Bettah run through duh juhn-gull

Warlord- Ka Zar

Evidently, Mike Grell’s Warlord series was DC’s best seller in the mid- to late 70s, sword and sorcery books being fecund funnee book source material —i.e. the Conan series, which was key to Marvel’s survival in the 1970s. I only recall the series dimly, and apparently the Morgan character and the Skartaris disapora has occasionally been dropped into mainstream DC continuity, which Grell did not intend.

But Ka-Zar? The character was a boilerplate Tarzan from his introduction in the X-Men in 1965 throughout the 1970s, until the early 1980s. In 1981, however, writer Bruce Jones rethought Ka-Zar as indeed a “noble savage,” but one who had recently decided that he doesn’t need to talk in the third person and is educated and articulate.

The 1980s Ka-Zar series, which was initially sold only in the direct market, was exceptionally well-written and introduced your Kounterpart Kurator to a lot of ideas and adult characterizations that he found quite stimulating. It’s too bad Jones’ series has been forgotten —not by me though!

Commonalities:
Both are based on (i.e. good old fashioned rip-offs) concepts created by Edgar Rice Burroughs: Warlord’s Skartaris was reminiscent of the author’s Pellucidar, and Ka-Zar = Tarzan, obviously. Otherwise, the “sword and sorcery” and “jungle adventure” milieus are nearly indistinguishable —lots of dinosaurs, monsters, magicians, voluptuous wimmen and blades. And both run around wearing very little clothing.

Differences:
Plunder grew up in his particular hidden, primeval land, whereas Morgan found his as an adult veteran of the Vietnamese conflict.

Alternate histories:

WA: As a child, Travis Morgan and his parents discover the hidden realm Skartaris: his mother and father and are killed, leaving the young Morgan to fend for himself. Upon young adulthood, he is recognized as the Warlord, the general protector of Skartaris. While he initially behaves in a “barbaric” manner when he encounters the visiting likes of the Titans, Blue Beetle and the Black Canary, Morgan eventually embraces his civilized heritage.

KZ: Kevin Plunder is a soldier who discovers the hidden realm the Savage Land and its larger adjoining territory Panagea. He combats various tyrants, sorcerers and tyrannical sorcerers, works with sympathetic natives and eventually is recognized as Ka-Zar, the Lord of the Savage Land.

A bloodsucker and a bat-shit berserker

Creeper- Morbius, the Living Vampire

I have never read Steve Ditko’s very brief 1968 DC series Beware the Creeper, which alongside Hawk and Dove, followed his work for Charlton Comics. But I’ve read stories featuring the Creeper, whose character design is as striking as every Ditko creation. No one can ever decide whether Jack Ryder can control his Creeper persona, or whether his transformation drives him bat-shit insane. I think the latter option would be infinitely preferable: wouldn’t the idea of a Joker who goes after crooks seem to present endless story possibilities?

I only recently remembered Morbius, a character created indirectly in 1971 to challenge the Comic Code's then-two decade long ban on referencing the supernatural. Morbius arrived at his vampiric qualities through scientific means, and so the Code could not fuck with Marvel. Soon, horror characters could be pushed on kids again by Marvel and other publishers. Which, happily, is the way it should be.

Commonalities:
Scary, keep-‘em-guessing, struggling-with-bloodlust-and insanity fellows both: are they evil? Are they nuts? Are they murderous?

Differences:
I reckon these two line the fuck up!

Alternate histories:

CR: Jack Ryder is stricken with a rare blood disease, and attempts to cure himself via an experimental treatment. Instead, the procedure turns Ryder into a yellow-skinned, green haired super strong acrobat with maniacal and nearly homicidal tendencies. Assuming the identity “the Creeper,” he initially opposes the Blue Beetle, although he more recently has exhibited more self-control.

MO: Michael Morbius is wounded by thugs, and is injected with a serum that turns him into a seeming “living vampire,” complete with chalk-white skin and fangs. He then vacillates between his normal form and that of his occasionally deadly vampiric persona: although he has often worked with other superhuman operatives, few can count on whether Morbius is relatively stable or insane with bloodlust.

AHH…big heads

The Guardians of the Universe- The Watchers

The 1960s was, among other things, a boom time for ancient alien races comprised by omniscient fellows with very big heads in popular culture. One of my earliest TV memories involves the Talosians, the dispassionate humanoids from the Star Trek pilot The Cage, which was shot in 1964, turned down by NBC but reused in the 1968 episode The Menagerie. I remember calling these creatures simply “buttheads” years before the term became widespread.

And so we turn to the two preeminent omniscient, bulbous-headed races in the DCU and MU. The Guardians have been part of the Green Lantern line since 1960: one traveled around the U.S. with Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen in the 1970s, learning a lot of “relevant” things about earthlings. And Uatu the Watcher has observed and advised the Fantastic Four and damn near everyone else since 1963.

Commonalities:
Both races are among the eldest in either diaspora. And they have big heads, which is paramount.

Differences:
They are opposed by their very natures: the Guardians attempt to impose order on the universe via various peacekeeping organizations, whereas the Watchers operate under a strict non-inteference directive.

Alternate histories:

GU: The Guardians of the Universe have existed since very near the birth of the universe: they have stood watch over the development of various civilizations across the cosmos. One guardian, Ganthet, has taken a keen interest in the affairs of the planet Earth and has encountered the Doom Patrol, Superman and virtually every superhuman operative on and off Earth.

WA: The Watchers have existed since very near the birth of the universe: they have stood watch over the development of various civilizations across the cosmos, although one of their number becomes the agent of universal entropy Galactus. The Watchers formed the Nova Corps, an interstellar peacekeeping force: both the Watchers and the Corps were destroyed but have recently been reconstituted.

"Luke, I Am your Father" syndrome, part I

Madame Rouge- Mystique

Why, your kounterpart kurator asks someone— anyone who may ever read these words— are comic book creators so susceptible to the “Luke, I am your father” syndrome?

The second character cited was introduced in 1980 in the perhaps too-often-referenced “Days of Future Past” storyline: Mystique was a blue-skinned shapeshifter leading a new iteration of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Evidently she was intended by co-creator Chris Claremont as not only the “life partner” of fellow evil mutant Destiny, but, due to the biological quirks of shapeshifting, the “father” of Nightcrawler.

But the time at Marvel, LGBT characters were verboten. Only in the last decade or so (I think?) was this connection revealed.

It’s enough that Magneto was eventually shown to be the father of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. It was also enough that Nightcrawler was a German gypsy of unexceptional parentage, and to limn him to a blue -skinned mutant femme fatale is, frankly, cheap and unimaginative.

As for Madame Rouge, I seem to remember that she was wreeten to ‘ave a conspeecuous french accent.

Commonalities:
Both are shapeshifters who’ve made it into the film/tv arms of their representative franchises.

Differences:
Only that Madame Rouge (who can also stretch!) is an obscure french super-villainess who has not been revived in the DCU.

Alternate histories:

MR: Laura Demille was apparently born in the early 20th century; her preternatural shape-shifting abilities have retarded her aging. She assumes a number of identities and associations, and using the codename Madame Rouge, comes to light as an antagonist of Hawkgirl and the Titans, and as a mentor to a troubled young Terra. She has since worked with and against the Titans, and apparently (and stupidly) has been revealed to be the mother of the Titan Changeling.

MY: Raven Darkholme is modified into a shape-shifter by a criminal mastermind; using the codename Mystique, Darkholme opposes the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Initially, Mystique struggles with a split personality, vacillating from affection for Charles Xavier and hostility towards the Doom Patrol, which she is incorrectly believed to have murdered. She finally dies in battle with the X-Men.

Two tough guys with hearts of gold…

Robotman- Thing

These two were initially discussed in January, but merit further alternate history-style exposition.

Alternate histories:

RM: Cliff Steele grows up poor in a major metropolitan city: he enters college, where he befriends Steve Dayton and becomes a football star. Steele then embarks on a career driving experimental automobiles: it is around this time that he, Dayton, Rita Farr and Larry Trainor are struck by certain cosmic energy, and resolve to operate as the Doom Patrol. Steele is transformed into a super-strong robotic creature, and consents to be referred to as Robotman, although he frequently despairs that he is less than human. Robotman is a mainstay of the Doom Patrol, although he is one of the best liked operatives in the superhuman community and works with others very often.

TH: Ben Grimm is a test pilot whose body is all but destroyed after his plane crashes. His body is then mutated into a monstrous, super-strong rock-like form by Charles Xavier in order to save his life. While Grimm accepts the codename the Thing, and becomes a charter member of the Fantastic Four, he frequently despairs that he is less than human. When the Fantastic Four are allegedly killed after volunteering to sacrifice their lives to save innocents, the Thing enters suspended animation; upon revival, he leads newer iterations of the Fantastic Four.

the Avengers International, 1987

This is what the initial lineup of the post-Detroit, "bwah-hah-hah" version of the Avengers would be…

Captain America
Silver Surfer
Mockingbird
Dr. Strange
Spider-man
Guardsman
Quasar
Starfox
Pulsar/Captain Marvel
joined later by:
Longshot
Wonder Man
Firebird

One character gave the english speaking world an exclamation; the other gave nerds continuity porn

Captain Marvel- Quasar/Marvel Man

The other day, while looking around for info on the second character named above, I happened upon a message board posting where some nerd was talking about how much he liked Quasar, a “cosmic” hero that kicked around without much notice until he starred in what I gather was a highly wonky series penned by Mark Gruenwald and which ran from the late ‘80s to the mid ‘90s (this was the time I was not reading funnee books) .

