Most overrated and underrated DC characters

[upgrayedd]

Overrated:



Aqualad (Kaldur'ahm) - I thought the Aquawar was the best part of reading Brightest Day. It's rare to be heroes and have your father be a villain.

hrmmm, a guy in a black suit and black helmet, with breathing apparatus, is also a villian and has a hero son? Sounds kinda familiar

[The Darknight Detective]

Barry Allen and Hal Jordan aren't bad characters(Barry Allen is a favourite of mine) but the fact that they're treated like the definitive article and basically the messiah in their respective franchises at the expense of all their successors is what annoys people, they both defined their respective superheroes when they were first created but characters like Kyle Rayner and Wally West have taken those ideas in different directions that shouldn't be ignored in favour of "Iconic" characters

There are two sides to that, though. When Barry and Hall were gone, Wally and Kyle were written to be better than their predecessors (aggravating some of the earlier generation of fans). Of course, when the originals came back, that had to change, since the current predominant heroes always seem to be written as the best (not surprisingly, BTW) in comic-book world. Not that it ever would happen on a permanent basis, but if Clark and Bruce had legacy characters to replace them, those replacements would appear to be more accomplished than their antecedents after some time had passed.

As for the whole overrated/underrated thing, I prefer it to discussions that can be analyzed in an objective way (i.e. the best ML baseball players) rather than subjectively as the case here, IMO.

[MegaManChiefFan]

Overrated: Superman

Underrated: Animal Man

[CSTowle]

There are two sides to that, though. When Barry and Hall were gone, Wally and Kyle were written to be better than their predecessors (aggravating some of the earlier generation of fans). Of course, when the originals came back, that had to change, since the current predominant heroes always seem to be written as the best (not surprisingly, BTW) in comic-book world. Not that it ever would happen on a permanent basis, but if Clark and Bruce had legacy characters to replace them, those replacements would appear to be more accomplished than their antecedents after some time had passed.

As for the whole overrated/underrated thing, I prefer it to discussions that can be analyzed in an objective way (i.e. the best ML baseball players) rather than subjectively as the case here, IMO.

How do you figure? Kyle was constantly being compared to Hal and being told he didn't measure up by some because he was never going to live up to the "legend" of Hal. They went on and on about how Hal was the greatest until he turned. He had no yellow impurity, but that was on the ring and not him. The only mention of Kyle being greater came during Morrison's JLA run, by Sandman.

And in Wally's case he not only was judged against his mentor but was the A-number-1 guy beating the band for the legend of Barry (which made sense, story-wise). He never was as fast, never knew as much about how to use the powers, and was always measuring himself against "the greatest Flash to ever live".

When Dick took over for Batman they made a point to show him as not better, but certainly different from Bruce. From the smiling and enjoying himself in combat, to not being as good at the research/detective angle as Bruce or Tim, he may not have been shown to be inferior (just different), but neither was he shown to be superior.

[The Darknight Detective]

How do you figure? Kyle was constantly being compared to Hal and being told he didn't measure up by some because he was never going to live up to the "legend" of Hal. They went on and on about how Hal was the greatest until he turned. He had no yellow impurity, but that was on the ring and not him. The only mention of Kyle being greater came during Morrison's JLA run, by Sandman.

Hal was indeed considered the greatest at the start of Kyle's career, but was he really considered that later on? Not from my readings, at any rate. Not a criticism, either. The guy currently at the top gets the greater respect after a time, though Multiverse comparisons are a different matter (between Hal and Alan, who was the greater GL pre-COIE -I have no idea).

And in Wally's case he not only was judged against his mentor but was the A-number-1 guy beating the band for the legend of Barry (which made sense, story-wise). He never was as fast, never knew as much about how to use the powers, and was always measuring himself against "the greatest Flash to ever live".

I said there were two sides to the issue, not one. Yes, Wally always had Barry to be measured to, but there isn't any doubt that his powers were greater than pre-COIE Barry's. Again, not a surprise, since management tends to want the newer guy to distinguish himself in a big way.

When Dick took over for Batman they made a point to show him as not better, but certainly different from Bruce. From the smiling and enjoying himself in combat, to not being as good at the research/detective angle as Bruce or Tim, he may not have been shown to be inferior (just different), but neither was he shown to be superior.

I said permanently, though, since everybody knew Bruce wasn't gone for good. Would it make any sense to have Dick appear to be greater than Bruce, only to bring back the latter? However, if Bruce was indeed benched for decades, I have no doubt Dick would be considered the greatest in the comics as the years moved along - until someone else was wearing the cowl and cape in his place, of course.

[CSTowle]

Couldn't tell you at the end of Kyle's run (read through Marz's run, struggled through a bit of Winnick's before dropping the title), but he definitely had the shadow over him.

As to Wally, I wasn't around for Pre-COIE Barry but I know in the Waid and Johns runs I read they established that Wally's powers at best met Barry's and before Waid's push they were inferior. So maybe Pre-COIE Barry's powers were less than Post-COIE Barry's canon powers.

