| 1 | [[quoteright:300:[[Manga/{{Yotsuba}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Boxer_Man.jpg]]]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:300:Which is the top and which is the bottom? You'll never know!]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"Particle Man, Particle Man\ |
| 5 | Doin' the things a particle can\ |
| 6 | What's he like? It's not important\ |
| 7 | Particle Man"'' |
| 8 | -->-- '''Music/TheyMightBeGiants''', "Particle Man" |
| 9 | |
| 10 | A quick-n-dirty way to make a superhero/supervillain name: call them "(Something)man". Alternatively, "(Something) Man" or "(Something)-Man". "Woman" or "girl" (or, very occasionally, "lass") can be substituted for "man", especially where a DistaffCounterpart of the "man" is needed; "boy", "lad" or "kid" can also replace "man". For variety, there are also a large number of "Captain (Something)"s, though those names are often [[CaptainObvious sarcastic]]. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Common themes include using animals, weapons, items or elements. Expect a lot of ThemeNaming if the heroes are in a team. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | The ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes even [[JustifiedTrope justified this trope]] by noting how difficult it can be to give everyone in its ranks a unique codename. Summed it neatly as ''"Adjective-Gender"''. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | In contrast is the [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] practice of giving heroes and villains [[DarkAgeOfSupernames gritty one-word names.]] |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Compare CaptainSuperhero (perhaps the second most common superhero naming trope), LukeNounverber (this trope's counterpart in SpeculativeFiction), TheAdjectivalSuperhero, MisterDescriptor, TheAdjectivalMan, SpeciesSurname, SugarWiki/TVTropesSuperheroTeam (a JustForFun page imagining any trope with a "something person" form was a superhero). Often, an AnimalThemedSuperbeing might use this sort of naming scheme. |
| 19 | ---- |
| 20 | !!Examples: |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 23 | |
| 24 | [[folder:Adjectives]] |
| 25 | * Film/{{Blankman}} of the GadgeteerGenius variety, named so because he couldn't say a word (i.e. was blank) when asked for his name. |
| 26 | * VideoGame/{{Bravoman}}. His name is [[SpellMyNameWithAnS also read as]] "Beraboh Man"; "beraboh" is Japanese for "ridiculous." |
| 27 | * ComicBook/CosmicBoy |
| 28 | * Film/{{Darkman}}. |
| 29 | * ComicBook/ElongatedMan, although lacking a SecretIdentity, he was often just called Ralph. |
| 30 | ** Who was created as a [[CaptainErsatz copyright workaround]] for the hero DC ''really'' wanted to use, ComicBook/PlasticMan. Interestingly, DC had recently acquired Plastic Man, but Elongated Man's creator didn't know it. |
| 31 | * Elasti-Girl and Negative Man of the ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol''. Subverted in that they HATED the "freak names" given to them, mostly it seems by the media. |
| 32 | ** Negative Woman as well. |
| 33 | * [[WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}} Expendable Lad]] |
| 34 | ** And from the same show, the Huntsman. |
| 35 | * "The Fat Man" from ''Film/CarryOnSpying''. |
| 36 | * Giant Man (Hank Pym; see below for more of his names) |
| 37 | * ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers: |
| 38 | ** Original team member ''Flatman'' |
| 39 | ** In the team's 2016 run also ''Good Boy'', she is a girl (but she turns into a werewolf... from that the dog associations aren't far away). |
| 40 | * The Impossible Man ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' fame. |
| 41 | * Invisible Woman (formerly Invisible Girl), of the ComicBook/FantasticFour. |
| 42 | ** Also Invisible Boy, of the Mystery Men |
| 43 | * Magic Man from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. |
| 44 | * Maxi-Man, a theme-park mascot "hero", appearing in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2006''. |
| 45 | * Franchise/MegaMan |
| 46 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'': Metro Man. |
| 47 | * Parodied in ''Film/TheSpecials'' with Minute (pronounced my-noot) man, whose name is often understandably mispronounced by people. |
| 48 | --> '''College girl''': Hey, are you Minuteman? Can we have your autograph?\ |
| 49 | '''Minute Man''': My-noot Man! Do I look like a soldier from the Revolutionary War? I don't think so! Am I wearing a three-cornered hat? No! I turn small. Think!\ |
| 50 | '''College girl''': That costume makes you look gay. |
| 51 | * ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Stupendous Man. |
| 52 | --> S for Stupendous! |
| 53 | --> T for Tiger, ferocity of! |
| 54 | --> U for Underwear, red! |
| 55 | --> P for Power, incredible! |
| 56 | --> E for Excellent physique! |
| 57 | --> N for ...um... something ...hmm, well I'll come back to that... |
| 58 | --> D for Determination! |
| 59 | --> U for ...for... wait, how do you spell this? Is it I? |
