Planet-man
Well-Known Member
Now, for this, forget about all the stuff that's going on now with the various crises and 52 and all that. I want you to think of your ideal version of the DCU.
I myself really dislike the idea that there are about a million superpowered beings running around on Earth in the DCU. It cheapens the entire idea of superheroes. Frankly, if it were up to me the world's complete list would be this:
- Superman
- Batman(and the world would consider him an urban legend of a big monster, not a superhero at all)
- Wonder Woman
- One Flash(either Barry or Wally, but no switching and no sidekicks)
- Hal Jordan
- Martian Manhunter
- Aquaman
- Plastic Man
- Green Arrow(known as a high-tech vigilante without powers)
- The Question
- The Atom
That's it.
But even then I started thinking about the individual characters and I began to wonder....does Superman, as a character, work better in a world with no other superheroes? I kind of think he does. First of all, his powers should be absolutely out-of-this-world to anyone watching, ESPECIALLY flight. In the current DCU a lot of people have similar powers of strength and flight, and I think that would cheapen his image. You'll notice even on my above list I included only two characters who can fly(without wings), and one of them(J'onn) tends to keep a low profile, heck, he's invisible half the time. But Superman being the world's only exposure to the idea of superpowers at all just feels so much better to me.
Batman, too, I think begins to lose his purpose in a world amok with metahumans(although JLU handled this brilliantly, despite the fact that I hate how he's a well-known public figure in it). Does Gotham really need him if the Flash can pop by every night to clean it up over the course of 30 seconds?
Anyway, what are your opinions here? Do the DCU superheroes make more sense in their own little worlds or as a large team, public or otherwise?
I myself really dislike the idea that there are about a million superpowered beings running around on Earth in the DCU. It cheapens the entire idea of superheroes. Frankly, if it were up to me the world's complete list would be this:
- Superman
- Batman(and the world would consider him an urban legend of a big monster, not a superhero at all)
- Wonder Woman
- One Flash(either Barry or Wally, but no switching and no sidekicks)
- Hal Jordan
- Martian Manhunter
- Aquaman
- Plastic Man
- Green Arrow(known as a high-tech vigilante without powers)
- The Question
- The Atom
That's it.
But even then I started thinking about the individual characters and I began to wonder....does Superman, as a character, work better in a world with no other superheroes? I kind of think he does. First of all, his powers should be absolutely out-of-this-world to anyone watching, ESPECIALLY flight. In the current DCU a lot of people have similar powers of strength and flight, and I think that would cheapen his image. You'll notice even on my above list I included only two characters who can fly(without wings), and one of them(J'onn) tends to keep a low profile, heck, he's invisible half the time. But Superman being the world's only exposure to the idea of superpowers at all just feels so much better to me.
Batman, too, I think begins to lose his purpose in a world amok with metahumans(although JLU handled this brilliantly, despite the fact that I hate how he's a well-known public figure in it). Does Gotham really need him if the Flash can pop by every night to clean it up over the course of 30 seconds?
Anyway, what are your opinions here? Do the DCU superheroes make more sense in their own little worlds or as a large team, public or otherwise?
Last edited: