Lorendiac
Active Member
Let’s suppose you hear from a Very Reliable Source that a new miniseries is scheduled; it will be a joint effort from Marvel and DC. It will feature the following characters, all of whom have previously appeared in other comic books over the last umpteen years, using the same colorful aliases they will be using in this special crossover event. You are even told that these key characters will be split up into two groups, which we shall call "Blue Team" and "Gold Team" for the sake of argument.
Blue Team
Ant-Man, Aurora, Black Widow, Blink, Diablo, Electro, Gladiator, Jolt, Karma, Legion, Lionheart, The Lizard, Professor X, The Puppet Master, Magneto, Mockingbird, The Masked Marauder, Mysterio, The Vulture, The Wasp, Yellowjacket.
Gold Team
Bane, The Bat, The Creeper, Doctor Destiny, El Diablo, Huntress, Ice, Impulse, Jade, Manhunter, Obsidian, Oracle, Rainmaker, Raven, Ravager, Robotman, Spoiler, Titano, Voodoo, Witchfire, Zealot.
Given all of the above, are you safe in assuming that the Marvel contingent will be the Blue Team, and the characters representing DC will be clumped together on the Gold Team?
No!
It could just as easily be the other way around! Or each team could comprise a mixture of Marvel and DC character concepts! Just because a comic book has "Professor X" in it doesn't mean the user of that name has anything to do with the X-Men, and just because a villain calls himself "Bane" doesn't mean he once broke Batman's back!
A year ago I saw someone on DC’s own discussion forums asking for advice. He wanted to write and post a fanfic featuring what I gathered was an original character, although the story would be set in the DCU, but the heroic alias he had in mind was one which he realized DC has already used from time to time (not for anyone who ever had his own title, though). The fan wanted advice on whether he’d get in trouble for copyright infringement if he stuck with the name he wanted to use.
I figured he didn’t really need to worry. First, because nobody can copyright a name all by itself; second, because DC doesn’t even visibly object to the existence of thousands of online fanfics that obviously are using their distinctive characters (instead of just recycling the occasional name for a new user); and third, because if frequently swiping colorful names for their new characters from old characters at Marvel is good enough for DC (and vice versa), then swiping names from both companies for our new characters certainly ought to be good enough for us common folk!
When I was a kid, I used to wonder how the various writers at DC and Marvel managed to keep coming up with nifty new "superhero names" or "supervillain names" that nobody had ever thought to use before. Now I know better. They don’t necessarily sweat blood in the effort to come up with new aliases in the superhero genre! Often, they just dust off and recycle old names, from their own company’s past continuity or a rival’s, if they figure they can get away with it!
When I started soliciting suggestions for the first draft of this list in early 2007, I could think of a few names offhand ("Captain Marvel" was an easy one), and I figured there were more duplications I had seen over the years but wasn't immediately remembering, and probably several others involving characters I’d never heard of. I estimated I might end up with 30 "shared aliases" after my fellow fans had weighed in.
Live and learn! A week later, thanks to the help I received, my First Draft actually listed 166 names. Several months later, incorporating new suggestions from my fellow fans along with others I had dug up on my own, I had 303 in the Second Draft. A year after that, I figured I had 416 in the Third Draft. Now, almost a year later, I figure I'm up to 653 "aliases" which both Marvel and DC have used for characters (or someone else used them at another company, and then Marvel or DC later added those characters to their collections, somehow).
I dare to hope that I finally have most instances of "duplication" covered here. At any rate, I'll probably want the tally to get up to at least 750 before I bother releasing another draft. How long will that take? Beats me!
Over the years I've had to hammer out some rules of thumb regarding what counts and what doesn't for the purpose of this list. Let's run through those now, to save you the trouble of asking why I completely skipped over certain names.
Ground Rules
1. I’m not interested in characters who have been around so long that they are in the "public domain." For instance, DC and Marvel have both put their own spins on various characters from Norse Mythology, Graeco-Roman Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, etc. And they’ve both done stories featuring names from Arthurian Legend. But if they didn’t "create" those characters, then I’m not interesting in calling those cases of "duplication." (On the other hand, I made a possible exception for personifications of the concept of "Death" at both companies. I don’t see that the Marvel version or the Neil Gaiman version from "Sandman" were simply swiped from any single preexisting mythology.)
2. On the other hand, I am willing to list any names which both companies have swiped from mythological sources and then recycled for "new" character concepts who definitely are not "the original Andromeda of Greek Myth" (or whatever). Both DC and Marvel have, in fact, used the name "Andromeda" for female heroes.
3. I also ignore any cases where both companies have handled the same "licensed" characters at different times. Both DC and Marvel have published comic books set in the world of "Star Trek," for instance, but they didn't claim to have created the characters of the original TV series.
4. "Group names" don’t count unless individual members also demonstrate the habit of using that name or an obvious variation for themselves personally (as when a new member of the Green Lantern Corps starts calling himself "Green Lantern" as his heroic alias). Examples of what I don’t count: DC has had evil organizations with the names "Cyclops" and "Colossus," but I don’t count those as "duplicates" of the names of famous X-Men. Likewise, Marvel and DC each own characters who have used the name "Thunderbolt," but my entry for that alias does not mention Marvel’s team concept known as "the Thunderbolts," because each member of the team has used some other colorful alias for himself or herself.
5. After looking at the examples of "Dr. Doome" and "Dr. Doom," I decided that "pronunciation trumps spelling." If two names are obviously meant to be pronounced exactly the same way by English-speaking readers, then I’ll count them as "duplicate aliases" even if there are differences in how they are usually spelled and punctuated.
6. It appears that at least a few dozen members of Marvel’s group "The Elements of Doom" have been mentioned by name in the group’s published appearances. I believe it’s also been stated in dialogue that they include members named after the full periodic table; not just those members whose names have been mentioned in dialogue. So I’m assuming that any DC character named after a real chemical element has a namesake at Marvel. In cases where it doesn’t appear that such a character was ever mentioned by name, but implicitly is part of the group, I say "presumably one of the Elements of Doom" in the listing.
7. To keep the project down to a manageable size, I’m only counting characters who effectively are controlled by Marvel or DC; either because they were created at those companies or because they were created at some other company whose "character stable" later ended up under the thumb of Marvel or DC (whether by purchase or by some long-term licensing deal which is currently in force). Any other, completely independent company gets ignored. For instance: Marvel and DC have both used the alias "the Ghost" for one supervillain apiece. I list those villains below, but I don’t include any mention of Dark Horse’s vigilante heroine "Ghost," because neither DC nor Marvel has any control over her. Similarly, I ignored the Milestone and Impact characters in 2007, but I changed my mind for the Third Draft after I heard DC had acquired permission to integrate both sets into its standard continuity and see what happens. And I’ve decided to include a couple of cases of costumed characters from Alan Moore’s "Watchmen" who shared aliases with Marvel characters, although I’ve read that Alan Moore will regain full control of those characters if and when DC lets the trade paperback collection go out of print. (Hey, it could happen! It’s only been a couple of decades, after all!)
8. I ignore any characters who have only appeared in other media, such as TV shows, movies, regular novels, or games which adapted character concepts now controlled by DC or Marvel. However: If such characters debuted elsewhere and later appeared in comic books, that makes them fair game!
9. Defining the meaning of "alias" in this context has led me to some tricky decisions. I’m not interested in finding cases where both Marvel and DC have used such bland names as "John Smith" or "Mary Jones," regardless of whether those were the "real names" or "aliases" of the characters using them. On the other hand, I tend to include the more colorful names of Inhumans, Deviants, New Gods, and Metal Men (among others), even in cases where we are either told or led to believe that the exotic names being used may be the only names those characters have ever had. I suppose in some cases I’m settling for names that "look like a carefully chosen alias" even if they might not be. However, I’ve decided I’m not interested in such things as multiple uses of the names "Arak" and "Arion," because those just look too much like "real names" to me, even though I can't remember the last time I met anyone who had been named "Arak" or "Arion" by his parents.
10. Here are a few things I deliberately exclude from my list: "Atari Force" characters, because I don’t think DC owns them, and (as far as I know) they were never really integrated into the DCU. "Masters of the Universe" characters, for much the same reasons, although I know Superman did travel to Eternia and meet He-Man at least twice in the early 1980s. Amalgam characters, because they were not just "Marvel" or "DC," but deliberately swiping and merging elements of various characters owned by both companies.
11. If one character has normally called himself "Blade" and another frequently introduces himself as "The Blade" (insert any other word or phrase for "Blade" in that example), then I treat those as variants of the same alias, but I try to distinguish between those different usages in my listing for "Blade/The Blade." I'm sure I fail to make the correct distinctions on many occasions, partially because the online databases which I use for my research generally don't bother to mention whether each user of a certain name is or isn't in the habit of pronouncing the direct article ("The") when introducing himself by his colorful alias.
12. Some Doubtful Cases: I am currently working on the theory that the characters known as "Comet the Super-Horse" (Silver Age Superman continuity), "Neon the Unknown" (Golden Age hero), "Omega the Unknown" (1970s hero), and "Deathstroke the Terminator" (Slade Wilson) all used those complete strings as their preferred aliases; not just the first words of each string. Thus, none of those guys are mentioned below in listings for "Comet," "Neon," etc. I don’t list Tryco Slatterus under "Champion," either, because I believe that for millennia his full preferred alias was "Champion of the Universe."
Now, on to the main event!
THE MASTER LIST
Be warned: I don’t make any claim to tell you everything you could possibly need to know about any of these characters. Most of the time, I won’t even mention what their superpowers are (if any). Nor will I usually tell you which issue showed a certain character using a certain alias for the first time. And I usually don’t bother mentioning which company used a certain alias first. I always mention DC characters first, but only because "DC" precedes "Marvel" alphabetically! I provide as much data as I happen to feel the need to provide in any given case, and you’re welcome to do further research on your own time!
Acrobat/Acro-Bat
DC: Two users of "Acrobat"; both villains. One was a WWII-era villain who fought Judomaster and Tiger in the Charlton comics. One was a member of Amos Fortune's "Luck League" in one JLA story. "Acro-Bat" was the heroic alias used by a member of the Justice Experience until he and most of his team were killed back in the 1970s (according to a retcon in the 1990s); his daughter, Chase Cameron, grew up to be an agent of the DEO and had her own solo series "Chase" for a little while.
MARVEL: At least three users of "Acrobat" (one lived in the 19th Century and fought the Rawhide Kid).
Agent Axis
DC: Golden Age Nazi villain who fought the Boy Commandos; later reappeared in "modern times."
MARVEL: A WWII-era villain, retconned in during the 70s, who was somehow a merger of three Axis spies (one German, one Italian, one Japanese) into a single entity with the strength of three men.
Agent Orange
DC: Four users; one of them is a Wildstorm character.
MARVEL: Two users; one was Anjelica Jones in a "What If?" timeline.
Ajax
DC: The name Superman gave to one of his robot doubles in a Silver Age story because it was stronger than the rest of its kind; that robot's mind subsequently was transferred into a different body (called "Wonder-Man") by aliens; but soon died.
MARVEL: Several users.
Alchemist/The Alchemist
DC: At least two users of "The Alchemist" -- one of them was also known as Professor Zodiac (a Golden Age villain).
MARVEL: Two mutants have each used "Alchemist."
Alpha
DC: A former terrorist who appeared a few times in Cassandra Cain’s regular "Batgirl" title. In the title’s final story arc, Alpha seemed to have become very loyal to Cassandra -- but he hasn’t been heard from since that time, so don’t ask me if he’s currently "good" or "bad" or "dead" or what!
