The author is an incorrigible punster ... so don't incorrige him. Almost every name in Everyday Heroes has some sort of pun built in.
The Family
- Mr. Mighty: Averted; this falls under Steven Ulysses Perhero.
- Jane Mighty: Her maiden name was Jane S. Weapons, a pun on the "Janes Weapons" reference books.
- Summer Mighty: She has superpowers, her brother doesn't. Some are mighty, some aren't.
- Word of God has it that her middle name is "Bourne", a Shout-Out to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
- Steve Mighty: Averted; he's a normal guy with a normal name.
Teammates
- Matt O'Morph: A metamorph (i.e. a shape-shifter).
- Dot Dash: Her power is super-speed (Dash), her first name is Dorothea (Dot), and "dot-dash" is Morse Code (married name Morse) for the letter "A" (maiden name Axel, which is itself a pun on "accelerate").
- Dolly Bird: Has feathers, wings and beak of a bird, blonde hair and bustline like Dolly Parton. Also, she speaks with a British accent; "dolly bird" is British slang for an attractive young woman.
- G-Nat: He's part insect (gnat), acts like a gangsta ("G"), and his real name is Nat (or Nate).
- G-Nat's girlfriend, Julia Skimmer, has dragonfly-like wings. There is a species of dragonfly called the "julia skimmer".
- S.B.D.: Simon Burke Davidson; his initials also stand for "silent but deadly", referring to the type of fart that makes no noise but is lethal in its odor. (Simon generates a similar odor when he turns invisible).
- Violet Klein: She's seven-foot-one (or 2.18 metres); "klein" is actually German for "small". She does get smaller when she goes berserk; her superhero name is "Shrinking Violent" (a pun on "shrinking violet", meaning a shy person).
Neighbors
- Carrie Pelosi: Her most prominent characteristic is her massive head of hair ("pelosi" is Italian for "hairy"). Hairy Carrie also has glasses with thick black frames, cheers for the Chicago Cubs, and says "Holy cow" ... all references to former sportscaster Harry Caray.
- Ginny Free: Lee's mom. Her maiden name was Virginia Shenandoah West; a reference to the Shenandoah Valley in West Virginia.
- Uma Quipleure: There is a brand of cheese in France called "La Vache Qui Rit" ("the laughing cow"). Since Uma and her father resemble cows, that would make her "la vache qui pleure" or "the weeping cow" (implying that she has a tragic past).
- Also, the similarity between "Uma" and "moo" should be obvious.
- Melvin Odious: The son of Professor Odious. He loves music; he's "melodious".
- Cameron Odious: Mel's older brother, big and muscular. "Cam Odious" is pun on "commodious" meaning large.
- Mecha-Nichole: A reformed villain who has a "mechanical" head. Previously she was Dr. Nichole Endyme ("nickel and dime").
- Dr. Weirdlike: A Shout-Out to Doctor Strangelove. His first name, Winslow, is another Shout-Out to "The Winslow", a smiling creature that shows up in the works of Phil Foglio.
- Marilee Unpleasant: The daughter of villain Dr. Unpleasant. Her name is an oxymoron; she tends to behave unpleasantly rather than merrily.
- Not really. She is unpleasant for her own merriment.
- Zinger Sharpley: Has a talent for sharp zingers (insults).
- Her real name is Angela, a pun on "angle". Apparently she was acute baby.
- Ryan Latt: A high-school Casanova who will say anything to get what he wants from a girl. He's a lyin' rat. Although technically, that's a spoonerism, not a pun.
- Ben T. Sharpley: while he was in the military, a training accident left him with a spinal injury; his head and neck are, in fact, "bent sharply".
- Thump Sharpley: full name is Thomas Humperdinck Sharpley. His nickname is derived from his first and middle names, plus his tendency to bump into obstacles.
Others
- Jane Aurum: Jane Mighty's childhood friend, called "Goldie" because of her blonde hair. "Aurum" is Latin for "gold".
- Also, the two Janes made up the "Jane Gang" ("chain gang" ... in fact their outfits included chains).
- Wrecking Paul: Worked with the Jane Gang ("Paul and Chain"), had a large wrecking ball attached to his wrist.
- J.P. Wunsch: "Wunsch" is German for "wish" or "desire". An intense desire is sometimes called a "jones", making this a pun on American naval hero John Paul Jones.
- It's not a coincidence that J.P. shared his middle name with Wrecking Paul. They were the same person.
- Cool Hand Lucy: A pun on the film title "Cool Hand Luke". Also, Lucy's last name is Thurman, a play on "thermal" (she has a temperature-related superpower).
- Marita Scheid: Spent time in prison for killing her husband. The killing of a spouse is called "mariticide".
- Dr. Carmichael Weapons: Jane's father ("chemical weapons").
- Hannah Weapons: Jane's mother ("hand weapons"). Also, her maiden name was Hannah Anne Combat (hand-to-hand combat).
- Another Word of God note: Hannah had a sister named Ariel; her father was Mortimer Louis (Mort L.) Combat.
- Jerome Weapons: Jane's oldest brother ("germ weapons").
- Otto "Mad Dog" Weapons: Jane's other brother ("automatic weapons").
- "Dark Ann" Troubled: a villainess with a (what else) Dark and Troubled Past.
- Not to mention her son, the dork, Ken Troubled.
- Dinah Might: A villainess with a fondness for explosives.
- Millie Bornes: Named after the card game "Mille Bornes".
- This
list of Evil Counterparts (and the occasional Good Counterpart) to much of the comic's cast features many examples:
