Ripoff or Character Theft? You Make The Call!
Edward G. Robinson: “You ripped me off, see?”
The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror XIX” (Season 20, Episode 4)
Chief Wiggum: “No, I didn’t, see?”
Robinson: “You’re gonna pay for what you’ve done, see?” [shoots him]
Wiggum: “Agh! I always thought I’d die of hepatitis… C?”
Who doesn’t want to borrow someone else’s toys on occasion? You have such great story ideas for characters you don’t own, so what’s a poor author to do? Plagiarize, of course! Oh wait, that’s illegal. But there’s no rule about making a legally-distinct ripoff who fulfills the same purpose!
We’ve already counted down six shameless ripoffs, but there are plenty more where they came from. So who are the next six superhero ripoffs? Let’s find out
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#6 Superhero Ripoff: Godzilla and American Kaiju
Solicitation: “Up from the depths! Thirty stories high! He salutes the flag and eats apple pie!”
New Avengers #9 (2016)
The Original: A dinosaur is mutated by exposure to an atomic bomb. It attacks Japan and is named Godzilla. The monster gradually becomes a guardian, fighting more destructive kaiju and giant robots sent to destroy him.
The Ripoff: American soldier Todd Ziller is given a cocktail of super-science, including gamma radiation, Ant-Man’s Pym Particles, and The Lizard Formula. The mixture transforms Ziller into the uncontrollable American Kaiju, who battles threats like Symbiote Dragons and giant robot Avenger Five.
Who Won?: Godzilla stars in the longest running film franchise. American Kaiju is a loving parody with a handful of appearances. The Original wins.
#5 The Sentinels of Justice and Watchmen
The Question: “I ask myself: what would Rorschach do? He’d kick ass.”
The Question #17 (1988)
The Original: Charlton Comics’ four greatest heroes unite to fight crime. Their members include armored archeologist Blue Beetle, faceless detective The Question, beautiful brawler Nightshade, and radioactive Captain Atom. Their battles lead to a new home in the DC Universe
The Ripoff: Brutal vigilante Rorschach discovers that someone is planning to kill every superhero. The investigation reunites him with former partner Nite-Owl as well as beautiful brawler Silk Spectre and godlike Doctor Manhattan, among other retired heroes.
Who Won?: Watchmen is considered the Citizen Kane of comic books. The Sentinels’ last reunion was a parody of their copycats. Ripoff wins.
#4 The Fantastic Four and The Terrifics
Mr. Terrific: “Go, Terrifics, go!”
The Terrifics #1
The Original: Super genius Mr. Fantastic brings his friends to outer space, where cosmic radiation mutates them. Alongside boisterous monster The Thing, carefree Human Torch, and the compassionate Invisible Woman, they become the Fantastic Four. An armored warlord called Doctor Doom hunts them.
The Ripoff: Super genius Mr. Terrific discovers the Dark Multiverse is being exploited. He joins forces with brooding monster Metamorpho, carefree Plastic Man, and compassionate Phantom Girl to save the universe. All the while, The Terrifics are pursued by an armored villain called Doctor Dread.
The Winner: The Fantastic Four are the foundation that modern Marvel was built upon. The Terrifics are Justice League second stringers that the editor-in-chief thought weren’t commercially viable. The Original wins.
#3 Superhero Ripoff: Superman and Homelander
Soldier Boy: “You’re just a cheap f**king knockoff.”
The Boys “Herogasm” (Season 3, Episode 6)
Homelander: “Oh no, no, no, …I’m the upgrade.”
The Original: Kal-El is rocketed from the dying planet Krypton. Crash-landed on Earth, he is raised by kind farmers and becomes a superhero. Superman is the paragon of the hero community, a kind and noble hero nigh impossible to anger unless your name is Darkseid.
The Ripoff: John Gillman is experimented on in utero to create superpowers. He is raised by the Vought Corporation and becomes a superhero. Homelander is the icon of Vought’s hero franchise, despite actually being a narcissistic madman and supervillain desperate for approval.
The Winner: Superman is the definitive superhero. Homelander is a hit piece made by an author who loathes superheroes. The original wins.
#2 Dial H For Hero and Ben 10
Ben: [once an episode] “It’s hero time!”
Ben 10
The Original: Teenager Robby Reed discovers the magical Hero Dial. By spelling out “Hero” on the rotary phone-shaped artifact, he temporarily transforms into a superhero. The catch is that Robby becomes a different hero every time and he never knows what powers he’ll have to work with.
The Ripoff: Preteen Ben Tennyson discovers the Omnitrix, an alien device allowing him to transform into any alien. He only has access to ten forms, but can increase the number of forms by scanning other aliens. The Omnitrix often malfunctions, forcing Ben to fight as an alien he didn’t choose.
The Winner: Dial H for Hero occasionally gets a mini-series or an appearance by the Hero Dial. Ben 10 had multiple TV shows throughout the 2010s. The Ripoff wins.
#1 Superhero Ripoff: Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter
Luke: “Your origin story is mostly stolen from me
Epic Rap Battles of History “Harry Potter vs. Luke Skywalker” (Season 6, Episode 11)
You may be Potter, but Harry, I planted your seed!”
The Original: Country bumpkin Luke Skywalker meets wizened Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and learns he can use a magical ability called The Force. Luke joins a rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire alongside gruff Han Solo, wise Princess Leia, and bestial Chewbacca.
The Ripoff: Abused orphan Harry Potter learns that he can use magic and is taught by wizened wizard Albus Dumbledore. Harry is targeted by the evil Death Eaters and must fight them alongside emotional Ron Weasley, clever Hermione Granger, and gentle giant Rubeus Hagrid.
The Winner: Both series controversial, but Harry Potter lacks staying power once Harry’s journey is done. Star Wars continues to grow with new media every year. Original wins.
What is your favorite superhero ripoff? Did we miss one? Well don’t rip us off, just tell us in the comments.
Image by Meta AI, prompted by Jared Bounacos
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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