Which characters should still have their own universe?

[Tzigone]

We have characters from Charlton, Quality, Fawcett, Milestone, etc.

Which characters do you think would best be served by actually being separate from the main DC universe? Difficult for me, because I have great deal of doubt there would actually be many stories with them in other universes, but presuming there were, I'd have go with Static. Which I guess would then extend to other Dakotaverse titles. I've only read Static and Icon. Icon, despite the duplication (as referenced in the World's Collide), could be integrated fairly easily into the DCverse, I think. He was so new as a hero, and appearing at the same time as others, that I didn't really get the sense of importance/prominence of Superman (that it took time for Superman to achieve). But Static got his powers from the Big Bang. I feel like on his side, the newness of what they are and their known presence in the world is important, and that can't really work with him part of a world that's known beings like this for a while. On the other hand, I'm willing to acknowledge that element of newness and change is something that would fade in time. Though, of course, in the long term it might make a difference if he was a first of fourth generation hero, but since I think of him as still a teenager, that isn't an element I've examined much. Full disclosure - I have read none of his Teen Titans appearances and don't know how that went.

Obviously, there are some characters that removing would have a much bigger impact on DC as a whole than others. Depends how integrated they are with characters from other origins. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the more integrated, the less fans though they needed to be separate to be really appreciated.

Then you have the ones like Dan Garrett - not really important to DC himself, but made important in the backstory of important character(s). And Ted himself was an import.

[DrNewGod]

(The Real) Captain Marvel and every one associated with him. They've never belong in any DCU since the mid-1970s when DC started trying to take itself as seriously as their main competitor.

Honestly, Batman needs a world of his own, for him and his tribe.

[Electricmastro]

Not that I'm against characters such as Plastic Man, but still, some of the Quality Comics characters seemed a little too... unconventional, even for DC.

[SiegePerilous02]

Captain Marvel and the Shazam family should definitely be on their own Earth.

Billy is the equivalent of the Superman archetype on his Earth. Them being in the same reality just makes him redundant, and you know that as poorly as DC sometimes treats Superman they'd still give him priority of Captain Marvel. Not that that's totally uncalled for considering Supes was always a DC character and built the house pretty much and Billy used to belong to a competitor. But still Billy deserves to be the top hero in his own continuity without the bigger all stars stealing his thunder

[MajorHoy]

Not that I'm against characters such as Plastic Man, but still, some of the Quality Comics characters seemed a little too... unconventional, even for DC.

I have no idea of why the use the later Fox version of Phantom Lady (blue-with-red-cape costume) instead of the original Quality Comics' (yellow-with-green-cape costume) version . . .

[Electricmastro]

I have no idea of why the use the later Fox version of Phantom Lady (blue-with-red-cape costume) instead of the original Quality Comics' (yellow-with-green-cape costume) version . . .

Ah, that was the International Superheroes website's doing. Her actual page shows both versions: http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/p/phanlady.htm

[j9ac9k]

Count me in as agreeing on Captain Marvel.

[Godlike13]

Not that I'm against characters such as Plastic Man, but still, some of the Quality Comics characters seemed a little too... unconventional, even for DC.

LoL, the Human Bomb. Oh boy...

[Fromper]

Separating Vertigo out into its own thing in the 90s was a great idea. Sandman, Hellblazer, Books of Magic, etc can easily interact with each other, but are better off not being in the main DC Universe.

And then there's The Watchmen. Don't even get me started. Bringing them back at all after the original miniseries, let alone putting them in a shared multi-verse with the rest of DC, just proves that current DC management doesn't understand the original series.

[Electricmastro]

LoL, the Human Bomb. Oh boy...

Another amusing one I found was a superhero called Minimidget.

[AJpyro]

Milestone. I want a new World of Static.

[Aahz]

I also think Fawcett.

The Charlton and Quality Charcaters work quite well in the main universe. And since they are afaik no superman level characters among them, it would probably enough to give them their own cities.

The Milestone and Wildstorm characters I simply don't know well enough to judge it.

[Brad]

My suggestion is all the America's Best Comics characters. Specifically Tom Strong and his family. They appeared in The Terrifics, and I enjoyed the story, but to me they belong in their own incredibly imaginative universe created by Alan Moore.

Hmm, starting to detect a common thread here with Watchmen and now ABC...

[Batknight]

Separating Vertigo out into its own thing in the 90s was a great idea. Sandman, Hellblazer, Books of Magic, etc can easily interact with each other, but are better off not being in the main DC Universe.

And then there's The Watchmen. Don't even get me started. Bringing them back at all after the original miniseries, let alone putting them in a shared multi-verse with the rest of DC, just proves that current DC management doesn't understand the original series.

I honestly don't personally prefer splitting off Vertigo books like Sandman, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, and Books of Magic off from the main universe. All of Moore's Swamp Thing took place in the main universe, and Swampy interacting with the wider DC universe, be it Batman or basically every other magic character in the DCU, were the best parts of Moore's run, and no one after Moore has come close to him. Books of Magic under Gaiman is basically just a big tour of the DC universe's entire history and all their magic characters.

The best runs on Hellblazer, with Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis both, happened (for the most part) when DC was still publishing the book and Constantine was still in the main universe. He mentioned Doctor Fate, Zatanna, The Phantom Stranger, and superheroes a few times and it made him an interesting contrast to traditional cape heroes in how he chooses to go about saving the world. Sandman of course never really left the DC universe, even at the end of the run, Darkseid, Superman, Batman, and Martian Manhunter were showing up making cameos and The Endless are clearly a major part in how the multiverse functions.

I'm not saying Constantine should be interacting with Superman 24/7 or whatever, but so long as these titles are allowed to be matured rated and not have to tie into the wider universe for every little thing I think they benefit from being a part the main universe. Maybe in their own little secluded corner of it, but still in the sandbox nonetheless.

I dunno, to me the fun of an interconnected universe like DC is that you get to have all these characters that probably shouldn't exist together be in the same world. I wouldn't take anyone out of it.

[Ulysses]

Which characters do you think would best be served by actually being separate from the main DC universe?

The Question is much better on the outskirts of the DCU, barely touching the fringes. So far, I've not seen much compelling stories with Vic in the DCU. Vic is too ambiguous for a good guy / bad guy world.