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[[Marvel Comics]] and [[DC Comics]], being the most prominent producers of comics, have led a sizable rivalry, sometimes friendly, sometimes not. This is sometimes reflected in the creation of characters.
You could argue that, given the sheer number of characters in comic books, certain superpowers will overlap. Occasionally a new character, even one who appears for a short time, seems suspiciously similar to another.
Usually, this is done as overt parody or homage. If not, it can be seen as one company ripping off the other; however, occasionally it happens by pure coincidence, and the characters become fondly remembered equivalents.
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Compare [[Counterpart Comparison]], [[Serial Numbers Filed Off]].
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Goku from ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' is pretty much an Alternate Company Equivalent to [[Superman]]... if you ignore ''[[Journey to the West]]'' (''Dragon Ball''{{'}}s source) coming out a few ''centuries'' before Superman did.
==
* The grandest example of all is ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]''. DC had just purchased [[Charlton Comics]], a minor competitor, and got [[Alan Moore]] to write a story incorporating their characters into the DC Universe, and what he came up with was
* [[Marvel Universe|Marvel's]] [[The Sentry]] is essentially Marvel's [[Superman]] equivalent. (Part of his backstory is that he was supposedly created in the '60s, but was powerful enough that he actually made his writers and readers [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|forget he existed]].) At the moment, in both powers and personality, he's changed enough to be different from Superman, if only by being [[Ax Crazy]], and handled in (sometimes) interesting ways.
** Then there's Gladiator who is even more blatantly another Superman (his real name is Kallark, has heat vision and freeze breath, vulnerable to one specific type of radiation) not to mention a reference to ''[[Gladiator (novel)|Gladiator]]'', the inspiration for Superman.
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** The most successful Superman equivalent is actually [[The Mighty Thor|Thor]]. They wanted to create a hero as powerful as Superman, in a different way. How to do that? Don't make him a man. [[Physical God|Make him a god]].
*** Yet for some strange reason, fans tend to regard the [[Incredible Hulk]] as the Marvel Comics equivalent of Superman. The two of them were even pitted against each other in the ''Marvel vs DC'' crossover.
** One could also make the argument that [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]] is the alternate company equivalent of [[Superman]]. This isn't in terms of power, obviously, but due to their roles as leaders at each company. This was acknowledged in the [[Amalgam Universe]] crossover event, where one fusion character was "Super-Soldier" -- part Superman, part Captain America.
* Marvel has also had several Batman equivalents, starting with Nighthawk of the [[Squadron Supreme]] (of whom there have been at least three different versions) and [[Moon Knight]], who has a similar role, abilities, equipment and even a butler assistant. [[Daredevil]] is often seen as one as well and operates in a vaguely similar [[City Noir]] setting, and [[Iron Man]] matches well in the department of [[Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?|gadgetry]] and [[Crimefighting with Cash]].
** One of the Nighthawks even gained artificial wings, turning him into an ersatz of another Dc hero, [[Hawkman]].
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* [[Suicide Squad|King Faraday]] and [[Expy|Nick]] [[Nick Fury|Fury]].
* Still in the [[Marvel Universe]], the original lineup of the superpowered Imperial Guard surrounding the Shi'ar empress Lilandra was composed of alternate company equivalents of DC's [[Legion of Super-Heroes (comics)|Legion of Super-Heroes]].
** Which actually makes the aforementioned Gladiator a copy of [[Superboy]].
** [[Lampshade Hanging]] in a recent{{when}} issue of ''[[Guardians of the Galaxy]]'': Rocket Raccoon sarcastically calls Mentor, the Imperial Guard's green-skinned ubergenius, "Brainiac".
** Interestingly, after their first run-in with the Imperial Guard [[Wolverine]] would steal Timber Wolf counterpart Fang's costume and wear it for much of the team's adventures in space, meaning [[Mind Screw|Wolverine was wearing the suit of the guy based on the guy he himself was partially based on.]]
* Also Marvel: The company's 1980s-vintage [[The New Universe|New Universe]] line originally started with the idea of taking DC's most famous character concepts and doing them Marvel-style; however by the time the New Universe reached the stands, the only survivor of this concept was ''Star Brand'', based on [[Green Lantern]].
** That said, [[Quasar (comics)|Quasar]] is the Marvel-proper answer to Green Lanterns, as is [[Nova]]. Quasar's powers are nearly identical and Nova is part of an [[Space Police|intergalactic police force]], akin to Green Lanterns.
* [[Spider-Man|Green Goblin]] and [[Daredevil|Bullseye]] are considered each corresponding hero's answer to [[The Joker]], not just because of their status as [[Arch Enemy|Arch Enemies]] but because how they each have traits that only they truly share with the Joker, with the Goblin sharing the laugh, [[Large Ham|the ham factor]], the [[Manipulative Bastard|inhuman madness and intelligence]], and [[Joker Immunity]] (to a point). Bullseye shares the unknown identity, [[Improbable Weapon User|the unusual weapons]], and rivals even Joker for the title of [[Omnicidal Maniac|most insane man in comics.]] Nowadays though, the Green Goblin is the Marvel equivalent of DC's [[Lex Luthor]] and less so much as a Joker equivalent.
** Green Goblin was always more of a Crazy [[Lex Luthor]] than Joker. Especially since they are both [[Corrupt Corporate Executive
*** [[Norman Osborn]] has a persona of a manipulative [[Lex Luthor]] and a persona of a crazed Joker and will flip between the two at the drop of a hat.
**** While more of a villain for [[Marvel Universe|the Marvel Universe]] as a whole, Arcade is a pretty good match for the Joker. Both often use [[Amusement Park of Doom|Amusement Parks of Doom]] filled with [[Death Trap|Death Traps]], [[Affably Evil|have flamboyant dress senses]], [[For the Evulz|a sadistic sense of humour]] and the [[Manipulative Bastard|inhuman madness and intelligence]]. They also have a female assistant (Miss Locke and Harley Quinn) with which they treat in an abusive manner (although Miss Locke is older than Harley).
