7 Best Batman Copycats in Comics, Ranked

Batman is one of the faces of DC and one of the greatest archetypal superheroes of all time. He was the bridge between the old-school mystery, noir comics and the superhero boom, creating the perfect template for a hero who can slot just as easily in a seedy alleyway as he could a space station. Batman is inarguably one of the most influential superheroes of all time. He’s inspired countless others to take up the fight, and his stories have always been pushed to DC’s forefront. Heck, he’s the most publicized superhero of them all, so his stories generally have to be doing something right, most of the time. 

Naturally, with so much success under his belt, it’s only natural that other characters would want to get a piece of the action. There is no shortage of other characters, both heroes and villains, based entirely on copying Batman. Today, we’re going to take a look at seven of the best Batman copycats and rank them based on how well they stand on their own two feet and how interesting they are as characters. We’re only counting original characters inspired by Batman, so we won’t be including alternate reality versions of Bats like Owlman or any of the Robins, for example. With all that said, let’s bite into the Batman copycats.

7) Nemesis

No list of superhero copycats would be complete without at least one evil, and Nemesis is probably the best not-Batman evil Batman out there. Mark Millar penned Nemesis with a single thought driving his creation: what if Batman were also the Joker? Matthew Anderson was one of the world’s richest, most powerful men, and he got so bored that he decided to dedicate his life to every murderous, vile pursuit he could imagine. Of course, that’s only the backstory he provided, as it would be revealed to be fake. The real Nemesis is a psychopath who revels in destruction and immorality above all else, and he takes great pleasure in ruining lives and flaunting his billions.

Nemesis is the logical, and sometimes illogical, extreme of Batman fusing with his greatest enemy. He’s crass, sadistic, and irreverent to the extreme, often laughing about how he’s too trich to ever fail. Frankly, he’s a character best experienced in extreme moderation, because he can very easily get annoying when he goes on another very unsubtle and edgy mission. Nemesis is the example of everything Batman shouldn’t be, and that’s always interesting to look at, in any case. 

6) Ghost-Maker

Ghost-Maker is our newest Batman copycat. He shares a lot of similarities with Bruce, actually travelling the world alongside and parallel to him in their youth, each learning from the world’s greatest masters to hone themselves in unmatched weapons. He’s nearly as skilled as Bruce in every discipline, from fighting to criminology. Ghost-Maker possesses his own vast fortune, which he uses to travel the world and become the scourge of the underworld. He’s so darn effective that even members of the Bat-Family didn’t know he existed until he showed back up and revealed himself.

What truly separates Ghost-Maker from Bruce is their mentality. Where Bruce strives to protect the innocent and improve the world, Khoa does everything he does for the glory and art form. Khoa is a clinical psychopath, meaning that he cannot feel empathy or fear. He pursues this path because he thinks it’s impressive and fun, the same way a painter pursues their own craft. What’s most interesting about him is that he’s definitely not a villain. He has all the trappings of an evil Batman, but he chooses to mostly do the right thing, even working alongside Batman. He’s a strange, interesting mirror to the Dark Knight himself, but he’s only at his best around Batman, not on his own.

5) Catman

Catman is probably the most obvious Batman clone of them all, literally putting the cat in copycat. He was initially designed to be just an evil Batman knock-off that could work alongside Catwoman, but he’s grown into so much more. Yes, his costume looks exactly like if you asked a cat enthusiast and Batman super-fan to design their first OC, and he has everything from the Catmobile to his own Catcave, but he’s come to be one of DC’s most nuanced anti-heroes. He rides the line between villain and anti-hero constantly, pursuing crime to further his own selfish goals and alleviate his boredom, but sticking to a very strong sense of honor.

Thomas Blake is a man who dedicates himself to upholding his word and sticking to his own standards. He is always willing to go against anyone, be they hero or villain, if that person stands between him and what he personally considers to be right. Catman is a nuanced, conflicted character who constantly shows everyone how much fun morally grey characters can be when they’re done well. Catman used to be a standard villain, but he’s risen to become a complicated, flawed man who is convinced of his own steadiness, which is always a joy to see.

