12 Heroes That Define DC Comics

[stargazer01]

Let's say a poster is drawn or a mural that shows 12 DC Heroes (not villains, just heroes) that are meant to represent DC Comics, who would those heroes be?

Of course, most are going to list Superman, Batman, WW, Flash, etc... It's those other eight or so that people will list that will be interesting to see.

1. Superman
2. Batman
3. Wonder Woman
4. The Flash
5. Aquaman
6. Green Lantern

7. Martian Manhunter
8. Hawkgirl/Hawkman
9. Zatanna
10. Black Canary
11. Green Arrow
12. Supergirl/Mera

Those are the ones that came up to mind first. The first 6 are a must, imo.

[lemonpeace]

in no particular order

1. Batman
2. Wonder Woman
3. Aquaman
4. Superman
5. The Flash
6. Green Arrow
7. Black Lightning
8. Shazam
9. John Stewart - almost any Green Lantern could fit here but imo likely John, Hal, and (potentially) Jessica
10. Supergirl
11. Cyborg
12. Harley Quinn

i tried to focus on DC's brand overall, not just the comic landscape.

[kjn]

Going a bit afield from my earlier tongue-in-cheek proposal, here is my more serious stab at it. Note that I'm trying to get DC's present more than its past. History matters, but only as long as it is still present, so to say.

1. Batman
2. Superman
3. Wonder Woman
4. Green Lantern
5. Flash
6. Black Canary
7. Swamp Thing
8. Zatanna
9. Robin
10. Aquaman
11. Cyborg
12. Poison Ivy

Zatanna and Swamp Thing get the nod over Doctor Fate and John Constantine partly because they provide a bit more variety and partly because I think they have a slightly higher profile right now. Cyborg and Robin (and here I talk more about the idea of Robin than any single one of them) give the younger generation. Poison Ivy gets the nod because she represents the way DC has no clue on how to handle a new generation of readers with an interest in feminism, ecology, social justice, and so on. Oracle would be awesome for that as well, but she isn't a character at present, and unlikely to ever return.

[superduperman]

1) Superman

2) Batman

3) Wonder Woman

4) Flash

5) Green Lantern

6) Aquaman

7) Hawkman

8) Green Arrow

9) Martian Manhunter

10) Captain Marvel (Shazam)

11) Robin

12) Supergirl

These are not at all in sequential order. Just the ones I thought would be most recognizable.

[caj]

1. Superman
2. Batman
3. Wonder Woman
4. Aquaman
5. Green Lantern
6. J'onn J'onzz
7. Flash
8. Green Arrow
9. Nightwing
10. Hawkman
11. Supergirl
12. Shazam

1) Superman

2) Batman

3) Wonder Woman

4) Flash

5) Green Lantern

6) Aquaman

7) Hawkman

8) Green Arrow

9) Martian Manhunter

10) Captain Marvel (Shazam)

11) Robin

12) Supergirl

These are not at all in sequential order. Just the ones I thought would be most recognizable.

Our lists are almost identical except I have Nightwing and you have Robin.

[9th.]

Superman
WW
Batman
Aquaman
Robin
Flash
Supergirl
Harlequin
Nightwing
Green Lantern
John Constantine
Green Arrow

[9th.]

They're twelve with the cat!

Attachment 80032

(Poster by Adam Hughes.)

This is a beautiful picture

[superduperman]

Our lists are almost identical except I have Nightwing and you have Robin.

I picked Robin because he's a more universally known character. Not necessarily based on who's in the costume so much as the costume and name itself.

[Electricmastro]

Along with Dick Grayson, Green Arrow, Barbara Gordon, Supergirl, and Black Canary:

[Jcogginsa]

1. Superman
2. Batman
3. Wonder Woman
4. Wally West
5. Hal Jordan
6. Aquaman
7. Robin
8. Swamp Thing
9. Green Arrow
10. Robotman
11. Cyborg
12. Martian Manhunter

[Restingvoice]

In no particular order
1 Superman
2 Batman
3 Wonder Woman
4 Green Lantern (whichever)
5 Aquaman
6 Robin (whichever)
7 The Flash (whichever)
8 Martian Manhunter
9 Shazam!
10 Hawkperson
11 Green Arrow
12 Supergirl

[Ascended]

I actually have a poster like what we're talking about.

