Marvel's heroes have become icons. These respected heroes have created a name for themselves, battling against some of the most dangerous threats ever imagined. Over the years, these heroes navigate various seasons of life and sometimes, that means having and raising children.
While these children often take on new mantles as time goes on, other times they take up the superhero alias their parents used. Whether it be in the main Marvel Universe or alternate ones, biological or adopted, many children have followed in their parent's footsteps, expanding on the heroic legacy they created.
Updated on February 9th, 2023 by David Harth: With Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania coming out, fans are getting ready to see Cassie Lang become a superhero just like her father before her. Children following in their parents' footsteps in the superhero world has become quite common. Legacy is a big part of the Marvel Universe, and plenty of children have followed their parents' example.
15 Nick Fury Jr. Changed His Name When He Followed In His Father's Footsteps
Of all SHIELD's Directors, Nick Fury stands out as the best of the best. Over the years, Fury had his share of dalliances, including one with Nia Jones when they were both in the CIA. Jones got pregnant and Fury convinced her to go into hiding, so his enemies wouldn't target the two of them.
Nia Jones changed her last name to Johnson and named her son Marcus. Marcus Johnson served in the military, and after some shenanigans, his secret was revealed. He ended up joining SHIELD and changed his name to Nick Fury Jr., teaming up with his old Army buddy Phil Coulson. He went a step further than most legacy heroes since he took his father's actual name.
14 Ahura Boltagon Has Taken On Several Aliases In Alternate Futures
Ahura Boltagon is the son of Black Bolt and Medusa, and has an important place in Inhuman society. Ahura is still quite young in present continuity, but in several futures he's taken on the mantles of several heroes who were his parental figures. For example, in Universe X, Ahura takes the name Black Knight because of his close relationship to the English throne, paying homage to his biological father and King Brian Braddock, who knights him.
In the first Uncanny Inhumans story arc, it's revealed that Ahura Boltagon's been taken by Kang and raised throughout time. Kang trained Ahura, but eventually the young Inhuman kills him, taking the Conqueror's name and armor as his own.
13 Phyla-Vell Became Captain Marvel On The Urging Of Her Brother
Phyla-Vell is an interesting case in the history of the Captain Marvel mantle. Phyla is from an alternate timeline and is the daughter of Mar-Vell. Genis-Vell destroyed and recreated the universe, altering the timeline. His mother, Elysius, alive in this new universe, created Phyla using genetic material from Mar-Vell.
When Genis' cosmic awareness became overwhelming, Elysius decreed Phyla was the new Captain Marvel. Phyla battled her brother and their mother, and found a way to restore her brother's mind. Later, she acted as Captain Marvel while he went to the future to find out how to save Marlo, Rick Jones's girlfriend, with Phyla protecting Marlo in the present.
12 Viv Vision Plays Off Her Father's Name
Marvel's most heroic robots have garnered amazing reputations, but none as great as the Vision's. Created by Ultron to destroy the Avengers, he ultimately joined the team and became an iconic member of the group. Eventually, he created a robotic family of his own, one which ended in tragedy.
Viv Vision is Vision's daughter, and she was the sole survivor of the family. Using her father's name as part of heroic sobriquet, she joined the Champions and fought evil. Viv followed in her father's footsteps, fighting the good fight at all times.
11 Sam Alexander Joined The Nova Corps Just Like His Father
The Nova Corps was once quite powerful in the universe, but its prestige and influence were broken as the years went on. Richard Rider, Earth's Nova, became the most prominent latter-day member of the group, but he wasn't alone. Sam Alexander became Nova after finding his father's Nova Corps helmet, gaining the amazing powers of the Corps.
While Sam's father wasn't technically "Nova," most members of the Corps were known as Nova in their home star system. Sam's dad was Nova Corps member before Richard, and Sam decided to become the newest Nova to honor his father.
10 Nadia Van Dyne Took Up The Name Of The Wasp
Nadia Van Dyne is an interesting character who inherited with an equally interesting backstory. Nadia was Hank Pym's daughter with his first wife, Maria Trovaya. Maria was kidnapped, and Nadia was put into the Red Room for training. After learning about her parentage, Nadia escaped and eventually took on the name, Wasp.
Hank Pym was the Wasp for a short time, but Nadia took up the name after meeting Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp. Janet was a better parent to Nadia than Hank ever was, so taking her adopted mother's alias makes sense.
9 Cassandra Lang Has Been Known As Ant-Girl And Ant-Man
Cassandra Lang grew up with heroes. Her father Scott was the second Ant-Man, and she eventually followed in her father's footsteps, using Pym Particles to increase and decrease her size. While she's best known as Stature and a Young Avenger, she's gone through a lot of superheroic identities, including ones inspired by her father.
