8 DC Characters Shamelessly Ripped-Off From Marvel
8. Atomic Skull Looks Just Like Ghost Rider
Flaming skull? Check. Hilarious name? Also check. Renowned pop-culture status? Not really, but Atomic Skull was destined to walk in Ghost Rider's shadow regardless of his flashy look.
Created by Roger Stern and Bob McLoeb in 1991, the Joseph Martin version of the Atomic Skull is visually striking and goofy all at once, borrowing Johnny Blaze's flame-ridden motif with a villainous edge to compliment it. They're very different personality-wise, but there's a reason why that design looks just a little iffy, having arrived some twenty years after the original Rider debuted in 1972's Marvel Spotlight #5.
The Skull has made a few appearances in animation over the years, and has even featured in the comics as recently as 2016 in Phil Jimenez and Matt Santorelli's Superwoman series for DC Rebirth.
That aside, he's most definitely not the Ghost Rider we all know and love, and could probably due with a redesign to avoid more comparisons going forward.