Can You Guess The Universe: Marvel or DC?

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There are a lot of comic book superheroes on television and in movies these days. Both Marvel and DC Comics have successful movie and television franchises right now leading some people to say that it's a "golden age" of comic book entertainment. What a time to be alive!

But with all of the interest in bringing comic book characters to life comes the realization that many characters across the two major publishes have similarities. Many of the characters have similar powers, or similar names or even similar backstories. It can be hard to keep track whether or not Hawkeye is an Avenger or the winged dude from Egypt with a thousand lives (that's Hawkman, a DC character, by the way.) Do you think that you can tell your X-Men from your Justice Leaguers, your Avengers from your Suicide Squad? This quiz will tell you if you're a true expert of comic book characters or not!

Question 1

Wonder Man

Son of a rich industrialist, Simon Williams quickly finds himself in financial trouble after his company's profits begin to fall due to the competition. Simon gets some bad advice and ends up incarcerated for embezzlement. Jail not being Simon's thing he ends up accepting the help of an evil villain. Simon gets superhuman powers, but instead of helping the bad guys he tries to help the side of good. In some versions, he becomes a famous actor. Is Wonder Man Marvel or DC?

Question 2

Sandman

William Baker loved to make sand sculptures as a child so it comes as no surprise that when he develops his superpowers they are sand-related. Young William Baker ended up a criminal who ultimately goes by the alias Flint Marko to spare his mother from finding out about his wicked ways. Marko escapes prison only to come into contact with radioactive sand that bonds to his body and gives him a number of powers, including shape shifting as the villain Sandman. Is he Marvel or DC?

Question 3

Brainiac

This supervillain is most commonly depicted as an extraterrestrial android in human form and his actual origin story has changed a lot over the years. The things that have remained the same is that Brainiac is extremely intelligent and has a "12th-level intellect," which is double what the entirety of the human race has put together. Brainiac's advanced mental capacity allows him to posses people by transferring his consciousness, manipulate computer systems and even the control of space and time. He is one bad dude, but is he Marvel or DC?

Question 4

Batwing

An enduring case for why you should always carry a water bottle, little Jimmy Santini ended up lost in a cave following the death of his father. While in the cave he drank some badly polluted water that tasted weird. He was eventually rescued, but soon after little Jimmy grew wings, was called a demon by his mother, and turned into a bat-like mutant. Things eventually get better for Jimmy, now called Batwing. He eventually reunites with his mom. Is this bat Marvel or DC?

Question 5

Red Tornado

Like many characters, Red Tornado's story has changed over the years. It's natural given the length of time both DC and Marvel have been in publication. John Smith, better known as Red Tornado is from another planet and has a host of powers, including superhuman strength, durability and intellect, air and wind manipulation, computer hacking skills, and can change from android to human form at will--depending on the history you choose. In 2011 Red Tornado was removed from canon in a reboot event. Is he Marvel or DC?

Question 6

Flamebird

Flamebird is a code name that has been used by six different characters, first appearing in 1963. Most people are familiar with Bette Kane's Flamebird. Bette doesn't have any supernatural or fantastic powers. She's just a very skilled hand-to-hand combatant and makes good use of technology in her mask and equipment. She's also a gifted athlete and has been a professional tennis player, giving her an advantage of agility and endurance. She's also always prepared and carries an emergency medical kit in her utility belt. Bad guys, beware. Marvel or DC?

Question 7

Blackwing

Color-themed code names seem to run in Joseph Manfredi's family. His father was the crime lord, Silvermane, and he himself went by the name Blackwing. As Blackwing he was an expert bat trainer with specially mutated bats, a skilled marksman, and he wore a special costume that stretched over chain mail armor. The best part of the costume? It let Blackwing fly for short distances. Of course, Joseph has ditched the name in favor of going into the family crime business. Marvel or DC?

Question 8

Metallo

Metallo, real name John Corben, isn't exactly someone you'd want to encounter. He's a bad guy with military ties, super strength, durability and longevity and he doesn't feel pain. And don't forget that he can blast energy from his chest thanks to his crazy weird suit of armor and a very special power source. In fact that special power source is a heart made from a rare rock. Without the heart, he can't function his fancy power laser. Or the rest of his cybernetic body. He's kind of a scary dude, but is he Marvel or DC?

Question 9

Plastic Man

Patrick O'Brian, best known as Plastic Man, may not be a popular character with readers but he has long been a favorite of creators and writers. He's immortal, invulnerable, immune to telepathy, can shape-shift, has a regenerative healing factor, and is super stretchy. He's a lot of fun at parties and despite having had a really rough childhood he is a man of faith that other heroes know will always have their back, all of them. He can stretch like that.

Question 10

Power Woman

Power Woman doesn't call herself that these days, but she still has superhuman strength and endurance and she can fly. With a tragic past (her parents died in the accident that gave her her powers) and a number of aliases, Power Woman has a heart for helping others through her own investigation agency. She also has a rich story to tell, which might just be why she also has her own Netflix series. Is Power Woman (aka Jewel, aka Knightress) Marvel or DC?

Question 11

Agent Orange

Billions of years old and having spent his early life stolen from his family and terribly mistreated as a slave, Agent Orange eventually became so fixated on belongings that he began to steal. He built himself a guild of thieves and eventually ended up with a treasure map. That map lead Agent Orange to the light of avarice. This greedy character actually once had a Christmas special where he puts on his Christmas list (after trying to take out Santa) that all he wants is his family. Marvel or DC?

Question 12

Quasar

It's a running theme in comics that one code name may have been used by many characters. The most well-known Quasar is Wendell Vaughn. He has also gone by Marvel Boy or Marvel Man and his powers include energy manipulation, teleportation, flight and solid light constructs, powers that he gets from Quantum Bands that are fused to his wrists. Consider them permanent fashion choices and really good ones: they can make Wendell appear to be invisible by bending light. Marvel or DC?

