Which versions of DC Characters do you like better as other versions?

[Tzigone]

Etta Candy: Morrison's Earth One, Golden Age

Forgot about that. Most definitely Golden Age Etta for me.

[Adekis]

Superman:


Add a little DCEU and a little Silver/Bronze Age to the early New 52 Superman, and you've got an ideal. No dating Wonder Woman, and I prefer the Reborn suit to the high collar, but the anti-establishment angle and the pseudo-Golden Age are a must! And so is the very Silver Agey sense of mourning Krypton and carrying its memory with him wherever he goes.

Supergirl:
I think Kara works best as a sweetheart who really just wants everyone to get along as much as possible. She's much less of a roughneck or a rabble-rouser than her cousin, and much more sensitive and emotionally vulnerable - but really, really sweet.

Cat Grant:
Very early Cat Grant, immediately post-Crisis, and almost universally written by Marv Wolfman, is not only my favorite version of Cat, but I'm quite insistent that she would even be a much better potential love interest for our boy CK than John Byrne's Lois Lane - or Lana Lang - would've been. Later writers went ahead and treated Lo better than Byrne did, but Cat never really got a fair shake as a love interest. She still did pretty well as a character - up until pre-Flashpoint writers started writing her as a plasticized target for slut-shaming, and then later she became a gender-swapped version of Morgan Edge. But the original Cat was a great addition to Superman's supporting cast, and I still think there's gotta be a world out there in Hypertime worth exploring where Clark wound up married to Cat.

Firestorm:
Attachment 97970

This is kind of a weird one, because the first issue of Firestorm I ever read was the final issue of The Fury of Firestorm from the post-Crisis period, so to me, Martin Stein alone is Firestorm, a nature elemental scientist - but as far as I know, that's pretty much the only issue where Firestorm was like that. I still stand by it though.

Captain Marvel Jr:

Gotta be the original Nazi-Killin' Machine version of Freddy from the Golden Age. What an icon!

Kirby and Ditko Characters:
I think I've made relatively clear that I often prefer the original take on characters to versions that are highly changed - I like a Superman who is, if not from the Golden Age, at least Golden Age "flavored," I like the original Cat Grant, the original Kara Zor-El, the original Freddy Freeman... so it shouldn't really come as a surprise that Ditko and Kirby characters, being particularly unique in the vein of their visionary creators, are best suited, in my mind, to being modeled after Ditko and Kirby stories. No sad sack Blue Beetle or acid guru Question for me, and even Darkseid's mom calls him "Darkseid" - cause it's his name. No "Uxas" here. The Question is a moral absolutist with a unique code. Blue Beetle is like an older and wiser version of Spider-Man - complete with the Fortune 500 company he's made off of his inventions. Big Barda swears in Darkseid's name, and presumably somewhat worships him, even though she fights his forces regularly. Darkseid does not engage in fist fights with Superman - or anyone else! He always tricks and schemes his way around. Lightray is both a joyous and friendly figure in Orion's war-torn life - and a scheming tactician whose ruthless strategies may be New Genesis' greatest chance of defeating the Tyrant God.

Lastly, for now, J'onn J'onzz:
I just like the idea that J'onn's people are still out there. I never loved the concept of J'onn being the last Martian, to me it's more compelling if he's just one.

[Tzigone]

I just like the idea that J'onn's people are still out there. I never loved the concept of J'onn being the last Martian, to me it's more compelling if he's just one.

I like him not being the last survivor, too. I do admit that somehow I have issues with there being a civilization on Mars, despite accepting many odder things. And that opens up him wanting to go home, but not being able to. That was the case originally, right? I read a few of those, when he was a cop. Alas with all the crossover heroes and the technology level of DC-verse these days, that one doesn't stand anymore. And if he goes home, he's likely lost as a character. Unless we continued with him crime-fighting there. Of course, perhaps later he no longer wanted to go - I haven't read that much of him in the silver age.

I do like original Scott and Barda, though I don't think I'd say she worshiped Darkseid, but it's been a while since I read those, so I could have just forgotten. Comics aren't a close-ended story, but if they were, I'd have loved the idea that Darkseid set his own destruction in motion by allowing Scott's freedom. Because then Barda followed. Then some Furies. And so forth and on. Despite his introduction in Jimmy Olsen stories, I don't prefer Darkseid to be a Superman villain, and would use him mostly against Forever People. Though in some bigger things. And not physically fighting (or doing so only rarely).

