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"Open-Source" superhero names


BobGreenwade

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Based on someone's comments a few weeks ago, I was just wondering how many superhero names are/have been in use by more than one company.

 

I'm talking here of readily recognizable characters -- that is, at least one character by that name should be fairly easy to find information on. (No fair citing two obscure one-shots!)

 

The ones I can think of offhand are Captain Marvel, Sandman, and Feedback.

 

I was just thinking it might be kind of cool to build a team of characters by these names for the Champions Universe. (My plan would be to try to get them into the re-premiere of Digital Hero if it ever comes back, even though that alone is a kind of big "if," and even though Steve can probably come up with a truckload of legal concerns.... but even if it doesn't happen, I think it'd be cool to do just as an exercise.)

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

Villain wise, there is Scarecrow...

 

Both DC and Marvel have one. They even went at it during the DC vs. Marvel thing, several years ago…

 

Marvel & DC both have a

 

Quicksilver (DC renamed there's Max Mercury later on)

Any mythical (Thor, Herc, etc...)

Red Robin

Corsair

Major Victory

 

That's off the top of my head

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

Keep in mind, folks, that I'm not just looking for characters where one's from Marvel and the other's from DC. In my original examples, one Feedback is Marvel while the other was published by Dark Horse as the first-season winner of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (And, not incidentally, that season's third-place winner was called Major Victory.)

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

Okay, the group so far that I can see (and I'll probably add more as I think of concepts to go with these names):

 

Major Victory: The group's leader, a Captain America type but with roots in the Cold War.

 

Captain Marvel: A lightning-blaster, the group's second in command.

 

Changeling: Shapeshifter able to mimic any human being. Good in combat thanks to martial arts and bio-analysis abilities.

 

Feedback: Able to "capture" any ranged attack snt in his direction (through a form of Missile Deflection) and expel it at a later time.

 

Sandman: Psychic with dream-based powers, including the ability to put people to sleep.

 

I'm thinking of making the team into a group of dimension-hopping heroes, somewhat in the mold of the Exiles.

 

I'll take a good look at those Australian heroes at a later time; I'm sure I can do something useful with at least one of them. Scarecrow, Jack O'Lantern, and Cobra would probably be better as villain names. And I think I'll do without the legendary figures like Hercules and Morgana, at least for now.

 

And for JmOz: I can't find any reference at all to a Red Robin other than Dick Grayson (and of course the restaurant).

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

Red Robin is also a somewhat obscure Marvel Super Villain who had a suit of power armor with a bird motif, fought Iron Man, teamed with Killer Shrike and other bird gadgeteer villains a couple of times, like I said obscure character

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

Everyone really should strike any mythological figure from the record. No one can legally copyright King Arthur, Mordred, Morgaine Le Fey, or any other mythological character.

 

Technically, even Marvel can't copyright Thor. DC COULD produce a character called Thor, but he can't be blond, and he can't come from Marvel's version of Asgard.

 

DC Could produce a traditional, red headed Thor in the classic Norse mold, however, and no one could say a thing.

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

Everyone really should strike any mythological figure from the record. No one can legally copyright King Arthur, Mordred, Morgaine Le Fey, or any other mythological character.

 

Technically, even Marvel can't copyright Thor. DC COULD produce a character called Thor, but he can't be blond, and he can't come from Marvel's version of Asgard.

 

DC Could produce a traditional, red headed Thor in the classic Norse mold, however, and no one could say a thing.

 

For that matter DC Comics has two characters named Thor already

 

The first to see print is a supervillain with a taeser built into a mace like object from the 1940's

 

The second is the mythical god, used by Gaiman in sandman

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

Red Robin is also a somewhat obscure Marvel Super Villain who had a suit of power armor with a bird motif' date=' fought Iron Man, teamed with Killer Shrike and other bird gadgeteer villains a couple of times, like I said obscure character[/quote']This is very cool. Can you find a link anywhere that I could use? (I think I'll nonetheless add a Red Robin to the above team... as an archer. And, thanks to Cancer, a speedster named Dynamo, which rounds out the group at seven.)
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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

This is very cool. Can you find a link anywhere that I could use? (I think I'll nonetheless add a Red Robin to the above team... as an archer. And' date=' thanks to Cancer, a speedster named Dynamo, which rounds out the group at seven.)[/quote']

 

SOrry, did some scanning, All I can remember was that a member of a group of 4-5 bird themed characters, including Killer Shrike...wish I could be more help, but only remember seeing them once or twice

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

I need to appoligiese, I found the "other" red robin, He was not actualy called Red Robin, so that seems to be a DC only character (The guy I was thinking of showed up in a couple issues of New Warriors and was named Cardinal)

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Re: "Open-Source" superhero names

 

I need to appoligiese' date=' I found the "other" red robin, He was not actualy called Red Robin, so that seems to be a DC only character (The guy I was thinking of showed up in a couple issues of New Warriors and was named Cardinal)[/quote']Aw, rats... I had such cool ideas for my Red Robin archer character.

 

Well, at least I hadn't tied too much down with him yet.

 

Thanks for getting back on this.... apology accepted. :)

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