DC see, DC do! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down the times DC seemingly looked over Marvel’s shoulders.
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00:00Stop right there!
00:02Deadpool?
00:04Deadpool?
00:05What?
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're
00:08counting down the times DC seemingly
00:10looked over Marvel's shoulder.
00:12While it's debatable whether DC straight up
00:15stole from Marvel, we'll be considering
00:17when each character debuted and compare their similarities,
00:20leaving it up to you to decide.
00:23Number 20, Killer Croc the Lizard.
00:25Name's Croc, Killer Croc.
00:29But you can call me boss.
00:31Reptiles get a pretty bad rep in pop culture.
00:34As such, they're often used for inspiration
00:36for baddies in comics.
00:38Yet, this connection is pretty suspicious.
00:41In 1963, one of Spider-Man's first villains
00:44was Dr. Kurt Connors as the Lizard in issue
00:47six of The Amazing Spider-Man.
00:48With a tragic backstory as a side
00:50effect of Connors' limb regeneration treatment,
00:52the Lizard became one of the web slinger's
00:54most iconic adversaries.
00:56You stumped me once.
00:59You won't stump me again.
01:01Over in DC, Waylon Jones as Killer Croc
01:04first arrived as a shadowy figure
01:06in 1983's Detective Comics issue 523
01:10before being properly identified in the following comic.
01:12On top of the reptile connection,
01:14both are often shown hanging out in the sewers,
01:17seemingly playing off that urban legend about flushed away
01:20crocs and alligators.
01:21Number 19, Hive Aang.
01:23We are the Hive.
01:25Your worst nightmare.
01:27And this is attack pattern alpha.
01:30It's not just singular characters
01:31that DC has taken inspiration from.
01:33Sometimes, it's whole groups.
01:36All the way back in 1966, the villainous organization AIM
01:40debuted in issue 146 of Strange Tales,
01:43complete with their notorious beekeeping-esque outfit.
01:46Known as Advanced Idea Mechanics,
01:48the group consists of morally bankrupt scientists
01:50looking to control the world.
01:52At AIM, we do science for science's sake,
01:54and we're settling for nothing less
01:56than conquering the world.
01:57In DC, 1980's New Teen Titans issue 2 brought Hive to life,
02:02standing for Hierarchy of International Vengeance
02:05and Extermination.
02:06This science-loving group took a lot of inspiration
02:09from Aang's costume with the insect theme.
02:11Later, Hive was even led by Zazala,
02:14better known as Queen Bee.
02:16Number 18, New Teen Titans, Giant-Sized X-Men.
02:20This isn't over.
02:22It's just getting started.
02:24While the original Teen Titans were created in 1964
02:27and the X-Men arrived in 1963, it's
02:29not this depiction that has people suspicious.
02:32Instead, it's when both teams were rebooted.
02:34In 1975, Giant-Sized X-Men, Marvel's mutant,
02:38added a new roster with Wolverine, Colossus,
02:40Storm, and others.
02:42It's good to see you, Charles.
02:45It's good to see everyone.
02:47Well, I had a promise to keep.
02:51This iteration breathed new life into the brand,
02:54hoping to turn it into the powerhouse it is today.
02:56In 1980, the New Teen Titans debuted,
02:59and they, too, had massive success.
03:01It features Cyborg, who shares features with Colossus,
03:04Starfire, who has similarities to Sunfire,
03:07and Beast Boy, who, while debuting a few years before,
03:10shares a likeness to Nightcrawler.
03:12The similarities got more of a spotlight
03:14when they crossed over in 1982.
03:16Number 17, Beard Hunter, the Punisher.
03:19But most commonly, those who dare speak my name
03:24call me the Beard Hunter.
03:26Frank Castle, the Punisher, is known for being
03:28an intimidating threat in Marvel since his debut
03:31in 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man issue 129.
03:35After all, he sees the world in black and white
03:37and takes extreme measures for justice.
03:39So when DC decided to copy-paste the character,
03:43they made some changes to turn it into a parody.
03:45In 1991's Doom Patrol issue 45,
03:48the terrifying Beard Hunter came to life.
03:50Suspiciously named Ernest Franklin,
03:52he, like Castle, targets criminals.
03:55But unlike the Punisher, Franklin can't grow a beard,
03:58so he shaves his victims.
04:00Yep.
04:00Look at me, look at my face.
04:02I want you to always remember this.
04:04Ernest Franklin, the man who defeated Cyborg.
04:08As part of his uniform, Franklin even has a skull
04:11with a nifty facial fuzz.
04:13Franklin's beard desire continued after his demise
04:15as he wanted to shave God.
