History Main / DarkAgeOfSupernames

* ''ComicBook/{{Bloodlines|DCComics}}'': The miniseries produced a whole slew of these: Ballistic, Cardinal Sin, Edge, Gunfire, Hook, Jamm, Krag, Loose Cannon, Mongrel ([[UnfortunateImplications an African-American/Vietnamese superhero]]), Nightblade, Razorsharp, Terrorsmith... it goes on and on. There was also ComicBook/{{Hitman|1993}}, who was [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly that]], but his comic ran with it, in a BlackComedy sort of way. In Hitman's own series, there was Nightfist, a tough vigilante who shows no mercy and ''will'' hit you, with his fists, hard.

* The miniseries ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodlines_(comics) Bloodlines]]'' produced a whole slew of these: Ballistic, Cardinal Sin, Edge, Gunfire, Hook, Jamm, Krag, Loose Cannon, Mongrel ([[UnfortunateImplications an African-American/Vietnamese superhero]]), Nightblade, Razorsharp, Terrorsmith... it goes on and on. There was also ComicBook/{{Hitman|1993}}, who was [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly that]], but his comic ran with it, in a BlackComedy sort of way. In Hitman's own series, there was Nightfist, a tough vigilante who shows no mercy and ''will'' hit you, with his fists, hard.

* Creator/ManlyWadeWellman. Seriously, that's his real name. He was a well-known writer of pulp science fiction, fantasy, and crime stories for magazines like Astounding Stories, Weird Tales, and Unknown from the 1930s up until TheEighties, even winning the World Fantasy Award in 1975 and being awarded the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1980. More info [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_Wade_Wellman here.]]

* As seen on the quotes page, [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] pokes fun at this trope with his [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] fanboy character, [[Characters/AtopTheFourthWall 90's Kid]] and his character, Bloodgun. Though in the later review of ''Darker Creator/{{Image}}'' #1 [[EveryoneHasStandards even 90's Kid concedes that Deathblow is stupid name]].

Part of UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|OfComicBooks}} of {{Superhero}}es involved making not only their [[NinetiesAntiHero appearance, morality, and demeanor]] DarkerAndEdgier, but also their names. Heroes born during TheNineties ditched the SomethingPerson NamingConventions and took a page from NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast, using names both scary and trite.

* Many of the new super people created for ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' embody this trope: Nightstar (Starfire and Nightwing's daughter), 666, Bat-Knight, Black Mongul, [=NIL8=] (the name is spelled out, by the way), Swastika, Shiva the Destroyer and Cathedral... This is deliberate, since ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' is a deconstruction of the Dark Age. Minor character Demon Damsel manages to be both this trope and [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age of Supernames]], as she's allegedly a rejected candidate for the Legion of Super-Heroes, which is why her name fits the "Lightning Lad"-"Saturn Girl" format.

* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'': The titular character was originally an homage (or ripoff, depending on who you ask) of an 80s [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]] character with a [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] name, Deathstroke the Terminator (already mentioned, by the way), since you do the "Deathstroke" in the "Deadpool." Deadpool (or dead pool) is an actual word that technically fits the character, even if it does sound very 90s-ish. Deadpool himself lampshades how his own name is dark and gritty when he mocks the unfortunately-named Kraven for having a not-so-fearsome name:

* Syndrome, the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' was almost certainly named to evoke this kind of effect, in contrast to UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} naming of the heroes and even other villains like Bomb Voyage or The Underminer.

* As seen on the quotes page, [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] pokes fun at this trope with his [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] fanboy character, [[Characters/AtopTheFourthWall 90's Kid]] and his character, Bloodgun. Though in the later review of ''Darker Creator/{{Image}}'' #1 [[EveryoneHasStandards even 90's Kid concedes that Deathblow is stupid name]].

** The villain Holocaust is notable for having ''too'' dark a name. When toy company [=ToyBiz=] made an action figure of him, they changed it to the less genocidal Dark Nemesis. This carried over to the comics with a name change to Nemesis. They later switched him back to Holocaust just in time for him to be snorted to death by an evil SupermanSubstitute. Holocaust was originally known as Nemesis prior to the events of ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse''. When [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] ripped him apart for killing Characters/ScarletWitch, he got a new name after coming back.