* There has also been a [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]] homage in [[DC Comics]]. ''Adventures of Superman'' #466 told the story of a space shuttle crew whose encounter with a [[Negative Space Wedgie]] gave them mutations reminiscent of the Fantastic Four; in a subversion, the results were [[Blessed with Suck|painful, unstable, more of a disadvantage than an advantage, and ultimately fatal]]. (One of the crew, however, was later brought [[Back
** Amusingly, he was the villain in the [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] ''Superman/Fantastic Four''. And he ''noticed'' the parallels between his origin and that of the Fantastic Four.
** The Fantastic Four and their origin are also homaged in an issue of [[Booster Gold]], where Booster stops a rocket launch and four suspiciously familiar astronauts complain about it.
** The final issue of the "Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite" (sic) Superman arc revealed an unusual fact about Mxyzptlk; he sometimes goes slumming in a universe that resembled the Marvel Universe, under the guise of a green-and-purple shapeshifting alien (in other words, Marvel's Impossible Man) while tormenting a quartet of heroes who vaguely resemble the Fantastic Four. The issue even borrowed the plot twist from Impy's first encounter with the FF, by having the FF walk away from their antagonist, essentially refusing to play with him. Later, though, after the two characters had developed in different directions, they confirmed themselves as separate characters, and really disliked each other.
** The Fantastic Four are themselves reminiscent of an older DC Comics team, the Challengers of the Unknown (also a [[Jack Kirby]] creation), albeit ones that became better known than the original.
* DC's [[Lobo]] is an obvious parody of the gritty [[Nineties Anti-Hero]], while his powers are specific parodies of Marvel's [[Wolverine]].
** Lobo actually first appeared in the eighties.
** Lobo himself was parodied in Marvel when [[Deadpool]] meets up with a very similar character named "Dirty Wolff"
*** Deadpool himself is fairly similar to Lobo, both being the [[Heroic Sociopath]] played for laughs. They even both have Self-Demonstrating Articles on this website!
** The circle came 'round again when Marvel came up with Lunatik, an [[Up to Eleven|even more over-the-top]] (if that can be believed) parody of Lobo. It should be noted that both characters were created by the same person.
** Lobo also has another equivalent in [[Rob Liefeld]]'s Bloodwulf.
*** Of course, ''all'' of Liefeld's characters are stupidly overmuscled grizzled anti-heroes - this time he just meant it as a joke. The cover of the first issue of his comic features Bloodwulf smiling menacingly as Lobo's limp body hangs from his own chain, by the way. And the second issue features a cameo by Lobo as a drunken has-been.
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* Same with Marvel's [[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]] and DC's [[Doom Patrol]] (which maybe inspired by Marvel's Fantastic Four).
** Though DC's Legion of Super-Heroes may be the origin of much copied in the X-Men.
*** The Outsiders could also be considered a DC equivalent to the X-Men
* The authors of DC's ''[[Freedom Fighters (comics)|Freedom Fighters]]'' and Marvel's ''Invaders'' decided to do a pseudo-crossover; each team fought a team based on the other called (in both books) The Crusaders.
* Marvel's ''[[Squadron Supreme]]'' is a direct take off of the classic DC ''[[Justice League of America]]'' lineup. [[J. Michael Straczynski]] retooled them in ''[[Supreme Power]]'', re-doing character backstories which made them both more realistic and a little more distant from their original versions (except for Hyperion, who became ''more'' like [[Superman]]). When ''Supreme Power'' was starting up, DC tried to sue Marvel over it, but the judge ruled that they'd let it stand too long.
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** Most people forget that Marvel started out with JLA-equivalent ''villains'' called the Squadron Sinister, and it wasn't until a year or two later that their heroic counterparts the Squadron Supreme appeared. Making the Squadron Sinister a mild [[Take That]], a semi-[[Affectionate Parody]], or somewhere in between.
*** Definitely the latter. It was a mutual in joke between DC and Marvel, see the below entry for clarification.
* In the 70s, the [[Justice League of America]] faced a team of [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|Avengers]]-duplicates called the Champions of Angor. In the 80s, they joined forces with the remains of that team against duplicates of Sabretooth (Tracker), Doc Ock (Gorgon), [[Magneto]] (Dr. Diehard), [[Doctor Doom]] (Lord Havok), and Dormammu (Dreamslayer). Two members of the Champions would subsequently join Justice League Europe: Bluejay (based on Yellowjacket) and the Silver Sorceress (based on the [[Scarlet Witch]]).
** The original Squadron Supreme and Champions of Angor stories were the result of another pseudo-crossover, in the same spirit as the Crusaders stories, and instigated by the same writer (Roy Thomas).
** The 2007
* A [[Story Arc]] in ''Superman/Batman'' featured "The Maximums", parodies of both the [[Marvel Universe]]'s [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|Avengers]] and their [[Ultimate Marvel]] equivalents, the Ultimates. In the last issue, Mxyzptlk did a [[Lampshade Hanging]] on this, asking the other characters to guess who they were based on. (The in-story answer was that they were created by mix-and-matching aspects of Superman and Batman. What, if anything, this was meant to imply about the Marvel writers who created the Avengers is left as an exercise for the reader.)
** Ironically, the writer of that arc, [[Jeph Loeb]], went on to write ''[[The Ultimates]]'' themselves some years later.
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* The comic book series ''[[Planetary]]'' displays numerous examples of this trope in almost every issue, as the series focuses on the fantastic elements of popular culture and genre fiction as seen in a more 'realistic' context, often explored and examined from a skewed perspective; some are almost exact duplicates, others are loose homages. This includes versions of the [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]] (who in this universe are the villains, the chilling part being that they [[Super Dickery|aren't incredibly different]] [[Reed Richards Is Useless|from the originals]]), [[Hellblazer|John Constantine]], [[Superman]], [[Wonder Woman]], [[Nick Fury]], [[Doc Savage]], [[The Shadow]], and many, ''many'' others.
