10 Comic Icons: Unexpected Origins Beyond the Panels

Think all your favorite comic book heroes and villains leaped straight from the colorful pages of a comic? Think again! While comics have given us countless iconic figures, some beloved characters actually started their journeys in surprising places like television shows, radio dramas, or even video games. Get ready to uncover the unexpected beginnings of ten characters who made the leap from other media to become stars in the comic book universe. These characters are sometimes called ‘canonical immigrants’ – a cool term for figures who move from one story world into the main comic book storyline.

10. Batgirl (DC: Batman titles)

The mid-1950s were a tough time for comic books. A book called Seduction of the Innocent claimed comics were harmful to kids, causing a big scare. DC Comics faced criticism that Batman and Robin were gay. To counter this, they introduced Batwoman as a love interest for Batman in 1956. Later, in 1961, Bat-Girl (Betty Kane) was created as a love interest for Robin. However, she didn’t become very popular and was eventually dropped when a new editor, Julius Schwartz, took over the Batman comics in 1964.

Fast forward to 1966, the live-action Batman TV series was a huge hit. But by its third season, ratings were falling. Producer William Dozier wanted to add a female hero to attract more female viewers. He asked Schwartz to create a character who was Commissioner Gordon’s daughter. This led to the birth of Barbara Gordon, a librarian by day and Batgirl by night. She was designed by artist Carmine Infantino.

To convince TV executives, a short film was made where Batgirl rescued Batman and Robin. Interestingly, she wasn’t allowed to punch villains because it wasn’t ‘lady-like’, so she became known for her kicks! Batgirl first appeared in Detective Comics #359 in January 1967, specifically to build excitement for the TV show. She was created for TV first, then introduced in comics. Since then, Batgirl has become a staple in Batman stories and has even had her own movies and series.

9. Firestar (Marvel: X-Men titles)

Remember the Saturday morning cartoon Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends? It debuted in 1981 and featured Peter Parker (Spider-Man) as a college student with two superhero roommates: Iceman and Firestar (Angelica Jones). The show’s creators wanted a ‘fire and ice’ theme. They got Iceman from the X-Men, but they couldn’t use the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four because another studio had the rights to his character for a movie that never even got made.

So, the producers created their own fire-powered hero: Firestar. She could control microwave radiation to fly and shoot flames. Some early name ideas for her were Heatwave, Firefly, and Starblaze. Her real name, Angelica Jones, was a nod to an old girlfriend of one of the writers.

In the cartoon, Firestar was shown as a former X-Man. When she moved to the comics, her backstory was developed further. She was initially trained by the villainous Hellfire Club and fought against the X-Men. Later, she joined the New Warriors, became a hero, and even starred in her own miniseries.

8. Jimmy Olsen (DC: Superman titles)

It’s hard to imagine Superman without his pal, Jimmy Olsen, the enthusiastic young photographer. But Jimmy wasn’t there from Superman’s very start in 1938. While an unnamed redhead kid appeared briefly in Action Comics #6 dreaming of meeting Superman (later said to be Jimmy), the character of Jimmy Olsen was truly born on the radio.

He was introduced as a cub reporter on April 15, 1940, in The Adventures of Superman radio show. Radio stories needed characters for Superman to talk to, so Jimmy Olsen and editor Perry White were created. Jimmy quickly became a fan favorite. This popularity led to his official comic book introduction in Superman #13 in late 1941.

Interestingly, Jimmy Olsen then vanished from Superman comics for most of the 1940s. He was brought back to life, so to speak, in the 1952 TV series Adventures of Superman. This sparked new interest, and from 1954 for nearly 20 years, Jimmy even had his own comic book, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen. This comic was famous for its wacky stories where Jimmy would transform into all sorts of strange things, like a giant turtle or Elastic Lad!

7. Phil Coulson (Marvel: Avengers titles)

Agent Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg, is a familiar face to anyone who loves the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He first appeared in the very first MCU movie, Iron Man (2008). Though his role was small initially, Gregg’s performance made Coulson a memorable character of S.H.I.E.L.D. He went on to appear in several more movies and was a central figure in the TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Coulson’s role grew significantly in the MCU, partly due to some quick script changes for the movie Thor (2011). When writers needed a S.H.I.E.L.D. presence and Nick Fury wasn’t fully available, Coulson stepped in. This path led him to a key role in The Avengers (2012) and his own show.

Because he became so popular in the movies, Phil Coulson made his comic book debut in 2011 in the series Battle Scars. In the comics, Coulson was an Army Ranger who later worked with superhumans. His knowledge of superheroes, their strengths, and weaknesses made him great at dealing with big personalities like Iron Man and Deadpool.

6. Sakura Kasugano (UDON: Street Fighter titles)

If you’re a fan of fighting games, you probably know Sakura Kasugano from Capcom’s Street Fighter series. She first appeared in a game in 1994. In a 2017 poll for Street Fighter’s 30th anniversary, fans voted Sakura the most popular character out of 109 fighters! She even beat out Ryu, the main hero of the series.

Sakura was designed with a unique look: a Japanese schoolgirl uniform, red sneakers, red combat gloves, and a white headband given to her by Ryu. Her personality was relatable – a skilled but sometimes awkward teenager learning Ryu’s fighting style. This made her a hit with young audiences.

