Superheroes have been around for a very long time. They evolved from the noir detectives and adventurers to create a genre all their own, packed with bombastic costumes and an endless desire to save people. The modern superhero started with Superman, and every hero since has taken inspiration from the Man of Tomorrow in at least some way. He’s the standard that set the rules for what a superhero is, after all. Just think about how many Superman clones there are, both in DC and other media. I’m sure you can name at least five off the top of your head, and a whole lot more if you thought about it.
Beyond Superman, the most popular heroes became archetypes themselves, from grizzled detectives and warriors who take cues from Batman to space-faring patrolmen who trace their lineage back to Green Lantern. Even DC has created a whole lot of what are effectively copycats of their own characters. Still, just because someone takes inspiration from a character doesn’t mean that they can’t be great all on their own. Today, we’re giving seven of DC’s best copy-and-paste superheroes the spotlight they deserve. They’ve all evolved into wonderful characters in their own right, and we’re ranking them all based on just how awesome they are.
Midnighter is a clear pastiche of Batman. He’s a hyper-violent, black-clothed edgelord who excels at hand-to-hand combat. At first, you might think Midnighter is how Garth Ennis would describe Batman, but he’s much deeper than that. For starters, he has a special implant that lets him calculate and predict nearly any situation he throws himself into, which effectively gives him precognition. Secondly, he’s happily married to Apollo, a Superman pastiche, and their relationship is legitimately one of DC’s most interesting to explore. Midnighter is a whole lot more than an edgy Batman knock-off, and his time in the Authority and beyond has proved that.
Sideways is DC’s own take on a teenage Spider-Man, seemingly drawing inspiration from the original Ultimate Spider-Man. Derek James gained the power to tear open dimensional rifts, and he immediately tried to become rich and famous. This inevitably led to the death of a loved one, and he pushed himself to become a true hero after learning that having these powers meant that he needed to use them for others, not just himself. Sideways is probably one of DC’s best underrated characters, being endlessly entertaining and with such an interesting powerset. His powers can connect him to the entire multiverse, and his arc of becoming a true hero is something that everyone always needs more of.
Zauriel was originally made as a new version of Hawkman for Grant Morrison’s legendary JLA (1997) run. Unfortunately, DC deemed Hawkman’s mythos too convoluted and barred using this name. While Zauriel bears a lot of physical similarities to Hawkman, he’s fundamentally very different. He’s an angel who chose to become a human because he fell in love with a woman, only for that woman to reject him, and for him to choose to become a hero with his newfound mortality. Zauriel offers a perspective that so few other characters have and constantly mixes mythology with superhero epics in the best way. An angel superhero is just really awesome. He is a fantastically empathetic character and spiritual advisor that every story could use.
There’s a never-ending debate over whether Swamp Thing copied Man-Thing or the other way around, but given that Man-Thing debuted just a bit before Swamp Thing, let’s go with that explanation. To be honest, apart from their similar origins and appearances, these characters are entirely different. While Man-Thing is a lumbering creature, Swamp Thing is an elemental avatar of one of Earth’s primary forces. He’s DC’s ultimate gateway character into the supernatural and has one of the company’s greatest epics under his belt. Swamp Thing is a deeply human character who constantly grapples with his monstrous status, while Man-Thing’s stories are always a lot simpler and a lot less spiritually challenging.
Green Arrow started as a Batman knock-off, but he eventually carved out his own great niche. He’s the socially-minded hero, being the one who is at the forefront of real-world issues like systemic racism and governmental corruption. Ollie is both a nuanced, deeply flawed man and the first person who stands up to directly tackle issues that resonate most with problems faced by real people in our world. Oliver flip-flops between being ocmic relief and the darkest person in the room without it ever feeling gratuitous or out of character, and he’s established himself as a hero with truly no comparison. He’ll always be juxtaposed with Batman, but he definitely excels in different situations.
J’onn began as one of many Superman pastiches, basically being a Martian with all of Clark’s powers and more. Still, he quickly showed that he can be a whole lot more than green Superman. He’s become the heart and soul of the Justice League, often acting as its leader, and always being the connective tissue that holds it together and unites its heroes. He’s one of DC’s greatest tacticians and empathetic in a way that endears everyone to him. There’s not a single character in DC that would feel out of place turning to Martian Manhunter for help or advice. J’onn is the quiet backbone of the superhero community in a way that always goes undervalued, but without him, there would be no Justice League.
Billy is another Superman clone, to the point where a court case destroyed his original company. Still, Billy has always been more than that. He’s a truly unique hero, jumping back and forth between adulthood and childhood in a way to tackle perceptions of both and talk about what it means to be either. His powers are intimately tied to who he views his family as, and that optimistic light infuses every aspect of his character. Captain Marvel is easily one of DC’s purest souls. He’s a shining beacon of hope in times when even Superman seems lost. Billy is the ultimate encapsulation of childlike wonder and innocence, being able to save the world with a magic word.
Which hero-rip-off do you think has evolved into the best character? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