MARVEL: Several users.
Aluminum
DC: One of the second (and evil) team of Metal Men. Destroyed.
MARVEL: Presumably one of the Elements of Doom.
The Anarchist
DC: Simon Ellis, villain who fought the JLA in the 1970s. (Just once, apparently?)
MARVEL: Tike Alicar, hero, member of X-Statix; dead.
Anarchy/Anarky
DC: "Anarky" is Lonnie Machin, an anarchist vigilante who thinks he's a hero, but Batman and other superheroes generally disagree with him.
MARVEL: "Anarchy" is a villain; a redheaded woman who worked for Flag-Smasher's ULTIMATUM outfit during the "Acts of Vengeance" event in 1989 (and hasn't been heard from since).
Andromeda
DC: In the Post-COIE era, and again after the Post-Zero Hour Legion Reboot, she was Laurel Gand, a retconned substitute for the role previously filled by the Pre-Crisis Supergirl in the continuity of the "Legion of Super-Heroes." She was erased by the 2004 Reboot of Legion continuity.
MARVEL: An Atlantean superheroine.
Anomaly
DC: Super-powered clone of Floyd Barstow; villain, but with some signs of scruples.
MARVEL: At least two entities have used this.
The Answer
DC: Mike Patten, villain.
MARVEL: Two users, both villains.
Ant-Man
DC: Jumbo Carson, villain (initially masquerading as a hero), who appeared in a single Batman story.
MARVEL: Hank Pym's first heroic costumed identity.
Antaeus
DC: Two users. One was a member of the New Olympians in the 1980s. One was Mark Antaeus, a metahuman who joined the JLA, assassinated a mass-murdering dictator in the Middle East, discovered he had thereby triggered a very messy civil war, and then committed suicide; all this happening in the graphic novel "JLA: Superpower."
MARVEL: A member of the superpowered race called "the Neo."
Ape/The Ape
DC: "The Ape" was a villain who fought Batman in the mid-90s; died.
MARVEL: One of the Morlocks.
Archer/The Archer
DC: "The Archer" was a Golden Age villain who fought Superman.
MARVEL: "Archer" is a member of the XSE in Bishop’s future timeline; he traveled back to "modern times" and ended up inhabiting the body of a recently deceased criminal named Jude Black.
Arclight
DC: Noah Pasternetti, villain.
MARVEL: Phillippa Sontag, villain; one of the Marauders who performed the Morlock Massacre.
Argent
DC: Toni Moretti, heroine; one of the new batch of "Teen Titans" who debuted in the mid-90s.
MARVEL: Samantha Hassard, a member of Clan Destine.
Argon
DC: One of Mr. Element's henchmen used this alias in a single story. Later, there was an extraterrestrial villain called "Argon" who fought Superman in the 1970s, died, and hasn't been heard from since.
MARVEL: Presumably one of the Elements of Doom.
Argus
DC: Two users. One was an obscure villain; one is Nick Kelly, hero.
MARVEL: Villain who cut off Leiko Wu’s hand.
Ariel
DC: Temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Vicky Grant.
MARVEL: Several users, including Kitty Pryde at one point.
Arsenal
DC: Three users. The first two were villains. The third was Roy Harper, hero; formerly "Speedy" and later known as "Red Arrow."
MARVEL: An android long since destroyed. Also: a villain who fought Moon Knight.
Astra
DC: Hero; member of the Xenobrood.
MARVEL: Several, including a member of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard and another who claimed to be a former member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Astro
DC: Bruce Mills became a superhero under this name in the Iron Curtain nation of Dolomain a long time ago -- and may not have been heard from since his debut.
MARVEL: Apparently this was the name used by a Golden Age character in one of the stories in "Marvel Mystery Comics #35." I know nothing more about him, her, or it (as the case may be). I have not found any reference to the character ever reappearing.
Atlas
DC: An action hero of ancient times.
MARVEL: Steve Rand, villain. Later: Erik Josten, who’s tried to be a hero as a Thunderbolt (after being a villain under other names).
Atom Smasher/Atom-Smasher
DC: "Atom Smasher," alias once used by Manfred Mota, Golden Age villain. "Atom-Smasher," alias used by Albert Rothstein (formerly "Nuklon" of Infinity Inc.)
MARVEL: Two villains, brothers; Ronald English (dead) and then Michael English. They both used the hyphen.
Aura
DC: Heroine; one of the Ravers.
MARVEL: Annie Herd, bounty hunter. Apparently last seen hospitalized with severe injuries.
Aurora
DC: One of the Recombatants who once fought the Titans; dead.
MARVEL: Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, heroine; founding member of Alpha Flight.
Avatar/Avatarr
DC: "Avatar" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Chris King. The same spelling was later used by the man who had been "Tiger," WWII-era sidekick to Judomaster, after "Tiger" grew up to be an insane villain.
MARVEL: At least two users of "Avatar"; one is an adult version of Franklin Richards. Also, there was an "Avatarr" (now dead) in the 2099 timeline.
Azrael
DC: Several users; one was a winged alien who worked with the Titans for awhile; another was Jean Paul Valley, a brainwashed assassin for the Order of St. Dumas. (When Jean Paul debuted, he was replacing his father as Azrael, and we were told that their ancestors had been Azraels for a long, long time before Batman ever heard of them.)
MARVEL: At least two users besides the legendary one.
Ballistic/Ballistik
DC: "Ballistic" was Kelvin Mao, hero; member of Blood Pack; dead.
MARVEL: "Ballistik" is a Marvel UK character; member of something called "the Zoo."
Bane
DC: Villain who broke Batman’s back in "Knightfall." (I hear he has joined the current "Secret Six.")
MARVEL: An enemy of the Knights of Pendragon.
Banshee
DC: Max Bine, a villain who fought the Question (Vic Sage) when he was still a Charlton character.
MARVEL: Sean Cassidy, hero.
Barium
DC: Robot; member of an evil "Metal Men" team. Destroyed.
MARVEL: One of the Elements of Doom.
Barker/The Barker
DC: "The Barker" was another name for Carnie Callahan, a Golden Age character in Quality’s comics.
MARVEL: "Barker" is a villain; one of the three brothers known as "The Howlers," who served as part of "The Gladiators."
Barracuda
DC: At least two.
MARVEL: At least three.
Barrage
DC: Karnowsky, a Superman villain.
MARVEL: One of the "Riders of the Storm" who worked for Apocalypse.
Basilisk
DC: Irish Autumns, hero. (A shameless parody of Scott Summers -- Cyclops of the X-Men -- in an old Inferior Five story.)
MARVEL: Villain, dead.
The Bat
DC: At least two users, one in regular continuity and one way outside of it. First: Helena Bertinelli -- while wearing a dark, pointy-eared costume in the "No Man’s Land" event in a valiant effort to keep the Bat-legend alive in Gotham while Bruce Wayne was far away, indulging in a months-long childish sulk -- introduced herself as "I’m The Bat" on at least one occasion and probably a lot more (even if we didn’t see them all). Having people call her "Batgirl" came later. Second: In the alternate timeline featured in the Elseworlds stories "JSA: The Liberty Files" and "JSA: The Unholy Three," both set in the 1940s, the local analog of what we would normally call "Batman" is consistently called "The Bat" instead.
MARVEL: Villain in the nineteenth century who fought The Rawhide Kid and died.
Battering Ram
DC: A villain who fought Chris King and Vicky Grant in their "Dial H for Hero" days.
MARVEL: An X-Force member who died in battle.
Battleax/Battleaxe
DC: "Battleax" is an alias for Princess Norka of Nekrome.
MARVEL: "Battleaxe" has been used by several people.
Beautiful Dreamer
DC: One of the Forever People.
MARVEL: One of the Morlocks.
Bedlam
DC: Two of them. One was a villain who gave Young Justice a hard time.
MARVEL: Four of them, apparently.
Bella Donna/Belladonna
DC: "Bella Donna" has been used twice. Once an obscure villainess; once a Yuppie Demon (whatever that is).
MARVEL: "Belladonna" is Narda Ravonna, villainess. (I don't count Gambit's ex-wife because "Bella Donna" really was part of the name on her birth certificate; not an alias -- although I had to check it just now to make sure.)
Big Ben
DC: Villain; member of "the Big Gang" which fought Atom (Ray Palmer).
MARVEL: Villain who fought Spider-Girl in the MC2 timeline. There was also a "Big Ben" who fought "Miracleman" (or "Marvelman"; take your pick) in stories written by Alan Moore in the 1980s; it is possible that this character now belongs to Marvel Comics, or some portion of him does, or whatever.
Big Bertha
DC: Villain; member of "the Big Gang" which fought Atom (Ray Palmer).
MARVEL: Heroine; member of the Great Lakes Avengers.
Black Cat/The Black Cat
DC: Steve Robinson, an African-American soldier in World War II who was often called by the codenames "Black Cat" or "Chat Noir" -- apparently depending upon the nationality of the speaker -- during his work with a Resistance group in occupied France.
MARVEL: "The Black Cat" is Felicia Hardy, a former cat burglar who is supposedly reformed.
Black Death
DC: Villain who fought the JLA a few years ago.
MARVEL: Two users; both villains.
Black Hand/The Black Hand
DC: "Black Hand" is William Hand, villain.
MARVEL: "The Black Hand" was a Golden Age villain who fought Captain America.
Black Hawk/Blackhawk
DC: "Blackhawk" was the alias used by the leader of the WWII fighter squadron collectively known as "The Blackhawks." He was a Quality character in the Golden Age; later ended up at DC. His real name was originally "Bart Hawk," but later was retconned as "Janos Prohaska."
MARVEL: In "Mystic Comics #2," in a story set in the year 2300, there was a villain who used this alias, either with or without a space in the middle. (At least one online resource indicates it may have been lettered both ways in different word balloons in the same Golden Age story, but I don’t know that for sure.)
The Black Knight
DC: Alias used by a Nazi villain (apparently surnamed "Von Stauffen") who fought the Unknown Soldier.
MARVEL: Many users; probably the most famous is Dane Whitman, hero.
Black Jack/Blackjack
DC: "Black Jack" was a pirate captain who fought the Golden Age Aquaman. Later, "Blackjack" was a villain who clashed with Chris King and Vicky Grant in their "Dial H for Hero" days.
MARVEL: At least four users, three of whom spell it as one word.
Black Racer
DC: Supernatural entity who skis around collecting souls of dying people.
MARVEL: Villain; member of the Serpent Society.
Black Thorn/Blackthorn
DC: "Black Thorn" is Elizabeth Thorn, a vigilante in New York City who was later recruited into the Checkmate program.
MARVEL: "Blackthorn" was Aline Pagrovna, member of Strikeforce: Morituri; dead.
Black Widow
DC: A woman named Princess Hellene, listed in online resources as "Black Widow," once fought the Golden Age Flash and then died.
MARVEL: At least three; the best-known (although not the first) is Natasha Romanoff.
The Black Witch
DC: A Fawcett villain who fought Ibis the Invincible in at least one Golden Age story.
MARVEL: Alias used by a lawyer named Feritt who fought Captain America in one Golden Age story and died at the end of it.
Blacksmith/Blaquesmith
DC: "Blacksmith" is Amunet Black, a Flash villain.
MARVEL: "Blaquesmith" was one of Cable’s mentors in the alternate future timeline where he grew up. A second character later impersonated the first "Blaquesmith."