Question 13

Apokolips

His character is less a character and more a location. Apokolips is a planet in its universe and while it is a large planet it has one city that makes up the entire world (complete with burning fire pits!) It is part of the Fourth World and is the home of several races, including New Gods. Apokolips is not a happy place as it is ruled by a really unpleasant being, but the ruler doesn't matter. The planet itself is just evil. Marvel or DC?

Question 14

Falcon

Falcon, real name Sam Wilson, was the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics. He uses mechanical wings to fly and somehow those wings give him limited telepathic and empathic control over birds, too, though his abilities with the birds may come from a lifelong love of the creatures dating back to his childhood as a preacher's kid. Sam briefly takes on a much more iconic mantle in comics, proving him not only to be a true bird man but a patriot as well. Marvel or DC?

Question 15

Nightshade

Nightshade has had a few variations of her name over the years. She, at various points in history, has been Dr. Nightshade or Deadly Nightshade. What hasn't changed is that Tilda Johnson is a true mad scientist, having used her natural skill for science to start a career as a criminal scientist while she was still a teenager. Fortunately as she matured she reformed and became heroic (at least for a little while), defending Chicago from a group of extremists. Marvel or DC?

Question 16

Phantom Stranger

No one knows who the Phantom Stranger is. His name, origin, true nature, literally nothing about him has ever been revealed in comics. There are a lot of theories, though. Some say he's from Biblical times and was spared God's wrath by an angel. Some say he's a variation on the Wandering Jew story while others simply think he's caught in a time loop. No matter his origin, though, he's got some serious magic skills and can control reality so it's best to stay on his good side. Marvel or DC?

Question 17

Red Hood

Another character whose code name has been worn by more than a few people, the most well-known Red Hood was literally brought back from the dead. However, the process of returning to life took him from being a good guy sidekick to being a violent vigilante. He's not exactly a villain because his goals are good, but his violent tendencies make him a definite antihero with a vendetta against the hero who was once his mentor as well as those in said hero's orbit. Red Hood also uses a calling card that reads "let the punishment fit the crime." Marvel or DC?

Question 18

Silver Sable

Mercenary, hunter of war criminals and a totally boss babe (she's a CEO!), Silver Sable doesn't always get along with the rest of the superhero community, but she doesn't let that get to her. Silver Sable, who is from Symkaria, does kind of what she wants, including remaining friendly with the ruler of a neighboring nation that the rest of the world sees as a threat. She also has her own team of mercenaries known as Wild Pack. Marvel or DC?

Question 19

Atom

He can shrink to subatomic sizes and keeps his normal-sized strength when he does so! The hero known as Atom uses his ability to shrink down in size to not only be a hero, but to do some seriously fun things. In comics one of his favorite ways to travel is to call someone on the phone and then, when the phone is answered on the other end, emerge through the phone. How does he do it? He's small enough to carry along the phone lines like sound. No word on whether or not this works with cell phones, though. Marvel or DC?

Question 20

Bumblebee

The first African American female superhero for her publication universe, Karen Beecher is the heroine Bumblee. She has the ability to shrink down to insect size and with her solar powered suit she can fly with little wings and uses electrical "stings." She technically retired from heroics when she got married, but she's been called back into services a few times when her hero friends need her. Her day job is designing non-lethal weaponry for a lab. Marvel or DC?

Question 21

White King

White King is less a specific person and more a specific role within the larger Checkmate organization. Checkmate is a fictional covert operations agency that, at one point, ended up re-chartered as a United Nations Security Council-affiliated agency. There are two teams, the Black team (which is operations,) and the White team (which is intelligence). They're kind of like a superhero CIA, just with much cooler titles and some seriously questionable members of their roster (from time to time). Marvel or DC?

Question 22

Captain Marvel

The most popular comic book character of the 1940s, even more popular than Superman himself, Captain Marvel was also the very first comic book superhero to be adapted into film. Unfortunately, Captain Marvel is a very popular character name across both Marvel and DC so this character has had a name change in recent years to alleviate some of the confusion. Goofy, fun and with a sense of humor to go along with the superhuman strength, speed, durability, flight and extensive knowledge of the gods, this Captain Marvel is slated for his own film in 2019. Marvel or DC?

Question 23

Ultragirl

Suzy Sherman is an aspiring model when suddenly she starts growing rapidly and ends up with a bodybuilder's physique and superpowers. Turns out that Suzy is actually a mutant warrior. Nicknamed Ultragirl, she joins a heroic team. Ultragirl isn't a hugely well-known character, something that even the comics hint at. In one of her last appearances she applies to be a nanny for a heroic couple, but they have no idea who she is. Suzy leaves, but hopefully we will see her again. Marvel or DC?

Question 24

Night Thrasher

After witnessing his wealthy parents be murdered in front of him, young Dwayne Taylor turned himself into a human fighting machine in order to get revenge. However, revenge turned to a desire to bring the pain to all who do evil. Later on, however, Dwayne would discover that his parents' deaths were carried out by his guardian. As a hero, Dwayne goes by the name Night Thrasher and created his own group of heroes, the New Warriors. Is Night Thrasher Marvel or DC?

Question 25

Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing is literally a swamp monster whose main aim is to protect the swamp as well as the environment and humanity from threats. Depending on which origin you choose, Swamp Thing is either a man who was transformed into a swamp monster after a lab explosion or the plant who thought it was a man. No matter which origin you prefer, the character got a bit of a reboot in the 2011 reset of its comic book universe, this time as a man who remembers his time as a plant and is bound to help protect the environment, referred to as The Green. Might be a good idea to not litter around this guy. Marvel or DC?

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