We all know how big the comic book movie industry is these days. DC and Marvel have so many characters to work with that sometimes it feels like there’s no room for any new heroes or villains. But somehow, they keep coming up with all sorts of ideas and not just on the comic pages. Movies tend to add new stuff to make the film stand out and feel different. This includes characters never before seen, like Phil Coulson or Luis. At the end of the day, the viewers get so attached that the company has no other choice but to add them to the comics, making them canon.
Here are some of the most prominent comic book characters that originated in movies or cartoons!
1. Bebop and Rocksteady (1987)
TNMT creators, Eastman and Laird, were brainstorming some cool new ideas for toys and figured that mutated warthog and rhino would make for a great addition. It turns out they were not wrong. Bebop and Rocksteady were injected into the TMNT animated show in 1987 and became two of the most recognizable characters in the Turtle universe, on par with Shredder and Krang. The creators could not fathom why these two became such a huge hit, but their more creative characters were left to rot, so to spite the fans, Bebop and Rocksteady did not appear in the 1991 TMNT live-action movie. They were replaced with new and fresh mutants — Rahaz and Tokka, whom nobody remembers without a quick Google search. The bumbling duo was featured on the pages of TMNT comics in 1988.
2. Batgirl (1966)
The 50s were a real ordeal for every comic book publisher in the US. Some guy started spewing nonsense about Superman being a fascist, and Batman and Robin were lovers. Plus, all the violence supposedly turned kids into bloodthirsty monsters. So yeah, not a great time to be a comic fan. But in 1966, Batman got its legendary live-action series which eventually featured a female protagonist that was meant to appease the thirsty boys. That’s how Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara became Batgirl. In 1967 she first appeared on the pages of Detective Comics and went on to have a huge success.
3. Firestar (1981)
Remember Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends? Probably not, but we don’t blame you. The show debuted 40 years ago on NBC and featured the Web-Head and his two roommates — Iceman and Firestar. Iceman was an established X-Man, but Firestar was a brand-new creation. The producers thought that a fiery lady would be a better fit for the show instead of using Human Torch. Later, she joined the X-men and New Warriors in the comics.