In the Image era to which the series yielded, said the poster, every character grimaces while he blows villains heads off. Whereas Quasar is a noble young man who tries to do the right thing. To which another poster, evincing the cheap scorn some nerds on the internet indulge in so as to create a geek pecking order, sneered “every character, no matter how lame, is someone’s favorite.”

Apparently, Gruenwald saw Quasar as an “everyman” character who would explore the cosmic byways of the MU in a different, more wide-eyed manner than, say, the Silver Surfer. I liked Gruenwald’s Captain America and enjoy superhero wonkiness, so I’d like to check the series out one day.

So of course, a character known only to earnest goofballs will be paired with a hero who frequently outsold the Superman books in the 1940s and early ‘50s; provoked a lawsuit from DC Comics against the character’s publisher Fawcett Publications over a reasonable similarity to Superman; ceased publication and saw its copyright languish so that other publishers could use the name; gave Gomer Pyle his favorite exclamation; and was finally purchased by DC and fully integrated into its fictional diaspora. Most importantly, Captain Marvel is probably better known than any DC character save Superman, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman.

The fanciful mythos common to the Big Red Cheeses probably doesn’t work past the 1940s: talking tigers and worms are best left in the past. But Captain Marvel worked well for about 25 years as a wish-fulfillment of many kids who read comic books before (and to a lesser extent after) the Stan and Jack revolution. Now he’s taken the wizard Shazam’s place as a mystical vizier, or somesuch other dumb shit.

Commonalities:
It’s the sense that both are essentially decent young fellows charged with great powers by ancient beings.

Differences:
Ostensibly, Quasar’s abilities to create energy constructs with his quantum bands, not to mention his relative youth and his cosmic bailiwick, would line up with Kyle Rayner. And Roy Thomas linked Rick Jones to Mar-Vell as an explicit nod to his namesake.

Alternate histories:

CM: Billy Batson is a rookie operative at a government agency who acquires an artifact once used by a that grants him immense strength, stamina and control of mystical thunderbolts. After a few years as the novice hero Captain Marvel, he travels into space and discovers that the artifact is a remnant of a offshoot civilization of “New Gods,” and that he has been chosen by the alien wizard Shazam to succeed the deceased Hawkman as a guardian of the “rock of eternity.” While he joins the Justice League for a short time, Captain Marvel spends most of his time opposing menaces throughout the cosmos; he apparently has been revived in a quasi-spectral state after he was thought to have been killed by an extraterrestrial antagonist.

QU: Teenager Wendell Vaughn encounters Eon, an omniscient creature who grants him various “quantum” abilities, which he henceforth accesses by transforming into adult form. Using the name Marvel Man and then Quasar, Vaughn is one of the few superhumans who can credibly challenge the Mighty Thor. During stints with the Avengers and the Liberty Legion, many colleagues, unaware that he’s truly an adolescent, note his naive demeanor. After a cosmic conflagration, Quasar has taken the place of the slain Eon as a universal guardian granted with “cosmic awareness.”

One's an absolute creep… the other? Dunno

Green Lantern/Warrior (Guy Gardner)- Guardsman (Michael O’Brien)

I cannot tell how Guy Gardner was initially characterized when he first appeared in the Green Lantern books in the late ‘60s and 1970s. But Keith Giffen and J.M DeMatteis decided that he would come forth as the DCU’s biggest, non-villainous asshole when they took over the Justice League franchise in 1987. And that has been the way Gardner’s been played since, often humorously, which suits me fine.

The Guardsman? Don’t remember a goddamn thing other than he worked closely with Tony Stark after antagonizing him, wore an armor similar to Iron Man's and had red hair. All of which will do the trick for me.

Commonalities:
Both are alternates and antagonists for the main character in their respective franchises, with identical M.O.s.

Differences:
I don’t remember anything about whether the Guardsman was a jerk or not.

Alternate histories:

GG/GL: Policeman Guy Gardner is distressed when his insane brother perishes in battle with Green Lantern (Hal Jordan); he incorrectly believes that Jordan killed the elder Gardner. He appropriates the same power ring his brother used and attacks Jordan. But Gardner reconciles with Jordan, and the latter hires the former to provide security at Ferris Aircraft. Gardner masters the alternate power ring, and eventually becomes head of security at S.T.A.R. Labs.

GU/MO: Michael O’Brien is an aggressive young man who, while practicing social work, is nearly picked by the Watchers to become their representative on Earth. Instead, the Watchers select Tony Stark, and O’Brien becomes their alternate representative, despite his resentment towards Stark and virtually everyone he encounters. When Stark is displaced, O’Brien becomes the Guardsman, the only individual on Earth to wear the Nova Corps armor, and joins the Avengers. His sociopathic behavior increases, and he is disliked by most of his teammates intensely. The Guardsman has continued his association with the Nova Corps since Stark’s return.

Women in Refrigerators, Part II

Batgirl/Oracle - Hellcat

Imagine if Betty Cooper, Archie Andrew’s heartthrob, was re-imagined as a full-fledged super heroine. That’s what befell Patsy Walker, a character published continuously in various teen romance titles by Timely/Marvel from 1944 to 1967, which is more than we can say for Captain America, the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch.

Walker was said to have becomes disenchanted with her marriage to longtime boyfriend Robert Buzz Baxter: she became Hellcat, and of course Baxter goes nuts and is eventually transformed into the super villain Mad Dog. It’s as if Jughead turned into the Punisher. Hellcat was an appealing character in the Defenders in the 1970s and ‘80s, but unsurprisingly was shown to have lost her mind after marrying the Son of Satan and then to have been consigned to eternal damnation. Which of course didn’t last —she’s running around the land of the living again.

Barbara Gordon is a much more substantial character. She was created in the DCU to line up the with the Yvonne Craig character Batgirl in the 1960s Batman tv program: she is therefore known to a greater amount of non-fanboys than, say, Black Canary. Gordon was a fixture of the DCU in the 1970s and early ‘80s.

But in the 1980s, perhaps Batgirl was increasingly viewed as a relic. So Alan Moore’s Killing Joke story depicted Gordon being shot in the stomach by the Joker, so as to break the spirit of her father, Commissioner Gordon. The story was not intended as canon, but her brutal incapacitation stuck, and it remains the most vivid example of the Women in Refrigerators syndrome: the debate regarding this turn of events rages on to this day.

But writers Kim Yale and John Ostrander resolved to have Gordon turn lemons into lemonade; she has since become Oracle, the DCU’s premiere information broker. I suppose that’s a good outcome, but the tendency among comic book writers to mutilate female characters remains troubling.

Commonalities:
Redhead teenage characters turned crimefighters turned survivors of horrific calamities.

Differences:
Walker is not a super-genius, and has bounced back from a dreadful setback. Gordon has not, but is shown to have risen above ghastly circumstances to a preeminent position in her respective diaspora.

Alternate histories:

BG/OR: Barbara Gordon becomes dissatisfied with her conventional marriage; she encounters the Elongated Man, and dons a quasi-mystically uniform that enhances her already impressive athleticism. Taking the codename Batgirl, Gordon assists the Justice League on a number of missions before joining the Outsiders for a extended term. She marries noted demonspawn John Constantine, Hellblazer, and is eventually driven insane and is subsequently trapped in “Hell.” Gordon has recently returned to the realm of the living and has taken up the guise of Batgirl again.

HC: Patsy Walker is inspired by Captain America to hone her mental and physical abilities to peak conditions: she assumes the codename Hellcat, and assists the Captain and many other superhuman operatives. But Walker was crippled via an encounter with the Green Goblin, and has since become the preeminent information broker in the superhuman community. She also coordinates the Daughters of the Dragon network.

They are the Gods of Hellfire! And they bring you FI-YAH!!!

Demon - Ghost Rider

I always thought the second character cited could have been named “the Phantom Rider,” or something else, since he’s not a ghost. But the Ghost Rider was one of Marvel’s bigger successes in the 1970s: the Comics Code allowed horror and occult imagery around that time again after 20 or so years of post Wertham pressure. Haven’t see the movie yet.

And apparently, there’s some debate as to whether the Demon, one of of Jack Kirby’s enduring creations for DC in the '70s, should always speak in rhyme. Of course he should!

Commonalities:
Vengeful, horrifying creatures from hell bent on dispatching the souls of bad folks to eternal damnation, bonded to human personas! And both often erupt hellfire! Fuck yeah!

Differences:
Blood did not preexist as a man prior to his creation as a corrective to the Demon’s excesses. Whereas Blaze was a real dude. And while the Demon no ridey motorbike, Ghost Rider no speak in rhyme.

Alternate histories:

DE: The Demon Etrigan falls afoul of Neron, the most powerful demonic figure in the netherworld. Neron punishes Etrigan by bonding the Demon to the body of Jason Blood, a man who “sells his soul” to save a colleague’s life. Thereafter, Blood wanders the United States and transforms into the Demon whenever confronted with evildoers. But Blood can only sporadically control the Demon.

GR: Zarathos is a demon who is summoned by the wizard Merlin to defend ancient England from evildoers: afterwards, the creature is neutralized when the wizard creates a human aspect, John Blaze, who acts as its conscience. Blaze survives for centuries, and in the current day can only sporadically control the creature, known colloquially as the Ghost Rider, during its never-ending mission to send the wicked to their fates.

Gaudy dudes, went out with a bang

Firestorm - Jack of Hearts

While I think I bought the 1984 mini-series devoted to the character, I recollect virtually nothing regarding how Jack of Hearts was characterized in the 1980s. But I can say that the character’s costume is so complicated and intricate that it’s notorious as the one many comic book artists least enjoy drawing.

