Clark Kent. Kal-El. The Man of Steel. The Last Son of Krypton. A place to discuss Superman and all things Superman related.
To me, these are the best Superman inspired characters. whats yours.
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I understand why it doesn't get a lot of love around here, but I really like Mark Grayson / Invincible from Invincible.
As someone who read the entire run and without getting into spoilers, I really enjoy Omniman.
Mark isn't really a Superman clone. His dad definitely is, but Mark became his own character fairly quickly. He is much more similar to Jon both thematically and in character, which is neat since Mark was made over a decade before Jon. He does get pretty Superman like in the last issue I wil admit
Idk even about Nolan
He’s got the basic vibe but he’s completely different as a character
His persona as Earth's protector is very Superman, as is the man he becomes after his change of heart. The destroyer of world's Nolan is obviously not similar to the character, but his whole story is about not being that person anymore.
I mean you don’t need to be a hero to be a blatant Superman pastiche
But Mark was raised on Earth, where he gain his moral principles like Superman, not Nolan. Hence why I always saw Mark as the real Superman influence of Invincible.
Mark is more like Peter Parker imo.
If anything he’s a Spider-Man clone with Superman’s powers
Only difference really Is that Jon's dad doesn't assassinate the justice league.
Why doesn't it get a lot of love here, Invincible was a pretty good comic I thought
Most likely because Early!Nolan adds to the tired “Evil Superman” trope that’s been so prevalent over the years.
Sure, and I hate the trope as well, but Nolan unlike most of ‘em is a good character
Agreed, though I was talking more about the principle of it than the quality of the Supermen.
Blue Marvel is kinda dope
Super dope
For me, it's All-Might from My Hero Academia. Probably one of the best modern interpretations of the idea of Superman I've seen. He's a hero who saves everyone with a smile and functions as the "Symbol of Peace" for society in My Hero Academia. The series also delves very deeply into what the presence of such a character
and their eventual disappearance
would mean to society and how other people, both the public, the heroes, and the villains, would react to that.
Agreed
Genuinely brilliant character who needs more love
He has lots well atleast in the anime community.
He’s got plenty of love
Yes, I am not a big anime fan, but a friend of mine who is recommended that show to me, knowing I am a DC fan. I actually really enjoyed it, especially the All-Might character.
I kept expecting him to have a secret evil side. Nope, he's just awesome.
My answer too!
I don't think All-Might was inspired by Superman, but he's absolutely one of the best Superman-type characters in media today. Honestly, I wouldn't mind Superman's characterization echoing him a bit more at times.
Yeah I think the creator of MHA said he was inspired by Goku.
He says that but I don’t buy it’s just Goku at all
He’s very blatantly also inspired by Western comics, and he said as much
Actually, I recall him mentioning the superman influence before but I don’t remember the interview
Literally the only character I like in the series
Besides Eris and Mirio
Blue Marvel does not get enough love.
Kinda hoping he shows up in The Marvels
No way he will. If he does they will probably turn him into a girl
We get it you’re an incel
Sigh 😔
Out of like 30+ MCU projects, they’ve gender-swapped like a handful of characters. Grow the fuck up
Don't know why you're getting downvoted, when Disney does diversity they tend to do so in an aggressively siloed way.
Because it’s classic incel-y “wahmen bad” shit
I've heard of him don't know much though sounds cool maybe read up on him.😁😁
Are there any good Blue Marvel stories? I've only seen him in the Avengers.
He was pretty bad-ass in The Ultimates.
I like Captain Marvel but I also like Icon. I’m glad he got a little screen time on Young Justice
DC really should make an Icon movie or TV show. They could have flashbacks to his life in important times in African American history.
Yeah but instead black superman I don't know why they didn't just go with him.😒😒
Theyre not willing to take a risk and would rather take the easy route. Wish DC would stop relying so much on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman for everything.
well they are taking SOME risks as of late, with movies about Blue Beetle and Black Adam
Haven't read the news stuff. But, Icon was a different take on a Superman pastiche and was one of my favorite Milestone characters.
They're making movies based off Milestone properties as mentioned in the last Fandom, Icon will probably get one of they get through.
Young Justice was great about incorporating the Milestone characters and making them feel like they were part of the larger universe.
That was probably the biggest mistake of the New 52. It was a missed opportunity to incorporate them from the beginning Cyborg shouldn't have joined the Justice League. It should have been Icon or Hardware.
