41 Best Public Domain Characters You Can Use

Finding Public Domain Characters

So, where do you go to find public domain characters, anyway?

Something I do as a creator in the lead-up to the turn of the year is to track what additions are being made to the public domain. As soon as the clock rolls over to the new year there are always interesting additions I love to consider. One of the ways I track this sort of thing is by following the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, which offers a yearly Public Domain Day on January 1st, every year.

If you are on the lookout for public-domain cartoon characters, that is going to be your best source, as art and animation from 1928 have entered the public domain. This year there was a lot of noise about Mickey Mouse entering the public domain, for example. Public Domain Day ends up feeling like a nice little gift to start the year.

Some other sources include Wikipedia and the Public Domain Superhero Wiki. You might also want to follow the Public Domain SubReddit, where plenty of questions are answered and discoveries are shared.

The other major source is articles like this one. There are many articles out there that curate lists of public domain characters. CharacterHub, however, is so character-centric compared to many that we are even offering up a character of our own.

CharacterHub and Hubert

CharacterHub’s mascot, Hubert, is a character who has many qualities associated with public domain characters. They are provided through a Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license. This means if you provide attribution, Hubert can be used in noncommercial works. The character is free to be adapted to stories and drawings, with those two limitations in mind.

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Hubert is an example of a character in the public domain, as even though they are free to be adapted and remixed, there can sometimes be restrictions in play. Sometimes these restrictions can be due to trademarks, and other times they may be regional. In the case of Hubert, any restrictions are meant to maintain the friendly spirit of the character and promote interesting character design.

Public Domain Caution

So, in full transparency, we’re not experts in public domain legislation. Some people make careers of studying how the public domain works, and what limitations there are. It can be a very complicated topic with many caveats and rules. However, we can benefit from such hard work and convey as much information to you as we can. As with any subject that involves the law, you should do your research.

For the characters we are exploring the the article, we will note that we are primarily focusing on US Copyright Law. US Copyright Law tends to be one of the more standard models for copyright and the public domain, outside of the Berne Convention. Things can be even trickier if you throw in the concept of Creative Commons, which is where something is declared to be in the public domain, to varying degrees, based on the type of license it is filed under.

Of course, all of this is compounded the the sticky issue of trademarks, which is one way companies and estates try to maintain their grasp on intellectual property. A great example of this would be how the Walt Disney Company holds the trademarks of certain characters, even though they are in the public domain. It is ironic, given the company built its fortunes in mining the public domain for stories to turn into animated features to be so influential in creating persistent copyright in the American cultural landscape.

A Simplified Public Domain Checklist

So, say that you found a public-domain character you are interested in using in a comic or story. For example, want to have Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Eeryore star in an adaptation of The Three Musketeers. You are well within yoru rights to do so in the US, provided you meet some conditions. Here is a very simplified checklist to apply to any public domain character you want to use.

Is this a public domain work?

☑️The character comes from a public-domain work

☑️The current creator or estate does not actively hold the copyright of the work

☑️Your usage of the work does not infringe on any currently held trademark

☑️The work falls under public domain usage as listed in this table
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Generally, if you can check each of those boxes, you are likely free and clear to use the public domain character as you wish. Of course, different rules apply to characters in the Creative Commons, like Hubert, earlier.

As with anything involving the law, please only use this checklist as a reference and not a binding legislation analysis. You owe it to yourself to conduct as much research as you need to to feel comfortable with diving into a public domain property for inspiration.

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Public Domain Characters To Explore

This collection of public domain characters only scratches the surface of the total number of public domain characters out there. We've tried to cover as many different genres as possible with our selection as well.

Each entry includes information about the character, as well as any important notes regarding their public domain status. As you’ll see, the public domain can be a complicated concept. However, we have characters who cover all manner of variations in public domain availability.

Aladdin

Aladdin is one of many public domain characters that Disney used to create animated features, and the character offers a lot of potential to creators today. Hailing from the Arabic folktale “Aladdin,” The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, this character makes for a great protagonist and can be used in many ways. Also, interestingly, in the original story, the character of Aladdin likely came from China. 

As the tale is completely in the public domain, you are free to do as you wish, but be sure to use elements overtly similar to other contemporary takes on Aladdin, such as the Disney movies, as that form of the character is trademarked.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice, the lead of Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) is an iconic character in literature who is available thanks to being in the public domain. Her iconic adventures in Wonderland in the original book, and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) are excellent source material for original characters and stories. 