Edit: Did some re-reading on these. See the worshipfulness. Have some other questions now. May start a thread.

[Adekis]

I like him not being the last survivor, too. I do admit that somehow I have issues with there being a civilization on Mars, despite accepting many odder things. And that opens up him wanting to go home, but not being able to. That was the case originally, right? I read a few of those, when he was a cop. Alas with all the crossover heroes and the technology level of DC-verse these days, that one doesn't stand anymore. And if he goes home, he's likely lost as a character. Unless we continued with him crime-fighting there. Of course, perhaps later he no longer wanted to go - I haven't read that much of him in the silver age.

Yeah, in the Silver Age his idea was that he couldn't go home initially, and he was basically just killing time trying to help Earthians out with this "crime" problem we have, until the Martian space program brought other Martians to Earth he could hitch a ride with. That said, I'm pretty sure there's at least one story where a doorway to Mars opens and J'onn goes back to Earth at the end on purpose, and I think that's a natural progression for his character. Eventually he'd get the ability to go back to Mars - but by then he's got valued friendships on Earth and a devotion to his role as a super-hero, so he doesn't go back anyway.

I do like original Scott and Barda, though I don't think I'd say she worshiped Darkseid, but it's been a while since I read those, so I could have just forgotten. Comics aren't a close-ended story, but if they were, I'd have loved the idea that Darkseid set his own destruction in motion by allowing Scott's freedom. Because then Barda followed. Then some Furies. And so forth and on. Despite his introduction in Jimmy Olsen stories, I don't prefer Darkseid to be a Superman villain, and would use him mostly against Forever People. Though in some bigger things. And not physically fighting (or doing so only rarely).

Edit: Did some re-reading on these. See the worshipfulness. Have some other questions now. May start a thread.

You know what, Barda's apparent devotion to Darkseid caught me way off guard too, but it made a lot of sense to me once I was able to sit down and think about it. I've come around to thinking it's maybe the most interesting thing about her - she's devoted her life to fighting Darkseid's underlings with Scott, she helped Scott escape from Darkseid's abusive childcare structures, she ran away from Darkseid's world and refuses to go back - but she's not necessarily against Darkseid himself. Maybe it's just that on some level - he's still God to her. I don't know.

Regarding the rest of what you said, yeah, I agree with most of it. I wish Kirby's books just hadn't been canceled, that we could have gotten his work seen through to the end - that an end would have been allowed, to see how the Forever People, Highfather, and Mister Miracle might have been able to do some good for Apokolips in Darkseid's absence.

Also, I agree about Darkseid not being a Superman villain. I think making him a Superman villain, or a Justice League villain, makes Darkseid a little too small, ironically. Let Mongul pick up that slack, and Darkseid can scheme and trick against the likes of Orion and the Forever People.

That said, I think the tendency to keep Superman out of the New Gods saga entirely is a little too prevalent? I legitimately like all the DNA Project stuff and the Jimmy Olsen bit, and I like when New God characters intrude upon that - but certainly, the New Gods stuff should never revolve around Superman. In Kirby, Superman never meets Orion or Scott! So I think it's worth keeping Superman's role in the whole affair extent, but strongly in check.

[Tzigone]

You know what, Barda's apparent devotion to Darkseid caught me way off guard too, but it made a lot of sense to me once I was able to sit down and think about it. I've come around to thinking it's maybe the most interesting thing about her - she's devoted her life to fighting Darkseid's underlings with Scott, she helped Scott escape from Darkseid's abusive childcare structures, she ran away from Darkseid's world and refuses to go back - but she's not necessarily against Darkseid himself. Maybe it's just that on some level - he's still God to her. I don't know.

Ah, I'd go with her shedding that devotion as time passes. Might even say it partially a result of the anti-life equation. It was definitely the result of brainwashing. And who doesn't want brainwashing undone? Well, except in the case of Douglas Quaid.

[Rod G]

My favorite versions of Hawkman and Hawkgirl are the Silver Age versions. And it seems to me that they're not among the more popular versions. When people bring up their favorite Hawkman, it's usually the revamped Golden Age one from JSA with his endless supply of past lives. Or it's the super-gritty Hawkworld version with its depiction of a corrupt alien society. But the Hawks who are police officers from a borderline utopia where the only criminals are thrill-seekers, who talk to birds and chose to stay on Earth aren't really high on many lists. But I like all the quirky little bits of them. At least people probably like them better than the Hawk-avatar version.

I too prefer the Silver Age Hawks.