Something that I like about young justice is the rotating characters and lack of reliance on the main fuckers. I don't think batman has shown up in the newest season
I'm partial to Incorruptible. Really enjoyed the series though I suppose it was not him the main character that made it good. Invincible is high on my list but really it was his dad that was inspired by Superman. Supreme in the 90s was a lot of fun and more recently Project Patron from Aftershock was really good.
Invincible is a half-and-half.
The Dad is a mix of Clark and Zod , then the kid is a mix of Clark and Conner. At the end of the series , the hero Invincible ends up been a Superman , like Clark.
Project Patron was a hell of a book, wish there were a few more issues to explore the idea. I feel like the book started in act 2 and I would have been interested in reading about how they got there in real-time.
Samaritan from Astro City
Apollo from The Authority
That’s the first time I’ve seen Samaritan mentioned in a while, he needs more love
That's a great list.
I would also add The Iron Giant :)
Its criminal i had to scroll this far down to find iron giant
huzzah! a man of quality!
UK had a Marvelman, who’s ownership changed a few times to become Miracleman. There’s also Solar, from Valiant.
I love the original Solar series from Valiant. Someday I would love to read the original Gold Key run of the character, but I doubt they will ever be released digitally. A lot of those Valiant books were actually Gold Key characters being revamped.
I liked Turok and XO Manowar. Harbinger and Archer and Armstrong were very good. Solar was the Superman character of the series, but more cosmically powerful.
I went by the name Harbinger online for years because of that book. I loved most of that Valiant run.
X-O Manowar and Bloodshot are my faves
Just gonna put out All Might
Homage but still really fun looking design
great characterisation
great feats of power
great icon of virtue
Has a genuinely interesting weakness with his powers (can only use them for a few hours a day)
Legitimately think he’s the greatest Superman pastiche out there
Yeah, he would’ve made more sense to put here than Goku
The true "Superman" of Marvel in all the ways that matter is Spider-Man IMO.
This is some DBZ Dub propaganda...
They better keep my boy Gokus name out of their mouth swear to god
I mean he was literally based off of Superman
Blue Marvel is a really great character, I hope they don't shit the bed with in The Marvels. I mean, they definitely will, but I hope not.
Best Superman inspired heroes IMO: Captain Marvel, Goku, Hyperion, Supreme, Superior, Blue Marvel, Icon, Mister Majestic.
Best Superman inspired villains IMO: The Plutonian, Homelander, Omni-Man, King Hyperion.
Hmm. Thought about it for a couple minutes, couldn't think of anyone I would switch out. Well done.
I mean Disney’s Hercules has a lot of superman influence as well!
I could argue it may be the other way around haha but agreed
Technically it’s both
Herakles inspired Superman’s aspects but Disney’s take tool influence from Supes
Technically Captain Marvel and Superman inspired each other, as Cap would have the boy scout personality and could fly prior to Superman. Superman did inspire the design, similar first cover art, champion of the oppress and Billy being a reporter like role.
Love Captain Marvel along with the others that don't serve as total deconstruction, exception of Omi-man.
A bit of an oddball pick, but I'd say Astro Boy. Superman was only one of his many inspirations, but I think he has the vibe of Supes down to a T while being entirely his own creation. Incredibly gentle, kind, compassionate and powerful being whose forced to fight constantly in order to protect his world from threats, both alien and earthbound.
Yes!! Honestly shocked Astro Boy took so long to show up in this thread; he's totally a Superman Guy.Tezuka even wrote a previous comic about a flying robot kid called Metropolis.
I think one of the things that makes Astro Boy such a great Superman-type character is he lacks something that's almost universal among the others; he's not invulnerable. Most of his stories end in tragedy with him giving his life to save other without hesitation, and that makes him such a great character.
That's a good observation. I guess invulnerability is relative. A lot of these characters have made a big sacrifice a few times, including Superman, who seems less truly invincible than in the days when fighting another Kryptonian would just leave them both kind of winded because they could not hurt each other. But few throw themselves so readily into self sacrifice as Astro Boy. In fact I think Michi from Metropolis died at the end too. Maybe Tezuka had conviction that sacrifice gave heroes a real emotional boost?
Either way: it sure worked.
The Iron Giant.
No love for The Sentry?