But I collected the second volume of Firestorm in the 1980s: I remember that Pat Broderick’s art was pretty, and that the series focused on Ronnie Raymond’s Spider-man-esque teenage exploits, and very little else. Now I see that in the late 80s the character was used to make heavy-handed comments on the arms race, and then was made to be a fire elemental, followed by somesuch other cosmic claptrap.

Commonalities:
Young dudes with very striking costumes who have recently died via spectacular explosions.

Differences:
Firestorm’s matter transmuting powers are much, much more substantial, and is a composite of two humans. Whereas Jack of Hearts was shown to be half-alien somewhere along the line.

Alternate histories:

FS: A young Ronnie Raymond is exposed to a nuclear substance created by his father that imbues him with matter-transmuting powers and alters his appearance: his eyes become opaque and his hair takes a form similar to fire. Taking the codename Firestorm, he apprentices with the likes of Green Lantern, and later discovers that he is half-alien. After spending some time spacefaring, Firestorm returns to Earth and joins the Justice League, only to commit suicide via explosion shortly afterwards.

JH: A teenage Jack Hart and a scientist are exposed to a “zero-fluid” that fuses them into one being that can expel concussive force beams; the left half of the body takes on a purplish hue. Taking the codename Jack of Hearts, the being works as a novice superhuman operative before joining the Justice League. After an extended period as a quasi-mystical figure and as a space-farer, the Jack of Hearts persona becomes wholly composed and controlled by Hart. He is killed in combat, but the mantle of Jack of Hearts has been passed to another individual.

The Avengers Unlimited

Here's how the lineup from 2001-2004 season of the Bruce Timm's Justice League program —in my view the best superhero tv program ever made— would look with the shoe on the other foot.

Thor
Captain America
Thundra
Iron Man (James Rhodes)
Iceman
Silver Surfer
Ms. Marvel (Una, a Kree warrior on Earth)

assisted in some episodes by Sub-Mariner, Ghost Rider, Sandman, the Eternals, Dr. Strange

The Justice League: United They Stand

I saw the Avengers: United They Stand animated program only a few times, and about five years after its exceedingly brief run on the Fox Network in 1999-2000. The show is not very good: not only does it suffer tremendously in comparison to Bruce Timm's nearly contemporaneous Justice League/ Justice League Unlimited program, but will likely be further erased from existence by the time Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon hits the air in 2011, not to mention the big time Hollywood iteration due around that time.

Anyway, this is how the Kounterparted lineup from the 1999-2000 show would look: kinda puny, huh?

Atom
Insect Queen
Green Arrow
Captain Atom
Zatanna
Vixen
Black Lightning
Red Tornado

-assisted on a few episodes by Batman, Green Lantern and Aquaman.

Time wounds these heels only temporarily

Vandal Savage - Kang/Immortus/Pharaoh Rama-Tut /Scarlet Centurion

The second bad guy cited shows the lengths to which Marvel writers in the 70s loved to link characters that had been conceived separately. Kang, Pharaoh Rama-Tut, Immortus and the Scarlet Centurion were initially separate characters, but the likes of Steve Engelhart resolved to make each one entity. This resulted in a thicket of impenetrable ret-cons.

Vandal Savage’s history is relatively streamlined: a caveman becomes immortal and is an implacable antagonist throughout human history. Easy, peasy!

Commonalities

Immortal warlords!

Differences:
Kang originates in the distant future, and a couple of his incarnations have been shown to be benevolent. Whereas Savage is pretty much a nasty son of a bitch.

Alternate histories:

VS: A man from a distant future timeline discovers time travel technology and travels back into the planet Earth’s antiquity. Assuming various identities —Vandal Savage, Epoch, the Lord of Time— he attempts to subjugate not only humanity but all life in the universe. while some of his personas from diverging timelines have been benevolent. Savage has been opposed by the Justice League on numerous occasions.

KA: A early man living in the Paleolithic Age is bathed in the radiation of a meteorite, and is thus rendered immortal. Throughout the ages, the man assumes a number of identities —Pharoah Rama-Tut, Kang, the Scarlet Centurion, Immortus— and rules a number of civilizations in antiquity, as well as assisting various tyrants. In the modern age, Kang has opposed by the Liberty Legion and the Avengers.

And I think it's gonna be a long long time, til touch down brings me round again to find, I'm not the man they think I am at home

Adam Strange- Peter Quill, Star Lord

Peter Quill? A Marvel sci-fi character created in the 1970s by Steve Englehart, a writer I like a lot, and one I only dimly remember from my collecting days. Quill has been revived in the Annihilation series , a huge space opera running concurrent to Secret Invasion and Civil War and so on.

But Adam Strange is emblematic of the science fiction books that DC focused on immediately prior to the super-hero revival in the late ‘50s: the character was clearly modeled on Edgar Rice Burrough’s John Carter of Mars and was introduced in the wake of the “new look” Flash. Strange has since been used in the 1960s onwards as an occasional ally of the Justice League and was reimagined by Alan Moore as an, ahem, stud to the sterile race native to the planet Rann —can’t tell if that bit is in continuity these days.

Commonalities:
Both are essentially earthlings who find their destiny offworld.

Differences:
As far as I can tell, Quill begins as an antisocial asshole and becomes noble once he embraces his destiny, whereas Strange is your typical upstanding citizen common to Silver Age DC.

Alternate histories:

AS: A troubled young man, Adam Strange trains to be an astronaut, but is passed over for a mission. After stowing away on a spaceship, he learns that he is half-alien; his earthling mother had an encounter with a humanoid from the planet Rann. He then accepts his heritage and then travels through the cosmos combatting various antagonists. In the aftermath of a massive interstellar conflagration, Strange has recently formed a modern day iteration of the Legion of Super Heroes.

PQ: Peter Quill is an earthling explorer who is transferred via teleportation to the planet Spartax, where he meets and falls in love with a native female humanoid. He is spirited from one planet to the other for a number of years, but Quill eventually remains on Spartax as its champion, often defending its populace against longtime antagonists the Kree and working with the Avengers from time to time.

The disco mutant and the supermodel telepath

Looker- Dazzler

Why am I not surprised that, when Marvel was to collaborate on a character with Casablanca Records in 1979, the result involved a musical genre that was already then (and unjustly) considered a national joke? Marvel should have positioned Dazzler as a new wave singer, huh?

As for Looker, she was the creation of Mike W. Barr, a writer most fanboys underrate. Looker was a mousy young librarian with a husband who loved her: as soon as she transformed into a hawt piece of ass, the husband was outta there. This led to Barr making lots of obvious but still useful points regarding how “beauty is only skin deep.”

Commonalities:
Good looking broads, involved in glamourous day jobs: i.e. the kind of woman comic creators and fanboys generally will never get within 100 miles of.

Differences:
Looker has the full complement of psionic abilities: telepathy, telekinesis, etc etc. Dazzler can turn sound into light, which apparently comic creators were able to turn into a useful offense.

Alternate histories:

LO: Emily “Lia” Briggs is an aspiring model who discovers latent psionic abilities in her late teens; taking the alias Looker, she at first assists the Teen Titans, but declines membership in favor of her career. She nonetheless finds herself dragged into superhuman affairs at the expense of her modeling career; Looker eventually joins the Titans, where she meets and marries Booster Gold, with whom she travels to his native future timeline. She recently has returned to the Titans.

DA: Alison Blaire discovers a latent ability to transfer sound into light, and additionally transforms from a “mousy” appearance into an conventionally attractive aspect. As Dazzler, she joins Captain America’s Defenders, but later becomes a vampire. Her current exploits suggest that she is foregoing the traditionally nefarious tendencies common to vampires and continues to act as a force for good.

Just in time for All Hallow's Eve

Phantom Stranger- Modred the Mystic

One of the premiere mystical characters of the DCU is hereby paired with a relatively obscure sorcerous anti-hero.

Commonalities:
Powerful, immortal sorcerers, given to many mysterious, ponderous pronouncements. Both are haunted—cursed, even— by tragic events long long ago.

Differences:
Modred has a clearly defined origin and vacillates between heroism and villainy, whereas the Stranger is unambiguously a force for good, but has ambiguous origins.

Alternate histories:

PS: The being known as the Phantom Stranger was born in 6th Century England and became an accomplished sorcerer before surrendering his soul to a demon. He entered into suspended animation at that time and was revived in the current day, where he struggles to reclaim his soul. Thus he alternates between aiding the superhuman community and falling under the nefarious influence of the above-mentioned demon.

MM: The being known as Modred the Mystic is believed to have been born on Earth many centuries ago, but no definitive origin has ever been confirmed. What is clear is that Modred possesses vast mystical abilities and that he acts as a consultant to the superhuman community.

Super heroes with mullets! It was the '80s, of course

Booster Gold- Longshot

Are both these characters “high concept” creations specific to the 1980s? I know that Booster Gold is a probably heavy handed comment on, ahem, yuppies. But Longshot had something to do with “the medium is the message,” right? Anyone? Did both represent comic book creators trying a bit too hard?

Commonalities:
See above. And did both not have mullets at one point?

Differences:
Longshot’s abilities have something to altering probabilities: i.e. he has very very good luck. Booster Gold just used a lot of gimmicks culled from future technology.

Alternate histories:

BG: A humanoid from a future dystopia travels to 20th Century Earth, where he is dubbed Booster Gold and works in the film industry. He returns to his time and liberates his fellow humanoids from the yoke of their oppressors, and then returns to the current time and joins the Teen Titans. Booster Gold meets and eventually marries the human heroine Looker and travels back and forth between his time and the present often.

