History NonIndicativeName / Comicbooks

* The original Comicbook/SevenSoldiersOfVictory had eight members. Officially Wing didn't count because he was just the Crimson Avenger's sidekick... but Stripsey and Speedy did, even though they were sidekicks to Star-Spangled Kid and Green Arrow. The post-Crisis version replaced ComicBook/GreenArrow with Alias the Spider, who didn't have a sidekick... and added ComicBook/{{Vigilante}}'s sidekick Stuff, the Chinatown Kid.

*** We find out in ''Film/CaptainMarvel'' that the name was inspired by Carol Danvers' USAF call sign.

* ComicBook/BlackCanary dresses (partly) in black, but she doesn't exactly sing like a canary so much as [[MakeMeWannaShout screech like a banshee]]. And the ''[[LegacyCharacter original]]'' Black Canary [[BadassNormal didn't even have that power]].

* The original Human Torch from ''ComicBook/{{TheInvaders|MarvelComics}}'' was neither a human nor a torch but an android that burned on contact with air. The reason for his odd name is that at the time, "human torches" (performers who lit themselves on fire) were a well-known circus act. Since they're rarely seen today, modern readers parse the words separately and get confused.

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' was relaunched as ''Lost Light'', based on the name of the ship, for the final season...at a point in the storyline where the main characters did not have access to the ''Lost Light'', as the crew had mutinied while they were busy and left without them. It's ten issues before we see how things are even going on the ''Lost Light'', twenty before the main characters really interact with it, and the series wraps up at issue 25.

* The original ComicBook/HumanTorch was neither a human nor a torch but an android that burned on contact with air. The reason for his odd name is that at the time, "human torches" (performers who lit themselves on fire) were a well-known circus act. Since they're rarely seen today, modern readers parse the words separately and get confused.

* On a meta level, this often applies to comic titles themselves. In the 20th century, publishers frequently had good reasons to maintain the continuity of a particular title even as its contents changed. This happened a lot at DC in the Golden Age; Superman appeared in ''ComicBook/ActionComics''; Batman started in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics''. Marvel took its turn in the Silver Age, debuting a lot of classic heroes under non-indicative names: ''ComicBook/TalesToAstonish'' = Ant-Man, ''ComicBook/TalesOfSuspense'' = Iron Man, etc.

* Creator/MarvelComics' Hulkling has nothing to do with the Hulk, except that his combat form is also big and green. He's actually [[NonhumanHumanoidHybrid half-Kree and half-Skrull]] –- in fact, his father was the original ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}.

* Creator/MarvelComics' "Night Nurse" secretly treats wounded superheroes. As [[http://www.comicpow.com/2013/09/06/the-night-nurse-doctor-to-superheroes/ she reveals to us]] in ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange: The Oath'', she's actually a doctor, but "Night General Practitioner" isn't as catchy. And as seen in her apparition in ''ComicBook/MarvelDivas'', she isn't against attending at high noon, either.

** [[ComicBook/{{Warlock}} Adam Warlock]] is not a male witch either.

* On a meta level, this often applies to comic titles themselves. In the 20th century, publishers frequently had good reasons to maintain the continuity of a particular title even as its contents changed. This happened a lot at DC in the Golden Age; Superman appeared in ''ComicBook/ActionComics''; Batman started in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics''. Marvel took its turn in the Silver Age, debuting a lot of classic heroes under non-indicative names: ''ComicBook/TalesToAstonish'' = Ant-Man, ComicBook/TalesOfSuspense = Iron Man, etc.

* On a meta level, this often applies to comic titles themselves. In the 20th century, publishers frequently had good reasons to maintain the continuity of a particular title even as its contents changed. This happened a lot at DC in the Golden Age; Superman appeared in Action Comics; Batman started in Detective Comics. Marvel took its turn in the Silver Age, debuting a lot of classic heroes under non-indicative names: Tales to Astonish = Ant-Man, Tales of Suspense = Iron Man, etc.