04:19Number 16, Lobo, Wolverine.
04:22You got an awful big bounty
04:23on that stupid looking head of yours.
04:26You're here for me.
04:27James Logan Howlett has changed a lot
04:29since debuting in 1974's Incredible Hulk issue 180,
04:33becoming the best at what he does.
04:35With a tough guy attitude, a dark past,
04:37and a violent streak, Wolverine soon became a fan favorite.
04:41Someone who followed a similar path was Lobo.
04:44Introduced in 1983's The Omega Men issue three,
04:47the main man morphed into a hardcore mercenary by the 90s.
04:51Co-creator of Lobo, Keith Griffin,
04:53stated in interviews that he developed the character
04:55as a criticism of anti-hero characters
04:57like the Punisher and Wolverine.
04:59I guess that means you have to bring me in alive,
05:02bounty hunter.
05:05Name's Lobo,
05:08and,
05:11nah.
05:14With a near unkillable healing factor,
05:17originally presented as one of kind,
05:19and a love of motorbikes and cigars in their history,
05:21Logan and Lobo even fought each other
05:23in 1996's crossover DC vs. Marvel.
05:27Number 15, Damage, Hulk.
05:29While Grant and Mersen's version of Damage arrived in 1994,
05:33it's Ethan Elvis Avery's in-name only iteration
05:36who draws the strongest connection
05:38to Marvel's green machine.
05:40I know, I'm sorry, I just get so angry all the time.
05:43Hulk always, always angry.
05:45His version briefly appeared in 2017's
05:48Dark Days, The Casting, number one,
05:50before getting his own self-titled book in 2018
05:53as part of the New Age of DC Heroes initiative.
05:56Straight away, Damage has a striking resemblance
05:59to Grey Hulk with scaly arms.
06:01Thanks to a shady military procedure,
06:03Avery can turn into the being for one hour every day.
06:06In this form, Damage is invulnerable to most attacks
06:09and has super strength, reflexes, and much more.
06:12Avery even has Damage as a dual personality,
06:15mirroring Bruce Banner's complicated relationship
06:18with the Hulk.
06:19I don't know.
06:20Maybe the fact that I was trapped for two years
06:22inside of a monster made me a little weird.
06:25Number 14, Omega Titan, Celestials.
06:28Thanks to the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy
06:30and the Eternal films,
06:31the Celestials have left their mark
06:33on the public consciousness
06:34after debuting in the comics in 1976.
06:37As powerful cosmic beings,
06:39they like nothing more than experimenting on planets
06:41and the races that live upon them.
06:43Celestials use energy gathered from host planets
06:47to create suns, generating gravity, heat, and light.
06:52Well, over in DC,
06:54they have their own armor-clad, humongous space gods
06:57that are towed apart by different colors
06:59with the Omega Titans.
07:01Introduced in 2018's event, Dark Knights Metal, issue six,
07:05the ancient creatures were thought to seed universes.
07:08Instead, they took a page from Galactus' book
07:11by consuming planet energy
07:12to make sure super bad Perpetua is kept in her prison.
07:16It must feed on energy to survive,
07:19both thermal and organic.
07:22Number 13, Black Racer, Silver Surfer.
07:25Is it stealing when you're copying from yourself?
07:28Well, that's the question for legendary Jack Kirby.
07:31In 1966's Fantastic Four issue 48 master story,
07:35The Coming of Galactus,
07:36Kirby created the planet Eater's Herald, the Silver Surfer.
07:39Your herald summons you.
07:42Another world awaits.
07:46Let it be done quickly.
07:47Amped up by the power cosmic,
07:49the former Norrin Radd uses a surfboard
07:52to travel the galaxies.
07:53During his stint at DC
07:54and working on issue three of 1971's New God,
07:57Kirby put in the Black Racer.
08:00Instead of using a surfboard slash snowboard,
08:02Racer uses skis to get around.
08:04Later, the mode of transportation
08:05would appear more like Sipes
08:07as the character leaned into
08:08the physical manifestation of oblivion.
08:11This perception is something he shares with Surfer,
08:13whose presence indicates to a planet
08:15their upcoming destruction by Galactus.
08:17All that you know is at an end.
08:21What do you mean by that?
08:22Number 12, Sideways, Spider-Man.
08:25The new age of DC heroes initiative
08:27was pretty shameless in taking massive inspiration
08:30from Marvel's biggest stars.
08:32This time, it was Spider-Man,
08:33who first arrived in 1962's Amazing Fantasy issue 15.
08:37In his debut in issue one of the self-titled 2018 series,
08:41Sideways was clearly nodding towards
08:43the web head with his costume.
