7 DC Characters With Suprising Real-Life Inspirations

DC Comics has numerous fantastical and larger-than-life characters that have become staples in the comic book industry. Similar to other great artists, comic book creators often base their work on the world and the people around them. At DC, many writers and artists have drawn from well-known figures in film, music, and politics when shaping their characters. There are also instances at DC of creators modelling their superheroes on loved ones as a way of paying tribute to them. Of course, some of these portrayals are more flattering than others, depending on who the real-life model is and whether the character is a hero or a villain. Either way, many real men and women either directly or indirectly inspired the creation of some of DC Comics’ most popular characters.

These are the DC heroes and villains with surprising real-world counterparts.

1) Joker – Conrad Veidt

Over the years, numerous actors have portrayed the Joker in both animation and live-action media. Ironically, it was the performance of one actor, Conrad Veidt, that served as the basis for the characterization and design of the Clown Prince of Crime. Introduced in 1940, Batman’s nemesis was created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson to be the exact opposite of the Caped Crusader. Their vision of the Joker as a disturbed madman who always smiled and cracked jokes was deliberately set against Batman’s dark and serious aesthetic. While they were brainstorming the character, Robinson pulled a Joker from a pack of cards. The face on the card reminded them of a 1928 silent German film called The Laughing Man. In this film, the German-British actor Conrad Veidt played the titular character whose face was permanently contorted to have a wide, toothy grin. Veidt’s disturbing performance and the Joker card came together to form the inspiration for one of the most recognizable supervillains in comic book history.

2) Stargirl – Courtney Johns

Courtney Whitmore, aka Stargirl, is a DC teenage superhero who fights crime alongside her mecha-piloting stepfather, Pat Dugan, aka S.T.R.I.P.E. In 1999, DC Comics’ chief writer Geoff Johns created the light-hearted and caring hero to honor the memory of his late sister, Courtney Johns. Courtney died tragically at the age of 18 in the 1996 TWA Flight 800 plane crash on her way to study abroad in Europe. Geoff described his little sister as being a kind, adventurous, and loving person who was always there for others. As a tribute to her life, Geoff instilled his sister’s best qualities into Stargirl. Everything from the character’s name, design, and personality was based on Courtney Johns. Stargirl has since taken a life of her own as a fan-favorite superhero. Befittingly, the Stargirl TV series’ first season ended with a dedication to Courtney Johns. 

3) Lucifer Morningstar – David Bowie

DC Comics’ physical interpretation of Lucifer, the literal devil, was inspired by one of the most influential musical figures in recent history. Neil Gaiman and Sam Keith created Lucifer Morningstar, who first appeared in the Sandman series, before having his own spin-off comic. For the character’s personality, the writers took inspiration from Satan’s depiction in John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. For Lucifer’s appearance, Gaiman was adamant that artist Kelley Jones draw the character in the likeness of David Bowie. The English singer-songwriter and actor is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with millions of die-hard fans. With his magnetic personality, iconic style, his propensity for taking his music in bold new directions, and creating theatrical personas such as Ziggy Stardust, it’s not surprising that he served as the visual template for the charming and rebellious fallen angel.

4) Harley Quinn – Arleen Sorkin

Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn, first appeared in 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series, before transitioning over to the comics. What most people don’t realize is that the Joker’s girlfriend was based on the actress who provided the original voice for Harley Quinn. For the animated series, co-creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm set out to give the Joker a crazed sidekick and girlfriend. Dini modeled the character’s appearance and personality on his friend, the soap actress Arleen Sorkin, after seeing her dressed as a jester during a dream sequence in the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Dini then called Sorkin and asked her if she wanted to be the character’s voice actress as well. Sorkin eagerly accepted the role, and the rest is history.

5) John Constantine – Sting

Sting, the world-famous British lead singer of the rock band the Police, served as the basis for the design of DC’s arcane sorcerer, John Constantine. Co-creators and DC artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben were huge fans of the Police. They begged the head writer, Alan Moore, to create a character with the design of Sting. As Alan Moore was already planning to introduce an occult detective in his Swamp Thing series,he obliged, and thus John Constantine was born. Constantine’s backstory also reflects his visual inspiration, as he was formerly the lead singer of a British band called Mucous Membrane before becoming a master of the mystic arts. For the 30th anniversary of Hellblazer, Constantine’s first solo series, Sting wrote an introduction for DC’s collection book John Constantine, Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration.

6) Darkseid – Adolf Hitler and Jack Palance

Created by Jack Kirby, Darkseid, the tyrannical ruler of the planet Apokolips and the God of Evil, is the greatest threat in all of DC Comics. Darkseid’s imposing physical design and stature are modeled after those of the American actor Jack Palance. Palance stood at 6’ 3”, had a broad face, and often played the role of intimidating bad guys in movies like 1953’s Shane and 1963’s Le Mépris. However, to create a personality fitting a character that is the physical embodiment of pure evil, Kirby drew inspiration from one of the most evil people in human history: Adolf Hitler. Hitler, the fascist dictator and leader of the Nazi Party sought to conquer the world. Countless innocent people died during the Holocaust and World War II because of Hitler’s brutal ambitions, bigotry, and aggression. Kirby was an American soldier who fought on the front lines and saw up close the atrocities committed in Hitler’s name. In developing Darkseid, Kirby drew from these experiences to develop one of the most evil characters in fiction.

7) Wonder Woman – Elizabeth Marston and Olive Byrne

When creating the symbol of feminism that is Wonder Woman, William Marston drew inspiration from the two women he loved most: his wife, Elizabeth Marston and his girlfriend, Olive Byrne. William married Elizabeth in 1915, and in 1925, he fell in love with his research assistant, Olive. However, this was not a marriage-breaking affair. In fact, Elizabeth and Olive were well aware of each other and shared a loving bond. The three lived together in a polyamorous relationship for decades, and each woman bore William two children. William primarily based Wonder Woman’s design on Olive. In place of a wedding ring, William gifted Olive a pair of bracelets, which inspired Wonder Woman’s own Bracelets of Submission. However, it has often been rumored that Elizabeth was the one who pitched the idea to William to create a female superhero. Furthermore, since Elizabeth was a highly educated psychologist and lawyer, she was the family’s breadwinner during a time when women weren’t even allowed to vote. As one can imagine, both women were proud feminists. Elizabeth and Olive’s independence and rejection of patriarchal norms helped William shape the Wonder Woman character into a symbol of equality and the suffrage movement.

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