| 60 | * ComicBook/{{normalman}}, the only person on the planet Levram ''without'' superpowers (due to not actually being a native). |
| 61 | * The titular character of ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan,'' although that's simply what the series names him, not how he's referred to in-universe. |
| 62 | * ComicBook/PhantomLady |
| 63 | * Radioactive Man, a nuclear-powered Chinese physicist. |
| 64 | * ComicBook/{{Superman}}, the original. |
| 65 | ** ComicBook/{{Superboy}} |
| 66 | ** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} |
| 67 | ** A "Superwoman" occasionally shows up, mostly so Time Warner can secure the trademark. |
| 68 | ** Superbaby. Seriously. |
| 69 | ** While not people, The Super-person pattern continued beyond the human race into The Legion of Super-pets: |
| 70 | *** ComicBook/KryptoTheSuperdog |
| 71 | *** [[ComicBook/SupergirlsSuperPet Streaky the Supercat]] |
| 72 | *** [[ComicBook/TheSuperSteedOfSteel Comet the Superhorse]] |
| 73 | *** Beppo the Supermonkey |
| 74 | *** Superturtle, who was not technically a member of the Legion of Super-pets but was a one-page backup feature in a number of comics and is part of the Superman Family. |
| 75 | * In ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', the main group of heroes is often called the Supermen. |
| 76 | * Strong Badman of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' originated when someone asked why Strong Bad didn't have a name like this. |
| 77 | * {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Strong Guy, from Marvel Comics. "Every team needs a strong guy!" |
| 78 | * The Tall Man |
| 79 | ** No connection to [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos another tall man.]] Or to [[Film/{{Phantasm}} another one.]] |
| 80 | * Ultra-Girl |
| 81 | * Series/{{Ultraman}}. |
| 82 | ** And his ripoff from the mainland, [[Film/TheSuperInframan Inframan]]. |
| 83 | ** Ultraman is also a villainous version of Franchise/{{Superman}} from either Earth-3 or the Anti-matter Universe. |
| 84 | * Formerly known as The Ultimatum, the title character of the political satire [[http://www.unemployedman.com/characters.html The Adventures of Unemployed Man]] ended up with a new name after he lost his job and mansion in the Crash of 2008. |
| 85 | * ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': There's Golden Girl, Magni-Girl, Magno-man, and Mechano-Man. |
| 86 | * Wild Child |
| 87 | * ''WesternAnimation/LetsGoLuna'': Amazing Man, from the episode "Amazing Man", follows this naming convention. |
| 88 | [[/folder]] |
| 89 | |
| 90 | [[folder:Animals]] |
| 91 | * Alligator Man, Calvin's nickname for [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Killer Croc]] in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries''. |
| 92 | * ComicBook/AnimalMan. |
| 93 | * ComicBook/AntMan (Hank Pym again) |
| 94 | * Ant Woman, an ally of TroperWorks/TheEasyBreather. |
| 95 | * Franchise/{{Batman}} |
| 96 | ** ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} |
| 97 | ** ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} |
| 98 | *** Catman, an early Batman villain. |
| 99 | ** ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} |
| 100 | ** Bat-mite (arguably not a person, as he's a 5th-dimensional imp who's also Batman's biggest fan) |
| 101 | ** There was also a Bat-hound (Definitely not a person, but part of the family) |
| 102 | * Beast Boy of the ComicBook/TeenTitans. |
| 103 | * Bee Man from Dr. [=McNinja=] |
| 104 | * ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} |
| 105 | ** Hawkgirl / Hawkwoman |
| 106 | * ComicBook/SpiderMan |
| 107 | ** ComicBook/SpiderWoman, the name of three characters who aren't actually related to Spidey. |
| 108 | ** ComicBook/SpiderGirl, his AlternateContinuity daughter. |
| 109 | ** Wrestling/{{WCW}}'s infamous Spider-Man [[CaptainErsatz knockoff]], Arachniman. |
| 110 | ** Spider-Man, according to industry legend, went from 'Insect-Man' to 'Mosquito-Man' to 'Spider-Man'. Spider-Man was just the version that stuck. |
| 111 | ** [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie "Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig,]] [[LampshadeHanging does whatever a Spider-Pig does."]] |
| 112 | ** Not to mention Peter Porker, the Spectacular ComicBook/SpiderHam, the Spider-Man analog from a world of FunnyAnimals. |
| 113 | * ComicBook/SquirrelGirl, who as you can probably guess is [[FunPersonified not intended to be entirely serious]]. |
| 114 | * ComicBook/TheAstoundingWolfMan |
| 115 | * [[ComicBook/AgentsOfAtlas Gorilla Man]] |
| 116 | ** and Gorilla Girl. |
| 117 | * [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Mothman]] |
| 118 | ** Not to be confused with the possibly-real alien Mothman. |
| 119 | * Frog-man. |
| 120 | * [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Snake Man, Toad Man, Centaur Man, Tengu Man, Hornet Man and Sheep Man]]. |
| 121 | ** Along with every other animal or "actiony" word you could '''''possible think of''''', plus ''man.'' [[OverlyLongGag Seriously.]] |
