Should Marvel ban Superman knockoffs characters?

In truth I have become sick and tired of the wash and repeat of Superman clones, their unoriginal and just an excuse for writer to showoff their talents in deconstructing the original character. They have become so large a focus I have grown tired off them and would rather have them banned. For me When I think DC powerhouse I think Superman, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel and Marvel Silver Surfer, Thor, Thing and Hulk. Guys like Sentry I detest for their contrived origin and otherwise overpowered ability to give writers an excuse to showoff their love of Superman or a crazy evil Superman that has otherwise flooded the media to teeth grinding annoyance. In truth I think Marvel should ban writers from using Superman characters and and his overpowered abilities. Thats means no Hyperion, Sentry, Count Nefario, and even Gladiator.

No... no... "don't do dhat"-Daylyt

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Why they have no place in Marvel. 9 times out of ten they either predictably written to either being evil and overpowered. Say Good riddance if they are all wiped out.

@tigerkaya: So should Aquaman be banned from DC because of Namor? Should Black Mask be banned from DC because of Red Skull? Should Green Arrow be ban... never mind. I'm not even gonna.

*sigh*

I disagree and I'll leave it at that.

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No

If we banned every character that Marvel/DC made in response to a character DC/Marvel made...we'd literally have to destroy half of each company's characters.

Thanos for example? Peace. The Avengers? Peace.

So, no.

I know you're just trying to make a point (that I agree with) and that you're *technically* correct, however I will say that Aquaman only came out like a year after Namor and at the time Namor had appeared in only 10-12 issues (none of which were his own series) and was basically in limbo. He didn't get his own book and take off until after Aquaman came out :P

@fallschirmjager: But the Superman one is the most common knockoff and repetitive knockoff I'm targeting from Marvel. Everything else from the two copying from each other I'm not bothered.

This thread is extremely stupid. The Sentry and Superman have nothing in common. Their powers, personalities, origins and style are completely different. The only thing they have in common is the 'S' they wear, but who said that was exclusive to Superman? You would have more of a case with Hyperion who is suppose to be inspired by Superman.

But again like I said when does Superman have a copyright to powerhouses that fly??? Overpowered abilities??? They're are way more overpowered people than the Sentry in both Marvel and DC, don't even get me started. Again since when does Superman have a copyright on powerhouses that fly???

I usually don't agree with the people who bash on character inspired by Superman, but he actually has a point. A lot of the characters he mentioned were spawned for the specific purpose of showing off how much a write is "better at Superman". Everybody was like "Yeah, Sentry is how Superman would actually be!"

Even though each one of these characters may have served purpose originally, I think it would be better if they didn't stick around for main ongoing continuities, because, since their origins and concept designs are what they are, they end up looking all the same.

If you notice, he's bashing characters who have distinctive winks at Superman, like Sentry and Hyperion, but didn't say anything about Wonder Man or Captain Marvel, two flying powerhouses (to your point) that are clearly designed for something else.

I think that the OP could have us think about why a writer decides to give so much space to a meta-character (a character that comments on a character).

They have completely different personalities. Ofcourse there would be subtle knock-offs. Superman was the first superhero!

Just because a character has super-strength, can fly, and has a cape doesn't make them a "Superman rip-off."

Maybe they were just inspired sure theres a few differences between certain characters but that doesnt mean we can call every single one of them a ripoff

Exactly, if I wanted to add Wonder Man and Captain Marvel I would have added them to the list but their not the issue. While I understand a writers obsession to deconstruct the Superman character I feel if he's just going to make them an insanely evil bastard why bother making them when so many writers before have already given us the evil Superman it becomes cycle more than an innovation and just writers excuse to showing off writing Superman slaughtering million in his wake. Its why I hate guys like Hyperion and Sentry nine out of ten their either a pure Superman knockoff or just plain evil.

@tigerkaya: Sentry isnt evil and he has very few similarities to superman.

@kgb725 said:

That so much you now. I really hope you are not him...

Blame Bendis for ruining Sentry. Originally he had very little in common with Superman.

And again more needless hate towards the Sentry.

I love how people love to discredit themselves so quickly by jumping to throw in Sentry's name when talking about Superman clones. It's just like "Well he's strong, and can fly, and has an S on his outfits... SUPER MAN DUUUR" lol. The characters are nothing a like and are incredibly different in really almost every way you can think of other then being strong, flying, and wearing a cape.

Gladiator and Hyperion actually have way more in common with Superman, Hyperion I don't care about but we need more Gladiator if anything, Yes he is technically a knockoff but he's grown into his own and is IMO equally as interesting as the original Man of Steel. Plus he has awesome hair.

