Why is your favorite DC hero your favorite character?

[Lightning Rider]

Pretty simple really. What draws you to your favorite character? What about them speaks to you in a way the others don't? Can you relate to them, or are you inspired by their unlikeness to you? Do you long for their special abilities? Does a specific life circumstance, weakness, or theme resonate with you in particular?


I'll start with what is probably a lot of people's favorite character: Wally West. As simple as it sounds, I find Wally very relatable. He's serious without being dreary and depressing. He's sarcastic, and has a sense of humor that isn't overbearing. He's a symbol of hope, but is much more personable and down to Earth, both as the Flash and as a civilian (the latter having a blue collar flavor). His loneliness and sensitivity as a child is something I think is very easy to tap into from a nostalgic angle, as is his reverence for Barry and feelings of inadequacy as he grows. His sense of justice is also more natural, like Barry's; not driven by tragedy. His ability to think and move at super speed are very appealing, especially in that bright red costume. There's so much freedom and control embodied in that blur. While part of me would love to have that ability, another part of me feels like my mind is already over-thinking at a rapid pace constantly. For example, I can relate to when he expresses frustration at shying away from debates because he's covered the angles in his mind a thousand times. It's a kind of arrogant thing to say, but I think plenty of people feel that way about certain topics. Sometimes the mind can work on its own so much, the rest of the world can feel redundant.

[Lightning Rider]

I know you've read it. I see you viewing. I see you.

[Jon Clark]

The classic Superman's concept drew me in. Clark as the awkward stumbling guy we all feel like at points. Superman as the dynamic dashing guy we all wish everyone would see buried under our "Clark-ness". Then add in the whole altruistic bit of a guy who could literally do anything and chooses to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing.

[The Darknight Detective]

Why is DC's and maybe comics' most popular character my favorite? I don't know. Batman just is. I do know it too me about seven years to come to that conclusion (exactly 40 years ago after the present of my first Batman comic). I loved him before that, but I'm not sure I liked him more than Superman or Spider-Man.

[Lightning Rider]

The classic Superman's concept drew me in. Clark as the awkward stumbling guy we all feel like at points. Superman as the dynamic dashing guy we all wish everyone would see buried under our "Clark-ness". Then add in the whole altruistic bit of a guy who could literally do anything and chooses to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing.

Very well put. That plain old goodness, while some may find it boring, always appealed to me. Perhaps more so because we live in the age of the anti-hero.

[Robotman]

i love Robotman because he's a guy who has been dealt a tragic hand but he perseveres and becomes a hero. plus i love that he's the most low tech high tech hero around. by that i mean he remains an "average joe" even though he's walking around in a state of the art robot body. even though it's probably equipped with lasers and rockets Cliff would prefer to use his fists.

Superman is my favorite because he's the most compassionate hero around. he uses his god-like power to help. not because he's fueled by vengeance or guilt but because he can and it's the right thing to do. if any one of us had a fraction of his power we would probably use it for some kind of personal gain. Superman is the selfless hero. he doesn't date models or try to dictate how people should live. he's the god that tries to be a normal man. it's a great concept.

i loved the Giffen/Rogers take on Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes. he was a self deprecating average kid who was granted amazing powers. i also loved the fact that he was Mexican but it wasn't something that seemed forced. sadly under Bedard Jaime started to say things like "super-vatos" and "ay dios mio!" all the damn time.

[Hawkman]

I first came to be a fan of Hawkman thanks to the Super Powers action figure my mom bought me as a kid. My brother and I had pretty much the whole set, but of all the characters, Hawkman was the best to my child's eyes. He was just so much more impressive looking than all the rest, what with his mace accessory and flapping wings action.

As I got older, and actually started reading comic books, the look continued to be a big draw for me, but his back story, too, quickly came into the equation. Not only did he look the part of a fantasy character, but he had a very sci-fantasy origin as a police officer from a planet called Thanagar. Growing up with a fondness for The Hobbit and Star Wars in addition to comic book superheroes, Hawkman just felt like the perfect blend of everything I found awesome in my youth.

Getting up into those all-important developmental years, Hawkman's relationship with his wife became a bigger and bigger deal to me. I happen to be a pretty hopeless romantic myself, so I gravitate towards that in my fiction. Hawkman ticks off that box in spades, but it was rarely overtly handled (at least not before Johns). His marriage to Shayera was just a matter of circumstance, and while they loved and appreciated one another, it was never the be-all end-all of the characters. I liked the subtlety of it all, I guess; that you can be in love with someone and they can complete you, but that there's also a lot more to every person than just our relationships. There's something to be learned from that, I think.

Coupled with that, Hawkman has always been shown to have somewhat of a temper. I can relate to this on a personal basis. I try to be a pretty mellow guy on the Internet, but in reality, I admit to being somewhat of a hot-head. I'm very passionate about a lot of things, and that passion tends to make me uncompromising. There were more than a few times in college that I got into heated debates with professors and fellow students, and to this day I've been known to get into some pretty furious... discussions, we'll call them, every now and again. It's not something I'm proud of, but I like that Hawkman displays this same level of stubbornness from time to time. It exemplifies that someone with a fault like mine can still be a good and decent person at the end of the day, and even work with others we might otherwise disagree with (Green Arrow) for the greater good.

