CHIPS OFF THE OLD BLOCK

Other superheroes with famous parents

QUICKSILVER AND SCARLET WITCH

Magneto’s ability to control metal is apparently nothing compared to his ability to procreate. In the comics he’s the father of both Quicksilver and his twin sister Scarlet Witch – who somehow have completely different abilities to his – and the similarly electromagnetic Polaris, who’s more of a chip off the old block. Professor Xavier also fathered David “Legion” Haller, Mystique is Nightcrawler’s mum, and Scott Summers is Cable’s dad – in the X-Men universe, it’s all in the genes.

DAMIAN WAYNE

Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul’s son Damian spent his early years being coached in the ways of killing by the League Of Assassins – his old man didn’t even know he existed when Wayne Jr came into his care. After dealing with the pretty substantial issue that Batman doesn’t agree with the murderous pursuits his sprog has been trained to embrace, Bruce does take the boy under his wing, eventually making him the fifth incarnation of Robin – until Damian dies at the hands of one of his mum’s agents…

FRANKLIN RICHARDS

When your dad has the abilities of plasticine, your mum can go invisible, your uncle is highly flammable and your godfather is a giant rock-beast, there’s a fair chance you’re not going to be the average kid. And Franklin Richards, son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, certainly doesn’t disappoint on that front – turns out he’s got psychic powers so epic and dangerous that his dad has to briefly shut down his mind. Little sister Valeria also has numerous powers, stepping out as Marvel Girl for a while.

MAYDAY PARKER

First appearing in a one-shot “What if” story, May “Mayday” Parker is the daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in an alternative universe. Despite her parents’ hopes that she hasn’t inherited her old man’s abilities to do whatever a spider can, her powers start to manifest in her teens, albeit in slightly different ways to pop’s. And of course, the best way to deal with discovering you’ve got more in common with an arachnid than you thought is to become your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Girl.

SUPER SONS

Holy continuity catastrophe, Batman! In 1973 DC had the bright idea of creating Bruce Wayne Jr and Clark Kent Jr, aka the Super Sons, who look and dress much like their famous dads, but are, y’know, younger – and have to live with pressure akin to being the child of a Beatle. In a plot twist that may have inspired Bobby Ewing’s infamous dream in Dallas, it was later revealed that the boys never really existed – they were just simulations created on Superman’s computer in the Fortress of Solitude.