4) Midnighter

Mignighter is the Wildstorm Universe’s Batman, and he’s an incredibly unique character. He’s taken Batman’s violent tendencies and evolved them, being entirely obsessed with causing as much harm as possible whenever he leaps into a fight. He has cybernetic implants that let him run through millions of possibilities, effectively letting him predict the future for every altercation. These implants also enhance his senses and stats, making him much stronger and faster than the average person. He’s a true one-person army, and he revels in it.

What elevates Midnighter from being an edgier Bat-copy is his incredible relationship with fellow hero and Superman copycat, Apollo. They are legitimately one of DC’s best relationships. These men could not seem like bigger opposites on the surface, but they truly love each other and are willing to do almost anything for each other’s sake. They balance each other, with Apollo bringing out hope and goodness in Midnighter that the violence-obsessed man didn’t know he had. They make each other better, more fleshed-out characters, and that is always a massive point in anyone’s favor. 

3) Moon Knight

Moon Knight is often called Marvel’s Batman, and the similarities are obvious. Both are rich men who, at one point, had caves filled with their on-theme tools and vehicles meant to help them fight crime in the night as a dark avenger. Of course, Moon Knight has a whole lot more to offer nowadays, and he’s grown into an incredibly multifaceted character. For starters, he’s one of the best representations of dissociative identity disorder in comics. Mark’s alters are unique characters in their own right, and their different dynamics and approaches to the world keep Moon Knight’s stories fresh and endlessly entertaining.

Furthermore, his mythos and presentation are downright next level. Moon Knight’s connection to the mythical Khonsu is the source of all his best drama, and gives him a wonderful niche that he commands like nobody else could. Moon Knight is a vengeful vigilante just as much as he is a divine servant of a very morally questionable god, and that mix elevates both the superheroic and mythological aspects of his character. Moon Knight might not actually be chasing Dracula down for money, but his stories always hit right where it hurts and are sure to use extreme violence to explore even more extreme headspaces, which is incredible.

2) Green Arrow

Green Arrow is the original Batman copycat. He was created at the height of the original Bat-boom, meant to capitalize on the Dark Knight’s popularity and give writers another Batman-like character to use when the genuine article wasn’t available. I mean, seriously, he had his own young ward sidekick, on-brand gagedtry, and even an Arrow Cave. Arrows don’t live in caves! Heck, considering Robin was inspired by Robin Hood, you could even say that Ollie borrowed even more from the Dynamic Duo than most already know that he has.

Of course, Oliver has definitely carved out his own space in DC. Specifically, he’s become their number one social justice hero, speaking to real-world problems and prejudices that permeate everything. He’s one of the only superheroes who can give a full political speech to the camera and have literally none of it come off as out of character because Ollie will do that at the drop of a hat. He’s also deeply flawed, often struggling to reconcile his moral stance with his insane amounts of money and his own prejudices. He’s a wonderful hypocrite who is always trying to improve, and I couldn’t love him more for it.

1) Daredevil

Matt Murdock is such an interesting character on this list because he definitely didn’t start as a Batman copycat. There’s nothing about a blind lawyer with supersenses that screams Batman-alike aside from his dead dad and street-level focus, but even then, those traits aren’t exactly exclusive to Batman. However, especially starting with Frank Miller’s foundational run, Daredevil progressively took on more of Batman’s traits and gained more popularity at the same time. His history with ninja training, his increased brooding, and very complicated relationships with his best villains all screamed Batman. 

Nowadays, ideal characterization for Batman and Daredevil paints them as similar yet distinct characters, with the inspiration for Matt clearly present. Of course, even if he adopted plenty of Batman’s traits later on, Daredevil is still one of Marvel’s greatest heroes. His struggles with faith and morality resonate whenever he faces the darkest villains Marvel can throw at him. He’s a ball of rage who uses violence to alleviate his pain, but also desperately hopes that everyone can be saved and strives to preserve life above all else. Daredevil is the perfect street-level hero, fighting every day against his demons and everyone else’s, and the greatest Batman who isn’t Batman.

Which Batman copycat do you love the most? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

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