Iron Man is a ripoff of Batman

[rodeo]

stark didn't get his money from his parents. he built his fortune with inventions. bruce wayne doesn't invent, he has people do it for him.

bruce wayne is a dark, brooding detective. tony stark is a politically minded futurist. tony stark is a leader, bruce wayne is a loner.

they're actually polar opposites beyond being rich.

[rodeo]

stan lee is a big leftie, and he wanted to create a character in the height of hippietimes who was a real corporate cold war player type. i don't think batman probably crossed his mind.

[Matt Foley]

stark didn't get his money from his parents. he built his fortune with inventions. bruce wayne doesn't invent, he has people do it for him.

According to Iron Man 2, his dad built the empire. And Batman invents all kinds of crap, are you kidding me?

bruce wayne is a dark, brooding detective. tony stark is a politically minded futurist. tony stark is a leader, bruce wayne is a loner.

they're actually polar opposites beyond being rich.

I'm sure Stan Lee was well aware of Batman when he created Iron Man.

[Starscream]

stark didn't get his money from his parents. he built his fortune with inventions. bruce wayne doesn't invent, he has people do it for him.

.

Depends on what versions of both characters you are referring to, pre-Crisis, post-Crisis, in between Crises...

Excuse my nerdiness.

[rodeo]

According to Iron Man 2, his dad built the empire.

his dad had the company and did well, but tony turned it into a 20 billion dollar corporation. he may have been born into wealth, but he turned it into absurd wealth through his ingenuity.

And Batman invents all kinds of crap, are you kidding me?

no he doesn't, he uses his company to develop his tech. he's the 'world's greatest detective,' not an inventor.

I'm sure Stan Lee was well aware of Batman when he created Iron Man.

certainly he was. but stark was created as a corporate howard hughes inventor type. bruce wayne is a tortured and dark character. he acts like the playboy to keep people off his batman trail. stark acts like a playboy because he's a horny drunk.

batman's entire motivation is his parents' death. that's why he became batman. iron man has no such motivation, he became iron man out of necessity and continued so he could make money fighting commies.

[pstall]

Robert Downey Jr doesnt have anything on Christian Bale.

get your head out of the glue bag right this second.

[pstall]

his dad had the company and did well, but tony turned it into a 20 billion dollar corporation. he may have been born into wealth, but he turned it into absurd wealth through his ingenuity.

no he doesn't, he uses his company to develop his tech. he's the 'world's greatest detective,' not an inventor.

certainly he was. but stark was created as a corporate howard hughes inventor type. bruce wayne is a tortured and dark character. he acts like the playboy to keep people off his batman trail. stark acts like a playboy because he's a horny drunk.

batman's entire motivation is his parents' death. that's why he became batman. iron man has no such motivation, he became iron man out of necessity and continued so he could make money fighting commies.

Well done and rep sir.

[Hotsauce]

How is this thread not in Nerdvana again?

[The Link]

I have had to argue with many a people about how Batman beat the holy hell outta Superman.

ANYways, Batman and Spiderman are more alike. They are both considered the perfect example of an "anti-hero". Haunted pasts from murdered family members, vigilantes, secret identities, and conflicts with moral roots make their stories closer than comparing Bruce Wayne to Tony Stark. GRANTED Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne when not in costume are almost opposites.

Huh?

[rodeo]

by the way Batman was a rip-off of The Shadow anyways.

[Mr. Scot]

Bob Kane took his fair share of character elements from "The Shadow" when he created Batman.

Edit: Rodeo beat me to it.

I wouldn't go so far as to characterize Batman or Iron Man as ripoffs. Most major comic characters share at least one or two common elements with others.

[Matt Foley]

his dad had the company and did well, but tony turned it into a 20 billion dollar corporation. he may have been born into wealth, but he turned it into absurd wealth through his ingenuity.

no he doesn't, he uses his company to develop his tech. he's the 'world's greatest detective,' not an inventor.

certainly he was. but stark was created as a corporate howard hughes inventor type. bruce wayne is a tortured and dark character. he acts like the playboy to keep people off his batman trail. stark acts like a playboy because he's a horny drunk.

batman's entire motivation is his parents' death. that's why he became batman. iron man has no such motivation, he became iron man out of necessity and continued so he could make money fighting commies.

Okay, I'll put it this way...

Crimefighting Superhero A has dead parents who provided him with wealth beyond anyone's wildest dreams. But he hasn't decided to just live off that wealth, he actually builds on it. He's a genius, and has decided to fight evil with that gift. He is a playboy. He has gadgets out the yinyang. He is misunderstood.

Crimefighting Superhero B...same thing.

It's like they took Batman and Supermanned him up a little bit. Iron Man can fly. He has a fatal weakness (kryptonite vs. that thing in his chest).

You can't tell me Stan Lee wasn't thinking "we need a Batman".

[rodeo]

Bob Kane took his fair share of character elements from "The Shadow" when he created Batman.

Edit: Rodeo beat me to it.

I wouldn't go so far as to characterize Batman or Iron Man as ripoffs. Most major comic characters share at least one or two common elements with others.

^ truth.

a lot of characters are inspired by other characters, but over the years that stops mattering because they grow into their own. for example The Sentry i think was originally inspired by Superman, and now he is a bipolar agoraphobic with his own unique everything.

the only character i would actually consider to be a true blatant rip-off is Aquaman. Marvel had Namor in the 30s and he and Captain America were there flagship characters. 2 years later DC pulled a "me too!" and debuted Aquaman. same story, powers, everything. even the same 'king of atlantis' title.

[rodeo]

Okay, I'll put it this way...

Crimefighting Superhero A has dead parents who provided him with wealth beyond anyone's wildest dreams. But he hasn't decided to just live off that wealth, he actually builds on it. He's a genius, and has decided to fight evil with that gift. He is a playboy. He has gadgets out the yinyang. He is misunderstood.

are you talking about batman, or zorro? or the scarlet pimpernell?

these things you listed are all common archetypes that apply to tons of characters. but when you look at each one in more detail you will see that they aren't similar. i mean, everyone's parents die eventually. iron man's weren't murdered, they died in a plane crash. they weren't his motivation for anything, aren't why he became iron man, and don't play much of a role in his story.

if you list a bunch of common themes like that, then you can connect any two characters. observe:

this character was imbued by a religious entity with special powers, including strength and speed. they have a unique vehicle specialized to them, and they use a weapon that they sling around like a whip. they lose their power for a period but regain them again, swearing to defend the innocent.

wonder woman or ghost rider? i don't think you could ever say one is a rip off of the other, but you can make their stories line up if you want.

you can't tell me Stan Lee wasn't thinking "we need a Batman".

i'm sure he was, but not in the case of iron man. for iron man he was thinking 'it's 1963. our readers are kids and hippies. i'm going to create a hero that is the opposite of what you would think during this era. instead of a peace loving paragon, i'm going to make an arms dealer who is a part of the military industrial complex, and make people love him."