10 Superman Rip-Offs Who Are Stronger Than The Man Of Steel
Look in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's... wait... who is that?
Copycats of successful superheroes and supervillains have been around since the dawn of comics. Red Lion is a rip-off of Black Panther. Black Cat is a literal copycat of Catwoman. Marvel's Scarecrow is based on DC's Scarecrow. (Okay, they didn't even try to hide that one.)
Superman was such an instant hit, he was guaranteed to have a myriad of clones. Only one year after he debuted, Fawcett Comics created Captain Marvel, who was so similar, DC Comics had the series cancelled.
If you thought that would stop other companies from creating their own version of Supes, think again. There are dozens of Superman rip-offs with all the same basic powers like superstrength, flight, and superspeed.
You would assume that a lot of these characters are just cheap substitutes that sank without a trace. However, some of them have gone on to become very popular.
And although Superman has a reputation for being the toughest superhero, several of these doppelgängers are stronger, mainly because they don't have a weakness as blatant as Kryptonite. Here are some knock-offs of Superman that are actually more powerful than the Man of Steel.
10. Shazam
When the teenager, Billy Batson, shouts “SHAZAM!,” a thunderbolt from the sky strikes him, endowing him with the power of the gods, turning him into the superhero, Shazam.
After Shazam's company, Fawcett Comics, was canned, the character was implemented into DC Comics, allowing the two heroes to join forces on many occasions.
There have been times where Shazam and Supes have been at odds with each other and have been forced to duke it out. One of their most famous battles took place after Superman was corrupted by the evil spirit, Eclipso.
Worried that Eclipso would wreak havoc using the Man of Steel's body, Shazam had no choice but to fight his ally and friend.
Although Superman is physically stronger, Shazam has an edge over Kal-El for one simple reason; Kryptonians are vulnerable against magic. If Shazam blasts him a couple of times with his enchanted lightning bolt, it'll knock Supes out cold.
Shazam doesn't always come out on top when the two fight (probably because fans would riot if Superman lost every time), but he unmistakably has the advantage when the pair butt heads.