Against Popular Opinion
By dodirty31 4 Comments
Many stretch to make characters seem as a knock off of the other.
While some of them the writers kinda of made nods to their somewhat counterparts I don't see them as a copycat per se.
- Deadpool and Deathstroke
While they have their somewhat similarities in Costume/Gear and DP's writer made the conscious decision to give Slade a nod with the names, that is pretty much the only thing outside of their job description that is alike about the two characters.
- Their Personalities
- Wade is (as his nickname would suggest) The Merc with a Mouth. Not to mention his multiple personalities
- Slade is a mercenary version of Batman, the strong brooding type.
- Their Story lines
- Wade has the broadest story line of probably all of comics. From the serious ones with X-Factor to Night of the Living Deadpool & Killustrated
- Slade is 95% of the time a super serious man like story lines Deathstroke the Terminator and the Judas Contract.
2. Green Arrow and Hawkeye
As I'm sure Robin Hood is the basis of both characters beginning aside from the weaponry, there isn't much else alike from these guys.
- Their Origin
- Clint raised with the Carnival after his parents death became a misunderstood hero after a fight between Iron Man and Black Widow.
- Oliver's original story being more of an Indiana Jones with an bow was later retold to the one we know now.
- Their Personalities
- Clint a cocky elite Archer with a bad rep and corny jokes
- Oliver also an elite Archer is Batman with a bow
- Their Story Lines
- Revolves around Avengers and Shield, is a valuable member of both when not the lamb from a misunderstanding.
- Revolves around being the protector of a city and mentor to many
To be continued...
Part 2
The other way.
Part 2 of my against popular Belief
Popular belief is that Vision is a copy cat of Martian Manhunter.
Facts:
- Martian Manhunter was created in November of 1955
- Vision was created in October of 1968
- Kinda....
Martian Manhunter did in fact come before the Vision we know today. BUT Vision is a refurbished character (Of the same name) from when Marvel was Timely Comics. This Vision was Alien Law Enforcement officer and became the founder of Shangri-La and his true name is Aarkus.
- This Vision first appeared in November of 1940.
Then is a Roh Kar who appeared 2 years earlier then Martion Manhunter, who was a Martian Lawman who came searching for a criminal on earth. His appearance could have led way to the creation of Martian Manhunter. His appearance however doesn't resemble any of the others.
- Roh Kar first appeared in August of 1953
Here are there pictures Vision->Vision->Martian Manhunter->Roh Kar
Story:
- Aarkus is an alien police officer that came to earth
- Martian Manhunter is a alien that came to earth and became a detective
- Aarkus was accidentally contacted by a scientist then accepts an invitation to fight crime on Earth
- Martian Manhunter is accidentally teleported to earth by a scientist
- and of course their looks
My Conclusion:
It is quite obvious to me that Martian Manhunter is a Rip-Off of the original Vision. Then as Martian Manhunter became popular Marvel decided to bring theirs back. While Martian Manhunter was more popular and Marvel hadn't really used Vision since the turn over from Timely Comics it would be problematic to bring him back as an alien instead they took use of Ultron status to bring him back.
Part 3
Shazam and Superman.......... Wonder Woman
- Note: I am referring to National Comics when I say DC comics, name change happened later.
Where Money Talks!
DC Comics held up Fawcett Comics most popular (and At The Time all comics most popular) character hostage under litigation and trial for 12 years slandering Captain (Shazam) Marvels reputation in the process. By the time they were finished (1951) with the first set of trials sells had plummeted. By the end trials in 1953 and flip flops of winning and losing (First Fawcett then DC) Fawcett eventually gave up and settled out of court seizing publications. Fawcett even went as far as to shutting down their comics division.
Facts:
- Superman was created in 1933-(38)
- Shazam was created in 1939
- Wonder Woman was created in 1941
Creation
Shazam was originally meant to be a team of 6 heroes with the powers of the Greek gods, then it was decided to turn that team into one Man. Before they were finished with the character the director said he wanted the alter ego to be a boy around the age of 10-13 like their audience.
Comparison
In the lawsuit that DC "Won" after several times it stated that the character himself was not the infringement but the stories and his powers.
- Superman: Superhuman Strength, Speed, Senses, Endurance, Longevity, Flight, Heat vision, Freezing breath, and X-ray vision
- Shazam: Powers coming from the Gods
- The Wisdom of Solomon: Genuis-Level intellect, Language, Clairvoyance, and Hypnosis
- The Strength of Hercules: Superhuman Strength
- The Stamina of Atlas: Invulnerability & Amplified stamina
- The Power of Zeus: Lightning as a weapon or for casting spells
- The Courage of Achilles: Unlimited courage, Telepathic resistance, & Increased fighting prowess
- The Speed of Mercury: Superhuman Speed, Flight, & Near-immortality
While I can not attest to the original stories from Fawcett the powers of these two characters are not that similar. The list of characters that share the four powers is a very long one (Green Lantern & Martian Manhunter) to just name a couple.
In fact I would say that Wonder Woman's Powers are closer to those of Shazam than Supermans.
- Wonder Woman:Powers coming from the Gods
- Superhuman strength, agility, durability, and endurance
- Flight (1960–present)
- Highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant
- Magical weaponry including indestructible bracelets, the Lasso of Truth, a weaponized tiara, and a magical sword.
With only those same 4 powers in common and powers coming from the Gods it would have been a smart counter-suit. Seeing how the second trial went in DCs favor.
Origins
- Supermans: Came from Krypton as a baby and is an alien
- Shazam: Orphan given the Powers of the Gods
- Wonder Woman: Amazon given the powers of the Gods
Conclusion
All in all I think that once DCs Superman began to get overshadowed by a small company's big hit that was Captain Marvel and took them to the bank. Seeing that after they originally won the first trial then losing the second they decided to cut their loses instead of appealing like DC comics did. I don't think he is a knock off Superman but an original character who's rep was destroyed in Lawsuits. I am still hoping that DC will begin to give Shazam the attention he deserves and forget the past.
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