Marvel and DC may be competitors, but for most of their history, their rivalry has been a fond one - after all, they share writers, artists, and fans. However, there have been many occasions where the two publishers wanted to use each other's heroes without permission - often in a derogatory way. In those cases, they invent obvious versions of each other's heroes and villains - new characters who often take on a life of their own.
In the case of this list, we're not talking about nebulous claims like Sentry being Marvel's Superman or Moon Knight being too close to Batman. Instead, this list will detail 15 characters who are obvious, deliberate rip-offs of DC characters - often with the intent of satirizing Marvel's distinguished competition.
15 Nightbird Is Batgirl
In 2021, Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness launched the Heroes Reborn event. This story saw Mephisto transform reality so that the Avengers never existed, and his thralls in the Squadron Supreme rose to power instead. The Squadron have long been Marvel's parody of the Justice League (more on them later), but Heroes Reborn expanded the joke, essentially combining Marvel's continuity with that of DC.
In the reality of Heroes Reborn, Gwen Stacy became Nightbird. In this reality, Gwen never met Spider-Man, and was instead taken in by the crime-fighter Nighthawk following the death of her father. Nightbird was trained in unarmed combat, and joined Nighthawk's 'Bat-Family' as Marvel's take on Barbara Gordon's Batgirl. Nightbird fought multiple versions of the obsessive Jackal in Vita Ayala and Farid Karami's Heroes Reborn: Night-Gwen.
14 Hawk-Owl and Woody Are Batman and Robin
Ron Zimmerman and Duncan Fegredo's Ultimate Adventures was an outright Batman satire with a lot to say about the Dark Knight and Marvel's Ultimate Universe. Jack Danner is Hawk-Owl - a crime-fighter who battles evil-doers not because of personal tragedy, but because it's the right thing to do. Jack later adopted Hank Kipple, who became Woody and helped Hawk-Owl fight off the Principal - a deranged 'theme' villain similar to DC's Gotham rogues. Hawk-Owl was essentially a well-adjusted Batman, but he was no joke, taking on Captain America when Steve Rogers tried to press-gang him into the Ultimates.
13 Nighthawk Is Batman
While there have been many versions of Nighthawk (most of them explicit Batman parodies), the latest version of Kyle Richmond is the most dangerous. A clone created by Phil Coulson (on Mephisto's orders), Nighthawk's civilian identity was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, using an army of LMD androids to obscure his crime-fighting persona. Nighthawk safeguarded the world in the reality of Heroes Reborn, and opposed threats including the Goblin (a Joker-esque Norman Osborn) and Baron Zemo's Siege Society.
After the collapse of the Heroes Reborn reality, Nighthawk made it his mission to restore 'his' world, and set out to gather the Infinity Stones. While he was unsuccessful, he came close, and recently joined the Avengers after they recognized his Batman-level competence.
12 The A.U.T.H.O.R.I.T.Y. Are The Authority
Soon to appear in James Gunn's DCU, the Authority are hardcore heroes who go further than the Justice League ever will. Their immense powers are enhanced by the Carrier: a gigantic spaceship which sales through the blood-red space between realities, known as the Bleed. Marvel fans were therefore amused when - in Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley's Hulk #2 - Hulk encountered a familiar team while traveling between realities. The group identity themselves as the "Alternate Universe Timeline Hazard Operations Response & Intervention Team Y--" before Hulk plows through them in a fountain of blood and viscera (he was asleep, and only learned he'd killed the pompous superheroes later.) While some parodies are meant in good fun, this seems like an occasion where Marvel just felt like massacring some DC icons.
11 Doctor Spectrum Is Green Lantern
Another Coulson clone, Joseph Ledger was an ultra-patriotic hero who slaughtered any alien threat to Earth - including shooting off Thanos' fingers when he gathered the Infinity Rings in the Heroes Reborn reality. Doctor Spectrum wields a Power Prism which gives him the same construct-generating powers as DC's Green Lantern, however he doesn't have the same moral compunction against grievously injuring or killing his enemies.