* A couple years before Marvel used the name, Creator/MilestoneComics also had a villain named Holocaust, originally from the ''ComicBook/BloodSyndicate''. He even had his own miniseries, ''My Name Is Holocaust'', which indeed it was... until it wasn't. For reasons not entirely clear (InUniverse, he signs on with a new boss that insists on rebranding him; later, ComicBook/{{Static}} surmises "Someone just got around to seeing ''Film/SchindlersList''"), Holocaust changed his name to "Pyre" at the end of his series. (Perhaps, as with the Marvel example that might also be related to the rename, the name was just ''too'' dark?) In 2010, however, Holocaust turned up again in ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', using his original name.

* Manly Wade Wellman. Seriously, that's his real name. He was a well-known writer of pulp science fiction, fantasy, and crime stories for magazines like Astounding Stories, Weird Tales, and Unknown from the 1930s up until TheEighties, even winning the World Fantasy Award in 1975 and being awarded the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1980. More info [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_Wade_Wellman here.]]

Part of UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|OfComicBooks}} of {{Superhero}}es involved making not only their [[NinetiesAntiHero appearance, morality, and demeanor]] DarkerAndEdgier, but also their names. Heroes born during the nineties ditched the SomethingPerson NamingConventions and took a page from NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast, using names both scary and trite.

** Even Creator/RobLiefeld felt DC was ripping off his title ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' with ''Bloodlines''.

* ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' is typically regarded as one of the {{Trope Codifier}}s:

** Night Thrasher, whose name came from his [[FadSuper advanced weaponized]] ''[[FadSuper skateboard]]'', thank you very much. [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] once lampshaded this. While fighting alongside Night Thrasher and ComicBook/ThePunisher, he responded to their insults to his name with "Oh please! Insults from someone who sounds like he has naughty nighttime dreams and another who sounds like he wants to spank people?!"

* ''ComicBook/{{Venom}}'': Characters/{{Venom|TheSymbiote}} (who had his own DarkerAndEdgier series in ''ComicBook/VenomLethalProtector'', where he was an AntiHero) and his AxCrazy spawn ComicBook/{{Carnage}}. This tradition is also carried on by his spawn Toxin; fortunately [[DarkIsNotEvil he's actually a good guy]].
** Later, after being separated from the Venom symbiote, [[Characters/VenomEddieBrock Eddie Brock]] would obtain another symbiote known as Anti-Venom in ''ComicBook/BrandNewDay'', born of the remnants of the Venom symbiote in Brock's body and his white blood cells with some help from Mister Negative. After losing Anti-Venom at the end of ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'', Brock then is bonded to the ComicBook/{{Toxin}} symbiote for a time.

** The villain Holocaust is notable for having ''too'' dark a name. When toy company [=ToyBiz=] made an action figure of him, they changed it to the less genocidal Dark Nemesis. This carried over to the comics with a name change to Nemesis. They later switched him back to Holocaust just in time for him to be snorted to death by an evil SupermanSubstitute. Holocaust was originally known as Nemesis prior to the events of ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse''. When Characters/{{Ma|rvelComicsMagneto}}gneto ripped him apart for killing Characters/ScarletWitch, he got a new name after coming back.

* ''Creator/MarvelUK'': The short-lived sub-universe had the ComicBook/{{Warheads}}, ComicBook/MotormouthAndKillpower, ComicBook/DeathsHeadII, [[ComicBook/DeathThree Death Metal, Death Wreck]] (the last three versions of the same character), [[ComicBook/DarkAngelMarvelComics Hell's Angel]] (later Dark Angel, following a lawsuit by [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels Hell's Angels]]), and ComicBook/{{Genetix}}. Oh, and a number of these appeared in a comic called ''ComicBook/{{Overkill}}''.

