Best Superheroes Based On Marvel and DC Characters

Summary

• Invincible draws inspiration from Marvel and DC superheroes, combining traits to create unique characters.
• Mark Greyson (Invincible) combines Spider-Man’s personality with Superman’s powers, showcasing strength and morality.
• Atom Eve’s reality manipulation and telekinesis powers are reminiscent of Scarlet Witch and Jean Grey.

The Invincible series by comic artist Robert Kirkman is one of the best superhero comic book series to release in the 2000s, and with its adaptation as an animated TV series on Amazon Prime, it is gaining popularity. It has its own unique story and an interesting set of characters, but there’s no denying that it draws inspiration from some of the most popular Marvel and DC superheroes.

And that is a part of its charm. Invincible is a memorably intentional homage to some of the best superhero stories from the golden era of comic books. While some share traits from a combination of characters, others are direct inspirations.

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Invincible: Spider-Man & Superman

The Titular Character is Inspired by Two of the Most Popular Superheroes

Mark Greyson, aka Invincible himself, is inspired by Peter Parker as Spider-Man in terms of his personality, and Superman when it comes to powers. While Superman and Spider-Man have similar moralities, Spider-Man has an air of naive optimism around him. Invincible demonstrates this as well, along with his “friendly neighborhood” vibe and his no-killing policy. As he gets drawn into the Coalition of Planets and its war against the Viltrumites, his story and characteristics start resembling Superman more.

As a character, Invincible grows into one of the most powerful superheroes in the series, with superpowers similar to Superman’s. He’s got super strength and flight locked down in that regard. While all Viltrumites in the series have similar powers, Invincible is the good guy here, which is why he’s special. Kirkman has gone out of his way to give both Superman and Spider-Man’s best traits to Invincible, so that he stands out and isn’t the boring goody-two-shoes archetype.

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Atom Eve: Scarlet Witch & Jean Grey

Eve Combines Reality Manipulation With Telekinesis

It is often argued that Atom Eve is one of the strongest characters in the show, and with good reason. Her powers are based on two of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Comics universe.

Atom Eve can manipulate matter at a molecular and atomic level. Not only does this give her telekinetic powers like Jean Grey from the X-Men, but also the ability to manipulate reality itself, especially when her mental limits are lifted in a near-death scenario. In terms of feats, Eve has some of the most impressive ones in the Invincible comics and is one of Invincible’s most powerful allies.

8

Rex Splode: Gambit

The Cajun Mutant Inspires the Feisty Loudmouth

Having begun the series as a rather annoying and condescending character, Rex-Splode has become one of the most beloved characters in the series because of his immense character development. Just like the superhero he’s inspired by, Rex is a complicated character with a tragic background.

His superpowers are nearly identical to Gambit’s from Marvel’s X-Men series. Gambit is a mutant superhero with the ability to charge items with kinetic energy. His signature style is to charge playing cards with explosive kinetic energy and throw them at his opponents. Rex is similar in this regard, except instead of kinetic energy, his powers are more directly explosive. Rex also has a pivotal moment in his story that is very similar to one of Gambit’s most popular moments.

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Shrinking Rae: Ant Man

Similar Powers With a Different Background

Shrinking Rae doesn’t exactly have a major role in the Invincible series, but she is a great supporting character and an important superhero as a Guardian of the Globe. She’s also got some interesting subplots that develop over the course of the series in terms of her relationship with Rex Splode.

Her powers are similar to those of Ant-Man from Marvel Comics. What stands out about her, however, is that she is naturally capable of shrinking down to a tiny size, unlike Ant-Man, who uses Hank Pym’s suit for his powers. Additionally, Rae cannot be any larger than her natural size, making her a one-trick pony of sorts.

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Monster Girl: Hulk

A Monster in a Teenager’s Body

Hulk is by far one of the most popular characters in superhero history. He was already quite popular among Marvel Comics fans, but Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe propelled the character to cult status. Of course, Invincible would be the perfect series to pay homage to the Gamma Radiation-powered green titan. That tribute manifests in the form of Monster Girl.

Kirkman’s characterization of Monster Girl is masterful. She’s her own character, with an interesting backstory that stands out compared to Bruce Banner, but her Monster form is just as menacing and powerful. She’s actually a grown woman inflicted by a curse that gives her the ability to transform into a powerful green monster. The catch is, every time she transforms, she gets younger.

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War Woman: Wonder Woman & Hawk Girl

An Amazonian Warrior With Hawk Girl’s Weapon of Choice

She may not have a huge role to play in the series, given her demise at the hands of Omni-Man in the beginning. However, it is clear that most of the members of the Guardians of the Globe are based on DC’s Justice League. War Woman encapsulates this fact perfectly.

Her background story is almost exactly the same as Wonder Woman’s. She’s an Amazonian warrior who has traveled to human civilization and has super strength, flight, and speed. She also uses a mace for a weapon, and relies a lot more on her flight than Wonder Woman does. These traits are similar to Hawk Girl, who is also from the Justice League series.

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Red Rush: The Flash

The Speedster With a Heart Takes After DC’s Popular Superhero

The Flash is one of the most popular superheroes in pop culture. Everyone loves a good speedster, and The Flash is pretty much the best of them. But if there’s one kind of superhero that isn’t present in the Invincible series, it’s the speedster. Of course, there’s Red Rush, but he’s only present in the series for a very short cameo in the beginning.

He was originally introduced as a member of the Guardians of the Globe, alongside War Woman, Immortal, Green Ghost, and Martian Man, who are the Invincible Universe’s stand in for the Justice League. His powers are very much like The Flash’s, just significantly scaled down in terms of potential.

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Green Ghost: Kitty Pryde

Channeling the X-Men’s Iconic Phase Shifter

Another original Guardians of the Globe member who makes a brief appearance in the series, Green Ghost got her powers from a jade-colored crystal. She can phase through surfaces and walls, and make herself intangible. Her powers are based on Kitty Pryde, from Marvel’s X-Men series.

The one major difference between her powers and Kitty Pryde’s is Green Ghost’s ability to fly, giving her an additional advantage in her phasing abilities. It is widely regarded that she didn’t use her powers well enough in the series. It doesn’t make much of a difference regardless, because she’s only a minor character making a cameo. She’s also the only character in the original Guardians of the Globe that isn’t based on a DC character.

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Aquarus: Aquaman & Namor

An Atlantean King Must Exist in All Superhero Series

It’s weird how the idea of a superhero with powers around water is almost always an Atlantean King ruling an underwater kingdom. The DC Universe has Aquaman, the Marvel Universe has Namor, and the Invincible universe has, or rather had, Aquarus.

Another member of the first Guardians of the Globe, Aquarus makes an appearance during the initial chapters of the comics as the ruler of an underwater kingdom. What differentiates him from Aquaman and Namor is his physical appearance, which looks more like a fish with a humanoid body, much like the rest of his Kingdom.

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Darkwing: Batman

One of the Most Obvious DC Inspirations

Batman is debatably one of the most iconic superheroes in the world, and that is why a series like Invincible must have an inspired version of the character. It does so in the form of Darkwing, who is two different characters in the series.

The first Darkwing is one of the members of the original Guardians of the Globe, whereas the second one is his former assistant who takes on his role. It doesn’t appear that the first Darkwing has any superpowers, and like Batman, he uses a wide arsenal of gadgets and weapons creatively. The second one does seem to have some powers when he lives in the Shadow Realm, where he can transport others with him to gain an advantage.