Who should be listed as a character?
Any character rooted in fiction that plays a significant role and/or appears for more than 2 issues.
Real-life people are not necessary in this database at this time. Not unless they have a dramatically different usage.
Groups or Species of people are not permitted. Each listing must be a single individual.
Non-unique or mass-produced robots/machines (such as Sentinels) or have limited range are not permitted. Some exceptions may occur depending on character development and appearance counts.
Crossover versions of characters should not be included. For example, Leonardo from TMNT appearing in the DC Universe for a crossover.
Baseline Character
Every character or identity has a baseline character. This is the "person". As a person, they can exist with multiple "personas". Like Dick Grayson as Robin or Nightwing. Dick Grayson is the baseline character.
We use the baseline name as the core of a character, generally the real name.
Do not use middle names.
For characters that were married later in their history, do not use the new last name, unless it becomes the name they're primarily known as.
If there are multiple real names such as Kal-El and Clark Kent, one must be chosen - preferably the character's preferred or common name. Not a nickname.
Truncate the real name to how they're most often referred to. The full real names can be listed in the separate Real Name field (coming soon).
If there is no real name, the Persona can be entered (eg. Joker)
Leading articles (A, An or The) should NOT be included.
When a person uses two initials and a last name, a space should be inserted between the initials. A space also should be inserted between the last initial and the last name:
P. G. Wodehouse
D. L. Sayers
But, no space between two-letter abbreviations (i.e., U.S., P.O.)
Commas should NOT be included.
Quotes or special characters (beyond accents) are not permitted if they will make it difficult to find.
Police, Govt, or Military ranks (Captain, Major, Lieutenant, etc.) should NOT be included with their real names. Taking on ranks/mantles in groups such as the Green Lantern Corps, 2000AD Judges, etc. are exceptions.
English versions of the names are required with the other translations being Aliases.
For characters that are foreign, please use [Given Name] [Family Name] for Western formatting.
Personas
A persona is a very clear, unique identity for the baseline character. Many characters have one or more personas like Dick Grayson as Robin or Nightwing. Robin and Nightwing are individual personas.
Leading articles (A, An or The) should NOT be included.
Commas should NOT be included.
Personas should never be listed in CAPS, unless it is an acronym and is still used as an acronym (eg. OMAC).
Titles (for rank) are not personas, unless they drastically alter the character (Ms. Marvel vs Captain Marvel).
Titles that are descriptors may not be appended to the persona, such as Deathstroke the Terminator or Firestorm the Nuclear Man. The full persona and title descriptor may be used as an alias, but the persona should not include the title.
Last name changes due to marriage are not personas.
Characters referred to by their last name should not have a persona for their last name.
Body-switching, disguises, mind-control/switching, infected / zombie-fied or other temporary shenanigans should not be included as a persona.
Civilian or Fake names may not be personas unless they drastically alter their look, abilities, etc. (not slight hair changes or other minor things) An exception could be something such as Matches Malone.
Personas of a character must be of the same universe; for example, The Batman Who Laughs is not associated to Bruce Wayne (Prime Earth).
Personas must have existed for more than two issues.
Omniversal Entity
For base characters that exist across two or more universes, they may be linked together through an Omniversal Entity tag. For example, Bruce Wayne or Scott Summers.
Linked base characters must be the same individual, not amalgamations, fusions, etc.
Species
Select the most appropriate Species from the pre-existing options.
Multiple Species may be selected where appropriate.
X-Men and similar Mutants should be both Human and Mutant.
Where applicable, utilize both the specific Species and the general one (eg. Gorilla and Ape).
Transformations (Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, etc.) are not Species. Please only utilize their original Species.
Mantle
When a character passes down (voluntarily or involuntarily) a mantle to a legacy character, the Personas may be linked together through a Mantle tag. For example, the Mantles of Batman or Iron Fist.
Select the Impostor option for Personas that canonically would be viewed as such.
Franchise
When there are two or more universes featuring characters from a shared Intellectual Property, we can link these together with a Franchise tag. For example, Star Wars, Star Trek, or Power Rangers.
Pronouns
Select the preferred pronouns used by the character, if they are known.
Identity
Is this Persona a secret identity or publicly known? Select the last known status of their identity.
If a Government entity is aware of their secret identity, but the public does not - please use Secret.
Living Status
Are they alive, dead, or undead? Select their last known living status.
Relationship Status
Are they currently single, in a relationship, married, etc.? Select the last known relationship status for the character. "It's Complicated" is not a status.
Occupation
If we know their current or former Occupation, we can link them with an Occupation tag to other characters in the field.
Athletic Occupations should be reserved for those competing at a professional level.
Abilities
Does a character exhibit natural or granted powers or abilities? Select from the various popular ability archetypes.
If the character does not have these abilities unless in a Persona form, select these abilities only on the Persona. Likewise, if they always have these abilities, select them from the Base Character.
Only select 'Former' for the status of the ability if the character has been stripped of the abilities. Do not select 'Former' if they're no longer utilizing the Persona and therefore not using the abilities of it.
Proficiencies
Has a character developed proficiencies in various fields or techniques? Select from the various popular proficiencies.
It is very rare for a character to have proficiencies via a Persona, as such most should be at the Base character level.
Only select 'Former' for the status of the proficiency if the character no longer has the skill or proficiency - explicitly stated in comics. Do not select 'Former' if they're no longer utilizing the Persona and therefore not using the proficiencies of it.
Affiliations / Teams
When a character has been involved with a team, we can link them to the team and set if they're an active or former member.