Some love for Brightburn.
Kind of a weird one but for me I found myself wanting a sequel immediately after watching the movie. I don’t follow any critics or anything so I don’t know how well the movie was received but I really enjoyed it.
All Might, Supreme, Mr. Majestic and Hard Case are mine.
Homelander. He's a great take on Superman. He's not the boy scout everyone thinks he is. He's a man child with super powers. It's a horrifying and interesting concept that I just love.
The Samaritan from Astro City. He explores the parts of Superman like just wanting to fly with no destination or responsibility in mind. Homelander speaks to Superman's innate goodness through the lens of being a villain. Icon imagines a Superman raised in subjugation, still rising to be a hero.
As some have said, All Might and Saitama.
Gladiator >
Sorry for the ignorance, but what are all of Blue Marvel’s powers and origin? He looks cool. I know I could Google it, but I figured someone passionate enough would explain it in a more precise sense.
super strength (similar to Hulk)
invulnerability
flight through manipulation of gravity (estimated as 34 times the speed of sound)
can sense beyond the human perception
can control negative matter energy and release it as energy constructs, stun bolts, and energy blasts
molecular manipulation (could heal and boost electromagnetic properties)
can emit light from his body
has been trained in armed and unarmed combat under the US Marines
incredibly intelligent in Theoretical physics and electrical engineering
Oh wow, surprised we haven’t gotten a live action version or something with him in it. Seems like a good character to popularize more. Thanks for the response!
Captain America.
Shazam has always been my go to just due to what it means for him to have the power of the gods but still recognize he needs his humanity. His parallel against black Adam further solidifies this shared theme between the 3 with what great power can do but without humanity the issues of losing touch.
No Iron giant?
Love me some Blue Marvel... They did him dirty just because of the color of his skin. He fought back and became the leader of the Ultimates. What a hero
Love that you included Captain Marvel (a.k.a. Shazam!). Of all of the Superman inspired creations, he's not only my favorite, but gave Superman enough competition to make them both better. Always a good thing! Thanks for your post. All the best to you and yours.
Huck, without a doubt.
Hyperion?
More recent for me, but it's All Might.
Pretty much Golden Age Superman without any other powers. Pure heart, always there to save the day.
"Go beyond"
Not sure how much resemblance is really there, but I’ve always thought of Optimus Prime in a similar light, he’s gotta be up there for me
Sentry and Mr Majestic
Mr majestic vs Omni man
Gotta give it to Majestic. Both have similar amount of experience from what I can tell and neither like to hold back very much, but Majestic has a few abilities that Omniman doesn’t, like laser vision and ice breath and he has survived a nuclear blast without much difficulty.
Good point
Disney's Hercules.
All Might is amazing
While he is not the best, I would just like to point out that Batman was inspired from Superman too. All superheroes were.
One Punch Man is my fave. OP, would prefer not to fight and holds back on their power the whole time. And is so humble.
The rest seem right except for goku
The Samaratan from Astro City
Sentry is mine.
Icon.
CHARACTER: Mr. Majestic;
FIRST APPEARANCE: "WildC.A.T.s" #11 (June 1994);
CREATED BY: H.K. Proger & Jim Lee;
PUBLISHER: WildStorm (DC Comics).
Omni man. Lol
While the character of Hercules obviously predates Superman, I think the Disney iteration of him is a great Superman-inspired character. The movie is a lot like if you combined Superman the Movie and Superman 2 (but manages to keep [and arguably improve upon] the best elements of them unlike a certain movie...).
Hercules's characterization is much more in line with our modern sensibility of a hero than the more warrior-like heroes of mythology. The purity of heart, the desire to belong and help feel very Clark-like to me. There's a pretty believable theory that his cape his the shawl that his mother drapes over his shoulders as he's leaving home, which is so classically Superman. Even Meg reminds me a bit of the jaded, snarky facade some interpretations of Lois put on.
Even Allmight from MHA
One-Punch Man. I turned into a total Saitama fangirl.
METROMAN!
omni-man saitama captain underpants and goku
Goku was inspired by Son Wukong not Superman
Both actually.
Toriyama literally has said both so you’re 100% right. Idk what the other people are talking about lol
Toriyama has also said he doesnt see Goku as a hero so make what you will with that.
