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1SpiritualAntithesis in ComicBooks.
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6* ComicBook/AnimalMan has ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}. Both were obscure characters that got [[MyRealDaddy daddies]] that retooled them to very powerful street heroes trying to be recognized by bigger teams and BreakingTheFourthWall, but other than that they take completely different directions. Animal Man is a NiceGuy family man and animal rights activist with very few close friends in the superhero community, while Deadpool is a lonely JerkWithAHeartOfGold mercenary with many VitriolicBestBuds in the superhero community. Animal Man is a vegetarian, while Deadpool is practically a carnivore. Animal Man barely uses his very minimal HealingFactor, while Deadpool gets by with his extremely rapid healing factor. Animal Man is a product of MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks whose most famous run went on to harshly criticize MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, while Deadpool is a product of The Dark Age that went on to lightly criticize the worst aspects of MediaNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks. Animal Man played breaking the fourth wall very seriously and would always forget when he did because he can't truly see it, while Deadpool plays breaking the fourth wall for comedy and always has that ability. After Creator/GrantMorrison's run, Animal Man went on to more horror, sci-fi and mysticism based stories, while Deadpool still stayed in comedy-based mercenary stories. Animal Man isn't in many big stories while Deadpool has WolverinePublicity.
7* Not uncommon for ComicBook/{{Batman}}:
8** One can make the argument that ComicBook/SpiderMan is this to him. Both are orphaned, urban-based {{Animal Themed|SuperBeing}} superheroes who have a RoguesGallery of gimmick-based villains, chief among them being AxCrazy, LaughingMad [[SecondaryColorNemesis villains who wear green and purple]] (ComicBook/TheJoker for Bats, ComicBook/GreenGoblin for Spidey). They both also have been [[DatingCatwoman romantically involved with a female villain]] who emphasizes the cat part of cat burglar, ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} for Batman and ComicBook/BlackCat for Spider-Man. However, here is where their premises diverge: Both heroes have the loss of a loved one at the hands of a criminal motivating their actions, but while Batman lost his parents when he was a child, which is what drove him to become a crime-fighter, Spider-Man lost his Uncle Ben when he was just using his powers to make money, [[ILetGwenStacyDie and is something he inadvertently enabled]], [[ComesGreatResponsibility which drove him to use his powers to help people]]. In addition, Batman [[BadassNormal lacks any real superpowers]], [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower instead training his body and mind to their peak]] and bolstering that with gadgetry, [[CrazyPrepared preparations]], and [[BatmanGambit ingenuity]], while Spider-Man has superhuman abilities [[RadiationInducedSuperpowers granted from a radioactive spider bite]], primarily using [[AllWebbedUp one highly reliable gadget]]. In addition, Batman's civilian identity is Bruce Wayne, [[CrimefightingWithCash a billionaire businessman]], while Spider-Man's identity as Peter Parker is commonly depicted as [[WorkingClassHero struggling to make ends meet]]. Furthermore, Batman's default disposition towards his exploits is being TheStoic TerrorHero, while Spider-Man copes with his adventures by [[YouFightLikeACow making wry jokes at his enemies]]. Whereas Batman [[DarkIsNotEvil dresses primarily in grey, black, and dark blue]], Spider-Man's costume is [[PrimaryColorChampion red and blue]]. Additionally, Batman frequently adopts {{Kid Sidekick}}s such as ComicBook/{{Robin}} and ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}, while Spider-Man started out as a teenager himself, in large part to prove that teen superheroes can work. Finally, Batman operates in Gotham City, a fictional city [[DependingOnTheWriter which has sometimes]] been interpreted as [[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed a stand-in]] for UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, while Spider-Man is explicitly centered in the BigApplesauce.
9*** Following this vein of logic, compare and contrast Batman and Spider-Man's respective [[{{Archenemy}} Archenemies]], ComicBook/TheJoker and ComicBook/NormanOsborn. Aside from their aforementioned similar purple and green color schemes and propensity for insanity, both frequently harm the hero's loved ones, often times ForTheEvulz (The Joker [[ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily killing Jason Todd]] and [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke crippling Barbara Gordon]], The Green Goblin [[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied killing Gwen Stacy]]). In addition, both of their origin stories involve exposure to dangerous chemicals (the Joker [[ToxicWasteCanDoAnything falling into a vat of chemicals]], the Green Goblin being exposed to a PsychoSerum [[ProfessorGuineaPig of his own creation]]). But here's the fluke: Whereas the Joker's true name and life ''before'' his accident has been [[ThatManIsDead lost to history]], with [[MultipleChoicePast various theories being postulated]], the Green Goblin has had a consistent secret identity - Norman Osborn, a corrupt industrialist[[note]]Interestingly, Osborn's Green Goblin persona was derived from the monster from his childhood nightmares. [[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Sound familiar]]? [[/note]]. In addition, the Joker persona has consumed the man before the accident, while Osborn and the Goblin [[JekyllAndHyde are portrayed as two different personalities]], often times at conflict with each other. There's also an inversion in status befitting of the heroes -- The Joker is a crimelord who doesn't have [[VillainousUnderdog nearly as many resources as Batman]] and gets by through his wits and insanity, while Osborn is a multi-millionaire industrialist with vast resources and connections, making him an overdog to the working-class Spider-Man. Furthermore, DC has traditionally left it ambiguous on whether the Joker knows Batman's identity, while Marvel has made it clear that the Goblin knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
10** Another Marvel antithesis to Batman is ComicBook/IronMan. Both are billionaire playboys with [[BadassNormal no inherent superpowers]] that lost their parents to tragedy, and both are founding members and prominent figures of their universe's main SuperTeam (the ComicBook/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}} for Batman, ComicBook/TheAvengers for Iron Man). Furthermore, both count mystically empowered, Eastern-born warlords as prominent enemies (ComicBook/RasAlGhul for Batman, the Mandarin for Iron Man). That said, they heavily diverge from there. Batman primarily relies on fancy gadgets in addition to various vehicles and tools, but relies on his own agility over brute force. Iron Man wears PoweredArmor that does much of the fighting in conjunction with him, and rarely is he without it. Batman has a SecretIdentity that he fights to maintain and keep from the public, while Iron Man is completely public and a renown celebrity. Batman adheres almost religiously to ThouShaltNotKill, whereas Iron Man not only freely kills but ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill is his ''preferred'' method. Batman [[TheTeetotaler abstains from alcohol and addictive material]], while Iron Man [[TheAlcoholic famously struggles with alcoholism]]. Batman's RoguesGallery consists of various criminals and lawless individuals, Iron Man's rogues are more comparable to what an industrial billionaire would have. Batman famously [[DarkIsNotEvil wears a black and grey suit]], while Iron Man [[PrimaryColorChampion wears red and gold armor]]. Finally, Batman considers Bruce Wayne to be his alter ego and Batman to be his ''true'' self, while Iron Man and Tony Stark are one and the same.