Blackwing
DC: Charlie Bullock, rookie superhero in the Gotham City of the Pre-COIE Earth-2; a shameless imitator of the Golden Age Batman.
MARVEL: Two users; both villains.
Blade/The Blade
DC: "The Blade" was a clone-slave of a villain known as "The Master."
MARVEL: A few users of "Blade" -- the most famous is a hero named Eric Brooks; the African-American daywalker who spends most of his time killing evil vampires.
Blaze
DC: At least two users; the more famous is a demonic villainess who has given Superman some very bad times; she was eventually revealed to be "the half-demon daughter of the wizard Shazam."
MARVEL: The name has been used at least two or three times; one "Blaze" was an "imaginary villain" created by three people trying to prove they were clever enough to fool Spider-Man, but then Spidey persuaded Johnny Storm to pose as "the real Blaze" in order to turn the joke around.
Blindside
DC: Two users; one is a member of Relative Heroes.
MARVEL: At least three users, all pretty obscure. (In addition: A note at marvunapp.com suggests that this name may have been used occasionally by a New Universe character also known as "Blindspot" -- but I don’t know the details; perhaps there was a one-time typographical error which meant nothing?)
Blindspot
DC: Mercenary whose suit lets him turn invisible.
MARVEL: At least two.
Blink
DC: Temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Craig.
MARVEL: Clarice Ferguson of the Exiles.
Bliss
DC: Nicole Callahan, member of Wildstorm’s DV8.
MARVEL: At least three users; one is a 2099 character.
Blizzard
DC: Temporary villainous "Dial H for Hero" identity of Lisa Davis, but only in Pre-Crisis continuity.
MARVEL: Several, usually villains. The second, Donny Gill, has recently tried to turn over a new leaf with the Thunderbolts.
Blockbuster
DC: Mark Desmond, now dead. Then his brother Roland, a Nightwing villain for a long time, now also dead.
MARVEL: At least three. The third was one of the Marauders; he participated in the Mutant Massacre and was killed by Thor.
Bloc/Blok
DC: "Blok," member of the Pre-Zero Hour Legion of Super-Heroes.
MARVEL: "Bloc" -- a mercenary. "Blok" -- a villain working for Mister X.
Bloodhound
DC: At least two.
MARVEL: At least two.
Bloody Mary
DC: Villain; member of the Female Furies. Also: A Milestone character.
MARVEL: Two of them; one is evidently the alias of one of the personalities inside Typhoid Mary’s head.
Blowhard
DC: Codename or nickname used by a soldier who was part of the "original" Suicide Squad program of the WWII era (according to a retcon in the late 80s).
MARVEL: A mutant member of the Morlocks; dead.
Blue Streak
DC: One of the previous aliases of the speedster hero now known as "Max Mercury."
MARVEL: Four users; one is a member of the A-Next team of the MC2 timeline.
Blur/The Blur
DC: "The Blur" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Jerry Feldon.
MARVEL: At least two. "Blur" was a member of DP7 in the New Universe (until he died). "The Blur" is Stanley Stewart, African-American speedster in the world of J. Michael Straczynski’s "Supreme Power" (Stanley is basically that timeline’s local equivalent of The Whizzer from other versions of "Squadron Supreme" continuity).
Bolt
DC: Larry Bolatinsky, assassin.
MARVEL: Chris Bradley, hero; dead.
Bombshell
DC: Amy Allen, villain; recently infiltrated the Teen Titans on behalf of Deathstroke the Terminator.
MARVEL: Wendy Conrad, villain; used to be one of the Death-Throws. "Bombshell" was also the alias of a heroine in the alternate timeline of "The Last Avengers Story."
Bouncer
DC: At least four users.
MARVEL: "Bouncer" is a villain; one of the three brothers known as "the Howlers," who served as part of "Gladiators."
Bounty
DC: At least three. One was an evil entity who took control of Dawnstar in "Legion of Super-Heroes" continuity in the early 90s (this character was presumably erased from existence by the Post-Zero Hour Reboot of Legion continuity). One was a mercenary who fought Damage. The latest one was a character in the "Emperor Joker" story arc.
MARVEL: Female mercenary who dated Ben Grimm for a bit in Chris Claremont’s run on the FF.
Bounty Hunter/The Bounty Hunter
DC: At least two users; apparently both used "the" at the start.
MARVEL: At least three users; I’m not sure about the use of "the" in their cases.
Bowman/The Bowman
DC: At least three users. One is a former superhero who is the father of White Feather, the archer member of the Inferior Five. The second was a member of the Justifiers in the alternate timeline which the Extremists came from (after they had slaughtered all the other inhabitants, including Bowman). The third was a member of the Maximums in a "Superboy/Batman" story arc; he was already dead before we met him; he was basically a thinly veiled knockoff of Marvel’s Hawkeye.
MARVEL: At least two. One was apparently a reincarnation of Sir Lancelot; the other is a member of the HYDRA Super-Agents.
Brain/The Brain
DC: "The Brain" is a villain; leader of the Brotherhood of Evil.
MARVEL: Several users.
Brainstorm
DC: Several users.
MARVEL: Insane villain who was manipulated into thinking he was just venting some frustration while dreaming.
Brass
DC: A member of "Metallik," which was the group name for one of the other "Team Titans" teams from the alternate future timeline in which Lord Chaos (Donna Troy’s son) was the evil ruler of the world.
MARVEL: Three users.
Brother Power
DC: I’m told that the title character (an animated mannequin) of the old series "Brother Power, the Geek" strongly preferred to just call himself "Brother Power" and resented it when other people kept calling him "the Geek."
MARVEL: Achmed Korba, villain; fought Spider-Man in one story arc in the 70s; possibly died at the end of it.
Brute
DC: Several users; all pretty obscure, it seems.
MARVEL: Several, including an evil analog of Reed Richards from a place called "The High Evolutionary’s Counter-Earth."
Bug/Bugg
DC: One user of each version. "Bug" was a member of the Maximums in a "Superman/Batman" story arc; he was a thinly veiled Spider-Man knockoff.
MARVEL: "Bug" is a nonhuman hero who debuted as a member of the Micronauts in the Marvel comic books based on a line of action figures; however, this character was created by Marvel and they have continued to use him in new stories after their license for the Micronauts ended. (I am told that he is now referred to as one of that heroic group known as "the Microns.")
Bull’s-Eye/Bulls-Eye/Bullseye
DC: "Bull’s-Eye" was a villain who fought the Golden Age Green Arrow in the old Pre-COIE continuity.
MARVEL: "Bulls-Eye" was a Hydra assassin who had a single appearance in 1969; he killed Nick Fury (or seemed to) in "Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #15" -- and then got killed himself by the end of that story. Later, the assasin "Bullseye" became a notorious Daredevil villain.
Note on the above: Two years ago, right after I posted my Second Draft, there was some disagreement regarding just how the Hydra assassin wrote his name. ("Bull’s Eye? Bull’s-Eye? Something else?") A couple of sources have assured me he used "Bulls-Eye" as his alias throughout that story, so that’s what I’m going with until further notice. Near as I can tell, however, that issue has never been reprinted as part of any TPB, and I don’t feel like coughing up the money to buy a 40-year-old comic book just to check on some punctuation in the dialogue, so it’s awfully hard to be sure. Some online resources have that alias punctuated in other ways -- and in 2007, when I was researching the point, I found multiple instances online where people were offering copies of that Hydra assassin’s only appearance for sale on their websites with such commentary as "The First Appearance of Bullseye the Assassin!" or words to that effect. Clearly they either mistakenly believed, or else desperately hoped their unsuspecting customers would mistakenly believe, that the assasin on the cover of that comic is the same guy (in a different costume) as the "Bullseye" who has killed two of Daredevil’s old girlfriends: Elektra Natchios and Karen Page.
Bulldozer
DC: At least three. Most famously, this was the military nickname of Horace Eustace Canfield Nichols, who served with Sergeant Rock in Easy Company during WWII.
MARVEL: At least two; the more famous one is a villain, a regular member of the Wrecking Crew.
Bulletproof
DC: A Milestone character.
MARVEL: A codename used by the late Nathaniel Briggs when he was acting as a member of "Sentinel Squad O*N*E."
Burnout
DC: Robert "Bobby" Lane of Wildstorm’s original Gen13 lineup.
MARVEL: Alias for two members of the Mutant Liberation Front in succession; both dead.
Burst
DC: One of the greatest heroes of the planet Thordia.
MARVEL: Genoshan mutate who died in the service of Exodus.
Bushmaster
DC: Bernal Rojas, hero, member of the Global Guardians; dead.
MARVEL: Two brothers, both villains. John McIver (dead), followed by Quincy McIver (longtime member of the Serpent Society).
Buzz
DC: Marcus Gaius, of the old Roman Empire, eventually sold his soul and became a demon known as "Buzz" for the next couple of millennia, until Supergirl (Post-COIE Linda Danvers) started having a redeeming influence on him.
MARVEL: "The Buzz" is a teenage superhero of the MC2 timeline.
Cadaver/Kadaver
DC: "Kadaver" was a villain who fought Batman.
MARVEL: At least three characters have used "Cadaver."
Cain/Cane/Kaine
DC: "Cain" is the working name of David Cain, high-priced assassin.
MARVEL: "Kaine" is an evil Spider-Man clone. "Cane" was an assassin who once fought The Punisher -- it will probably shock you speechless to hear that Cane is no longer among the living.
Calcium
DC: One of the second (and evil) team of Metal Men. Destroyed.
MARVEL: Presumably one of the Elements of Doom.
Calculator/The Calculator
DC: "The Calculator" is Noah Kuttler, villain.
MARVEL: "Calculator" was Kwong Dae, a character in "NFL Superpro,"
Caliber
DC: Villain; member of Team Turmoil.
MARVEL: Villain who fought Alpha Flight.
Cannonball
DC: Military nickname of Horace Calhoon, who was second-in-command of Tomahawk’s Rangers during the Revolutionary War.
MARVEL: Sam Guthrie, hero.
Capricorn
DC: Villain who fought Superman and Batman in a single story in the 1970s. He died at the end of that story, but the heroes didn't realize that.
MARVEL: Several villainous Capricorns have served with some version of the "Zodiac" team at different times.
Captain Marvel
DC: Billy Batson (usually). The name was also used by Freddy Freeman as a grown man in the alternate future timeline of the "Titans Tomorrow" stories.
MARVEL: Several users; the first was Mar-Vell of the Kree (now dead), and both a son and a daughter of Mar-Vell have subsequently used the name (as have a few others).
Captain Strong
DC: Horatio Strong, a Silver Age knockoff of the "Popeye the Sailor Man" concept.
MARVEL: Not a masked crimefighter; but he was a Golden Age action hero who got exactly one appearance in "Daring Mystery Comics #3" in 1940. Hasn’t been heard from since.
Captain Tiger/Captain Tyger
DC: "Captain Tiger" was a pirate-themed villain who fought the original Teen Titans.
MARVEL: "Captain Tyger" was a French nobleman in the 17th Century who had a career as a pirate for awhile.
Cardinal
DC: One of the temporary aliases of Vicky Grant in her "Dial H for Hero" days.
MARVEL: Member of I.C.O.N., an evil conspiracy which once clashed with the Frankenstein Monster; this man apparently died in an explosion (but I gather this was never confirmed).
Carnivore
DC: Evil entity who fought the "Supergirl" who was actually a merger of "Matrix" and the Post-COIE "Linda Danvers."
