This page highlights the stories, heroes and characters already in the public domain that we use or may use, followed by a year-by-year roadmap of major characters entering the U.S. public domain starting in 2026. We're sticking to a "publication + 95 years” assessment of public domain status, except in cases where copyright was not properly renewed — such as with some of the Fawcett Comics characters. [Note: Characters marked with an "*" have disputed or unclear copyright renewal histories. Use of these characters should be approached with caution.] The public domain club expands a bit in the next 10 years and then 2034 through 2037 will see us needing to build a whole new club house to fit everybody in.

Disclaimer: This timeline is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered a definitive or exhaustive determination of a character’s public domain status. While we strive for accuracy in our research, our conclusions are based on publicly available records and may be incomplete or subject to interpretation. In addition, trademark law may still apply, potentially restricting the commercial use of a character’s name, likeness, or branding even where underlying works have entered the public domain. Creators are strongly encouraged to conduct their own independent research and, where appropriate, seek professional legal advice before using any character in a commercial context.

We are only tracking characters who fit with the Public Domain Super Heroes spirit here. Though they are popular and important in pop culture, we don't track characters like Porky Pig and Popeye in this list since there's no intention to include such 'funny cartoon' type characters in the universe we're buildling. Where a character has been included in a Public Domain Super Heroes project, a link to their character page has been inclued along with a link to the HOUSE (JUSTICE, CROM, DREAD or ENTROPY) page where that project can be found. If Public Domain Super Heroes hosts a serial based on or starring a listed character, that link is provided, as well.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (1818)

Frankenstein's Monster - Mary Shelley (1818)

Captain Nemo – Jules Verne (1870)

Allan Quatermain – Cassell (1885)

Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle (1887)

Dr. John Watson - Arthur Conan Doyl (1887)

Professor Moriarty – Arthur Conan Doyle (1893)

The Time Machine – H.G. Wells (1895)

Dr. Moreau – H.G. Wells (1896)

The Invisible Man (Griffin) – H.G. Wells (1897)

Count Dracula - Bram Stoker (1897)

Mina Harker - Bram Stoker (1897)

Abraham Van Helsing - Bram Stoker (1897)

The War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells (1898)




The First Men in the Moon – H.G. Wells (1901)




Tarzan (John Clayton) – All-Story Magazine (1912)

John Carter – All-Story Magazine (1912) HOUSE OF ENTROPY

Professor Challenger - The Lost World (1912)

Zorro (Don Diego de la Vega) – All-Story Weekly (1919)




Solomon Kane – Weird Tales (1928) HOUSE OF DREAD

Buck Rogers (Anthony Rogers) – Amazing Stories (1928) HOUSE OF ENTROPY | Serial 1939

Kull (Kull of Atlantis™) – Weird Tales (1929) HOUSE OF CROM




Bran Mak Morn – Weird Tales (1930)

The Spider (Richard Wentworth) – Popular Publications (1933) HOUSE OF JUSTICE | Serial 1938 | Serial 1941

Red SonYa™ of Rogatino – Magic Carpet Magazine (1934) HOUSE OF DREAD

Crash Corrigan – Republic Pictures (1936) HOUSE OF ENTROPY | Serial 1936

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle – Fiction House (1938)

Blue Beetle (Dan Garret) – Fox Feature (1939)

Hop Harrigan™ – All-American (1939) HOUSE OF JUSTICE | Serial 1946

The Masked Marvel – Centaur (1939) | Serial 1943

Dollman (Darrel Dane) - Quality (1939)

The Flame (Gary Preston) - Fox Features (1939)

The Wizard – MLJ (1939)

Bob Phantom – MLJ (1939)




Captain Marvel (Billy Batson)* - Fawcett (1940) | Serial 1941

The Wizard Shazam* - Fawcett (1940) | Serial 1941

Daredevil (Bart Hill) – Lev Gleason (1940)

The Spirit (Denny Colt) – Register and Tribune Syndicate (1940)

Kaänga – Fiction House (1940)

Dr. Satan™ – Republic Serial (1940) HOUSE OF JUSTICE | Serial 1940

Copperhead -Republic Serial (1940) | Serial 1940

Dr. Sivana – Fawcett (1940)

