What aliases have been used in both Marvel and DC continuity?

[Lorendiac]

Last night, on another site, I started asking for help in listing character "aliases" that have been used by both Marvel and DC characters at one time or another. Here's the current list.

A few quick ground rules:

1. For the sake of argument, let's just agree that the gods and other characters of Norse Myth, Graeco-Roman Myth, Egyptian Myth, etc., exist in both universes, okay? No need to list 'em all! :) (We can skip over King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, too.)

2. Also, I'm permitting any cases where one version usually (or always) uses the word "The" in front of the rest of the name, and the other version usually (or always) feels he can get by just fine without it!

3. Also, I allow cases that started out in comics published by some other company, but got acquired by DC or Marvel later on! (If anyone can think of a character from the Ultraverse who shares a name with a DC hero or villain, for instance, then go ahead and say so!)


The Current List

Angel
Arsenal
Captain Marvel
Changeling
Comet (or The Comet)
Cyclone
Darkstar
The Enchantress
Guardian
Jester
Miss America
Nightshade
Quicksilver
Sandman
Scarecrow
Sun Girl
Talon
Tarantula
Whirlwind
The Wizard

Can you think of anyone else we're missing?

[Jonathan]

Depending on how deep you want to dig into this, you can go on for ages. Some examples:

Marvel's Cyclops (Scott Summers) and DC's Cyclops (from The Brave and the Bold 64)
Marvel's Cypher (Doug Ramsey) and DC's Cypher I (Victor Cypher, from Checkmate 27) and Cypher II (Avery Twombey, from Detective Comics 657)
Marvel's Phoenix (Jean Grey, Rachael Summers, etc.) and DC's Phoenix (from G. I. Combat 225)
Marvel's various Warlocks and DC's Warlock (from Green Lantern vol. 2 42)
Marvel's Colossus (Peter Rasputin) and DC's Colossus (from Swamp Thing vol. 1 23)
Marvel's Cannonball (Sam Guthrie) and DC's Cannonball (Sgt. Horace Calhoon, from Tomahawk 83)
Marvel's Tigra (Greer Grant) and DC's Tigra (from New Gods vol. 1 7)
Marvel's Demon (from the Defenders) and DC's Demon (Etrigan)
Marvel's Half-Life I (from West Coast Avengers 12) and Half-Life II (from Hulk 334) and DC's Half-Life (from Superboy and the Ravers 2)
Marvel's Titania (Mary MacPherran) and DC's Titania (from Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes 253)

[Lorendiac]

Depending on how deep you want to dig into this, you can go on for ages. Some examples:

As I was going to sleep last night, I wondered if DC had ever used such names as Warlock and Phoenix. If they have used such names in stories that were supposed to be in continuity at the time, then I'm willing to count 'em, even obscure characters who haven't been heard from since the Silver Age or whatever!

And although I began with just a quick list of names, without any fancy explanations included, I've figured all along that a "final version" would have to be more polished, with helpful notes such as you provided, to persuade people that I might actually know what I was talking about :)

Depending on how deep you want to dig into this, you can go on for ages. Some examples:
Marvel's Demon (from the Defenders) and DC's Demon (Etrigan)

I'm not remembering Marvel's "Demon" offhand. (Although I could name a bunch of different characters who have claimed to be "demons," or "half-demons," or whatever.) Which version of the Defenders had this character making appearances? Was the character a hero or villain?

[Shellhead]

I'm not remembering Marvel's "Demon" offhand. (Although I could name a bunch of different characters who have claimed to be "demons," or "half-demons," or whatever.) Which version of the Defenders had this character making appearances? Was the character a hero or villain?

He might be thinking of Gargoyle, the Defender who looked like an orange version of DC's Etrigan.

[Lorendiac]

He might be thinking of Gargoyle, the Defender who looked like an orange version of DC's Etrigan.

That thought popped into my head too, but I decided not to commit myself right away, in case he was remembering some obscure character who had once said, "Just call me . . . Demon!" or whatever.

[Lorendiac]

After thinking about "Dr. Doome," I've decided that "Pronunciation trumps Spelling." If two names are obviously supposed to be said exactly the same way, then that's good enough for me! :)

[Alan2099]

That thought popped into my head too, but I decided not to commit myself right away, in case he was remembering some obscure character who had once said, "Just call me . . . Demon!" or whatever.

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/demonjim.htm

[Jonathan]

He might be thinking of Gargoyle, the Defender who looked like an orange version of DC's Etrigan.

