange or vice versa. Technically, Doctor Strange came 23 years after Doctor Fate was introduced. It is also worth noting that back then, Doctor Fate was not given the spotlight. He used to be a mere side character until DC realized its potential by seeing Doctor Strange’s hit. Soon, DC Comics started giving Doctor Fate his own storylines which earned a significant fan following in the 1960s.
Lobo from Wolverine
Lobo was an amalgam of Marvel’s darkest and grittiest characters. Lobo and Wolverine don’t share the same abilities, but were a lot similar in personalities and character.
Batman Beyond from Spider-Man: The Animated Series
DC’s TV ambassador, Batman has been a camera-ready star for decades. But when Spider-Man got his own TV series, it churned a new trend of teenage superheroes on screen. Warner Bros. caught on with this trend and released Batman Beyond. It was set in the future and featured a younger Batman, 16 year-old Terry McGinnis.
