Pick A Villain For King's Run

[Gaius]

This made me realize why Clea has kind of fallen out of favor - she's sort of thematically redundant with some of Diana's more prominent Post-Crisis villains who don't carry the baggage of potentially contradicting Aquaman lore. Want a misandrist anti-Wonder Woman who poses a serious physical threat? You have Circe. Want a cruel, ruthless alternate version of the Amazons, complete with a monarchy and a full standing army? You've got the Bana-Mighdall (though of course they've become allies in recent years).

I've said the same thing about Paula Von Gunther.

[Dr. Poison]

That don't truly works with Aquaman on the same planet, except you expect from Tom King to let Clea first steal the Trident from Aquaman, even afterwards let Atlantis still just ignore Venturia, and on top of that make Clea as a Venturian Atlantean much stronger than all other known Atlanteans and maybe even give her flight.

These issues could be remedied by giving Clea the Trident of Neptune instead. Aquaman and Clea could be at odds but perhaps a peace treaty was signed by them some time ago. She could have came into power during World War II to fight Diana during her early years as Wonder Woman and due to her Atlantean heritage or being in possession of the Trident, aged very slowly over the decades.

[OBrianTallent]

I think King could actually do a lot with Clea. Set up a rivalry with the Amazons, have her be the impetus for the war against them with the United States. She's powerful enough to be a physical threat to Diana, she's the leader of a nation, she's a blank slate which really is what King works best with. And Sampere would draw a freaking AWESOME Clea.

[Ascended]

You can sign me up for pretty much everyone on this list honestly. I think King could do some good work with a bunch of them too.

But for the poll, and given what I've heard about the run, I had to vote for Psycho even though he's gotten more page time than a lot of others. He just seems like a good fit for the 'radical' and socio-politically involved Diana that King is supposed to be giving us.

.....

Crap I just saw Paula Von Gunther on the list. Now I wish I could change my vote.

[Emperorjones]

Chose other. I would like to see Veronica Cale and the First Born.

[Mutant God]

Dr. Cyber or White Magician

[Nyssane]

First Born.

White Magician

Got some controversial picks there.

[Dr. Poison]

Got some controversial picks there.

I'd be ok with the White Magician returning but not the First Born. Why do you think the WM is controversial?

[marhawkman]

I did pick Dr Poison, but many here have potential, like Zara.

Characters that should be here but aren't: Devastation.

And finally, I realy wish he would use Queen Bee. She is such a perfect villain for Diana to fight, regardless of which version it is. And she has never really been written like a big deal.

I wanna say that QB had a good Supergirl run.... but I'm not sure that was the same bee themed villain. But it WAS a villain capable of actually fighting Supergirl.... after taking over the body of... Lana Lang I think?

[Mel Dyer]

Queen Clea because it's about damn time a big writer tackled her in a major way.

Though King has already said his mass-murdering Amazon and mystery villain are going to be new additions to the Wonderverse, ..I would love to see Queen Clea written as a cross between the Kurgan from Highlander and the Conan books' Thulsa Doom, with her own armies, weapons and loyalists - maybe, some Brother blood mixed in for modernity. Still think Azzarello could have used her in First Born's place, in his New 52 story arc.

[Fuzzy Mittens]

huh, thats news to me. I knew we were getting a new villain, but I was unaware that he even hinted at the Amazon responsible not being one we already know.

[Mel Dyer]

Queen Clea because it's about damn time a big writer tackled her in a major way.

As much as I LOVE Dr. Poison, I voted for Queen Clea because I feel like she has so much potential being an Atlantean monarch, full of misandry, an army, the Trident of Poseidon, and strength enough to go toe to toe with Diana. Phil Jimenez's run that featured the character as the leader of his version of Villainy Inc. is what made me fall in love with the character. Check it out if you can.

I'm riding with you fellas. It's CLEA for me, or bust.