[Sutekh]

Underrated:
Jericho (as a trueblue hero that is, not as Slade's craziest child)

Ooh, good one. Jericho really deserved better than he got. (Ditto Kole, who I personally overrate, despite her horrible crystal-bug-people-nuclear-survivalist parents backstory...)

Also underrated from the Titans, Garth/Aqualad/Tempest. Superboy / girl / dog / bear will never really be Superman. Batwoman / girl / boy / squid will never surpass Batman. The various Wonder Tweens will never reach the heights Diana has reached. But Garth just flat out blew past Aquaman and never stopped, until they killed him. He's the only 'kid sidekick' who didn't just move into his own niche (as did Nightwing and Arsenal before him), but flat out overpowered his mentor, finding a new role rather than 'kind of strong, breathes underwater and talks to fish, junior edition.'

And like Nightwing and Arsenal and Donna Troy, it seems the 'reward' for growing up and finding your niche and becoming something other than the kid version of an adult hero, about as relevant as their hat, is editiorial hate, mutiliation and / or death.

That aside, the character of Aqualad (Kalduran) from the Young Justice cartoon was *also* amazing, and, go cartoon, go, they managed to have both him *and* Garth in the same world. It's amazing to me that people working for DC on their cartoons can give so much more satisfying stories than the people working *at* DC on their comics.

[skyvolt2000]

Overrated:
Military stoic John Stewart. I much prefer the John Stewart from Mosaic who had a sense of humor. I hated how they brought the Marines background into the comics.

Underrated:
Starling! Please bring her back.

I think the issue for many on this list is who is doing the writing and what material is available to read.

For many you got too many guys who have been RESTRICTED to being written by one person.

I would ignore a Johns Cyborg book with a passion. I'll look at a trade of the upcoming solo series to see if someone else can do a better job with him.

I would buy a Michael Holt book under Johns but I would not under Eric Wallace.

Scott McDaniel? Do I EVEN need to go there. I wouldn't trust him with ANY character.

John being a Marine versus his GL Mosaic version might come down to what is available. If I am trying to get new readers using the cartoon origin helps since it's out there versus a series that is not in trade. Remember a TON of John Stewart stories are not in trade.

Hal and Barry hate is more due to the fates of the others that came after them. You don't need to limbo or trash or bury John, Wally and the rest to make these guys look great.

You can't undo 300 Wally stories and toss him in the trash an don't expect folks to hate Barry.

You can't be all about Hal when everyone wants John or the others. You can't keep back grounding the rest. We have had John & Guy stories in book but the cover showcases Hal-see GL Retro & Convergence. That is a turnoff. If you don't want them as GLs-Nigtwing them some need IDs or Alan Scott them. Or give Hal a new Id. Which I think they are trying to do now.

Overrated-I'll pass for now

Underrated-

Firestorm-Batman said he was too dangerous to be by himself
Vixen-who have animal powers and yes that includes INSECTS & SEA LIFE. How many are poisonous to the touch?
Aquaman-how much is the world is water?
Vibe
Morpho (I'm not sure if that is his name form Outsiders)
If you wanted to throw in Milestone gang-
Xombi-how do you kill someone that can't die?
Static-his powers are still not defined and if you got by all 4 versions of him. He generate enough power to power the planet, reattach body parts and his powers can get enhanced by the sun & moon.

Image all those guys were villains.

[LifeIsILL]

Overrated:

Batman
Damian
Hal Jordan
John Stewart

Underrated:

The Demon
Sgt.Rock
Unknown Soldier
Aquaman

[sunofdarkchild]

Overrated-the big silver age heroes. So much of what DC has done that upsets people has been about going back to the silver age with Barry, Hal, Barbara, ect. And in the dilver age most characters were just boring boy scouts.

Also Catwoman. Not bad by any means, but I cannot for the life of me understand why she's considered Batman's #1 love interest.

Underrated-Stephanie Brown. Easily one of the best charaters from the Bat-side of the universe but constantly given the shaft by editorial. There's a reason so many many writers spent years begging to be able to use her.

Matrix/Supergirl. She had some really good stories before they went silver age again. And was pretty unique for a Superman character.

Steel. The movie will be all he's remembered for, but could have easily been DC's answer to Iron Man.

[Prime]

Overrated

Batman

Underrated

Aquaman

[M L A]

Overrated :
Lobo: 90s was the so called "edgy period" sadly Lobo wasn't left there, one of the most overrated and dull character I've even see.

Deathstroke: sigh that identity crisis fight it paved into the minds of Deathstroke lovers which makes deathstroke a pretty overrated character when its come to character battles and appreciation.

Teen Titans: The epitome of a team living off the glory days.

Kingdom Come's Superman:

John Stewart: hype for a cartoon series that never translate into comics, this character highlights the dull and boring military stereotypes one should avoid when writing a character.


