Evil Counterpart/Comic Books: Difference between revisions
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Examples of [[{{TOPLEVELPAGE}}]]s in [[{{SUBPAGENAME}}]] include:
== DC Comics ==
* The 1950s incarnation of [[Captain America (comics)]] ("Commie Smasher") was (through the magic of [[Retcon]]) [[Old Shame|explained away as]] an obsessed fan of the original who insisted on replacing him during the time when he was presumed dead; while the US government decided to humor him, the faulty version of the [[Super Soldier]] enhancement process eventually drove him insane. While he was eventually captured and placed in suspended animation, he broke out years later and attacked who he thought was another Captain America imposter - the real Captain America, who had defrosted from his own accidental suspended animation.▼
* Bizarro is an imperfect clone (of varying origin, depending on the medium) of [[Superman]], with all of the Man of Steel's powers and none of his intelligence or morality.
** Taking into account various media, between Ultraman (which name alone refers to several similar characters), Justice Lord Superman, Cal and Kal-El in ''[[Smallville]]'', Superboy Prime, mind controlled Captain Marvel, Cyborg Superman, etc., Superman has more evil counterparts than he knows what to do with.
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** Kyle Rayner got 2 energy-wielding/manipulating Evil Counterparts, himself. On the 'ring-wielder' side of things, Alex Nero - who was [[Ax Crazy]], and possibly killed his parents as a teenager. On the 'might've become' side of things, Effigy, who was what Kyle might've been if he hadn't matured and gained a sense of responsibility about the ring and super-heroics in general.
** Some individual members of the Sinestro Corps are evil counterparts of specific GLs; for instance Arkillo (Evil Kiliwog) and Ranxx the Sentient City (Evil Mogo the Living Planet).
* The 2nd Supernova is an Evil Counterpart of [[Booster Gold]], who invented the Supernova identity. While Booster works with Rip Hunter, Time Master, to [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong]], Supernova is working with time-travel based villains like Per Degaton to set things wrong in the first place. Supernova also has an Evil Counterpart of Booster's [[Robot Buddy]], Skeets, and at the end of his first appearance is revealed to be [[Luke, I Am Your Father|Booster's father]].▼
** Another member of the Time Stealers is Black Beetle, an Evil Counterpart to [[Blue Beetle]] with a [[Multiple Choice Past]].▼
* [[Aquaman]] has had several evil counterparts. The most obvious is the Ocean Master, his own brother. Others include Black Manta, Charybdis, [[Evil Twin]] Thanatos, and the Thirst.▼
* [[Starman (comics)|Starman]]'s Jack Knight and Nash were on their respective sides of the law mainly because their fathers pushed them there.▼
* All four [[The Flash|Flashes]]
** Barry Allen also fought his prior to unknown twin Malcolm Thawne aka Colbalt Blue who established his own legacy of evil that mirrored the Flash Family. [[Tangled Family Tree|Including Professor Zoom]].▼
* The entire [[Justice League of America]] has an Evil Counterpart in the [[Mirror Universe]] Crime Syndicate of America. Ultraman opposes [[Superman]]. Superwoman is sometimes an evil Amazon, sometimes her world's Lois Lane, and recently, [[Shazam|Mary Marvel]] but always stands in opposition to [[Wonder Woman]]. The magic-fuelled Power Ring is Evil Counterpart to [[Green Lantern]]. Psychotic [[Super Speed|speedster]] Johnny Quick is the opposite of [[The Flash]]. And Owlman, who began as a [[Smug Snake]] [[Evil Genius]] [[The Chessmaster|Chessmaster]] with [[More Than Mind Control]] powers, and is now usually portrayed as a homicidal maniac with [[Badass Abnormal]] [[Power Armour]] is the Evil Counterpart to however [[Batman]] is being portrayed this week.▼
* Death Mayhew, commander of the Nazi flying group the White Lions, was this to [[Blackhawk]].▼
=== Batman ===
* The criminal Killer Moth originally patterned himself as an Evil Counterpart to [[Batman]]... but quickly sank to a third-string position in the [[Rogues Gallery]]. As we said, the Counterpart is sometimes a [[Big Bad]], but not always. It was probably a bad idea to name himself after something bats eat.