11** Another antithesis, one within DC itself, is ComicBook/GreenArrow. Both are {{Badass Normal}}s who [[CrimefightingWithCash fight crime with money]], have a red-clad sidekick that serves as a legacy (Robin and Speedy), and often serve as TheTeamNormal of the Justice League. They differ from there. Batman is a dark, stoic, no-nonsense figure who takes everything very seriously, and fights primarily in hand-to-hand with the help of gadgets. Green Arrow is a bright, jovial, wisecracking man who sees everything as being just as fun as it is for the sake of good, and fights using his trusty bow and arrow when possible, but is also skilled at hand-to-hand. Even in terms of location, Batman hails from Gotham, representing the dark and dreary East Coast, while Green Arrow hails from Star City, representing the lighter and laid back West Coast. To put simply, both are rich playboys, but Batman's characterization leans more towards the "rich" while Green Arrow leans more towards the "playboy".
12* Deliberately done with the two bearers of the ComicBook/CaptainBritain title, who made completely different choices when given the choice between the Amulet of Right and the Sword of Might. Brian Braddock is a man who chose the amulet as he felt he was a scholar not a warrior, while Kelsey Leigh is a woman who chose the sword because she believed that she needed to be a warrior to defend her friends and family.
13* ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' villain Superboy Prime has one in the titular protagonist of ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool''. Both share origin stories of being teenage fans of superhero comics from our world who [[AscendedFanboy enters their favorite Universe and gets superpowers]], only to be disappointed that things do not work out as they imagined. The difference lies on how they react and what kinds of fans they represent. Prime represents lifelong fans who become bitter with how much Franchise/TheDCU has changed. He wants to brutally force it back to the way it once was and as he goes along, he stops caring how many he kills since he doesn't consider them real anyway. On the other hand, Gwen represents news fans who are aware of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse's many problems and love the franchise despite them. While she starts thinking she can do whatever she wants since none of it is real, she is quickly humbled and comes to care for others like real people. Prime embraces villainy as a alternative of being forgotten, while a FaceHeelTurn is the only things that terrifies Gwen more than ComicBookLimbo. Finally, Prime was a huge fan of Superman before coming to hate him, while Gwen named herself after Deadpool only for the {{pun}} and doesn't even read his comics.
14* While they share the same modus operandi of supergenius using PoweredArmor, ComicBook/{{Ironheart}} is this to ComicBook/IronMan. Tony was raised in privilege as a son of a billionaire, but stranded relationship with his father lead him to become a cold businessman and a playboy, wasting his genius until events that lead to him becoming Iron Man opened his eyes on the harm he has caused and turned him into TheAtoner. Since then he's been laser-focused on his goal of making Earth a better place but is also dealing with the guilt that makes it that, while he makes friends easily, he rarely lets anyone really close and tend to push those who did away. Riri tends to be better with technology than people so she is hard to approach initially, but fiercely loyal to people who manage to do so anyway. Her isolation makes her blame herself for not developing better relationships with people she already lost, especially her caring stepfather, motivating her to become a hero and make a world a better place - an act that opens her so many opportunities she gets overwhelmed as any teenager would and often finds herself unable to commit to just one goal.
15* ComicBook/{{Superman}}, of course, had his share of these over the years in various shapes and forms, [[SupermanSubstitute some more obvious than the others.]]
16** One of the oldest is probably ComicBook/SubMariner -- their respective first appearances mark the beginning of what would become Creator/DCComics and Creator/MarvelComics and they both were a clear metaphor for young immigrants unhappy with the current state of things. But when Superman was a tale of a hero fighting for the little man but embracing and loving America, Namor was a destructive rebel crushing anyone or anything standing in his path, shunning the idea of assimilation with the surface world.
17*** ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'' in turn is this to Namor - he takes the basic idea and cuts out lingering similarities to Superman like flying, but portrays the main character as purely heroic. In fact, when Namor was known for his HeelFaceRevolvingDoor attitude even back then, as often fighting the Axis forces as the Allies, the first thing we see Aquaman do is to attack a Nazi ship to leave no doubt whose side he is on.
18** Another [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] antithesis to Superman is ComicBook/CaptainAmerica. Both are [[PrimaryColorChampion red and blue-wearing]] superheroes with [[TheCape idealistic]] [[{{Eagleland}} attitudes of America]] who grew up in poverty and grew up to serve as the traditional {{Big Good}}s of their respective universes. In addition, both heroes' {{ArchEnemies}} are [[BaldOfEvil bald villains]] who seek to TakeOverTheWorld (ComicBook/LexLuthor for Supes, ComicBook/RedSkull for Cap). However, one interesting contrast is how they embody opposite sides of the NatureVersusNurture debate: whereas Superman is an extraterrestrial whose abilities were innate and manifested themselves when he arrived on Earth (i.e., Nature), Captain America was born an ordinary human who, as an adult, was given a SuperSerum by the U.S. military that enhanced his peak abilities (i.e., Nurture). In addition, Superman [[FlyingBrick has traditionally no need for physical weapons]], instead using his aforementioned Kryptonian powers, while Captain America's weapon is his [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe trademark shield]]. While Superman is an alien who often feels alone on Earth as the LastOfHisKind, Captain America sometimes feels [[FishOutOfTemporalWater out of his time]], being a World War II veteran in modern society. Superman's {{Archenemy}} ComicBook/LexLuthor is often portrayed as an American capitalist who uses his [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney wealth]] and [[VillainWithGoodPublicity influence]], while Captain America's {{Archenemy}} the ComicBook/RedSkull is a literal Nazi [[EvenEvilHasStandards reviled by all but like-minded individuals]].
19** Superman and the ComicBook/FantasticFour are polar opposites in almost every way. Superman is traditionally portrayed as [[SuperpowerLottery a borderline-demigod with a vast array of powerful abilities]], but he has to cope with the inherent heartbreak of being [[LastOfHisKind the last member of a dying alien race]]; as such, [[IWorkAlone he typically fights alone]] when he's not with the ComicBook/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}, and he lost most of his family when he was too young to remember them. He's also famous for [[ClarkKenting keeping his secret identity so well-hidden]] that not even his love interest and his nemesis know who he really is. In contrast, the ComicBook/FantasticFour have worked as a group since the beginning, they each have one specific superpower, they're a lovably {{dysfunctional family}} in addition to a superhero team, and they don't have secret identities at all; in fact, they're all world-renowned celebrities. Interestingly, their origin stories are also mirror images of one another: Superman's story begins with him crashing to Earth in a rocket ship and getting superpowers from Earth's sun, while the Four's story begins with them flying into space in a rocket ship and getting superpowers from cosmic radiation.