| 122 | * ''Film/ThePumaman'' (he flies like a moron!) |
| 123 | * ''Anime/OnePiece'' has Panda-man |
| 124 | * Dragon Kid from ''Anime/TigerAndBunny''. |
| 125 | * Cat-Dude from the ''Morrowind'' walkthrough at Website/ItHeSoftware. |
| 126 | * Defied in the ''Podcast/RedPandaAdventures''. Kit Baxter was perfectly fine with the idea of being "Panda Girl", but the Red Panda himself didn't want Kit's hero identity to simply be an extension of his own. She ultimately avoided this trope and became known as the Flying Squirrel instead. |
| 127 | * In ''VideoGame/MolesWorld'', Molele's superhero alter ego is named Mole Man. Makes sense, since the series takes place in a [[WorldOfFunnyAnimals world of anthropomorphic moles]]. |
| 128 | * While the [[VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet Pokémon]] 'Palafin' doesn't adhere to this trope in its English language translation, its original Japanese name 'Irukaman' does; 'iruka' being the Japanese word for 'dolphin'. This also applies to its Korean and Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese) language names, as well. |
| 129 | [[/folder]] |
| 130 | |
| 131 | [[folder:Elements]] |
| 132 | * Element Lad of the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes |
| 133 | * ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}} ("the Element Man"), a silver age hero... sort of. Rex Mason really didn't want to be a superhero at all, he just wanted to return to normal. And his boss was a low-rent Luthor wannabe named Simon Stagg, who often blackmailed or otherwise coerced Rex into doing some pretty shady stuff. |
| 134 | ** There was also Element Girl, Metamorpho's DistaffCounterpart, who later turned up, suicidally depressed, in ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989''. |
| 135 | * ComicBook/IronMan |
| 136 | ** ...and his foes Titanium Man (2 incarnations) and Cobalt Man. |
| 137 | ** And Iron Lad of the Young Avengers |
| 138 | ** Also Iron Woman, an alternate reality version of the character. |
| 139 | ** DC went to Latin(ish) and called their version Ferro Lad, though his power was that he could turn himself ''into'' iron. |
| 140 | * Kryptonite Man, the shared name of multiple Superman villains. |
| 141 | * The ComicBook/MetalMen, with individual elements as members; Gold, Iron, Tin, Lead, Mercury, and token female Platinum (although these days, she's joined by Copper). |
| 142 | ** Music/TheBreeders song "Metal Man", the lyrics an odd hybrid of SuperHeroOrigin and AlienAbduction. Unusually subdued for the Deal sisters, though before it's over they shoehorn an EpicRiff in the mélange. |
| 143 | And [[TransformationTrauma it began to bubble]] |
| 144 | * The Tin Man from ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' kinda sorta qualifies, maybe. Except he's not a superhero. (Except in that one scene in the book where he single-handedly decapitates an entire onrushing pack of wolves.) Moreover, in the actual book, he's really known as "The Tin Woodman"[[note]]Since he was a woodcutter when he was still human (or munchkin; it's not clear).[[/note]]. |
| 145 | [[/folder]] |
| 146 | |
| 147 | [[folder:Minerals and Compounds]] |
| 148 | * ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} and his side-kick [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Aqualad]] |
| 149 | ** Aquagirl |
| 150 | ** Aquaman's wife Mera goes by Aquawoman in the ComicBook/New52. |
| 151 | * Asbestos Woman, a [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Marvel villain. |
| 152 | * Hydro-Man, a Spider-Man foe. |
| 153 | * Iceman of the ComicBook/XMen |
| 154 | * Sandman, another Spider-Man foe. |
| 155 | * Creator/DCComics' [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] and [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Sandmen. (The title character of ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' is a) not a superhero and b) [[IAmNotShazam not called Sandman]].) |
| 156 | ** Would a Sandman from ''Literature/LogansRun'' qualify? |
| 157 | * Molecule Man, an unambitious average joe who could rend the universe asunder with a thought. |
| 158 | * ComicBook/PlasticMan |
| 159 | * [[ComicBook/AstroCity Steeljack's]] codename can be somewhat confusing, considering his given name is Carl. When you know that it's short for "The Steel-jacketed Man!" it makes a lot more sense. |
| 160 | * '''[[IncomingHam Lactose Man]]''' from ''Series/GoodEats'', who mostly exists for giving people who consume dairy products a punch in the gut. |
| 161 | [[/folder]] |
| 162 | |
| 163 | [[folder:Sounds]] |
| 164 | * [[Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman Gatchaman]], with ''gatcha'' being the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of metal striking. |
| 165 | * Some Franchise/{{Digimon}} names, like Garurumon, with ''garuru'' being a Japanese onomatopoeia for "growling". |
| 166 | [[/folder]] |
| 167 | |
| 168 | [[folder:Other Nouns]] |
| 169 | * Torpedo Girl from ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo''. |