* The ''[[
* Punchline - a villain introduced in 2020 in a one-shot supersized ''Joker #1'' (released to celebrate the 80 year anniversary of [[The Joker]]'s first appearance) has been promoted as an "anti-[[Harley Quinn]]". From what little is known, she seems to fit the bill of this Trope for Harley, a far more violent and insane partner of the Joker, not to mention being a dark, brooding, and subtle assassin, in comparison to Harley's exuberant, frivolous personality. Indeed, the first meeting between Harley and Punchline was hatred at first sight followed by a brutal battle that seemed to cement the two as [[Arch Enemies]]. ▼
== Marvel Comics ==
▲* The 1950s incarnation of [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]] ("Commie Smasher") was (through the magic of [[Retcon]]) [[Old Shame|explained away as]] an obsessed fan of the original who insisted on replacing him during the time when he was presumed dead; while the US government decided to humor him, the faulty version of the [[Super Soldier]] enhancement process eventually drove him insane. While he was eventually captured and placed in suspended animation, he broke out years later and attacked who he thought was another Captain America imposter - the real Captain America, who had defrosted from his own accidental suspended animation.
* [[Venom (Comic Book)|Venom]] is [[Spider-Man (Comic Book)|Spider-Man]]'s Evil Counterpart, created when he symbolically cast off the darkness within him. Later, when Venom became an [[Anti-Hero]], Carnage was created to be ''his'' Evil Counterpart...
** Toxin is Venom's ''Good'' Counterpart.
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** This may not be quite so coincidental, as [[Chris Claremont]] and [[John Byrne]] were working on the ''Iron Fist'' title around the same time as their classic run on ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''.
* Following in their [[Wolverine|dad's]] footsteps, [[X-23]] and [[Daken]] seem to be heading towards this type of relationship with X-23 being the "good" counterpart and Daken being the "evil" counterpart.
▲* The 2nd Supernova is an Evil Counterpart of [[Booster Gold]], who invented the Supernova identity. While Booster works with Rip Hunter, Time Master, to [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong]], Supernova is working with time-travel based villains like Per Degaton to set things wrong in the first place. Supernova also has an Evil Counterpart of Booster's [[Robot Buddy]], Skeets, and at the end of his first appearance is revealed to be [[Luke, I Am Your Father|Booster's father]].
▲** Another member of the Time Stealers is Black Beetle, an Evil Counterpart to [[Blue Beetle]] with a [[Multiple Choice Past]].
* Flintheart Glomgold, of the [[Disney Ducks Comic Universe]] (and later ''[[DuckTales (1987)]]'') is an evil counterpart to Scrooge McDuck - every bit as ambitious as Scrooge, almost as wealthy, but with none of Scrooge's redeeming factors, such as his honesty and sense of fair play.▼
** ''[[DuckTales (1987)]]'' even increased the similarities by making Flintheart Scottish, the same nationality as Scrooge - though this was because he was originally South African in the comics, and they wanted to avoid unfortunate connections.▼
* The Marvel Comics series ''[[Sleepwalker]]'' has an Evil Counterpart in Psyko, who possesses warping abilities similar to Sleepwalker's. Sleepwalker, an alien devoted to protecting the minds of innocent people from insanity, became fused with the human Rick Sheridan when he found himself trapped in Rick's mind, whereas Psyko was created when a human [[Serial Killer]] became fused with a demonic creature from the Mindscape, giving him the ability to spread his madness like a disease, [[Mind Rape|Mind Raping]] everyone around him.
* [[Doctor Strange]] has an Evil Counterpart in Baron Mordo, who was studying with (and planning to off) the Ancient One before Stephen Strange showed up.
** Other than their common teacher, however, the two men actually do not have very much in common, their life histories and backgrounds are ''very'' different. Doctor Strange did not even realize the supernatural was real until his middle years, and only began to pursue it because an accident crippled his surgical abilities, his background is actually ''scientific''. Mordo was raised supernatural, from a supernatural family, and steeped in evil from early youth, his background is more traditionally magical/occultist, and he always sought power.
* [[Red Sonja]] meets her Evil Counterpart, Crimson Katherine, in ''Giant-Size Red Sonja'' #2.
▲* The ''[[Batman|Catwoman]]'' series tried giving Selina an Evil Counterpart a couple of times. One was She-Cat (another cat-based thief, but a less skilled and less ethical one, who eventually turned out to know Selina from when they were in the same orphanage) and another was Hellhound (a male chauvinist who'd been trained by the same [[Old Master]], and been [[The Unfavorite]]). Neither of them caught on.
