Putting The Super In Supernatural: 10 Awesome Paranormal Comic Book Heroes

Not all heroes are superpowered because they're aliens, doused with radiation or demi-gods. Some superheroes owe their origins to a darker, more otherworldly source. These guys might get their powers from the occult - be they a sorcerer, possessed by a demonic spirit or a monster hunter - but they're nonetheless dedicated to fighting for good. They're spookerheroes, if you like. Supernatural superheroes have been around since the very beginning of comic books and are currently coming into vogue on the big and small screens. In the past year, Marvel introduced Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider into their sprawling MCU while Suicide Squad didn't shy away from the paranormal corner of the DC universe when it released back in the summer. Speaking of which, DC's latest animated movie, Justice League Dark, teams up a whole bunch of supernatural heroes - and Batman, natch - to save the world from a threat beyond the regular Justice League's capabilities. In honor of JLD's recent release, we decided to look back at 10 of our favorite paranormal protectors in all of comicdom. Some of these guys - and gals - you may have heard of before, while others are more obscure. All of them hold a special place in our hearts though and we hope that you'll agree with our picks. 10) The Spectre The DC universe features a bunch of superheroes who returned from the dead to fight crime - the Phantom Stranger, Deadman, Frankenstein, etc. - but the most notable is Jim Corrigan AKA The Spectre. He might not be a major player in on-screen adaptations, but he is one of the original heroes in DC's pantheon. Created in 1940 by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, Corrigan was a hard-boiled detective who was killed on the job. His spirit is refused admittance to the afterlife, however, and he's sent back to Earth as the Spectre - a supernatural force to combat evil. A founding member of the Justice Society of America, the Spectre's had his ups and downs over the years - including an embarrassing period in the 40s where he was given a bumbling sidekick named Percival Popp, the Super Cop- but has nonetheless always endured and been a firm fan-favorite. 9) Zatanna Originally created as the daughter of Golden Age hero Zatara, Zatanna has gone on to totally eclipse her father in terms of popularity and longevity. Whether this has anything to do with the fact that she's usually dressed in fishnet stockings, we don't know. There's a whole lot more to Zatanna than her sex appeal, though. Originating in 1964 from the minds of Gardner Fox and Muphy Anderson, Zatanna is a stage magician - hence the gaudy outfit - who's secretly a powerful sorceress. Traditionally, she's a fully-fledged member of the Justice League, although The New 52 placed her in Justice League Dark and Camilla Luddington voices the character in the aforementioned movie. Though she's yet to make her big-screen debut, Zatanna is also a favourite of DC's TV shows - with appearances in Smallville, Batman: The Animated Series and Young Justice. A role in The CW's Arrowverse can't be far off, then, right? 8) Spawn Image Comics might be synonymous nowadays with the likes of The Walking Dead and Saga, but back in the 1990s their most successful comic book character was Spawn, a creation of Image co-founder Todd McFarlane. When highly-trained assassin Al Simmons was murdered, he was sent to Hell where he encountered the demon Malebogia, who offered to send him back to earth as one of his Hellspawn, the officers of Hell. With his symbiotic suit, Simmons becomes the super-powered Spawn and continually fights to break free from Hell's control. One of the defining characters of the dark and gritty era of 1990s comic books, Spawn naturally made it to the screen that decade in both the 1997 movie starring Michael Jai White and Spawn: The Animated Series, where the character was voiced by Keith David. The hero hasn't had quite the same impact in the 21st century, but he still holds his place as one of the premier paranormal superheroes. 7) Doctor Fate While Marvel has Doctor Strange, DC has Doctor Fate, their very own Sorcerer Supreme. He might not have got his chance at the spotlight just yet, but he actually predates Strange by over two decades, having been created back in 1940 by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman. The first Doctor Fate was archaeologist Kent Nelson who was trained by the ancient wizard Nabu and derived his considerable mystical powers from the Helm of Fate, joining the Spectre as one of the founding members of the JSA. After Nelson's death, many others took up the Helm including Eric and Linda Strauss, Jared Stevens and Hector Hall. Whoever wears the Helm of Fate is one of the most powerful heroes in the DC universe, so it's a great shame the character hasn't been better used in adaptations of the comics. That said, he did play a multi-episode role in both Young Justice and Smallville. 6) Ghost Rider Let's not forget that Marvel also likes to walk on the dark side and has just as many supernaturally-themed heroes as DC. One of their most famous is Ghost Rider. As well as being the coolest-looking hero on this list - he has a flaming skull and a motorcycle, beat that - the character has a lot of fascinating elements to him. Stunt daredevil Johnny Blaze sold his soul to the demon Mephisto and became bonded with Zarathos, the spirit of vengeance. When in the presence of evil, Johnny's skull is set aflame and he becomes the Ghost Rider in order to send the soul back to hell where it belongs. The character is associated with the superhero team the Midnight Sons, which unites Marvel's supernatural heroes like Werewolf By Night, Daimon Hellstrom (the son of Satan) and the vampire Morbius. Ghost Rider's also a mantle that has been taken up by other characters, such as Danny Ketch and Robbie Reyes - the latter of which is currently being played by Gabriel Luna in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Johnny Blaze, meanwhile, was played by Nicolas Cage in two movies in 2008 and 2012. The less said about them the better, though. 