Well because he’s not, just an excellent warrior who is simple-minded and happens to live on earth, making his earthly connections the closest thing to him
Exactly the anime made him like Superman
Nah goku is only like Superman in the dub
When did Toriyama ever say Goku was inspired by Superman?
Bro he's one of the last survivors of a blown up planet that was sent to Earth by his father in a space craft, was adopted a farmer, and became one of the strongest protectors of the planet. How is that not ripped straight from Superman??
Because that wasn't Goku original story. Y'all are showing your age. The character wasnt concived as a sayian but a kid with a monkey tail a la Son Wukong. His sayian background wasnt fleshed out until Z. Until then it hadnt really been developed at all. Toriyama once said that he considered linking his origin to King Piccolo.
Though you are not wrong a character can be inspired by many things. He is inspired by sun wukong in the beginning, but his story evolve to be more superman like.
Those 2 aren't exclusive to each other.
So, do you just consider anything after the Piccolo saga non-canon or...?
Yeah, it wasn't part of his original character, but then neither was going Super Saiyan. Parts of his character are absolutely taken from Superman, by Akira Toriyama, whether they were there when the first chapter of Dragon Ball was published or not. Inspiration for a character doesn't end when they make their first appearance
Well by that logic, the Goku pictured in the OP is an adult and thus was from Dragon Ball Z, not from Dragon Ball. Therefore, even if the kid Goku from Dragon Ball wasn't based on Superman, the adult from Dragon Ball Z was, so OP is still correct.
“THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE INSPIRATION!”
Dragon Ball Goku was Son Wukong, but in DBZ he was inspired by Superman.
DBZ, especially the English dubs, make him a lot like Superman. Even the first arc was apparently directly inspired by Superman II (Vegeta being like Zod).
That speech he gave to Frieza is basically just Superman writing for the most part
"I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth. ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU!"
Yeah pretty much. It's from the English dub and it's completely different and almost opposite to the actual original speech in regards to Goku's character. Hence u/fourbat's response.
Yeah which I would get if we were talking about the manga
That trash speech is not canon 💀
“ItS nOt CaNoN!!! 🤓🤓🤓”
Maybe in Dragonball but you can see the Superman Mythos in DBZ
Saitama from One Punch Man
I don't think he's superman inspired at all really.🤔🤔
A humble man, becomes OP, and holds back constantly. And lives a simple life regardless of his powers.
It's adorable.
But he doesn't save anyone he'll he's really not a superhero at all and he wasn't born with these powers at all.
He saves people all the time. And the world. It's even in his origin story about how he wanted to save someone, seemed to fail and then just started training.
Regarding his powers....it's a running gag of his training methods because doing 100 pushups a day is really feasible and isn't going to give him the power to destroy a meteorite. It's heavily implied he's always had these powers, but only seems to use them to be a hero.
He's not interested in all the trappings of heroism, just in being a hero and living a humble life. He isn't even interested in getting any credit for his heroics. But makes sure anyone else who does heroism gets credit where it's due.
There are enough parallels with being an office worker but being super powered, wanting to help others, being considered OP but still having an interesting story to tell, and stopping beings that think they are too powerful or mad with power that they should rule over everyone else, and the overall trope of fulfilling oneself by using ones powers to defend others without ego .... .it covers so many of the Superman tropes, it has to be considered.
You might not be convinced, but that ok too :D
Goku wasn’t inspired by Superman. He was inspired by Son Wukong.
Goku is inspired by sun wukong
Disney's Hercules (1997)
The only one in that picture that truly has a fair shot at defeating Superman is Captain Marvel.
Who said anything about defeating him?
Captain Marvel And how is Goku a Superman related character
Really? The alien rocketed from a dying world as an infant, raised by a caring parent who teaches him human values, and grows up to become a super-powered defender of the innocent?
That doesn't really ring a bell /s
I don't know what "/s" means.
It means he is being sarcastic;)
Don't forget how alien survivors from the dead world ended up finding his planet and becoming villains to him. He also dies and gets resurrected multiple times, each time other heroes try to take his place.
I mean, that’s dragonball Z goku.
Dragonball Goku was based on “Journey to the West” which I why his name is Goku and why he has a monkey tail to begin with.
Oh yeah I forgot about that. My brain must've turned off for a second
Capitan Marvel is older than Superman...
Edit: Sorry, internet people, I'm wrong :(
Sorry, but no, not at all. A simple Google search gets you that answer.
