From strikingly similar costumes to shared superpowers and even near-identical origin stories, the worlds of Marvel and DC are full of fascinating character parallels. Many Marvel characters, for example, have their own DC counterparts, heroes or villains who appear to be a replica of another character found in the Marvel universe. These comic book doppelgangers have fueled years of Marvel vs DC debates among fans, sparking endless discussion about which character came first and which version stands out more than the other. Whether it’s a hero’s personality, their abilities, or the circumstances that shaped them, these similarities are often too on the nose to ignore, especially for die hard fans of Marvel.
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Here are six Marvel comic book characters with DC counterparts that bear a striking resemblance to each other.
6) Black Cat and Cat Woman
The cat motif aside, both Black Cat and Catwoman are very similar based on their character backgrounds alone. Both are well known for their expertise as nimble, and even acrobatic cat burglars who can hold their own in a physical fight, if it ever came to it, while looking sly and sexy all the while as they do so. It isn’t all that surprising then that the two are so alike as even their choice of lovers from the white, or in Batman’s case “dark,” knight category demonstrates the gray view of their morality that veers towards stealing from other criminals instead of the common man. Other differences remain, of course, as is the case for these other entries as well, but, for the most part, when it comes to what they are known the most for, they are pretty point for point with each other. So if ever there was a take away here, then, it would be this: don’t mess around with cats.
5) Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate
Following suit here with another duo with similar names and abilities, are Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate. Both characters maintain an affinity for magic as well as a similar origin story where, from tragedy, they proceed to begin their individual hero arcs within their designated universes. For Strange, his journey to the Ancient One came to be after a career-ending accident, while for Fate, it was the accidental death of his father, Sven Nelson, that led him to his own mentor, Nabu. Aside from that, however, other differences diverge the parallels between these two as both maintain their own prerogatives as the individual characters that they are, within their own universes. Strange, for example, more so maintains a responsibility to protect Earth from inter-dimensional and magic-related threats while Fate, aka Kent Nelson, acts as an extension of the Lords of Order, similar in nature to that of the Green Lanterns and their relationship to the Core. Interesting, though, that even with these differences the two mages can be quite so similar to each other. Must be magic.
4) Wasp and Bumble Bee
Blue Beetle and Spider-Man aren’t the only insect-related superheroes out there, and nor are they even the most similar. This applies most to two other insect-related heroes: Wasp and Bumble Bee. Both heroes are especially alike based on their powers, seeing as both are able to shrink down to size as well as attack enemies with bio-electric blasts and, from there, of course share a flying insect motif with their chosen alter egos. Other than that creatives have, at the very least, kept their civilian backgrounds different from each other, at least at first. Karen Beecher-Duncan, aka Bumble Bee, is a brilliant scientist, according to canon, while Janet van Dyne, aka Wasp, is known to have started out as a socialite before her debut as Wasp. Nowadays, both characters maintain a science heavy backgrounds. In any case, the very fact that there are a prominent number of insect-related heroes, overall, just goes to show just how popular they are to comic book fans.
3) Arcade and The Riddler
Two villains this time around and the two are very similar to each other because of their villainous tactics to torment whatever poor soul is unfortunate enough to have fallen into their web of deception. Both fixate on psychological mind games, and even throw some violence into the mix, to abuse their victims, although for one of them, Arcade, they are much more senseless when it comes to their version of villainy. Riddler, as many fans know, is so defined by his “solve my riddle” gimmick that he’s even willing to accept a win from his opponent, despite this being at his expense, the same of which, can’t be said of Arcade. The man built a literal theme park around murder, after all. Still, it can be said that during instances like the “War of Jokes and Riddles” that the Riddler does have his moments of “Arcade” himself. So it’s a wonder then, an enigma, even, as to who’s taking inspiration from whom? Food for thought.
2) Vision and Red Tornado
Across the superhero divide, Marvel’s Vision and DC’s Red Tornado stand as another, even downright scary, parallel both in character design and story. Vision, a Synthezoid built by Ultron, and Red Tornado, an android created by T.O. Morrow, were each designed as weapons with the intent to destroy a target, this being the Avengers for Vision, and the Justice League for Tornado, that they later become loyal to and disobey their original commands as a result. They differ, at very least, in power type with Vision having a plethora of powers that would make even Martian Manhunter blush, while Tornado specializes in aerokinetic abilities even though they remain similar in other aspects, like character motivation. It is a fascinating note from comic book history, at the very least, that speaks to the likely reality of taking inspiration from the competition, seeing as both Vision and Tornado first appeared in 1968. Then again, if hairs were going to be spilt here, then it should be noted that Tornado first appeared in DC in August of that year while Vision later emerged in October. Interesting stuff.
1) Sentry and Superman
Finally, and this may be a stretch here: Sentry and Superman. On the surface, they are similar; both possess god-like powers tied to energy from Earth’s sun, yet they differ in other, key ways. Clark Kent is an alien from another planet, whereas Robert Reynolds, the Sentry, is a superhuman in possession of abilities, such as super strength, after undergoing intense scientific experimentation. However, despite these differences, their presence in the comics nevertheless reveals an interesting shared dilemma that goes beyond seeing obvious similarities between DC and Marvel characters. With them, Sentry and Superman face a shared struggle of balancing both the human and inhuman side of themselves that put them at odds with their core beings. As such, it would seem that heroes and villains, and everyone in-between, are not just similar for gimmicks or names, alone. Sometimes they are much more similar than meets the eye leaving behind as a result a discovery for fans and readers alike to discover for themselves.
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