| 170 | * ''VideoGame/TheBriefAndMeaninglessAdventureOfHeroMan'': Hero Man is the hero of the game, but if he obtains ending 11 by reaching level 12 or higher, he renames himself Demon Lord Man. |
| 171 | * Robot Man, AKA Cliff Steel of the ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol''. Subverted in that he hated the name. |
| 172 | * Rockman, the original name of Franchise/MegaMan. (As in Rock music.) Other characters (many of whose names were changed) went along with the ThemeNaming to music. |
| 173 | * Marvel Girl of the ComicBook/XMen. |
| 174 | ** And Marvel Boy of the New Warriors. |
| 175 | ** And a [[LegacyCharacter string]] of Captain Marvels, and ComicBook/MsMarvel. |
| 176 | *** This is particularly hilarious, as Captain Marvel was the name of one of ''DC'' Comics's flagship heroes long before Marvel made it big. Marvel managed to secure the rights to the name and the DC comic is now sold under the name "ComicBook/{{Shazam}}"...but the character is still called Captain Marvel. (Whereas in Marvel's universe there are about four Captain Marvels.) |
| 177 | *** The original Captain Marvel was a ''Fawcett'' character. Most people have never heard of Fawcett, because DC sued them into oblivion and ended up with the rights to the character, supposedly because the Big Red Cheese was too similar to Superman. |
| 178 | *** One of the Marvel universe Captain Marvels stars in "ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}: Agents of H.A.T.E." along with a "hero" named The Captain, who is implied to be ''every'' fourth-string hero named "Captain Something" in Marvel's history. Apparently, being from Brooklyn, he originally used the name "Captain ***", until he introduced himself to Captain America and wound up stuffed into a dumpster with a bar of soap in his mouth. |
| 179 | * There is a ComicBook/PowerGirl in DC and a Power Man (although he usually just goes by ComicBook/LukeCage) in Marvel. There was even a What The...!? one-panel gag about "What if Wonder Man was a woman and Power Man was a girl...?" |
| 180 | ** Marvel also has two other Power Men (one an obscure character from MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, the other a LegacyCharacter to Luke). |
| 181 | ** Cage suggested to his wife Jessica Jones that she go by "Power Woman" in a conversation that was an obvious play on TheMaidenNameDebate. |
| 182 | * DC's Amazon princess, ComicBook/WonderWoman, and Marvel's completely unrelated character, ComicBook/WonderMan. |
| 183 | * ComicBook/WonderGirl |
| 184 | * DFE's ''WesternAnimation/TheSuper6'' had three: Elevator Man, Granite Man and Magneto Man. |
| 185 | * All of the members of Terrytoons' ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyHeroes'': Strong Man, Cuckoo Man, Diaper Man, Rope Man and Tornado Man. |
| 186 | * Particle Man, Triangle Man, Universe Man and [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Person Man]] from the song "Particle Man" by Music/TheyMightBeGiants. |
| 187 | * British comics and cartoon character ComicStrip/{{Bananaman}}. (And his EvilCounterpart Appleman.) |
| 188 | * Creator/HannaBarbera has Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: |
| 189 | ** Vapor Man |
| 190 | ** Meteor Man |
| 191 | ** Gravity Girl |
| 192 | * ...and the Impossibles |
| 193 | ** Multi-Man |
| 194 | ** Fluid-Man |
| 195 | ** Coil-Man |
| 196 | * ... and most of [[WesternAnimation/TheSuperGlobetrotters the Super-Globetrotters]] |
| 197 | ** Multi-Man (again) |
| 198 | ** Liquid Man |
| 199 | ** Spaghetti Man |
| 200 | ** Gizmo Man |
| 201 | * ...and the prehistoric SideKick: |
| 202 | ** Dino-Boy |
| 203 | * The ComicBook/{{Starman}} dynasty, which also includes Starboy of the LoSH, Stargirl (formerly the Star-Spangled Kid) and at least two future Starwomen. How they're related to a star's properties varies. Most of the current Starmen and Stargirl wield "cosmic energy", while Starboy can alter gravity. |
| 204 | * RealLife: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_man Tank Man]]. |
| 205 | * Maid-Man from ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'' |
| 206 | * Dead Girl |
| 207 | * Multiple Man (Madrox) |
| 208 | * Thor Girl |
| 209 | * Ringo Kid (no relation to any Beatles) |
| 210 | * Outlaw Kid |
| 211 | * Two Gun Kid |
| 212 | * Guardsman |
| 213 | * Shiver Man |
| 214 | * ComicBook/MachineTeen |
| 215 | * Solarman |
| 216 | * Swordsman |
| 217 | * Ghost Girl |
| 218 | * Demolition Man |
| 219 | * [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Dinobot]] counts, right? Shapeshifting alien robots are people too! |
| 220 | * ''WesternAnimation/ActionLeagueNOW'': Thunder Girl. |
| 221 | * Spider-Plant Man (A parody of Spider-Man by Rowan Atkinson) |
| 222 | * Liberty Lad from ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' |
| 223 | * Man-Bot, also from ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' |
| 224 | * Might Guy from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. Of course, "Guy" is part of his name, so this probably doesn't count. |