Sakura has been a playable character in over 20 video games. She’s also appeared in anime, animated TV shows, a live-action movie, and her own manga series. Naturally, her popularity led her to the world of comics, where she has featured in at least 70 issues of Street Fighter comic book titles.

5. Rocksteady and Bebop (IDW Comics: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles titles)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) have faced many villains, but few are as beloved as the bumbling duo Bebop (a giant warthog) and Rocksteady (a rhinoceros). When TMNT creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman first made the comics in 1984, their stories were quite dark and serious. There wasn’t much room for goofy characters like these two.

Bebop and Rocksteady were actually created in 1987 when Laird and Eastman were working with Playmate Toys on a TMNT toy line. The toy company wanted more characters, so Laird came up with Bebop (named after a type of jazz) and Rocksteady (named after a reggae style). He later said he regretted creating them!

The characters became hugely popular in the 1988 animated TV series. This show was much more light-hearted than the original comics. Bebop and Rocksteady were portrayed as clumsy and silly, which made them fan favorites (though not Laird’s). They made their comic book debut in 1988 when Archie Comics was publishing TMNT, and they continue to appear in the comics now published by IDW.

4. Isis (DC: Shazam titles)

The superhero Isis shares her name with an ancient Egyptian goddess. But the comic character we know first appeared on TV. On September 6, 1975, Filmation introduced Isis as a new female superhero for their Saturday morning show, The Shazam!/Isis Hour. This made her the first female live-action superhero on TV, arriving even before The Bionic Woman and Wonder Woman’s TV shows.

The show featured a high school teacher who found a magical amulet during an archaeological dig. This amulet gave her the powers of the goddess Isis. The show ran for two seasons and featured some crossovers with Captain Marvel from Shazam!.

Isis made her comic book debut in Shazam! #25 in late 1976 and soon got her own series. However, she didn’t become a massive hit at the time and faded from media by the early 1980s. DC Comics brought her back in a big 2006 storyline called 52. This time, her story was different: she was an Egyptian woman who married the anti-hero Black Adam. She has since appeared in other shows like Smallville and Legends of Tomorrow, and in movies.

3. Luis (Marvel: Ant-Man titles)

The MCU has given us many memorable supporting characters who weren’t originally from the comics, like Dr. Erik Selvig and Darcy Lewis from the Thor movies. But one character who stole hearts and scenes is Luis from Ant-Man (2015). Played by Michael Peña, Luis is Scott Lang’s former cellmate and friend.

Luis is known for his infectious optimism and his hilarious, rambling storytelling style, where he recounts long, detailed stories to explain simple things. This unique way of talking made him an instant fan favorite. His positive attitude and loyalty to his friends, even when they’re breaking into places, add a lot of humor and warmth to the Ant-Man films.

Thanks to his huge popularity in the movies, Luis officially joined the Marvel comics universe. He first appeared in Astonishing Ant-Man #1 in 2015. Fans love him so much that there’s often talk about whether Luis might even get his own superhero suit someday!

2. X-23 (Marvel: X-Men titles)

X-23, also known as Laura Kinney, was created in 2003 by writers Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost for the animated TV series X-Men: Evolution. She was designed to be a younger, female version of Wolverine. In her origin story, she is a clone of Wolverine, created by the evil organization HYDRA to be the perfect assassin.

The DNA sample used to create her was damaged, which led to her being female. HYDRA raised Laura in a harsh environment, training her to be a ruthless killer. Like Wolverine, she has adamantium claws – two in each hand and one in each foot – and a powerful healing factor.

X-23 premiered in an August 2003 episode of X-Men: Evolution and became so popular that she made her comic book debut just a few months later, in December 2003, in NYX #3. She has since become a major character in the X-Men comics, often seen as Wolverine’s daughter figure, and has even taken on the Wolverine mantle herself. She also made a big impact in the movie Logan (2017).

1. Harley Quinn (DC: Batman titles)

She’s wild, she’s dangerous, and she’s incredibly popular – Harley Quinn is truly one of a kind! But this fan-favorite character didn’t start in the pages of a comic book. Harley Quinn was created for Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990s.

Writer Paul Dini was working on an episode featuring the Joker and thought it would be fun to give him a female henchperson. He was inspired by his college friend, actress Arleen Sorkin, who played a quirky jester-like character in a dream sequence on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Dini thought a harlequin theme would fit perfectly with the Joker.

Artist Bruce Timm designed Harley’s iconic black and red jester costume. Arleen Sorkin provided Harley’s unique voice, giving her a memorable personality. Harley was initially meant to be a one-time character in the episode “Joker’s Favor” (1992). But her chemistry with Mark Hamill’s Joker was so fantastic that she quickly became a recurring character.

Harley made her comic book debut a year later in The Batman Adventures #12. Her popularity exploded, and she was eventually brought into the main DC comic universe. Over the years, her character has become more complex, sometimes a villain, sometimes an anti-hero, and even a member of the Suicide Squad. From her animated beginnings to blockbuster movies, Harley Quinn has proven to be an Crazily unpredictable and beloved force in the DC Universe.

So, there you have it! Ten familiar faces from the world of comics whose stories began somewhere entirely different. It’s fascinating to see how characters can leap from television, radio, or video games and find a new home—and huge popularity—within comic book lore. These ‘canonical immigrants’ prove that great characters can truly come from anywhere, enriching the universes we love.

Which of these character origins surprised you the most? Do you know any other comic characters who didn’t start in comics? Share your thoughts and favorites in the comments below!