DC's Batman was one of the first comic book heroes, quickly becoming one of the most popular superheroes. Batman is recognized around the globe as the Dark Knight of Gotham City. Of course, with every successful work of art comes multiple waves of imitators, and Batman is no different.
There have been a number of characters over the years who have been clearly inspired by Batman, whether it's through his tragic origins, his unique drive for justice, or his use of all of those wonderful gadgets. Marvel in particular has quite a few different characters who have taken inspiration from the Dark Knight.
10 The Black Fox Was A Spy During WWII Who Became A Secret Costumed Hero
John Byrne and Roger Stern introduced a forgotten group of Marvel superheroes in Marvel: The Lost Generation, which included a hero known as the Black Fox. Robert Paine was a spy during World War II and decided to use his skills to become a costumed crimefighter after the end of the war.
He was more light-hearted initially, though after he was forced to watch his girlfriend's brutal death he created a new darker costume and adopted a grimmer personality that Batman fans would undoubtedly recognize. The Black Fox died in a final mission to stop a Skrull invasion a couple of decades after he first debuted.
9 Nighthawk Is A Member of A Justice League Pastiche Called The Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme was a team of superheroes from an alternate reality who were created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. They were based on DC's long-established superteam, the Justice League. The character of Nighthawk was actually Kyle Richmond, who decided to create his costumed identity to do good with the dirty money he inherited from his deceased father.
Another version of Kyle Richmond from the Marvel Universe was manipulated into becoming Nighthawk as a member of the villainous Squadron Sinister, though he later joined with the Defenders and other teams as a rich hero whose powers were stronger at night.
8 Night Thrasher Is An Orphan Who Used His Wealth To Become A Crimefighter
Marvel introduced a number of new heroes in the '90s that had a darker edge to fit the decade. This included Dwayne Taylor, who wore an armored costume as Night Thrasher, which included high-tech weaponry as well as a skateboard to really hit the '90s vibe.
As a young child, Dwayne Taylor saw his parents murdered in front of him and vowed to use his family's fortune to avenge his parents' loss. He was well-trained and had a large pool of resources that helped him form the '90s team known as the New Warriors and eventually discover the truth about his parents' murder.
7 Moon Knight Is A Gadget-Using Vigilante Who Is Often Called Marvel's Batman
Marc Spector is the white-clad vigilante known as Moon Knight, who is often compared to DC's Batman due to their similar tactics as well as his themed gadgets and gear that include moon-shaped weapons and vehicles.
Of course, Moon Knight is a vastly different character who spent years after his time in the service as a mercenary before he was killed and resurrected by the moon god named Khonshu. Moon Knight also uses his split personalities to assist him in his fight against crime, limiting the similarities to Batman when you look past things like his Mooncopter.
6 Wolverine Shares A Similar Rough Personality & Samurai Code With Batman
While Wolverine wasn't directly inspired by Batman, they share a number of similarities, which include their rough personality and years of similar training. Wolverine has a history as a samurai that mirrors Bruce Wayne's own martial arts training that he undertook in order to take on the role of Batman.
Even Wolverine's mask seems to take inspiration from Batman's pointy-eared cowl, and his frequent mentor status calls back to Batman's relationship with his Robins over the years.
5 The Punisher Shares A Similar Tragic Loss That Drives Him To Fight Crime
Frank Castle was a former marine whose family was murdered due to gangland violence. This sent him on a dark path of vengeance that led to his new role as The Punisher, in an origin story Batman's fans know well.
However, they do have a very clear difference in that Batman has a fairly strict no-killing policy, whereas The Punisher has no such compunction and is feared throughout the Marvel universe for his capacity to violently murder the criminals he encounters.
4 Daredevil's Evolution Into A Darker Character Was Partially Inspired By Batman
While Matt Murdock/Daredevil was originally much different than Batman and fell more in line with the lighter heroes in the Marvel universe, over time he began to follow more closely in the Dark Knight's footsteps.
This is largely due to the influence of writer Frank Miller, whose darker take on the character revitalized Daredevil as a brutal vigilante with a fierce dedication to protecting his neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen by almost any means necessary.
3 The Shroud Spent Years Training To Fight Crime After His Parents Were Murdered
Maximillian Coleridge was a small child when his parents were violently gunned down in front of him, which sent him on a path similar to Batman's. He studied law in college and spent years training with the Cult of Kali to hone his fighting skills.
There he was branded with a mystical connection to the Darkforce Dimension that cost him his vision but gave him a new psychic sight that he used to become the crime-fighter known as The Shroud. Unfortunately, The Shroud's mental stability degraded over the years and he has become more of a villain than a hero in recent years.
2 Hawk-Owl & Woody Stand In As The Ultimate Universe's Batman & Robin
The Ultimate universe introduced a new take on DC's Batman and Robin with a heroic team known as Hawk-Owl and Woody that debuted in Ron Zimmerman and Duncan Fegredo's Ultimate Adventures #1.
Jack Danner was a wealthy student of martial arts who traveled the world learning different styles before he returned to Chicago to create the costumed identity of Hawk-Owl to fight the rising levels of crime. He soon teamed up with the young Hank Kipple as Woody after the orphan helped him take down a group of criminals, creating the Ultimate universe's own Dynamic Duo.
1 Dark Claw Is An Amalgamation Of Marvel's Wolverine & DC's Batman
The Marvel vs. DC crossover event in the '90s led to the merger of the two comic universes into what became known as the Amalgam universe. Amalgam featured combined versions of popular Marvel and DC characters for a limited run.
Marvel's Wolverine was blended with DC's Batman to become a new hero known as Dark Claw that stood out among the rest of Amalgam's roster. While the character was closer to Logan than Bruce Wayne, Dark Claw had a blended origin and the character had vast resources and a sidekick named Sparrow who was a blend of Jubilee and Robin.