As one of the longest-running, most iconic superheroes in the history of comic books, Batman has cast a long shadow that extends well beyond the DC Universe and into the Marvel Universe as well. Despite that, there's no one Marvel character that has everything that makes the Dark Knight so iconic.

There are, however, several prominent Marvel characters who have more than a few passing similarities to the Caped Crusader. Now, we're taking a closer look at some of Marvel's closest Batman analogs and what they share with Batman.

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MOON KNIGHT

Created by Dough Moench and Don Perlin in 1975's Werewolf by Night #32, Moon Knight is --with good reason -- perhaps the most obvious analog to Bruce Wayne and his nocturnal alter ego in the Marvel Universe. Like Bruce Wayne, Marc Spector openly employs different personas as part of his war on crime in addition to his nocturnal protector -- complete with his own Mooncopter and an array of weaponry, including crescent-shaped shurikens.

A self-made billionaire, Spector assumes the jet setting, playboy persona of Steven Grant publicly while employing the street-level cab driver persona of Jake Lockley to stay connected to the word on the streets of New York City. As a highly trained mercenary, Moon Knight is also a formidable martial artist and tactician.

NIGHT THRASHER

Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz in 1989's Thor #411, Dwayne Michael Taylor watched his wealthy parents as they were murdered before his eyes. Vowing to avenge them, Taylor spent the rest of his life training himself in martial arts and studying advanced sciences to eventually become the superhero Night Thrasher.

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Night Thrasher would go on to found and lead the young superhero team the New Warriors as part of his quest to use his extensive training, technological acumen, and family's wealth to fight crime throughout New York City in the very streets where his parents were killed. Taylor's training has led to him to be able to fight against antiheroes like the Punisher hand-to-hand to a standstill while his technology incorporated valuable materials like vibranium to make him the ultimate crimefighter, with and without his trademark skateboard.

NIGHTHAWK

More than any other Marvel hero, Nighthawk was created as a direct response to Batman. In Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema's Avengers #69, Kyle Richmond debuted alongside the Squadron Sinister, a team of Justice League analogs that duked it out with the Avengers. As the group's resident Batman stand-in, Richmond used his family's fortune to develop a serum that gave him a modest set of superhuman powers that were especially effective at night, and he fleshed out his superhero set-up with a suite of hi-tech gadgets that were also paid for by his family fortune.

While other versions of Nighthawk joined various incarnations of the Squadron Supreme, the Marvel Universe Nighthawk became one of the core members of the Defenders and even led the team throughout a considerable portion of its tenure. Although he's also been a member of the Thunderbolts and more recent Defenders teams, Marvel's main Nighthawk has faded into the background of the Marvel Universe in recent years.

BLACK PANTHER

Originally introduced by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966's Fantastic Four #52 as an antagonist, Black Panther was revealed to be the rightful King of Wakanda T'Challa. After ingesting a heart-shaped fruit native to his African country, T'Challa gained superhuman strength, speed, and enhanced senses, augmenting his already impressive training and genius-level intellect.

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In addition to being a formidable martial artist and tactician, T'Challa is significantly richer than Bruce Wayne thanks to his country's supply of vibranium, one of the rarest elements in the Marvel Universe. Similarly, T'Challa has an entire arsenal of vehicles, gadgets, and weapons at his disposal, most of which are fueled by vibranium. And while Black Panther has fought cosmic threats both solo and as an Avenger, he has confronted street-level opponents before, most notably defending Hell's Kitchen while Daredevil was on a self-imposed hiatus. And with the similarities between the cat ears on his costume and the ears on Batman's cowl, T'Challa bears more than a passing resemblance to the Dark Knight at a glance.

DAREDEVIL

Introduced by Stan Lee and Bill Everett in 1964's Daredevil #1, Matt Murdock gained superhuman senses after being doused in radioactive chemicals that robbed him of his eyesight. Developing radar vision from his disability, Murdock trained for much of his childhood under a martial arts mentor named Stick, who helped the fledgling crimefighter hone his senses and combat skills.

Defending his old neighborhood in Hell's Kitchen, Murdock is certainly as gritty and tortured as Batman, though lacking the affluence that Bruce Wayne had enjoyed. And it's no great coincidence that after crafting a universally acclaimed run on Daredevil, comic book creator Frank Miller would later effortlessly redefine Batman for DC Comics after switching publishers, highlight the similarities between these two inner-city heroes.

THE PUNISHER

Introduced by Gerry Conway, John Romita, Sr. and Ross Andru in 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man #129 as a gun-toting antagonist for the friendly neighborhood superhero, the Punisher is one of the grimmest, grittiest antiheroes in the Marvel Universe. After watching as his family was massacred before his eyes after being caught in the crossfire of a mob war, combat veteran Frank Castle dedicated the rest of his life to eradicating criminals by any means necessary.

Obviously, the Punisher openly employs lethal force and a multitude of firearms, both of which the mainstream Batman has sworn against in his own war on crime. However, both characters possess a high level of training and a rigid sense of discipline as they carry out their own respective campaigns against criminals in their cities and an obsessive drive to avenge their families by any means.

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