Originally Posted by
gregpersons
Yeah, nothing in common... well, besides the color scheme, general tone, an "S-man" name, and...
--Both alter egos defined by nebbishness (and Peter Parker wears Clark Kent-like spectacles in the original Ditko run)
--Both work at a newspaper called "Daily..."
--Original girlfriends work with hero at newspaper job; have alliterative names -- Lois Lane / Betty Brant
--Both work for gruff-but-lovable editors
--Both characters had big special Wedding issues in the same era
--Both characters had their marriages ret-conned in the same era
--Both characters became the face of their publisher
--Both characters were adopted by elderly saintly people who taught the hero their morality
--Both characters have a bald big bad kingpin -- Lex and Fisk (with the '80s reinvention of Lex very much borrowing from Kingpin)
To prove how common these tropes are, let's name all of the other superheroes who fit these descriptions besides these two, who have nothing in common.