Spy Smasher™ (Alan Armstrong) – Fawcett (1940) HOUSE OF JUSTICE | Serial 1942

Ibis the Invincible – Fawcett (1940)

Bulletgirl – Fawcett (1940)

Bulletman – Fawcett (1940)

Black Condor (Richard Grey Jr.) - Quality (1940)

The Shield - MLJ (1940)

The Comet - MLJ (1940)

The Black Hood - MLJ (1940)

Steel Sterling - MLJ (1940)

The Fox - MLJ (1940)

Firefly - MLJ (1940)

Zambini - MLJ (1940)

The Scarlet Avenger - MLJ (1940)

Mr. Satan - MLJ (1940)

Captain Valor - MLJ (1940)

Captain Marvel Jr. (Freddy Freeman)* – Fawcett (1941)

Minute-Man (Jack Weston) – Fawcett (1941)

Captain Midnight (Jim "Red" Albright) – Fawcett (1941) HOUSE OF JUSTICE | Serial 1942

Captain Nazi* – Fawcett (1941)

Phantom Lady (Sandra Knight) – Quality Comics, Police Comics #1 (1941)

Plastic Man (Eel O'Brian) – Quality Comics (1941)

Blackhawk – Quality Comics (1941)

Miss America (Joan Dale) – Quality (1941)

The Hangman – MLJ (1941)

Mr. Justice – MLJ (1941)

Captain Flag - MLJ (1941)

Blackjack - MLJ (1941)

Nyoka the Jungle Girl – Republic Serial (1941) | Serial 1941 | Serial 1942

Mary Marvel (Mary Batson/Bromfield)* – Fawcett (1942)

Ibac - Fawcett (1942)

Airboy – Hillman Periodicals (1942)

Valkyrie – Hillman Periodicals (1942)

Woozy Winks - Quality Comics (1942)

Uncle Dudley - Fawcett (1943)

Mr. Mind – Fawcett (1943)

Sabbac - Fawcett (1943)

The Octopus – Register and Tribune Syndicate (1946)

Tawky Tawny - Fawcett (1947)



Doll Girl - Quality (1951)

The Shadow (Kent Allard/Lamont Cranston) – Street & Smith (1931)

Dick Tracy – Chicago Tribune Syndicate (1931)

Conan the Cimmerian – Weird Tales (1932)

Doc Savage (Clark Savage Jr.) – Street & Smith (1933)

Lone Ranger (John Reid) - The Lone Ranger Inc. (1933)

Tonto - The Lone Ranger Inc. (1933)

Flash Gordon (Flash Gordon) – King Features (1934)

Mandrake the Magician – King Features (1934) | Serial 1939

Lothar - King Features (1934)

Bride of Frankenstien - Universal (1935)

The Phantom – King Features (1936) | Serial 1943

The Green Hornet (Britt Reid) - Green Hornet Inc. (1936)

Kato - Green Hornet Inc. (1936)

Slam Bradley - DC (1937)

Superman (Clark Kent) – DC/National (1938)

Zatara - DC (1938)

Crimson Avenger (Lee Travis) - DC (1938)

Lois Lane - DC (1938)

Batman (Bruce Wayne) – DC/National (1939)

Sandman (Wesley Dodds) – DC (1939)

Ma Hunkel - DC (1939)

Commissioner Jim Gordon - DC (1939)

Ultra-Humanite - DC/National (1939)

Dr. Death - DC (1939)

Ma & Pa Kent - DC (1939)

Sub-Mariner (Namor) – Timely (Marvel) (1939)

The Angel (Thomas Halloway) – Timely (Marvel) (1939)

Human Torch (Android) – Timely (Marvel) (1939)

Green Lantern (Alan Scott) – DC (1940)

The Flash (Jay Garrick) – DC (1940)

Hawkman (Carter Hall) – DC (1940)

The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) – DC (1940)

Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson) – DC (1940)

Hourman (Rex Tyler) - DC (1940)

Atom (Al Pratt) - DC (1940)

Robin (Dick Grayson) - DC (1940)

Jimmy Olsen - DC (1940)

Perry White - DC (1940)

Joan Garrick - DC (1940)