Like many characters you’ll see on this list, there is an iconic Disney interpretation of the character that is trademarked, so be sure your depictions do not have too many similarities to elements specific to the trademarks. With that said, consider Alice another public-domain Disney character.

Davy Jones

While most people these days may think of Davy Jones as the tentacle-faced pirate in The Pirates of the Caribbean series, the original Davy Jones is a kind of sailor’s devil of legends, with many interpretations. This public-domain horror character’s origins date back centuries, pre-dating the first written accounts of the pirate in the 18th century.

If you are working on a nautical tale or setting you can and should feel comfortable utilizing the character as you see fit. However, just be sure that you don’t move into trademarked territory. There are many ways Jones has been described, but you can easily go your way with it.

Dracula

Dracula is one of the most iconic public-domain horror characters in existence, ever since debuting back in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. For well over a century, Dracula has been the face of vampirism for many creators, and despite some copyright kerfluffles regarding Nosferatu (who is also in the public domain) Dracula is largely free and clear to use in your stories or develop as a character of you own. 

However, like the cases we’ve mentioned so far, there are trademarked versions of the character, such as the case of Bela Lugosi’s iconic Universal Monsters form. Again, if you work from the novel’s interpretation of the character and make your own choices that don’t infringe on existing trademarks, Dracula and his supporting cast can be used in your horror story.

Felix the Cat

Felix the Cat originated in 1919, in a cartoon created by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer. The adorable cat is in the public domain, but again, we see that trademarks are a problem. As long as your take on Felix the Cat is uniquely built upon the actual public domain cartoons, you are free to use the character as you wish.

The problem is that some of the most iconic elements of Felix for recent generations are trademarked. Things like his “magic bag” and supporting cast from the 1950s and 1990s are currently a trademarked property of Dreamworks. So, if you wish to create your own version of Felix, exercise caution and do your research.

Daredevil

If you are looking for a comic book superhero in the public domain, why not try Daredevil? We don’t mean the red-costumed Devil of Hell’s Kitchen from Marvel Comics, however. Lev Gleason Publications published a string of comics featuring Daredevil in the 1940s and due to a lapsing copyright, he is now available to use. 

However, the Marvel Comics trademark can be sticky to get around, despite the differences between this take on Daredevil and their own. For example, this public-domain fictional character is a boomerang marksman with a tragic backstory and a boomerang-shaped scar. Yet, this hasn’t stopped other creators from using the character in comics from Image Comics and Dynamite Entertainment.

James Bond

If you are Canadian, I have great news for you. James Bond, Agent 007 himself, is in the public domain. Ian Fleming’s iconic British agent is a public-domain character in Canada thanks to the copyright expiring on the original Casino Royale story by Fleming and Canada’s adherence to the Berne Convention. There is some debate as to how far you can go with the character given the major trademark of the character through MGM. However, as long as you produce and distribute your own Bond story only in Canada, based upon the public domain elements, that do not infringe on derivative works, such as the movies you should be free and clear to use the spy in a project.

James Bond here is presented more as an example of some of the heavy restrictions that can come with some public domain characters, but no matter the situation, the character is in the public domain.

Sandman

Just as Neil Gaiman created his take on the European folkloric entity, so can you, as the figure of the Sandman is in the public domain. This public domain literary character is often associated with Scandinavian children’s stories as a sprite who sprinkles magical sand into the eyes of sleepers, wishing them pleasant dreams. It isn’t hard to see how one could take this in a more horror-themed direction, though.

As long as your version of the character is not derived from other more contemporary copyrighted forms, then you should be free to use this literary figure as you see fit.

Sherlock Holmes

Yes, the greatest detective in literary history that isn’t Columbo, Sherlock Holmes himself, is a character you are free and clear to use and develop as you see fit. Sherlock Holmes has been in varying stages of the public domain for years, but as of 2023, the character is completely free and clear for American creators to use as they wish. This is because the copyright of the remaining works of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle expired, meaning that anyone can now republish, perform, and remix classic Holmes stories.

However, if you are creating your take on Holmes, be sure to avoid trademarked elements from later authors and adaptations. Your best bet is to start with the basic character from the original texts and add your spin with caution so as not to invoke elements that are copyrighted by other creators.

John Carter

John Carter, the displaced warrior of Mars, is a public domain character, but one that is still very much zealously guarded through trademark. As long as you work within the framework of the original, public domain works without providing something that can be reasonably confused for the trademark, you can use the character.