| 225 | * ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} once had a short lived sidekick. His name? You guessed it: Pool-Boy. |
| 226 | * Marvel villain Purple Man. |
| 227 | * [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Combustion Man]] |
| 228 | * [[Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest Blood Boy]] |
| 229 | * Manga/{{Devilman}} |
| 230 | * [[Webcomic/QuestionableContent Pizza Girl]] |
| 231 | * [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Mermaidman and Barnacle-Boy]] |
| 232 | * Konami Man and Konami Girl from ''VideoGame/WaiWaiWorld''. |
| 233 | * The generic character's name in ''VideoGame/TempleRun'' is "Guy Dangerous". |
| 234 | * Plant Lady, Corncob Man, and Question Mark Man/Puzzlement Dude, Calvin's nicknames for [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, and The Riddler]] in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries''. |
| 235 | * Series/TheMiddleman |
| 236 | * VideoGame/{{Boogerman}} |
| 237 | * Matter-Eater Lad from the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes. |
| 238 | * Calendar Man from ComicBook/{{Batman}}. |
| 239 | * Negative Man from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. |
| 240 | * Ragman of ''ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}'' and various Bat-books (he's based out of Gotham). |
| 241 | * Crazy Box-Head Man from ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}''. |
| 242 | * Dad Man from a number of shows actually. |
| 243 | * ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' has enemies named "Bombman" "Tuesday" "Friday" "Monday" and so forth. A lot of them aren't so unbearably dull but still. |
| 244 | * Lever Man from ''Series/GoodEats'', who tended to arrive whenever someone mentioned needing "leverage". Notably, he has pretty much the same costume as Lactose Man above (complete with [[BroughtToYouByTheLetterS the letter L]]), the one difference being that he never wears boxing gloves. |
| 245 | * "Weatherman", which is a Music/DeadSara song about members of the Weather Underground. |
| 246 | * Technically, all the X-Men, by their team name... |
| 247 | * WesternAnimation/TurboTeen (animated series from the 1980s by Creator/RubySpears) |
| 248 | * [[ComicBook/AstroCity Assemblyman]], a name used by two different characters. The first Assemblyman was a criminal robot builder. The second Assemblyman is a hero, described as a "mechano-kinetic", capable of telekinetically assembling complex machines in seconds, or disassembling opponents machines. |
| 249 | * VideoGame/SonicBlastMan |
| 250 | * Fartman from ''Radio/TheHowardSternShow''. |
| 251 | * [[OnlyInFlorida Florida Man]] and Florida Woman spoofs this naming convention with all the weird antics that come from Florida and the fact that news article headlines begin with "Florida Man/Woman". A Twitter and later Reddit thread devoted to collecting these stories calls Florida Man "the world's worst superhero". |
| 252 | * Choda Boy from ''Film/{{Orgazmo}}'' counts, as the word 'choda' is slang for the perineum. |
| 253 | * ''Animation/YoyoMan'', from the Taiwanese cartoon of the same name. While he does indeed use a KillerYoyo, he also has that name because his series aired on a channel called EBC Yoyo. |
| 254 | [[/folder]] |
| 255 | |
| 256 | [[folder:Other/Redundant]] |
| 257 | * [[Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]]. Probably the most unimaginative name ever. |
| 258 | * [[http://2ndleaguecomic.livejournal.com She-Man]] |
| 259 | * He-Mom, the no-nonsense mom of the superhero team ''WesternAnimation/TheRippingFriends''. And yes, it ''is'' worse than it sounds. |
| 260 | ** And another parody from the same show, Man Man and his sidekick Boy Boy showed up for one episode. |
| 261 | * Powdered Toast Man, a parody courtesy of the creators of ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow.'' |
| 262 | * Male Man from the webcomic ''Webcomic/IWasKidnappedByLesbianPiratesFromOuterSpace''. |
| 263 | * Ro-Man from the SoBadItsGood movie ''Film/RobotMonster''. As ridiculous as the name. |
| 264 | * The above-mentioned Person Man. |
| 265 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' features Strong Sad's fictional superhero persona: Twelve-Times-A-Day Man! |
| 266 | * ''[[http://www.man-man.org Man-Man]]'', though he did get his "powers" from the bite of a radioactive man. |
| 267 | * There was also a Man-Man (pronounced Mon-Mon) in ''ComicBook/{{normalman}}''. With the power of Ganja Breath. |
| 268 | * ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', in a sketch where Joel and the Bots were making up their own superhero names, also used Man-Man, describing him as "the man with the proportionate strength of...a man!" |
| 269 | * Old Man-Man from Webcomic/DresdenCodak. |
| 270 | * ComicBook/MachineMan, best known now from his time with ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}. |
| 271 | * U-Go Girl (No, really) |
| 272 | * [[WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum Fan Boy]] (Again, really) |
| 273 | * Rocket Man, maybe? |