* [[Kurt Busiek]]'s ''[[Astro City]]'' takes what sounds like the ''Planetary'' approach. As above, the range runs from near-duplicates ("The Furst Family", who act like the Fantastic Four, are all related, and have the same initials) to ones that sounds like Silver Age characters you must have known about but can't quite remember.
* [[Wildstorm]]'s [[The Authority]] has at least two counterpart teams in Marvel and DC. The titular hero of the ''X-Man'' comic visited an alternate world and met analogues such as Nicola Zeitgeist (Jenny Quantum), Thor (Apollo), Nightfighter (Midnighter), and City Dweller (Jack Hawksmoor). In the ''Superman'' comics, Superman faces off with the Elite over their extremely brutal and often fatal method of dealing with supervillains. Interestingly, two of the Authority's most recognizable characters, Midnighter and Apollo, are clearly based off of Batman and Superman, respectively. Ironically, a later series established Apollo as his universe's version of the Ray, a minor DC hero. (Probably because Wildstorm already has Mr. Majestic, a much closer Superman analogue who has met, and even briefly replaced, the original Man of Steel. As with many of the above examples, Majestic is more ruthlessly pragmatic in the use of his Superman-like
** Another analogue of [[The Authority]] appears in Gen13 volume 4: the Authoriteens.
*** They weren't this trope, they were a [[Spinoff Babies]] parody (The Authority and Gen 13 are published by the same company, and are part of the same [[Shared Universe]]).
** The Authority battled a team of A.C.E.s based on [[Marvel Comics]]' Avengers. The ones that were named were Commander ([[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]]), Hornet ([[The Wasp]]), Titan (Giant Man), and Tank Man ([[Iron Man]]).
** Apollo and Midnighter originated as part of a super-black-ops team also containing analogues of [[Wonder Woman]] (Amaze), the [[Green Lantern]] (Lamplight, employing the lamp of another Green Lantern analogue destroyed by the Four in [[Planetary]]), [[Martian Manhunter]] (Stalker), [[The Flash]] (Impetus), and [[Black Canary]] (Crow Jane). [[The Authority]] itself forms partly as the result of a clash between earlier supergroup Stormwatch and another obvious JLA analogue, the Changers. The Doctor and the Engineer (technically, the Engineer II) of [[The Authority]] are [[Legacy Character|spiritual successors]] of the Changers' Doctor Fate and Green Lantern analogues; despite having them as well as Apollo and Midnighter on board, the team is not actually Justice League-like at all.
** ''Planetary/Authority: Ruling the World'' also features [[Eldritch Abomination|nasty tentacly Lovecrafty versions]] of the Authority for about one panel. The Wildstorm universe is absolutely lousy with this kind of thing.
** They even riffed on themselves, really. In the Monarchy series (basically tl;dr in comic book form) the bad guys were a parody of the Authority...kind of. Really, their personalities weren't that far removed from the originals, the main difference was they were all reptiles and/or Lovecraftian monsters...for some reason, it was never very clear. Apparently [[Techno Babble|the Carrier spread the Authority's "bad vibes" through the Bleed or something]]. It was a [[So Bad It's Good|shitty comic]], ok, no one knows what the hell The Monarchy was about.
*** They were the authority of a parallel universe. In Stormwatch phd Jackson says that the doctor spiked his drink (lsd/drug trip) at the carrier party hinting it was Jackson wanting to be the "authority" and all the crazy situations they get into. He got over it. It seems as of Wildcats #22 the monarchy is indeed real but the book and the ending still does not make any sense in the Wildstorm Universe.
* Then there was the [[Amalgam Universe]] [[Crisis Crossover]] (sort of) that resulted from the Marvel vs. DC storyline - Amalgam Comics being an Alternate Company of Marvel ''and'' DC, whose characters were
* A minor DC villain, Zuggernaut, is obviously based on the [[Guyver]]. What's odd is that the five issues he was in came out in the very late 80s, before the campy movies debuted and before America really heard of the franchise. (Most likely the author read the manga, which did not get a major translation until the early 90s to tie into the movies.)
* Marvel's [[Deadpool]] looks suspiciously like DC's Deathstroke, both of them starting off as evil mercenaries; even their names are similar (Wade Wilson and Slade Wilson respectively, though Wade was not named until years and many writers after his intro) but through [[Character Development]], and Deadpool's [[No Fourth Wall]] ability, they're now completely different from each other.
** Acknowledged in ''Superman/Batman'''s first annual, written by former Deadpool writer Joe Kelly, which involves the heroes fighting both Deathstroke and their [[Evil Counterpart
** Even ''more'' explicitly acknowledged in the [[Deadpool (film)|''Deadpool'' film]], where one of the costume designs he considers is Deathstroke's iconic outfit.
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog]] is full of these, having met in-universe versions of characters from ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' and ''[[Science Ninja Team Gatchaman]]'', as well as other comic companies.
** For a specific straight example of this trope, there's the villain [[Magnificent Bastard|Mammoth Mogul]], who is more or less an [[Expy]] of DC's [[Vandal Savage]].
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* Another [[Anime]]-to-American-comics example: Japanese super-team Big Science Action in [[The DCU]] features pastiches of [[Ultraman]], [[Astro Boy (manga)|Astro Boy]], Kaneda from ''[[Akira]]'', and the [[Humongous Mecha|robots]] from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]''.
** And another: in the 90's, there was a Japan-based hero team at Marvel called '''Big Hero 6'''. One member was called ''Lemon Honey'' and is believed to be based somewhat on [[Cutey Honey]].