The reasonable confusion here, for example, would be to name the story you are writing John Carter of Mars, as that directly intersects with the trademarks of the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. You’d need to look up exactly what elements of the story are trademarked, but avoiding those elements should leave you free and clear with using the character. As with any character on this list, however, you should do your research before acting.

Sleeping Beauty (and Others)

Many of the iconic fairytales we grew up with, by nature of having existed for centuries, are in the public domain, as are their characters. However, this can often be a minefield. Take, for example, Sleeping Beauty. You are free and clear to use the character and story, but if you refer to her as “Briar Rose” or “Princess Aurora” you would then be dealing with a Disney trademark, as those names are unique to their 1959 animated adaptation.

The same thing would apply to a character such as Snow White. You are free to use that character, by that name, as she is a public domain character. However, if you name a dwarf Sneezy, Bashful, or Dopey again, you run into trademarks. However, as long as you are cautious and doing your own thing, many public-domain literary characters are open to you.

Frankenstein’s Monster

Both the Creature and the creator, Victor Frankenstein, are public domain characters that are free and clear to be adapted and republished. The public domain horror character that is Frankenstein’s Creature is as timeless and relevant as ever and a great way for creators to bootstrap new stories and characters into their work.

Like many cases we’ve discussed, however, some more “iconic” elements of the public perception of the character are limited by trademarks. For example, the flat head, green skin, and neck bolts of Universal Studio’s version of “Frankenstein” are very much a dangerous risk, but the concept of the reanimated corpse is not. As with any public domain work you wish to adapt, exercise caution and do your research.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

The addition of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to the public domain in 2023 was a monumental moment for creators everywhere, and the first wave in what will be a surge of major copyrighted characters becoming publicly available in the coming decades. Oswald is a curious public-domain Disney character with a fascinating history worth reading. The mischievous rabbit is available to use, and works featuring the character that falls within the public domain can be broadcast and released.

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But, as with all things Disney, trademark matters. And, like all things Disney entering the public domain these days, he has become a horror character as well.

King Kong

King Kong is a figure who is bigger than ever these days, and is often seen fighting Godzilla, but did you know that he is also a public domain character? The rights to King Kong are a complicated issue, but the core element in all of this is that the King Kong novel from 1932 was not properly copyrighted. The complicated ownership history of Kong is fascinating and well worth a read, akin to the situation behind George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, also in the public domain.

What this means is that if you create works derived specifically from the novel by Delos W. Lovelace and don’t stray too close to specific imagery associated with trademarked and copywritten films and productions you can write your own King Kong stories and use him as a character in your existing works. This was the case in Russell Blackford’s novel Kong Reborn.

Lemuel Gulliver

Jonathan Swift’s Lemuel Gulliver is another public-domain literary character you could use in your projects. Swift’s original story is a brilliant satire that uses world travel to fantastic fictional lands. Gulliver’s Travels (1726) introduced the character in what is considered to be one of the earliest forms of science fiction. It’s not hard to imagine how one might adapt the satirical story and characterization to the modern day.

Just be sure that if you adapt the character or culture such as the Lilliputians, you don’t risk the trademark of existing adaptations. It is best to work from the core text and develop your version from there.

Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse is the focal point for why there have been so many extensions to US copyright law and finally, in 2024, the character entered the public domain. To a degree. Again, as with many of the other examples on our list, trademarks are a major element of the character and what can be done with them.

The version of Mickey Mouse that is available in the public domain in the United States is limited to the specific animated shorts Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy from 1928. As long as you do not infringe on new copyrighted elements of the character, or market the character in such a way that you are affiliated with Disney, you can do whatever you wish with this early version of Mickey Mouse. That even includes Minnie Mouse from that short as well. Just be wary of publishing anything too close to modern interpretations of the character.

I even went and created my own Mickey Mouse to celebrate the news, named Mick “Steamboat” Williams. The fact that I can do that is a very weird thing to think about.

C. Auguste Dupin

We’re using C. Auguste Dupin as the character who will represent the larger body of work of Edgar Allan Poe that is in the public domain. This French detective first appeared in the 1841 short story “The Murder of the Rue Morgue” and would later appear in "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" (1842) and "The Purloined Letter" (1844).

Given the volume of work published by Edgar Allan Poe, it is not just Dupin that can be adapted and repurposed, but the character is so iconic one can’t help but consider the possibility of what they can do with him. After all, Dupin would be the prototype by which characters such as Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot would emerge.

But don’t just limit your creativity to Dupin, either. Imagine what else you might be able to do with the work of Poe as a base.