Yes, I was thinking of Gargoyle. My bad. :o

[Lorendiac]

Yes, I was thinking of Gargoyle. My bad. :o

If it's any comfort -- the name "Gargoyle" seemed vaguely familiar to me from elsewhere. On a hunch, I checked -- DC had a Gargoyle too; an old Titans villain. So you were at least half-right in suggesting that the character you were thinking of from Marvel continuity did, in fact, share a name with a DC character, and I've now added them both to the next draft of my list! :)

[Shellhead]

Dr. Doome fought DC's Seven Soldiers during the Golden Age. That's almost identical spelling to the later and more infamous Dr. Doom.

[Lorendiac]

Dr. Doome fought DC's Seven Soldiers during the Golden Age. That's almost identical spelling to the later and more infamous Dr. Doom.

I had no idea! Over on Newsarama, I said that I hadn't yet made up my mind about cases that might arise where two characters had names with identical pronunciation but different spelling. Now it looks like I'd better reach a policy decision on that one, pretty darn quick! :)

[Alan2099]

Jack O' Lantern is a Spider-man enemy and Jack O'Lantern was a member of Primal Force.
Tarantula was a Spider-man enemy and a Nightwing ... er... let's not get into that right now. She's met Nightwing though.
There was a Wizard who fought ther JLA and a Wizard who fought the Fantastic Four.
Alan Scott used to be Sentinel and Sentinels hunted down the X-men.
Spider-girl was a named both used by a Legion of Super Heroes member and the future daughter of Spider-man.

Still, my favorite double universe character was Agent Axis, a minor WWII villian. He was actually originally a DC character but one writer of Captain America got mixed up when naming old WWII villians Captain America had fought and included his name. Later another writer had to come in and introduce a Marvel version of him.

[Lorendiac]

Jack O' Lantern is a Spider-man enemy and Jack O'Lantern was a member of Primal Force.

I thought of them last night and then forgot to add that name to the list today.

Tarantula was a Spider-man enemy and a Nightwing ... er... let's not get into that right now. She's met Nightwing though.

There was a Wizard who fought ther JLA and a Wizard who fought the Fantastic Four.

Those are already on the list, actually.

Alan Scott used to be Sentinel and Sentinels hunted down the X-men.

I'm generally trying to avoid "group names" that have been used on both sides. Although I did count "Darkstar" because individual characters wearing the uniform in the DCU were presumably called "Darkstar" or "the local Darkstar" or whatever, the same way Hal Jordan is often called "Green Lantern" as his own superhero alias. I want to think about it a bit more, but I'll probably end up counting the robots since each individual is called a "Sentinel." (Unlike, say, the way the Avengers never had a member who was called "the Avenger," as far as I know.)

Spider-girl was a named both used by a Legion of Super Heroes member and the future daughter of Spider-man.

That, I didn't know! (Now that raises the question of whether I count an MC2 character as being part of "Marvel's continuity.")

Still, my favorite double universe character was Agent Axis, a minor WWII villian. He was actually originally a DC character but one writer of Captain America got mixed up when naming old WWII villians Captain America had fought and included his name. Later another writer had to come in and introduce a Marvel version of him.

That is funny! :)

[Shellhead]

What about Doc Savage?

In the mid 70's, Marvel did comic book versions of some of his early adventures back in the 1920's. In the late 80's, DC had a monthly Doc Savage series that featured the exact same character and some of his followers, only in new adventures set in modern times.

[Lorendiac]

What about Doc Savage?

In the mid 70's, Marvel did comic book versions of some of his early adventures back in the 1920's. In the late 80's, DC had a monthly Doc Savage series that featured the exact same character and some of his followers, only in new adventures set in modern times.

My current policy is to ignore multiple uses of "licensed" characters or "public domain" characters. For instance, Marvel and DC (and Gold Key, and Dark Horse, and maybe someone else I'm forgetting) have all had licenses to do comic books set in the "Star Trek" universe at one time or another. But they weren't duplicating each other's characters names, accidentally or on purpose; they were just all drawing upon the same pool of pre-existing fictional characters for certain stories.

Similar logic was behind my decision to ignore multiple uses of the Norse mythological gods, etc. I believe DC used to do a Sherlock Holmes series; I'm not sure if Marvel has ever done the same, but if they have, I wouldn't count that on my list either, because it would basically be "the exact same character" (originally created by Arthur Conan Doyle) instead of a case of one writer accidentally or deliberately duplicating someone else's choice of name as he created a "new" character of his own! :)