08:45Just the eyes alone are enough.
08:47Feel like I could be doing more.
08:49You know, I'm just curious
08:49what our next real mission's gonna be.
08:51But the character is specifically compared
08:53to the Ultimate's version of Spider-Man
08:55due to the young age, characterization, and costume.
08:58Derek James, the team behind Sideways,
09:01also shares several Spidey powers,
09:03like super strength, reflexes, and durability.
09:05But he does stand out a little with his teleportation rifts.
09:09Then again, Spidey has traveled the multiverse a lot,
09:12so maybe it's not too different.
09:14You're like me.
09:19My name is Peter Parker.
09:20Number 11, Rocket Red, Iron Man.
09:23Tony Stark is one of the most important characters in Marvel.
09:27After debuting in 1963's Tales of Suspense issue 39,
09:31Iron Man went on to co-found the Avengers
09:33and usher in the MCU.
09:35Truth is,
09:43I am Iron Man.
09:44While DC already had Stark's mammoth wealth with Batman,
09:48Rocket Red showed Stark's love for armor.
09:50Dmitry Pushkin took the Rocket Red brigade role
09:53in 1987's Justice League issue three,
09:56while Gavro Ivanovich inherited
09:58it in Justice League Generation Loss issue four in 2010.
10:02DC answered the question, what if Iron Man was Russian?
10:15This isn't the only time DC has replicated Old Shellhead.
10:18Tin Man of Earth-8, who debuted in 2007,
10:21was the president and mirrored Stark
10:23in Marvel's Civil War event from 2006
10:25by promoting hero registration.
10:28Number 10, Tracer, Sabretooth.
10:30We understand that Tracer comes from a group of villains
10:32entirely based on Marvel villains called the Extremis,
10:35but that doesn't excuse blatantly copying the design.
10:38The long flowing hair and the blades on his arms
10:41still make us think Tracer
10:43is just another design for Sabretooth.
10:45Credit where credit is due,
10:46at least they didn't completely copy Sabretooth's backstory.
10:50Tracer comes from the planet Angor,
10:52which was wiped out by a nuclear explosion.
10:54Yeah, that ought to keep him
10:56from seeming more like Sabretooth.
10:58Oh, and spoiler alert,
10:59this won't be the only member of the Extremis on this list.
11:03Number nine, Atomic Skull, Ghost Rider.
11:06You know what's really cool?
11:07Flaming skull heads.
11:09Just look at Ghost Rider.
11:10The kick-ass biker from 1972
11:13is easily recognizable from a crowd
11:15with his forever burning head of hellfire.
11:18Does DC have anything like him?
11:20Well, their first Atomic Skull, Albert Michaels,
11:23was a scientist who looked more like a zombified Doctor Strange.
11:26Yet, when Joseph Martin became Atomic Skull in 1991,
11:30it was pretty clear where the inspiration
11:32for his design came from.
11:33Later on, he gives his soul to a demon
11:35in exchange for enhanced powers.
11:37The similarities just couldn't stop
11:39at the flaming skull head.
11:41Number eight, Bumblebee, The Wasp.
11:43We could easily just say The Wasp came first
11:46and compare bees to wasps,
11:48but there's a little more below the surface.
11:51Karen Beecher Duncan possesses the same kinds of powers
11:54as Janet and Nadia Van Dyne.
11:56Like our favorite wasp, Bumblebee can fly,
11:58shrink herself, and use electrical powers.
12:01Despite debuting in 1976, 13 years after The Wasp,
12:05we put Bumblebee so low on the list
12:07because of how her character has managed
12:08to become more unique over the years.
12:10Yes, she follows the same concept as The Wasp,
12:13but that doesn't detract from her interesting story,
12:16nor does it keep her from being labeled
12:17as a rip-off, unfortunately.
12:20Number seven, Red Lion, Black Panther.
12:22This could not be any less subtle.
12:24As the newest entry on our list,
12:26Red Lion debuted in 2016, and he's the Black Panther.
12:31But Red, he's the permanent leader of an African kingdom,
12:34uses razor-sharp claws in combat.
12:36Yeah, Red Lion doesn't try too hard
12:38to deviate from T'Challa in any meaningful way.
12:41Well, DC, we suppose it's better
12:43to make a clone 50 years later
12:45than to never make a clone at all.
12:47Number six, Lord Havoc, Doctor Doom.
12:50We told you there would be
12:51another extremist member on the list.
12:53To Lord Havoc's credit, the two maniacal geniuses
12:56have very different backstories.
12:57Lord Havoc was originally part of a terrorist group
13:00on a parallel Earth, while Victor Von Doom
13:02was raised by a literary nobleman.