Hercules

The mythical figure of Hercules is like many folkloric and legendary public-domain characters. This demigod with titanic strength has incredible adventures any creator can adapt, in addition to the character. Of course, that means that much of the pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses that Hercules is associated with are available in the public domain as well.

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Hercules is a complex figure with multiple interpretations, providing a lot of freedom to artists and writers. His Twelve Labours make for great inspiration. However, there are still very clear trademarked versions of the character you’ll want to stray away from. 

Jack Frost

Jack Frost is one of those metaphorical entities that is meant to personify nature to some degree, such as Mother Nature. Jack Frost, of course, is associated with cold and ice and is typically a winter figure in folklore. Jack Frost is therefore fully in the public domain and you can utilize this winter sprite in whatever story or form that you wish. You can make him an icy trickster, or perhaps go a more sinister and chilling route.

However, with the popularity of Rise of the Guardians, you’ll need to be wary of the trademark surrounding the Jack Frost of that movie. You may also want to stray away from elements of the Persona series’ take on the character.

King Arthur

The legendary King of the Britains and his Knights of the Round Table are public domain literature characters available to creators around the world. The stories surrounding King Arthur and his life have been adapted for centuries and you too can be part of that long history. Figures in his life, such as Lancelot, Galahad, Guenevere, and Merlin are also public domain characters as well.

One thing to be wary of is that one of the most beloved tales of King Arthur and his adventures, The Once and Future King, is not in the public domain yet, so be wary of borrowing elements that are identifiably similar to those in T. H. White’s version of the stories, such as Merlin living through time backward.

Krampus

The kinkiest holiday spirit, Krampus, is available in the public domain thanks to being a folkloric entity. This Christian character is one of the helpers of St. Nicholas and punishes naughty children. However, his typical appearance, that of a furry devil with a long tongue, has made him very popular among creatives in the past few decades. The figure is most often tied to the December 5th Krampusnacht holiday. There are so many fascinating and freaky depictions of the character that you have a great start in creating your version as an original character, without risking crossing over into many trademarked elements.

Black Terror

Due to the mishandling of copyrights during the golden age of comics, many interesting characters have found their way into the public domain. Many of these public-domain superheroes are quite cool, too. For example, The Black Terror, originally published in Nedor Comics in 1941, is an iconic-looking character you are free to repurpose.

This character was a pharmacist who used chemicals that gave him different superpowers, often with his sidekick. The character and gallery of villains are very much of its era and feel like a quintessential comic book hero that you could place wholesale into your projects. The character has proven popular in that regard, much like fellow public-domain superhero Stardust the Super Wizard.

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf

The classic fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf has been a great source of inspiration for creators for centuries, and these fairytale characters are in the public domain. Countless, fascinating variations on these characters provide unique ways of repurposing these original characters and the themes of their story.

As with any number of fairytale characters on the list, there is a great deal of potential thanks to their inclusion in the public domain. What sort of version might you create?

Merlin

While Merlin is typically associated with the legends of King Arthur, the iconic wizard is fascinating enough to be spun off into his adventures and become a character in his own right to lead a project. Merlin may be based on separate figures of wise, magical men such as Myrddin and Ambrosius who would then be integrated into the Arthurian tales.

The origins of Merlin sometimes attribute him as a cambion, the child of a mortal and an incubus, which if fascinating. Sometimes he is depicted as less a stereotypical wizard and more like a druidic figure. In some interpretations, Merlin has even been positioned as an AntiChrist figure. Thanks to Merlin being in the public domain, you can tap into all sorts of variations and carve out your place among the writers of the character.

Mulan

Hua Mulan, the inspiration for the 1990s Disney animated film, is a complex and interesting character who blends myth and fiction. While largely considered fictional, the character may be an approximation of a real figure, as there is often truth in legend. Hua Mulan may also be a combination of multiple female characters in Chinese stories from around the 4th century CE.

Regardless of the origins and historicity of the character, Mulan is a great protagonist in the public domain. As long as you don’t risk trademarked elements with popular adaptations of the character, Hua Mulan has plenty of potential for any storyteller.

Dorothy Gale (and the Oz Bunch)

The works of L. Frank Baum, and specific characters from the 14 Oz books he wrote, are in the public domain. Any writer can write their own stories about Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, Tin-Man, and Cowardly Lion. The inquisitive and kind Dorothy is an excellent character who provides a lot of potential for any writer, especially given how strange and wonderful the Oz setting can be.