20** The ComicBook/XMen can also serve as an antithesis to Superman. To wit, both properties are about specimens of superpowered races whose abilities manifested themselves during puberty and how the use of their powers affect their relationships with ordinary humans. However, the executions of this core premise heavily diverge from there. Superman is traditionally depicted as being well-respected by humanity ([[ComicBook/LexLuthor with some notable exceptions]]), while the X-Men are ''[[HeroWithBadPublicity hated and feared]]'' [[FantasticRacism by humanity]] because of their abilities. Superman is often depicted as the LastOfHisKind of an alien species on Earth, while the X-Men are {{Mutants}}, an Earth-born species who ''protect'' their kind from extinction.
21** Superman and ComicBook/SpiderMan are both iconic urban superheroes known for their distinctive [[PrimaryColorChampion red and blue costumes]], and for wearing glasses and working at newspapers in their civilian identities; both of them also have [[CorruptCorporateExecutive evil corporate CEOs]] as their archenemies. Both of them are also raised by elderly guardians (Pa and Ma Kent & Uncle Ben and Aunt May) due to their biological parents being deceased. Both have their father figure often die to teach them a lesson about their powers, for Superman Pa's death teaches that even he can't save everyone, and for Spider-Man, Uncle Ben teaches that with great power ComesGreatResponsibility. In their early days, they even had essentially the same justification for their powers (Superman's writers used the great proportionate strength of insects to suggest that such feats could be within a "[[EvolutionaryLevels sufficiently evolved]]" being's capabilities). But Superman is known for his raw strength and his brawny physique, and he's often thematically associated with the heavens due to his [[FlyingBrick flight powers]] and [[HumanAliens alien heritage]]. Spider-Man, on the other hand, is known for his agility and his wiry physique, and most depictions emphasize his closeness to the Earth due to his [[WorkingClassHero humble background]] and [[AnimalThemedSuperBeing insect motif]]. The Daily Planet is also traditionally portrayed sympathetically, with its reporters being crusading idealists driven to protect the truth, while the Daily Bugle is cast in a more morally ambiguous light, with J. Jonah Jameson's editorials [[HeroWithBadPublicity ruining Spidey's reputation]]. Finally, both often play the role of TheHeart of their respective universes, but Superman usually benefits from being seen as the BigGood who's LovedByAll of the general public while Spider-Man typically is the HeroWithBadPublicity.
22*** Likewise, compare and contrast Superman and Spider-Man's respective nemeses, ComicBook/LexLuthor and ComicBook/NormanOsborn. Luthor is also typically portrayed as a humanist scientific genius [[BadassNormal who can hold his own against superheroes with nothing but wits and gadgetry]]. By contrast, Osborn is usually portrayed as just a shrewd businessman who attempts to use science to transcend his human limitations, and ends up adopting a monstrous alter ego cloaked in supernatural trappings.
23* ComicBook/WonderWoman and ComicBook/TheMightyThor are both heroes who derive their origins from mythology and emphasize magical weapons, and have served as part of the PowerTrio of their respective {{SuperTeam}}s (ComicBook/JusticeLeague for Wonder Woman, ComicBook/TheAvengers for Thor). Also, they both hail from societies drawing on those old myths [[HiddenElfVillage that have been secluded from the world]]. However, Wonder Woman is a feminist hero who draws inspiration from Greek myths, whereas Thor is a classically masculine hero who draws his own inspiration from Norse myths. Whereas Paradise Island is at roughly the same technological level as the ancient Greeks, Asgard is a ScienceFantasy.
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27* Creator/AlanMoore has done this to himself.
28** Someone described the Creator/AlanMoore version of ''ComicBook/{{Miracleman}}'' as "ComicBook/{{Superman}} told as a {{horror}} story". Or, perhaps more accurately, the original ''Marvelman'' done as a {{horror}} story. Moore himself said that all he did in ''Miracleman'' and the thematically similar (albeit more realistic) ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' was do a serious version of Harvey Kurtzman's famous satire ''Superduperman'' for Magazine/{{MAD}}. Where Kurtzman parodied the superhero tropes for laughs, Moore played it for dramatic value.
29** His run on ''ComicBook/{{Supreme}}'' is the opposite to his Marvelman -- in both cases, Moore takes the character of a FlyingBrick based on Superman, who was also the epitome of the [[TheAgesOfSuperheroComics age]] during which he was created, with all its flaws, and molds him into the complete opposite, while making him more complex and interesting than he was before. The difference lies in tone - while Moore turns Marvelman towards DarkerAndEdgier waters, while breaking apart many traditional tropes of MediaNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, Supreme under his guidance took the path towards LighterAndSofter territory and paid tribute to the same tropes Marvelman tore apart.
30** His Lovecraft Trilogy, ''The Courtyard, ComicBook/{{Neonomicon}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{Providence}}'', is a homage but also an antithesis to Lovecraft. Moore generally brings the sexual subtext of Lovecraft's original stories out into the open, places more emphasis on the dubious racism of the original stories and largely shows a more sympathetic portrayal of the occult than Lovecraft allowed.
31** ''ComicBook/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' and ''ComicBook/TomStrong'' are both {{Genre Throwback}}s to old PulpMagazine stories, but League is a DeconstructionCrossover that makes heavy use of {{Public Domain Character}}s and features lots of sex and violence while Strong is more of a loving {{Homage}} and {{Reconstruction}} that mainly stars original characters and is on the whole much more LighterAndSofter than the former.
32** After some CreatorBacklash following ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', Moore wrote ''ComicBook/NineteenSixtyThree'' as a {{Reconstruction}} of the superhero archetypes from ''Watchmen'', especially contrasting them with the Tomorrow Syndicate: Rorschach is a paranoid, rude nutjob, while the N-Man is, if still [[{{Pun}} thick-skinned]] and conservative, friendly enough to work on a team. The Hypernaut is, much like Ozymandias, an erudite transhumanist with a genetically modified pet (he even uses the same array of screens to maximize content absorbion as Ozzy), but lacks Adrian Veidt's AntiVillain tendencies. Infra-Man and his wife Infra-Girl mirror Night Owl and Silk Specter, a geeky scientist and a flirty, beautiful woman, who are, unlike their ''Watchmen'' counterparts, completely satisfied with their lives. Horus is a Doctor Manhattan analog: Immensely powerful and focused on inevitable death...except he's willing to avoid destruction at all costs. And the USA is, even in appearance, similar to the Comedian: An [[OldSuperhero aging]] patriotic secret agent and war veteran who works closely with the president. But USA isn't an AntiHero at all - as you can tell from how the JFK assassination plays out in both books - The Comedian is implied to have pulled the trigger, while the USA ''saves'' JFK by using his bulletproof body as a decoy.
