On July 11, DC loyalists, enthusiasts, and even a few haters will rush to local theaters to witness the official cinematic debut of the James Gunn/Peter Safran DC Studios—Superman is finally here!
Everyone familiar with the Last Son of Krypton understands his indomitable power, overwhelming zeal to defend the helpless, and nearly undefeated record. Since 1938, when two sons of Jewish immigrants from Ohio got together to discuss a "super" idea, (who would become arguably the most famous DC Comics superhero of all time) Marvel Comics has been creating Superman knock-offs.
To be fair, Marvel and DC "borrow" from each other constantly. One has the original, and the other breaks out in song: "Whatever you can do, I can do better; I can do anything better than you." When it comes to Superman, that chorus has come over and over again. And while Marvel hasn't equaled the mythos that Jerry Shuster and Joe Siegel created those many moons ago, they've tried.
Fast forward to Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* and many casuals believe Sentry is that equivalent of Superman. When Robert Reynolds is finally in the form of The Sentry, acolytes of the red brand believed they finally had their match on screen. Candidly, when Bob was looking for a fix and chugged the Sentry serum, he had no idea what would happen. He has more powers than Superman, yet does anyone truly believe Bob could take Clark?!
Ranking the several Marvel Superman-esque heroes wasn't easy, but it was necessary. Considering the background, skill set, powers, track record and mystique, your buddies at Bam Smack Pow broke them all down.
9. Wonder Man (1964)
Wonder-Man is often overlooked as a tier-three superhero. Now that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (formerly Black Manta) is bringing the character of Simon Williams to life this coming December in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's upcoming Disney Plus show, he may be lifted a tier or two. Like Superman, Wonder Man wants peace. Although he could put a beatdown on anyone with his powers, he chooses not to do that.
The interesting note is that Wonder Man has even more powers than Superman, such as shapeshifting, teleporting and imbuing others with his abilities. He even has his own biker gang of antiheroes named the Revengers, featuring Anti-Venom, Atlas, Captain Ultra, Century, Demolition Man, Devil-Slayer, Ethan Edwards, and Goliath.
8. Omega the Unknown (1976)
This hero lives up to his name because, on all counts, Omega is relatively unknown in comic lore. He has a similar backstory from a particular orphaned space baby as a wily band of space robots destroyed his people, but not before Omega could scurry away to Earth. Created as a Superman knock-off (look at his spandex), Omega only lasted 10 issues of comic books because of bad sales.
His origin is from the biosphere of Earth, and not the sun. He takes the power of the Earth's core and bends it for his need to vanquish the enemy. He flies and lifts cars but can also hurl kinetic energy and temporarily see the future. There's no question Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes were inspired by the mythos of Superman and planned on giving that to Omega.
7. Zoran the Sun God (2013)
While Zoran the Sun God doesn't get nearly the shine as dozens of others, he poses a formidable threat to the evils in Marvel Comics. He's an alien on Earth and will eventually become the greatest hero on the planet. Much like Superman, but perhaps in a more direct tangent, his powers are directly from the sun. With the heat, force, light and even the gravitational pull, Zoran can do just about anything.
His super strength has been used to slap the Hulk and the way that he can force the sun to do his bidding makes him a scary threat for any hero or villain. Zoran is like the minor league of Superman knock-offs because he never made it to Earth-616. Zoran was parked on Earth-4290001, and who knew that zip code even went that high?
6. Vulcan (2006)
Even a mutant has been created to be a Superman type. Gabriel Summers, known as Vulcan, has a familiar last name without the TV time. His brother is Cyclops, and his sister is Havok, but they don't know about him. Like his siblings, Vulcan is a psionic master who can manipulate all energy for his whim.
While he has no choice for Superman in terms of strength, what he can do with power would be a hassle for Superman. In real life, it has been thought Vulcan was based on Superman-Prime, which seems like a more likely comparison. His energy manipulation abilities are Omega-level in sheer force, which means heat, light and electricity will do anything he demands.