The 1939 musical from MGM has gone a long way toward defining the character, however, and many elements of that film are certainly trademarked. So, if you choose to write a new adventure for Dorothy, then be sure not to stray too closely to the trademarked elements of the film, such as the ruby slippers, as they were originally silver in the novels.

Peter Pan

James Matthew Barrie’s Peter Pan is a character who can be equally charming and creepy, depending on the many interpretations of the character since they entered the public domain. But, like another iconic British character, James Bond, there are some regional restrictions to how the character can be used. As always, you should also be wary of the Disney of it all.

In the UK, Peter Pan is still very much under the copyright of the Great Ormond Street Hospital, as a gift from J. M. Barrie. If you want to adapt Peter Pan in the UK, you have to work with a license from the current holder. However, in the US, as of 2024, both the novel and the first of many stage adaptations of the story are in the public domain. So you are free to create your own Peter Pan adventures in the US, just be wary of distribution across the pond.

Pinocchio

The 19th-century puppet Pinocchio, from Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, is another great addition to any list of public domain characters. The character has been beloved for well over a century and was also used by Disney to help build their massive library of public domain adaptations. However, you are also free to use Pinocchio, just like cartoonist KC Green did in his adaptation of the classic story.

There are a lot of interesting directions you can take the character if you wish to. As long as signature elements are present, such as the nose and desire to become “real” then you have plenty of options for developing the character further.

Puss in Boots

While Puss in Boots has been a popular character for a very long time, there has certainly been a surge of popularity since the character was adapted into the Shrek movies, even resulting in Puss in Boots getting its film series. Plus, who doesn’t love cats? Puss in Boots is a great public-domain character to use in your stories. The character has been studied and written about for centuries and is just one example of the archetype of the cat as a helpful character in many folk tales. 

The earliest version of the character in writing dates back to Italian author Giovanni Francesco Straparola in the mid-sixteenth century, though the most popular version for centuries tended to be the version by Charles Perrault.

Cthulhu

The copyright status of the work of H. P. Lovecraft, the most significant figure in horror fiction of the 20th century can be a little complicated, but a great many iconic stories are in the public domain as of 2024. And yes, that does include the iconic Cthulhu.

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Generally, unless a specific trademark is held, any of Lovecraft’s works before 1929 are in the public domain, and free to be adapted and remixed. The wrinkle in this is the presence of publishers who make claims on the works of Lovecraft, such as Arkham House, though this may not be the case. In any case, despite the murky copyright discourse, Cthulhu is most certainly available to artists and writers everywhere.

Nyarlathotep

Yes, I am covering a second creation of H. P. Lovecraft on this list, and for good reason. Nyarlathotep is the more interesting entity between it and Cthulhu. A fun fact about me as the author - I am somewhat of a scholar on H. P. Lovecraft due to a thesis I wrote in college, so I have a particular interest in the works of the author.

The being originates in Lovecraft’s 1920 poem “Nyarlathotep” and has gone by many names, such as The Crawling Chaos. This is a character that is more active compared to the more passive “gods” of Lovecraft’s canon, but also, this character has a more realized character, with a distinct personality and style. There is a lot of potential in adapting Nyarlathotep, making it one of Lovecraft’s finest contributions to literature and the public domain.

Allan Quartermain

While Allan Quartermain is a character who is a relic of a bygone era and definitely of a certain time and place where white men were the typical heroes in literature, there is still a lot of fun to mine from the character. Yes, the pun was intended, as Quartermain was first seen in H. Rider Haggard’s 1885 novel King Solomon’s Mines. 

Quartermain is often used by other authors who want to write 19th-century adventures with public domain figures. A great example of this, of course, would be the works of Alan Moore, who adapted the character into the story of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, one of the finest examples of repurposing public domain characters.

Captain Nemo

The legendary Captain Nemo, created by Jules Verne for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), appeared again in The Mysterious Island (1875) and is a public domain character that you can use. Formerly Prince Dakkar, he would travel the world in his submarine, the Nautilus. 

The character has been adapted many times, most famously in a Disney live-action film, but also as one of the members of Allan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Nemo proves to be a brilliant and refined, yet vengeful character with a unique sense of honor and is worth adapting again and again.

Wilhelmina Murray

Wilhelmina Murray, also known as Wilhelmina “Mina” Harker, originates from Bram Stoker’s Dracula but is listed on her own because of how successfully her character has been adapted by other authors and storytellers for a century. Many contemporary adaptations of the events of Dracula focus on Mina. Sometimes this is done as a way to give women more agency in horror, and sometimes it is because of her unique connection to the Count which can often be written as a lasting condition.