LS: A humanoid from another dimension observes the heroic community on Earth, and travels there to make his name as the hero Longshot. He openly courts publicity and attempts to make money off of his exploits, which troubles other heroes. Longshot joins the Avengers, where he befriends Spider-Man in particular, and the two embark on a number of extra-heroic schemes that inevitably backfire, as well as joining a number of Avenger expansion teams. Longshot fails to prevent Spider-Man’s murder, and has since traveled from one dimension and timeline to the next, exploring alternate histories.

The mercenary and the private club president

Deathstroke the Terminator-Sebastian Shaw

If the first character cited above, one who’s occasionally been played as an anti-hero, had been characterized more as a “good guy” in recent years, he would have been paired with Wolverine, no questions asked. He was portrayed as more or less beneficent in a solo series in the anti-hero happy early ‘90s.

But Deathstroke the Terminator (the second component of the DC character’s name hasn’t been referenced in funnee books, despite having debuted in 1980, a full four years before the Ah-note film) has been placed firmly in the “bad guy” column for awhile, and as such has been established as a major villain in the entire DCU.

So he’ll be paired with the unambiguously evil mutant leader of a New York private club bent on world domination: y’know, where you can play squash, watch CNBC, and then try to subvert the free world.

Commonalities:
Both are cultured, upper class but very ruthless antagonists.

Differences:
Apart from their differing but similar abilities, Wilson is a man of honor completely unlike the morally destitute Shaw.

Alternate histories:

DT: Aristocrat Slade Wilson is born with the ability to use 90% of his brain, and as such becomes an incredibly formidable combatant and strategist. Wilson becomes the leader of an elite club with the goal of world domination, and is opposed consistently by the Teen Titans.

SS: Soldier Sebastian Shaw is experimented on by military scientists, granting him the ability to absorb kinetic energy and transform it into raw strength. Shaw becomes a mercenary, and becomes estranged from his family. Shaw eventually opposes the X-Men, and enlists the young superhuman Rogue in his efforts to defeat the team. For a number of years, Shaw works alongside the X-Men, but has more recently turned against that organization and has since antagonized other superhuman operatives.

Pretty teenagers? Or abstract cosmic entities?

Halo - Cloud

Many weirdos on the innuhnet will admit to being turned on by comic book characters. While I am pleased to report that this has never been true of me, I will admit that, as a 15 year-old, the prospect of a female character having a crush on another female character (in this case, noted bald bitch Moondragon) was…intriguing. The second character cited above was represented as a teenager with storm clouds covering her naughty bits.

Then it was revealed that Cloud was a sentient nebula that could also take a male form …ahh, ‘80s comics!

Cloud is far, far more obscure these days than Halo, an appealing and similarly conceived character who makes the rounds of the DCU very occasionally. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cloud was brought back one of these days.

Commonalities:
Both are extraterrestrial beings take the form of teenage girls.

Differences:
Cloud shoots lightning and otherwise turn into a…cloud! Halo emanates various energy effects, based on colors of the spectrum.

Alternate histories:

HA: An energy being known as an “aurakle” takes the form of teenager Violet Harper; now known as Halo, the being learns about humanity while joining a shortlived incarnation of the superhuman organization the Outsiders, alongside Elongated Man, Kid Flash and a few others. She eventually returns to space.

CL: A sentient nebula inhabits the recently deceased body of teenager Carol Faber. The being does not remember its former state, and encounters Captain America, Colleen Wing and other superhumans; assuming the name Cloud, she joins the above-referenced in forming the Defenders and learns about humanity under the tutelage of Wing.

A failed, if fondly remembered toy, and an also ran character remembered only by Grant Morrison

Jemm, Son of Saturn- Rom, Spaceknight

One of the above named was a rather silly looking toy doll marketed by Parker Brothers —in a rare foray outside of the board game category— in 1979. The toy did not survive for very long (maybe it would have if it was more line with dimensions common to "action figures") but inspired a tie-in comic that outlived it by several years. The character can no longer appear in that particular line, as the license to use it expired and was never renewed.

The other is not, notably, the doll by the same name that was spun off into a 1980s cartoon show popular with preteen girls; but it was initially conceived and pitched as new direction for J’onn J’onzz. When J’onzz was said to have been planned for a revival in the Justice League, this character was re-jiggered slightly. His comic didn't make much of dent, and the character was revived by Grant Morrison in his 1990s JLA series.

Commonalities:
Both visit Earth from their native planet, and combat nasty aliens. And both, frankly, are utterly obscure to all but the most dedicated ‘80s fanboy.

Differences:
Rom is a cyborg, and Jemm is an also-ran J’onn J’onzz: both share several attributes nonetheless.

Alternate histories:

JE: Jemm is the first of a race living on the moons of Saturn to volunteer to defend his people from invading Koolars, a subset of the “white martian” race. He and other recruits successfully repel their foes, and Jemm comes to the planet Earth to combat the Martians further. He encounters other superhuman champions and eventually returns to the moons of Saturn to repopulate his now exterminated civilization.

RO: Rom is the heir to throne of Galador, a planet populated by an expatriate race from the planet Zenn-La. When the Dire Wraiths, a subset of the Skrull race, begin to war against Galadorians, Rom goes into hiding and develops his hereditary abilities, and later departs for the planet Earth. After a number of exploits combatting the Wraiths, he returns to Galador, where he is disowned for not taking a side in a civil war therein. Rom has since intervened in galactic affairs from time to time, often alongside distant kinsman the Silver Surfer.

These latinas are, please excuse the dreadful cliche, "hot"

Fire - Firebird

In which prominent Latina super heroines with fire-based powers are paired with one another. And apparently brazilians can, despite not being recognized as such by the U.S. Census, be classified informally as “latino.”

Commonalities:
Both characters bear Latin American roots and have fire-based abilities…

Differences:
…but Fire physically becomes flame, whereas Firebird manipulates said element. And Fire is a tempestuous Brazilian hedonist (a stereotype, natch), whereas Firebird is a very religious Mexican American.

Alternate histories:

FI: Beatriz da Costa is a young Brazilian-American woman who encounters and is altered by a radioactive meteor in a desert in the Southwest: she is thus imbued with the ability to transform herself into a being of pure flame. She assumes the codename Green Flame and then simply Fire and soon joins a West Coast expansion of the Justice League. Fire has served therein occasionally while working as a social worker.

FB: Bonita Juarez is a young Mexican model who finds herself as an agent of that country’s secret service; she encounters and is altered by a pyroplasmic explosion that grants her pyrokinetic abilities. Taking the codename Firebird, Juarez joins an international organization of super-heroes and later an global iteration of the Avengers. Firebird has since worked as an agent of the international intelligence agency SHIELD and with the Daughters of the Dragon.

How they woulda done super heroes in the days of the old testament

Spectre - Vision (Aarkus)

In which the spirit of vengeance and the right hand of the Abrahamic God in the DCU is paired with…an obscure Kirby/ Simon creation from 1940 that has only seen print a handful of times in the past 60 years. Some believe that two creators modeled the first Vision on the Spectre anyway.

Or should the Spectre be paired with the Living Tribunal, or some other omnipotent cosmic spirit?

Commonalities:
Both are otherworldly, ethereal creatures that deal swift justice to evildoers.

Differences:
Well, the Spectre has been more or less the DCU’s Yahweh for almost seventy years, whereas the Vision is utterly obscure (and from another dimension).

Alternate histories:

SP: A being from another dimension is transported to Earth in the 1940s, and briefly combats to Nazis and criminals. The Spectre encounters the likes of Batman and Aquaman during wartime before returning to his former plane of existence.

AAR: An immensely powerful, nigh-omnipotent spirit known as Aarkus inhabits the body of a mortal during World War II, and works alongside the Liberty Legion. Afterwards Aarkus acts as the most powerful being to associate with the super-heroes of Earth.

The Avengers Detroit

The Avengers, 1984-1985

Sub-Mariner
Silver Surfer
Scarlet Witch
Beast
Torpedo
Tigra
Living Lightning
Shadowcat
—Sub-Mariner left and was replaced by Captain America

As if the Justice League Detroit wasn’t poorly conceived in the first place, an Avengers iteration feels more like the Defenders, don’t it?

Two third-stringers and one major mutie

Here, three quick and dirty pairings, banged out so that I can detail the Kounterpart-ed version of the infamously ill-conceived Justice League Detroit.

Only the first Marvel character cited could be described as a major player: I may expound upon Kitty Pryde at another time.


Gypsy- Kitty Pryde

GY: Cindy Reynolds joins the Teen Titans shortly after she discovers her illusion-casting abilities; as Gypsy, she has been affiliated with the team since.

KP: Kitty Pryde runs away from home shortly after discovering her ability to “phase” through solid objects. She encounters and quickly joins a short lived version of the Avengers as “Sprite.” She has since worked with the Silver Surfer, Thundra and the Daughters of the Dragon.


Steel - Torpedo

ST: Hank Heywood discovers a quasi-cybernetic battle suit and, using the codename Steel, becomes a part-time crimefighter. He dies in action.

TO: Brock Jones’ body is imbued with a supercharged mechanisms by his quite insane industrialist grandfather. Reluctantly, he takes the codename Torpedo and joins a short-lived lineup of the Avengers; he dies in action.


Vibe - Living Lightning

VI: Paco Ramone joins the West Coast expansion Justice League shortly after an accident creates the ability to emanate powerful vibratory shockwaves, taking the codename Vibe. He has worked with other superhuman operatives off and on since.

LL: Miguel Santos discovers his ability to to transform his body into electrical plasma, i.e. Living Lightning, shortly before he joins a short-lived version of the Avengers. He dies in the line of duty.

Ladies and germs, the jewish batmen!!!

Ragman- Moon Knight

The title of this post says everything I wish to say about either character.

Commonalities:
Did you hear me? I said jewish Batmen!!!! Yet both have a mystical orientation distinct from Batman.