33* ''ComicBook/AllNewWolverine'' is this to previous ComicBook/{{X 23}} and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} stories with Laura doing everything she can to both overcome her own past and issues stemming from it and avoid pitfalls Logan often stumbles on, like his tendency to be a deadbeat parent. ''Enemy of the State II'' and ''Old Woman Laura'' in particular are the exact opposite of Creator/MarkMillar stories ''Enemy of the State'' and ''ComicBook/OldManLogan''.
34** In turn, the book has an antithesis in a series that was running at the same time, ''ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk'', which is about another character from the TurnOfTheMillennium becoming AffirmativeActionLegacy to a classic Marvel AntiHero, determined to not repeat his predecessor's mistakes. Except here Amadeus insistence to be better Hulk than Bruce Banner is portrayed as naivety and hubris and, especially as book changes titles to back to ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'' [[spoiler: he fails, spectacularly]].
35* The creators of ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'' and ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'' got into an infamous feud during the books' runs. It makes sense, then, that their books can be considered antithesis to each other - both are black and white fantasy stories, incredibly long-running, and feature a [[GenreRefugee title character that'd belong in a much more lighthearted book]]. However, ''Bone'' is a wholesome comic, with the hero being a goofy, kind-hearted guy and his world a classic HighFantasy culture, while ''Cerebus'' features a SociopathicHero in a violent dystopia full of corruption, and is known for its [[CerebusSyndrome descent into seriousness]]. In addition ''Bone'' is unapologetically a FeministFantasy, and ''Cerebus''...isn't.
36* The ''ComicBook/Champions2016'' storyline "Beat the Devil" is this to ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay''. Both stories share a basic premise that could be awful if done poorly (ComicBook/SpiderMan making a DealWithTheDevil) but while One More Day did everything possible to make Peter's actions ''[[DesignatedHero completely unjustifiable]]'' (due to a WriterRevolt), and ended with a BittersweetEnding where everyone involved got {{Mind Wipe}}d, Beat the Devil frames {{ComicBook/Miles|Morales}}' actions in the most sympathetic possible light: Miles made his decision under duress, unlike Peter who had a whole day, didn't know he was making a mistake, unlike Peter who was definitively told so by everyone including the very person he was trying to save, and while Peter forgot he made his deal, Miles got to see the consequences of his hasty decision and has to live with the guilt. In One More Day, ComicBook/{{Mephisto}} is [[VillainsNeverLie completely above-board the whole time]] and doesn't screw over Peter, but in Beat the Devil [[JackassGenie does screw over Miles]] by neglecting to mention how the deal will ensure [[ButterflyOfDoom a girl he had saved will be dead in the new timeline]]. Mephisto got off easy for One More Day, but by the end of Champions Vol 3, it's clear his actions in Beat the Devil have only [[FireForgedFriends made the team's resolve that much stronger]] and they collectively tell him to buzz off. And as if to underscore the similarity, the words that seal the deal are the same in both books: "[[WhamLine Do it]]".
37* ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions2015'' is this to ''ComicBook/AvengersArena''. They are both based on the "''Literature/BattleRoyale'' with superheroes" premise, AnyoneCanDie rule, and both cash on what is popular at the time (Arena on the popularity of ''Hunger Games'' movies and Contest on the success of the video game of the same name). However, when Arena was DarkerAndEdgier, treated its characters as CListFodder (the writer was outright surprised anyone cared about them at all when he received complaints about this) and gleefully kills fan-favorites for shock value and to push one of his OriginalGeneration characters, largely seen as a bunch of [[CreatorsPet Creator's Pets]], Contest is pure awesome with only one new character, bringing up obscure characters to cherish them, had actually resurrected several dead ones, and most of those killed were ExpendableAlternateUniverse versions of popular characters. Both series set up as the BigBad a quirky classic villain who manages to pull it off with the help of new [[TheDragon dragons]]. Only in Arena that's Arcade, who openly abandons his quirky shticks to go on trying too hard to prove he is a real threat and his dragon is a new character, who provides him with powerful tech and disappears from the story, while in Contest it's Collector and Grandmaster, who are so powerful their quirks are the only advantage against them and need to prove nothing and their respective dragons are established characters (Maestro and [[spoiler: Punisher 2099]]), whom they use to rein kidnapped heroes in [[spoiler: and who form an alliance to turn against them]]. Arena follows the Battle Royale formula to the letter, whenever it makes sense or not and openly ignores continuity, past characterization and any questions why nobody is looking for kidnapped heroes (in fact they had to bring a different writer to answer that one), while Contest comes in with a strong explanation of how the whole thing can be set up without anyone finding out ([[spoiler: which actually fails as people do find out, something that never happened in Arena]]) and never goes further than basic premise in similarities with Battle Royale, instead establishing its own rules [[spoiler: and ditching the premise entirely after the first 6 issues]].
38* The ComicBook/DCRebirth ''ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}}'' series is this to [[Creator/ChristopherPriestComics Christopher Priest's]] earlier work on ''ComicBook/BlackPanther''. They both focus on a MagnificentBastard type of character. Except when Panther was more about the "Magnificent" part, Deathstroke is more about the "Bastard". T'Challa is always the smartest person in the room and also the noblest. Slade is always the smartest person in the room...and also the vilest.
39* ''ComicBook/{{DCeased}}'' is this to both ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' and to ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs''
40** Just as ''Marvel Zombies'' it is an ExpendableAlternateUniverse story of superheroes dealing with a ZombieApocalypse. But instead of being a BlackComedy where zombifications make people amoral cannibals but let them retain their intelligence like ''Marvel Zombies'', it plays off more like a traditional zombie story, with mindless hordes of undead and things being played for drama, not laughs.
41** When compared to ''Injustice'' it has a tendency to give heroic roles to characters who are evil or dead in that story, like Superman or Damian Wayne, while quickly killing of those who were crucial for ''Injustice'' storyline [[spoiler: including Joker, Catwoman and even Batman himself]].
42* The ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' issue "The Never-Ending Struggle" (vol. 6, issue #20) was lightly described by writer Creator/GerryDuggan as an antithesis to ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'', specifically the famous story beat where [[TalkingDownTheSuicidal Superman talks down a suicidal girl]] -- the scenario described by Duggan being: "There are all-star heroes that can save a life with a single word balloon. And then there's [[HeroicComedicSociopath Deadpool]]." Deadpool ''also'' stops a young woman from jumping with words, but rather than Superman's [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre gentle, hopeful reassurance that she is loved and valued]], Deadpool [[BlackComedy jokingly offers to take her to a better building to jump off of]], before inviting her to an exciting night on the town, including ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' and [[{{Bathos}} beating up crooks and geriatrics]]. Also, while Superman's encounter is optimistic and hopeful, Deadpool's story [[BittersweetEnding ends on a more bittersweet note]] as it highlights the reality that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome his actions won't singlehandedly fix all the woman's problems]], the story ending with him guiding her to the folks in the ER who are better-equipped to get her the long-term help she needs to heal.
