Few characters in the history of pop culture are as iconic and recognizable as Superman. Originally introduced in 1938, the DC Comics superhero has been imitated and parodied in many movies, TV shows, and other forms of media. The character has even appeared in numerous video games, though less frequent are characters based on Superman.
It’s quite easy to point to any superhero character with a cape and tighty-whities over their pants, and accuse them of being Superman rip-offs. However, these six characters from throughout video game history are very clearly inspired by the Man of Steel. From lesser-known Steam titles to iconic video game franchises, these characters wouldn’t exist if Superman hadn’t come first.
For Superman fans who want the full Man of Steel experience,Undefeatedis the perfect choice. Players control an unnamed Hero tasked with protecting a city, who is capable ofsome pretty familiar superpowers: invincibility, flight, super strength, and more. With free rein to roam the city, it’s up to the players themselves to seek out crime and save innocent people from evil.
While the Hero of this game doesn’t wear a colorful cape or a fancy outfit, he clearly draws inspiration from Superman with his functionality and superpowers. Even the gameplay is reminiscent of Superman video games, like 2006’sSuperman Returns.
Like the Hero ofUndefeated,Megaton Rainfallcenters on a character who doesn’t physically resemble Superman, butshares a lot of similar qualities. The central character, called “The Offspring,” is an alien tasked with protecting Earth from an alien invasion, which is a story reminiscent of many Superman comic books.
Players control The Offspring via a first-person perspective, with powers including super-speed, limitless flight, and invincibility. What’s even more exciting aboutMegaton Rainfallis its compatibility with virtual reality, allowing players to truly feel what it’s like to see through the eyes of Superman, albeit without the cape.
City of Heroeswas originally released in 2004 for PC, as one of many games like it during that era of online video games.The MMORPG allows players to create their own superhero, choosing their costume, superpowers, and archetypes. While players only control their own characters, they can also interact with many other heroes throughout the game’s story, including Statesman.
As the main hero of the game, Statesman has some obvious comparisons to Superman, from his blue-and-red costume to even his similar name. His powers are also near identical to those of the Man of Steel, including invincibility, super-strength, super-speed, and flight. His relationship to the game’s central hub of Paragon City is also obviously inspired by Superman’s protection of Metropolis.
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2is the fourth game inthe iconic franchise, released in 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. While the originalPlants vs. Zombieswas a 2D tower defense game,theGarden Warfaregames are third-person shooters. Players can battle opponents in multiplayer matches while choosing either the plant side or the zombie side.
One of the new characters on the zombie side is Super Brainz, whose hair and superhero costume clearly invoke the iconic design of Superman. This zombie is also capable of flight and laser-powered attacks, making him much more of a threat than other zombies in the game. Unlike Superman, Super Brainz is still vulnerable to being killed like any other character in the game.
ThePokemonfranchise has drawn upon a lot of inspirations for various characters in the series. However, Superman wasn’t an inspiration until the most recent mainline games,Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.Generation 9introduced the Water-type Finizenand its evolution, Palafin. While the two don’t look much different, Palafin’s real evolution comes with its Ability, Zero to Hero.
After being switched out during battle and then switched back in, Palafin will adopt the Hero Form, which resembles a Superman-like hero. Its Ability is therefore a reference to Clark Kent disappearing into a phone booth to re-emerge as Superman in the comics and cartoons. Its base Attack stat also greatly increases in its Hero Form, making it quite overpowered in battle.
Viewtiful Joe isone of Capcom’s most iconic characters. Originally released on the GameCube, the beat-‘em-upViewtiful Joecenters on Joe, an average movie-lover, whose girlfriend is kidnapped by a movie villain. This forces him to adopt the persona of Viewtiful Joe, a superhero with the ability to become invulnerable for short periods of time, use karate, and utilize movie tropes in his attacks.
Viewtiful Joe is not the most obvious character inspired by Superman, but the developers at Capcom revealed that they drew inspiration for the game from American comic book tropes. From the game’s art style to Joe’s superhero nature, it’s clear that comic book heroes like Superman, who have had an impact on cinema, likely served as the basis for this movie-loving hero.