Inspector Henderson - DC (1940)

The Justice Society of America - DC (1940)

Lex Luthor – DC (1940)

Joker – DC (1940)

Catwoman – DC (1940)

Wotan - DC (1940)

Clayface (Basil Karlo) - DC(1940)

Hugo Strange - DC (1940)

Hath-Set - DC (1940)

Tony Zucco - DC (1940)

Captain America (Steve Rogers) – Timely (1940)

Bucky Barnes - Timely (1940)

The Vision (Aarkus) – Timely (1940)

Red Skull – Timely Comics (1940)

Wonder Woman (Diana) – DC (1941)

Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) - DC (1941)

Speedy (Roy Harper) - DC (1941)

Aquaman (Arthur Curry) - DC (1941)

Dr. Mid-Nite (Charles McNider) - DC (1941)

Starman (Ted Knight) - DC (1941)

Hawkgirl (Shiera Sanders) - DC (1941)

Vigilante (Greg Saunders) - DC (1941)

Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers) - DC (1941)

Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton) - DC (1941)

Stripesy (Pat Dugan) - DC (1941)

The Shining Knight (Sir Justin) - DC (1941)

Firebrand (Rod Reilly) - DC (1941)

Steve Trevor - DC (1941)

Doiby Dickles - DC (1941)

Penguin – DC (1941)

Scarecrow – DC (1941)

The Whizzer (Robert L. Frank) - Timely (1941)

Thunderer (Jerry Carstairs) - Timely (1941)

The Black Marvel (Daniel Lyons) - Timely (1941)

The Destroyer (Keen Marlow) - Timely (1941)

Archie Andrews - MLJ (1941)

Betty Cooper - MLJ (1941)

Jughead Jones - MLJ (1941)

Wildcat (Ted Grant) - DC (1942)

Mr. Terrific (Terry Sloane) - DC (1942)

Liberty Belle (Libby Lawrence) - DC (1942)

The Guardian (Jim Harper) - DC (1942)

The Newsboy Legion - DC (1942)

Etta Candy - DC (1942)

Holliday Girls - DC (1942)

Two-Face – DC (1942)

The Shade - DC (1942)

Rag Doll - DC (1942)

Prankster - DC (1942)

The Puzzler - DC (1942)

Dr. Poison - DC (1942)

Veronica Lodge - MLJ (1942)

Reggie Mantle - MLJ (1942)

Alfred Pennyworth - DC (1943)

Miss America (Madeline Joyce Frank) - Timely (1943)

Vandal Savage – DC (1943)

Cheetah – DC (1943)

Brain Wave - DC (1843)

Toy Man (Winslow Schott) - DC (1943)

Cavalier - DC (1943)

Crime Doctor - DC (1943)

Tweedledum & Tweedledee - DC (1943)

Solomon Grundy - DC (1944)

Giganta - DC (1944)

Mr. Mxyzptlk - DC (1944)

Superboy (Clark Kent) - DC (1945)

Monacle - DC (1945)

Turtle - DC (1945)

Black Adam (Teth-Adam) – Fawcett (1945)

Blonde Phantom (Louise Grant Mason) - Timely (1945)

Crazy Quilt - DC (1946)

Black Canary (Dinah Drake) - DC (1947)

Star Saphhire - DC (1947)

Fiddler - DC (1947)

Rose and Thorn - DC (1947)

Icicle (Joar Mahkent) - DC (1947)

Gentleman Ghost - DC (1947)

Wizard - DC (1947)

Namora - Marvel (1947)

Riddler - DC (1948)

Mad Hatter - DC (1948)

The Rival - DC (1949)

Moose (Marmaduke Mason) - MLJ (1949)

Deadshot - DC (1950)

Dilton Doiley - MLJ (1950)

Captain Comet - DC (1951)

Killer Moth - DC (1951)

Red Hood - DC (1951)

Midge Klump - MLJ (1951)

Phantom Stranger - DC (1952)

Firefly - DC (1952)

James Bond - Fleming (1953)

Fighting American - Prize (1954)

Gorilla-Man - Marvel (1954)

Godzilla - Toho (1954)

Krypto - DC (1955)

Martian Manhunter - DC (1955)