Why is Martian Manhunter never treated seriously?

[Celgress]

If they would focus on what makes him unique they would get farther with him

I agree this is his best path to greater relevancy. For example, I've been a comic book fan most of my life and I'm not sure if he has any exclusive villains or defining storylines (beyond his intro story).

[Killerbee911]

Why is Martian Manhunter never treated like A-list big gun because DC has hierarchy and no hero is allowed to be clearly more powerful than Superman and when you combine the back catalog and sales there is no reason to push him to forefront over the big guns. So here is some changes I think would help the character overall

1. He does not need the Brick powerset (aka Super strength,Super speed,durability, Flying) so I would get rid it. So now that he isn't competing with Superman in that area you can focus on his niche in DC. The thing is take away Brick Powerset doesn't make him any weaker Telekinetics would give him Super Strength and flying and phasing,shapeshifting and regen give him durability so the character really doesn't change. But you can focus on making him the Thinking man's powerhouse instead of compete with Superman and Wonder Woman. He is already this but he would be the "Superman" of Telepathy and Telekinesis in DC.

2. So with his Big time power niche out of the way. He still has shape-shifting, intangibility, invisibility, Which is the ultimate stalker(hunter ) powerset which should play into his niche in DC. Supergirl executes idea pretty well I think Martian Manhunter as part of government agency who tracks and monitors Alien activity on earth is the best use of MM. Martian Manhunter as Alien defending the earth from Rogue Aliens I think is an interesting concept.

3. Lose the Green Alien a little.Make the "John Jones" human form more prominent that people get use to it like as much Clark Kent . The Green Alien form is the superhero form and John Jones is the other side of coin is the easy formula.The Character has no chance if you don't have likeable human side. I don't think I have seen that ever develop well enough in any medium.

4. He needs a different moral philosophy because a telepath,who always plays by the rules is boring.

I think once a writer establish a human side that is likable and understands that Martian Manhunter is kinda Batman and Superman combined he would do better overall. As long Superman is around though and DC shows the bias to towards him in stories any hero who is a power fantasy like Wonder Woman, MM, Orion, Captain Atom, Damage, Firestorm will never really shine like they should because Superman is "The Guy" which is fine. There are enough niches to play around in comics Batman is the greatest detective and tactical mind, Flash is the fastest man alive, Green Lantern is a space super cop,etc.. Superman has the most powerful brick niche, instead trying to do that with Martian Manhunter ,he should be marketed as most powerful Telepath/Telekinetic and nobody is else really competing there

[The Darknight Detective]

J'Onn was at the right place at the right time for him to become a founding member of the JL. Had that league been formed 10 years later, he would never have had the honor. In 1959, however, there weren't that many superheroes running around at DC, so everyone not a sidekick or named Ollie got tagged for the lucky 7.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

It's more a lot of writers like him enough to use him as a supporting player but don't love him enough to give him a shot as a solo lead.

[Gaastra]

He was never in superfriends also. He didn't get as known by non comic fans like aquaman and hawkman did. (he did get a toy in the superpowers line however) Plus the "oreo" version that was more lighthearted may still be in older comic fans minds. His "fire is bad" weakness has been made fun of in places like wizard magazine and toyfare in the past also. Even lego dc 3 had him defeated in seconds by firefly.

The 90s cartoon made him the spock of the team and he kind of fits it but he never got the push the others got. He is in supergirl so there's that.

[j9ac9k]

J'Onn was at the right place at the right time for him to become a founding member of the JL. Had that league been formed 10 years later, he would never have had the honor. In 1959, however, there weren't that many superheroes running around at DC, so everyone not a sidekick or named Ollie got tagged for the lucky 7.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he also the only one of the original 7 that didn't already have a book? That means underdeveloped backstory, no supporting characters and life outside of the team, no rogues of his own and underdeveloped sense of who he is and why he's a hero. By the time he got all that, he was already considered B-List.

[Dr. Ellingham]

J'Onn was at the right place at the right time for him to become a founding member of the JL. Had that league been formed 10 years later, he would never have had the honor. In 1959, however, there weren't that many superheroes running around at DC, so everyone not a sidekick or named Ollie got tagged for the lucky 7.

Yup. And once Superman became a prominent part of the JLA, J'onn's appearances dwindled until he was eventually shoved off to limbo for most of 15 years.

At this point he's had one solo series in what - 60 years? The reality for team book / supporting heroes is - if they haven't broken through and become a solo-starring draw after 10-20 years, the odds of it happening after that are really, really low.

