20 Comic Characters That Are Total Rip-Offs‏

18. The Owl

Owl Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics

A crime boss that's been a frequent foil for Daredevil, Black Cat and Spider-Man, Leland Owsley's whole shtick is that he gave into nominative determinism and decided to live as an owl.

Except an owl that runs a tooled-up gang in New York City, has superpowers, and won't stop pointing out all the similarities between himself and those birds with the frightening head flexibility.

Totally a rip-off of: The Penguin

The Penguin
DC Comics

Oswald Cobblepot is the original - and the best - crime boss who has an unhealthy obsession with an animal. As The Penguin Cobblepot has menaced Batman for decades with countless penguin-based escapades and a personality that hinges on the short, rotund criminal's perceived similarity to the arctic birds.

Unlike The Owl, The Penguin doesn't really have any superpowers that bring him closer to his namesake. Apart from that, though, they're pretty much identical, and Cobblepot was on the scene decades before Owsley.

Nice try, Marvel!

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Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/