No he's not. He debuted a few months later, with the editor at Fawcett Comics specifically asking for "Superman, but make his secret identity a child."
I'm not sure where you got that impression, but it is not the case at all and Captain Marvel was made in reaction to Superman. Superman was first published in Action Comics #1 in April 1938. Captain Marvel was first published in Whiz Comics #2 in December 1939
Happy cake day!
Superman is the first serialized comic book superhero lol
Arguably untrue, The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician are both sometimes regarded as superheroes who predate Superman by quite some time. Technically they're comic strips, not books, but the difference was very minor back then.
I thought it was the other way around for some reason. Either way, I love both characters.
Luisa from Encanto. During her song, I was like “this is maybe the best feature film version of Superman since Christopher Reeves.”
Has Toriyama actually said that or is this something that’s mostly just accepted in this sub?
No he has but he's also inspired by Sung Wu Kong.
He has said it.
Is there a source? To be frank, I’ve come across so many unsubstantiated claims on this site. It’s quite difficult to know what’s true.
I don’t have one offhand, I’m afraid. My memory is of a translated interview from the GT era talking about how they shared origins but not motives, but it’s been years since I looked for it. I’ll see if I can find some substantiation.
If I may be honest, if it’s GT, I don’t think we can make any statements based on that considering that he was all but completely divorced of that project. I don’t think he would have been giving interviews during that era. Perhaps it was the anime staff that made the Superman parallel? It would make sense given GT’s more extra terrestrial focused plot line.
This post surprised me since as far as I know, Toriyama stated that he wasn’t overly familiar with Superman, when stating that he’d prefer Goku to be weaker than him.
So no proof
Cap goku isn’t even a hero
Well, that’s not exactly true, but you’re right that it was never his goal. He’s a hero because he’s saved a bunch of people. It just always happened as a byproduct of his love of fighting and improving himself.
So he is a selfish hero unlike Superman Also where had tori said it?
All Might definitely belongs on here more than Goku. DBS Goku acts nothing like his DBZ counterpart it’s actually insane.
i wouldn't say Goku is inspired by Superman but i get it
more literally he's a direct Sun Wukong analog
Goku isn’t a superman inspired character. His story predates Kal-El’s by a couple of centuries
Goku is inspired by son wukong
I’m not a big Superman fan, but his influence on media is undeniable.
Goku and Superman are only similar in their origin, aside from that Goku is nothing like superman
Goku’s creation was never inspired by Superman. It was Sun Wukong that inspired his creation.
Goku actually is not some innocent protector like the english dub portrayed him. Truly because of his Saiyan traits all he cares about is fighting, not protecting others
Goku is based on Superman ?
An alien from a destroyed planet comes to earth and becomes its mightiest warrior. The similarity is quite obvious. It is also based on the story of "Journey to the West"
Goku was inspired by Monkey King, not Superman.
Goku is not superman inspired character, lol. He is based of Son Wukong, the Monkey King, etc.
An alien from a destroyed planet comes to earth and becomes its mightiest warrior. The similarity is quite obvious.
In DragonBall, the original manga/anime, he wasn't an alien at all. This was done during DBZ
Goku’s not really a Superman inspired character. Besides the possible inspiration with his origin (the recent DB Minus revision especially), there’s not many similarities between them at all.
You are right imo. Aside from the similar origins in Z(Saiyan Saga) the characters are wildly different. Goku isn’t even a hero in the first place. In DB he was Sun Wukong inspired.
Toriyama
He’s a martial artist who wants to get stronger, he protects his friends but his selfishness shows sometimes(especially during the Universe Tournament arc).
He’s not evil of course, far from it but he’s not a superhero like Superman lol
Woah I did get downvoted. I literally just stated a fact, that's crazy. Probably should have elaborated as you did. You put it perfectly.
Superman's writers stole many of Shazams powers during the golden age of comics. At one point Shazam was a larger character but then I think Action Comics gave Superman all of Shazams powers & then sued Whiz Comics for copyright infringement and won the case. Shazam had a cape before him. Power of flight before him. Tights before him and a bald psycho super villain before him.
How did Shazam have a cape before Superman if the first issue of Action Comics shows Superman having a cape? Same thing for the tights...
Almost everything you just wrote is wrong.
Captain marvel was created before Superman