Who owns the trademark to “Power Woman?”

[Will Evans]

Is it one of the big two or no one at all?
I know DC had Powergirl change her name to that in Kingdom Come. But I also know Marvel had Jessica Jones go by that name post-Siege.

[marhawkman]

Is it one of the big two or no one at all?
I know DC had Powergirl change her name to that in Kingdom Come. But I also know Marvel had Jessica Jones go by that name post-Siege.

mmmmm CBR has an article about that sort of thing... the list of shared aliases is pretty long actually.
https://www.cbr.com/lorendiacs-chara...sed-3rd-draft/
Oh, Power Woman isn't in the list... hunh....

[Digifiend]

Jessica didn't use the name for long, she only had it in the first place because she happens to be Mrs Power Man.

And Kara was an AU version, so obviously also not long term. I don't think either DC or Marvel have it trademarked.

That link is 15 years out of date, they should do an updated version!

[j9ac9k]

I think Marvel and DC both know that name on a comic would scare away 87% of their customer base.

[achilles]

I think Marvel and DC both know that name on a comic would scare away 87% of their customer base.

Not if they put an AH! cover on the first issue...

Then 87% of their customer base would buy it.

[Digifiend]

These from the linked article are outdated:

Bolt

DC: Larry Bolatinsky, assassin.

Marvel: Chris Bradley, hero; dead.

Bombshell

DC: Amy Allen, villain; recently infiltrated the Teen Titans on behalf of Deathstroke the Terminator.

Marvel: Wendy Conrad, villain; used to be one of the Death-Throws. ("Bombshell" was also the alias of a heroine in the alternate timeline of "The Last Avengers Story.")

Bolt is now also two DC heroes - Alinta, a speedster, from Teen Titans Academy, and Malik, also known as White Adam, Black Adam's protege.

Bombshell is also a villain from Ultimate Spider-Man, and her daughter, a heroine who is an ally of Miles Morales and a member of the Champions.

Brainstorm

DC: Several users.

Marvel: Insane villain who was manipulated into thinking he was just venting some frustration while dreaming.

Brainstorm is also now the codename of Valeria Richards from Fantastic Four. Heroine.

Cain/Kaine

DC: "Cain" is the working name of David Cain, high-priced assassin.

Marvel: "Kaine" is an evil Spider-Man clone.

Should be noted that David is the father of Batgirl, Cassandra Cain. Kaine has heel-face turned and is now Scarlet Spider.

Captain Marvel

DC: Billy Batson, until recently.

Marvel: Several users; the first was Mar-Vell of the Kree (now dead), and both a son and a daughter of Mar-Vell have subsequently used the name (and so have a few others).

Freddy Freeman had a stint as Captain Marvel shortly before Flashpoint. Marvel's current Captain is Carol Danvers.

Deadline

DC: Mercenary villain.

Marvel: Kishi Oramosha, villain.

Marvel recently reused the name Deadline for a spider powered AU version of J Jonah Jameson.

Impulse

DC: Two users. Best known as a former alias of Bart Allen, hero who later served as "Kid Flash" and then "Flash"; now dead. Also: Richard Kent Shakespeare, who served with the Legion of Super-Heroes before the Post-Zero Hour Reboot.

Marvel: Member of the Imperial Guard of the Shi'ar; now dead.

Bart is no longer dead and has reverted to the name - Irey West was also Impulse from 2009 to 2023, changed her codename to Thunderheart a few months ago.

Nova

DC: An alias used by a depowered version of Clark Kent when he set up a new costumed identity in an Imaginary Story (or "alternate timeline") of the Silver Age. (Note: The character got a cameo in the "Infinite Crisis" miniseries.)

Marvel: Richard Rider, off and on, and the name may also have been used by an unknown number of other members of the Nova Corps at one time or another. Also: Frankie Raye, a Herald of Galactus.

Also Sam Alexander, Nova Corps member and member of the Avengers and Champions.

Patriot/The Patriot

DC: Member of the Freedom Brigade, now retired from superheroing; father of Myron Victor (Myron grew up to be "Merryman," the leader of the Inferior Five).

Marvel: At least two heroes have used the name "Patriot." First: Jeff Mace, Golden Age hero who (according to retcons in the 1970s) also filled in as Captain America for awhile, around the late 1940s. Second: Elijah Bradley, member of the Young Avengers. (Note: I get the impression that Jeff Mace called himself "The Patriot" but Elijah just goes with "Patriot.")

Also, Rayshaun Lucas, sidekick of Sam Wilson and member of the Champions.

Photon

DC: Temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Galen.

Marvel: Jason Dean, villain. Later: Monica Rambeau, heroine, now called "Pulsar." Also: Genis-Vell, now dead (I think).

Monica changed her name to Spectrum then back to Photon. Genis is alive again and sharing the Captain Marvel name with Carol.

Powerhaus/Powerhouse

DC: "Powerhouse" was a temporary "Dial H for Hero" identity of Jerry Feldon. Another "Powerhouse" was a villain who fought the Inferior Five. Also, "Powerhaus" was a member of Wildstorm's "DV8."

Marvel: At least three users of "Powerhouse." One was Alex Power, one of the Power Pack; just one of several aliases he's used over the years.