MARVEL: Two users. One was Dick Chalker, villain; one is Count Andreas Zorba, of the Examplars.
Cat/The Cat
DC: "The Cat" was the first alias used by Selina Kyle (better known as Catwoman); at least in the Golden Age continuity.
MARVEL: "The Cat" was a costumed identity for Greer Grant before her physical transformation into "Tigra." "Cat" or "The Cat" have also been used by several other beings, including Shen Kuei, a martial artist whose abilities rival those of Shang-Chi.
Catalyst
DC: Villain; last seen working as an assassin for Vandal Savage.
MARVEL: Villain; used to work for HYDRA.
Catapult
DC: Member of the demon-hunting group known as the Hell-Enders.
MARVEL: Hero; member of the original "Exiles" team of the Ultraverse; died soon after he debuted.
Cathode
DC: Villainess; member of a group called "the Network" which fought Superman and Batman in "World’s Finest Comics" in the early 80s; they may not exist in Post-COIE continuity.
MARVEL: Villainess with a long-distance teleporting ray who once used it to steal the Statue of Liberty and thus ended up fighting Silver Sable, her Wild Pack, and their temporary ally Deathlok. She hasn’t been heard from since. (Except in a fanfic I keep writing.)
Catman/Cat-Man
DC: "Catman" is Tom Blake, a longtime Batman villain, supposedly trying to redeem himself nowadays. I believe that he -- or his Golden Age version, anyway -- originally used the hyphen in the middle, but he’s long since abandoned that.
MARVEL: At least two villains using the name "Cat-Man" have served with versions of the Ani-Men. They both died.
Catseye
DC: Japanese villain who fought the Suicide Squad.
MARVEL: One of Emma Frost’s Hellions; dead.
Catspaw/Cat’s Paw
DC: "Catspaw" is April Dumaka, heroine in the far future in at least two versions of "Legion of Super-Heroes" continuity.
MARVEL: "Cat’s Paw" was the alias of a foreign spy who fought the Golden Age hero known as "The Angel."
Catwoman/Cat Woman
DC: "Catwoman" is Selina Kyle, sometimes a hero, sometimes a villain.
MARVEL: "Cat Woman" was a Golden Age villain, leader of a gang of thieves, who fought Captain America and then died at the end of her first appearance.
Cauldron
DC: Two or three of them. One is an obscure Golden Age villain, possibly demonic, who fought Plastic Man a few times. The more recent user of the alias is a robot, originally designed at Project Cadmus, which was forced to fight Superman a couple of times in the 1990s. (I'm not clear on whether Superman's second fight with "Cauldron" was with the same robot after it was rebuilt, or with a new robot built from much the same design as the first.)
MARVEL: A villain.
Centurion
DC: One of the Dogs of War who fought the Doom Patrol.
MARVEL: Villain who fought Ms. Marvel. There are also suggestions that this word alone may have been used as a codename for some members of the Nova Corps, but I’m not sure of the details.
Chain Lightning
DC: Apparently this name has been used by both the Pre-COIE and Post-COIE versions of a female character with multiple personality disorder who sometimes fights Captain Marvel Jr.
MARVEL: Two users, both obscure.
Chairman
DC: The masked leader of an evil organization known as "the Council" which clashed with Supergirl -- meaning Kara Zor-El, the Pre-COIE version -- in the early 80s. I have no idea whether Chairman, and/or the Council, are still around in modern continuity.
MARVEL: There was a Chairman who was a villain in an old Hostess Twinkies ad in the comic books. (It occurs to me that I have no idea whether those old Hostess ads are presumed to be "in continuity" or not.) There was also a Chairman in the 2099 timeline; a villain who was in command of the Ratpack.
Chameleon
DC: The alias used by the Post-Zero Hour rebooted version of the "Legion of Super-Heroes" character originally known as "Chameleon Boy."
MARVEL: The first supervillain Spider-Man ever fought.
Champion
DC: There have been at least four users. First: the wizard Shazam. Second: a guy who initally posed as a superhero in the mid-80s but turned out to be a villain; ended up fighting the partnership of Green Arrow (Ollie) and Black Canary (the second one). Third: M'onel. Fourth: Herakles when he was masquerading as a run-of-the-mill modern superhero (I choose to mention Herakles to be complete; since he's a mythological figure in the public domain, I could just ignore him).
MARVEL: Another alias used by a Wolverine villain also known as "Mister X."
Changeling
DC: At least five users, beginning with a Golden Age Villain who fought the original Flash, and ending with Garfield Logan (who has since reverted back to his earlier alias of "Beast Boy").
MARVEL: The former villain who died while impersonating Professor X (at the Prof’s request).
Cheetah
DC: At least three; I think they’ve all been Wonder Woman villains.
MARVEL: Esteban Carracus, villain; dead.
Chimera
DC: Several users.
MARVEL: Several users. One was a Deviant Skrull who died in the "MARVEL: The Lost Generation" mini.
Chunk
DC: Chester P. Runk, brilliant physicist who fought Flash (Wally West) but later became one of his closest friends.
MARVEL: Villain; one of the Outriders.
Claw/Klaw
DC: Several users of "Claw."
MARVEL: "Klaw" (Ulysses Klaw) is a villain.
Cloud
DC: "The Cloud" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Mark.
MARVEL: "Cloud" was a Defender in the mid-1980s.
The Clown
DC: Lyle Corley, a Flash villain; dead.
MARVEL: One of these has served in the Ringmaster's Circus of Crime. Another was a member of the Crazy Gang in the 1980s (and maybe he still is, for all I know).
Cobalt/Kobalt
DC: "Cobalt" was a robot, a member of the third "Metal Men" team; eventually went rogue and was destroyed. "Kobalt" is a Milestone character.
MARVEL: "Cobalt" is one of the Elements of Doom
Cobra/Kobra
DC: For many years, "Kobra" was Jeffrey Franklin Burr, villain; he is now dead. Recently, his brother Jason Burr has been setting himself up as the new "Kobra."
MARVEL: Previous alias of Klaus Voorhees, a villain who later called himself "King Cobra."
Cobweb
DC: Heroine created by Alan Moore as part of his "America’s Best Comics" line; now part of the ABC imprint at DC.
MARVEL: Two users; one was an enemy of Sleepwalker.
Coil
DC: Milestone character who fought Static in the 1990s.
MARVEL: Villain; one of the Twisted Sisters in Shadow City.
The Collector
DC: Silver Age villain who fought a Batman/Hawkman teamup and hasn't been heard from since. I am told that years later, there was another villain using the same name in a Superman story in the late 70s; I gather he hasn't reappeared either!
MARVEL: One of the Elders of the Universe. I'm told there was also a human thief who used this alias when he appeared in "Wolverine/Doop #1" (which I'd never even heard of).
Comet/The Comet
DC: "Comet" was an "Earth-Born Angel of Love" in Peter David’s "Supergirl" title. I’ve also been told that the Silver Age hero previously known as "Captain Comet" later started using just plain "Comet" as an alias. And Rob Connors, "The Comet," was an Archie character who apparently will soon be integrated into the DCU if he hasn’t been already (I haven’t been paying attention).
MARVEL: "The Comet" was Harris Moore, created in the 1970s as a superhero with a retconned career from the 1950s; now dead.
Note on the above: I am aware that Peter David’s version of "Comet" was a takeoff from the Silver Age character who was called "Comet the Super-Horse." However, I am working on the theory that in the Silver Age guy’s case, his full heroic alias was "Comet the Super-Horse," so I don’t count him as being another duplication of the name "Comet."
Computo
DC: A villainous artificial intelligence who fought the Legion of Super-Heroes in their original continuity. Also: Danielle Foccart, a heroine, later swiped the name for herself (still in the original continuity before the Post-Zero Hour Reboot).
MARVEL: An artificial intelligence created by Quasimodo.
Confessor/The Confessor
DC: There was a Confessor who worked for Brother Blood in the 1980s; also, "The Confessor" has been used successively by two heroes in "Kurt Busiek's Astro City."
MARVEL: Russian mercenary who fought Maverick.
Controller
DC: Villain who fought Adrian Chase when he was The Vigilante with his own title in the mid-1980s.
MARVEL: Basil Sandhurst, villain.
Copperhead
DC: Villain; real name unknown.
MARVEL: At least three villains.
Copycat
DC: Gem Antonelli; member of Wildstorm’s DV8.
MARVEL: Vanessa Carlysle, villain, dead.
Cossack
DC: At least two. One was a Russian robot who fought the Doom Patrol. The second is an alternate alias of the first "Dark Rider" of the DCU.
MARVEL: Russian terrorist who once fought Daredevil.
Crackerjack
DC: A hero in "Kurt Busiek's Astro City."
MARVEL: A villain who appeared in the "Ghost Rider 2099" series.
Creeper/The Creeper
DC: Jack Ryder, hero, has intermittently appeared in stories as "The Creeper," going back about 40 years now. I am told that a Vertigo miniseries a few years seemed to retcon in a "previous" Creeper, a woman named Madeline Benoir, active in the 1920s. There was also a Creeper in the "DC One Million" event, living in the year 85,271.
MARVEL: "The Creeper" was an alias used by Ambassador Lissom, a funny-animal villain (I’m told -- but I haven’t seen any images) who appeared and died in a single Golden Age story. "Creeper" was the alias used by a kid living in New York City a century ago; a super-powered member of a group known as the Street Arabs. He was killed in the same "Runaways" story arc in which he debuted.
Crime-Buster/Crimebuster
DC: "Crimebuster" was a Fawcett hero in the Golden Age. I don’t know that anyone has ever revived the character (or any "successor" to the original user of the name) in anything published by DC in recent decades.
MARVEL: Three users. The first was Frank Moore, son of a hero called The Comet; Frank is now dead and at least two other guys have tried to continue the role. (As near as I can tell from Wikipedia, two of the Marvel guys have spelled the name without a hyphen.)
Crimson
DC: Jodi Slayton, heroine, daughter of Backlash. She worked with Wildstorm’s Wildcore team for awhile, and later changed her alias to "Jet."
MARVEL: Villainess; member of a quasi-vampiric group called the Ravens; died fighting X-Factor.
The Crooked Man
DC: "The Crooked Man" was J.J. Crook, a crimelord who appeared in the "Chain Gang War" series and apparently died at the end of it (but I hear the body was never found after the big explosion).
MARVEL: "The Crooked Man" was a crimelord who fought The Shroud.
Crossbones
DC: Nicholas Jones, member of Wildstorm’s Wetworks, dead.
MARVEL: Brock Lumlow, villain.
Crusader
DC: Two, both heroes. First: Don Powers, hero, apparently appeared in a single issue of "Aquaman" in the 1970s. Second: Derek Bradbourne, who appeared in one story in the early 90s and also seems to have faded into obscurity.
MARVEL: Several users.
Crusher
DC: A villain who was once defeated by Bobo Bennetti.
MARVEL: Several users.
Cyclone/Psi-Clone/Psyclone
DC: At least four users of "Cyclone." One was originally a Quality hero in the Golden Age. One was briefly a villain, fighting the JLA in a single story in the 1970s. One was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" villainous identity of Nylor Truggs -- retcon-erased by COIE. One is Maxine Hunkel, heroine; a granddaughter of Ma Hunkel, the Golden Age "Red Tornado." Also: "Psi-Clone" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" alias of Vicky Grant.
MARVEL: There have been at least three users of "Cyclone," all villains; the first is dead. There is also a "Psyclone" in the 2099 timeline.