* A recent{{when}} arc of Marvel's ''[[The Incredible Hercules]]'' featured the Amazons as villains, and the main villain, Princess Artume, was an obvious stand-in for [[Wonder Woman]] (her name is that of the Etruscan Goddess of the Hunt, compared with the Roman one, Diana). It was revealed she had not been born from her mother, but had been created from a marble statue (Harder than clay... that Wonder Woman was made out of).
* The [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]] teamed up with a group called the ReCombatants who bore a similarity to [[Eclipse Comics]]' [[DNAgents]] (the name is a pun on "recombinant DNA"). At the same time, the DNAgents teamed with Project Youngblood, based on the Titans.
* The [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mirage|comic book]] and [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003|cartoon]] have The Justice Force, yet another Justice League A.C.E. About half its members ape Justice Leaguers to some extent, with the most blatant being Green Mantle, a parody of Green Lantern on everything from costume to civilian name to comic book cover.
* In Thom Zahl's romance comic ''[[Love and Capes]]'', the hero, his best friend, and his ex-girlfriend are clear [[Expy|expies]] of [[Superman]], [[Batman]], and [[Wonder Woman]] respectively.
** All of the super heroes in ''Love and Capes'' are thinly veiled A.C.E.s, and they're not all based on DC characters. The whole thing is a super hero parody in sitcom form.
* ''Big Bang Comics'' eats this trope for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and has several snacks along the way. ''Every'' BB character is an A.C.E. of some [[The Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]], usually DC, character. A few qualities are mixed and matched, but most are very recognizable.
** Similarly, [[Alan Moore]]'s ''1963'' solely featured A.C.E.s of classic Marvel characters; Mystery Incorporated, for instance, forms a perfect 1:1 likeness to the Fantastic Four (Planet = The Thing, Crystalman = Mr. Fantastic, Kid Dynamo = The Human Torch, Neon Queen = Invisible Woman). Additionally, U.S.A. is [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]], the Fury is Daredevil/Spider-Man, N-Man is the Hulk, and Hypernaut is a combination of Iron Man, the [[Silver Surfer]], and (for variety's sake) the Green Lantern. Joined by Infra-Man and Infra-Girl, they form a counterpart team to the original Avengers.
* Many [[Image]] Universe characters are these. [[Spawn]] is officially based on Venom and the Prowler (the latter mainly in design and origin and the former in powers and personality) and detective Sam Burke is Harvey Bullock with another name. Omni-Man and ''[[Invincible]]'' are [[Darker and Edgier]] Superman and Superboy Equivalents, and many Invincible villains are similar to Spider-Man enemies (the Elephant is an obvious Rhino analogue, Doc Seismic is the Shocker, etc.). There's also [[Youngblood]], which was originally [[Rob Liefeld]]'s pitch for a Teen Titans series before becoming their own characters in Image. [[Supreme]] is a dubiously in-continuity version of Superman throughout the ages. And Doc Rocket is Jesse Quick.
* Most characters from [[Freedom Force]] and Freedom Force vs 3th Reich are analogues of famous Marvel/DC characters. We have Minuteman ([[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]]), the Ant ([[Spider-Man]]), Quetzalcoatl (Thor with little [[Captain Marvel]]), Law & Order ([[Cloak and Dagger (comics)|Cloak and Dagger]]), Bullet ([[The Flash]]), Tombstone ([[Ghost Rider]] + [[The Punisher]] + [[Deadman (Comic Book)|Deadman]].) and many others. Villains also fill in this trope with Time Master (Galactus), Pan (Loki), and Blitzkrieg (Leader/[[Red Skull]]).
** Although Time Master is probably closer in look and deed to Kang the Conqueror.
** [[Word of God]] says that Tombstone is their [[Batman]], but his biggest influence seems to be [[The Spectre]]
* [[Less Than Three Comics]] is full of these. Both Uncle Sams ([[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]]), Thunderbolt ([[The Mighty Thor|Thor]]), Blackbird ([[Batman]]), and Mr GL ([[The Flash]]) to name a few.
* [[The Punisher]] took the character of Mack Bolan, [[The Executioner]], from a series of men's fiction novels written by Don Pendleton and translated it into comic book form. Family killed by the mob, swears revenge, becomes a vigilante and winds up taking on every type of bad guy in the world.
* [[Perry Moore]]'s teen novel ''[[Hero (novel)|Hero]]'' has a superhero group called the League, which as you might suspect has a line-up full of very blatant A.C.E.s of the Justice League (and a brief cameo from a Captain America-equivalent), though the main character and his fellow new recruits are originals.
* Aaron Williams's [[PS238]] is ''made'' of this trope, with elementary-school versions of Superman ("Captain Clarinet"), [[Green Lantern]] ("Emerald Gauntlet"), Batman ("Moonshadow"), [[Spawn]] ("Malphast"), Morpheus/Dream ("Murphy"), [[Plastic Man]] ("Polly Mer"), and Spider-Man ("The Flea").
* Nikolai Dante, from ''[[2000 AD|Two Thousand AD]]'', ran into versions of the [[Fantastic Four]] and [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]] in the "Amerika" arc.
* It didn't start off like this but since ''[[
* The relationship between DC's [[Green Arrow]] and [[Black Canary]] is mirrored in Marvel's [[Hawkeye]] [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|and Mockingbird.]] Their weapons and personalities are also all similar.
* DC has Amazo and Marvel has the Super-Adaptoid.
* Marvel has the [[Thunderbolts]] while DC has the [[Suicide Squad]]. Both teams are headed mostly be reformed villains or bad guys forced to fight crime.
* Marvel and DC have two futuristic superhero teams with ties to the present continuities: [[Guardians of the Galaxy]] and [[Legion of Super-Heroes]]. Both teams are vastly different but share the same concept as well as "modern" versions of said teams: Galactic Guardians and L.E.G.I.O.N.