▲* [[Aquaman]] has had several evil counterparts. The most obvious is the Ocean Master, his own brother. Others include Black Manta, Charybdis, [[Evil Twin]] Thanatos, and the Thirst.
* In ''Circle of Blood'', the first [[Punisher]] miniseries, Castle fights against a brainwashed army of criminals, all patterned after him.
* [[Judge Dredd]] has the Dark Judges, who have taken the policing style of the Judges to an extreme where Mega-City One is practically ''Utopian''. Also, his [[Arch Enemy]] Judge Dead, an undead Judge who initially became a Judge as an excuse to kill. ▼
* [[Iron Man]] has Iron Monger, another businessman who wears [[Powered Armour]].
** The Mandarin is more the anti-Stark than the anti-Iron Man. Stark is a playboy. Mandarin is a pimp with a harem who uses rape as a motivational tool. Stark is a thrill-seeker. Mandarin participates in gladiatorial games so he can thrill to putting his fist through someone's head. Stark sacrificed his health so he could help the world. The Mandarin sacrifices everything and everyone around him to become stronger.
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* [[She Hulk]] now has Red She-Hulk.
** Titania too. Like Jennifer, she was also a shy wallflower in high school that gained superpowers later in life. There are a few key differences though. She-Hulk never asked for her powers (she adjusted well enough though) while Titania was so desperate to be powerful and special that she let [[Doctor Doom]] experiment on her. She-Hulk's transformation helped her gain real confidence both as She-Hulk and as Jennifer Walters. Titania's powers act as a crutch and deep down she is still the insecure Mary MacPherran. Titania resents She-Hulk specifically because She-Hulk is stronger than her in every way.
* "Except for an accident of circumstance, I could have been your Luke Skywalker, and he could have been me. After all, we were both farmboys who loved to fly." Baron Soontir Fel, the [[Ace Pilot|best non-Vader pilot]] in the Empire, [http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/367889.html says this] to Wedge Antilles after he's captured by [[X Wing Series|Rogue Squadron]]. [[Farm Boy]] origins aside, he's actually closer to being the counterpart to Wedge, who also happens to be his brother-in-law. Fel is distinctly not evil; he's Imperial, which does put him on the "wrong" side, but he's not an evil man. He actually joins Rogue Squadron for a time, before disappearing and ending up as part of the [[Hand of Thrawn|Empire of the Hand]].▼
* ''[[Moon Knight]]'' had Evil Counterpart villains for his Marc Spector identity (Bushman), his Steven Grant identity (Midnight Man), and his Moon Knight persona (Black Spectre).
* [Lord Drakkon|https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Lord_Drakkon], the [[Big Bad]] of Boom! Studios ''[[Power Rangers]]'' comic series, is this to Tommy Oliver. An alternate dimension's version of Tommy who was never freed of Rita's curse, he became one of the most irredeemably evil villains in the franchise. He managed to murder at least one other alternate version of himself and ''many'' alternate versions of other Rangers before being brought down by the "mainstream" version of Tommy.▼
** On the same note, the Kimberly of that reality was brainwashed by Drakkon, becoming a villain named Ranger Slayer and becoming this towards the "mainstream" Kimberly. She also had a zord called Gravezord, which served as this to the Mega Zord. Unlike Drakkon himself, she was freed of the curse and became an ally of the mainstream Rangers, eventually altering Gravezord so it could combine with the Megazord into the stronger Mega-Gravezord, a potent weapon the heroes used against Drakkon. ▼
▲* [[Starman (comics)|Starman]]'s Jack Knight and Nash were on their respective sides of the law mainly because their fathers pushed them there.
▲* All four [[Flash]]es have fought a "reverse flash" of some sort or another. Jay Garrick had the Rival, an old college professor who discovered his power source and committed crimes dressed like the Flash. Barry Allen fought Professor Zoom, a stalker who wanted to destroy everything Flash loved. Wally West's counterpart is Zoom, a former profiler who is convinced that super heroes are only effective if they lose people they care about. Bart Allen had Inertia, an evil clone of himself.
▲** Barry Allen also fought his prior to unknown twin Malcolm Thawne aka Colbalt Blue who established his own legacy of evil that mirrored the Flash Family. [[Tangled Family Tree|Including Professor Zoom]].
