When it comes to unusual names, few characters have more bizarre monikers than superheroes or super villains – unless they happen to be the super pets of those heroes or villains, like the ones in the list below!
Krypto the Super Dog
No list of super pet names would be complete without acknowledging one of the most famous super pet dogs of all – Superman’s pet dog, Krypto! Rocketed from Krypton in a prototype spaceship that Superman’s father Jor-El decided to test on the family dog, Krypto later made it to Earth where he gained super powers thanks to Earth’s yellow sun, and was reunited with the teenage Superboy.
While most of his adventures involved Superboy (and later Superman), Krypto also joined forces with other super pets – including Supergirl’s super cat Streaky and the Kryptonian super-monkey Beppo. Together with Comet, a centaur-turned-super horse (don’t ask), the animals formed their own Legion of Super-Pets!
Spider- Ham
Long before Homer Simpson introduced the world to Spider-Pig, Marvel Comics had its own spider-powered swine – Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-Ham! Hailing from Marvel’s Zooniverse, where all of Marvel’s super heroes and villains have animal parody counterparts, Spider-Ham was actually a spider bitten by an irradiated pig, which transformed him into an anthropomorphic pig with spider-powers.
Over the years, Spider-Ham would battle many animal versions of Spider-Man’s villains, including Doctor Octopussy Cat and Ducktor Doom. In his off-hours, Peter Porker dated Mary Jane Water Buffalo (who was later re-imagined as an anthropomorphic bird named Mary Crane).
While not, strictly speaking, a super pet, Spider-Ham is a popular animal super hero who appeared in many Marvel comic books – and even enjoyed his own comic book series for a while. Most recently, he co-starred in superhero stories featured in Amazing Spider-Man Family where he acts as a mentor to his daughter Swiney-Girl (a parody of Spider-Man’s real daughter Spider-Girl).
Hairball
Back in the 1980s, comic book artist Steve Ditko (co-creator of Spider-Man) created Speedball, a teenager who gained the ability to bounce amazing distances after being accidentally exposed to an other-dimensional energy source. Conveniently, the accident also gives a cat named Niels the same super powers.
Years later, Speedball suffers a mental breakdown and becomes the masochistic anti-hero Penance. Sadly, he drags Niels into his madness by putting the cat in a metal suit and renaming him “P-Cat, the Penitent Puss.”
Fortunately, Niels escapes this fate and later appears as the cat superhero “Hairball” in Marvel Comics’ miniseries Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers. Along with teleporting dog Lockjaw, miniature dragon Lockheed, falcon Redwing, sabretooth tiger Zabu, gender-confused dog Ms. Lion, and Throg – a human-turned-frog imbued with the power of Thor – Hairball helps save the universe (and President Barrack Obama’s dog Bo).
Gleek
Fans of the 1980s superhero cartoon The All-New Super Friends Hour may remember this blue space monkey as the super pet sidekick of The Wonder Twins, Zan (who could transform into any form of water) and Jayna (who could shapeshift into any animal).
Although Gleek never displayed any traditional super powers, he did have a useful prehensile tail and always seemed to have a bucket to carry Zan whenever he transformed into water. Some fans joked that this was the monkey’s super power.
More Unusual Names for Superheroes and Villains
Like reading about offbeat superheroes, their weird character names, and strange super powers? Then check out Unusual Superhero Names, Unusual Names for Super Villains, and Top Four Weird Super Powers.
Find ways of creating your own character names at How to Find Cool Character Names for Superhero Stories.
Sources:
Binder, Otto and Curt Swan. “The Super-Dog From Krypton!” Adventure Comics #210. NY: DC Comics, 1955.
DeFalco, Tom and Mark Armstrong. Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham. NY: Marvel Comics, 1983.
Eliopoulos, Chris and Iq Guara. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers. NY: Marvel Comics, 2009. ISBN: 978-0785142713
Siegel, Jerry and Curt Swan. “The Legion of Super-Traitors!” Adventure Comics #293 NY: DC Comics, 1962.
Slott, Dan and Kieron Dwyer. “Squirrel Girl Interludes.” Dead-Pool GLI: Summer Fun Spectacular Vol. 1 #1.NY: Marvel Comics, 2007.
Michael Jung - Michael Jung is a professional writer, children’s literature specialist, and online book dealer whose articles, reviews, interviews, ...
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