Imperiex
Marvel isn’t the only one taking crib notes, since DC has done the same to its biggest rival as well. Step forward Imperiex, a character that first appeared in Superman #153 in February 2000. As the main villain for the “Our Worlds at War” storyline, he shook up the landscape of our heroes’ worlds, living up to his name as the Destroyer of Galaxies. Hmm… Now where have we heard something similar before?
Obviously, Imperiex was DC’s imitation of Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. Truth be told, he did end up being the poor man’s version of the Fantastic Four‘s popular antagonist – and he kinda sucked. You see, the late 1990s and early 2000s aren’t fondly remembered as a great time for comic books. The stories were stale and the new characters were akin to recycled toilet paper, where you could appreciate the effort but you weren’t too keen to experience it firsthand.
While Galactus has undoubtedly stood the test of time – despite the best efforts of Fox to turn him into a giant fart cloud in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer – Imperiex is nowhere in his league. In fact, he’s largely remembered as a “meh” by most comic book fans.