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March 14, 2024
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DC Comics is one of the most popular comic companies ever, publishing the likes of Superman, Batman, Flash, and many more. However, when a company has so many characters, villains, and such a vast and ever-evolving universe, it’s easy for some characters to get lost. So, here is, in no particular order, our list of DC characters that deserve their own comic book series.
Zatanna is one of those fan-favorite characters that DC has never fully gotten the best out of. While she had a role in Justice League Dark, her most prominent comic in recent times, it’s staggering how a character of her ilk doesn’t get much more exposure. Heck, there was a point in the 80s when she was a full-fledged Justice League of America member!
A great character design, extraordinary abilities, a vast catalog of past stories to draw inspiration and ideas from, and connections to the superhero and horror parts of the DC universe. Zatanna has all of this and has never gotten the attention she deserved on a solo run.
J’onn Jonzz is a weird one. He is a founding member of the Justice League, and most fans love him as part of that team, but he is the one with the least attention from the original seven Leaguers. It could be because of his more introspective personality or because many of his abilities make him very similar to Superman. Martian Manhunter lost his planet and his people. He has a long history with humanity as an outsider and has a serious, introspective personality, making him a much better choice for a solo series. Still, the truth is that Martian Manhunter rarely gets solo runs.
Many characters in fiction are inspired by Japanese, Nordic, or Greek mythology, but Aztek draws a lot of inspiration from, you guessed it, Aztec myths. This alone makes him a unique hero in the DC pantheon, and while he has been in and out of the comics for years, he hasn’t been the same since Grant Morrison’s JLA run in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Nayeli Constant was chosen by the god Quetzalcoatl to fight a dark and powerful deity, Tezcatlipoca. He granted his champion power to achieve this goal and protect the weak. It is a classic premise with many possible directions, as Aztek’s stories could lean towards both the superhero and the mystical side of things.
While the Jaime Reyes version of Blue Beetle has gotten a lot more exposure because of the recent movie, it has to be said that the Ted Kord iteration also deserves some love. And what better way to do than a comic book run with his partner in crime, Booster Gold?
Ever since the days of Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis’s Justice League International run in the late 80s, the approach with this duo has been very focused on comic relief. Now, that is certainly still the way to go, but the characters can also do a lot of heroic stuff and go through serious things. Since they are a duo, writers can bounce back and forth with these heroes, adding more flexibility, storytelling-wise.
Powergirl is one of those DC characters largely ignored by DC Comics. She has had some moments with the Justice Society of America and a decent solo run in the mid-2000s, but she has often been neglected, which is a major waste of a great character.
The great thing about Powergirl is that she holds a lot of similarities to Superman, but she is also very different at the same time. She has all of her cousin’s powers. Still, she has a stronger connection with Krypton and is more aggressive in combat. The writer can go in many different directions with her stories, especially considering that she has connections to the Man of Steel.
DC made many changes in lead roles in the comics in the nineties. Established mantles such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were handed to characters that never fully lived up to expectations. However, when they decided to turn the legendary Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, into a villain called Parallax, his replacement, Kyle Rayner, proved to be a successful change, only for him to be nearly forgotten since the mid-2000s.
Kyle is charismatic, has a strong origin story, has connections to the greater Green Lantern part of the DC universe, has his villains, and has been a member of the Justice League. He has created some of the most original constructs in the franchise’s history. However, DC hasn’t done much with him over the years.
Considering the Green Lantern Corps has too many members, he could team up with Jessica Cruz and Guy Gardner. All three characters have distinct personalities and approaches, which could lead to many different and hilarious situations.
All in all, Kyle had his time in the sun back in the 90s, but it is a shame that he hasn’t been used all that much ever since.
