Discussion Powers and Creativity

[Akainu]

Readers and writers alike know about it. When it comes to powers, it's difficult to be creative. Everything has been used somewhere already. Comics frequently run into this problem, up to a point where some universes look like copies of others.
Let me start with some basic characters:

Marvel	DC
Hawkeye	Green Arrow
Black Cat	Catwoman
Ant-Man	Atom
Quicksilver	Flash

Are those similar enough? If you know any, feel free to add them.

 

[HereNThere]

The first two sets, yeah, they are pretty similar, but the last two sets are pretty different.

Ant-Man can both grow and shrink, whereas The Atom can just shrink. Plus Ant-Man can control ants.

The Flash is vastly different than Quicksilver. The Flash's abilities go beyond mere super speed and go into kinetic manipulation. He can vibrate his molecules allowing himself to phase through objects, he can steal kinetic energy from people, he can give kinetic energy to people, he can travel through time, a whole bunch of nonsense.

Quicksilver can break the sound barrier and that's about it. He could "teleport" through time for a bit due to a power up, but I think he lost that ability. Quicksilver from X Men: Day's of Future Past was more Flash than Quicksilver.

Other examples? The entirety of Marvel's Squadron Supreme are expy's of the Justice League. Batman and Moon Knight have some similar things going on. Aquaman and Namor are often compared, though Aquaman, I believe, is stronger.