43* Creator/GarthEnnis wrote ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' as an episodic story with a theme that despite all the ridiculousness and horribleness the book showcases America and its people have good in them and villains who in the end all bring their own downfall by either incompetence or by creating monsters they cannot truly control. ''ComicBook/TheBoys'' on the other hand has a larger ongoing intrigue and shows America as deeply rotten, with very few actually good people in it ''on top'' of all the ridiculousness and horribleness, while the villains are still incompetent and creating monsters they cannot truly control, but are also too big to fall. To put it simply, ''Preacher'' is written by Ennis who, for all his trademark cynicism, still believes in American Dream, while ''The Boys'' is written by Ennis who no longer does.
44* For Creator/GeoffJohns ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' is this for his earlier work, ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. ''Crisis'' was a huge, action-packed CrisisCrossover where DC heroes must fight an [[PhysicalGod immensely powerful]] character formerly ExiledFromContinuity, who is mad how DarkerAndEdgier Franchise/TheDCU has become and wants to force it back to how it once was. Once it ended it forced all books to do a one-year TimeSkip. ''Clock'' is a self-contained, focusing more on mystery than action miniseries about the threat of an [[RealityWarper immensely powerful]] CanonImmigrant who tries to force the DC Universe to become DarkerAndEdgier and [[ComicBook/New52 something new]]. It's set a year ahead of the rest of DC books, meaning once it ends other books will catch up to it without interrupting any storylines.
45* One story in ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn: The Animated Series - The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special'' is this to ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]''' eighth episode, [[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE8GrowingPains Growing Pains]]. Both stories involve Clayface, both involve him creating a "daughter" named Annie, but in the latter, Annie is an innocent little girl who he [[AbusiveParents shows no sympathy for and only thinks of as a part of himself that's gone rogue and needs to be reassimilated]]. In the former, Annie is a jaded teenager who Clayface simply forgot about and while he initially does think of her as only a cast-off part of himself, quickly changes his tune once she asserts her independence from him, [[ParentsAsPeople instead trying to make amends by adopting her as his daughter for real]]. The tone of the stories is also different, with one being PlayedForDrama and the other being PlayedForLaughs (for the most part).
46* Creator/KieronGillen seems to be driven to do this:
47** ''ComicBook/{{Three}}'' was consciously tailor-made to be this for Creator/FrankMiller's ''Film/ThreeHundred''. ''300'' has [[BlackAndWhiteMorality heroic Spartans fighting for freedom against the irredeemable, evil Persian Empire]] and played [[HollywoodHistory with the actual history]]. ''Three'' has [[GreyAndGrayMorality less clear conflict]] with Spartans as the slave-hunting antagonists from which the titular three slaves are running away, and Gillen recruited an academic Classical history consultant to keep the setting and story accurate. Of note is that Gillen initially intended to make just as much an over the top, black and white take as Miller with the Spartans as the bad guys, but then found the real facts far more interesting to portray than either.
48** Another ongoing title by him is ''ComicBook/{{Uber}}'', which is a very grim and violent deconstruction of comics which use [[StupidJetpackHitler the idea of World War II being fought with superheroes and mad science]] as an excuse for lighthearted RuleOfCool high-jinks. What happens when you give superpowers to a [[ThoseWackyNazis gang of genocidal imperialists]]? Bloodshed and destruction escalating to almost pantomine levels is what. It also throws the idea of something like HeroicSpirit being a real match against PowerLevels out the window. It doesn't matter how brave you are, if you can't throw around tanks like your opponent, you ''will'' be splattered over a mile-wide area.
49** He also intends ''ComicBook/TheWickedAndTheDivine'', to be this for his own series, ''ComicBook/{{Phonogram}}''. As he explains, ''Phonogram'' is about how the art inspires, changes and destroys the consumers, while ''The Wicked And The Divine'' is about what choices creators of the art make and how it changes and destroys them.
50** And of course there is his run on ''ComicBook/JourneyIntoMysteryGillen'' which is a whimsical, light-hearted series about Loki, god of mischief, imagination and stories, who refuses to accept that StatusQuoIsGod and desperately tries to change [[spoiler: only to ultimately fail and kill the only chance to truly change he ever had]]. Contrast with Creator/NeilGaiman's ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', which is a moody, semi-gothic series about Morpheus, god of dreams, imagination and stories, who refuses to accept that [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore everything changes]] and desperately tries to stay the same [[spoiler: only to ultimately fail and undergo change by being reborn in a new body]].
51* Creator/RobLiefeld's ''ComicBook/HeroesRebornTheAvengers'' was a DarkerAndEdgier revamp of the Avengers that epitomized the Dark Age of Comics. It was immediately followed by ''ComicBook/TheAvengersKurtBusiek'', which was a LighterAndSofter reconstruction of superheroes that helped bring an end to the Dark Age.
52* Robert Kirkman's two most well-known and acclaimed creator-owned works are ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' and ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'', both stand in stark contrast to each other outside the use of {{Gorn}}. ''Invincible'' is a colorful, LighterAndSofter story about larger-than-life superheroes, and served to be a {{Reconstruction}} of the superhero genre for Creator/ImageComics (in the past known for Dark Age excess). ''The Walking Dead'' is a grim, DarkerAndEdgier tale set AfterTheEnd, and tells its story of a ZombieApocalypse with unnerving realism, which served to break Image ''away'' from being exclusively about superheroes. Notably, this contrast is highlighted by color scheme. While the former is very bright and vibrant, as befitting of American superheroes, the latter is entirely in black and white, reflecting the nature of the story.
53* The entire body of work of Creator/JackKirby could be seen as one to works of Creator/HPLovecraft. As [[https://twitter.com/CineastBenRowe/status/1001974305717149696 Ben Rowe]] put it, they both tackled the concept of humanity being small in a vast Universe beyond our ability to understand it. The difference is that when for Lovecraft it was a NightmareFuel, Kirby saw it a delight.
54** Creator/JackKirby's ''ComicBook/NewGods'' is one for his run on ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor''. While they both are a SpaceOpera that has powerful gods living among humans and fighting epic cosmic battles, their premises diverge considerably from there. Thor is based on ''Myth/NorseMythology'' and contains more tropes you might find in the {{Fantasy}} genre and presents a [[BlackAndWhiteMorality rather clear conflict]] between good and evil with epic battles, New Gods take most inspirations from works of Erich von Däniken, steers more towards ScienceFiction, presents a conflict of OrderVersusChaos with LawfulEvil BigBad who, while mighty, prefers to work in more insidious ways and the story questions whether [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he can be beaten without his enemy becoming as bad as him]].
