10 Marvel Characters Shamelessly Ripped Off From DC Comics
7. Deadpool Was Blatantly Based On Deathstroke
Deadpool was ripped off from Deathstroke so blatantly that it's become a running joke in the comics industry that both sides are in on, and have referenced numerous times.
Wade Wilson was created by artist Rob Liefeld 11 years after DC's Terminator made his first appearance in a 1980 issue of Teen Titans.
The illustrator presented a sketch of the character that looked like it could have been traced from an image of Deathstroke to writer Fabian Nicieza. The scribe felt the similarities between the two were so glaringly obvious that it was worth proceeding for the controversy alone. Naming the character Slade Wilson was the cherry on top.
Not only is Deadpool basically a pallet-swapped version of his DC counterpart, he has many of the same abilities and a near-identical character arc that saw him debut as a villain before becoming more of an anti-hero.
Over time, Deadpool has taken on a life of his own and become a walking, talking satire of the comic book industry, something that translated exceptionally well to cinema when he made his solo movie debut in 2016.