* In recent years{{when}} Marvel has been trying to play up [[Ms. Marvel]] as their [[Wonder Woman]], even though she started as their [[Supergirl]]. [[Storm]] is sometimes thought to be a better equivalent to [[Wonder Woman]] as they are both the most popular female heroes of the companies and fought against each other in a crossover.
* DC's Cassandra Cain ([[Batgirl]]) and Marvel's [[X-23]] are very similar in many ways, which has been noted by fans.
** To clarify: they were both [[Tyke Bomb|raised as assassins]] and had really crappy childhoods, they are both [[No Social Skills|severely lacking in social skills]] because of that, they have similar relationships with their father/mentor (depending on which girl you're talking about), they have similar skill sets and [[Waif Fu|fighting styles]], and they're both rather dark and intimidating in looks/costume design. On the other hand, X-23 is superpowered while Batgirl [[Badass Normal|is not]], and X-23 has a [[Dark Action Girl]] personality while Batgirl is quite [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|the]] [[Cute Mute|opposite]].
* As Hispanic (or Half-Hispanic) replacements for insect (or arachnid) based characters created (or co-created) by [[Steve Ditko]] this claim has been made about [[Blue Beetle|Jaime Reyes]] and [[Ultimate Spider-Man|Miles Morales]].
* In the introduction of "The Judas Contract" ''[[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]]'' paperback, Marv Wolfman says he was banking on a perception of this by readers. Chris Claremont had at the time recently introduced young, cute, spunky, and slightly bratty Kitty Pryde to his ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|Uncanny X-Men]]'' to much positive reception. So when the young, cute, spunky, and slightly bratty Terra joined the Titans, people assumed she would be much the same. {{spoiler|From the beginning though, it was clear that Terra was absolutely opposite in personality from Kitty, constantly lying to and provoking her teammates and eventually revealed to be a spy for Titans arch-enemy Deathstroke and a full-blooded sociopath to boot. Wolfman admitted he was totally banking on the shock value of a "Kitty Pryde turns evil" revelation.}}
* Shiner a comic strip from [[Whizzer and Chips]] by the publishers IPC about a boy who always gets into fights is very similiar to an older strip in [[The Beano]] from rival publisher DC Thomson called Scrapper, the strip ran in the 1950s but it was a spinoff from Lord Snooty and his pals focusing on one of his pals. Unsurprisingly this pal is called Scrapper who was one of Snooty's original pals first appearing in the Beano's first issue in 1938 and the character still appeared in the Lord Snooty strip until the late 80s. Another strip in another of DC Thomson's comics [[The Beezer]] had a strip coinidentally called Scrapper also about a boy who always got into fights unlike [[The Beano]] strip of the same name this strip ran at the same time as Shiner appeared.
* In terms of resident [[Super Speed|speedsters]], DC has [[The Flash]] and Marvel has [[Quicksilver]]. Although there are beings capable of super-speed in both universes, both men are ''the'' best-known speedsters for their respective sides, both are considered the fastest, and they've been paired against each other in crossovers (which of them will win depends on the story and/or reader voting). The major differences between them include the fact that the Flash is a [[Legacy Character]] (at least four different individuals in DC's comic timeline have inherited the title from the Golden Age to now) whereas Quicksilver is the only known individual whose sole power is moving really fast; Flash is unquestionably a hero, whereas Quicksilver's gone through the [[Heel Face Revolving Door]] several times; and Flash gained his speed through a [[Freak Lab Accident]] (Speed Force connection notwithstanding), whereas Quicksilver got his speed by virtue of being a mutant.
** Another key difference between them is that The Flash can run at the speed of light, whereas Wolverines claws are unsheathed at a faster speed than Quicksilver can run.*
* DC's Amanda Waller and Marvel's Henry Peter Gyrich are both government officials who are suspicious of the superhero community in their respective universes.
* [[Tropes Are Flexible|A location example rather than a character one]]; DC's Dinosaur Island and Marvel's Savage Land are both [[Lost World]]s filled with [[Prehistoric Monster]]s.
* Ally Koch, Brittney Kornblum and Chris Koenig from the 2003 film ''[[Xtracurricular]]'' are deliberate counterparts to A-ko, B-ko and C-ko from ''[[Project A-ko]]'', which inspired the premise of the film.
== [[Literature]] ==
* CoreFire, Elphin, and Blackwolf from Austin Grossman's ''[[Soon I Will Be Invincible]]'' are all easily recognizable pastiches of [[Superman]], [[Wonder Woman]], and [[Batman]], respectively.
** Other characters are also less-obviously drawn from other Marvel and DC characters. The central superhero group is sort of like a cross between the Avengers and the JLA, Doctor Impossible is a bit [[Lex Luthor]] plus superpowers (and sympathy), Damsel is a bit Donna Troy + Ms. Marvel with some Storm thrown in, Rainbow Triumph is obviously Robin, Mister Magic is mostly [[Doctor Strange]], and so on.
* ''[[Fairest Of All]]'', a re-interpretation of the Evil Queen from [[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney film)|Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs]]'s origins basically serves as Disney's equivalent to ''[[Wicked (novel)|Wicked]]''.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* ''[[Star Trek]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who]]'' have a similar relationship with their monsters, most notably with the Cybermen and The Borg.
* ''[[Power Rangers]]'' had a baddie that was a complete rip-off of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, looking as though they had stolen one of the costumes and added a few spikes and spines to make it look [[Darker and Edgier|more villainous]].
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* Keith Olbermann and his show ''[[Countdown with Keith Olbermann]]'' are to [[MSNBC]] as Bill O'Rielly and ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'' are to [[Fox News Channel]].