Differences:
The Moon Knight’s strength waxes and wanes with the moon, while the Ragman’s uniform is imbued with the essence of various corrupted souls, or somesuch other weird shit that I can’t quite determine using my computer.

Alternate histories:

RM: Mercenary Rory Regan is nearly beaten to death by a vengeful and corrupt former client; he is about to die when a Golem, the mystical protector of the jews of Prague, appears to him in a vision and offers to revive him if he acts as his agent on Earth. Regan accepts, and takes the guise of the Ragman (as well as two other aliases). While he was briefly affiliated with the Justice League, the Ragman is seen as mentally unstable by the metahuman community, due to his multiple personality disorder.

MK: Marc Spector witnesses the death of his father at the hands of thugs; he soon discovers a suit made by his father which is mystically imbued with the essence of the Egyptian deity Khonshu. As the Moon Knight, Spector defends his community, and eventually joins an organization composed of other mystically-oriented operatives.

"Ha ha" said the clown…"Hee Hee" says Gobby

Joker- Green Goblin

Legend has it that Steve Ditko, Spider-Man’s co-creator, intended that the true identity of the Green Goblin would have been a completely anonymous individual —this apparently is not true, as Ditko has said that he would have preferred that it be a Daily Bugle employee.

If the former scenario became status quo, the character would have even more resembled that of the Joker, a character whose origins are best left completely to the reader’s imagination. A compelling back-story appeared in Alan Moore’s Killing Joke, although presented with the caveat that the Joker couldn’t himself tell whether it was true.

As it is, the Goblin was shown to be Norman Osborn, the father of Peter Parker’s pal Harry: this reveal was Stan Lee’s preference and thus apparently the reason Ditko left the series and Marvel in 1966. Osborn most notoriously killed Gwen Stacy and thus ended the Silver Age of Comics. The character was killed off shortly thereafter, only to be revived in the 1990s. Recently, he’s been said to have fathered twins with the girl he would later kill and then to have been a government operative, two remarkably ridiculous plot devices that I can’t believe any truly professional editor would countenance.

Commonalities:
Both are murderous jackanapes, and each are central to their opponent’s mythos.

Differences:
The Goblin is super strong and bears a personal connection to Spider-Man, whereas the Joker is a pure psychopath and the id gone berserk; his personal history is irrelevant w/r/t a desire to inculcate chaos.

Alternate histories:

JO: Jack Napier, a driven and unscrupulous engineer and businessman, discovers an experimental formula developed by an employee. He recreates the serum, which explodes and quickly enhances his strength and exacerbates his antisocial tendencies. He takes on the identity of the Joker and develops a number of practical joke-themed devices to further his schemes. When he attempts to take over organized crime in his town, he is opposed by the Blue Beetle. But the Joker is defeated by the Beetle numerous times, which culminates in the murder of the Beetle’s girlfriend and his own seeming death. It has been revealed recently —and stupidly!— that the Joker survived and has been tormenting the Beetle from afar and now —also stupidly!— works for the U.S. government.

GG: The criminal lunatic known as the Green Goblin has alluded to conflicting identities and origins, but none have ever been confirmed. What is known is that the individual was deformed in an accident, leaving his skin green and his mind utterly unhinged. The Goblin has in particular bedeviled Captain America, with whom he is obsessed, for years, has murdered hundreds, and is feared by others in the criminal fraternity. He is not motivated by illicit gain and power as much as he is to create total and enduring mayhem.

Big brother, little brother

Mon-El- Balder

Here the resident nurd delves into Legion of Super-Heroes lore, which has undergone at least four, count ‘em, four reboots in the past twenty years. As far as I can tell, Mon-El’s history has reverted back to the way it was from 1961 to the late ‘80s.

As for Balder, an ancient mythological figure refigured for the MU? I recently bought a TPB comprised of the first few issues of Walter Simonson’s Mighty Thor run in the 1980s. I was pleased to again encounter Simonson’s characterization of Thor’s sensitive, doomed brother as a fat depressive.

Should I ever get around to further Legion-Guardians pairings, I’ll probably have to assign a lot of cosmic Marvel characters that were never associated to the Guardians of the Galaxy with the much more numerous Legionnaires. I always thought Marvel could do more with the Guardians franchise: which is to say, exploring a future MU, and not making a modern version tied to this Annihilation event I have not read, which is what has transpired as of late.

Commonalities:
Mon-El was introduced as “Superboy’s Big Brother” in 1961, with what was very likely no intention to ever use the character again. But he was transferred to the new Legion of Super-Heroes franchise as a Superboy surrogate, which would seem to make a pairing with Thor’s younger brother. Also, both have odd weaknesses: Mon-El’s is lead, Balder’s is… mistletoe!

Differences:
Only that Balder was never in the Guardians of the Galaxy, but he’s, like, immortal!

Alternate histories:

ME: Mon-El is the half-brother of Kal-El; while Superman defends Earth, Mon-El remains on Krypton and aids his father Jor-El against the likes of General Zod and other native antagonists. Mon-El is nearly as powerful as Kal-El, but his death was long believed to be the impetus of the destruction of Krypton. While this came to pass, the essences of Mon-El and his fellow Kryptonians have been resurrected on Earth.

BA: Balder is native to the Vanir, a race of powerful beings that exist near Asgard and have equivalent abilities to Asgardians. He learns of Thor, the last survivor of Ragnarok, and travels to modern-day Earth where he befriends the young demi-deity. Balder is struck by a weapon bearing a sprig of mistletoe, which is foretold as the only substance that can damage him. In order to survive, he retires to a netherworld, where he remains until thirty centuries later. Balder emerges and joins the Guardians of the Galaxy, the 30th century’s premiere intergalactic peacekeeping organization.

Slice and dice

Katana- Colleen Wing

So obvious that ain’t no comment necessary.

Commonalities:
Ladies! Swords! From the same country!

Differences:
Only that Tatsu is full blooded Japanese, and Wing’s pop was an American white fella.

Alternate histories:

KA: Tatsu Yamauchi is raised in Japan and grows up learning the ways of the samurai. She emigrates to America and partners with policewoman Karen Beecher; the two establish a private investigation firm and often ally with the superhuman operatives Steel and Thunderbolt.

CW: Colleen Wing is raised in Japan; she avenges her husband‘s murder by his brother and then trains in the ways of the samurai. She leaves Japan, encounters Captain America and joins his newly constituted Defenders with the Falcon, Sandman and two other operatives, with whom Wing has served sporadically.

The Greatest (Worst?) Nazi in Funny Books, and Naja-Naja

Kobra- Red Skull

This pairing demonstrates considerable dissonance, in that there is no key, defining Nazi supervillain in the DC universe.

In the period immediately preceding World War II, DC— then known as National Comics— did not much use the Third Reich as an antagonist for their heroes. Superman, Batman et al opposed gangsters and mad scientists, but the menace that threatened America and its allies was mostly ignored. When war was declared, there were pro forma efforts at propaganda, where Superman fucked with Hitler and Tojo (“dirty japs/nips were, interestingly, very popular in comic books as easily caricatured bucktoothed fiends) briefly, members of the Justice Society enlisted, and so forth.

Marvel, then known as Timely, was much, much more aggressive. The cover of Captain America #1, portrayed the titular hero punching “Herr Wolf” square in the jaw: Cap spent the rest of the war combating the Third Reich at home and abroad. Most of the company’s characters did the same.

And the Red Skull was Captain America’s opposite number, emblemizing everything Joe Simon and Jack Kirby could fathom of the Third Reich’s perfidy in the early ‘40s. And when the Marvel Age dawned in the 1960s, the Skull was brought back as a proxy for the worst supervillain ever —one didn’t need to be cooked up by comic book creators— and has since been the bad guy that most of Marvel’s other bad guys hate.

But DC never had a Nazi antagonist that really truly stuck. Captain Nazi, who was created to mess with Captain Marvel in the '40s. never did the trick, and neither did Baron Blitzkrieg, who was created in the 1970s. So I’m going to put the Skull with Kobra, a co-creation of Jack Kirby from the 1970s.

Kobra is not a Nazi, but he has been a very prominent and very, very evil terrorist mastermind whose exploits seemed much more Satanic than the Joker or Lex Luthor. "Naja-Naja" is the leader of a Eastern anarcho-religious cult bent on subjugating the world: doesn't line up precisely with the boogey-men that bedevil the West these days, but it's close enuff.

Commonalities:
Both are pretty much the worst of the worst, as far as mortals born on Earth are concerned.

Differences:
Kobra is not a Nazi. The Red Skull is, barring the obvious example via real world, the Nazi.

Alternate histories:

KO: A sociopath is picked and then personally trained by Adolf Hitler to be the personification of Nazi terror worldwide in World War II: the man is then dubbed Kobra and supervises espionage and sabotage for the Third Reich in Europe and America. His success inspires the United States to introduce Batman as Kobra’s opposite number. Kobra survives the end of the war, and then resurfaces in recent years: he is bent on ushering in an “age of chaos” and subsequent world domination. Despite various seeming demises, Kobra remains Batman’s most implacable foe: He has been opposed by most of the superhuman community and is actively despised by most in the criminal fraternity.

RS: As a child, Johann Schmidt is kidnapped by a organization that has been agitating for the Third Reich’s return to power since 1945. Known as the Red Skull, he is trained to be an implacable combatant, criminal mastermind and sadistic Nazi Ideologue. As the organization rises to be the most feared international terrorist organization worldwide, the Skull is opposed by the majority of superhuman community—notably, he is one of the few to ever defeat Captain America in hand-to-hand combat. After a particularly and wide-ranging deadly act of violence, he is killed by Magneto, although his organization remains dedicated to his aims.