J'onn was at his peak popularity in the late 1950s. He had some nice moments when Morrison re-established him in the mid-1990s, though. But that's really it.

[j9ac9k]

J'onn was at his peak popularity in the late 1950s. He had some nice moments when Morrison re-established him in the mid-1990s, though. But that's really it.

I think J'onn was also really popular during the JLI days and his book by Ostrander. His last series didn't seem to take off, but he does have another one coming out soon, so I guess we'll see...

[Dr. Ellingham]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he also the only one of the original 7 that didn't already have a book? That means underdeveloped backstory, no supporting characters and life outside of the team, no rogues of his own and underdeveloped sense of who he is and why he's a hero. By the time he got all that, he was already considered B-List.

Well, he was really the same as Aquaman; not starring in his own book, but had a solo strip in an anthology book - Aquaman in Adventure, J'onn in Detective Comics. J'onn was in Detective for almost a decade, before a brief stint in House of Mystery.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I feel like he'd be perfect for Warren Ellis to do a miniseries on.

[DragonsChi]

Why is Martian Manhunter never treated like A-list big gun because DC has hierarchy and no hero is allowed to be clearly more powerful than Superman and when you combine the back catalog and sales there is no reason to push him to forefront over the big guns. So here is some changes I think would help the character overall

1. He does not need the Brick powerset (aka Super strength,Super speed,durability, Flying) so I would get rid it. So now that he isn't competing with Superman in that area you can focus on his niche in DC. The thing is take away Brick Powerset doesn't make him any weaker Telekinetics would give him Super Strength and flying and phasing,shapeshifting and regen give him durability so the character really doesn't change. But you can focus on making him the Thinking man's powerhouse instead of compete with Superman and Wonder Woman. He is already this but he would be the "Superman" of Telepathy and Telekinesis in DC.

2. So with his Big time power niche out of the way. He still has shape-shifting, intangibility, invisibility, Which is the ultimate stalker(hunter ) powerset which should play into his niche in DC. Supergirl executes idea pretty well I think Martian Manhunter as part of government agency who tracks and monitors Alien activity on earth is the best use of MM. Martian Manhunter as Alien defending the earth from Rogue Aliens I think is an interesting concept.

3. Lose the Green Alien a little.Make the "John Jones" human form more prominent that people get use to it like as much Clark Kent . The Green Alien form is the superhero form and John Jones is the other side of coin is the easy formula.The Character has no chance if you don't have likeable human side. I don't think I have seen that ever develop well enough in any medium.

4. He needs a different moral philosophy because a telepath,who always plays by the rules is boring.

I think once a writer establish a human side that is likable and understands that Martian Manhunter is kinda Batman and Superman combined he would do better overall. As long Superman is around though and DC shows the bias to towards him in stories any hero who is a power fantasy like Wonder Woman, MM, Orion, Captain Atom, Damage, Firestorm will never really shine like they should because Superman is "The Guy" which is fine. There are enough niches to play around in comics Batman is the greatest detective and tactical mind, Flash is the fastest man alive, Green Lantern is a space super cop,etc.. Superman has the most powerful brick niche, instead trying to do that with Martian Manhunter ,he should be marketed as most powerful Telepath/Telekinetic and nobody is else really competing there

I have been saying this same exact thing for a while now.

MM could be really cool but all of this should be listen to by DC's writing team.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Instead of a comic-book weakness inate to all martians maybe his weakness to fire should be treated as a personal phobia?

[Lightning Rider]

People have covered a lot of the reasons, but I think the solutions are more interesting to talk about. An actual event that revolved around J'onn or at least heavily involved him would be interesting and help cement aspects of his mythos and supporting cast in people's minds, not just those around and interested enough when his best runs briefly made their appearance over the last few decades. I'm not a big fan of events in general but casual fans wouldn't be able to ignore his relevance if his battles effect the general universe.

Really though, an artys introspective take on a misfit telepath who can disguise himself as anything would be amazing for the character. I'm outlining a series where he tries to understand human beings by living among very different populations and reading their minds, and struggling against the idea that humans don't have instant empathy the way Martians do. Meanwhile he starts to finally relate to some and it brings up memories of the family he lost. It might not be your typical comic book, but when is anything memorable really typical?

[Lightning Rider]

Instead of a comic-book weakness inate to all martians maybe his weakness to fire should be treated as a personal phobia?

They've explored that a bit. I remember it during Joe Kelly's run.

[reni344]

Well, he is getting a new solo series soon so this could be the time where he gets another shot. I don't know if it is people not taking him seriously so much as there is been a disinterest in the character. I think he tends to do well in teams as a solo act is where he really suffers.