User blog comment:Jester of chaos/Marvel vs. DC/@comment-61022-20121107061454

This has been happening since the advent of comics. A lot of Marvel and DC's early comic book characters were rip offs of popular fiction at the time, mostly Flash Gordon. Then they just copied each other. You can name off hundreds of characters from each company and find somebody similar or inspired by whatever.

It still happens today.

Take a look at Batman and Captain America:

Captain America - Dies after a major cross-over (Civil War), his old sidekick takes over his position, he finds himself displaced in time, is brought back to the present and is reborn.

Batman - Dies after a major cross-over (Final Crisis), his old sidekick takes over his position, he finds himself displaced in time, is brought back to the present is reborn.

Sometimes characters are created that are "similar" to other characters owned by other companies for a number of reasons. The Squadron Supreme was invented for the sole purpose of having the Avengers battle the JLA when DC refused to do a cross-over in the 60s. Wundarr, is a parody of Superman (check out his origin, classic Steve Gerber), the Sentry is Marvel's answer to Superman. Presenting a similar character but in the Marvel fashion. Here we have the strongest mortal on Earth, and he's mentally unstable (Mind you Brian Michael Bendis did a similar plot in Powers back when it wsa still published by Image Comics)

However, I think splitting hairs about who created what, and what is a rip off of whatever is -- especially with comic books -- kind of a petty and pointless thing to do. It's a waste of energy. Really it is. It's nitpicking over superficial junk and it's all a matter of preference, opinion and stand-point.

I'd rather enjoy the merits of a particular story, than quibble over how Captain Marvel is just a rip-off of Superman, or how Lobo is a ripoff of Wolverine (Which is not accurate, Lobo is a PARODY of Wolverine and anti-heroes like him)

Chill out, and just enjoy the stories for what they are. If they're good, cherish them, if they stink then they stink.