10 Power Princess (AKA Zarda) Is Wonder Woman
Another hero cloned by Coulson , Power Princess is a mimic of Wonder Woman, hailing from Utopia Isle - a fascistic version of DC's Themyscira. A warrior with enhanced abilities, Power Princess was the Squadron Supreme's most brutal member, and possessed an arsenal of mythological weapons - in the Heroes Reborn reality, she's shown to have killed several of the Avengers (and their villains) with Medusa's head, turning them to stone.
9 The Blur Is The Flash
Stanley Stewart has always been fast, but in the reality of Heroes Reborn, Mephisto granted him a game-changing upgrade. In this world, Blur went to train with the Ancient One (Doctor Strange's mentor) to control his speed, adding a mystical dimension to his powers. Like DC's Flash, Blur's speed allowed him to travel between dimensions and across time, facing off with villains such as the Silver Sorceress and Ghost Runner. This version of Blur is perhaps the fastest being in any Marvel story, and even equals the Flash himself.
8 FastForward Is The Flash (Literally)
In DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry Allen's Flash famously sacrificed himself, disintegrating while destroying the Anti-Monitor's antimatter cannon... then he woke up in the Marvel Universe. Or at least, so Marvel wanted fans to believe. In Mark Gruenwald and Mike Manley's Quasar #17, fans meet a mysterious speedster in a tattered red and yellow costume. The hero only remembers two things: 1) that he was recently turned into pure energy and b) that his name sounds something like 'Buried Alien.'
While Marvel couldn't outright claim Barry had ended up in its reality, the implication was clear, and the hero eventually adopted the codename 'FastForward.' Barry Allen's Flash later returned to DC canon, but didn't mention having spent the intervening years alongside Marvel's cosmic heroes.
7 Hyperion Is Superman
The last of Mephisto's Squadron Supreme clones, Hyperion has long been Marvel's go-to version of Superman (though he's not the only one.) Hyperion is one of Marvel's strongest characters, and this was dialed up in Mephisto's Heroes Reborn reality. There, Hyperion could go toe-to-toe with Juggernaut, burned the Hulk to ashes with his heat vision, and flew through Galactus' head with seemingly no effort. However, he wasn't totally invulnerable - in Ed Brisson and Roland Boschi's Heroes Reborn: Weapon X & Final Flight, Wolverine stabbed this corrupt Superman through the throat, proving that even a Man of Steel isn't immune to claws of adamantium.
6 Virtue Is Superman
First appearing in Reginald Hudlin and Billy Tan's Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #13, Ethan Edwards was another Marvel parody of Superman, right down to the alliterative name and job as a star reporter. Eventually choosing the codename Virtue, Ethan was a deeply moral hero who had been raised on Earth after the destruction of his alien homeworld. The big difference? Instead of being a Kryptonian, Virtue was a shape-shifting Skrull. While he initially set out to be a hero, Virtue later came to blame the Avengers for the fall of the Skrull Empire, and targeted them as a member of the Revengers. Virtue has taken down the Avengers single-handed in his time, and has powers similar to Superman, with the addition of shapeshifting and a mysterious healing power.
5 King Hyperion Is Superman (But Evil)
Marvel's multiverse has many different realities, and that means many versions of even its parody characters. King Hyperion is another version of Superman, but one without even a shred of moral restraint. He vaporized Wolverine, beat Thor to a pulp, and snorted Holocaust - the ultra-powerful son of Apocalypse. Worse, he ended up co-opting the multiverse-hopping powers of the Exiles, and began trying to rule alternate realities with his incredible powers. King Hyperion is seemingly the strongest version of Mark Milton in the multiverse - as proved when he effortlessly beat two heroic Hyperions at the same time.