5) Blade Introduced in the pages of horror comic The Tomb of Dracula, Blade is the Marvel universe's resident vampire hunter. He hasn't been a prominent member of the comics for a while, but his success across the mediums ensures that he's one of the most well-known on this list. Englishman Eric Brooks was born half-vampire because his mother was feasted on by a bloodsucker while giving birth. In revenge for what happened to her, Brooks committed himself to become the vampire hunter Blade. Fortunately for him, being only half-vampire means he has all the cool superpowers of vampirism - rapid healing factor, super strength and keen senses - but without the pesky drawbacks like aversion to sunlight. However, he does suffer from bloodlust, which he continually has to battle. In terms of adaptations, Blade is actually notable for starring in the first modern Marvel blockbuster; 1999's Blade, which spawned two sequels. There's been a lot of talk about the character being reintroduced as part of the MCU though, perhaps even with Wesley Snipes reprising the role. 4) Dream Of The Endless Neil Gaiman's seminal The Sandman comic series created a unique mythology that took place in the outer realms of the DC universe and starred a character named Dream AKA Morpheus AKA the Sandman. One of the seven family members of the Endless - personifications of universal concepts - the Lord of Dreams has a fascinating character arc over the 75 issue run. Due to being trapped on Earth, the Sandman learns human emotions such as compassion and mercy. He's always aloof and removed - and occasionally cruel - but he becomes more of a hero as time goes on, facing Lucifer himself, various demons and his cruel sister Desire. Nearly twenty years after the end of the series, the character later reappeared in the limited prequel series The Sandman: Overture. Also, a shout out is in order to Dream's other sister, Death of the Endless AKA the Grim Reaper. Presented as a perky goth girl, Death is the breakout character of The Sandman comics and has even occasionally appeared in the regular DC universe. 3) Hellboy There's a running theme on this list of creatures of darkness defying what they are by nature and becoming heroes. Well, Hellboy is definitely the most significant example of this trope. While these others guys might be vampires or possessed by evil spirits or whatnot, Hellboy himself was sent from hell to bring about the apocalypse. Nazi occultists summoned Hellboy - true name Anung Un Rama - during World War II but the baby demon was instead discovered by US forces and raised to work with the B.P.R.D (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) to protect the Earth rather than destroy it. Over his quarter of a century of history at Dark Horse Comics, the Mike Mignola creation has battled any number of monsters and malevolent entities. Hellboy is most known to a wider audience from Ron Perlman's pitch-perfect take on the character in Guillermo Del Toro's duo of Hellboy movies in 2004 and 2008. You probably know that the pair have been trying to get a third and final film off the ground ever since, and they might just end up doing so very soon. 2) John Constantine You only have to look at his place at the head of the Justice League Dark team to realize that John Constantine is the number one supernatural hero in the DC universe. Unlike the others on this list, however, he isn't an out-and-out superhero and hasn't always been part of the mainline continuity. Created by Alan Moore during his run on Swamp Thing, Constantine is a rogueish, cynical chain smoker from Liverpool who also happens to be the world's best occult detective. Constantine's Hellblazer comic series was much darker and more mature than the average DC comic and stands as the longest-running book in DC's Vertigo imprint for adults. His popularity led to a movie in 2003 starring Keanu Reeves, which ended up completely mangling the character. Much better was the short-lived Constantine TV series in 2014. Though it was unfairly cancelled pretty early on, star Matt Ryan has since reprised the role in live-action on Arrow and in animated form in both Justice League Dark and an upcoming webseries. 1) Doctor Strange It's hard to argue that the biggest supernatural superhero around right now is not Doctor Stephen Strange. Thanks to the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring blockbuster, the Master of the Mystic Arts has been catapulted to almost the same level of international stardom as Iron Man and Captain America. If you've seen the movie, you know the drill. Arrogant neurosurgeon Stephen Strange loses the use of his hands in a car accident and so travels to Tibet where he's taught to become the Sorcerer Supreme. From his Sanctum Sanctorum in 177A Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York, Strange shields the earth against extra-dimensional threats. So vast is Strange's knowledge of the multiverse that the Avengers often look to him for advice, even if he is traditionally a member of the Defenders. With Strange set to join Earth's Mightiest Heroes in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, the supernatural star is now firmly part of the superhero zeitgeist once again, and we couldn't be happier about it.