So.....it'd be kinda boring just list the 12 most popular/iconic/biggest names. I'm going to try and capture as many elements of the DCU as possible.

1. Superman. Because obviously.
2. Batman. Also because obviously.
3. Wonder Woman. Still obvious.

But more than just being the Big 3 Trinity, we've got representation for science-fantasy, pulp, and mythology. Basically all the stuff that got mixed together to create the comic book medium as we understand it. Everyone and everything traces their roots back to these three things. And in all of pop culture, no one reps that better than these three characters right here.

4. Green Lantern.

The concept more than the specific character. This gives us a different approach on science fiction than what we usually get from Superman, and does a lot of the heavy lifting in outer space. If I could cheat on the hypothetical art, I'd include the four main Lanterns and Cruz. If I have to pick just one....John maybe? Hal's such a solo act (he IS the main star of the IP so it's allowed) and John kind of highlights the fact that this isn't just a one-man show, it's a brotherhood.

5. Flash. Specifically, Wally West in his "Barry's with a better belt" costume.

Flash brings in elements of time travel and alternate realities, a huge aspect of the DCU. And Flash has also come to represent the "blue collar" Everyman archetype in DC. Gotta include him. As iconic as Barry is, however, Wally represents the same themes while also representing legacy. Wally's the sidekick who successfully took over for his mentor's role (though that's less of a thing now, obviously). DC is all about legacy, so I think it's worth including Wally here over Barry.

6. Nightwing.

While Wally is the guy who filled his mentor's shoes, Dick is the sidekick who grew up into his own person and established his own identity. And that's another type of legacy you see DC explore constantly. Dick also gets extra points for being the first sidekick. He's also got strong historical ties to several major IP's.

7. Robin.

The concept of Robin far more than any individual person to use the name. But come on, Robin *has* to be here! We've had a Robin longer than we've had a lot of big name characters, Robin is what brought the idea of an audience surrogate/sidekick into DC. If I had to pick a specific one, I'll go with Damian. As Bruce's biological son he helps indicate the type of character development and growth that only happens across decades, beyond the confines of a specific continuity. Yet another kind of legacy, really.

8. The Legion of Super-Heroes.

Standing in for the future, of course. And cheating or not, I don't believe you can accurately represent these guys unless you use Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Lightning Lad together.

9. Zatanna.

Representing magic like the boss she is. She's also got ties to Action Comics #1, via her father. Lots of history, legacy, and magic (different from Diana's mythic).

10. Shazam.

Billy makes the cut not only for being a Golden Ager with a deep history (Khandaq, the Rock, the Sins, etc etc) but because he represents the other companies DC ate along the way. Billy is here for Fawcett and Charlton and WildStorm and all the other companies who've been consumed.

11. Hawkman & Hawkgirl.

They're here for a few reasons, but mostly because they so expertly represent DC's past. Not just the publishing, or the canon, but the struggles and missteps too. There's a clear line drawn between Crisis events in Hawk history, there's been struggle here. But DC and the Hawks both survive and remain viable, if bruised, entities. And just as with the Legion, I'm cheating and including both -Man and -Girl here, because this is a package deal or it's no deal at all.

12. Sgt. Rock.

Left field choice right? Well Frank Rock represents the non-superhero genres that were popular back in the day and helped keep the industry alive when kids stopped caring about demigods wearing their underwear outside their tights. DC's war comics and romance comics and sci-fi and horror comics kept the company alive after superheroes lost their luster, and non-cape genres have remained an important part of DC through things like Vertigo (and all the other iterations and imprints we've seen along the way).

My apologies to Aquaman, who despite being iconic and well known and a great character I deeply enjoy, has too much thematic overlap with Diana to warrant a spot on a list trying to capture as much of DC's variety as possible. Next time buddy!

[Electricmastro]

I keep trying to come up with a list that isn't just "not all white men and a couple women," but truly ethnically diverse. It's giving me trouble!

Dude, you can pick whatever heroes you want. No need to trouble one’s self simply over picking favorites. lol

[Nine Crocodile]

Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
Dick Grayson (whatever)
Green Lantern (Hal)
Flash (Barry)
Green Arrow
Batgirl
Shazam
Aquaman
Black Canary
Steel

[MoneySpider]

Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
Vixen
John Stewart
Flash
Zatanna
Shazam
Martian Manhunter
Hawkman
The Question
Swamp Thing