* Maybe one day we'll find out what ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'' are supposed to be avenging. In-universe, the name was picked pretty much entirely for RuleOfCool.

** ComicBook/AdamWarlock is not a male witch either.

* ''ComicBook/AgentsOfAtlas'': There is a HumanRobot who, to all appearances, is merely a robot and in no way human. In his revived version [[spoiler: this is because the scientist who built him transferred his own life force into it. So the name is in fact accurate, but its meaning is not apparent to an outsider.]]

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

** The Infinite Monster of ''ComicBook/TheUnknownSupergirl'' storyline is really big but not infinite.

* When ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool was introduced, Marvel fans were disappointed to find out that she wasn't Gwen Stacy as Deadpool (though that was the case in [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/17/Gwen_Stacy_Deadpool_Amalgam.jpeg/191px-Gwen_Stacy_Deadpool_Amalgam.jpeg her first appearance]]) but rather a person named Gwen Poole.

* Creator/MarvelComics' Hulkling has nothing to do with the Hulk, except that his combat form is also big and green. He's actually [[NonhumanHumanoidHybrid half-Kree and half-Skrull]] –- in fact, his father was the original [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Captain Marvel]].

* ComicBook/{{Firestorm}}'s powers and origin have nothing to do with fire, weather, or firestorms, unless you count nuclear "fire". His main ability is molecular-level {{Transmutation}}.

* The original Comicbook/SevenSoldiers of Victory had eight members. Officially Wing didn't count because he was just the Crimson Avenger's sidekick... but Stripsey and Speedy did, even though they were sidekicks to Star-Spangled Kid and Green Arrow. The post-Crisis version replaced Green Arrow with Alias the Spider, who didn't have a sidekick... and added Vigilante's sidekick Stuff, the Chinatown Kid.

* Franchise/SpiderMan fought a villain called "The Living Brain". It was a robotic computer.
* The [[Franchise/{{Spiderman}} Sinister Six]] in Comicbook/TheSuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan suffers this, as there are five of them. Boomerang defends this to the other members by claiming that it will make people think there's a secret sixth member, who could be anyone. It could be Dormammu (A demon lord vastly more powerful than all of them combined)!

** Wandajin is the name for a group or cloud and rain spirits from [[Myth/AboriginalAustralianMyths Aborginal Mythology]], yet the superhero from Earth-8 with that name is white, whilst his counterpart on Earth-7 who is [[UsefulNotes/AustralianAborigines aboriginal]] is given the more generic moniker: Thunderer.

* In ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}, The Comedian, despite his name, never actually says or does anything funny. He [[NietzscheWannabe understands what a joke society is,]] and becomes a parody of it. Could be justified, as "The Parodist" isn't nearly as good of a superhero name. Granted, he originally wore a jester costume and had a smiley, happy-go-lucky attitude, but whatever.

** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the movie]], where as [[spoiler:Agent Coulson]] lies dying he says that he's okay with it, as the team would never work without something to... well, he ends there, but "avenge" is implied. Later on, Iron Man states that if they can't save the world, they ''will'' avenge it. Prior to that, "the Avengers Initiative" was just SHIELD's codename for the program.

** Ben Grimm's personality is [[NiceGuy anything but grim.]]

* Creator/MarvelComics' "Night Nurse" secretly treats wounded superheroes. As [[http://www.comicpow.com/2013/09/06/the-night-nurse-doctor-to-superheroes/ she reveals to us]] in ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange: The Oath'', she's actually a doctor, but "Night General Practitioner" isn't as catchy.
** And as seen in her apparition in ''ComicBook/MarvelDivas'', she isn't against attending at high noon, either.

* ''ComicBook/{{Warlock}}'' is not a male witch, he's a robot alien.

* ComicBook/{{Firestorm}}'s powers and origin have nothing to do with fire, weather, or firestorms, unless you count nuclear "fire". His main ability is molecular-level transmutation.