Who Is Chinese Superman? 8 Superhero Derivatives You Should Know About
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Shazam, the original Captain Marvel, was created in 1939 and was a more popular superhero than Superman and Batman at the time. The extended Shazam Family, Captain Marvel Jr., and Mary Marvel debuted in this Golden Age of comic books, soon followed by Black Adam. These superheroes would forge their own identities in later decades, but they were essentially a young, female, and evil mirror version of Shazam.
Comic book creators have been creating derivative versions of popular characters since modern comic books were first created. It’s a way for creators to experiment with established tropes, create new ideas, and retire characters for a while to test reader preferences. Sometimes these creative strategies work and sometimes they don’t but they are always interesting.
Here are 8 superhero derivative characters who thrilled, polarized, and baffled fans, or completely escaped their attention.
1. Zur-En-Arhh (Crazy Batman)
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The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh first appeared in Batman #113 in 1958. In the simplistic story, Batman traveled to an alien world and teamed up with an alien, a mirror version of himself to battle evil robots. Zur-En-Arrh wore a garishly colored purple, red, and yellow costume, but essentially looked like Batman.
Zur-En-Arrh was reimagined in the 2000s to be a savage, backup personality in Bruce Wayne’s mind. If Bruce Wayne lost control of his mind or found himself too emotionally compromised to act as Batman, a more savage and brutal personality called Zur-En-Arrh would emerge while the primary Wayne personality withdrew to heal.
2. New Super-Man (Chinese Superman)
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Kong Kenan is a 17-year-old Chinese teen who becomes an arrogant bully in school after a family tragedy. After becoming a social media sensation for standing up to a supervillain in public, Kenan takes part in an experiment that turns him into the Super-Man of China. Kenan teams up with a Chinese version of the Justice League to fight evil in China.
New Super’Man’s emblem is even reimagined to incorporate the yin and yang symbols. Kenan debuted in New Super-Man #1 in 2016. The superhero character is now part of the extended Superman family of characters.
3. The Punisher as Iron Man
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Everyone knows that Frank Castle is the Punisher, a vigilante waging war on crime. However, The Punisher’s status quo is played with a lot by comic book creators. In Punisher #218 from 2017, Frank Castle was tasked by Nick Fury with stealing a War Machine armor, itself a derivative of Iron Man technology, to take his vigilante mission to another level. Castle painted his skull emblem on the armor and used Iron Man tech to amp up his vigilante mission. Castle refused to give the armor back to Fury and kept it for a year.
4. Beta Ray Bill (Alien Thor)
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Beta Ray Bill is an alien with a horse-shaped face and orange skin whose ship was detected by S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury asks Thor to check it out. During this time, if Thor lost contact with his hammer for over a minute, he would turn into a human. This happened during a fight with Beta Ray Bill who picks up Mjolnir and is designated worthy of the powers of Thor.
The alien soon got his own costume and hammer, Stormbreaker. Beta Ray Bill is the first alien outside of Norse mythology to be worthy of Odin’s enchantments. The character debuted in Thor #337 in 1983.
5. Nubia (Black Wonder Woman)
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Nubia is one of the Amazonian superhero warriors of Themyscira and is the successor to the throne. She first debuted in 1973 in Wonder Woman #203. Nubia was originally introduced as the black, fraternal twin sister of Diana Prince in 1973 but this origin was later retconned. Nubia is often credited as being the first high-profile black character to appear in DC comics. She later became Queen of Themyscira when Hippolyta, Wonder Woman’s mother, temporarily joined the Justice League.
6. Ben Reilly (Peter Parker’s Clone)
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The Clone Saga, a Spider-Man event in Marvel Comics that ran from 1994 to 1996, is considered to be the most controversial and hated comic book story of all time. The story is extremely convoluted, but in a nutshell, it was revealed that Peter Parker was a clone of the real Spider-Man, Ben Reilly. Peter and Mary Jane retire to start a family while Ben Reilly becomes the Scarlet Spider and the new Spider-Man.
Fans of the era revolted and the shock reveal was soon reversed. Ben Reilly still exists in the comic books and even appeared in 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Ben Reilly first appeared as Peter Parker’s clone in The Amazing Spider-Man#149 in 1975.
7. Vathlo Island (Black Kryptonians)
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Nonwhite characters were not often showcased as superheroes in the 20th century. For example, the planet Krypton, where Superman was born, is usually depicted as being populated with beings with white skin. However, in 1971, Superman # 239 depicts an island called Vathlo Island or Vatho Station that is entirely populated with a highly developed black race of Kryptonians. The Vathlo Island members of Krypton have never been mentioned again.
8. The Batman Who Laughs (Joker Batman)
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The Batman Who Laughs is a Batman from an alternate reality who was exposed to Smilex gas, the compound Joker uses to drive people insane. The Batman of Earth -22 slowly becomes a terrifying hybrid version of the Joker and himself. The Batman Who Laughs became a fan-favorite in 2018 but soon overstayed its welcome through overexposure. The character debuted in Dark Days: The Casting #1 in 2017.
Mirror Versions of Your Favorite Superhero Characters is a Common Story Plot Device
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While it might seem lazy or unimaginative, the use of derivative superhero characters is a common plot device. Almost every superhero with the powers of flight and super strength is a variation of Superman, but that does not mean new characters with similar powers can never be created.
The greatest scientific discoveries in the real world usually happen because someone reads the research papers of another scientist. So, be open-minded when learning about derivative superheroes. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but new ideas cannot be manifested without being inspired and building upon what came before.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