55*** Of course, it's not uncommon for other writers who worked on ''Thor'' to try to follow Kirby and make a thematic opposite with ''New Gods''. Walt Simonson's run on ''Thor'' told a tale of brave heroes fighting [[WarIsGlorious glorious, just war]]. His run on ''Orion'' questioned [[WarIsHell whenever any war can really be called just]].
56* ''ComicBook/MarvelNoir'' and ''ComicBook/Marvel1602'' can be considered this to ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'', ''Marvel 1602'' especially. ''Marvel 2099'' thrust the heroes of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse into the far future, treated the present-day stories as canonical and important to the overarching metanarrative, and had a {{Cyberpunk}} motif and themes. The ''Noir'' and ''1602'' [[TheVerse Verses]] are both set in a distant past (around Prohibition era and the Age of Exploration, respectively). They have more of a {{Steampunk}} ([[ShapedLikeItself or perhaps noir]]) feel to them, and don't treat the current-day stories as canon (except in the case of ''1602''... [[StableTimeLoop it's complicated.]]) ''Marvel Noir'' shares ''2099'''s pessimistic atmosphere, but unlike it, doesn't have the heroes sharing a single, cohesive world, whereas ''Marvel 1602'' is set in a single [[TheVerse 'verse]] and is much more optimistic, so they can also be this to each other.
57* Grant Morrison's ''ComicBook/TheMultiversity'' and ''ComicBook/TheAvengersJonathanHickman''. Both involve heroes from numerous alternate realities facing a major threat to all of their worlds. The latter is a DarkerAndEdgier deconstruction that sees the heroes of the various worlds coming into conflict over who will live and making morally dodgy choices for the greater good. The former is a LighterAndSofter reconstruction in which the heroes unite together to battle the threat and do so without sacrificing the values, morals, and hope that superheroes represent.
58** Creator/MarkWaid's ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentAvengers'' in turn is this for ''ComicBook/TheAvengersJonathanHickman'' and ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' -- the latter two featured an epic, dark plot of the bigger, more powerful than ever team of Avengers and recreated Illuminati trying to stop the destruction fo TheMultiverse, making hard, morally ambiguous choices along the way and finally fighting over their decisions. Waid follows that with a much LighterAndSofter series where the Avengers are broke, forced to go back to basics, taking a young generation of heroes as their students and going back to simply punching villains in the face.
59** Similarly Al Ewing's ''New Avengers'' series is this to Hickman's. Hickman had the cast of Marvel's iconic characters tangled in a dark storyline which was downplaying the fantastic aspects of the events and trying to ground them more into hard science-fiction narrative. Ewing has a cast of C-Listers in straight-up heroic adventures and his book is not afraid of embracing how silly superhero stories can be.
60* Grant Morrison's ''ComicBook/NewXMen'' is a deconstruction of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' franchise that deliberately moved it into general sci-fi, involving the X-Men dealing with small-scale, mutant based crimes and conflicts. Creator/JossWhedon's ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'', which came shortly after Morrison's, is a reconstruction that returns the characters to their superhero roots, involving the X-Men battling supervillains and working to prevent a cosmic threat from devastating Earth.
61* ''ComicBook/TheOrder2007'' was a LighterAndSofter SpiritualAntithesis to two earlier works at once. Like ''ComicBook/XStatix'', it featured superheroes who were also C-list celebrities, but unlike ''X-Statix'' the characters were genuinely altruistic and idealistic instead of being self-serving and cynical. Also, it followed ''ComicBook/StrikeforceMorituri'' in featuring "normals" who were given artificial superpowers on a strictly time-limited basis, but unlike ''Strikeforce: Morituri'' the results weren't lethal when the time ran out.
62* Creator/BrianKVaughan's ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' has Allan Heinberg's ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers''. In the '00s (2003 and 2005 respectively) the two of them were introduced as Marvel's primary teenage super teams, in an effort to appeal to young adult readers and capture the market DC had with the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans''. They were highly successful on that front, being acclaimed and award-winning comics with large followings to this day. While both teams consist of young heroes that combines FantasyKitchenSink origins in one setting, they also greatly diverge in terms of execution. The Runaways are from Los Angeles, away from much of the superhero action, and are not a traditional superhero team, as they don't have costumes or codenames, and they openly mock superhero tropes commonly associated with the genre, nor do they think of themselves as superheroes. They also always have more female members than male, another inversion of the norm. In contrast, the Young Avengers are from New York City, the core of the superhero culture, and are very much a traditional superhero team that are more in line with the ''Teen Titans'', complete with costumes, codenames, and they embrace superhero traditions up to the point of considering themselves as superheroes. Fittingly, they always have more male members than female, adhering to TwoGirlsToATeam. Going further, the Runaways each have [[ArchnemesisDad evil parents]] that led to them becoming heroes by force, while the Young Avengers all take on [[LegacyCharacter heroic legacies]]. Lastly, the Runaways (being the non-traditional team) aren't really active as part of the superhero community outside of company-wide crossovers that happen to get to them, and the Young Avengers (being the traditional one) are much more involved in the universe as a whole. Ironically, the two titles are known for their FriendlyFandoms.
63* Creator/SaladinAhmed admitted that his runs on ''[[ComicBook/MilesMorales Miles Morales: Spider-Man]]'' and ''[[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 The Magnificent Ms. Marvel]]'' are this both to his predecessors' runs on the characters and each other. Miles under Creator/BrianBendis constantly had to deal with high stakes but at the consequence of his supporting cast and corner of the world remaining underdeveloped. Under Creator/GWillowWilson Kamala was allowed room for character development of her and her supporting cast as well as a lot of worldbuilding but stakes most of the time were pretty low. So with Miles Ahmed wants to focus on the supporting cast and worldbuilding while for Kamala he is raising the stakes.
64* Gene Luen Yang's ''ComicBook/TheShadowHero'' is a Spiritual Antithesis to his previous work, ''ComicBook/BoxersAndSaints''. ''The Shadow Hero'' is about a young man who gets possessed by an ancient Chinese national spirit and becomes a superhero, whereas ''Boxers'' was about a young man who gets possessed by an ancient Chinese national spirit and ends up getting utterly morally corrupted and becoming a mass murdering terrorist.
65* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' started as this to ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', featuring characters and designs from the show, but being considerably LighterAndSofter and more episodic. Meanwhile Fleetway Comicss ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' featured designs from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' but was considerably DarkerAndEdgier. The two comics would establish their own continuities and lore, each becoming its own different thing, with Archie Sonic lasting longer and adapting plot of more games, while STC doing a lot of things its own way, often diverging from other versions.