Underrated :

Kara Zor-L(Power Girl): For some reason she's made to be weaker than her main counterpart.
Lorena Marquez(Aquagirl)
Soranik Natu
Shade the Changing Man
New Gods : These "Gods" even up being cannon fodders when under certain writers pen.
Ray Palmer:

I agree with these.
I'd also add Ryan Choi and Vixen to the underrated column.
Always liked them but others are usually favored over them.

[Melwicker]

Overrated:
Batman. The characters and franchise are excellent in their own way. However, DC's marketing and creative departments shouldn't overemphasize and exploit the Batman franchise at the potential expense of the rest of the DC multiverse as a whole.
Since the Batman embargo is in place for live action television, (with the exception of Gotham), DC is focusing their spotlight on other significant and potentially profitable character franchises.

Rated just fine and excellent in their own way:
Hal Jordan: As the first Silver Age Green Lantern, he is a legacy character to Alan Scott.
John Stewart: He has his own important role to play in the comics. He is following his own path as a Green Lantern. He could use more focus in other media, though.
Guy Gardner: He is following his own path as a character. He has achieved excellent character development as a Red Lantern.
Barry Allen: Even though the treatment of the other Flash legacy characters by DC has been highly controversial, one must not forget that Barry Allen is himself a legacy character in a way, since he was the Silver Age Flash. Jay Garrick was the first Flash.
Superman.

Controversial:
Wonder Woman: Even though she is the most well known female superhero, there is a LOT of controversy on how well DC has treated her as a franchise. She recently had a failed TV series pilot, and her upcoming live action film debut will be as a secondary character to two white male superheroes. She may get a live action film of her own later on.
Wonder Woman's parentage as a demigod daughter of Zeus has also received a lot of criticism. Some may feel that the Zeus plotline somehow tarnishes her image as a female superhero, since it basically says that her conception and birth is the result of intercourse with a male god. As far as I could understand, Diana Prince's pre-Flashpoint origin was basically a virginal, pristine conception without the taint of sexual intercourse with a man. All of the Greek gods played a part in bringing her to life from clay.
Others may feel that her demigod origin gives her a more solidly Greek mythical aspect, since many notable Greek mythical heroes were demigod children of Olympian gods. Some Greek mythical heroes were children of Zeus. For example, Hercules and Perseus were the children of Zeus.
Other DC female superheroes have controversies around their management by DC. Barbara Gordon has controversy surrounding her recovery and return to the Batgirl role, since it not only affected the Batgirl legacy characters, but also reflected somewhat questionably on DC Comics portrayal of people with disabilities in a polarizing way. There was a controversy on whether Barbara Gordon should have become able to take on the role of Batgirl again. This controversy basically implies that people want Barbara Gordon to basically have a lifelong disability from a spinal injury so that other characters like Stephanie Brown or Cassandra Cain can be Batgirl.
If Barbara Gordon was a real person, and if she suffered the same injury to the spine as she did in the comics, she could have been permanently disabled. Barbara Gordon has received treatment that would allow her to use the Batgirl mantle again.

Underrated:
Swamp Thing.
Vibe
Black Canary
Many other DC characters.

[mrumsey]

Overrated:

John Stewart - His character is very one-dimensional to me and as a result of grafting the military background to him he's become even less interesting.
Batman - Maybe not overrated so much as overused but the constant playing of the Bat-God card has made him far less appealing than he used to be.

Underrated:
Cyborg - He is perhaps one of the most relevant characters in comics today with the whole humanity versus technology angle. With the right writer he could soar.
Dr. Fate - Has the fascinating mystic/occult angle to play off of if only someone at DC with the right vision would take a serious run at the character.
The Spectre - So much could be done with using the Spectre in more of an anthology series where the focus of the stories are on the people who cause God's wrath to be placed on them. I also think this would be an awesome HBO/Showtime series in the vein of Tales From the Crypt.

[BohemiaDrinker]

There are two sides to that, though. When Barry and Hall were gone, Wally and Kyle were written to be better than their predecessors (aggravating some of the earlier generation of fans). .

I said there were two sides to the issue, not one. Yes, Wally always had Barry to be measured to, but there isn't any doubt that his powers were greater than pre-COIE Barry's. Again, not a surprise, since management tends to want the newer guy to distinguish himself in a big way.

Here's the thing here, though it applies mostly to Wally, not that much to Kyle:

Wally was made into "the best" by improvement of the characters abilities, and that took some five to six years or 80 something issues. Barry was restored to his spot by making everyone else worse. And, of course, retconning whatever they accomplished away.

It's all on the execution; Flash: Rebirth didn't have a good one. GL did, but then messing with Kyle became kind of a favorite sport at DC for a while.

The Green Arrow family was the one that handled this stuff the best. (Connor as the best fighter, Ollie the best archer and Roy 2nd place at both). Even when the spotlight changed, the characters remained themselves. At least until "Rise of Arsenal. ( )