* From the ''[[Knights of the Old Republic (Comic Book)|Knights of the Old Republic]]'' comics, both [[Big Bad]] Haazen and [[The Hero|hero]] Zayne Carrick are relatively weak Force-sensitives who were considered failed Jedi apprentices. The difference is that Haazen allowed his bitterness and jealousy of his more talented peers to utterly consume his life, while Zayne still maintains his [[The Messiah|fundamental human decency]] no matter what. The series' other main protagonist, [[Action Girl|Jarael]], now has one of her own in the form of [[Dark Action Girl|Chantique]], who represents what Jarael would be if she allowed herself to be dominated by her [[Dark and Troubled Past]].▼
* Raven Red in the ''[[Jet Dream (Comic Book)|Jet Dream]]'' feature. Like Jet, she's also a top-notch aviatrix with an all-girl team.▼
▲* The entire [[Justice League of America]] has an Evil Counterpart in the [[Mirror Universe]] Crime Syndicate of America. Ultraman opposes [[Superman]]. Superwoman is sometimes an evil Amazon, sometimes her world's Lois Lane, and recently, [[Shazam|Mary Marvel]] but always stands in opposition to [[Wonder Woman]]. The magic-fuelled Power Ring is Evil Counterpart to [[Green Lantern]]. Psychotic [[Super Speed|speedster]] Johnny Quick is the opposite of [[The Flash]]. And Owlman, who began as a [[Smug Snake]] [[Evil Genius]] [[The Chessmaster|Chessmaster]] with [[More Than Mind Control]] powers, and is now usually portrayed as a homicidal maniac with [[Badass Abnormal]] [[Power Armour]] is the Evil Counterpart to however [[Batman]] is being portrayed this week.
* [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Reed Richards]] and [[Doctor Doom]]: archenemies, both intellectually-inclined supergeniuses, both master inventors, both with major strengths in technology, both [[Large Ham|hammy]] and prone to [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]], both pretty similar in personality once you factor out Doom's [[This Is Your Brain on Evil]]. A lot of their battles consist of them passive-aggressively complimenting each other's moves in ways that often sound a lot like two computer geeks playing together. The key difference between them usually centres on how they handle responsibility; Doom's entire motivation stems from the fact that he can't accept that it was his own error, not Reed's interference, that caused the accident which scarred him, and maintains his vendetta to avoid having to acknowledge that he was at fault all along and Reed is just a little bit smarter than him, while Reed is a lot more willing to accept fault when he's in the wrong and will attempt to make amends or correct his mistakes.
** The Frightful Four was supposed to be this, but they aren't the most competent of the Fantastic Four's enemies. A running gag for a long time was that Wizard, Trapster, and Sandman could never find a permanent fourth member, the lineup changing with each story.
** The U-Foes are this too, four criminals who gained super-powers via an experiment similar to the one that gave the heroes their powers. Strangely, they are not enemies of the Fantastic Four, most stories involving them having them up against the Hulk.
** The Red Ghost and his three Super Apes, again villains who gained powers trying to duplicate the experiment that gave the FF their powers. Seeing as the Red Ghost was a [[Dirty Communist]] villain, they also frequently fought [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]].
* ''[[Steelgrip Starkey And The All-Purpose Power Tool]]'' pits Steelgrip Starkey against Ironarm Gantry. In contrast to the [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|heroically pure]] Steelgrip, Ironarm is brutish, selfish, and prone to bursts of anger and pettiness.
** The All-Purpose Power Tool itself has an Evil Counterpart in Ironarm's Worldbeater, a massive, polluting contraption with bolted-on components that tears up the landscape as it works.
* [[Darkhawk]] has quite a few due to wearing armor that was originally meant for an army of [[Space Pirates]].▼
▲* Death Mayhew, commander of the Nazi flying group the White Lions, was this to [[Blackhawk]].
== Other publishers ==
▲* Flintheart Glomgold, of the [[Disney Ducks Comic Universe]] (and later ''[[DuckTales (1987)]]'') is an evil counterpart to Scrooge McDuck - every bit as ambitious as Scrooge, almost as wealthy, but with none of Scrooge's redeeming factors, such as his honesty and sense of fair play.
▲** ''[[DuckTales (1987)]]'' even increased the similarities by making Flintheart Scottish, the same nationality as Scrooge - though this was because he was originally South African in the comics, and they wanted to avoid unfortunate connections.