Cypher
DC: Three users; including Cameron Begay, formerly "Cypher" of the DEO and now better known as "Omni" of the "Relative Heroes."
MARVEL: Doug Ramsey of the New Mutants, long dead.
Blue Team
Ant-Man, Aurora, Black Widow, Blink, Diablo, Electro, Gladiator, Jolt, Karma, Legion, Lionheart, The Lizard, Professor X, The Puppet Master, Magneto, Mockingbird, The Masked Marauder, Mysterio, The Vulture, The Wasp, Yellowjacket.
Gold Team
Bane, The Bat, The Creeper, Doctor Destiny, El Diablo, Huntress, Ice, Impulse, Jade, Manhunter, Obsidian, Oracle, Rainmaker, Raven, Ravager, Robotman, Spoiler, Titano, Voodoo, Witchfire, Zealot.
Given all of the above, are you safe in assuming that the Marvel contingent will be the Blue Team, and the characters representing DC will be clumped together on the Gold Team?
No!
It could just as easily be the other way around! Or each team could comprise a mixture of Marvel and DC character concepts! Just because a comic book has "Professor X" in it doesn't mean the user of that name has anything to do with the X-Men, and just because a villain calls himself "Bane" doesn't mean he once broke Batman's back!
A year ago I saw someone on DC’s own discussion forums asking for advice. He wanted to write and post a fanfic featuring what I gathered was an original character, although the story would be set in the DCU, but the heroic alias he had in mind was one which he realized DC has already used from time to time (not for anyone who ever had his own title, though). The fan wanted advice on whether he’d get in trouble for copyright infringement if he stuck with the name he wanted to use.
I figured he didn’t really need to worry. First, because nobody can copyright a name all by itself; second, because DC doesn’t even visibly object to the existence of thousands of online fanfics that obviously are using their distinctive characters (instead of just recycling the occasional name for a new user); and third, because if frequently swiping colorful names for their new characters from old characters at Marvel is good enough for DC (and vice versa), then swiping names from both companies for our new characters certainly ought to be good enough for us common folk!
When I was a kid, I used to wonder how the various writers at DC and Marvel managed to keep coming up with nifty new "superhero names" or "supervillain names" that nobody had ever thought to use before. Now I know better. They don’t necessarily sweat blood in the effort to come up with new aliases in the superhero genre! Often, they just dust off and recycle old names, from their own company’s past continuity or a rival’s, if they figure they can get away with it!
When I started soliciting suggestions for the first draft of this list in early 2007, I could think of a few names offhand ("Captain Marvel" was an easy one), and I figured there were more duplications I had seen over the years but wasn't immediately remembering, and probably several others involving characters I’d never heard of. I estimated I might end up with 30 "shared aliases" after my fellow fans had weighed in.
Live and learn! A week later, thanks to the help I received, my First Draft actually listed 166 names. Several months later, incorporating new suggestions from my fellow fans along with others I had dug up on my own, I had 303 in the Second Draft. A year after that, I figured I had 416 in the Third Draft. Now, almost a year later, I figure I'm up to 653 "aliases" which both Marvel and DC have used for characters (or someone else used them at another company, and then Marvel or DC later added those characters to their collections, somehow).
I dare to hope that I finally have most instances of "duplication" covered here. At any rate, I'll probably want the tally to get up to at least 750 before I bother releasing another draft. How long will that take? Beats me!
Over the years I've had to hammer out some rules of thumb regarding what counts and what doesn't for the purpose of this list. Let's run through those now, to save you the trouble of asking why I completely skipped over certain names.
Ground Rules
1. I’m not interested in characters who have been around so long that they are in the "public domain." For instance, DC and Marvel have both put their own spins on various characters from Norse Mythology, Graeco-Roman Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, etc. And they’ve both done stories featuring names from Arthurian Legend. But if they didn’t "create" those characters, then I’m not interesting in calling those cases of "duplication." (On the other hand, I made a possible exception for personifications of the concept of "Death" at both companies. I don’t see that the Marvel version or the Neil Gaiman version from "Sandman" were simply swiped from any single preexisting mythology.)
2. On the other hand, I am willing to list any names which both companies have swiped from mythological sources and then recycled for "new" character concepts who definitely are not "the original Andromeda of Greek Myth" (or whatever). Both DC and Marvel have, in fact, used the name "Andromeda" for female heroes.
3. I also ignore any cases where both companies have handled the same "licensed" characters at different times. Both DC and Marvel have published comic books set in the world of "Star Trek," for instance, but they didn't claim to have created the characters of the original TV series.
4. "Group names" don’t count unless individual members also demonstrate the habit of using that name or an obvious variation for themselves personally (as when a new member of the Green Lantern Corps starts calling himself "Green Lantern" as his heroic alias). Examples of what I don’t count: DC has had evil organizations with the names "Cyclops" and "Colossus," but I don’t count those as "duplicates" of the names of famous X-Men. Likewise, Marvel and DC each own characters who have used the name "Thunderbolt," but my entry for that alias does not mention Marvel’s team concept known as "the Thunderbolts," because each member of the team has used some other colorful alias for himself or herself.
5. After looking at the examples of "Dr. Doome" and "Dr. Doom," I decided that "pronunciation trumps spelling." If two names are obviously meant to be pronounced exactly the same way by English-speaking readers, then I’ll count them as "duplicate aliases" even if there are differences in how they are usually spelled and punctuated.
6. It appears that at least a few dozen members of Marvel’s group "The Elements of Doom" have been mentioned by name in the group’s published appearances. I believe it’s also been stated in dialogue that they include members named after the full periodic table; not just those members whose names have been mentioned in dialogue. So I’m assuming that any DC character named after a real chemical element has a namesake at Marvel. In cases where it doesn’t appear that such a character was ever mentioned by name, but implicitly is part of the group, I say "presumably one of the Elements of Doom" in the listing.
7. To keep the project down to a manageable size, I’m only counting characters who effectively are controlled by Marvel or DC; either because they were created at those companies or because they were created at some other company whose "character stable" later ended up under the thumb of Marvel or DC (whether by purchase or by some long-term licensing deal which is currently in force). Any other, completely independent company gets ignored. For instance: Marvel and DC have both used the alias "the Ghost" for one supervillain apiece. I list those villains below, but I don’t include any mention of Dark Horse’s vigilante heroine "Ghost," because neither DC nor Marvel has any control over her. Similarly, I ignored the Milestone and Impact characters in 2007, but I changed my mind for the Third Draft after I heard DC had acquired permission to integrate both sets into its standard continuity and see what happens. And I’ve decided to include a couple of cases of costumed characters from Alan Moore’s "Watchmen" who shared aliases with Marvel characters, although I’ve read that Alan Moore will regain full control of those characters if and when DC lets the trade paperback collection go out of print. (Hey, it could happen! It’s only been a couple of decades, after all!)
8. I ignore any characters who have only appeared in other media, such as TV shows, movies, regular novels, or games which adapted character concepts now controlled by DC or Marvel. However: If such characters debuted elsewhere and later appeared in comic books, that makes them fair game!
9. Defining the meaning of "alias" in this context has led me to some tricky decisions. I’m not interested in finding cases where both Marvel and DC have used such bland names as "John Smith" or "Mary Jones," regardless of whether those were the "real names" or "aliases" of the characters using them. On the other hand, I tend to include the more colorful names of Inhumans, Deviants, New Gods, and Metal Men (among others), even in cases where we are either told or led to believe that the exotic names being used may be the only names those characters have ever had. I suppose in some cases I’m settling for names that "look like a carefully chosen alias" even if they might not be. However, I’ve decided I’m not interested in such things as multiple uses of the names "Arak" and "Arion," because those just look too much like "real names" to me, even though I can't remember the last time I met anyone who had been named "Arak" or "Arion" by his parents.
10. Here are a few things I deliberately exclude from my list: "Atari Force" characters, because I don’t think DC owns them, and (as far as I know) they were never really integrated into the DCU. "Masters of the Universe" characters, for much the same reasons, although I know Superman did travel to Eternia and meet He-Man at least twice in the early 1980s. Amalgam characters, because they were not just "Marvel" or "DC," but deliberately swiping and merging elements of various characters owned by both companies.
11. If one character has normally called himself "Blade" and another frequently introduces himself as "The Blade" (insert any other word or phrase for "Blade" in that example), then I treat those as variants of the same alias, but I try to distinguish between those different usages in my listing for "Blade/The Blade." I'm sure I fail to make the correct distinctions on many occasions, partially because the online databases which I use for my research generally don't bother to mention whether each user of a certain name is or isn't in the habit of pronouncing the direct article ("The") when introducing himself by his colorful alias.
12. Some Doubtful Cases: I am currently working on the theory that the characters known as "Comet the Super-Horse" (Silver Age Superman continuity), "Neon the Unknown" (Golden Age hero), "Omega the Unknown" (1970s hero), and "Deathstroke the Terminator" (Slade Wilson) all used those complete strings as their preferred aliases; not just the first words of each string. Thus, none of those guys are mentioned below in listings for "Comet," "Neon," etc. I don’t list Tryco Slatterus under "Champion," either, because I believe that for millennia his full preferred alias was "Champion of the Universe."
Now, on to the main event!
THE MASTER LIST
Be warned: I don’t make any claim to tell you everything you could possibly need to know about any of these characters. Most of the time, I won’t even mention what their superpowers are (if any). Nor will I usually tell you which issue showed a certain character using a certain alias for the first time. And I usually don’t bother mentioning which company used a certain alias first. I always mention DC characters first, but only because "DC" precedes "Marvel" alphabetically! I provide as much data as I happen to feel the need to provide in any given case, and you’re welcome to do further research on your own time!
Acrobat/Acro-Bat
DC: Two users of "Acrobat"; both villains. One was a WWII-era villain who fought Judomaster and Tiger in the Charlton comics. One was a member of Amos Fortune's "Luck League" in one JLA story. "Acro-Bat" was the heroic alias used by a member of the Justice Experience until he and most of his team were killed back in the 1970s (according to a retcon in the 1990s); his daughter, Chase Cameron, grew up to be an agent of the DEO and had her own solo series "Chase" for a little while.
MARVEL: At least three users of "Acrobat" (one lived in the 19th Century and fought the Rawhide Kid).
Agent Axis
DC: Golden Age Nazi villain who fought the Boy Commandos; later reappeared in "modern times."
MARVEL: A WWII-era villain, retconned in during the 70s, who was somehow a merger of three Axis spies (one German, one Italian, one Japanese) into a single entity with the strength of three men.
Agent Orange
DC: Four users; one of them is a Wildstorm character.
MARVEL: Two users; one was Anjelica Jones in a "What If?" timeline.
Ajax
DC: The name Superman gave to one of his robot doubles in a Silver Age story because it was stronger than the rest of its kind; that robot's mind subsequently was transferred into a different body (called "Wonder-Man") by aliens; but soon died.
MARVEL: Several users.
Alchemist/The Alchemist
DC: At least two users of "The Alchemist" -- one of them was also known as Professor Zodiac (a Golden Age villain).
MARVEL: Two mutants have each used "Alchemist."
Alpha
DC: A former terrorist who appeared a few times in Cassandra Cain’s regular "Batgirl" title. In the title’s final story arc, Alpha seemed to have become very loyal to Cassandra -- but he hasn’t been heard from since that time, so don’t ask me if he’s currently "good" or "bad" or "dead" or what!
MARVEL: Several users.
Aluminum
DC: One of the second (and evil) team of Metal Men. Destroyed.