Cassandra shortly used Ant-Girl as an alias and even posed as Ant-Man for a brief period of time. While she would finally become known as Stinger, Cassie did use her father's name and legacy more than once over the years.
8 Genis-Vel Became Captain Marvel For A Time
Captain Marvel became an icon during his day, with multiple heroes taking over the mantle he created. The third Captain Marvel was Genis-Vel, Mar-Vel's son. After gaining his father's Nega-Bands, he took up the name Captain Marvel and proved to be a worthy possessor of that mantle.
Genis-Vel even had a similar relationship with Rick Jones as his father did, as the two would switch places by banging together the bands. Genis inherited cosmic consciousness power, the ability to see all things inherited from his father. However, it proved too much for his mind and body to handle. Genis eventually died but has since been resurrected, although he's no longer Captain Marvel.
7 T'Challa Is The Latest In A Long Line Of Black Panthers
The Black Panther mantle has been passed down for generations through the Wakandan royal line, with T'Challa being the latest. His father T'Chaka fought in World War II alongside Captain America and even before him, Black Panthers had been protecting Wakanda from threats for centuries.
T'Challa brought the Black Panther its greatest success and is the most well-known Black Panther. T'Challa is one of the greatest heroes in the history of the Marvel Universe, leading the Fantastic Four and the Avengers at varying times. He's a fierce warrior and an amazing leader.
6 For Years, Rachel Summers Was The Phoenix And Later Marvel Girl
Rachel Summers is an alternate future daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey. Inheriting the power of the Phoenix Force, she was one of Ahab's Hounds in her terrible timeline before escaping him and coming back to the past. Taking up the name of Phoenix, like her mother before her, Rachel made a name for herself with the X-Men and as a member of Excalibur.
Rachel is arguably the most powerful Summers child, and she proved worthy of the power of the Phoenix, never falling to its temptations. In the ensuing years, Rachel's also taken up the name Marvel Girl, meaning she's used two of her mother's aliases.
5 Bruce Jr. Became The Hulk Of The Wastelands
There have been many versions of the Hulk but one many fans forget is Bruce Banner Jr. He was the child of the Hulk from Old Man Logan. Even though Logan had killed the Hulk Gang for their murder of his family, he spared the child and left him with Dani Cage.
Old Man Logan later got shunted to the 616 universe, but he came back to save Bruce Jr., giving his life to keep the child and Dani safe. Logan's example spurred Dani and Bruce Jr. to locate other heroes and form the Avengers of the Wasteland to break the grip of the villains over the world. Bruce took up the Hulk name, trying to make up for the horror his father caused.
4 J2 Took Up His Father's Name With A Twist
The MC2 comics were set in an alternate future, where the children of Marvel's heroes took up their parents' mantles. Zane Yama was one of these youths, learning he was the son of the Juggernaut and inheritor of the power of Cyttorak.
Zane took up the name J2, trying to distance himself from his father's crimes while also redeeming the Juggernaut name. Juggernaut is one of Marvel's toughest beings and J2 was the same for the MC2 universe. As the muscle of A-Next, the Avengers of the future, J2 proved that he was a great hero. Many fans miss both him and the other characters of MC2.
3 Mayday Parker Took Up The Name Spider-Girl In The MC2 Universe
Mayday Parker was the future daughter of Peter and Mary Jane Parker. Inheriting her father's powers, she decided the city needed another Spider and became Spider-Girl. While she wasn't called Spider-Man, she took up her father's mantle, using Ben Reilly's costume.
May first appeared in What If... #105 (by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Matt Webb, and Chris Eliopoulos) and her popularity birthed the MC2 Universe. She was always the most popular hero of that line and fan outcry saved her book numerous times. Spider-Man's alternate universe children are rarely as popular as Mayday, and a version of her even appeared in Earth X.
2 Daken Acted As Wolverine During Dark Reign
Daken's grudge with his father made him one of Logan's greatest villains for a time. When Norman Osborn put together his Avengers, he brought Daken in as the team's Wolverine, putting him in the brown and orange costume. Daken served as an assassin for Osborn, killing the Punisher and battling the heroes.
Daken would keep the Wolverine mantle for a time after Dark Reign ended, becoming known as Dark Wolverine. He used a new costume but would eventually give up the mantle. Daken and Logan's relationship has gotten a lot better lately, but he no longer calls himself Wolverine.
1 Laura Kinney Took Up The Wolverine Mantle After Logan Died
Laura Kinney made a name for herself as X-23, but when her father Logan died, Laura became the new Wolverine. Wearing a version of her father's blue and yellow costume, and later his grey and black one, Laura made a perfect Wolverine and when her father returned, she gave up the mantle, going back to being X-23.
On Krakoa, Logan decided Laura had more than proven herself as Wolverine, and she's once again using the Wolverine mantle. While her father holds it down on X-Force, Laura has taken his place on the X-Men.