Amalgam: 5 Characters That Need Minor Tweaks (& 5 That Need Overhauls)

Amalgam comics, the event that merged DC Comics and Marvel Comics in the mid ’90s is an event that was of its time.  An idea with so much potential that was rarely capitalized on, no one can really call it bad, but it made a few too many short-minded decisions.

A lot of the characters that were created were made for the sake of the fact that they were “rad,” but that mindset has negatively affected how well the series has aged. Should another Amalgam-style event occur, which characters should stay with minor adjustments, and which should be overhauled.

10 Few Changes: The Challengers Of The Fantastic

The Challengers Of The Unknown are already a precursor to the groundbreaking Fantastic Four, but the main reason this should stick around… is the name. That said, the basic concepts of both teams are similar enough for the merging to be sound, but the roster needs a bit of an update.

Perhaps keeping the name while merging The Four with the roster of The Terrifics would be an eye-grabbing move, especially since the latter is more or less a rip-off of Marvel’s first family. The main reason to respect the name is because both teams were created by The King Of Comics, Jack Kirby.

9 Overhaul: Darkclaw

Unfortunately, common sense is a force that will not bow before the altar of “totally radical,” thus is the tragic explanation of why Darkclaw is best left out of print. While Darkclaw, for the most part, had some of the better stories of the Amalgam initiative, the merging of Batman and Wolverine makes no sense and is a wasted opportunity.

Personality-wise Batman and Wolverine are somewhat similar, but merging with Iron Man just makes more sense on Batman’s part. As for Wolverine, there are many possibilities, such as Deathstroke, Cyborg, or Lobo, but that’s a decision for the creators.

8 Few Changes: Speed Demon

To quote a famous saying “Three is a crowd.” Getting to the point, the merging of The Flash, Ghost Rider, and Etrigan is a case of too many characters spoiling an interesting idea. If you just look at that lineup, you can see that one of these characters is not like the others.

Simply put, if The Flash was dropped from the character, the merging of Ghost Rider and Etrigan could be a narrative gold-mine. As for The Scarlet Speedster, there are many options, with Spider-Man being the most interesting one.

7 Overhaul: Amazon

This one hurts a bit, as the potential of merging Wonder Woman and Storm is an interesting idea, but it went about it poorly. With Amazon, Ororo Munroe became Wonder Woman, but Diana Prince was still around. They weren’t even properly merged.

There are two options with Amazon, either properly merge Wonder Woman and Storm, or merging them with two separate characters. Perhaps merging Wonder Woman with Captain America or Thor and Storm with Vixen, Black Lightning, or Starfire.

6 Few Changes: Lobo The Duck

To be fair to Amalgam, a merging that comes out of nowhere doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. While Lobo and Howard The Duck seem worlds apart on the surface, there are some similarities between the two characters.

Both parties are the stars of comedic, slightly irreverent comic book series, they both have dark sides, and they both have worked in space (Guardians Of The Galaxy, anyone?) At first glance, it’s an odd pairing, but if given to a worthy writer, Lobo The Duck could be a big deal.

5 Overhaul: Dare The Terminator

Of all the Amalgam’s, this one felt the most random. Dare The Terminator, an amalgamation of Daredevil and Deathstroke, is the definition of an oddity. Outside of the two men being skilled in a variety of martial arts despite having varied levels of blindness, the two merging just doesn’t really gel.

While there does need to be more female superheroes, making Dare The Terminator a woman is the only thing that is interesting about this merging. Should Amalgam return, perhaps it’d be for the best if Daredevil and Deathstroke need to distance themselves from each other.

4 Few Changes: Thanoseid

If you aren’t aware, Thanos had received a bit of mainstream attention recently, and The Snyder Cut has got people talking about Darkseid. Merging the two was a total no-brainer back then and it’s still something that should happen.

To be honest, the design and name could receive some updates, though his look in Thorion of The New Asgods is actually pretty swish. Either way, it goes without saying that Thanoseid could easily turn heads if he ever returned.

3 Overhaul: Iron Lantern

To be fair to Iron Lantern, there are some similarities between Hal Jordan and Tony Stark. Both men are ladies men, they have both charm as well as charisma, and they both utilize unique pieces of technology to battle the forces of evil.

However, there are so many other options for both men that it makes you question why they chose this one. Obviously, Batman is the right choice for Iron Man, but Green Lantern could be merged with Captain Marvel, Star Lord, Nova… just anyone but Iron Man.

2 Few Changes: Super Soldier

Could it have been anyone else? In retrospect, Amalgam Comics was a fun idea, but since all the fusions were only done to ensure short term sales, it really put a dent in the imprint’s ability to be revisited. Super Soldier was the best decision they could have ever made.

MCU: Captain America’s Biggest Mistakes That Changed Everything

Superman and Captain America are Marvel and DC’s respective symbols of hope, as well as morality. Merging the two characters made absolute sense and it could absolutely be translated into the modern day.

1 Overhaul: Bronze Panther

With Black Panther ushering T’Challa into the mainstream, many people have their eyes on The King of Wakanda. With Black Panther being so popular nowadays, it makes looking back at Bronze Panther so bizarre. Why was Black Panther merged with Bronze Tiger? Just…why?

Outside of both men being skilled fighters, as well as both being of African descent, Black Panther and Bronze Tiger have virtually nothing in common. Both Black Panther and Bronze Tiger have so many contenders for amalgams that it makes revisiting this one unthinkable.

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About The Author

Seth Rector
(172 Articles Published)

Ever since he was a young lad, Seth Rector has had a love for all things that reek of geek. Movies, tv shows, comic books, and video games are what he considers his wheelhouse. A writer at heart, Seth says he’s over the moon now that he can write about what he loves. When he isn’t writing for Screen Rant, he is putting his film degree from Lights Film School to good use by working on future film projects.

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