** Raza Longknife of the ''ComicBook/{{Starjammers}}''.

* ComicBook/{{Venom}}'': Characters/{{Venom|TheSymbiote}} (who had his own DarkerAndEdgier series in ''ComicBook/VenomLethalProtector'', where he was an AntiHero) and his AxCrazy spawn ComicBook/{{Carnage}}. This tradition is also carried on by his spawn Toxin; fortunately [[DarkIsNotEvil he's actually a good guy]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]], after losing her Binary powers, took on the name "Warbird" after the Air Force fighter planes when she returned to earth and rejoined the Avengers.

* [[https://comicvine.gamespot.com/wild-dog/4005-43656/ Wild Dog]] was introduced in the late '80s, and might be uncharitably described as "Comicbook/ThePunisher dressed for some hockey." He wore a hockey mask and jersey with a local school's mascot (a "wild dog," natch.) His look did, however, fit the book's central premise of a "realistic" vigilante hero who could buy all of his clothing and gear off the rack from sporting goods stores, hardware stores, etc.

* Characters/{{Nightwing|DickGrayson}} celebrated his own ongoing series by moving to a town named [[HeavyMetalUmlaut Blüdhaven]]. It was described as being close to Gotham (the Bat-Family frequently guest-starred in each other's comics), but was also described unambiguously as more crime-ridden and corrupt than Gotham, although 50+ years of comics never saw Batman so much as chase a purse-snatcher there. Eventually the whole city got destroyed during the ''Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis'' crossover event.
* The Creator/GrantMorrison {{parody}} one-shot ''[[Comicbook/DoomPatrol Doom Force]]'' did not have this with the Doom Force. The mock editorial, however listed many other Doom Force characters with such names as Lock And Load. Morrison did, however, deconstruct this trope in ''ComicBook/{{Aztek}}, The Ultimate Man'' with Bloodtype and Death-Doll. It turned out they used to be Mr. America and Liberty Lass: The crime-fighting husband and wife team that doesn't know each other's secret identities. Unluckily for them, they ran afoul of the Dark Age, as embodied by the [[AlienGeometries strange]] [[EldritchLocation qualities]] of the [[WretchedHive city of Vanity]].
* [[Characters/{{Deathstroke}} Deathstroke the Terminator]]. A good example of a character managing to stay top-tier despite a name that seems hilariously over the top today. It's probably for the best [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003 the cartoon]] stuck with "Slade." Apparently, his name wasn't intended to be quite that bad: in his first battle with the Titans, he was called only Deathstroke to a certain point, and then called only Terminator as if he'd been called that all along. Apparently something went wrong at the editing stage. This was {{handwave}}d by saying his full handle was "Deathstroke the Terminator." You'd think they'd have dropped one name or the other by this point (especially with ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' giving them the opportunity to say that in the [[CosmicRetcon new combined reality]], he'd never been called anything but Deathstroke), but for whatever reason, the over-the-top name stuck. What's even weirder is that DC barely uses Terminator in his full name for [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} obvious reasons]] (despite the character debuting before the movie). But, for some reason, they use it just often enough so people never forget that it was his original name all along.
* A couple years before Marvel used the name, Creator/MilestoneComics also had a villain named Holocaust, originally from the ''ComicBook/BloodSyndicate''. He even had his own miniseries, ''My Name Is Holocaust'', which indeed it was... until it wasn't. For reasons not entirely clear (InUniverse, he signs on with a new boss that insists on rebranding him; later, Comicbook/{{Static}} surmises "Someone just got around to seeing ''Film/SchindlersList''"), Holocaust changed his name to "Pyre" at the end of his series. (Perhaps, as with the Marvel example that might also be related to the rename, the name was just ''too'' dark?) In 2010, however, Holocaust turned up again in ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'', using his original name.

* ''Comicbook/SavageDragon'' supporting character [=KillCat=] is a parody of this sort of thing -- not that it stopped some writers from having him play the NinetiesAntiHero completely straight, though.

* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} was originally an homage (or ripoff, depending on who you ask) of an 80s [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]] character with a [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] name, Deathstroke the Terminator (already mentioned, by the way), since you do the "Deathstroke" in the "Deadpool." Deadpool (or dead pool) is an actual word that technically fits the character, even if it does sound very 90s-ish. Deadpool himself lampshades how his own name is dark and gritty when he mocks the unfortunately-named Kraven for having a not-so-fearsome name:

* ComicBook/{{Venom}} (who had his own DarkerAndEdgier series where he was an AntiHero) and his AxCrazy spawn ComicBook/{{Carnage}}. This tradition is also carried on by his spawn Toxin; fortunately [[DarkIsNotEvil he's actually a good guy]].
** Later, after being separated from the Venom symbiote, [[Characters/VenomEddieBrock Eddie Brock]] would obtain another symbiote known as Anti-Venom in ''ComicBook/BrandNewDay'', born of the remnants of the Venom symbiote in Brock's body and his white blood cells with some help from Mister Negative. After losing Anti-Venom at the end of ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'', Brock then is bonded to the Toxin symbiote for a time.
** There has also been [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiote_(comics)#Other_symbiote_characters a host of other, lesser symbiotes]] that have appeared in various Spider-Man and Venom-related books, including Dreadface (a symbiote with MindControl powers encountered by the ComicBook/FantasticFour), the five symbiotes spawned from Venom by the Life Foundation (named Scream, Phage, Agony, Riot, and Lasher), Hybrid (a merger of the aforementioned Life Foundation symbiotes sans Scream), and Scorn (a piece of the Carnage symbiote recovered after its apparent demise at the hands of Characters/TheSentry). Like Toxin, several of them are heroic in nature, but they have a habit of being used as CListFodder to advance the plotlines of the "main" symbiotes.
* Night Thrasher (of ''ComicBook/NewWarriors'' fame). Whose name came from his [[FadSuper advanced weaponized]] ''[[FadSuper skateboard]]'', thank you very much. [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] once lampshaded this. While fighting alongside Night Thrasher and ComicBook/ThePunisher, he responded to their insults to his name with "Oh please! Insults from someone who sounds like he has naughty nighttime dreams and another who sounds like he wants to spank people?!"
* ''[[ComicBook/Marvel2099 X-Men 2099]]'' had some of the best. Skullfire, Bloodhawk, Metalhead, Meanstreak, Junkpile, and Psyclone. Note that those are all members of the actual X-Men [[note]]though one of them turns traitor almost immediately[[/note]] -- Skullfire in particular is the leader! That said, Skullfire never really used his codename, just going by "Tim" 99% of the time. Apparently even ''he'' knew how 90s that codename it was. A notable exception was Serpentina -- Tina to her friends. Naturally, she dies in the third issue.
* ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' and its SequelSeries, ''ComicBook/XForce1991'':
** In the 1980s, Emma Frost, still the White Queen of the villainous Hellfire Club, had her own group of students, the Hellions, to mirror Xavier's New Mutants. One of the students was James Proudstar, brother to John Proudstar and codenamed Warpath.
** During the ''X-Force'' title, a Morlock named Thornn (with ''two'' 'n'), with feral powers, joined the team, then defected.
** Adam X, the X-Treme, considered to be an incarnation of 1990s excesses, actually debuted in the 1993 annual issue of ''X-Force''.
* Rage, Warstar, Kill Power, Onyxx, Darkdevil, Warbird...
* A very early example (from 1974): Deathlok (also referred to as Deathlok the Demolisher).
* Also from the 70s: Raza Longknife, ComicBook/{{Killraven}} and Daimon Hellstrom (the Son of Satan).
* Probably as a reference to the Dark Age of Supernames is Speedball, who changed his name to Penance supposedly to become "deep" and to escape his comedy-character background, because of the [[ComicBook/CivilWar2006 Stamford incident]]. His cat Niels is renamed "P-cat the Penitent Puss" (although while Penance himself was originally intended to be played straight, at least until they realised [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks it wasn't working]], "P-cat" was introduced in a ComicBook/SquirrelGirl story which absolutely ''took the piss'' out of the whole {{Wangst}}y fiasco). He has since gone back to Speedball, and Niels now goes by the moniker "Hairball" in his adventures with the ComicBook/PetAvengers.
* The short-lived Marvel UK sub-universe had the ComicBook/{{Warheads}}, ComicBook/MotormouthAndKillpower, Comicbook/DeathsHeadII, [[ComicBook/DeathThree Death Metal, Death Wreck]] (the last three versions of the same character), [[ComicBook/DarkAngelMarvelComics Hell's Angel]] (later Dark Angel, following a lawsuit by [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels Hell's Angels]]) and ComicBook/{{Genetix}}. Oh, and a number of these appeared in a comic called ''ComicBook/{{Overkill}}''.
* At least half the Franchise/{{Transformers}} have names that sound like this. Ravage, Prowl, Deadend, Dirge, Snarl, Razorclaw, etc...