MARVEL: Presumably one of the Elements of Doom.
The Anarchist
DC: Simon Ellis, villain who fought the JLA in the 1970s. (Just once, apparently?)
MARVEL: Tike Alicar, hero, member of X-Statix; dead.
Anarchy/Anarky
DC: "Anarky" is Lonnie Machin, an anarchist vigilante who thinks he's a hero, but Batman and other superheroes generally disagree with him.
MARVEL: "Anarchy" is a villain; a redheaded woman who worked for Flag-Smasher's ULTIMATUM outfit during the "Acts of Vengeance" event in 1989 (and hasn't been heard from since).
Andromeda
DC: In the Post-COIE era, and again after the Post-Zero Hour Legion Reboot, she was Laurel Gand, a retconned substitute for the role previously filled by the Pre-Crisis Supergirl in the continuity of the "Legion of Super-Heroes." She was erased by the 2004 Reboot of Legion continuity.
MARVEL: An Atlantean superheroine.
Anomaly
DC: Super-powered clone of Floyd Barstow; villain, but with some signs of scruples.
MARVEL: At least two entities have used this.
The Answer
DC: Mike Patten, villain.
MARVEL: Two users, both villains.
Ant-Man
DC: Jumbo Carson, villain (initially masquerading as a hero), who appeared in a single Batman story.
MARVEL: Hank Pym's first heroic costumed identity.
Antaeus
DC: Two users. One was a member of the New Olympians in the 1980s. One was Mark Antaeus, a metahuman who joined the JLA, assassinated a mass-murdering dictator in the Middle East, discovered he had thereby triggered a very messy civil war, and then committed suicide; all this happening in the graphic novel "JLA: Superpower."
MARVEL: A member of the superpowered race called "the Neo."
Ape/The Ape
DC: "The Ape" was a villain who fought Batman in the mid-90s; died.
MARVEL: One of the Morlocks.
Archer/The Archer
DC: "The Archer" was a Golden Age villain who fought Superman.
MARVEL: "Archer" is a member of the XSE in Bishop’s future timeline; he traveled back to "modern times" and ended up inhabiting the body of a recently deceased criminal named Jude Black.
Arclight
DC: Noah Pasternetti, villain.
MARVEL: Phillippa Sontag, villain; one of the Marauders who performed the Morlock Massacre.
Argent
DC: Toni Moretti, heroine; one of the new batch of "Teen Titans" who debuted in the mid-90s.
MARVEL: Samantha Hassard, a member of Clan Destine.
Argon
DC: One of Mr. Element's henchmen used this alias in a single story. Later, there was an extraterrestrial villain called "Argon" who fought Superman in the 1970s, died, and hasn't been heard from since.
MARVEL: Presumably one of the Elements of Doom.
Argus
DC: Two users. One was an obscure villain; one is Nick Kelly, hero.
MARVEL: Villain who cut off Leiko Wu’s hand.
Ariel
DC: Temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Vicky Grant.
MARVEL: Several users, including Kitty Pryde at one point.
Arsenal
DC: Three users. The first two were villains. The third was Roy Harper, hero; formerly "Speedy" and later known as "Red Arrow."
MARVEL: An android long since destroyed. Also: a villain who fought Moon Knight.
Astra
DC: Hero; member of the Xenobrood.
MARVEL: Several, including a member of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard and another who claimed to be a former member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Astro
DC: Bruce Mills became a superhero under this name in the Iron Curtain nation of Dolomain a long time ago -- and may not have been heard from since his debut.
MARVEL: Apparently this was the name used by a Golden Age character in one of the stories in "Marvel Mystery Comics #35." I know nothing more about him, her, or it (as the case may be). I have not found any reference to the character ever reappearing.
Atlas
DC: An action hero of ancient times.
MARVEL: Steve Rand, villain. Later: Erik Josten, who’s tried to be a hero as a Thunderbolt (after being a villain under other names).
Atom Smasher/Atom-Smasher
DC: "Atom Smasher," alias once used by Manfred Mota, Golden Age villain. "Atom-Smasher," alias used by Albert Rothstein (formerly "Nuklon" of Infinity Inc.)
MARVEL: Two villains, brothers; Ronald English (dead) and then Michael English. They both used the hyphen.
Aura
DC: Heroine; one of the Ravers.
MARVEL: Annie Herd, bounty hunter. Apparently last seen hospitalized with severe injuries.
Aurora
DC: One of the Recombatants who once fought the Titans; dead.
MARVEL: Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, heroine; founding member of Alpha Flight.
Avatar/Avatarr
DC: "Avatar" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Chris King. The same spelling was later used by the man who had been "Tiger," WWII-era sidekick to Judomaster, after "Tiger" grew up to be an insane villain.
MARVEL: At least two users of "Avatar"; one is an adult version of Franklin Richards. Also, there was an "Avatarr" (now dead) in the 2099 timeline.
Azrael
DC: Several users; one was a winged alien who worked with the Titans for awhile; another was Jean Paul Valley, a brainwashed assassin for the Order of St. Dumas. (When Jean Paul debuted, he was replacing his father as Azrael, and we were told that their ancestors had been Azraels for a long, long time before Batman ever heard of them.)
MARVEL: At least two users besides the legendary one.
Ballistic/Ballistik
DC: "Ballistic" was Kelvin Mao, hero; member of Blood Pack; dead.
MARVEL: "Ballistik" is a Marvel UK character; member of something called "the Zoo."
Bane
DC: Villain who broke Batman’s back in "Knightfall." (I hear he has joined the current "Secret Six.")
MARVEL: An enemy of the Knights of Pendragon.
Banshee
DC: Max Bine, a villain who fought the Question (Vic Sage) when he was still a Charlton character.
MARVEL: Sean Cassidy, hero.
Barium
DC: Robot; member of an evil "Metal Men" team. Destroyed.
MARVEL: One of the Elements of Doom.
Barker/The Barker
DC: "The Barker" was another name for Carnie Callahan, a Golden Age character in Quality’s comics.
MARVEL: "Barker" is a villain; one of the three brothers known as "The Howlers," who served as part of "The Gladiators."
Barracuda
DC: At least two.
MARVEL: At least three.
Barrage
DC: Karnowsky, a Superman villain.
MARVEL: One of the "Riders of the Storm" who worked for Apocalypse.
Basilisk
DC: Irish Autumns, hero. (A shameless parody of Scott Summers -- Cyclops of the X-Men -- in an old Inferior Five story.)
MARVEL: Villain, dead.
The Bat
DC: At least two users, one in regular continuity and one way outside of it. First: Helena Bertinelli -- while wearing a dark, pointy-eared costume in the "No Man’s Land" event in a valiant effort to keep the Bat-legend alive in Gotham while Bruce Wayne was far away, indulging in a months-long childish sulk -- introduced herself as "I’m The Bat" on at least one occasion and probably a lot more (even if we didn’t see them all). Having people call her "Batgirl" came later. Second: In the alternate timeline featured in the Elseworlds stories "JSA: The Liberty Files" and "JSA: The Unholy Three," both set in the 1940s, the local analog of what we would normally call "Batman" is consistently called "The Bat" instead.
MARVEL: Villain in the nineteenth century who fought The Rawhide Kid and died.
Battering Ram
DC: A villain who fought Chris King and Vicky Grant in their "Dial H for Hero" days.
MARVEL: An X-Force member who died in battle.
Battleax/Battleaxe
DC: "Battleax" is an alias for Princess Norka of Nekrome.
MARVEL: "Battleaxe" has been used by several people.
Beautiful Dreamer
DC: One of the Forever People.
MARVEL: One of the Morlocks.
Bedlam
DC: Two of them. One was a villain who gave Young Justice a hard time.
MARVEL: Four of them, apparently.
Bella Donna/Belladonna
DC: "Bella Donna" has been used twice. Once an obscure villainess; once a Yuppie Demon (whatever that is).
MARVEL: "Belladonna" is Narda Ravonna, villainess. (I don't count Gambit's ex-wife because "Bella Donna" really was part of the name on her birth certificate; not an alias -- although I had to check it just now to make sure.)
Big Ben
DC: Villain; member of "the Big Gang" which fought Atom (Ray Palmer).
MARVEL: Villain who fought Spider-Girl in the MC2 timeline. There was also a "Big Ben" who fought "Miracleman" (or "Marvelman"; take your pick) in stories written by Alan Moore in the 1980s; it is possible that this character now belongs to Marvel Comics, or some portion of him does, or whatever.
Big Bertha
DC: Villain; member of "the Big Gang" which fought Atom (Ray Palmer).
MARVEL: Heroine; member of the Great Lakes Avengers.
Black Cat/The Black Cat
DC: Steve Robinson, an African-American soldier in World War II who was often called by the codenames "Black Cat" or "Chat Noir" -- apparently depending upon the nationality of the speaker -- during his work with a Resistance group in occupied France.
MARVEL: "The Black Cat" is Felicia Hardy, a former cat burglar who is supposedly reformed.
Black Death
DC: Villain who fought the JLA a few years ago.
MARVEL: Two users; both villains.
Black Hand/The Black Hand
DC: "Black Hand" is William Hand, villain.
MARVEL: "The Black Hand" was a Golden Age villain who fought Captain America.
Black Hawk/Blackhawk
DC: "Blackhawk" was the alias used by the leader of the WWII fighter squadron collectively known as "The Blackhawks." He was a Quality character in the Golden Age; later ended up at DC. His real name was originally "Bart Hawk," but later was retconned as "Janos Prohaska."
MARVEL: In "Mystic Comics #2," in a story set in the year 2300, there was a villain who used this alias, either with or without a space in the middle. (At least one online resource indicates it may have been lettered both ways in different word balloons in the same Golden Age story, but I don’t know that for sure.)
The Black Knight
DC: Alias used by a Nazi villain (apparently surnamed "Von Stauffen") who fought the Unknown Soldier.
MARVEL: Many users; probably the most famous is Dane Whitman, hero.
Black Jack/Blackjack
DC: "Black Jack" was a pirate captain who fought the Golden Age Aquaman. Later, "Blackjack" was a villain who clashed with Chris King and Vicky Grant in their "Dial H for Hero" days.
MARVEL: At least four users, three of whom spell it as one word.
Black Racer
DC: Supernatural entity who skis around collecting souls of dying people.
MARVEL: Villain; member of the Serpent Society.
Black Thorn/Blackthorn
DC: "Black Thorn" is Elizabeth Thorn, a vigilante in New York City who was later recruited into the Checkmate program.
MARVEL: "Blackthorn" was Aline Pagrovna, member of Strikeforce: Morituri; dead.
Black Widow
DC: A woman named Princess Hellene, listed in online resources as "Black Widow," once fought the Golden Age Flash and then died.
MARVEL: At least three; the best-known (although not the first) is Natasha Romanoff.
The Black Witch
DC: A Fawcett villain who fought Ibis the Invincible in at least one Golden Age story.
MARVEL: Alias used by a lawyer named Feritt who fought Captain America in one Golden Age story and died at the end of it.
Blacksmith/Blaquesmith
DC: "Blacksmith" is Amunet Black, a Flash villain.
MARVEL: "Blaquesmith" was one of Cable’s mentors in the alternate future timeline where he grew up. A second character later impersonated the first "Blaquesmith."
Blackwing
DC: Charlie Bullock, rookie superhero in the Gotham City of the Pre-COIE Earth-2; a shameless imitator of the Golden Age Batman.
MARVEL: Two users; both villains.