Bringing it all together would be his powers. I like my heroes to be above-average in their physical abilities. Guys like Batman and Nightwing are cool, but I like someone who can lift a Volkswagen in a pinch. On the other hand, I appreciate brawlers who don't necessarily walk away from a scrap unscathed. Again, Hawkman falls into this category almost perfectly. Now, to be fair, I'm not sure if this preference lends itself to why I like Hawkman, or if I simply like characters of this archetype because I've been a fan of Hawkman for almost as long as I've been walking, but regardless, it's another facet that makes the Hawkman complete package so darn appealing to me.

So yeah, Hawkman. The hopeless romantic with a chip on his shoulder and a heart of gold. That's my guy, all right.

[lorddominicus85]

Batman.

I wasn't really sure growing up why I liked Batman more than any other superhero, maybe it was the movies where he wore all black and drove a sweet car, I don't know. But when TDKR came out there was a scene in that movie that made me realize why I liked Batman so much. When Blake first visits Bruce he tells the story of his formative years, of his parents dying and being angry all the time and learning to late how to hide that anger behind a smile, about how people always wanted him to do the one thing he couldn't and let it go and how when he saw Bruce Wayne in person for the first time he recognized the look on his face because he saw it in the mirror every day and that's when he knew Bruce Wayne was Batman. After that I realized that I liked Batman so much because he's so internally angry and conflicted, it would be easy for him to be consumed by his anger and become what he fights against but instead he uses that anger to fuel his never ending war on crime, he uses his anger to be a better person and that really appeals to me as my own youth provided me with plenty of reasons to be an angry depressed child right up into my thirties but instead I redirect those feelings into something else, like Batman does.

I'd have to say a close second for me is Swamp Thing though, I always liked the character and even the movies but after reading Alan Moore's run and watching this monster who thought he was a man learn his place in the world it just really appealed to me. It clicked for me, the whole story from beginning to end, he isn't a man, he isn't even a super hero, he's a monster but he chooses to be something more than his circumstances dictate.

[Jim Kelly]

The topic sounds a bit like a tautology. Obviously my favourite character is my favourite because he's my favourite.

I would probably say Elongated Man, almost by default. I mean the classic Elongated Man--but Ralph stayed pretty much the same character up until IDENTITY CRISIS--so I don't have to do a lot of qualifying with him like I have to do with other favourites from DC.

I loved his DETECTIVE COMICS back-up run in the sixties which featured three of my favourite comic book talents--Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Sid Greene (with John Broome sometimes relieving Fox). There was always a puzzling situation at the beginning of the case. Sue Dibny proved a fascinating foil for her husband. And all the chaotic bodily contortions made for a lot of great visuals.

Of course, there were many other characters who were my favourite--mostly from the classic years of DC. Batman, Superman, Captain Marvel, Green Lantern, . . . I can't say I like what's been done with them lately.

[byrd156]

Dick Grayson is my favorite character because he represents everything I love about superheroes. He is always bright and hopeful, Dick Grayson is such a fun character. Dick's life is filled tragedy and drama. But it’s Dick’s reaction to this tragedy and drama, his ability to continue to embrace humor and hope in spite of the shadows that embrace him that are part of who he is and why he does what he does. He's friends with every hero and is an incredible leader. He is one of DC's most devolved characters with many different arcs from all different personas.

Plus only Dick is awesome enough to have the JSA as his own moving company.


“Who do I think I am? Good question, really, and I’ll answer like this: I’ve seen too much to be Robin, but I’m still too optimistic to be Batman. I’m Nightwing. I’m Officer Dick Grayson. I’m Barbara’s boyfriend, Bruce Wayne’s adopted son, and the last living member of the Amazing Flying Graysons. I’m happy” - Nightwing #75

[Burning Eyes]

#1 - Adam Strange

He's Buck Rogers mixed with John Carter of Mars. What's not to love?

[Magneto]

The Joker. Especially the chaotic or tragic version like Ledger or the Killing Joke.

He's an anarchist, i'm an anarchist. How can we not love eachother AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA

sorry...

[Triple J]

Hmm, favorite character.

I do love all DC characters - but, honestly, I might be a bit biased on Aquaman

I don't relate to him (Frankly, I don't relate to any DC character; I don't see that as an issue though..they are fictional characters after all). But, regardless some of them have managed to inspire me in real life (Batman and Superman).

Aquaman hasn't inspired me, but I like the character regardless. Maybe it's because he's such a different hero, a king responsible for most of the planet. Or maybe it's because his reputation is low among the general public (thanks to Superfriends).

I can't pinpoint to a particular trait.

[Tofali]

Why is your favorite DC hero your favorite character? Batman because his stories are always satisfying to read especially the villains. Damon Wayne because he is(was ) a muderous sociapath and still struggles to be "normal"

[blackbolt396]

Because he's the god $#×+ Batman.