Yes.

@joshmightbe said:

Gladiator and Hyperion actually have way more in common with Superman, Hyperion I don't care about but we need more Gladiator if anything, Yes he is technically a knockoff but he's grown into his own and is IMO equally as interesting as the original Man of Steel. Plus he has awesome hair.

I like Hyperion because of how shamefully marvel ripped off DC. I mean it's not even just his looks, but the fact that he gets his powers from the sun, has all of superman's secondary powers like microscopic vision, and even shares the same origin being the last of his kind to escape his exploding home world as a baby in a rocket to be raised by some farmer on earth.

@teerack: I always considered Hyperion Marvel's big middle finger pointed directly at DC

Exactly that's why I find it so funny that Marvel is trying to give him a center stage role now.

@teerack: Gladiator was given more of a pass since the entire Shi' Ar imperial guard were basically a LOSH knock off at first.

No clearly you don't know what a knock off is. A knock off would be Marvel publishing superman under a different name. Sentry has nouthing in common and Hyperion yes he has a very very very similar origin and power set but like gladiator has come into his own.

Y'know DC and Image both have a pretty long list of Superman knock offs as well.

DC themselves has "knock off Superman" characters, the fact is just because they were inspired by a certain character does not mean they shouldn't be used because you have a problem with it because obviously you're in the minority with your opinion. Sentry, Gladiator, Hyperion re all characters whose origin and personality differ from Clark, and they have grown into their own place as beloved characters that people enjoy, you don't like it don't pick up those comics.

@theamazingimmortalman: There are actually some pretty great characters that are technically Superman knock offs, like Majestic, Invincible and Omni-Man.

yea that was my point, just because they were inspired by Supes doesn't make them bad characters. I love Senry, I am a fan of Kallark, although I didn't read much of Mr. Majestic I have liked what little I read.

@theamazingimmortalman: I'm a big Gladiator fan, I like to think this is how Superman would be if he had landed on Thanagar instead of Earth or some other place with a dominant warrior culture.

That makes a lot of sense, Glads is awesome

Um Aquaman came out 2 years after Namor.

Well Atlantis was mentioned first by the Romans but any way neither of these two characters are the first water based superhero anyway

This. So much.

@jonny_anonymous: If we want to get technical pretty much all of the Golden Age Super heroes were just knock offs of mythological archetypes and pulp novel characters.

That's true and it still annoys me that somehow pepole don't consider pulp characters as superheroes

Current Hyperion acts more like Superman than new 52 Superman does... So i'm a fan of seeing him around since it's pretty much: what if Superman was in Marvel?

or more specifically what if pre-crisis Superman fell through inter or extra dimensional limbo and was pulled through to earth 616.

also a bunch of the Namor dissing in this thread just isn`t true, he was first, had his own series first, was royalty first and had telepathy with aquatic creatures first. BAM! AQ is a straight up Namor parody to the same degree Gladiator or the sentry are Superman parodys. and Gladiator`s name is taken from an even older character from whom superman is based off of(kinda) just to kinda say we know were ripping you guys off, but you ripped it off anyway so you can`t sue us.

I always considered the Shadow a sort of proto-super hero, basically he had all the ingredients he just came out before Super heroes were an actual genre so people assume he doesn't really count as one.

I mean if you combine Batman with Superman you get Doc Savage

@jonny_anonymous: Speaking of pulp heroes, the name for Gladiator is actually a nod to a pulp hero novel many believe was the original inspiration for Superman.

@joshmightbe: LOSH?

@teerack: Legion of Super Heroes

@joshmightbe: Yea Hugo Danner.

But get this, on one hand Doc Svage is:

his worlds greatest detective

master strategist

master inventor

master martial artist

a millionaire philanthropist

used a special diet and training to become the peak of human potential

and on the other hand he was:

defender of truth, justice & the American way

beacon of hope

Named Clark

called the Man of Bronze and the Man of Tomorrow

had a secret base in the arctic called the Fortress of Solitude.

Legion of Super-Heroes

@jonny_anonymous: He was also the direct inspiration for pretty much every super scientist in modern fiction. Dr. Jonas Venture sr. from Venture Brothers is a pretty spot on parody of him but everyone from Benton Quest to Reed Richards owes a bit of their inspiration to Doc Savage, Doc Sampson's name was even a nod to him.

It's a shame they don't get more credit

No your wrong, Captain Marvel will be Infinitely better then Superman and will be an amazing movie ;)