Many adaptations of the character reposition her from a victim of Dracula to a pillar of strength and a survivor. Though Dracula may be the titular character, Wilhelmina is just as popular a public domain character to adapt from the novel.

Winnie the Pooh

Yes, the beloved children’s story icon, Winnie the Pooh, is in the public domain. The addition of the character to the public domain in 2022 was one of the first big blows to what has been perceived s Disney’s hold on popular copyrights for a near century.

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The adorable bear and many of his friends of the Hundred Acre Woods are in the public domain, to varying degrees, and are free to be adapted and remixed. You’ll need to do your research about which of A. A. Milne’s stories and characters are available, of course. A great deal has been made of Pooh being adapted into a horror film, which has started a rather silly trend of public domain children’s characters growing murderous with every new addition to the public domain.

Miss Fury

Need a sexy, leather-clad, cat-themed femme fatale for your superhero comic project? Well, DC’s Catwoman has yet to hit the public domain, but Miss Fury, created by Bell Syndicate, will do in a pinch. Miss Fury, the empowered alias of socialite Marla Drake, dons an enchanted panther-skin outfit, complete with spiked heels, claws, and a whip. Miss Fury is also considered to be the first female superhero created and drawn by a woman, June Tarpe Mills.

The character fell into the public domain despite relative popularity - but only based on the comic strips. The later comic book reprints do not apply. The revealing outfits of the character proved popular among servicemen in WW2. However, those same revealing outfits resulted in the comic strip being dropped from many newspapers in 1947 as well.

Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray, hailing from Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, is an aristocratic literary character that is available thanks to the public domain. Many versions of the novel were published, but the primary story revolves around Gray’s hedonistic and sinister nature being masked by charm and beauty but revealed in an enchanted portrait. 

There is Victorian-era scandal and murder surrounding the character, which has made them popular as an inspiration for writers and artists for over 100 years. There is much to be done with a character who maintains a pretty public face that hides an ugly truth, and Dorian Gray is such a character.

The Three Musketeers

Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel, The Three Musketeers, is in the public domain, meaning all of the characters are as well. That includes the titular musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. However, that also includes D’Artagnan and Milady de Winter. Each of the musketeers is a richly drawn character with a fascinating background and can be an inspiration to any creator.

The musketeers and their iconography are often something drawn upon because of their presence in the public domain. Even Mickey Mouse has played a musketeer. There is also a bonus of the novel dealing with additional historical figures which also opens those characters up for adaptation as well.

Phantom Lady

Phantom Lady is an example of a character who is in the public domain, but trademark shenanigans attempt to mask that. Originally published by Quality Comics, and then later by Fox Features Syndicate, the character was created by Arthur Peddy. Phantom Lady is the alias of Sandra Knight and the character was drawn to be particularly voluptuous as she fought spies and assassins.

The trademark issue lies primarily with DC Comics, who acquired a version of the character from Charlton Comics, who had previously acquired Fox Features Syndicate. However, the rights to the character when moved from Quality Comics to Fox Features Syndicate were not entirely on the level, and as such certain stories are in the public domain. If you work from those stories, then you can adapt the character as well.

Arsène Lupin

Known better today as the ancestor of Monkey Punch’s Lupin III, Arsène Lupin is a great example of one of the first fan-fiction characters who became important in their own right. Lupin is also one of the codifiers of the gentleman thief trope and disguise expert. The character was created by Maurice Leblanc in 1905 and would appear in 17 novels and 39 novellas.

Around 1908, Lupin would famously tangle with then-contemporary detective Sherlock Holmes, but Sir Arthur Conan Doyle raised legal objections, resulting in the character being renamed Herlock Sholmes in later printings. It is funny to see how these now public-domain characters first met.

Jenny Everywhere

Sometimes known as “The Shifter,” Jenny Everywhere is an example of an open-source, freely licensed character, making her a public-domain figure. The character was a collaborative effort of Steven Wintle and members of the Barbelith online community in an attempt to create a truly open-source character. The character is free to use in nearly any capacity, with the singular exception of required text for attribution. Otherwise, the character is free and clear to be used.

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Jenny Everywhere is a great example of what is called the free-culture movement.

Sharing Your Characters on CharacterHub

If you are planning to reintroduce a character from the public domain as something new and unique to you, you should share the character on CharacterHub. CharacterHub’s rich features and detailed profile system give you a chance to explore new takes on classic characters and individualize them, spotlighting your creativity.

Plus, you never know how people might be inspired by your version of classic figures such as Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, or Captain Nemo.