▲* [[Judge Dredd (comics)|Judge Dredd]] has the Dark Judges, who have taken the policing style of the Judges to an extreme where Mega-City One is practically ''Utopian''. Also, his [[Arch Enemy]] Judge Dead, an undead Judge who initially became a Judge as an excuse to kill.
▲* "Except for an accident of circumstance, I could have been your Luke Skywalker, and he could have been me. After all, we were both farmboys who loved to fly." Baron Soontir Fel, the [[Ace Pilot|best non-Vader pilot]] in the Empire, [http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/367889.html says this] to Wedge Antilles after he's captured by [[X Wing Series|Rogue Squadron]]. [[Farm Boy]] origins aside, he's actually closer to being the counterpart to Wedge, who also happens to be his brother-in-law. Fel is distinctly not evil; he's Imperial, which does put him on the "wrong" side, but he's not an evil man. He actually joins Rogue Squadron for a time, before disappearing and ending up as part of the [[Hand of Thrawn|Empire of the Hand]].
* From the ''[[Power Rangers]]'' comic series:
▲** [
▲** On the same note, the Kimberly of that reality was brainwashed by Drakkon, becoming a villain named Ranger Slayer and becoming this towards the "mainstream" Kimberly. She also had a zord called Gravezord, which served as this to the Mega Zord. Unlike Drakkon himself, she was freed of the curse and became an ally of the mainstream Rangers, eventually altering Gravezord so it could combine with the Megazord into the stronger Mega-Gravezord, a potent weapon the heroes used against Drakkon.
** The Shredder becomes this to Tommy is this in a crossover between the franchise and ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''. (A joint project of BOOM! Studios and IDW) With the story retroactively taking place shortly after his introduction in "Green With Evil" five-parter, Tommy joins the Foot Clan (to act as a mole for the heroes) only for the Shredder to discover this ruse, steal the Dragon Power Coin, and become the Green Ranger. As always, he becomes [[Drunk with Power]] and is done in by [[Turtles Forever| the one constant of the multiverse]], his overblown ego.
▲* From the ''[[Knights of the Old Republic (Comic Book)|Knights of the Old Republic]]'' comics, both [[Big Bad]] Haazen and [[The Hero|hero]] Zayne Carrick are relatively weak Force-sensitives who were considered failed Jedi apprentices. The difference is that Haazen allowed his bitterness and jealousy of his more talented peers to utterly consume his life, while Zayne still maintains his [[The Messiah|fundamental human decency]] no matter what. The series' other main protagonist, [[Action Girl|Jarael]], now has one of her own in the form of [[Dark Action Girl|Chantique]], who represents what Jarael would be if she allowed herself to be dominated by her [[Dark and Troubled Past]].
▲* Raven Red in the ''[[Jet Dream (Comic Book)|Jet Dream]]'' feature. Like Jet, she's also a top-notch aviatrix with an all-girl team.
* While they never met, Kevin and Miho from ''[[Sin City]]'' were meant to be counterparts of one another. [[I Am a Humanitarian|Kevin]] is obviously the evil one while Miho is at least the [[Anti-Hero]] version.
** Marv and Manute from the same series also fit as they are both big, scary [[The Determinator|determinators]]. Dwight all but lampshaded this when he brought Marv in to deal with Manute. Bonus points are given to the fact that while Manute is evil, well dressed, and highly educated, Marv is good (in comparison), a bit of a bum, and not very book smart.
▲* [[Darkhawk]] has quite a few due to wearing armor that was originally meant for an army of [[Space Pirates]].
* Gideon Graves to [[Scott Pilgrim]]. They are both assholes who gloss over their misdeeds with [[Self-Serving Memory]], and are horrible to their girlfriends. Gideon takes his [[Yandere]] tendencies [[Up to Eleven]], while Scott eventually realizes his faults and genuinely wants to change and be a better person.
▲* Punchline - a villain introduced in 2020 in a one-shot supersized ''Joker #1'' (released to celebrate the 80 year anniversary of [[The Joker]]'s first appearance) has been promoted as an "anti-[[Harley Quinn]]". From what little is known, she seems to fit the bill of this Trope for Harley, a far more violent and insane partner of the Joker, not to mention being a dark, brooding, and subtle assassin, in comparison to Harley's exuberant, frivolous personality. Indeed, the first meeting between Harley and Punchline was hatred at first sight followed by a brutal battle that seemed to cement the two as [[Arch Enemies]].
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