[Adekis]

Ah, I'd go with her shedding that devotion as time passes. Might even say it partially a result of the anti-life equation. It was definitely the result of brainwashing. And who doesn't want brainwashing undone? Well, except in the case of Douglas Quaid.

I think that kind of makes sense, but I don't think you could have that kind of devotion just... fade away. You could have it reduce over time, but I think eventually she'd still have to rip off the band-aid - or maybe have to cut off her own arm, depending on how deep that devotion goes, which isn't really something Kirby delves into.

As for Anti-Life, I'm always quick to point out that Darkseid can induce artificial Anti-Life through propaganda and dehumanizing treatment and such - general fascism. I'm not actually sure it "took" with Barda, she's far more individualistic than I think Darkseid would prefer. That said, Darkseid doesn't have the actual Anti-Life Equation, which would allow him to simply command anyone and they'd have to obey - he just wants it really badly.

The Equation has been interpreted in different ways over the years, and I'm okay with that. In Kirby it's always more of a conscious horror at not being able to disobey, whether Sonny Sumo or Billion-Dollar Bates is the one commanding people, for good or evil ends. In Simonson's Orion, Anti-Life seems to work more like - just nobody ever disagrees with you. Everyone always thinks you're right. There's other interpretations too, but I digress.

[Blue22]

Batman: DCAU version, hands down. He's badass without being too perfect. He's brooding without being too much of an *******. He's just...great.

Miss Martian: I really liked her in Pre-Flashpoint Teen Titans but my favorite version if definitely the one from the Young Justice cartoon.

Conner, Cassie, and Bart: Pre-Flashpoint, hands down. I don't care if it was the YJ era or the Johns era. I loved those three and I loved seeing how they grew as characters.

Beast Boy: I got a heavy bias for the Teen Titans cartoon since that was my introduction to him. But I think my favorite version is from the YJ cartoon. I especially love the change in his origin and his relationship with Miss Martian.

Raven, Cyborg, and Terra: Like with Gar, I saw these guys for the first time in the animated Teen Titans. So it's the versions of them that I tend to prefer. Especially Raven. I like how the little sarcastic, snarky personality they gave her.

Zatanna and Aqualad (Jackson): The YJ cartoon's versions. Putting Zatanna with Dick's generation instead of Bruce's was definitely an...odd change. But I think they made it work really well. And I loved her connection to Dr. Fate. As for Jackson/Kaldur, I haven't really seem him outside of the Teen Titans comics but, just from going off of that, I prefer him in the animated Young Justice MUCH more.

[EmeraldGladiator]

The Legion of Super Heroes: I prefer the Levitz/Giffen pre-boot era version. The version I grew up with, where Garth and Imra have the twins. Some of the reboots era's characters can be added to the cast later on but the core non rebooted Legion would be my favorite foundation.

The Geoff Johns era Justice Society: it might be the version that is returning but I am not sure, it is my favorite iteration of the team. I loved the Roy Thomas version too but John's is a bigger more diverse/modern/multigenerational cast.

Justice League Animated Series version of John Stewart, while Johns had a good JS, and I love Green Lantern: Mosaic (starring JS) the animated series version of JS is by far the most textured and enjoyable for me.
Titans: Wolfman Perez version all others pale in comparison.

[hareluyafan1]

I prefer Dolphin's "Rebirth" version to her original one.

I realise she didn't start off as an "Aquaman" character but now that she's well-established as a part of the Aqua-Family, her current origin as a Sea-changed Atlantean fits far better I think. Her classic origin of "human abducted by aliens and altered into a pseudo-Atlantean" seems needlessly convoluted while making her less distinctive since from a practical point she has basically the same abilities as a regular Atlantean. Sea-changed Atlantean fits far more smoothly while also making her more distinctive in what she brings to the table.

Plus bringing back her muteness. That was a brilliant decision.

[Lightning Rider]

Lastly, for now, J'onn J'onzz:
I just like the idea that J'onn's people are still out there. I never loved the concept of J'onn being the last Martian, to me it's more compelling if he's just one.

This is a tricky one for me. On one hand, there's definitely more story-telling potential for the character if he can travel to Mars, develop relationships with his own kind, and develop dual roles on two different planets. On the other hand, the loner status of superheroes is always stabotaged. Loner Batman has a huge extended family; loner Wolverine lives with all the other X-Men; the Last Son of Krypton is actually surrounded by other Kryptonians in Zod, Kara, and the residents of Kandor.

