# Superman question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098 "2013-11-29T21:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/21 "2013-12-01T02:39:43Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I thought it was to distance it from the campy Batman TV show, whose hero was also called Bruce. Well, yes, Johnson didn’t want the Incredible Hulk to be seen as campy, but I doubt he had the Batman series in mind as they were a decade removed. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/22 "2013-12-01T03:04:43Z")
It should be noted that the ‘alliterative names’ thing for civilian names is less a ‘comic book’ thing than a Marvel thing. Supposedly a result of Stan Lee’s famously terrible memory. Outside of Superman’s galaxy of LLs and Guy Gardner, I’m at a loss for a relatively major DC characters with alliterative names. Certainly there are some, but it’s not as much of a thing as it was for Stan-penned Marvel. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/23 "2013-12-01T03:15:01Z")
Another figure from the Silver Age was [Mon-El](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mon-El#Mon-El), a Superboy analog from the planet Daxam. Monel metal is a strong and corrosion-resistant nickle alloy and apparently was the actual source of the name, which seemed cool and scientific at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/24 "2013-12-01T06:44:39Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Outside of Superman’s galaxy of LLs and Guy Gardner, I’m at a loss for a relatively major DC characters with alliterative names. Wally West. Gorilla Grodd ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/25 "2013-12-01T12:01:58Z")
John Jones. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/26 "2013-12-01T12:11:43Z")
Billy Batson - Libby Lawrence - Hector Hall - Shiera Sanders - Ronnie Raymond - Mari McCabe - Freddy Freeman - Cassandra Cain - Zatanna Zatara… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/27 "2013-12-01T12:31:22Z")
Daniel Dunbar, James Jesse, Rod Reilly, Scandal Savage, Hank Heywood, Darrel Dane, Sam Scudder, Richard Raleigh, Preston Payne, Dinah Drake, Mark Mardon, Sonia Sato… ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/28 "2013-12-01T13:57:25Z")
Jenna Jameson, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/29 "2013-12-01T15:07:42Z")
Okay, admittedly I’m only an occasional comics reader, but the question was for “relatively major” characters. If we define “relatively major” as meaning someone I’ve heard of, then most of those fail. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/30 "2013-12-01T15:53:03Z")
Ace Archer, Blue Beetle, Capt. Comet, Dr. Death, Emerald Empress, Felix Faust, General Glory, Hector Hammond, … ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/31 "2013-12-01T15:58:43Z")
It’s funny how many codenames are being listed as ‘civilian’ names, here. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/32 "2013-12-01T16:07:19Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Billy Batson - Libby Lawrence - Hector Hall - Shiera Sanders - Ronnie Raymond - Mari McCabe - Freddy Freeman - Cassandra Cain - Zatanna Zatara… You’re fudging. The Captain Marvel characters like Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman (not to mention Mary Marvel) were invented long before DC bought out Fawcett. Shiera Sanders, Hawkgirl, was an All-American character. They shouldn’t count in a list of what DC did. They are evidence that Stan Lee was merely following a long tradition, though. I mean, J’onn J’onzz?!? Who wouldn’t want to imitate that? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/33 "2013-12-01T16:29:23Z")
Scandal Savage? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/34 "2013-12-01T17:25:31Z")
Vandal Savage’s daughter. Was one of the leads of Gail Simone’s Secret Six series. May or may not exist under current continuity. (Kass Sage seems to fit into Savage’s timeline where Scandal would have.) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/35 "2013-12-01T17:38:35Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > John Jones. Or J’onn J’onzz, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/36 "2013-12-01T17:51:05Z")
Well, one of the early English novelists, Tobias Smollett, writing around 1750, came up with _The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle_ and _The Adventures of Roderick Random_. Charles Dickens wrote _Nicholas Nickleby_ and had characters named “Tiny Tim.” So alliteration ain’t new. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/37 "2013-12-01T20:33:34Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Or J’onn J’onzz, for that matter. J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter - any other heroes that alliterate in both identities? (Daredevil maybe, depends if you count it as one word or two) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/38 "2013-12-01T22:58:26Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > You’re fudging. The Captain Marvel characters like Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman (not to mention Mary Marvel) were invented long before DC bought out Fawcett. Shiera Sanders, Hawkgirl, was an All-American character. They shouldn’t count in a list of what DC did. Hmm. By that logic, I guess we also shouldn’t count, say, Eve Eden – but do we get to count, say, Dan Dreiberg toward what DC’s done? Regardless, there’s Hank Hall and Boston Brand and Tom Tresser and Buddy Baker and Christopher Chance and Trey Thompson and Kathy Kane and Robby Reed and… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/39 "2013-12-01T23:04:20Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Regardless, there’s Hank Hall and Boston Brand and Tom Tresser and Buddy Baker and Christopher Chance and Trey Thompson and Kathy Kane and Robby Reed and… It’s a wide, wide Anglo-Saxon world. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098/40 "2013-12-01T23:07:24Z")
Don’t forget Simon and Sapphire Stagg: two generations of alliteration. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-question/675098.md?page=3)