5. Ikaris (1976)
In Eternals, we saw a true Superman equivalent in Ikaris. Although it didn't work with most casuals, and a few die-hards, that was a superb move for Kevin Feige at the time. It could have been a great transition from the Avengers big bad, since Thanos is part Eternal. Nonetheless, Ikaris showed his might in the film, which is similar to Supes.
Ikaris isn't the only Eternal on this list, which could be interpreted as someone in Marvel thinking that Ikaris could be just the beginning. It's a Superman starter kit, in a way. That's unfathomable, considering Jack Kirby created the Eternals, but there's that. Ikaris may not be stronger than Superman, but since he never dies, he could wallop Kal-El as long as possible.
4. Sentry (2000)
As noticed in Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts*, The Sentry is essentially the same idea as Superman but remains unique because of the extra baggage that Robert Reynolds brings. By now, the world has discovered that because of The Void. That's the alter-ego of the Sentry, not Bob. The fact that Bob doesn't have total control of his powers as Sentry is the only reason why he's not in the top three of Superman knock-offs.
When Bob is in full superhero mode, The Sentry is an unstoppable force and would give Superman a battle for the ages. Yet, the problem is The Void can split from Sentry whenever provoked or determines life is too troubling for Bob and Sentry. Once that internal tremor is strong enough, out comes the diabolical altar ego of Sentry, and that's when life gets really bad.
3. Hyperion (1963)
Hyperion was created in 1963 by Marvel Comics' Roy Thomas and the legendary artist Sal Buscema. Stop us if you have heard this before: Someone from a doomed alien planet named Zhib-Ran, Hyperion grew up on Earth. He goes by Marcus Milton here to hide his extra-terrestrial origins, searching for a stable life and danger to exhibit his powers.
Those powers are superhuman strength and speed, flight and atomic vision. He absorbs solar radiation for strength, and his weakness is the isotope Argonite, which is from his native planet. To fight evil from Earth, he helps out together the Squadron Supreme, featuring some of the planet's most powerful heroes. Yet, he's an Eternal, so that's different. Fans will never figure that out, right?
2. Blue Marvel (2008)
The most recent of the Marvel Comics "Supermen", Adam Bernard Brashear could easily be the best. He is a hero in every sense of the word. Imagine Captain America and Superman having a cloned love child, and that could be Blue Marvel. His skill set is almost identical, and his backstory is close to that of Steve Rogers or maybe even Victor Stone. The guy is an All-American football player (Cyborg) and then a highly decorated Marine (Captain America).
Also, like Cyborg, he is a genius. While not a technophile, he understands science better than most, so he understands how to manipulate his powers for maximum carnage. Remember when Michael B. Jordan was considering a Black Superman, but as Val-Zod? Blue Marvel is that hero with a civics-minded backstory. Needless to say a Blue Marvel film would be a marvelous movie.
1. Gladiator (1977)
Here he is, the closest thing to DC's Superman Marvel has ever created. He wasn't meant to be more kickass than Kal-El; he was made as Kal-El. The dazzling Chris Claremont established Gladiator in the shadow of Superman. Set aside the purple carbonite mohawk, this guy is a force. Gladiator is the leader of the Imperial Guard, a gaggle of super-powered alien beings who act as enforcers of the laws of the Shi'ar Empire.
It's been said that Gladiator is the reality of what would have happened if Superman stayed in space near Krypton and kept his leadership with the Legion. He has a strict moral code of service, being the leader of the Guard. He is one of most powerful mortal beings with Hulk-like strength, supersonic speed, invulnerability, ocular heat beams, and even a freezing “super-breath.” Only one thing makes him different: Gladiator is sensitive. If his confidence is lacking, his powers start waning.
While that's not a warming team builder, Gladiator more than makes up for it when he is confident. He's impervious to just about anything at any time.