What are some of your favorite lesser known DC characters?

[Sutekh]

Bushido was one of those character who were technically before my time but that I took an instant liking and attachment to. It was a supreme and disgusting disservice to his character that they killed him off at all, but especially how they did it. And it's also kinda suspect how no one has ever made amends to rectify this, in spite of ample opportunity to have done so multiple times over by now.

But no, we apparently can't have a badass Japanese male youth be a hero or be present or nothing.

That annoyed me for three reasons.

A) He was a cool character.
B) Prime is not.
C) It was like the people writing the story did not care. He was 'heat visioned' to death by Prime, and yet there was blood everywhere, as if Prime's 'heat' vision was in fact 'sword vision' or something, since it could cut people, but not cauterize the wounds...

There's a lot of potential for a weapon user drawing on the spirits of previous wielders to tap their skills, their strength, etc. (Imagine having an old sword that's been passed from warrior to warrior, and being able to tap *all* of their strength and hit with the force of a half-dozen men? As well as many lifetimes worth of skill!) Even cooler, such a character could later find out that their 'magic sword' is nothing of the sort, and that they are actually using psychometry/postcognition to read the psychic impressions of past users of the item, and that he's able to do that with *anything.* Swords. Guns. Keypads. Combination locks. Computer keyboards. But even if it's just 'magic sword,' that's cool too, particularly if the spirit remnants lingering in it have some cool history, maybe even previous users of the sword having encountered some immortal hero or villain like Dr. Fate or Nommo or Wotan or Vandal Savage over the centuries.

Tons of potential!

[J. D. Guy]

That annoyed me for three reasons.

A) He was a cool character.
B) Prime is not.
C) It was like the people writing the story did not care. He was 'heat visioned' to death by Prime, and yet there was blood everywhere, as if Prime's 'heat' vision was in fact 'sword vision' or something, since it could cut people, but not cauterize the wounds...

There's a lot of potential for a weapon user drawing on the spirits of previous wielders to tap their skills, their strength, etc. (Imagine having an old sword that's been passed from warrior to warrior, and being able to tap *all* of their strength and hit with the force of a half-dozen men? As well as many lifetimes worth of skill!) Even cooler, such a character could later find out that their 'magic sword' is nothing of the sort, and that they are actually using psychometry/postcognition to read the psychic impressions of past users of the item, and that he's able to do that with *anything.* Swords. Guns. Keypads. Combination locks. Computer keyboards. But even if it's just 'magic sword,' that's cool too, particularly if the spirit remnants lingering in it have some cool history, maybe even previous users of the sword having encountered some immortal hero or villain like Dr. Fate or Nommo or Wotan or Vandal Savage over the centuries.

Tons of potential!

While I'm not sure who created Bushido/Ryuku Orsono, it sometimes feel likes there's a disconnect to certain characters, even by their creators and facilitators. It's like they lacked the raw sense of imagination to fully realize a character concept as cool as Bushido was.

Like you say, his powers were absolutely ripe with potential, both for telling stories, backdropping narratives, and coming up with and showcasing feats. Even characterization-wise: what would it take to be able to wield such power? You'd need a strong sense of discipline and aligned connection to the source, but to maintain control and balance, you'd also need a strong, firm, and proud sense of self, even in situations of doubt or when mistakes are made. Bushido was a very strong-minded teen who didn't seem afraid of who he was or what he was capable of. How he grew into that person, and a better focus on how he exercises being the person he is in present day would be worth a goldmine in stories on its own.

Instead we got "Let's you and him fight.", then "I'm with you Teen Titans now!", then pretty much nothing until "It's time to show that the stakes with Superboy Prime are high and very real; who do we kill off first?". :/

And again, I cannot stress out much of a disservice and how tacky it was they killed pretty much their only unambigusly Asian/Asian-descent heroic character (and not sure Katana was a thing back then, but even so, there's room for more than one Japanese hero/vigilante in DC, especially who's niche potential is different) off and in the way they did, along with how, in this day and at least being aware that diversity matters, no one has ever tried to bring him back and/or retcon that obnoxious fate away.

[TheRay]

However, my second favorite is someone barely anyone has ever heard of.

Most people really haven't heard of Empress; if anything they get her confused with Enchantress.

[Güicho]

Because i want DC to explore their street level corner beyond Batman, Birds of Prey, Green Arrow & Nightwing.

Would love to see her back!

Yet there is a streak of fandom who can't stand to see her even mentioned, wants her irredeemably vilified and erased from existence.

I freakin' loved Tarantula.

Yes. I was reading Nightwing during "that" time too.

It's crazy that arc both put her on the map, and made her comic poison.

.

Fandom is gonna have to grow a pair if she comes back again. She has potential to be so much more than what she was portrayed as years ago. I just want her to have her own mythos established. Percy was suppose to bring her back but never got around to it.

Do you know what the plans were? Was it through the Nightwing comic? I feel anything developed by way of Nightwing (and their fandom), will likley trigger towards insisting on only wanting to vilify and bury the character even more. Otherwise how dare you even mention her!
Any kind of (even for an anti-hero) narrative, would have to skew from somewhere else entirely.

[Tzigone]

Fandom is gonna have to grow a pair if she comes back again. She has potential to be so much more than what she was portrayed as years ago. I just want her to have her own mythos established. Percy was suppose to bring her back but never got around to it.

If accepting a rapist as a hero is "growing a pair" then I don't need a pair. And that's not even the only horrible thing she did. You want her back as villain who thinks she's a hero, and I'm good. Anyone treats her like an actual hero, and it's time to drop the comic (I almost said something about a bonfire, but I read digital, usually).

[TheRay]

4) Andrew Bennett

You mean The Vampire?

[John Venus]

I always thought the 'Masters of Disaster' from the Outsiders had potential but was never properly exploited. New Wave is ruthless and emotionally manipulative of Windfall. Coldsnap and Heatstroke couldn't touch each other because of their powers. Shakedown seemed mentally handicapped from what I recall.

[TheRay]

So wait is your post about Etrigan or the other guy?

[Sutekh]

I always thought the 'Masters of Disaster' from the Outsiders had potential but was never properly exploited. New Wave is ruthless and emotionally manipulative of Windfall. Coldsnap and Heatstroke couldn't touch each other because of their powers. Shakedown seemed mentally handicapped from what I recall.

Several of the throwaway teams from the original Outsiders run were intriguing, with the Masters of Disaster being my second favorite after the Force of July.

[maxax]

Brainwave Jr.
brainwave jr.jpg
Maybe it's the incredibly lame name, the fact that he's the son of a villain still trying to do good, or the storylines about mental illness, I just have a soft spot for him. The whole situation with his family is something I want to see more of: his father being a villain and his mother being a hero who assumedly died before she randomly got back to be an antagonist to Young Justice. Grant Morrison randomly giving him a sister or half-sister. A few people asked for Brainwave childhood flashback issues in the old Infinity Inc. letters pages, I assume to see what growing up raised by Brainwave Sr. was like, but the longer time passes without seeing it the more genuinely curious I get.
I'd like to see him join the Justice League with Booster, Beetle and Captain Atom, because that dynamic would be interesting, but I guess the JSA would also be fine if it meant he appeared more.

[philosopop]

HELIX and the Force of July (wonderful possibilities with Bones being such a hotshot)
Vext
Young Heroes in Love
the black Supergirl from DC one million

[DrNewGod]

Black Orchid.