Should The Wildstorm Characters Be A Part of The DC Universe?

[Timothy Hunter]

It's always tricky whenever trying to insert pre-existing characters into a universe they weren't created for. DC had already done this with Crisis on Infinite Earths with mixed results in my opinion. The Quality and Charlton characters such as The Question, Blue Beetle, Captain Adam, the Freedom Fighters blended quite nicely with the DC Universe. On the other hand, Captain Marvel's insertion Post Crisis has been rocky to say the least, once a character outselling Superman relegated to a B or C-lister.

The problem with moving characters to another universe is that in a more crowded field it becomes increasingly more difficult to stand out. Once what was Wildstorm's premier superhero teams, The Authority is reduced to just one of many superhero teams in the DC Universe.

You also have to take into account if the characters are a good fit for the universe you're moving them to. Unlike the Charlton, Fawcett, or Quality characters whose backgrounds and personalities are very similar to those of DC, the Wildstorm heroes feel like, well they're from a different universe: They're meaner, more morally grey, sleeker. Right next to the Metal Men, WetWorks feels out of place. That's also not taking into account that Wildstorm has direct analogues to famous DC heroes. Mr. Majestic doesn't really makes sense in a world with Superman.

[sifighter]

I mean its a little late to be asking this they've been here for a little over a decade now.

The Wildc.a.t.s. were literally last seen in Batman although admittedly mostly Grifter, Superman has a team called the authority with Midnighter and Apollo who have both been around a while in present continuity, Bendix is a Jon Kent villain, Jack Hawksmoor is in Swamp Thing. Let's not forget the big multiverse concept of the Bleed, created in the The Authority by Warren Ellis that gets named dropped all the time. Probably some more I'm forgetting but they've been here since New 52 began.

[Timothy Hunter]

Just because the Wildstorm characters have been a part of the DCU for some time doesn't mean they work well in that universe.

[Jon Clark]

The problem with most characters is finding a place they fit.

Both Majestik and Apollo are Superman pastiches and even putting aside Superman, himself they are trying to compete with Shazam! (+ family), Supergirl, Superman (Jon) J'onn, and possibly Icon (depending on how integrated Milestone and DC are). You could see a similar issues with Midnighter and the Bat-family or Zealot and Wonder Woman.

Even the character with more distinct identities like Jack Hawksmoor, Jackson King, Spartan or Holden Carver are still fighting for limited page space with other DC properties. Are writers going to reach for Swift over Hawkwoman (or Hawkman) when they need a winged character Is a team book starring the Titans, Gen-13 or the Freedom Fighters going to get the green light from DC?

And is Gamorrra made more impressive or less when it is dropped into a universe alongside Zandia, Kahndaq, Qurac and Bialya? Is Henry Bendix supposed to be a major threat by DC statndards or just another in a long line of dictators obsessed with metahumans?

[Zero Hunter]

They would be better off on their own Earth again. They have never really "fit" in the DCU like the Charlton or Marvel family have.

[Factor]

I think concepts like The Authority, in their original level of importance will always need to be diluted to fit the regular DCU, which for me isn't ideal.
I think particular characters can fit here and there, but the best representation of Wildstorm's concepts will never find a true home in the DCU.
I'm not against characters like Apollo, Midnighter and Bendix having counterparts in the DCU, but I think there should be a space for the Wildstorm to have their own stories unencumbered by the limitations of the DCU.

So best case scenario, keep having some key characters in DCU titles, but also bring back a proper Wildstorm universe, preferably one closer to the Authority/Planetary heyday. A continuation of Ellis's The WildStorm would also be cool.

[paulojrmam]

I don't think all of them fit. I can see having some appearances by characters like Midnighter and Grifter from what I've read of them in the DC Universe, they fit very well. Something like The Authority, however, doesn't, because they're basically the Elite so Superman or the JLA would be constantly going against them if they existed in the DC universe the same way they did in their original universe. That said, I think we should still have a separate Wildstorm universe for these characters, no reason why we can't simultaneously have one version of them on DC universe and another one in their original universe.

