Superhero doppelgangers: These DC and Marvel characters are surprisingly similar

Who Came First: Though the original Green Lantern dates back to the ’40s, the most famous version of the character landed in 1959, when John Broome and Gil Kane created Hal Jordan. Other heroes have held the Captain Marvel mantle over the years, but the current Captain, Carol Danvers, was created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan in 1968.What They Share: Carol Danvers and Hal Jordan are both pilots whose adventures bring them into contact with phenomenal cosmic powers which help to make them guardians of both their home planet and a wider swath of the galaxy. Both characters have interesting relationships with their powers, both must work to be as fearless as possible in order to master them, and both have to constantly balance the needs of Earth with the needs of a wider sector of space. Captain Marvel’s not part of a corps, necessarily, but with The Marvels coming up, she’s definitely got a family of heroes growing around her.

Who Came First: The original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, debuted in Marvel Comics courtesy of Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby back in 1962. Though Atom Smasher has family ties all the way back to the original Atom of the 1940s, he didn’t emerge as a hero in his own right until Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway created him in 1983.What They Share: Atom Smasher and the various heroes who wear the Ant-Man mantle can shift their molecular structure to change size, though in Atom Smasher’s case, it’s all about getting bigger, something the Ant-Men only do sometimes. In their film appearances, Atom Smasher and Ant-Man Scott Lang both act as comic relief for their respective superhero teams, masking their insecurities about becoming heroes with humor and vulnerability. That makes them valuable audience point-of-view characters, as well as endearing heroes who are still learning how to be good guys.

Who Came First: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross first appeared alongside the Incredible Hulk in 1962. Amanda Waller, from creators John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne, arrived more than two decades later, in 1986.What They Share: Though Ross emerged with a different motivation back in the 1960s, initially serving as a sworn enemy of the Hulk, he and Waller have developed certain parallel paths over the intervening decades. In their respective cinematic incarnations, both are taskmasters who attempt to bring super-powered beings to heel in an unpredictable world, and both seem willing to cross lines to do just that, even if Waller is a bit more amoral than Ross would seem to be.

Who Came First: Jack Kirby and Stan Lee debuted the Scarlet Witch at Marvel in 1964, while the Enchantress arrived at DC Comics two years later, from creators Bob Haney and Howard Purcell.What They Share: Both Wanda Maximoff and June Moone have a dark, often volatile connection with magic, though they came to those connections through different means. In both comics and film, Enchantress is often depicted as a villain who becomes a reluctant hero, while Wanda is a hero who’s often a reluctant antagonist. Apart from their magic, they both share a deep sense of struggle over determining who they really are, as both Wanda and June must try to assert themselves even while living in tandem with the magical personas inhabiting their bodies.

Who Came First: Stan Lee, Don Rico, and Don Heck launched Natasha Romanoff in Marvel Comics back in 1964. Though other characters bore the Huntress title before her, the Huntress we know, Helena Bertinelli, first appeared via creators Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton back in 1989. What They Share: Though they come to their roles through very different methods and serve in different capacities in their respective universes, both Natasha Romanoff and Helena Bertinelli share quite a bit. They’re both accomplished killers, they’re both morally grey in terms of how far they’re willing to go, and they’re both surprised by how much fulfillment they get out of being part of a team. We’ve only just begun to see Huntress’ big-screen story, but it wouldn’t be surprising if her arc eventually grew just as emotionally dense as Black Widow’s.

Who Came First: Though he wouldn’t emerge as a DC Comics character until the 1980s, Peacemaker first appeared in the pages of Charlton Comics in 1966, created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette. Punisher arrived at Marvel in 1974 as an enemy of Spider-Man, created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr., and Ross Andru.What They Share: Both Punisher and Peacemaker have evolved over the years, but at their core there’s the sense that they must become killing machines in order to make the world a better place, no matter what the personal cost is to themselves. In the case of the DCEU, this is played a bit more for laughs than Marvel’s screen version of the Punisher, but the moral quandaries and inner turmoil of each character remain intact. Both men have to question what a lifetime of killing does to their respective psyches, and that makes them fascinating.

Who Came First: One of the most important additions to the first decade of Avengers comics, Vision arrived from creators Roy Thomas and John Buscema in 1968. Cyborg landed in DC Comics as a member of the Teen Titans in 1980, from creators Marv Wolfman and George Perez.What They Share: There’s an interesting contrast between how Vision and Cyborg arrive at their respective man-machine states. Vision is a synthezoid who has to learn what it means to be human, while Cyborg is a human who has to learn what it means to be part machine. Both struggles eventually bring them to an interesting hybrid reality that’s explored in the films as part of a larger story of how they fit into their respective teams. In both cases, while their powers make them cool, it’s the emotions behind those powers which make them indispensable members of their respective universes.

Who Came First: Jack Kirby created Darkseid in 1970 upon moving from Marvel Comics over to DC. Thanos appeared three years later from creator Jim Starlin, who borrowed certain characteristics (namely Darkseid’s stature) from Kirby’s creation.What They Share: In their respective universes, Thanos and Darkseid are often set up as the ultimate antagonists for teams of superheroes across major event stories, and this sense of ultimate evil coupled with their Space God appearances has linked them forever in the minds of comic book fans. But it’s not just how they’re staged. Though their approaches and personalities are often very different, Thanos and Darkseid are connected by a shared desire for ultimate control over all living things, which makes them both especially driven and especially dangerous.