4 The Great Society Are The Justice League
Made up of Sun God, the Rider, the Norn, the Jovian, Doctor Spectrum, and Boundless, the Great Society were introduced in Jonathan Hickman and Rags Morales' New Avengers #16.NOW. The story took place in the lead-up to Secret Wars, during the period where all versions of Earth in the multiverse were crashing together in deadly Incursion Events. In order to save Marvel's main reality, the Illuminati took to destroying 'rival' Earths, and it only made sense that eventually, they'd have to face another group of heroes who were doing the same.
This face-off eventuality came in the form of the Great Society - a clear echo of the Justice League, made up of analogs for Superman, Batman, Doctor Fate, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and the Flash. Marvel fully admitted that the Justice League were capable of winning this fight, however the Illuminati triumphed thanks to Doctor Strange, who sold his soul in exchange for a spell capable of defeating Sun God. Taken seriously as tragic heroes who didn't deserve to lose, the Great Society are perhaps Marvel's best take on the Justice League.
3 The Squadron Supreme Were The Original Marvel Justice League
The original Squadron Supreme (of whom the Heroes Reborn clones were a later iteration) were introduced as enemies of the Avengers from Earth-S, giving fans an unofficial Avengers/Justice League crossover before that seemed possible. However, the team truly took on a life of their own in Squadron Supreme from Mark Gruenwald and Bob Hall. The premise of the story was simple: what if the Justice League used their powers to take control of America and run the country as they saw fit?
As well as Hyperion, Power Princess, and Nighthawk, the Squadron Supreme of Earth-S are a veritable army of heroes, including Blue Eagle, Black Archer, Tom Thumb, Skymax, Amphibian, and many others. Marvel wasn't shy about the Squadron being parodies of DC, and the team remains its go-to answer to the Justice League - nowadays usually pared down to five core members.
2 The Gods of the Prior Universe Are the Justice League (Literally?)
In a wild twist, Donny Cates and Nic Klein's recent Thor #2 seemingly confirmed that the DC Universe existed before the Marvel Universe, but was destroyed by the Black Winter. In Marvel lore, each iteration of the multiverse is eventually replaced by another of greater complexity, with only a few beings - like Galactus and the Black Winter - surviving between them. In Thor #2, the Black Winter reveals that before the Marvel multiverse, it faced down a team of 'Gods' who are clearly intended to be the Justice League - including a shot of Superman leaving what appears to be the iconic Daily Planet building. Rather than parodies or references to the Justice League, these are the superhero "gods" themselves.
1 Mr. Beyonder Is Mister Mxyzptlk
Occupying a single panel in Heroes Reborn #2, Mr. Beyonder combines Marvel and DC's strongest beings - the Beyonder and Mister Mxyzptlk. In their own realities, each of these beings have total control over reality. While he retains the white robe and partial name of the Beyonder, this villain is far more like DC's Fifth-Dimensional imp, possessing a playful and whimsical nature and attacking Hyperion with psychedelic flying sharks, just as DC's Mxy plagues the Man of Steel.
Bonus: Deadpool Is... Suspiciously Similar to Deathstroke
Fans have often speculated that Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld's Deadpool was based on Marv Wolfman and George Pérez's Deathstroke. Indeed, many assume this is an open fact, given Deadpool's civilian identity of Wade Wilson is so close to Deathstroke's Slade Wilson - not to mention the two are both master assassins with similar designs. However, Liefeld has repeatedly denied any connection, claiming that Deadpool was inspired by Spider-Man and G.I. Joe's Snake Eyes, but not DC's master assassin. Co-creator Nicieza has joked from the start that the two are similar, but given the original design was Liefeld's, fans will never know for certain.
Marvel and DC will never stop referencing each other, and the characters above prove it. Marvel may be happy with the Avengers and X-Men, but given the chance to showcase its own versions of the Justice League and Authority, the publisher has never been able to resist - especially when it creates the opportunity to show Marvel's stalwart heroes beating down some corrupt DC doppelgängers.