| 274 | * ''WesternAnimation/ActionLeagueNOW'': Melt Man, with the power to... '''melt!''' |
| 275 | * In a backwards example, Marvel's ''ComicBook/ManThing'' (which is a big humanoid plant). |
| 276 | * ''VideoGame/SplosionMan'' |
| 277 | * ''VideoGame/SuperheroLeagueOfHoboken'' features on its roster, among other heroes, Tropical Oil Man and Treader Man. The latter of which has the superpower to ''be really good at treading water''. (The power of Heart is starting to look good now...) |
| 278 | * The Civic-Minded Five on ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' included The Carpeted Man. Don't let him rub up against you, or you'll get a nasty static-electric shock! |
| 279 | ** Also Four-Legged Man in [[Series/TheTick2001 the TV series]], Oddman in the [[ComicBook/TheTick comic book]], and Feral Boy in both. |
| 280 | * ''Manga/{{Heroman}}''. |
| 281 | * Dole Man, the banana company's Japanese mascot. [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower He can shoot bananas]]. |
| 282 | * Advertising/{{Pepsiman}}, the soft drink's Japanese mascot. There was also an earlier Pepsi Man who was played by Paul Rodriguez in Spanish-language American commercials. |
| 283 | * Bat-Bat from ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouse: The New Adventures''. |
| 284 | * Cat Cat from ''WesternAnimation/DCNation''[='=]s ''Farm League''. |
| 285 | * [[Anime/DragonBallZ Great Saiyaman]] has arrived! |
| 286 | * Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan |
| 287 | * ''Series/HenryDanger'''s Captain Man. |
| 288 | * Series/{{Automan}} |
| 289 | * Human Man (or Ningen Man - "Ningen" being "Human" in Japanese), a CharacterOfTheDay from ''Anime/ConcreteRevolutioChoujinGensou''. |
| 290 | * ''Animation/MotuPatlu'': In "Super Duper Man", Motu and Patlu's superhero identities are Motu Man and Patlu Man. |
| 291 | * In ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}'', Mametchi's favorite TV show stars a superhero named Gotchiman. |
| 292 | * Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' with Gumball and Darwin watching a movie featuring another example of "Man-Man". According to Darwin, "He was bitten by a man and given the powers of a man". |
| 293 | * [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Patrick-Man: Defender of Bikini Bottom!]] |
| 294 | [[/folder]] |
| 295 | |
| 296 | [[folder:Special Mentions]] |
| 297 | * All of the Robot Masters of the classic ''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man]]'' and most of the Navis in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series have their names with the suffix "-Man". |
| 298 | ** ...Except ''Mega Man 9''. Which stirs things up by adding [[strike:[[TheSmurfettePrinciple Token Female]]]] Splash Woman. |
| 299 | ** Even if certain Navis in ''Battle Network'' did not have "-Man" attatched to their names, all of their names will still end with .EXE, as they are [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman (very personal) computer programs]]. However, from the third game onwards, most Navis dropped the .EXE extension when referring to other Navis by name. |
| 300 | ** In the fancomic ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'', Bob ran straight into this trope when he tried to name his own robot master. He tried to name it "Death" (not Death Man, just Death). |
| 301 | * The ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes, amongst its approximately 100 members, mostly all have names of this makeup. In most incarnations of the Legion, you could count the exceptions to this naming scheme on the fingers of one hand. The most popular suffixes are "-Boy", "-Lad", "-King", "-Girl", "-Lass", "-Queen", "and "-Kid". Some notable examples are Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Bouncing Boy, Invisible Kid, Chemical King, Insect Queen, Shadow Lass and, of course, [[http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=715:matter-eater-lad&catid=36:stupor-powers-index&Itemid=38 Matter Eater Lad]]... |
| 302 | ** ''Wizard'' magazine once parodied this practice with a Top 10 list of rejected Legion characters, including "Lad Lass" and "Keep-Squeezing-Them-Monkeys Lad". |
| 303 | ** ...of course, they were about 30 years late to the party; the Legion of Substitute Heroes existed back in MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, with characters like Stone Boy, who had the ability to turn into an immobile statue; Color Kid, who could change the color of things[[note]]though, if the ComicBook/GreenLantern Corps got their hands on him, he'd be indispensable[[/note]]; and... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Arm-Fall-Off Boy]]. |
| 304 | *** Don't forget the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal-Vegetable-Mineral_Man Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man]]''. |
| 305 | *** Creator/PhilFoglio, in ''Magazine/DragonMagazine'''s ''ComicStrip/WhatsNewWithPhilAndDixie'' feature, suggested a transforming superhero named Gazebo Boy (who proved completely vulnerable to The Mighty Termite). |
