Fans of comics can really be affected by the medium beyond Cosplay. They get to the point where they name their prized possessions and/or their loved ones after a comic book character or other fictional hero. They name their boats after vehicles of transportation from various franchises, they name their pets after comic book characters, they even name their children after fictional characters. I used to work with a gentleman who named his son Xavier Logan after two members from Marvel Comics’ best selling title: The X-Men. I didn’t think it odd; Xavier Logan sounds pretty cool. At least my co-worker didn’t name his son Dweezil or Moon Unit like the musician Frank Zappa did, nor did he name his child after compass points like Kim Kardashian and her husband did.
Celebrities have named their children after the stars of famous franchises too. For instance the beloved talented comedian and actor Robin Williams was a big fan of the video game The Legend of Zelda; so big that he named his own daughter after Princess Zelda. They even shot a commercial together for The Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time 3D, the Nintendo 3DS game in 2011.
Another actor who named his daughter after a fan favorite character is actor/writer/director Kevin Smith. The American filmmaker named his daughter Harley Quinn, after the DC character who is in love with the insane Joker, Batman’s nemesis. The character is featured in the upcoming Warner Brothers film Suicide Squad. Recently, Mr. Smith presented his daughter Harley Quinn Smith with the bat used in the film by the fictional character Harley Quinn.
Girls are not the only ones to suffer from having a father who is not only a celebrity but a geek and/or nerd. Actor Nicolas Cage named his son Kal-el, after Superman’s Kryptonian identity. Cage is the nephew of Academy Award nominee Talia Shire , a nephew of multi Academy Award winning Francis Ford Coppola, and the first cousin of Academy Award winning Sofia Coppola. An Academy Award winning actor himself, Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola. He took the professional name of Cage from Marvel Comics’ Luke Cage, Power Man.
Kal-el, Superman himself recently came to the rescue of Nicholas Cage. IRS troubles and other debt caused the actor to sell his copy of Action Comics #1 in November 2011 via an online auction. The comic sold for 2.16 million USD (United States Dollars), breaking the previous world record of 1.5 million USD. He had purchased the Holy Grail of comic book in 1997 for a paltry 110,000 USD.
Who knows, someday YOU might create a character that some celebrity will name their own child after; but make sure you pay your taxes because not all comics are worth what Action Comics #1 is.