[sifighter]

I don't think all of them fit. I can see having some appearances by characters like Midnighter and Grifter from what I've read of them in the DC Universe, they fit very well. Something like The Authority, however, doesn't, because they're basically the Elite so Superman or the JLA would be constantly going against them if they existed in the DC universe the same way they did in their original universe. That said, I think we should still have a separate Wildstorm universe for these characters, no reason why we can't simultaneously have one version of them on DC universe and another one in their original universe.

Yeah we kind of had that, Ellis wrote a 20 something issue series called the Wildstorm and it had a Michael Cray spinoff and supposed to have a wildcats spinoff that never happened.

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

I don't think all of them fit. I can see having some appearances by characters like Midnighter and Grifter from what I've read of them in the DC Universe, they fit very well. Something like The Authority, however, doesn't, because they're basically the Elite so Superman or the JLA would be constantly going against them if they existed in the DC universe the same way they did in their original universe. That said, I think we should still have a separate Wildstorm universe for these characters, no reason why we can't simultaneously have one version of them on DC universe and another one in their original universe.

The Authority directly inspired the creation of the Elite. "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" was writer Joe Kelly's "Take That!" to the condescending edge-lord "traditional heroism is for p*ssies" mentality that the Authority became infamous for, especially when written by Mark Millar.

[Vordan]

I mean its a little late to be asking this they've been here for a little over a decade now.

The Wildc.a.t.s. were literally last seen in Batman although admittedly mostly Grifter, Superman has a team called the authority with Midnighter and Apollo who have both been around a while in present continuity, Bendix is a Jon Kent villain, Jack Hawksmoor is in Swamp Thing. Let's not forget the big multiverse concept of the Bleed, created in the The Authority by Warren Ellis that gets named dropped all the time. Probably some more I'm forgetting but they've been here since New 52 began.

Weird how there’s been no follow up to that WildCats tease. For a while it felt like DC was making another push to integrate theWildstirm concepts, but then they just stopped.

[amerigo178]

I think DC’s problem is when buy characters they try to incorporate all of them into the main universe.
They should try to bring them in slowly. Take 2 or 3 that might fit see how they work.
Also first thing they should do is give them there own earth where theey are in their pristine condition.
Then try to fit. I also feel they should see what type of character they need and adapt them.
For instance WS has Mr Majestic&Apollo both are Superman types Majestic more so
But Apollo is more interesting because of his Midnighter connection. Also when in the MainU you an alter them to fit
Main U Zelot could be an Amazon known to WW. You don’t need the Kheribum&Daemonites their just like the New Gods Grifter could be part of same program that made Deathstroke
They just need to put more thought into it.

[Dr. Skeleton]

Wildstorm should be it's own universe. The characters always end up lost in translation in the DCU and seems way outta place. Have them in their own universe and create a Wildstorm line is what I think they should do.

[Ascended]

Like some other folks, I think that certain concepts and characters from WS fit the DCU but for the most part, they don't mesh. DC is too restrained to encompass a group like the classic Authority, and organizations like StormWatch will never be as relevant. Plus a ton of WildStorm characters are just DC proxies anyway, which makes finding a niche and home for them even harder.

I think you could twist a lot of stuff around and kinda squeeze it in. You could say that Majestic and the Kherbim (spelling?) are actually Almeraci, with Majestros being part of Maxima's royal House. You could say the Daemonites are white Martians or something. But if you do that, is it really the WildStorm character/s anymore? Would it be satisfying to read?

I'm with Factor, the best case scenario is that the stuff in the DCU that's working stays there, but only as multiversal variants, and the "real" WildStorm earth finds a home somewhere in the 52 where it can be used to its full potential.

[Frontier]

The WildCATS story in Batman: Urban Legend felt so random.

[Uncanny X-Man]

As a Wildstorm fan, I was very excited when the WS universe merged with the DCU in the New 52. The execution however left a lot to be desired. I don't feel strongly one way or another tbh, it's all about the creators involved and how the story is executed. I adored The WildStorm by Warren Ellis but it was a commercial failure and has probably put the nail in the coffin for WS in its own corner for a number of years. I'm not against a relaunched Wildcats, Gen13 etc set in the DCU but DC seems to be struggling with their own core team books at the moment so I don't see it happening anytime soon.