Blade/The Blade
DC: "The Blade" was a clone-slave of a villain known as "The Master."
MARVEL: A few users of "Blade" -- the most famous is a hero named Eric Brooks; the African-American daywalker who spends most of his time killing evil vampires.
Blaze
DC: At least two users; the more famous is a demonic villainess who has given Superman some very bad times; she was eventually revealed to be "the half-demon daughter of the wizard Shazam."
MARVEL: The name has been used at least two or three times; one "Blaze" was an "imaginary villain" created by three people trying to prove they were clever enough to fool Spider-Man, but then Spidey persuaded Johnny Storm to pose as "the real Blaze" in order to turn the joke around.
Blindside
DC: Two users; one is a member of Relative Heroes.
MARVEL: At least three users, all pretty obscure. (In addition: A note at marvunapp.com suggests that this name may have been used occasionally by a New Universe character also known as "Blindspot" -- but I don’t know the details; perhaps there was a one-time typographical error which meant nothing?)
Blindspot
DC: Mercenary whose suit lets him turn invisible.
MARVEL: At least two.
Blink
DC: Temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Craig.
MARVEL: Clarice Ferguson of the Exiles.
Bliss
DC: Nicole Callahan, member of Wildstorm’s DV8.
MARVEL: At least three users; one is a 2099 character.
Blizzard
DC: Temporary villainous "Dial H for Hero" identity of Lisa Davis, but only in Pre-Crisis continuity.
MARVEL: Several, usually villains. The second, Donny Gill, has recently tried to turn over a new leaf with the Thunderbolts.
Blockbuster
DC: Mark Desmond, now dead. Then his brother Roland, a Nightwing villain for a long time, now also dead.
MARVEL: At least three. The third was one of the Marauders; he participated in the Mutant Massacre and was killed by Thor.
Bloc/Blok
DC: "Blok," member of the Pre-Zero Hour Legion of Super-Heroes.
MARVEL: "Bloc" -- a mercenary. "Blok" -- a villain working for Mister X.
Bloodhound
DC: At least two.
MARVEL: At least two.
Bloody Mary
DC: Villain; member of the Female Furies. Also: A Milestone character.
MARVEL: Two of them; one is evidently the alias of one of the personalities inside Typhoid Mary’s head.
Blowhard
DC: Codename or nickname used by a soldier who was part of the "original" Suicide Squad program of the WWII era (according to a retcon in the late 80s).
MARVEL: A mutant member of the Morlocks; dead.
Blue Streak
DC: One of the previous aliases of the speedster hero now known as "Max Mercury."
MARVEL: Four users; one is a member of the A-Next team of the MC2 timeline.
Blur/The Blur
DC: "The Blur" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Jerry Feldon.
MARVEL: At least two. "Blur" was a member of DP7 in the New Universe (until he died). "The Blur" is Stanley Stewart, African-American speedster in the world of J. Michael Straczynski’s "Supreme Power" (Stanley is basically that timeline’s local equivalent of The Whizzer from other versions of "Squadron Supreme" continuity).
Bolt
DC: Larry Bolatinsky, assassin.
MARVEL: Chris Bradley, hero; dead.
Bombshell
DC: Amy Allen, villain; recently infiltrated the Teen Titans on behalf of Deathstroke the Terminator.
MARVEL: Wendy Conrad, villain; used to be one of the Death-Throws. "Bombshell" was also the alias of a heroine in the alternate timeline of "The Last Avengers Story."
Bouncer
DC: At least four users.
MARVEL: "Bouncer" is a villain; one of the three brothers known as "the Howlers," who served as part of "Gladiators."
Bounty
DC: At least three. One was an evil entity who took control of Dawnstar in "Legion of Super-Heroes" continuity in the early 90s (this character was presumably erased from existence by the Post-Zero Hour Reboot of Legion continuity). One was a mercenary who fought Damage. The latest one was a character in the "Emperor Joker" story arc.
MARVEL: Female mercenary who dated Ben Grimm for a bit in Chris Claremont’s run on the FF.
Bounty Hunter/The Bounty Hunter
DC: At least two users; apparently both used "the" at the start.
MARVEL: At least three users; I’m not sure about the use of "the" in their cases.
Bowman/The Bowman
DC: At least three users. One is a former superhero who is the father of White Feather, the archer member of the Inferior Five. The second was a member of the Justifiers in the alternate timeline which the Extremists came from (after they had slaughtered all the other inhabitants, including Bowman). The third was a member of the Maximums in a "Superboy/Batman" story arc; he was already dead before we met him; he was basically a thinly veiled knockoff of Marvel’s Hawkeye.
MARVEL: At least two. One was apparently a reincarnation of Sir Lancelot; the other is a member of the HYDRA Super-Agents.
Brain/The Brain
DC: "The Brain" is a villain; leader of the Brotherhood of Evil.
MARVEL: Several users.
Brainstorm
DC: Several users.
MARVEL: Insane villain who was manipulated into thinking he was just venting some frustration while dreaming.
Brass
DC: A member of "Metallik," which was the group name for one of the other "Team Titans" teams from the alternate future timeline in which Lord Chaos (Donna Troy’s son) was the evil ruler of the world.
MARVEL: Three users.
Brother Power
DC: I’m told that the title character (an animated mannequin) of the old series "Brother Power, the Geek" strongly preferred to just call himself "Brother Power" and resented it when other people kept calling him "the Geek."
MARVEL: Achmed Korba, villain; fought Spider-Man in one story arc in the 70s; possibly died at the end of it.
Brute
DC: Several users; all pretty obscure, it seems.
MARVEL: Several, including an evil analog of Reed Richards from a place called "The High Evolutionary’s Counter-Earth."
Bug/Bugg
DC: One user of each version. "Bug" was a member of the Maximums in a "Superman/Batman" story arc; he was a thinly veiled Spider-Man knockoff.
MARVEL: "Bug" is a nonhuman hero who debuted as a member of the Micronauts in the Marvel comic books based on a line of action figures; however, this character was created by Marvel and they have continued to use him in new stories after their license for the Micronauts ended. (I am told that he is now referred to as one of that heroic group known as "the Microns.")
Bull’s-Eye/Bulls-Eye/Bullseye
DC: "Bull’s-Eye" was a villain who fought the Golden Age Green Arrow in the old Pre-COIE continuity.
MARVEL: "Bulls-Eye" was a Hydra assassin who had a single appearance in 1969; he killed Nick Fury (or seemed to) in "Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #15" -- and then got killed himself by the end of that story. Later, the assasin "Bullseye" became a notorious Daredevil villain.
Note on the above: Two years ago, right after I posted my Second Draft, there was some disagreement regarding just how the Hydra assassin wrote his name. ("Bull’s Eye? Bull’s-Eye? Something else?") A couple of sources have assured me he used "Bulls-Eye" as his alias throughout that story, so that’s what I’m going with until further notice. Near as I can tell, however, that issue has never been reprinted as part of any TPB, and I don’t feel like coughing up the money to buy a 40-year-old comic book just to check on some punctuation in the dialogue, so it’s awfully hard to be sure. Some online resources have that alias punctuated in other ways -- and in 2007, when I was researching the point, I found multiple instances online where people were offering copies of that Hydra assassin’s only appearance for sale on their websites with such commentary as "The First Appearance of Bullseye the Assassin!" or words to that effect. Clearly they either mistakenly believed, or else desperately hoped their unsuspecting customers would mistakenly believe, that the assasin on the cover of that comic is the same guy (in a different costume) as the "Bullseye" who has killed two of Daredevil’s old girlfriends: Elektra Natchios and Karen Page.
Bulldozer
DC: At least three. Most famously, this was the military nickname of Horace Eustace Canfield Nichols, who served with Sergeant Rock in Easy Company during WWII.
MARVEL: At least two; the more famous one is a villain, a regular member of the Wrecking Crew.
Bulletproof
DC: A Milestone character.
MARVEL: A codename used by the late Nathaniel Briggs when he was acting as a member of "Sentinel Squad O*N*E."
Burnout
DC: Robert "Bobby" Lane of Wildstorm’s original Gen13 lineup.
MARVEL: Alias for two members of the Mutant Liberation Front in succession; both dead.
Burst
DC: One of the greatest heroes of the planet Thordia.
MARVEL: Genoshan mutate who died in the service of Exodus.
Bushmaster
DC: Bernal Rojas, hero, member of the Global Guardians; dead.
MARVEL: Two brothers, both villains. John McIver (dead), followed by Quincy McIver (longtime member of the Serpent Society).
Buzz
DC: Marcus Gaius, of the old Roman Empire, eventually sold his soul and became a demon known as "Buzz" for the next couple of millennia, until Supergirl (Post-COIE Linda Danvers) started having a redeeming influence on him.
MARVEL: "The Buzz" is a teenage superhero of the MC2 timeline.
Cadaver/Kadaver
DC: "Kadaver" was a villain who fought Batman.
MARVEL: At least three characters have used "Cadaver."
Cain/Cane/Kaine
DC: "Cain" is the working name of David Cain, high-priced assassin.
MARVEL: "Kaine" is an evil Spider-Man clone. "Cane" was an assassin who once fought The Punisher -- it will probably shock you speechless to hear that Cane is no longer among the living.
Calcium
DC: One of the second (and evil) team of Metal Men. Destroyed.
MARVEL: Presumably one of the Elements of Doom.
Calculator/The Calculator
DC: "The Calculator" is Noah Kuttler, villain.
MARVEL: "Calculator" was Kwong Dae, a character in "NFL Superpro,"
Caliber
DC: Villain; member of Team Turmoil.
MARVEL: Villain who fought Alpha Flight.
Cannonball
DC: Military nickname of Horace Calhoon, who was second-in-command of Tomahawk’s Rangers during the Revolutionary War.
MARVEL: Sam Guthrie, hero.
Capricorn
DC: Villain who fought Superman and Batman in a single story in the 1970s. He died at the end of that story, but the heroes didn't realize that.
MARVEL: Several villainous Capricorns have served with some version of the "Zodiac" team at different times.
Captain Marvel
DC: Billy Batson (usually). The name was also used by Freddy Freeman as a grown man in the alternate future timeline of the "Titans Tomorrow" stories.
MARVEL: Several users; the first was Mar-Vell of the Kree (now dead), and both a son and a daughter of Mar-Vell have subsequently used the name (as have a few others).
Captain Strong
DC: Horatio Strong, a Silver Age knockoff of the "Popeye the Sailor Man" concept.
MARVEL: Not a masked crimefighter; but he was a Golden Age action hero who got exactly one appearance in "Daring Mystery Comics #3" in 1940. Hasn’t been heard from since.
Captain Tiger/Captain Tyger
DC: "Captain Tiger" was a pirate-themed villain who fought the original Teen Titans.
MARVEL: "Captain Tyger" was a French nobleman in the 17th Century who had a career as a pirate for awhile.
Cardinal
DC: One of the temporary aliases of Vicky Grant in her "Dial H for Hero" days.
MARVEL: Member of I.C.O.N., an evil conspiracy which once clashed with the Frankenstein Monster; this man apparently died in an explosion (but I gather this was never confirmed).
Carnivore
DC: Evil entity who fought the "Supergirl" who was actually a merger of "Matrix" and the Post-COIE "Linda Danvers."
MARVEL: Two users. One was Dick Chalker, villain; one is Count Andreas Zorba, of the Examplars.
Cat/The Cat
DC: "The Cat" was the first alias used by Selina Kyle (better known as Catwoman); at least in the Golden Age continuity.