66* ''Space Job'' is a miniseries set very much in the vein of Franchise/StarTrek, but with the caveat that society is just as materialistic, prejudiced, incompetent and petty as is ever was instead of a optimistically progressive utopia. The series opens with a RedShirt new officer dying to [[ExplosiveInstrumentation the captain's faulty command chair]]. The next issue follows the lack of concern or dignity afforded to his remains by the rest of the crew, with the captain in particular too self-possessed to care besides getting a new desk. Their whole organization is basically security for humanity expanding across the universe to exploit resources for money.
67* ''[[{{ComicBook/Legacy}} Star Wars Legacy]]'' is this to ''VideoGame/{{Knights of the Old Republic II|TheSithLords}}''. Whereas KOTRII is an unrelenting and ruthless deconstruction that simply tears apart and criticizes the ''Star Wars'' universe, ''Legacy'' deconstructs the setting only to then examine the positive aspects of it (as opposed to bringing a strong focus on the negative) and [[{{Reconstruction}} puts it back together]].
68* DC's ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' has Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}''. The former is about incarcerated criminals being ''forced'' into black ops missions for reduced sentences, the latter is about ex-supervillains ''willingly'' trying to go legit and do good as a means to redeem themselves as heroes. Both take darker views, a given when the stories star villains, but the former is decidedly more jaded than the latter.
69* ''ComicBook/SupermanReborn'' to ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay''. Both mark the end of an era for their upstanding hero, but in vastly different ways. ''One More Day'' is a story about [[spoiler:losing a marriage and a child]], and is relatively simple in its execution of dealing with [[spoiler:a supernatural being]] to accomplish this. ''Superman Reborn'' is about [[spoiler:keeping a marriage and a child]], and is pretty convoluted in its explanations with still a few questions left over after defeating [[spoiler: a supernatural being]] to accomplish this.
70* ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool'' is a very direct antithesis to ''ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl''. Both are comedic Marvel titles about a young female superhero, with a writer who rose to success with humorous webcomics and "cartoony" artwork. However, ''Gwenpool'' is a very dark comedy with an (initially) incompetent, overconfident, and self-serving protagonist who kills people at the drop of the hat, while ''Squirrel Girl'' is an optimistic neo-Silver Age work with a [[TheCape totally moral]] protagonist who always wins and never kills her enemies. They're even physical opposites, with Doreen being a chubby and proudly curvy girl whose costumes cover her from head to foot, while Gwen is ([[DependingOnTheArtist usually]]) drawn as a skinny, undeveloped teen who wears a costume that, with a different art style, could be very revealing and sexual.
71* ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel'' is this to ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow''. ''Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow'' was the last Superman story before ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' and was intended to be a definitive end to the fantastical adventures of the near-[[InvincibleHero infallible]] pre-Crisis Superman. It's a pretty brutal {{Deconstruction}} of the [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]], by showing what happens when the goofy villains and {{Mad Scientist}}s get serious, and how absolutely terrifying an omnipotent being who operates on BlueAndOrangeMorality like [[GreatGazoo Mr. Mxyzptlk]] would really be. Meanwhile, ''The Man of Steel'' was the first post-Crisis Superman book and a solid {{Reconstruction}}, showing a more human Superman in a more complicated world and dealing with more realistic forms of evil; but still as an undeniable force for good.
72* Creator/WarrenEllis [[WordOfGod in the afterword of]] ''ComicBook/BlackSummer'' contrasted it with ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'', saying that Creator/MarkMillar's event shows watered down version of superheroes coming in conflict with the government, while he wanted to show in ''Black Summer'' what he thinks would really happen.
73** Ellis must love this trope -- when Creator/KurtBusiek and Creator/AlexRoss created ''ComicBook/{{Marvels}}'', a [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructing]] but still idealistic portrayal of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, Ellis wrote ''ComicBook/{{Ruins}}'' -- a depressing AlternateUniverse where everything that could go wrong did, worse than you can imagine -- that is generally seen as Marvels' Evil Twin. When Busiek made a sequel to ''Marvels'', Ellis responded with ''Ghost Boxes'' -- a compilation of alternate Universes where the ComicBook/XMen failed to stop the threat from his ''Astonishing X-Men'' series, each more depressing than the previous one.
74** He once pulled it on himself as well. His original proposal for ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'' contrasts it with his run on ''ComicBook/{{Stormwatch}}'' -- the latter was a depressing story of a secret super-team doing what they can to stop superpowered threats and the former, while still having its grim moments, is about a secret super-team discovering unknown wonders of the world. It's saying something the same proposal said the big theme in ''Planetary'' is Elijah Snow, his AuthorAvatar, rediscovering the beauty of the world.
75*** ''ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}'' in turns is this to both Stormwatch and Planetary. It's a comedy where a secret super-team of losers with few screws loose finds out the secret organization they work for is run by people even crazier and dumber and also corrupt and needs to stop their ridiculous creations from making the world even dumber than it already is. If ''Stormwatch'' said the world is cruel and ''Planetary'' that it's beautiful, ''Nextwave'' said the world is ''insane''.
76** Ellis may have planned to turn it around, since the series was LeftHanging, but ''ComicBook/DoktorSleepless'' took a central character who was a hybrid of Elijah Snow and [[ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}} Spider Jerusalem]] and revealed him as a VillainProtagonist who was an OmnicidalManiac.
77** ''ComicBook/SwitchbladeHoney'' is this to ''Franchise/StarTrek'' -- it shows a future where the exploration of space is handled by a bunch of insane egomaniacs, which leads to a war with a much more powerful enemy, which humanity is losing. Heroic idealists, who would become great heroes of Starfleet in ''Franchise/StarTrek'', here end up in prison for opposing the corrupted system.
78* ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' is one to ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'' in a sense. One is hopeful and idealistic, the other is dark and cynical. One has a hero who treats everyone with respect or, at worst, disappointment; the other's treats everyone as inferior and always tries to intimidate. One regrets treating his sidekick cruelly (while he was being affected by something inverting his personality), the other has no qualms about abusing a child (while he's completely himself). One sticks to a character's singular mythos; the other brings in the rest of the DC Universe. One is at the end of the character's life; the other is shortly after the start of its protagonist's career. Both also act as prequels to their [[Creator/GrantMorrison respective]] [[Creator/FrankMiller writers']] self-created continuities. And on a meta level: One series is iconic and beloved; the other is iconic for all the wrong reasons. It becomes blatantly obvious in each series's [[SignatureScene Signature Scenes]]; the latter's is the [[DesignatedHero "hero"]] verbally abusing a child, while the former's is the [[AllLovingHero hero]] saving a suicidal teenager.
