Also, please understand, when it comes to comics, i prefer the metaphysical over the pragmatic.  i'd always read dr. strange over captain america, always deadman over sgt. rock.

Darkseid is more .metaphysical

Justice League of America (DC) & Squadron Supreme (Marvel). I am sure everyone prefers Justice League, right? SS was intended to be a rip-off of JLA from the beginning. Marvel wanted the Avengers to fight the JLA so they created very similar characters.

While at the same time the Avengers fought JLA anaglogues.   (Done completely on purpose as a kind of un-official crossover.)  

Perhaps, if only because Darkseid, like the rest of the New Gods, has been written so very badly since Kirby, for the most part.

I think you don't have far to seek for one of the main reasons behind that: Thanos is often the star of his own story whereas Darkseid is usually a supporting character, often there just to get beat up (literally or figuratively) by Superman or some other superhero.

What about Elongated Man / Mister Fantastic?

Reed is the big brain who struggles not to get so caught up in his work & studies so as not to ignore his wife, family and friends yet I have a softer spot for Ralph Dibny, a detective on par with (or even perhaps better than) Bruce.

Here's one that most people don't consider: Dr Mid-Nite and Daredevil. Yes, Daredevil was Marvel stealing the name of the original Lev Gleason character (and a couple of elements, like a weapon, replacing boomerang with billy club, and a weird costume style); but, the blind man who can see via special circumstances was pure Dr Mid-Nite. Similar things had been done in the pulps, though. Dr Mid-Nite loses his sight in an accident; but eventually learns he can see in darkness. He develops his blackout bombs to create darkness and then uses special goggles to allow him to see in other conditions. Daredevil gains heightened sense thanks to radioactive waste, including his radar sense, which went from just sensing objects to actually being able to discern shapes via a radar-like system. In the early comics, Daredevil is pretty much a Spider-Man clone, with slightly different problems; but, similar action, similar gimmick villains. It is only later that he becomes more of a unique character (before Miller; but, especially with and after Miller).

You also have the Invaders and Freedom Fighters. The Invaders were Roy Thomas' fan concoction of the old Timely WW2 heroes, inspired by the Alex Schomburg covers (mostly from USA Comics). Roy used some of them in the climax to the Kree-Skrull War, as well as in an Avengers story, where they travelled back in time (I think the Gamesmaster was involved). That led him to do a bona fide Invaders book, while also bringing in some of the lesser Timely characters as the Liberty Legion.

Len Wein brought back the Quality Comics heroes in JLA, during the annual JLA/JSA crossover. They were on Earth-X, where the Germans won WW2 and the Freedom Fighters were part of a resistance. With the help of the JLA, they free their world. They were brought back a few years later, transferred to Earth-1, where they were framed for a crime. They eventually returned home, though never seen, due to the DC Implosion. Later, Roy got his hands on them, in All-Star Squadron, and retconned how they ended up on Earth-X. It was all made moot with crisis. There was an unofficial crossover between the two retro series. A group f heroes, the Crusaders, turned up in The Invaders, based on the Quality characters. In Freedom Fighters, a group of comic book fans is turned into the fictional Crusaders, based on the Invaders characters. The fans were named after Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Archie Goodwin.

Green Arrow (DC)/Hawkeye (Marvel)

Green Arrow started as a Batman copycat only with archery. Hawkeye came along 20 yrs later as a villain who became a hero.

GA was revamped in the late 60's & started to be his own person instead of a Batman copycat. Hawkeye used Pym particles to become Goliath.

GA has limited martial arts training while Hawkeye was trained by Capt America.

Both have died & come back. Both have had proteges.

I prefer Green Arrow over Hawkeye. Mainly because since 1969 he has been the same with minor changes. Hawkeye has been Goliath, Ronin & had some questionable costumes....