MARVEL: "The Cat" was a costumed identity for Greer Grant before her physical transformation into "Tigra." "Cat" or "The Cat" have also been used by several other beings, including Shen Kuei, a martial artist whose abilities rival those of Shang-Chi.
Catalyst
DC: Villain; last seen working as an assassin for Vandal Savage.
MARVEL: Villain; used to work for HYDRA.
Catapult
DC: Member of the demon-hunting group known as the Hell-Enders.
MARVEL: Hero; member of the original "Exiles" team of the Ultraverse; died soon after he debuted.
Cathode
DC: Villainess; member of a group called "the Network" which fought Superman and Batman in "World’s Finest Comics" in the early 80s; they may not exist in Post-COIE continuity.
MARVEL: Villainess with a long-distance teleporting ray who once used it to steal the Statue of Liberty and thus ended up fighting Silver Sable, her Wild Pack, and their temporary ally Deathlok. She hasn’t been heard from since. (Except in a fanfic I keep writing.)
Catman/Cat-Man
DC: "Catman" is Tom Blake, a longtime Batman villain, supposedly trying to redeem himself nowadays. I believe that he -- or his Golden Age version, anyway -- originally used the hyphen in the middle, but he’s long since abandoned that.
MARVEL: At least two villains using the name "Cat-Man" have served with versions of the Ani-Men. They both died.
Catseye
DC: Japanese villain who fought the Suicide Squad.
MARVEL: One of Emma Frost’s Hellions; dead.
Catspaw/Cat’s Paw
DC: "Catspaw" is April Dumaka, heroine in the far future in at least two versions of "Legion of Super-Heroes" continuity.
MARVEL: "Cat’s Paw" was the alias of a foreign spy who fought the Golden Age hero known as "The Angel."
Catwoman/Cat Woman
DC: "Catwoman" is Selina Kyle, sometimes a hero, sometimes a villain.
MARVEL: "Cat Woman" was a Golden Age villain, leader of a gang of thieves, who fought Captain America and then died at the end of her first appearance.
Cauldron
DC: Two or three of them. One is an obscure Golden Age villain, possibly demonic, who fought Plastic Man a few times. The more recent user of the alias is a robot, originally designed at Project Cadmus, which was forced to fight Superman a couple of times in the 1990s. (I'm not clear on whether Superman's second fight with "Cauldron" was with the same robot after it was rebuilt, or with a new robot built from much the same design as the first.)
MARVEL: A villain.
Centurion
DC: One of the Dogs of War who fought the Doom Patrol.
MARVEL: Villain who fought Ms. Marvel. There are also suggestions that this word alone may have been used as a codename for some members of the Nova Corps, but I’m not sure of the details.
Chain Lightning
DC: Apparently this name has been used by both the Pre-COIE and Post-COIE versions of a female character with multiple personality disorder who sometimes fights Captain Marvel Jr.
MARVEL: Two users, both obscure.
Chairman
DC: The masked leader of an evil organization known as "the Council" which clashed with Supergirl -- meaning Kara Zor-El, the Pre-COIE version -- in the early 80s. I have no idea whether Chairman, and/or the Council, are still around in modern continuity.
MARVEL: There was a Chairman who was a villain in an old Hostess Twinkies ad in the comic books. (It occurs to me that I have no idea whether those old Hostess ads are presumed to be "in continuity" or not.) There was also a Chairman in the 2099 timeline; a villain who was in command of the Ratpack.
Chameleon
DC: The alias used by the Post-Zero Hour rebooted version of the "Legion of Super-Heroes" character originally known as "Chameleon Boy."
MARVEL: The first supervillain Spider-Man ever fought.
Champion
DC: There have been at least four users. First: the wizard Shazam. Second: a guy who initally posed as a superhero in the mid-80s but turned out to be a villain; ended up fighting the partnership of Green Arrow (Ollie) and Black Canary (the second one). Third: M'onel. Fourth: Herakles when he was masquerading as a run-of-the-mill modern superhero (I choose to mention Herakles to be complete; since he's a mythological figure in the public domain, I could just ignore him).
MARVEL: Another alias used by a Wolverine villain also known as "Mister X."
Changeling
DC: At least five users, beginning with a Golden Age Villain who fought the original Flash, and ending with Garfield Logan (who has since reverted back to his earlier alias of "Beast Boy").
MARVEL: The former villain who died while impersonating Professor X (at the Prof’s request).
Cheetah
DC: At least three; I think they’ve all been Wonder Woman villains.
MARVEL: Esteban Carracus, villain; dead.
Chimera
DC: Several users.
MARVEL: Several users. One was a Deviant Skrull who died in the "MARVEL: The Lost Generation" mini.
Chunk
DC: Chester P. Runk, brilliant physicist who fought Flash (Wally West) but later became one of his closest friends.
MARVEL: Villain; one of the Outriders.
Claw/Klaw
DC: Several users of "Claw."
MARVEL: "Klaw" (Ulysses Klaw) is a villain.
Cloud
DC: "The Cloud" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Mark.
MARVEL: "Cloud" was a Defender in the mid-1980s.
The Clown
DC: Lyle Corley, a Flash villain; dead.
MARVEL: One of these has served in the Ringmaster's Circus of Crime. Another was a member of the Crazy Gang in the 1980s (and maybe he still is, for all I know).
Cobalt/Kobalt
DC: "Cobalt" was a robot, a member of the third "Metal Men" team; eventually went rogue and was destroyed. "Kobalt" is a Milestone character.
MARVEL: "Cobalt" is one of the Elements of Doom
Cobra/Kobra
DC: For many years, "Kobra" was Jeffrey Franklin Burr, villain; he is now dead. Recently, his brother Jason Burr has been setting himself up as the new "Kobra."
MARVEL: Previous alias of Klaus Voorhees, a villain who later called himself "King Cobra."
Cobweb
DC: Heroine created by Alan Moore as part of his "America’s Best Comics" line; now part of the ABC imprint at DC.
MARVEL: Two users; one was an enemy of Sleepwalker.
Coil
DC: Milestone character who fought Static in the 1990s.
MARVEL: Villain; one of the Twisted Sisters in Shadow City.
The Collector
DC: Silver Age villain who fought a Batman/Hawkman teamup and hasn't been heard from since. I am told that years later, there was another villain using the same name in a Superman story in the late 70s; I gather he hasn't reappeared either!
MARVEL: One of the Elders of the Universe. I'm told there was also a human thief who used this alias when he appeared in "Wolverine/Doop #1" (which I'd never even heard of).
Comet/The Comet
DC: "Comet" was an "Earth-Born Angel of Love" in Peter David’s "Supergirl" title. I’ve also been told that the Silver Age hero previously known as "Captain Comet" later started using just plain "Comet" as an alias. And Rob Connors, "The Comet," was an Archie character who apparently will soon be integrated into the DCU if he hasn’t been already (I haven’t been paying attention).
MARVEL: "The Comet" was Harris Moore, created in the 1970s as a superhero with a retconned career from the 1950s; now dead.
Note on the above: I am aware that Peter David’s version of "Comet" was a takeoff from the Silver Age character who was called "Comet the Super-Horse." However, I am working on the theory that in the Silver Age guy’s case, his full heroic alias was "Comet the Super-Horse," so I don’t count him as being another duplication of the name "Comet."
Computo
DC: A villainous artificial intelligence who fought the Legion of Super-Heroes in their original continuity. Also: Danielle Foccart, a heroine, later swiped the name for herself (still in the original continuity before the Post-Zero Hour Reboot).
MARVEL: An artificial intelligence created by Quasimodo.
Confessor/The Confessor
DC: There was a Confessor who worked for Brother Blood in the 1980s; also, "The Confessor" has been used successively by two heroes in "Kurt Busiek's Astro City."
MARVEL: Russian mercenary who fought Maverick.
Controller
DC: Villain who fought Adrian Chase when he was The Vigilante with his own title in the mid-1980s.
MARVEL: Basil Sandhurst, villain.
Copperhead
DC: Villain; real name unknown.
MARVEL: At least three villains.
Copycat
DC: Gem Antonelli; member of Wildstorm’s DV8.
MARVEL: Vanessa Carlysle, villain, dead.
Cossack
DC: At least two. One was a Russian robot who fought the Doom Patrol. The second is an alternate alias of the first "Dark Rider" of the DCU.
MARVEL: Russian terrorist who once fought Daredevil.
Crackerjack
DC: A hero in "Kurt Busiek's Astro City."
MARVEL: A villain who appeared in the "Ghost Rider 2099" series.
Creeper/The Creeper
DC: Jack Ryder, hero, has intermittently appeared in stories as "The Creeper," going back about 40 years now. I am told that a Vertigo miniseries a few years seemed to retcon in a "previous" Creeper, a woman named Madeline Benoir, active in the 1920s. There was also a Creeper in the "DC One Million" event, living in the year 85,271.
MARVEL: "The Creeper" was an alias used by Ambassador Lissom, a funny-animal villain (I’m told -- but I haven’t seen any images) who appeared and died in a single Golden Age story. "Creeper" was the alias used by a kid living in New York City a century ago; a super-powered member of a group known as the Street Arabs. He was killed in the same "Runaways" story arc in which he debuted.
Crime-Buster/Crimebuster
DC: "Crimebuster" was a Fawcett hero in the Golden Age. I don’t know that anyone has ever revived the character (or any "successor" to the original user of the name) in anything published by DC in recent decades.
MARVEL: Three users. The first was Frank Moore, son of a hero called The Comet; Frank is now dead and at least two other guys have tried to continue the role. (As near as I can tell from Wikipedia, two of the Marvel guys have spelled the name without a hyphen.)
Crimson
DC: Jodi Slayton, heroine, daughter of Backlash. She worked with Wildstorm’s Wildcore team for awhile, and later changed her alias to "Jet."
MARVEL: Villainess; member of a quasi-vampiric group called the Ravens; died fighting X-Factor.
The Crooked Man
DC: "The Crooked Man" was J.J. Crook, a crimelord who appeared in the "Chain Gang War" series and apparently died at the end of it (but I hear the body was never found after the big explosion).
MARVEL: "The Crooked Man" was a crimelord who fought The Shroud.
Crossbones
DC: Nicholas Jones, member of Wildstorm’s Wetworks, dead.
MARVEL: Brock Lumlow, villain.
Crusader
DC: Two, both heroes. First: Don Powers, hero, apparently appeared in a single issue of "Aquaman" in the 1970s. Second: Derek Bradbourne, who appeared in one story in the early 90s and also seems to have faded into obscurity.
MARVEL: Several users.
Crusher
DC: A villain who was once defeated by Bobo Bennetti.
MARVEL: Several users.
Cyclone/Psi-Clone/Psyclone
DC: At least four users of "Cyclone." One was originally a Quality hero in the Golden Age. One was briefly a villain, fighting the JLA in a single story in the 1970s. One was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" villainous identity of Nylor Truggs -- retcon-erased by COIE. One is Maxine Hunkel, heroine; a granddaughter of Ma Hunkel, the Golden Age "Red Tornado." Also: "Psi-Clone" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" alias of Vicky Grant.
MARVEL: There have been at least three users of "Cyclone," all villains; the first is dead. There is also a "Psyclone" in the 2099 timeline.
Cypher
DC: Three users; including Cameron Begay, formerly "Cypher" of the DEO and now better known as "Omni" of the "Relative Heroes."
MARVEL: Doug Ramsey of the New Mutants, long dead.