79* Creator/MarkMillar wrote ''ComicBook/{{Huck}}'' after [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160728140240/https://www.gamesradar.com/mark-millar-how-man-steel-traumatised-create-huck/ watching]] ''Film/ManOfSteel'' and being utterly horrified by its violent depiction of ComicBook/{{Superman}} [[spoiler:as somebody who kills his enemies]]. Deciding that [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone his own career]] played no small part in the rise of DarkerAndEdgier superheroes, he decided to create something considerably more lighthearted and idealistic.
80* Having created ''The Eltingville Club'' as a TakeThat to obsessive and antisocial fanboys emblematic of tropes like FanDumb, SeriousBusiness and ComedicSociopathy, Evan Dorkin created an one-issue "mirror image" with ''The Northwest Comix Collective'', making fun of the type of people who would hate the Eltingville nerds - pretentious hacks and wannabe AlternativeComics creators who justify their sloth and heavy drug intake by claiming their work is true art, and are not above commiting fraud and plagiarism to get their comics off the ground. Each character of the Northwest Comix Collective is analogous to an Eltingville character, and it's emphasized how they're similar - they're all unable to get girls to hang out with them, and, despite their talk, the Northwest gang is just as obsessed with superheroes, except they can't stop talking about how much they ''[[FanHater hate]]'' them.
81* Franchise/TheDCU is similar to the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, due to both being long-running comic book continuities, but the way they do things is a lot different: DC reboots their main universe every few years to streamline continuity while Marvel keeps the same one with constant updates; DC heroes tend to be more clean-cut and heroic while the Marvel heroes tend to act within morally grey areas; DC places a larger emphasis on legacy and passings-of-the-torch while Marvel has more independent superheroes who grow up to stand alongside the last generation. While this might make it sound like Marvel is the DarkerAndEdgier to DC's LighterAndSofter, in reality, they both have moments of lighter and darker content. The main difference is that while Marvel works to make its world and characters feel realistic, DC emphasizes the relationship and history between heroes to drive its arcs.
82** Marvel and DC are the two longest comic book universes, but the way they do things are different, such as the DC heroes try their best not to commit morally questionable acts most of the time, unless they have to. While the Marvel heroes do decide to commit morally questionable acts, they do it to save the ones they care about or the world. Most of the Marvel villains usually stay as straight-up bad guys, while the villains in the DC universe try to change their ways and even become [[AntiHero anti-heroes]] at times.
83* The controversial ''ComicBook/SupermanTruth'' received one in the form of a story with the same name in ''ComicBook/SupermanBrianMichaelBendis''. Both featured Superman's identity being outed -- but in the latter, Clark himself was the one who went public, he ''wasn't'' depowered, the world accepted the truth a lot better than it did in the original, and his friends didn't turn their backs on him[[note]]Granted, Perry White ''did'' fire Clark, but that was because for the insurance issues the ''Planet'' now faced and in the exact same conversation, he rehired him with Clark using an alias for writing and Superman himself as a mascot[[/note]]. In the former, Lois outed Clark, Clark was blackmailed, he lost most of his powers, and he became a HeroWithBadPublicity who was hated by almost everyone.
84* ''ComicBook/WhatsSoFunnyAboutTruthJusticeAndTheAmericanWay'' and ''ComicBook/SupermanAndTheAuthority'' are both stories that involve Superman interacting with a modern team of anti-heroes based on ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' and featuring Manchester Black (who debuted in the former). However, the former casts Superman and the anti-heroes as diametrically opposed, with Superman as an uncompromising IdealHero who is far more powerful than them, and whose strident morality will always allow him to save the day without needing to give up on his ideals, versus the Elite being a gang of psychotic NominalHero upstarts whose goals are little more than wanton murder with incidental villainous casualties. Meanwhile, the latter has Superman ''found'' the team, has him admit that his actions caused him to [[ReedRichardsIsUseless ignore important problems and fail to keep the world safe]], and depicts him as significantly weakened by age and needing to pass on his ideals to the next generation, while the new Authority is shown as {{Unscrupulous Hero}}es at worst who want to save the world as much as anyone else, are necessary to do so, and are victims of a status quo genuinely starting to run sour. Both stories focus on the idea that Superman can't do what the Authority does, but one proclaims "and that's a good thing, because the Authority are terrible", while the other says "and that's why Superman is with them, because they might be able to succeed where he failed."
85* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' and ''ComicBook/MarvelAdventures'' are both TurnOfTheMillennium YoungerAndHipper UltimateUniverse takes on the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. However, the former is DarkerAndEdgier, features a MythArc and is aimed at a teen/young adult audience, while the latter is LighterAndSofter, mostly features standalone stories (though setups for larger arcs sometimes occur) and is aimed at younger kids (although it has a sizeable PeripheryDemographic).
86* In the early sixties, DC put out a number of out-of-continuity "imaginary stories", mostly involving ComicBook/{{Superman}}, and two of which ended up being rather enduring, to the point of receiving pseudo-remakes in the 1990s: ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman1961'', and ''ComicBook/TheAmazingStoryOfSupermanRedAndSupermanBlue''. Both stories are, largely, about a possible endpoint for Superman's character, but go about them in completely opposite directions. ''The Death of Superman'' is about the most tragic possible ending Superman could have, where he is [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horribly murdered]] by a faux-repentant Luthor, being done in by his own altruism and desire to help humanity. Meanwhile, ''Superman-Red and Superman-Blue'' is about the most idyllic possible ending Superman could have, where, after being split into a pair of superintelligent twins, he creates world peace, restores Krypton, hypnotizes all his villains into being good, and [[MarryThemAll marries both Lois and Lana]].
87* ''ComicBook/PowerRangersSoulOfTheDragon'' was pitched as "''Franchise/PowerRangers'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ''ComicBook/OldManLogan''" but is actually this trope to both OML and ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''. Each one deals with iconic hero - Tommy Oliver, Logan and Bruce Wayne - retiring and growing OlderAndWiser, before being called back to action. However, ''Old Man Logan'' is a post-apocalyptic story in a world where evil won, heroes are dead and Logan himself is broken and apathetic, learning over the course of the journey that he still has work to do. ''Dark Knight Returns'' is an early cyberpunk-esque dystopia, with Bruce Wayne taking the cowl again to reestablish order in Gotham, but after years having become cynical and jaded, more prone to needless brutality, even showing some clearly fascist tendencies. By contrast to both, ''Soul of the Dragon'' is officially set in main ''Power Rangers'' timeline, and while Tommy is jaded, it's because of his disappointment with how StatusQuoIsGod and things got neither better nor worse since he became a Ranger. The story ends with him accepting his is no longer needed and can move on and live a happy life he deserves, PassingTheTorch to next generation.
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