13:04You know, normal life.
13:06What makes them so identical is their concept.
13:08Both are super-intelligent beings
13:10who wear suits of silver power armor
13:12that enhance and grant them additional superhuman power.
13:15With Doctor Doom debuting in 1962, however,
13:18Havoc seems nothing more than a copycat.
13:20Number five, Red Tool, Deadpool.
13:23Comic fans are familiar that Deadpool
13:25was a ripoff of DC's Deathstroke.
13:27Why does everybody think of Deadpool?
13:29You got them guns.
13:30And the swords.
13:31Yeah, well, lots of people have guns and swords.
13:33The similar names alone are striking enough.
13:35But after his debut in 1990's The New Mutants, issue 98,
13:39Wade Wilson carved out an identity of his own
13:41as the Merc with a Mouth, becoming a fan favorite.
13:44You're living the dreams, DP.
13:46It has been quite the run, Dopinder.
13:48And who'd have thought?
13:49With popularity like that, DC has tried to copy a copy.
13:53In 2016, after briefly appearing two years prior,
13:57Red Tool, aka Wayne Wilkins,
13:59arrived in Harley Quinn, issue 26.
14:01The parody character's unable to feel pain
14:04and is a master in using DIY tools as weapons.
14:07Even Tool's speech bubbles resemble Deadpool's.
14:10The more recent addition to the Deadpool-DC copycat
14:12was Death Mask, who looked like Wade's X-Force version.
14:16Number four, Swamp Thing, Man Thing.
14:19In 1971, DC debuted an anti-hero called Swamp Thing.
14:23A scientist is caught in a chemical blast
14:25whose body was dumped in a nearby swamp.
14:27He awakens as a creature made of vegetation.
14:30Oh wait, that's also the backstory for Marvel's Man Thing,
14:33which debuted just a month earlier than Swamp Thing.
14:36Some of Swamp Thing's abilities
14:38are also found in his counterpart,
14:40but at least Man Thing has the power to secrete acid.
14:43Oh, but there's a plot twist here.
14:46Man Thing was a ripoff of another comic book character,
14:49the heap from Hillman Periodicals.
14:51Number three, Imperiax, Galactus.
14:54What makes Galactus such an intimidating,
14:56frightening villain aside from his massive size?
14:59He's the devourer of worlds.
15:01Now, how could you make that a little lamer?
15:04Enter Imperiax, DC's own Galactus
15:06as the destroyer of galaxies.
15:08How original.
15:09Debuting in 2000, a whopping 34 years after Galactus,
15:14Imperiax is a living embodiment of entropy
15:16that seeks to destroy the universe
15:18in order to create a perfect one.
15:20Absurd?
15:21Yes.
15:22Ridiculous?
15:22Oh, absolutely.
15:24His design is so visually overwhelming
15:26that it's really hard to look at him.
15:28Number two, Guardian, Commander Steel,
15:31and General Glory, Captain America.
15:33Much like Marvel's numerous attempts
15:35at making their own Superman,
15:37DC has tried many times to make their own Captain America.
15:40Commander Steel premiered in 1978
15:42with a patriotic color scheme to match Steve Rogers.
15:45His series only ran for five issues.
15:47Then there's General Glory,
15:49whose patriotic values are often used to parody the Captain.
15:53Lastly, we have Guardian,
15:55who premiered a year after Cap and wields a gold shield.
15:58You know, guys, at least General Glory
16:01is trying to be the Deadpool to Cap's Deathstroke.
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16:19Number one, Aquaman, Namor the Submariner.
16:23Namor the Submariner,
16:24often referred to as Marvel's first mutant,
16:26made his debut in 1939.
16:29Any who enter the waters will face my wrath.
16:32Imperious Rex.
16:34As a half-human and half-Atlantean,
16:36he possesses numerous aquatic abilities,
16:39including communicating telepathically with animals.
16:42Sounds like a certain king of Atlantis.
16:44However, Aquaman is the real copycat here,
16:47debuting in 1941, just two years after Namor.
16:51As most of us know,
16:52he can communicate with underwater animals
16:54and wields many aquatic abilities.
16:57Guess who ended up becoming the most famous of the two?
17:00My man!
17:01If you could move one character permanently
17:03from DC to Marvel or vice versa,
17:05who would you pick?
17:06Superman, Hulk, Wonder Woman, or someone else?
17:09Let us know in the comments down below.
17:10And don't forget to like and subscribe
17:12for more WatchMojo videos.
17:13I'm pretty sure you're Deadpool.
17:15Look into the camera and say something inappropriate.
17:16No, I'm not Deadpool.
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