| 306 | * An occasional bit on ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'', called "Superheroes," has the performers coming up with ludicrous superhero identities for each other, which then have to be played out. For instance: "Touchy-Feely Man," "Boneless Boy," "Says Everything Twice Man," "The Rhyming Couplet Kid," and "Ripped Off In The Divorce Settlement Man." |
| 307 | ** Also, during the episode featuring guest star Creator/RobinWilliams, the "Scenes From a Hat" game had the players making up unlikely superheroes, such as Colin Mochrie's "Run Away From Danger Man." |
| 308 | * Spoofed by the webcomic ''Supermegatopia'', which features a team called the Men-Men. Their roster includes Fire Man, Space Man, Sails Man, Snow Man, and even a token female called Milk Man. Their leader is an anthropomorphic chair called [[LateToThePunchline (wait for it)]] Chair Man. |
| 309 | ** They play with the trope in other ways, such as how there are both Franchise/WonderWoman and Wonder Man analogues, both of whom are wombats and call themselves Wonder Wombat. Canon has it that there were many lawsuits before they decided no one was likely to confuse them for each other all that often. |
| 310 | * Oddly enough, ''Series/WhoWantsToBeASuperhero'' rarely has contestants with names like this, as the applicants are mostly GenreSavvy and consider these names overused. On rare occasion, however... |
| 311 | -->'''Stan Lee:''' And what's your name? |
| 312 | -->'''Contestant:''' I am ''Hommmmmeeeeeeeleeeesssss Maaaaaan''! |
| 313 | * When Cyclops is injured in an issue of ''[[ComicBook/XMen Astonishing X-Men]]'', he hallucinates having a Fire-Man, Clothing-Man, and Ability-To-Hop-Man on his team along with the real Iceman -- although he considers that they may be the same person. |
| 314 | * ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'': Elastigirl. (A brief mention is made of other "supers" with names following this pattern: Dynaguy, etc.) |
| 315 | * The Mavericks from the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' games deserve mention, as they (mostly) fall into the "something-''animal''" naming scheme. |
| 316 | * Most common way of naming characters in ''Soreike! Literature/{{Anpanman}}'', even when they're not superheroes, usually based on some kind of food. Frequent recurrers are the titular Anpanman, Shokupanman, Kareepanman, [[ArchEnemy Baikinman]] ("baikin" means "germ", so... yeah), Horrorman (a really cute living skeleton), Tendonman and Katsudonman from Donburiman Trio, Hamigakiman (a toothpaste tube), Naganegiman... well, you got it. Women usually have their names end -na instead of man (Melonpanna and Rollpanna) or have another kind of feminine suffix such as -chan or -hime. Recent characters tend to have different kind of names, maybe because it becomes hard to follow the same pattern over time. |
| 317 | * ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', an affectionate parody of the genre, used this in the in-world style; note Darkwing ''Duck'', as well as Gizmo''Duck'', a somewhat more respected crime fighter, and Nega''Duck'', his EvilTwin. And then there's the aliens from Mertz, all of whom are superheroes. The only named natives were Comet Guy, Official Guy, and Ordinary Guy (the only one on the planet without superpowers). |
| 318 | * Music/StephenLynch's "If I Could Be a Superhero". Not just the song (which has Awesome Man, Immigration Dude, and Justice Guy), but the point during a live performance when Lynch calls out for audience suggestions. They're mostly {{NSFW}}... except for Homeless Man and Narcolepsy Boy. Lynch takes the examples and flies with them, taking a moment to describe what each sort of superhero would do. |
| 319 | * ''VideoGame/WonderBoyIIITheDragonsTrap'' lists the [[ForcedTransformation turned-to-animal forms]] as "Lion-Man", "Mouse-Man", "Piranha-Man"... and the regular form as the groan-inducing "Hu-Man". |
| 320 | * In the [=PS2=] version of ''Spider-Man 3'', Bruce Campbell poses a question to the players during 'combat training': 'What would Spider-Man be without his spider-powers? He'd be....-Man. Is that what you wanted to play? ''-Man'' 3? I didn't think so.' |
| 321 | * ''Manga/{{Yotsuba}}'': Boxerman, pictured above, who can't tell which way is up and which way is down. |
| 322 | ** Later, we meet Barebuttman and Pancake-Loving Man. All three, of course, are joke alter-egos of Yotsuba's dad. |
| 323 | --->'''Yotsuba:''' Daddy had a lot of pizza, too. He turned into Full-Tummy Man. |
| 324 | --->'''Jumbo:''' What does Full-Tummy Man do? |
| 325 | --->'''Yotsuba:''' He stops moving. |
| 326 | * The Literature/LegionOfNetHeroes is filled with these. They're often either outright parodies or just plain silly. The list includes [[Music/TheyMightBeGiants Particle Man]], [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus Bicycle Repair Lad]], and [[NoFourthWall Fourth Wall Lass]]. |
| 327 | * One ''Mac Hall'' comic featured three of the characters going to a Halloween costume party as "The Bag Brothers Three". Each of the three was wearing a different kind of bag over his head (paper, plastic, and sleeping). |