* ''ComicBook/XMen'' villain Holocaust is notable for having ''too'' dark a name. When toy company [=ToyBiz=] made an action figure of him, they changed it to the less genocidal Dark Nemesis. This carried over to the comics with a name change to Nemesis. They later switched him back to Holocaust just in time for him to be snorted to death by an evil SupermanSubstitute. Holocaust was originally known as Nemesis prior to the events of ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse''. When Characters/{{Ma|rvelComicsMagneto}}gneto ripped him apart for killing Characters/ScarletWitch, he got a new name after coming back.
* Characters/{{Darkhawk}} had an obvious dark age name that sounds rather generic now.
* ''Hyperkind'', one of the comics in Marvel's "Razorline" imprint (a vanity imprint for Creator/CliveBarker), had three of its four heroes with this sort of name (and the last a borderline case): Armatta, Logix, Amokk, and Bliss. To be fair, there was a certain amount of LampshadeHanging for two of the names, as Amokk was a comic geek, and selected his and Logix's names specifically because that's how they did it in comic books at the time. For that matter, the name "Razorline" itself qualifies.
* In a series of back-up stories featured in ''Web of Spider-Man'' during the 1990s, recently introduced hero Nightwatch faces one of his first enemies, a man with a "Macedonian death-mask" who calls himself '''Death'''grin.

* ''Comicbook/{{Witchblade}}''.
* Ravenshadow, Pyre, and Flagg of ''ComicBook/RisingStars''. (Flagg later changes to "Patriot," not because it's a better name but due to a real life request from ''Comicbook/AmericanFlagg'' creator Creator/HowardChaykin, which is lampshaded in the storyline itself.)

* ''Comicbook/TheAuthority'''s Midnighter (despite him snarking about someone else on the Quotes page) is actually a sort of hidden reference. The Midnighters were a 60s soul band -- of the sort that would perform at The Apollo, which is his partner's name.

* Although the regular heroes in ''Comicbook/AstroCity'' avoid this trope, it was invoked (usually briefly) for characters who appeared during the series' aptly-named "Dark Age," such as Stonecold, Broadsword, Hellhound, Pale Horseman, and Hollowpoint.

* In a series of back-up stories featured in ''Web of Spider-Man'' during the 1990s, recently introduced hero Nightwatch faces one of his first enemies, a man with a "Macedonian death-mask" and calls himself '''Death'''grin.

* In a series of back-up stories featured in ''Web of Spider-Man'' during the 1990s, recently introduced hero Nightwatch faces one of his first enemies, a man with a "Macedonian death-mask" and calls himself ''Death''grin.

** Later, after being separated from the Venom symbiote, [[Characters/VenomEddieBrock Eddie Brock]] would obtain another symbiote known as Anti-Venom, born of the remnants of the Venom symbiote in Brock's body and his white blood cells with some help from [[ComicBook/BrandNewDay Mister Negative]]. After losing Anti-Venom at the end of ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'', Brock then is bonded to the Toxin symbiote for a time.

* ''Film/MysteryMen'': "[[ShoutOut Dark... Phoenix...]] Phoenix Dark, yeah, that's my name".

* ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'': In the 1990s, the team met a Shi'ar alien named '''Death'''cry, who, judging by her surname (Neramani), was related to the Shi'ar empress Lilandra Neramani and possibly her niece by '''Death'''bird.

* ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' and its ImmediateSequel, ''ComicBook/XForce1991'':