* [[Nickelodeon]]'s ''[[iCarly]]'' is this to [[Disney Channel]]'s ''[[Lizzie McGuire]]'', with the difference that Lizzie has a toon alter ego, while Carly has a webshow, and despite that the two shows are years apart from each other. Let's see: [[Three Amigos]] consisting of a Nerd, a [[Girl Next Door]], and a BFF? check. Nerd best friend falling for the [[Girl Next Door]]? check. The Boy gets kissed by his [[Girl Next Door]] crush? check. [[Girl Next Door]] goes for another guy while the Nerd best friend is ignored? check. Lead actresses get starting popularity by said show? ([[Miranda Cosgrove]] and [[Hilary Duff]], respectively) check.
** Arguably most of what they do is like this. ''[[
* WE tv is like this with TLC, with their [[Dueling Shows]] ''Little Miss Perfect'' and ''[[Toddlers and Tiaras]]'' (though the latter probably gets more ratings). We tv also premieres the same type of shows as TLC whenever they get one, for example their show about the parents of quintuplets came out right about the same time as ''[[Jon and Kate Plus Eight]]'', and more recently the show ''Staten Island Cakes'' with ''[[Cake Boss]]''.
* Parodied on ''[[The Daily Show]]''. When Jim Cramer went on various [[NBC]] shows to defend himself against attacks from Jon Stewart, Stewart countered by inserting himself onto various Viacom shows. This included ''[[Dora the Explorer]]'' and [[MTV]]'s ''Real Life''.
== [[Music]] ==
▲== Music ==
* Due to [[Disney Channel]] and [[Nickelodeon]] having affiliations with some record labels (Walt Disney Records/Hollywood Records for the former and Sony Music/Columbia Records for the latter), this is inevitable. Examples include:
** [[The Jonas Brothers]] or [[Allstar Weekend]] to [[Big Time Rush]]
** [[Selena Gomez]] and [[Demi Lovato]] to [[Miranda Cosgrove]] and [[Victoria Dawn Justice]], respectively
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
* Most Indo-European mythologies have very similar gods, either as the result of them having their origins in a single ancient religion or because both are personifications of the same concept. Examples include [[Classical Mythology|Hades]] and [[Finnish Mythology|Tuoni]], Apollo and [[Norse Mythology|Freyr]], and Zeus and [[Hindu Mythology|Indra]].
* Thanks to cultural syncretism, and on rare occasions, complete coincidence, Christianity shares many similarities with various other (older) religions. [[Jesus]] in particular seems to have several counterparts in other cultures, which makes a lot of sense if you think about it - most notably Horus, Mithra, and Dionysus (
==
* Demolition and the Powers of Pain were both Alternate Company Equivalent versions of the Road Warriors. Amusingly all three teams ended up in the WWE in 1990 resulting in Demolition matches with the Legion of Doom. The Powers of Pain were quietly split up.
* Abyss can be considered the [[TNA]] version of [[Kane (wrestling)|Kane]].
* Originally AAA's La Parka Jr. was the Alternate Company Equivalent of WCW's La Parka (though the latter started in AAA, and thus they owned the mask). When WCW's La Parka joined CMLL, he was forced to become L.A. [[Par K]], Alternate Company Equivalent to the now Jr-lacking La Parka.
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==▼
▲== Tabletop Games ==
* The primary setting of the superhero roleplaying game ''[[Mutants and Masterminds]]'' Freedom City, includes obvious equivalents for DC and Marvel characters, often even playing with similar names: a man with the last name Summers (like the X-Men's Cyclops) runs an academy for teenage heroes, though the character is more of a Batman analog, while the Centurion is the Freedom City's Superman.
** Not to mention the aforementioned school for teenage heroes is named the 'Claremont' Academy.
** Another example, albeit a more subtle multi-layered one, was Police Commissioner Barbara Kane. (A homage to police Commissioner Barbara Gordon from ''[[Batman Beyond]]''... and a play on the name of Bob Kane, the writer who created Batman.)
** The ''Paragons'' setting for ''Mutants and Masterminds'' includes several characters who appear to be counterparts to heroes from ''[[GURPS|GURPS International Super Teams]]'', which is cited as an influence in its bibliography.
* Likewise ''[[Champions]]''
* Palladium Books' ''Heroes Unlimited'' states that one of the goals behind making the game was to allow players, if they wished, to make characters based on their favorite superheros from the comics. While it doesn't flat out tell you how to, to names of various superpowers make it pretty obvious (and easy) to make, for example, a Wolverine<ref>
== [[Toys]] ==▼
▲== Toys ==
* Bandai's Machine Robo line of [[Transforming Mecha]] (later licensed to Tonka as the Gobots) to Hasbro/Takara's [[Transformers]]. Or was it the other way around? Made even more confusing by the fact that Hasbro later acquired the Gobots license, but not the one for the original Machine Robo.
** To make matters more confusing, since Hasbro's acquisition of Tonka, Go-Bots occasionally show up in Transformers: Cy-Kill and Scooter were both killed by Jhiaxus, Cop-Tur and Leader-1 are Minicons (possibly homages rather than ACES), and Crasher (under the name Fissure, sometimes) has officially crossed over and leads a squad of Decepticons, and even has a toy out.
* Diamond Select Toys' [[Minimates]] to Medicom's Kubrick line, according to [[Word of God]].
* At some points, Playskool's [[Weebles]] to Fisher-Price's Little People.
* Lanard's The Corps action figures to Hasbro's [[G.I. Joe]] toyline. In fact, when Devil's Due, the company that did the ''G.I. Joe'' comics during the early-to-mid 2000s, lost the license to IDW, they ended up picking up the license to The Corps instead.
* One of Hasbro's offerings, Kre-O, is clearly meant to be their equivalent to [[LEGO]]; they'd previously ventured into construction blocks with the short-lived Built to Rule series, but that didn't catch on. Perhaps the second time's the charm?
