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 the Fawcett Comics characters. 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.

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.

Captain Nemo – Jules Verne (*Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas*, 1870)

Sherlock Holmes – Beeton’s Christmas Annual (1887)

Allan Quatermain – Cassell (1885)

Professor Moriarty – Arthur Conan Doyle (1893)

The Time Machine – H.G. Wells (1895)

Dr. Moreau – H.G. Wells (1896)

The Invisible Man – H.G. Wells (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)

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

Solomon Kane – Weird Tales (1928) READ FREE!

Buck Rogers (Anthony Rogers) – Amazing Stories (1928)

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

The Spider (Richard Wentworth) – Popular Publications (1933) HOUSE OF JUSTICE

Crash Corrigan – Republic Pictures (1936)

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle – Fiction House (1937)

Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) – Fawcett (1939)

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

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

The Masked Marvel – Centaur (1939)

Dollman (Darrel Dane) - Quality (1939)

Daredevil (Bart Hill) – Lev Gleason (1940)

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

The Octopus – Register and Tribune Syndicate (1940)

Kaänga – Fiction House (1940)

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

Dr. Sivana – Fawcett (1940)

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

Ibis the Invincible – Fawcett (1940)

Bulletman – Fawcett (1940)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blackhawk – Quality Comics (1941)

Mary Marvel – Fawcett (1942)

Ibac - Fawcett (1942)

Mr. Mind – Fawcett (1943)

Captain Nazi – Fawcett (1943)

Sabbac - Fawcett (1943)

Miss America (Joan Dale) – Quality (1944)

Nyoka the Jungle Girl – Fawcett (1945)

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

Bran Mak Morn – Weird Tales (1930)

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)

Lothar - King Features (1934)

The Phantom – King Features (1936)

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

Kato - Green Hornet Inc. (1936)

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

Zatara - DC (1938)

Crimson Avenger (Lee Travis) - DC (1938)

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

Ultra-Humanite - DC/National (1939)

Dr. Death - DC (1939)

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

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

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

Sandman (Wesley Dodds) – DC (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)

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)

The Vision (Aarkus) – Timely (1940)

Wonder Woman (Diana) – DC (1941)

Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) - DC (1941)

Aquaman - DC (1941)

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

Starman (Ted Knight) - DC (1941)

Hawkgirl (Shiera Sanders) - DC (1941)

Vigilante - DC (1941)

Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers) - DC (1941)

Captain America (Steve Rogers) – Timely (1941)

Bucky Barnes - Timely (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)

Red Skull – Timely Comics (1941)

Baron Zemo – Timely Comics (1941)

Penguin – DC (1941)

Scarecrow – DC (1941)

Wildcat (Ted Grant) - DC (1942)

Liberty Belle (Libby Lawrence) - DC (1942)

Two-Face – DC (1942)

The Shade - DC (1942)

Rag Doll - DC (1942)

Prankster - DC (1942)

The Puzzler - DC (1942)

Airboy – Hillman Periodicals (1942)

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)