10 Marvel Characters Shamelessly Ripped Off From DC Comics
2. Gladiator Is Basically Superman
Gladiator is a super-powered being whose abilities include flight, enhanced strength, super hearing, heat vision and ice breath. Remind you of anyone?
Just in case anyone mistakingly thought this Marvel character wasn't a complete ripoff of Superman, creators Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum had him hail from an alien planet and gave him the alias of Kallark (a combination of Supes' Earth and Kryptonian names).
Gladiator debuted in 1977's Uncanny X-Men #107, and has since appeared in numerous X titles, as well as the likes of Fantastic Four, Rom the Spaceknight, Silver Surfer, Nova, and New Warriors.
So, how did Marvel get away with this unabashed act of plagiarism? By claiming Gladiator was a homage, of course. Not to Superman per se, but the 1930 Philip Wylie novel Gladiator, which Supes was partially based on.