At this point, it's almost impossible to think about superheroes without thinking about either DC or Marvel characters. They've been around since the '40s, and they're the ones who get most of the films and television series. On the other hand, companies outside the Big Two have been making superheroes since the very beginning.
These alternate efforts have garnered their own popularity. Heroes outside of DC and Marvel have been written by some of comics' biggest creators, resulting in must-read books. Others have even escaped the page and made their way into cartoons, television, and film. These heroes stand alongside the Avengers' strongest and the Justice League's bravest heroes.
10 Supreme Brought Back Silver Age Superman For The Modern Era
There are plenty of Superman clones roaming about, but most venture down the same path. "What if Superman was an anti-hero or evil" tends to be everyone's first choice for stories that tell a different version of the Man of Steel. Rob Liefeld's version, Supreme, was meant to be on the "realistic" end of things, before Alan Moore came along and retooled the character.
Moore's version turned Supreme into a respectful pastiche of the original Silver Age version. At a time when even DC Comics was presenting a more grounded version of Superman, Supreme gave everyone a taste of Silver Age Superman weirdness.
9 Savage Dragon Joined The Police To Battle Super-Crime
Created by Image co-founder Erik Larsen, Savage Dragon has the honor of being the longest continuously published comic book character to be written by the same individual. He's also one of the few non DC or Marvel superheroes to have their own cartoon series in the '90s, courtesy of USA Network.
Unique among superheroes, Dragon wasn't known for wearing a costume, but instead joined the police at the behest of his friend, Lieutenant Frank Darling. He spent the next several hundred issues fighting against the dangerous super-villains in the Vicious Circle until meeting his end in the late 200s of his comic.
8 X-O Manowar Is The Most Powerful Hero Of The Valiant Universe
The current version of X-O Manowar is Aric of Dacia, a barbarian king ruling over the Visigoth people in the 5th century. Just before a battle against Rome, Aric and his men are kidnapped by aliens. To escape, Aric bonds with a strange armor known as Shanhara, becoming X-O Manowar. Even though he attempted to return home, the effects of time dilation stop him from getting back to Earth until the 21st century.
Still, thanks to the armor's advanced weaponry, Aric has freed multiple planets from oppressive regimes, becoming known as a freedom fighter across the galaxy. Meanwhile, on Earth, he's become the premiere hero, protecting the planet from both domestic and alien threats.
7 Witchblade Fights As A Detective And As A Superhero
In 1995, Top Cow Productions published the first issue of Witchblade from David Wohl, Brian Haberlin, Christina Z., Michael Turner, D-Tron, JD Smith, and Nathan Cabrera. The protagonist was Sara Pezzini, a detective who stumbled upon the mysterious power of the Witchblade, a gauntlet that only bonded with female hosts.
As the Witchblade, Sara continued working her existing cases as a NYPD officer and dealt with supernatural enemies, including ones who wanted to retrieve the gauntlet from her. Witchblade's popularity was enough to get the character a TNT series in 2001 and an anime in 2006.
6 Radiant Black Channels The Power Of The Cosmic Radiant
After creating Shattered Grid, one of the best Power Rangers stories ever, writer Kyle Higgins teamed up with Marcelo Costa to create his own hero. Nathan Burnett was a down-on-his-luck writer who's forced to move back in with his parents.
While hanging out with his childhood friend Marshall, Nathan stumbled across the power of the ethereal, cosmic Radiant. As Radiant Black, Nathan had access to a variety of Power Rangers-type abilities, including super-strength and cosmic blasts. He's missing a giant robot right now, but the book is still fairly new.
5 Ninja-K Is The Latest Master Of The Ninja Programme
Ninjak has been around since the early 90s, but the Valiant Entertainment version is the most interesting version of the character yet. Behind the mask is Colin King, a member of MI-6 who signed up for the group's ninja programme.
The equivalent of Batman in his universe, Colin King doesn't have any superpowers. However, he's a master of multiple forms of martial arts and an array of other abilities that aid in his work as a ninja, including hacking, military tactics, and psychological manipulation. This version of Ninjak is a key part of the Valiant Comics superhero team Unity and has helped save his world multiple times.
4 Livewire Is A Master Technopath
Although Livewire was just a supporting cast member within the Harbingers comic, her popularity elevated her into breaking away and getting her own book. Amanda McKee was a technopath who started out as a loyal protector of Toyo Harada, the man who took her away from her abusive childhood and taught her how to use her powers.
Over time, Amanda learned of Harada's twisted nature and decided to control her own destiny. Exiled from the Harbinger Foundation, Amanda found a home as a member of the super-team Unity, helping them to save the world.
3 Samaritan Is A Time Traveler Who Gained Powers Saving The Future
Of all the Superman lookalikes, Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson's Samaritan feels like the best one. He gained his powers from traveling back into the past to prevent a disaster. Once he saved the future, his timeline was sealed off, leaving him stuck in the 1980s. Like Superman, he represented hope for his planet, bringing them out of the dark ages of comics and fighting to make a better tomorrow.
What sets Samaritan apart from many other heroes is how long Astro City has been published. Over twenty-plus years, fans have seen him age and become more experienced, and weary with the world's never-ending cycle of violence. Still, Samaritan refuses to give up on his responsibility of protecting the Earth.
2 Spawn Took The Powers Of A Hellspawn And Became A Dangerous Anti-Hero
Spawn is another independent superhero established in the '90s, and at this point has the longest-running independent comic of all time. Created by Todd McFarlane, Spawn was originally Al Simmons, an assassin who was betrayed by his superiors. After dying, Simmons went to Hell, became a Hellspawn and got sent back to Earth.
Spawn turned into a massive success, garnering his own film and animated series in the '90s. Over the course of three hundred issues, Spawn battled the forces of good, evil, and everything in between, establishing himself as a force within his world that few dare to challenge.
1 Invincible Will Do Anything To Protect The Planet Earth
Mark Grayson is far from the strongest superhero, but he's certainly one of the most principled, someone willing to stand up for what's right in every situation. After developing superpowers, Mark discovered his dad was actually the superhero Omni-Man, the strongest man on the planet. Mark believed his goal was to become a hero, just like his father... until he learned his dad wasn't what he appeared to be.
Despite experiencing his greatest challenge ever while protecting the planet from his dad, Mark settled into the role of Earth's defender well. Invincible is one of the best-selling comics of the last decade, gaining enough popularity enough to get its own animated series.