Clea's obsessed with conquering two Atlantaean kingdoms, Venturia and Aurania, confusing for DC Comics fans, who associate 'Atlantis' with Aquaman. For sake of narrative clarity, why not open up our idea of what she can be...what role she can play in the Wonderverse? Clea could be 'her own thing' - the immortal conqueress of other realms, countless realms and people, ..long before she had ever settled in fabled Atlantis or Venturia.

Is she really a seven-foot tall, flaxen-haired giantess, with an ageless, immortal body? Is she an extradimensional turkey or a white pineapple or whatever the hell's been sitting on her head for eighty years, ..who possessed a giant, blond Atlantian gal? Is she a blob or a force with no corporeal body at all? Who knows what Clea's original form might look like?

I want an ARCH worthy of the Queen of Superheroes, finally. I want some writer to bust his or her imaginative hump to make me look at Clea, again. I want them to make me wonder why we've wasted so much time on the prancing, sillier WW antagonists - why the 'arch' hasn't been Clea, all along. Go big or go home.

[marhawkman]

I'm riding with you fellas. It's CLEA for me, or bust.

Clea's obsessed with conquering two Atlantaean kingdoms, Venturia and Aurania, confusing for DC Comics fans, who associate 'Atlantis' with Aquaman. For sake of narrative clarity, why not open up our idea of what she can be...what role she can play in the Wonderverse? Clea could be 'her own thing' - the immortal conqueress of other realms, countless realms and people, ..long before she had ever settled in fabled Atlantis or Venturia.

Is she really a seven-foot tall, flaxen-haired giantess, with an ageless, immortal body? Is she an extradimensional turkey or a white pineapple or whatever the hell's been sitting on her head for eighty years, ..who possessed a giant, blond Atlantian gal? Is she a blob or a force with no corporeal body at all? Who knows what Clea's original form might look like?

I want an ARCH worthy of the Queen of Superheroes, finally. I want some writer to bust his or her imaginative hump to make me look at Clea, again. I want them to make me wonder why we've wasted so much time on the prancing, sillier WW antagonists - why the 'arch' hasn't been Clea, all along. Go big or go home.

Nah. NOPE! That ruins what makes her Clea.

Let's not forget, Aquaman's wife is a Xebel Witch. Anyone who knows anything about the "Atlantean" side of DC knows there's more than one kingdom. Aquaman is king of Atlantis. Mera is from Xebel. Clea is from neither of those.

[Mel Dyer]

Nah. NOPE! That ruins what makes her Clea.

Let's not forget, Aquaman's wife is a Xebel Witch. Anyone who knows anything about the "Atlantean" side of DC knows there's more than one kingdom. Aquaman is king of Atlantis. Mera is from Xebel. Clea is from neither of those.

"...Nah. NOPE! That ruins what makes her Clea..."

For you..? That ruins what makes her Clea 'for you', ..and my POV on Clea is different and welcome, because it's an open forum and a community. Dial it back, please.

As I see it, Queen Clea being tied exclusively to Atlantis gives her a smaller narrative range, limits what writers can do with her ..and (most importantly) what kind of stories we can imagine PAYING to see her in. I think Phil Jimenez broadened her range, when he wrote a story about her attacking Skartaris with a new Villainy, Incorporated. That story allowed many of us to see Clea as something more than a sea-story supervillain ..or an Atlantaean. In his hands, she became a universal threat, like Doctor Doom, Darkseid, Kobra or any other. Considering she's only appeared in a few stories, since World War II, I think we have to consider that something is limiting what creators are choosing to do with her...why fans aren't shaking the internet with demands for her use in a WW story.

Can you imagine if the Joker or Luthor had appeared in roughly six or seven stories, since the 1970s? Superman and Batman fans would never have stood for that. Except for you, myself and a few others, who is rallying around Clea and beating down editor Brittany Holzherr's and Jim Lee's Twitter accounts with demands to see her in stories? Or Devastation? Or Doctor Cyber? Or any of these 'good on paper, with too few good stories' Wonder-villains?