Eventually, sisters will do it for themselves

Huntress- Spider-Woman

Sometimes, DC and Marvel introduce female characters that are wholly and somewhat cynically based on marquee male heroes. And sometimes, female characters of that sort can gain a measure of self-defined dignity…

The Huntress character was initially conceived to as Batman’s daughter —namely, the Batman from Earth 2, who had debuted in 1939, married Catwoman and sired Helena Wayne.

But along came the Crisis, and the Huntress was reconceived as a Italian-American Mafia Princess evidently possessed by rather a lot of Catholic guilt. Helena Bertinelli would now exculpate the sins of her family by combatting the criminal element a la certain Dark Knight. I’m only slightly familiar with this version, but I like the way she was portrayed in Grant Morrison’s JLA.

As for Spider-Woman: the Jessica Drew character was created to secure a copyright for Marvel and to launch an animated program in the late 1970s. She has been depowered a number of times to see the Spider-Woman name go to other characters, which suggests that she was not beloved of the Marvel PTB of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

But Brian Bendis, a writer who dominates the Marvel line and who writes sub-Mamet style dialogue that I don’t much like, has restored the Drew character (as well as Ms Marvel) to prominence. Strong women in the MU: how novel!

Commonalities:
Both characters’ histories have been ret-conned significantly, but the status quo for both currently is that both grew among and then rebelled against criminal organizations.

Differences:
Huntress is a female iteration of Batman and thus has no powers, whereas Spider-Woman is a female iteration of Spider-Man and has almost identical abilities.

Alternate histories:

HU: Helena Bertinelli is born in Europe but is orphaned at a very young age, is adopted by members of the terrorist organization KOBRA and is trained in various deadly martial arts disciplines. She becomes disaffected with the organization in her early ‘20s, moves to the United States and assumes the heroic guise of the Huntress. She is periodically debilitated, but has recently joined the Justice League— said membership, however, is said to have been assumed by an impostor.

SW: Jessica Drew is born into a family that’s deeply immersed in the criminal underground. After her parents are killed by rival gangsters, Drew resolves to destroy organized crime and trains herself to her physical pinnacle. Taking the codename Spider-Woman, Drew enters the orbit of an often disapproving Captain America and eventually joins the Avengers. But while Spider-Woman resigns from that organization in disgrace, she has has since worked with the Defenders and with a group of female operatives.

The escapist and the pussyhound

Mr. Miracle-Starfox

The first character cited is key to Jack Kirby’s Fourth World. The second was conceived by writer/artist Jim Starlin as a part of his supporting cast for his mucho cosmic run on Captain Marvel: it was only later that the folks of Titan were judiciously decided to be a subset of the Eternals. I don’t know what Starlin has made of his Titanians being folded into Kirby’s rejiggered-for-Marvel New God/Eternals mythos, but since he’s fooled with Fourth World concepts for DC, I suspect he wouldn’t mind.

I’m much more familiar with the Starfox character, via ‘80s Avengers stories that showed him to be a super-hedonist, than I am with Mr. Miracle. But I don’t see big problems here…

Commonalities:
Both oppose nigh-unto-omnipotent opponents, and have a more keen interest in the affairs of humans than their most of their kin.

Differences:
Again, Starfox, Thanos and other Titianians were ret-conned into being Eternals. And Mr. Miracle is an escape artist nonpareil, as opposed to a guy that can subtly suggest that women open their legs for him. I know which ability I would prefer…

Alternate histories:

MM: Scott Free is raised by his father Himon alongside his brother, Uxas, in an outpost in Earth’s solar system populated by their fellow “New Gods.” While his brother becomes obsessed with an "anti-life equation" and becomes Darkseid, Free is a —wait for it— free spirit: he’s moved to take existence with greater purpose when his brother threatens the universe. He allies with Hawkman and the Justice League to oppose Darkseid, and eventually joins that organization, using the codename Mr. Miracle. He has since traveled the universe and sporadically returns to active heroic service.

SF: Eros is the son of Zuras, the leader of the Eternals, a godlike race that resides in the extradimensional realm of Olympia. As an infant, Eros is traded to Thanos, the leader of the Deviants of Lemuria, in order to broker a truce between the two races that has been waged for centuries. Growing up amongst Deviants, he and fellow Eternal Thena are influenced by Alars to rebel against Thanos: the two escape to Earth, where their efforts to defeat Thanos nullify the truce mentioned above. Using the codemname Starfox, he marries Thena, joins the Avengers and commutes between Olympia and Earth. Both have apparently been killed in a massacre of all Eternals.

The few… the proud… the unpairable!

The following are two characters, both from the MU, that currently elude equivalents in the DCU.

Quicksilver

One of the Flashes, right? Uh-uh! Based on my tendency here to base pairing on who characters are rather than what they do, Pietro Maximoff does not line up with nice midwestern guy archetype. While he's an Avenger of some note, he’s arrogant eurotrash who, rather like Magneto, who was revealed to be his father, doesn’t think much homo sapiens. His sister, Scarlet Witch, is an exotic “witch” character that can more easily be paired with an American sorceress like Zatanna, who in any case doesn’t have a prick brother.

Occasionally, I think Geo-Force, a headstrong European from “Markovia” might do. But Brion Markov is a noble guy, as well as a nobleman. So as yet, Quicksilver is unpairable.

Black Panther

T’challa is a historic character: the first black —and african— super-hero, the ruler of a technologically advanced and yet stereotypically “tribal” nation of Wakanda and an Avenger.

But there is no “African king” character in the DCU. The closest would be Solivar, the king of Gorilla City, a super-advanced hidden kingdom in Africa, populated by super-intelligent apes. Am I gonna put a black character with an ape, no matter how smart? Hells no!

Then there is the Bronze Tiger, a super-athlete like T’Challa. But he’s not African royalty. Then there’s Impala, a South African speedster…who is marginal. Then there’s Freedom Beast, an African rendition of Animal Man…who is also marginal.

Sigh…

A good guy paired with a bad guy? Huh?

Metamorpho- Sandman

At first glance, this pairing appears to be based on what the characters do and not who they are. But Metamorpho and Sandman not only have similar abilities, but are rough around the edges dudes who have played both “good guy” and “bad guy” side of the street.

Commonalities:
Both are shapeshifters, due to their bodies being composed of sand/various elements found in the human body, are superhumanly strong, have dissipated and been reassembled into separate, seemingly unique personas several times and, like I said above, are rough and tumble fellas.

Differences:
Chiefly, the Sandman was conceived as a thug, but was reformed in the 1980s and ‘90s. Metamorpho has been shown to be easily hypnotized and thus has often been a pawn of various super-villains.

Alternate histories:

ME: Low level hood Rex Mason is exposed to radiation and is thus transformed into a being that can shapeshift into the various elements found in the human body. Using the codename Metamorpho, he opposes the Blue Beetle and other superhuman operatives. But after tiring of criminal activity, he is befriended by Robotman and eventually reforms, joining the Justice League. Metamorpho’s body has dissipated and reassembled in both benign and villainous orientations.

SM: Adventurer William Baker is exposed to the energies of a mystical artifact and is thus transformed into a being composed of sand like particles. Taking the codename Sandman, he works largely alone and declines an offer to join the Avengers. He eventually joins Captain America’s Defenders and the Avengers, but is easily controlled by super villains. Sandman’s body was thought to be destroyed, although he has recently reassembled himself and has since worked with the Defenders again.

Zeus' demi-god son, and a character inspired by Sean Connery's most obscure role

Vartox- Hercules

In the Marvel diaspora, Hercules has been a perpetual presence; he’s been written consistently as a likable blowhard. The character has taken over the Incredible Hulk’s book; It’s now the Incredible Hercules!

Even though the DCU has an Olympian pantheon with Hercules, Zeus et al, I’ve chosen to pair the MU’s Hercules with a character from the Superman stable, a guy who parallels Kal-El the way Herc does Thor and one so obscure I can’t believe that I remember him …

VARTOX!!!!!!!

Apparently, writer Cary Bates and artist Curt Swan created Vartox after they saw Zardoz, an LSD-etched, pre-Logan’s Run film from 1974 which found Sean Connery running around a post apocalyptic dystopia… in trunks! Dig this fucked up trailer, in which Connery seem to be completely bemused (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbGVIdA3dx0).

ZARDOZ!!!!!

So this b-list Superman character seems to be the most enduring exponent of this way fucked up film that I can’t wait to see. I reckon DC shoulda got the King to do something with Vartox.

Commonalities:
More or less, both serve as equivalents to marquee characters, namely Superman and Thor…

Differences:
But Herc has been a major player in the MU for forty years; Vartox is a marginal ‘70s character that has been revived to little effect in recent years.

Alternate histories:

VA: Vartox is a half-human but most physically powerful member of the royal family that rules the planet Valeron; like the Kryptonians they resemble and have consorted with over the ages, Valerions are tremendously powerful. He comes to Earth in recent years and meets and battles Kal-El, whom he knows from years ago. Something of a braggart and drunkard but lion-hearted and convivial, Vartox eventually joins the Justice League, allies often with Superman and commutes from Valeron to Earth.

HE: Hercules, native of the extradimensional realm Olympus, comes to Earth after his wife on another planet dies, and befriends the Mighty Thor. He meets and then romances Janet Van Dyne, and departs and returns to Earth from time to time.

Someday, a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets…

Vigilante- Punisher

At the time that the latter character cited above became one of Marvel Comic’s signature characters, I quit collecting comic books. From a distance, I could see that the Punisher (alongside Wolverine) addressed for Marvel the vogue for “grim and gritty” anti-heroes hastened by Frank Miller’s Dark Knight and probably the Rambo films: the character killed bad guys with absolutely no compunctions, and bloodthirsty fanboys dug it. The former character was clearly modeled on the latter.