Both DC and Marvel have handed this name to new users - Tanya Spears, originally New 52's second Power Girl, and Franklin Richards of the Fantastic Four.

Sun Girl

DC: Villain in the current "Titans East" group.

Marvel: Mary Mitchell, superheroine in the Golden Age. Had her own title for three issues; then served as a new sidekick to the original Human Torch.

A new Sun Girl served with the New Warriors in the 2010s.

The Wasp

DC: 1940s villain who once fought the Golden Age, Quality Comics hero then known as "Quicksilver" (and now known as "Max Mercury").

Marvel: Janet Van Dyne, heroine.

And her adopted stepdaughter Nadia, member of the Avengers and Champions.

Yellowjacket

DC: Reed Victor, former superhero, father of The Patriot, and thus grandfather of Merryman (of the Inferior Five)

Marvel: One of several aliases Hank Pym has used. Later: Rita DeMara, a female Yellowjacket who was a villain and then a hero; now dead.

Now used by Darren Cross, another villain.

[marhawkman]

I didn't write the article.... I did discuss updates with Lorendiac, so... have fun talking with Lorendiac if you want.

https://www.cbr.com/lorendiacs-lists...sed-5th-draft/

Oh there's a 5e... from 2011. and no CBR articles with Lorendiac in the name of the article after 2011

[Vakanai]

I think Marvel and DC both know that name on a comic would scare away 87% of their customer base.

Not if they put an AH! cover on the first issue...

Then 87% of their customer base would buy it.

I don't get it, either of it.

[SuperX]

Kara is superwoman and Karen is powerwoman,make it happen.

[Digifiend]

I'd have said that would make sense - had they not decided to bring back Lana Lang Superwoman.

After all, the Super Twins are currently lacking individual codenames, and the obvious ones are Superboy and Supergirl.

[marhawkman]

I'd have said that would make sense - had they not decided to bring back Lana Lang Superwoman.

After all, the Super Twins are currently lacking individual codenames, and the obvious ones are Superboy and Supergirl.

And suddenly I am reminded of how the Wonder Twins have no known connection to WW.

[SuperX]

I'd have said that would make sense - had they not decided to bring back Lana Lang Superwoman.

After all, the Super Twins are currently lacking individual codenames, and the obvious ones are Superboy and Supergirl.

Well if they want to play Kara younger than Karen then I can see them keeping her Supergirl,but if they are making them the same age then no,she should be superwoman and Lana can be red insect queen

[D.Z]

Have to look it on trademarks sites. Which would only be for Covers.

[Lorendiac]

mmmmm CBR has an article about that sort of thing... the list of shared aliases is pretty long actually.
https://www.cbr.com/lorendiacs-chara...sed-3rd-draft/
Oh, Power Woman isn't in the list... hunh....

Jessica didn't use the name for long, she only had it in the first place because she happens to be Mrs Power Man.

And Kara was an AU version, so obviously also not long term. I don't think either DC or Marvel have it trademarked.

That link is 15 years out of date, they should do an updated version!

In recent weeks, I've been working hard on finishing the next version.

The above link only goes to the Third Draft. Two more Drafts were posted later on, although I admit it's been a very long time. (It's not like I get paid for my trouble.) But if you want to see the last and longest version that was ever posted on this website, here's a link to the Fifth Draft.

That one listed 1139 cases where I had found that essentially the same alias (given or take some variation in such areas as spelling and punctuation) had been used by both DC and Marvel for different characters. I wanted to have at least a couple of hundred additional names added before I posted a Sixth Draft. It just wouldn't be so impressive if, let's say, at least 90 percent of the "new and improved version" was simply recyling the same old stuff. Over the years, I've occasionally made notes about other duplicate aliases that caught my eye, figuring that eventually I'd reach a critical mass, and recently I've been working hard on researching a bunch of possible leads.

As it now stands, the Sixth Draft has over 1550 entries -- meaning a bit more than 400 new names have been added. After running across this thread tonight, I checked, and found I didn't have "Power Woman" on the upcoming list, because I didn't realize Jessica Jones had ever used that as one of her aliases. Fortunately, Marvel Unlimited makes it a great deal easier to double-check such things than it was back in the 2000s. Here's what I came up with (after looking at Jessica's entry on Marvel.fandom.com to see what their footnotes said about when she allegedly had used the "Power Woman" alias, and then reading the relevant issue on Marvel Unlimited to see the context with my own eyes):

In the final scene of "New Avengers #8" (vol. 2), Jessica Jones announced that she had decided to go back on active duty with the Avengers, but this time she'd be "Power Woman." (She'd previously been "Jewel.") This new alias had been suggested, earlier in the same issue, by her beloved husband, Luke Cage, because it would fit so well with his traditional alias of "Power Man." Luke was so excited to hear her taking his advice on this one that he said, "Boo yah! Ha Ha! Big win! Awesome!"

I guess he sounded way too smug about it, since Jessica immediately said, "You just boo yah'd me out of being Power Woman." So she did, in fact, embrace that alias -- for about ten seconds. I guess that makes it onto my list by the skin of its teeth -- possibly setting a new record for "the briefest voluntary usage of any superhero alias, ever!"

[marhawkman]

Ahhh.... tY!

Oh yeah, did you add Dr. Stasis to the Marvel side?