Why aren't we seeing the WW comic serving up Clea one-shots, 'Young Clea' stories or a backup series, the way it gave us multiple Nubia projects, earlier this year? I think we need to see bigger and broader thinking, where WW supervillains are concerned, ..especially after Cheetah's showing that dismal WW 1984 film.

Pardon me, but I must disagree with you in your desire to see Clea defined more specifically as an Atlantaean. I think anything that limits what writers or fans can imagine for WW's villains is counter-productive to the overall quality of the comic and my enjoyment of it. You have your opinion, and I have a different one...

And the Multiverse didn't break. We'll get through it, somehow.

What about readers, who don't know anything about the Atlantaean realm or how diverse it can be ..or who just can't see as broadly as you about what can be done with it, in a story? Should we dismiss them? They don't count? What's the matter with opening Clea up a bit - making her story inclusive of EVERY-thing you like about her, as she is, while opening her narrative to more...expanding what the rest of us can imagine her doing? Broadening the idea of what kind of threat she can be to the whole DCU?

Too often we complain that the WW comic doesn't get enough creative respect at DC Comics ..or fan interest, outside of our community. We blame it on toxic masculinity or (if you're me) Bob Kanigher! Supervillains, specifically the long-term development of universally appealing super-villains - that can take YEARS, sometimes - is a step in the right direction for fixing all of that. Find me one solidly good Wonder-villain, that a JLA, Superman, Green Lantern or Batman fan can imagine at the center of a GREAT story in their favorite comics, threatening their superhero-verses, ..and you have a headline! Find one they'd see on a WW cover and put down their favorite comics to read, and you have a miracle - Clea, Janus, whoever!

If we aren't interested in some [Some!] of WW's BEST villains - I think Clea is one of those - sharing the DCU and appealing to fans outside of our community, we've got no business complaining as much, as we do.

I think Queen Clea OR Doctor Cyber ..can be as popular as Darkseid [Yawn], Brainiac, Loki, Joker, Magneto, Luthor, Thanos, Darth Vader or whoever! You won't hear me complaining (anymore) about why comic fans can't give her a chance [Louder yawn], like the other supervillains...why writers aren't using her, enough. I think Clea CAN and needs to be more than she is. Just my opinion...

Look alive, kangaliers!

[HestiasHearth]

I'm riding with you fellas. It's CLEA for me, or bust.

Clea's obsessed with conquering two Atlantaean kingdoms, Venturia and Aurania, confusing for DC Comics fans, who associate 'Atlantis' with Aquaman. For sake of narrative clarity, why not open up our idea of what she can be...what role she can play in the Wonderverse? Clea could be 'her own thing' - the immortal conqueress of other realms, countless realms and people, ..long before she had ever settled in fabled Atlantis or Venturia.

Is she really a seven-foot tall, flaxen-haired giantess, with an ageless, immortal body? Is she an extradimensional turkey or a white pineapple or whatever the hell's been sitting on her head for eighty years, ..who possessed a giant, blond Atlantian gal? Is she a blob or a force with no corporeal body at all? Who knows what Clea's original form might look like?

I want an ARCH worthy of the Queen of Superheroes, finally. I want some writer to bust his or her imaginative hump to make me look at Clea, again. I want them to make me wonder why we've wasted so much time on the prancing, sillier WW antagonists - why the 'arch' hasn't been Clea, all along. Go big or go home.

In my opinion, Clea and Cyber have the potential to be the kind of universal, universally feared threat that Brainiac, Loki and Luthor are. Clea because her already existing but barely explored backstory allows for her ascent as an uber-powerful megalomaniac who possesses limitless resources and can wreak havoc across the DC Universe, and Cyber because...duh, imagine the damage she could do through her ability to hijack/control technology. And we all know that the only reason Circe, Dr. Poison, and Ares are not on the same pop culture level as Magneto, Loki, Luthor and Brainiac are is because DC doesn't seem to give a **** about nurturing Wonder Woman supporting characters into becoming multi-book-decimating villains.