The Punisher’s influence extended to the Image line, wherein characters committed wanton violence, and the industrywide drift towards the “kick ass” in the 1990s. It may be foolish to decry such an influence, given that vigilantism in the real world would reflect the exploits of the Punisher and the Vigilante, but—I dunno— I like a suggestion of virtue in my funny books.

Commonalities:
The Vigilante is indisputably inspired by the Punisher. Nuff said…

Differences:
…except that Chase was shown to feel remorse and often tried to avoid killing.

Alternate histories:

VI: Ex-Marine Adrian Chase is the only survivor when his family is murdered after witnessing a gangland execution. He then resolves to wage a one-man, by-all-means-necessary, war on all manner of criminals as the Vigilante. While many rank and file law enforcement officials are reluctant to pursue and apprehend him, Chase’s extreme methods render him as dangerous as any of the criminals he hunts: he has been opposed by Blue Beetle, Batman, the Question and Wildcat.

PU: Jurist Frank Castle is the only survivor when his family is murdered by mobsters. He then resolves to wage a one-man, by-all-means-necessary, war on all manner of criminals as the Punisher. Although he at first strives to avoid killing criminals, Castle becomes unhinged and vacillates between murderous rage and penitence. He finally commits suicide.

The term "broad" is not always pejorative

Grace- She Hulk

I only know of first character from innuhnet perusal and not through any purchased comic books, and thus have no comment other than that she seems to be similar to character I’ve paired her with.

But She-Hulk? Here was a character created to secure a copyright, and as such was initially played as a distaff version of the Hulk: she’s beset by berserker rages, which she bemoans in human form etc etc. But then Roger Stern, who wrote the Avengers through most of the 1980’s, got ahold of her. He had the bright idea that maybe She-Hulk likes being green, super-strong and voluptuous, and can easily reconcile all that with a career in law. And that’s what has made her easily one of Marvel’s most important and beloved female characters since.

I would put have her with Power Girl if PG had not been reestablished as a Kryptonian. So this one’ll do…

Commonalities:
Two very tall, super strong women with prodigious sexual appetites that neither see any need to apologize for.

Differences:
Only that Choi was born with her abilities, and Shulkie got hers from a blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner. And Choi is nowhere near as prominent a character…

Alternate histories:

GR: Grace Choi receives a blood transfusion from her cousin, the Blockbuster: she is consequently granted with tremendous strength. She joins the Justice League for a short time before briefly replacing Robotman in the Doom Patrol. Choi has since worked the Justice League a number of times and now serves with the Outsiders.

SH: Jennifer Walters is a young woman whose tremendous strength manifested itself in adolescence; she recently learned that she is related to the Femizons of the 23rd century. Known as She-Hulk, she has spent her heroic carreer with the Defenders.

Two strangers in strange lands

Martian Manhunter- Silver Surfer

It occurred to me the other day that, since the very first pairing I unveiled here came in my first introductory post, I didn’t much ruminate on the characters themselves. So I’m gonna do so now…

J’onn J’onzz, Manhunter from Mars, was introduced in 1955 as a sci-fi character typical of DC’s post-Wertham line. Apparently, JJ’s own features during the 1960s were kinda confused, what with something about the “Idol-head of Diabolu,” and then with something about him as a secret agent. While he was a charter member of the Justice League, he was soon found to be redundant in light of Superman. So around 1969 or so, he was shunted off to live on his native Mars.

15 years later, J’onn was brought back to the Justice League fold. From the mid ‘80s onward, creators seemed to have found a noble, restrained and contemplative “stranger in strange land” role for him—not unlike the Marvel character I’ve paired him with. He seemed to have engendered a lot of affection in creators and fans, which only increased due the character’s prominence on Bruce Timm’s Justice League Unlimited program.

And so…J’onn J’onzz has recently been killed without much fanfare and without any gravitas as part of DC’s Final Crisis crossover. Wouldn’t put much on him taking very long dirt nap, frankly…

And the Silver Surfer? The Christ-like and earthbound spacefarer is simply one of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s great achievements, one that has been recognized as such pretty much consistently since the character's introduction. The Surfer has been rightfully prominent in Marvel Comics' line ever since.

(See the first post for commonalities and differences)

MM: J’onn J'onzz is native to Ma’lecaandra, i.e. Mars. He is disturbed by the fact that his race has become complacent, but when the vastly powerful being Krona comes to eviscerate the planet, J’onzz offers himself up as a herald so that Ma’lecaandra will be spared. Krona accepts the offer and imbues him with tremendous abilities, and for hundreds of years J’onzz travels the universe warning the populations of planets to evacuate. He comes to Earth to do so, and is opposed by the Doom Patrol, who inspire him to take an interest in humanity and turn against Krona who in turn confines J’onzz to the Earth. For several years, he wanders the planet and is known as the Martian Manhunter; he strives to understand humanity and often allies with other superhuman operatives, chiefly the Outsiders. After awhile, J’onzz is able to travel through space again, where he finds that his fellow Ma’lecaandrans have long been extinct.

SS: A plague overtakes the planet Zenn-La: one Norrin Radd sees the entire population, including his family, die. He wanders his planet for hundreds of years before he is teleported to Earth by a scientist, who promptly dies from shock. Radd lives on Earth inconspicuously for years, but the emergence of the Mighty Thor prompts him to use his native abilities to oppose various menaces as the Silver Surfer. He co-founds the Avengers and remains therein for many years; the Surfer also is the Southern Hemisphere's most prominent champion. He has recently been killed —that is, until editorial fiat revives him.

HIIIII-YAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

Thunderbolt (Peter Cannon)- Iron Fist

Only comments here are that the Peter Cannon character was originally a Charlton creation, and was only used by DC for a decade or so once rights reverted to its creator, Peter Morisi, and that Iron Fist was Marvel’s second most noteworthy martial arts after Shang Chi.

Commonalities:
I am only vaguely familiar with the Peter Cannon character, and have boned up via innuhnet research. But these two—both American guys trained in exotic mystical locations— seem to line up right up.

Differences:
Only that Iron Fist was conceived to capitalize on the kung-fu craze of the early ‘70s, whereas Thunderbolt’s provenance is based on prevailing “American guy learns ancient martial arts discipline— template common in funny books for many years by the 1960s.

Alternate histories:

TH: As a child, Peter Cannon loses his parents while on an expedition to a Tibetan monastery. He is raised therein, and eventually masters the martial arts disciplines unique to the location. Cannon returns to America and combats criminal antagonists as under the name Thunderbolt. He joins forces with the operative Steel, and the two have recently joined the non-sanctioned version of the Justice League.

IF: An American missionary couple lose their lives; their son, Daniel Rand, is raised in the hidden realm of K’un-L’un. After he masters the martial arts disciplines unique to the location, he returns to America in adulthood and combats criminal antagonists under the name Iron Fist.

COME TO ME, SON OF OUR JAILER!!!!

General Zod- Loki

According to his entry on Wikipedia, there have been several versions of General Zod since the Superman mythos were pruned of other survivors of Krypton in 1986: Kal-El would now truly be the “last son of Krypton.” But as other Kryptonians have seeped back into the DCU, I’m delighted to learn that the contemporary iteration of Zod is based on Terence Stamp’s performance as Zod in 1981’s Superman II.

So! All together now!

COME TO ME, SUPERMAN, SON OF JOR-EL, IF YOU DARE!! I DEFY YOU!! COME AND KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!!

It’s tough for me to see how anyone would not consider Stamp’s ripe carrying on in the film as the single best quality of any of the Superman movies.

As for Loki: Stan and Jack or perhaps Stan’s brother Larry Leiber introduced Loki into the Thor books in 1962, they characterized him as the bad seed adopted brother to the titular thunder god. But in Norse mythology, he was most often described as Odin’s contemporary and as his “blood brother.” Does this count as discounting creator intent?

Commonalities:
They are both the chief antagonists originating from their opponent’s place of origin. And both are assholes.

Differences:
The recent Iteration of Zod resembles that of the second Superman film, so he’s apparently just as formidable as Superman. Whereas Loki is Asgard’s premiere necromancer.

Alternate histories:

GZ: A orphaned child of Kryptonian terrorists is adopted by Jor-El, the leader of Krypton’s dominant society. Zod grows up beside —and comes to resent— his adopted brother Kal-El, who was favored by Jor-El: as he reaches maturity, his abilities rival Kal-El’s and he becomes a persistent thorn in the side of Jor-El, who imprisons him in the Phantom Zone for consistent wrongdoing. When Kal-El is sent to Earth to learn from humanity, General Zod escapes the Phantom Zone and antagonizes his adoptive brother, now known as Superman. For years afterward, Zod attempts to conquer Krypton and vanquish Kal-El. Eventually, Zod leads an assortment of antagonists and succeeds in destroying Krypton. But while Krypton civilization is revived in the American West by Superman, Zod has reemerged in the form of a woman.

LO: Loki is an Asgardian “god” with unparalleled mystical abilities and is a rival of Odin, the leader of Asgard’s ruling council. While Odin warns that Asgardians are facing Ragnarok, Loki takes advantage of the chaos and tries to take over Asgard; he is defeated by Odin and imprisoned alongside his accomplices Amora the Enchantress and Skurge the Executioner in an extra-dimensional prison. When Ragnarok destroys Asgard, the three survive and have recently come to Earth to oppose Thor, the son of their jailer.

Good gals, or bad gals?