| 328 | * One of Toei's Series/MetalHeroes was actually called ''[[Series/TokusouRoboJanperson Janperson]]''. It seems that the title was actually supposed to be romanised as "Jumperson", as the title character (who is a robot, not a person) wears a jumpsuit from time to time. |
| 329 | * Lampshaded in an issue of ''Marvel Team-Up'', where Spider-Man meets Image Comics superhero ComicBook/{{Invincible}} who ribs him for his unimaginative name. Later, Invincible meets the Avengers: |
| 330 | --> "Don't say anything--let me guess. Okay, using "Spider-Man" as an indication of how you guys name yourselves--Let's see here...Robot-Man (ComicBook/IronMan). Claw-Man (ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}). Flag-Man (ComicBook/CaptainAmerica). Fabio-Man (Sentry). Bat-Woman (Spider-Woman). And, uh...Black-Man (Luke Cage)?" |
| 331 | * In a ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' "[[StickFigureComic Stick Figure Week]]" story, Torg is exposed to radiation and becomes "Lost All My Hair and Teeth Man." |
| 332 | * Harry Enfield parodied this with ''The Palace of Righteous Justice'', a superhero team who take on incredibly mundane missions such as washing dishes or opening a bank account: "Law Man (Wielder of the mighty sword of Dobber)", "Fire Man (Whose fiery balls of fire can start fires)", "(Kometh the) Ice Man" and "She Woman Cat Type Thing" |
| 333 | * {{Lampshaded}} by ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' endlessly. |
| 334 | ** During the Joel era, he and the bots came up with ludicrous superheroes for The Fantastic 85, with such heroes as "Lint Attachment-Man", "Jazz Trio-Man" ("Able to trade thirds with himself"), "Really Deep-Man" ("He's really deep, man!") and "Always Smells Like Maple-Man". (And Man-Man, described above) |
| 335 | ** During the Mike era, Crow declared himself Turkey Volume Guessing Man. |
| 336 | * Online reviewer WebVideo/MarzGurl (who is a female fan of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Marvin the Martian]]). |
| 337 | * A bunch of earlier Franchise/SuperSentai teams are name liked this this: [[Series/DenshiSentaiDenziman Denziman]] ("Electromagnetic Man"), [[Series/KagakuSentaiDynaman Dynaman]], [[Series/ChoudenshiBioman Bioman]], [[Series/DengekiSentaiChangeman Changeman]], [[Series/ChoushinseiFlashman Flashman]], [[Series/HikariSentaiMaskman Maskman]], [[Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman Liveman]], [[Series/ChikyuuSentaiFiveman Fiveman]], [[Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman Jetman]] and [[Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman Gingaman]] ("Galaxy Man"). |
| 338 | * Rapper [[Music/WuTangClan Method Man]]. |
| 339 | * Creator/SidAndMartyKrofftProductions gave the world ''Series/ElectraWomanAndDynaGirl''! |
| 340 | * The ''Series/ImpracticalJokers'' have created their share of these, including "Woman-man" and "Swamp-ass Thing". |
| 341 | * ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'': A vast majority of the characters are Choujin, or superhumans, with names that fall into "something"-man. Kinnikuman himself is an example, his name meaning "Muscleman". Some are direct references to what they are or their powers, such as the six-armed, multi-faced Ashuraman, or the metal, coily Springman. Others are less obvious or outside reference, such as Terryman, named for real life wrestler Terry Funk, or the Chinese martial artist Ramenman. The oldest Choujin known, a literal god descended from heaven, drops the "something" altogether and known simply as "The Man." |
| 342 | [[/folder]] |
| 343 | |
| 344 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 345 | * Perhaps the most famous of them all, predating Superman by more than half a century: Joseph Merrick, "Film/TheElephantMan". |
| 346 | * Grady Stiles, aka "Lobster Boy". Suffering from ectrodactyly, he was born with his fingers (save for the thumb) fused together, causing his hands to look like the claws of a lobster. |
| 347 | ** This was also passed on to his son, much to the joy of Stiles and his wife, since that meant the boy's financial future was secured for life. |
| 348 | * Contortionists are sometimes referred to as "snake men/women". |
| 349 | * British "real-life superhero" Angle-Grinder Man, who used the tool of his title to remove wheel clamps from cars. |
| 350 | * Many surnames (and quite a few given names) follow this pattern. It's most prevalent in German [[labelnote:Examples]] (Ackermann (Acre Man), Hermann (Army Man), Hausmann (House Man)[[/labelnote]] and related languages like English [[labelnote:Examples]]Sherman (Shear Man) Truman (Trusty Man), Goodman ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Good Man]])[[/labelnote]] and Swedish [[labelnote:Examples]]Bergman (Mountain Man), Ă–man (Island Man), Dahlman (Dale Man)[[/labelnote]] but it crops up in other languages too, like the Italian surname Bellomo (Beautiful Man). |
| 351 | [[/folder]] |
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