But J'onn...his sense of loss and isolation can't be as easily mitigated. Sure, Malefic might show up once in a while, and he has M'gann, but J'onn's family is gone, and the psychic bond he had with his community is something he cannot recapture on Earth. I don't hate the guy or want him to suffer, but he's one of the few characters who is truly alone, always a little bit out of place, always struggling to find his place, always an outsider. It makes it that much sweeter when he does make a friend, or tries to make a home, or finds a niche way to fit in alongside humans.

[Adekis]

This is a tricky one for me. On one hand, there's definitely more story-telling potential for the character if he can travel to Mars, develop relationships with his own kind, and develop dual roles on two different planets. On the other hand, the loner status of superheroes is always stabotaged. Loner Batman has a huge extended family; loner Wolverine lives with all the other X-Men; the Last Son of Krypton is actually surrounded by other Kryptonians in Zod, Kara, and the residents of Kandor.

But J'onn...his sense of loss and isolation can't be as easily mitigated. Sure, Malefic might show up once in a while, and he has M'gann, but J'onn's family is gone, and the psychic bond he had with his community is something he cannot recapture on Earth. I don't hate the guy or want him to suffer, but he's one of the few characters who is truly alone, always a little bit out of place, always struggling to find his place, always an outsider. It makes it that much sweeter when he does make a friend, or tries to make a home, or finds a niche way to fit in alongside humans.

I would argue that on the contrary, many times when a super-hero stops being lonely, retcons, reboots, or even just tragedy happen to mitigate their happiness. Morrison practically wrote the end of Batman Inc. as a cynical commentary on the trend.

But I mean, I pretty much agree with you on some end, I think J'onn does have a sort of fundamental loneliness, as a fish out of water, but I also don't think it's total. If he disliked Earth, he'd have stayed on Mars when he got the chance in the Silver Age - or in some of the many other versions where he stays on Earth despite a populated Mars and means of transport.

[DrNewGod]

I tend to prefer characters as they were created, but there are a few exceptions:

Batman: (The Late, Great) O'Neil and Adams (still kicking I think) did what I consider the definitive Dark Knight.

Green Lantern: The Timm-verse John Stewart is my favorite.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl: The Silver+Bronze Age Katar and Shayera (that's how they were originally created, but require distinction from their Golden Age predecessors)

Blue Beetle: The pre-JLI Ted Kord.

Wonder Woman: The pre-Crisis Amazonian Princess, before she became about nothing but Greek Myth

Green Arrow: Amell's portrayal in Arrow.

Elongated Man: His depiction after his first appearances in Flash, when he had his own feature in which he and Sue "Nick and Nora-ed" their way from one mystery to the next.

[Tzigone]

Hawkman and Hawkgirl: The Silver+Bronze Age Katar and Shayera (that's how they were originally created, but require distinction from their Golden Age predecessors)
Blue Beetle: The pre-JLI Ted Kord.
Wonder Woman: The pre-Crisis Amazonian Princess, before she became about nothing but Greek Myth
Elongated Man: His depiction after his first appearances in Flash, when he had his own feature in which he and Sue "Nick and Nora-ed" their way from one mystery to the next.

Agree with all of these. Especially Ralph and Sue. I would, admittedly, like her to be more involved than she sometimes was then. They were just so adorable and so fun.

I prefer Donna's pre-COIE NTT days over her original Teen Titans days.

Kid-Jon-Kent.

I've gotten more and more strongly attached not only to the pre-COIE Batman era, but specifically to him not raised by Alfred. Then entire reworking of his childhood (not to mention their adult dynamic) is just too tied to Batman's current emotional bad health to me these days.

I like the early golden age, non-insane, meticulous and showy Joker a bit. Not really a villain fan, but I enjoyed that first story a lot. My sister posited the idea that that version might have built his image on the result of his venom, rather than designing the venom after his look, but that may be contradicted in the story - don't recall.

Quite fond of early golden age Freddy Freeman.

[lemonpeace]

pretty much every character of color is better in outside media than they are in the comics; except for the ones like Kendra Saunders or Mr. Terrific who are there to be used as props for PoC clout tokens. from John Stewart to Vixen to Black Lightning to Vibe to Aqualad to Cyborg, all have significantly superior versions in wider media. that's not even taking into account the ones that had to be race bent from white in order for the DC universe to not seem so white (like Aquamoa, Halo, Artemis, etc.) because lord be damned if DC will develop their existing character of colors enough to "warrant" using them in wider media; ya know, because the existence of characters of color always need to be validated before they can be allowed to exists.