About

Marvel Comics established a naming convention that became an industry standard. Stan Lee favored alliterative civilian names - Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Reed Richards, Scott Summers - as a mnemonic device to manage a roster exceeding 8,000 named characters across 80+ years of publication. Codenames follow a different logic: compound descriptors that telegraph power set and moral alignment in under 3 syllables. Getting a character name wrong breaks reader immersion. A name like "Captain Darkness" signals DC tone, not Marvel. This generator models Marvel's actual naming patterns: alliterative real names, power-compound codenames, and optional epithets drawn from canonical title structures ("The Uncanny", "The Invincible").

The algorithm cross-references phonetic weight against syllable count to avoid awkward combinations. It applies a euphony filter that rejects harsh consonant clusters. Alliteration probability is set to approximately 60% for civilian names, matching Lee's historical ratio. Note: this tool generates original names inspired by Marvel's conventions. It does not reproduce trademarked character names.

Formulas

The generator constructs names across three independent layers, each with its own combinatorial pool:

HeroIdentity = CivilianName + Codename + Epithet

Civilian names use weighted alliteration. Let P_a represent alliteration probability:

P_a = 0.6 (matching Stan Lee's historical ratio)

Codenames are assembled from compound pools. Total unique codename combinations C are:

C = n_prefix × n_suffix + n_single

Where n_prefix = power/element word count, n_suffix = role/object word count, and n_single = standalone codename count. Euphony filtering rejects names where consecutive consonant hardness exceeds threshold H_max = 3 (e.g., "Krtgx" is rejected). Phonetic weight W per syllable is scored as:

W = n_consonantsn_vowels + 1

Names with average W > 2.5 are discarded and regenerated.

Reference Data

Naming Pattern	Example Characters	Convention Rule	Era
Alliterative Civilian	Peter Parker, Bruce Banner	First & last name share initial consonant	Silver Age (1961-1970)
Power Compound	Spider-Man, Iron Fist	Animal/Element + Human/Object	All eras
Military Title	Captain America, Sergeant Fury	Rank + Abstract/National noun	Golden Age (1939-1950)
The + Adjective	The Incredible Hulk, The Mighty Thor	Definite article + power adjective + name	Silver Age
Code Designation	Agent 13, Weapon X	Role noun + alphanumeric code	Bronze Age (1970-1985)
Cosmic Noun	Nova, Quasar, Galactus	Single Latin/Greek-rooted word	All eras
Mythological	Thor, Hercules, Loki	Direct mythological name adoption	Silver Age
Portmanteau	Deathlok, Darkstar	Two merged concept words	Bronze Age
Descriptor Identity	The Punisher, The Destroyer	"The" + agent noun (−er/−or suffix)	Bronze - Modern
Team Naming	X-Men, Avengers, Thunderbolts	Abstract plural or Letter−Group	All eras
Villainous Compound	Doctor Doom, Baron Zemo	Honorific + dark/Germanic noun	Silver Age
Techno-prefix	Ultron, Nimrod, Sentinel	Synthetic/robotic-sounding root	Modern (1985 - now)
Adjective-Noun Duo	Scarlet Witch, Silver Surfer	Color/quality adj + role noun	Silver Age
Animal Codename	Wolverine, Black Panther, Falcon	Direct animal species name	All eras
Abstract Concept	Vision, Domino, Rogue	Single abstract English noun	All eras
Legacy Suffix	Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk	Gender prefix + existing hero name	Bronze - Modern

Frequently Asked Questions

Stan Lee openly stated he used alliteration as a memory aid. Managing dozens of concurrent titles, matching initials helped him recall character names faster. Approximately 60% of major Silver Age Marvel characters have alliterative civilian identities (Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Warren Worthington, Matt Murdock). The generator replicates this ratio by applying a weighted random selection where alliterative pairs are drawn 60% of the time.

The algorithm calculates a phonetic weight per syllable by dividing consonant count by vowel count plus one. If this ratio exceeds 2.5 across the full name, it is rejected and regenerated. Additionally, sequences of 3 or more hard consonants (k, t, g, x, z) without intervening vowels trigger automatic rejection. This prevents outputs like "Krvthos" while allowing legitimately harsh-sounding villain names like "Kraven" that still contain vowel relief.

Yes. The archetype selector includes Villain and Anti-Hero modes. Villain mode shifts the word pools toward darker semantic fields: "Doctor", "Baron", "Lord" for titles; "Doom", "Blight", "Havoc" for codename roots; and epithets like "The Merciless" or "Scourge of". The alliteration pattern shifts to favor harder consonants (D, G, V) over softer hero-associated ones (S, M, R).

Power types are drawn from Marvel's canonical classification system: Cosmic (energy manipulation, space-scale powers), Mystic (magic, dimensional), Tech (armor, cybernetics, gadgets), Elemental (fire, ice, lightning, earth), Mutant (biological mutation, psychic), and Martial (peak human, weapons mastery). Each category maps to specific word pools for codename construction. Selecting "Cosmic" draws from words like Nova, Star, Void, Quantum. Selecting "Elemental" draws from Flame, Storm, Frost, Stone.

The civilian name layer has approximately 50 first names and 50 last names per gender, yielding around 2,500 civilian combinations before alliteration filtering. The codename layer has roughly 80 prefix words and 60 suffix words plus 40 standalone names, producing over 4,840 codenames. With 30 possible epithets, total theoretical combinations exceed 363 million unique full identities. After euphony filtering removes roughly 15% of combinations, the effective pool is approximately 300 million.

The word pools are designed to avoid exact canonical combinations. A post-generation check compares outputs against a blocklist of approximately 200 major Marvel character names (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, etc.). If an exact match occurs, the name is silently regenerated. However, partial overlaps (e.g., a civilian name "Peter" paired with a non-Parker surname) are allowed, as individual common first names are not trademarked.