* Matchbox toy cars to Hot Wheels toy cars (now they belong to the same company)
* The popularity of the ''[[American Girl]]'' line of dolls led to a number of imitators such as Target's ''Our Generation'' brand of 18-inch dolls made by Battat as well as Walmart's ''My Life As'', both of which are largely compatible with clothes and accessories made for American Girl dolls. Going on a more [[The Moral Substitute|moral]] direction, there is also [https://www.dollsfromheaven.com/ Dolls from Heaven], a faith-based line of American Girl-esque dolls modelled after Catholic saints and biblical figures.
== [[Video Games]] ==▼
* This also shows up in [[Fighting Game
▲== Video Games ==
▲* This also shows up in [[Fighting Game|Fighting Games]]. For example, [[media:1151067841104.jpg|here]] we have Mai, Yuri, Chun-Li and Sakura, the first two from SNK's ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' series and the latter two from Capcom's ''[[Street Fighter]]'' series. A great deal of [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshade Hangings]] are done in the prefight conversations ''[[SNK vs. Capcom SVC Chaos]]'', as the characters who resemble each other comment on the similarities.
** [[Joke Character|Dan Hibiki]] of the ''[[Street Fighter]]'' series was created as a [[Take That|parody]] of Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, with some of Yuri's mannerisms thrown in. Similar to the above example, Dan is frequently mistaken for Robert in the crossover games due to a pronounced (and intentional) resemblance, and is also considered a counterpart of fellow goofball Joe Higashi.
** Of course, Dan was a response to Ryo and Robert, who were originally made as
** ''[[SNK vs. Capcom Match of the Millennium]]'' goes one step further; picking one character (ex. Ryu) will result in you fighting your
** All these years later, and Capcom and SNK are ''still'' doing this. Back in 2000, SNK introduced [[The King of Fighters|Vanessa]], a single [[Fiery Redhead]] [[Hot Mom]] with noticeable... assets who works as an [[Action Girl]] secret agent. Fast forward nine years later, and Capcom introduces [[Street Fighter|Crimson Viper]]... A single [[Fiery Redhead]] [[Hot Mom]] with noticeable assets who works as an [[Action Girl]] secret agent.
** And let's not forget the recursive example of Iori-Remy-Ash Crimson. Remy, from ''[[Street Fighter III]]'', was plainly designed to resemble SNK characters, Iori Yagami in particular, but given charge-based moves to differentiate him/establish him as ''III'''s Guile counterpart. Then ''KOF 03'' debuts Ash Crimson, an effeminate bishounen with charge-based moves who is clearly designed to resemble Remy.
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*** Few know that ''[[Art of Fighting]] 3'' had done it before either of them.
** ''[[Arcana Heart]]'' has a few blatant ones, as far as moveset. The most blatant is lead Heart Aino, who has half of Ryu's moveset herself, and the other half on her default Arcana.
*** As of ''[[Arcana Heart]] 3'' her moveset (sans arcana) mirrors [[
** More recently, ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' roster welcomed squeaky, half-insane Muay Thai asshole Hwa Jai, right after the ''Super [[Street Fighter IV]]'' roster welcomed squeaky, half-insane Muay Thai asshole Adon. Although Adon was introduced before Hwa, Hwa was already pretty unhinged in his ''[[Fatal Fury]]'' debut in 1991 whereas Adon became so by way of his ''[[Street Fighter Alpha]]'' redesign in 1995.
** Midway gave us ''[[Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe]]'', a [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] which features the alternate major comic book publisher and major fighting game franchise of [[The Nineties]] to the ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' series.
* ''[[City of Heroes]]'', as a pastiche of [[Superhero]] comic books, has several. For instance, Statesman, the biggest of the setting's heroes, is a fusion of Superman and [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]], with some [[Captain Marvel]] thrown in for good measure by way of his origin story.
** Positron is a [[I Love Nuclear Power|radioactive]] [[Iron Man]].
** Manticore is [[Batman]] with the fighting style of Green Arrow. (So basically, Batman.) That, or Hawkeye. And the friendly sparring between Statesman and Manticore resembles that of Captain America and Hawkeye in ''[[The Avengers (Comic Book)|The Avengers]]''.
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** Synapse, the token speedster, is generally considered an equivalent to [[The Flash]].
** Back Alley Brawler seems to have a little of [[Luke Cage, Hero for Hire]], and/or Wildcat.
** Lord Recluse is pretty much [[Doctor Doom]] with more lackeys. (And a touch of Doctor Octupus.)
** On the other hand, any player character which ventures too closely to a trademarked character was likely to get "generic"ed by the staff. After the game was revived in 2019, the same restriction was imposed to avoid unwanted legal complications.
* Just as [[Nintendo]] has ''[[Mario Kart]]'', [[Sega]] had ''Sonic Drift''.
** [[Follow the Leader|Later]], there were ''Crash Team Racing, Atari Karts, Konami Krazy Racers, NASCAR Kart Racing, Sonic R''...
* Another video game example, ''[[The Great Giana Sisters]]'' were very, very similar to, [[Super Mario Bros.|well, guess who?]] Under pressure of [[Nintendo]], the game was withdrawn almost immediately after it was published. Maybe the makers should not have written ''the brothers are history'' on the cover of the C64 version...
** Ironically enough, it got a remake on the Nintendo DS of all things, as Giana Sisters DS. Though it's [[No Export for You|not available outside of Europe]].
* And just as the original ''SMB'' had ''Giana Sisters'', ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' now has its own Alternate Company Equivalent in ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1lVpbnl6OU Duludubi Star]''; however, the similarities quickly fly out of A.C.E. territory and crash headfirst into [[Captain Ersatz]] territory, [[Plagiarism|if not worse]] (You decide!).
* ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'' had an Alternate Company Case of Plagiarism in the Vic Tokai game ''The Krion Conquest'', though Capcom likely saw the title as not enough of a threat to their [[Cash Cow Franchise|juggernaut series]] to be bothered with a cease-and-desist.