Only add affiliations for the specific persona (or if none - the base).
Tags
If there are tags that are relevant to this character, they can be selected. As with other items, only select tags that have been 100% confirmed in comics. Head-canon, Fan-canon, creator statements, or assumed things may not be tagged.
Locations
Enter the most relevant locations by selecting specific scopes - point of interest, the city, state, country, continent, planet, etc. Each line is a single location. Enter all that apply to ensure the character may be cross-referenced effectively.
Alternate Aliases & Titles
Sometimes characters have alternate names or titles that do not require a persona entry, likely due to their significance.
Leading articles (A, An or The) should NOT be included.
Commas should NOT be included.
Alternate spellings of a character name or persona are NOT permitted as aliases.
Married / maiden names can be entered here if not the base entry.
Relationships
Enter the most appropriate relationships for this character based on what has been confirmed and explicitly said within comics. These relationships will auto-create the equivalent on the other character.
Relationships should only be set for those that existed within the continuity.
Do not repeat entries that exist on the personas.
Universe
Character universes are associated based on where they originated.
As DC Comics continues to make retroactive changes with continuity, we will be maintaining Earth-0 / Prime Earth as the "Omniverse". All Pre-Crisis, Post-Crisis, etc. will be labeled as Earth-0, for simplicity.
Append (Universe Name) to the base character when submitting characters that do not have an existing Universe in the database.
If a DC/Marvel universe has not been added, select the Marvel Alterniverse or DC Elseworlds respectively and use (Universe Name) in their base name.
Do NOT append Temporary Reality Numbers (Earth-TRNs), these are not official universes. Fan-determined designations are not permitted. Please use the series name they originated from.
Continuity Concerns & Precedents
Multiple iterations of a character co-existing in the same universe, from varying timelines: As long as they co-exist in multiple stories, we treat them as separate entities. If story-wise they become one (retcon or Superman-like canon), we merge. If one ceases to exist due to the publisher just moving on, we leave it separate. If they're acting like they're the same person just new continuity (without explicitly saying so), we merge.
Creators
The creator of this specific iteration of the character (universe and in comic books).
Do NOT use the original creators of a character within universes that they had no involvement in. For example, Superman from Red Son should not display with Siegel and Shuster. Eventually, we'll have a field to set which character this iteration is inspired by.
If a character was created outside of comic books and this is a direct adaptation of said character, its original creator may be credited and not the comic writer/artist involved. However, if this character is a drastic change or is set in a different universe - the first appearance writer is to be credited.
Real-life people that have unique comic history should not be listed with creator attribution.
Key Issues
In order to maintain some semblance of consistency and quality, we're only focused on very clear Key Issues to cut down on clutter.
Character First Appearance: A character's first appearance in comics (or comic-related magazine).
- Must be related to the specific persona (or base, if not a persona).
- Keys for DC Comics characters must be noted with their respective timelines (Pre-Crisis, Post-Crisis, and Post-Flashpoint). Eg. Batman (Post-Flashpoint) first appeared in Flashpoint #5.
- A "Cameo" (and subsequent "Full") First Appearance may only be used for major characters, such as Wolverine to avoid bloat. For most characters, their First Appearance of any length is all that is permitted.
- Do not enter in a universe or timeline note for a character's first appearance ever.
- Do not enter canonical, cover or mentioned first appearances.
Character Death: A character meeting their demise, permanently.
- This does not apply to characters that are later brought back.
- May not be added within 30 days of the release.
- Only currently dead characters or ones that were major Key Issues may get a Death Key Event.
Optional notes should be no longer than a couple of words. Keep it short, such as "Full" instead of "Full Appearance".
Previews / Excerpts / Ashcans may not be used for key issues.
Short Bio
The Short Bio should summarize who the character is without referring to publication history.
Keep it short. Roughly shorter than 6 sentences / 2 paragraphs.
Focus on describing the character as effectively as possible within the first two sentences without critical spoilers.
Please only describe the character in-universe. Do not refer to them as we would as a comic reader, calling them protagonists, antagonists, etc. or mention their creators, books, etc.
Please ensure to only use English. We may add translation fields later.
Plagiarism and AI-generated content is not permitted, even with citations. Please write your own unique bios.
Character History
The Character History covers the character's publishing history and storylines. Think of it as an extended bio.
The Character History can include headers on various topics.
Plagiarism and AI-generated content is not permitted, even with citations. Please write your own unique content.
Primary Photo
A photo of the character's face and head.
For the baseline character, please use a photo of them out of costume without powers being used if possible.
Persona photos may not match the baseline character photo.
Please use a photo that showcases a face/head within at least 70% of the space (ideal for smaller thumbnails). The less their face is covered, the better.
Please be aware a hat, massive hair, and worn accessories do not count for sizing. Chin to the peak of the actual head.
If the character has an excessively large head that would make the face tiny within frame, treat it like it were hair - ignoring it - and align the face within 70% of the image.
Other characters should not be within the picture.
Forward-facing angles are preferred.
Do not use photos with word bubbles or text.
400x400 is the minimum size for the photo.
The image must be from official comic books - not movies or animation.
When replacing an existing image:
- A more recent image than the current one is required, but other caveats apply below:
- Simplistic art styles may not be approved.
- Photorealistic art may not be approved if an alternative is identified.
- Yelling or open-mouth shots may not be approved.
- Low quality images will not be approved.
- If drastically different than the previous appearance, the "new look" must have been used for six or more issues.