Terra- Rogue

Anyone who was reading Teen Titans in 1982-1983 must have had one look at Terra, a sarcastic antagonist-turned-object of-Gar-Logan’s-affection, and thought, “ahhh, this the Titans response to the X-Men’s Kitty Pryde.” She was clearly conceived as an American teenager, but the PTB at the time noticed that a similarly enabled character, Geo-Force, had been established as a prince of a small European nation. So —presto!— she’s also the illegitimate daughter of Geo-Force’s dad.

But when the Judas Contract storyline rolled around in 1984, it was revealed that Terra was bad news; the character was intended by creators Marv Wolfman and George Perez to betray the Titans on behalf of Deathstroke, for whom she functioned as jailbait (a plot point that would never go down in today’s climate). She dies unredeemed during the final confrontation of that storyline: no last minute change of heart saw Terra coming back to the good guy’s side. Another iteration of Terra saw that a nice girl had been turned into the original’s doppelganger…or some shit. Apparently, yet another has recently emerged.

As for Rogue: the character was initially portrayed as a middle-aged antagonist who absorbs Ms Marvel’s abilities. But creator Chris Claremont cottoned to Rogue, possibly because he enjoyed writing dialogue phonetically (“AH CAIN’T BUUUH-LEEV HOW MUHHCH POWAH AH’M UHHHBBBBSORBIN’”) and then reformed her into a teenage X-Man. She’s been a fan favorite and mainstay of the X-franchise since.

Commonalities:
Both were introduced in a manner where you could not be sure what side of the fence they were on. Subsequent iterations of Terra may have been characterized similar to Rogue, for all I know.

Differences:
Their abilities differ: one is a geokinetic, the other siphons superhuman powers, energy and assorted attributes. And after Rogue was introduced as a middle aged redneck, she quickly became a key X-Man, whereas Terra has come and gone as a clone or something.

Alternate histories:

TE: A troubled teenage girl with vast geokinetic abilities named Tara falls in with a criminal mastermind and attacks the Teen Titans and their ally Hawkgirl. After seriously injuring Hawkgirl, Terra reforms and joins the Titans, with whom she has remained since.

RO: A troubled teenage girl with vast mutant siphoning abilities named Anne-Marie falls in with a criminal mastermind; taking the codename Rogue, she infiltrates the X-Men, betrays them and is killed in combat. Another, benevolently inclined young woman with Rogue’s appearance and abilities has since emerged and worked with the X-Men sporadically.

The Avengers, 2006-2008

Thor
Captain America
Thundra
Iron Man
Mockingbird
Vision
Tigra
Warbird
Angel
Falcon
—joined later by Iceman and War Machine

When black characters replace white ones, look out!

Green Lantern (John Stewart)- War Machine (Jim Rhodes)

At any particular time, you can count on that visitors to the DC comics message boards are complaining about which Green Lantern should be emphasized. In fact, seeing as comic book nerds are pioneers in the field of computer-enabled crying and bitching, the replacement of Kyle Rayner for Hal Jordan as Green Lantern set the nascent ‘Net aflame in the early ‘90s.

These days, there’s a fierce debate re: John Stewart taking Jordan’s spot in Justice League book on the boards. does African-American writer Dwayne McDuffie have a anti-white agenda, these absurd people wonder (http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/forum.jspa?forumID=29209048&start=15)? Their outrage is further fueled by the fact that Stewart took Jordan’s place in the animated Justice League Unlimited program, and that the rapper Common was mooted to play Stewart in the now aborted JLA film.

As for Rhodes, the character took Tony Stark’s place as Iron Man when the former succumbed to alcoholism in the early-mid ‘80s, has kicked around since and has been immortalized by Terence Howard in “the best reviewed super hero film ever.

Commonalities:
Both took over for the respective franchise’s primary characters in the 1980s, probably for the sake of diversity. And both have military backgrounds.

Differences:
Only that Stewart is an architect and a space cop, Rhodes isn't; so again, we cheat…

Alternate histories:

GL: John Stewart is a marine who brings Ferris Aircraft chairman Hal Jordan back to America shortly after Jordan escapes from hostile forces via his prototype “power ring.” Stewart is then employed as an architect at Ferris Aircraft and is one of Jordan’s most trusted aides. When Jordan becomes debilitated by alcoholism, Stewart assumes the role of Green Lantern alongside the west coast Justice League expansion team. Stewart then works alongside a recovered Jordan; becomes paranoid when the ring affects his thought processes; recovers and then takes over again when it appears that Jordan has died; and has since worked sporadically with Jordan and other operatives.

WM: Jim Rhodes is chosen by the Watchers as an alternate for Tony Stark, the main representative of the Nova Corps for Earth’s solar system. When Stark leaves the Corps for a time, Rhodes takes over; when Stark loses his mind and then becomes an ethereal spirit of vengeance, Rhodes and Richard Ryder divide his duties. Finally, Rhodes serves with a resurrected Stark as the dual representatives of the Nova Corps and as a member of the current lineup of the Avengers.

These two bow to no men

Catwoman- Black Widow

Lemme say that I’m delighted that someone I assume to be a real live woman has read and commented upon some my posts. I look forward to hearing from you again, Darci!

Here we have one character that most likely was intended at first to be a Soviet spy-style femme fatale common to the James Bond film franchise in the 1960s. The Black Widow was quickly written with more texture, which has persisted since.

I reckon that Catwoman is not only, due to representations on film and television, the funny book anti-heroine best known to non-nerds. She’s also the woman that Batman ultimately cannot forget. Being that he’s essentially a well-adjusted midwesterner, Superman can settle down with Lois Lane. But Batman is not well-adjusted, and he cannot help but have his heart forever captured by an occasionally “villainous” woman that’s just as tough and complicated as he.

Commonalities:
Both are key femme fatales to their diasporas: you fuck with these women at your peril.

Differences:
Only that the Black Widow was introduced with a distinctly “commie” bent.

Alternate histories:

CW: Selina Kyle is an agent of a european power known as Catwoman who at first is opposed by Green Lantern and comes to America and enlists Green Arrow to her cause. She reforms and joins the Justice League, works as an agent of the government agency Checkmate and then partners with the Question. Catwoman is currently a member of the government sanctioned Justice League.

BW: Natasha Romanov is a russian-american criminal known as the Black Widow, often crossing paths with Captain America. For years, she has vacillated between antagonizing and amorously pursuing Cap; similarly, she has allied with both superhuman champions and criminals when doing so suits her purposes.

Mongoose blood? Heavy water, sure, but mongoose blood?

Flash (Jay Garrick) - Whizzer (Bob Frank)

Here be the second post that finds Golden Age characters with similar abilities paired with one another, which hopefully compensates for a lack of same in pairings of silver-, bronze- and beyond- characters…

So here we have the very first speedster, the template for every character conceived similarly since. Including the second cited here, whose origin is universally mocked as the most poorly-aged provenance of the Golden Age: he gained his super-speed due to a transfusion of mongoose blood.

Commonalities:
The original speedsters of their respective diasporas.

Differences:
None to speak of, other than one is a key character in the history of superhero fiction, and the other is regarded fondly for the reason cited above.

Alternate histories:

FL: A young man named Jay Garrick is gravely injured in 1940; he receives a blood transfusion that activates a meta-human gene which grants him the ability to move and react at superhuman speeds. Taking the codename the Flash, Frank combats crime and the Third Reich throughout the 1940s and joins the Justice Society. He marries another extra-normal operative, but their union is doomed when the two are exposed to radiation. Years after the woman dies, the Flash reappears and briefly works with the Justice League before he dies himself.

WH: A young college student named Bob Frank inhales experimental “heavy water” fumes, which activate a mutant gene granting him the ability to move and react at superhuman speeds. He takes the codename the Whizzer and combats criminals and the Third Reich and co-founds the Liberty Legion. The Whizzer retires for several decades, but in recent years has returned alongside other Legionnaires: due to his retarded aging, he is active mentoring novice superhuman operatives.

Now they become death, destroyer of worlds

Krona- Galactus

Sure, there were cosmic, universe-threatening demi-gods in comic book fiction before 1966’s Fantastic Four no. 66. But the story that spread out into the next three issues, now known as “the Galactus Trilogy,” raised the bar. The very idea of Galactus, a being that consumes the essence of planets, knocked readers on their ear: when you take into account that the tale introduced the Silver Surfer, it’s probably the single greatest achievement of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s ‘60s partnership.

I’m not entirely sure, but I believe that Krona, a mad scientist from the race that would evolve into the Guardians of the Universe who obsessively seeks the secret of the creation of the universe (or multiverse), was ignored as a fecund antagonist after the character was introduced in 1965’s Green Lantern no. 40. But he was established with Galactus-level significance at the very least in the early ‘80s and afterwards.

Commonalities:
Both are shown to be present near the creation of the universe and are enmeshed in a process of destruction on a vast, cosmic scale.

Differences:
Krona is typically presented as malevolent, whereas Galactus is essentially a morally neutral force of nature.

Alternate histories:

KR: Krona is the sole survivor of the universe that preceded our own: he emerges after the “big bang” and exists afterwards as a force of nature introducing entropy to one planet at a time. Krona uses heralds, such as J’onn J’onzz, to evacuate these planets; he arrives on Earth to some years ago and is opposed by the Doom Patrol and eventually most superhuman operatives on Earth and throughout the cosmos.

GA: Galan is a renegade scientist native to the planet that would later yield the race of “Watchers”: he becomes obsessed with witnessing the “big bang” that creates the universe. But doing so has been foretold to create a process by which the universe will gradually be eviscerated. Known as Galactus in the untold billions of centuries afterwards, he is opposed first by Iron Man and the Nova Corps and eventually by most superhuman operatives on Earth and throughout the cosmos.