* ''[[Adventure Island]]'' was literally Hudson Soft's version of Sega's ''[[Wonder Boy (video game)|Wonder Boy]]''. Due to a licensing loophole, Hudson was allowed to port ''Wonder Boy'' to the NES provided that they changed the name and character designs, since ''Wonder Boy'' developer Westone owned the rights to the actual game design and coding, while Sega only owned the name and characters. Both series went into different directions for their sequels though: while ''Adventure Island'' stuck to the original game's platformer format, the sequels to ''Wonder Boy'' adapted an Action RPG approach (with the exception of ''Monster Lair'', which was an auto-scrolling platformer/shoot-'em-up hybrid).
** Hudson also made their own versions of the ''Monster World'' games for the [[
** Hudson's TurboGrafx CD [[Beat'Em Up]] ''Riot Zone'' was actually a remake of the Sega/Westone arcade game ''Riot City''.
* [[Naughty Dog]] and [[Insomniac Games]], two of the most prominent western developers for the [[
* ''[[
== [[Web Comics]] ==
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** Can summon plant matter from seemingly out of nowhere and hide inside a sunflower: Jeral Cormier / Botan the Plant-Man or Samuel Smithers/Plantman?
*** Although Botan was ''intended'' as a parody of Sandman.
** The patriotic All-American: [[Nathaniel Hawthorne|Gray Champion]] or [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]]?
** He tends to [[Walk the Earth]] looking for evil souls to punish and turns into a monster sometimes to do so: Extirpon, [[Spawn]], or [[Ghost Rider]]?
** Pilltar is ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'' [[X Meets Y|meets]] [[Iron Man]].
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** Vienna Dockler for [[Alias (TV series)|Sydney Bistrow]] ([[Don't Explain the Joke|Austria or Australia]]?)
** Lobe the Mexican Wolfman = [[Lobo]] but with [[One-Hit-Point Wonder|all the endurance of Taco Bell's chihuahua]].
* [[Spinnerette]] is pretty much a female Spider-Man, with a touch of [[Reality Ensues]].
== [[Web Original]] ==▼
▲== Web Original ==
* ''[[Whateley Universe]]'' example: The Vindicators, a group at [[Super-Hero School|Whateley Academy]], who have a rivalry with Team Kimba, are pretty obviously [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|The Avengers]]: Kismet as the Scarlet Witch, Captain Canada! as Captain America, Donner as Thor, Dynamaxx as Iron Man, Lemure as The Vision, and Sizemax as Giant-man. Elite League is pretty much this trope with the animated Justice League. The Good Ol' Boyz are a parody too, but not of a superhero team.
* ''[[Less Than Three Comics]]'' is practically made of this trope. From Uncle Sam (Captain America) to Thunderbolt (Thor) to The Shadow (Batman).
* There are several of these in the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'', most visibly the Neuman Family, who are pretty obviously a combination of the [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]] and the [[Power Pack]].
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
▲== Western Animation ==
* [[Toon Disney]] and the [[Nicktoons]] Network were Disney and Nickelodeon's equivalents to Turner's [[Cartoon Network]].
** Disney Channel and Nickelodeon have been almost equivalents ever since the Disney Channel's [[Network Decay|switch to a kids/teens only format]] in 1997. Later, they stopped making cartoons and left only their most popular cartoons (''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' and ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' respectively), and made only live action shows with similar plots (''[[Jonas]]'' and ''[[Big Time Rush]]'', ''[[Victorious]]'' and ''[[Shake It Up]]'', etc.). Then they simultaneously released new cartoons with their veteran actors (''[[Planet Sheen]]'', ''[[Tuff Puppy]]'', and ''[[Fish Hooks]]'').
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* The Justice League episode "Ultimatum" has a government-sponsored team of heroes created by [[Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke|genetic Experiments]]. These heroes are a somewhat less campy version of the [[Wonder Twins]] and the [[Token Minority]] [[Captain Ethnic|heroes]] [[Canon Foreigner|unique]] to the ''[[Superfriends]]'' series (e.g., the size-changing-yet-unfortunately-named Apache Chief becomes Longshadow).
*** Also, the Wonder Twins took the form of Tragic Badass.
* Disney and [[Cartoon Network]] have had
** ''Juniper Lee'' started out as an
* The ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' characters "The Justice Friends" are basically [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]] with Superman's powers, The Hulk, and a [[Rock N Roll]]-based Thor. In the episodes where we actually see more of them, it becomes even further that they are basically the Avengers with a DC character analog here and there.
** Perhaps it's more like an [[Affectionate Parody]].
* Bun-Bun in ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy
** Hämsterviel is a ''hamster'', silly!
** Sounds suspiciously similar to ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' too.
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* In 2012, [[Cartoon Network]] began a block called DC Nation, featuring cartoons and shorts adapted from [[DC Comics]]. That same year, [[Disney XD]] began a block called Marvel Universe, featuring cartoons and shorts adaped from [[Marvel Comics]].
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
▲== Real Life ==
* Alternate Country Equivalents are common in Real Life, especially in the armed forces. The success of the M16's smaller 5.56mm round was copied by the Soviets for the 5.45mm AK-74 (not to be confused with the earlier AK-47, which it is derived from), and eventually the Chinese 5.8mm round. Happens with tanks, jets, even nukes. If it isn't at least based on another country's stuff, it's the original to be copied for some other country's stuff.
* Soft drink manufacturers love to do this. Just going with the Big Two...
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*** Third party knock-offs will usually have names that make their origin blatant; for example, Kroger's answer to Dr Pepper is Dr Thunder.
* When you get right down to it, even the staffs at both DC and Marvel are pretty similar to each other.
** The [[Scapegoat Creator]] Editor: [[Dan
** The head writer in charge of most of the ongoing works: [[Geoff Johns]] and [[Brian Bendis]]
** The weird guy from the UK that indulges in postmodernism: [[Grant Morrison]] and [[Warren Ellis]]
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[[Category:Superhero Tropes]]
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