#5. SupermanFaster than a Speeding Bullet. More Powerful than a Locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I've always been a fan of Superman. I mean, come on, he's Superman. What I've always admired about Superman isn't just his powers, but his personality. This was something that Christopher Reeve captured perfectly in the Superman movies. Keep in mind, I'm actually not a fan of those movies, except for him. He perfectly captured the spirit that Superman is a very nice and caring guy, just with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. The Big Blue Boyscout, as it were.
What I also love about Superman is what he represents. Whereas Batman represents Fear, Superman represents Hope. There's one scene in the Superman Returns movie that I really do love. It's the scene when Supes save the plane and lands it in the Stadium. One reviewer put it perfectly, in that when he saves the plane, and the whole stadium starts applauding, as well as people watching that video everywhere, it gives off a feeling of hope, like that no matter what happens in life, everything is going to be alright. Superman is the superhero that other superheroes in the DCU look up to. That's what makes him special. Again, I think he should be offered a Blue Lantern Ring. We'll see what happens with that though.
Also, another quick reason why it might suck to be Superman, is that your life on Earth is really one giant Protect mission, regarding controlling your powers.
Hence why I love this scene so much, as it perfectly illustrates my point, as well as totally looking bad-ass!#4. Spider-ManSpider-Man, IMO, is the true hero of Nerds everywhere. A nerd gets bitten by a radioactive spider, and gains superpowers. But, underneath the powers and the mask, he's still a giant nerd. He's still incredibly smart, and still got picked on in high school. But guess what? He married the hot, sexy redhead model. I mean, come on. He's living the nerd dream. Plus, he's a wise-cracker. One of the first wise-cracking superheroes ever. In Ultimate Spider-Man, I love how they capture the fact that he wise-cracks all the time to not only throw off his adversaries, but to help him actually cope with the fact that he's a nerd fighting supervillains. Granted, he gets crapped on a lot in his life, but in the end he could still come home to his hot, model wife, who loved him and supported him.
This is why I'm so pissed after the whole Mephisto thing. They took that away from him, because Quesada doesn't believe in character growth, or the whole mantra of "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility!" That's why, even if I actually read the main Spider-Man universe, I'd have stopped after that whole debacle. Ultimate Spidey, despite Bendis' wordiness at times, is my preference now.
Needless to say though, I love his powers too. They work so well for the city which I'm proud to call home. Plus, Spider-Sense is easily one of the greatest abilities there is. I mean, there's a scene in the original Secret Wars comics in which Spidey takes down the X-Men EASILY because of the combination of his Strength, Speed, Super Agility and the oh so fantastic Spidey-Sense. That's what also makes his wise-assery so glorious. It's because you can almost feel the villains frustration with not being able to hit him at times, due to his powers, as he mocks you. He's just your Friendly, Neighborhood, Spider-Man!
#3. BatmanReally, what more can be said about Batman that I just said up above.
Ever since his parents died, all that ever mattered to him was the mission, the plan. He spent his entire youth training his mind and his body to perfection, so he could do what he does. Most heroes got their powers later on in life. The Flash, Green Lantern, Spidey, Cap, Iron Man, The FF, and so many others. Heck, even Green Arrow, other non-powered hero like Batman, didn't decide to be a superhero until around 18 or so. Batman's different. Other heroes wear the mask to protect their identities. Batman does it not only for that purpose, but to strike fear into the hearts of criminals, who are a superstitious and cowardly lot. When you say you're only getting half the story, that's because there is no other half. Bruce Wayne doesn't even think of himself as Bruce Wayne. He thinks of himself as Batman, always. That's what makes him unique among heroes. Bruce Wayne is the disguise, the mask, the billionaire playboy persona put their to throw people off to his true identity. Batman is who he really is, and who he has been ever since his parents died. Batman is the oath he swore on his parents grave. Batman is the mission.
I'll simply add to this. Batman: The Animated Series is the best example, IMO, of Batman. This is also why I was such a huge fan of Batman Beyond. The majority of "future" Batman stories out their showed him retired and married to Catwoman, or something like that. However, Batman Beyond showed, IMO, the truest example of what would happen to Batman. He quit because his body couldn't take it anymore, so much so that he actually had to defend himself by using a gun. He wound up alone, cause the mission drove everyone away from him. Batman Beyond was a great epilogue to the whole Batman mythos, and I was so very happy that the DCAU gave Batman Beyond a proper ending in that JLU episode.
#2. The FlashWhat's funny is, he's one of my favorite superheroes simply because he has my favorite Super Power, which is Super Speed. However, I also admire what the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, represents. He started the Silver Age of Comics. Without these comics, who knows what would've happened to the Comic Book Industry as a whole. The Flash, followed by the Silver Age Green Lantern, is what brought Comic Books out of the dark times of Cowboy and Monster comics that, for the most part, sucked. Finally, we were given superheroes again, outside of Batman and Superman. This is also what probably paved the way for Marvel Comics starting as well. Again, Comics as a whole owe a lot to Barry Allen, which is why I'm so very very very very very very much looking forward to The Flash: Rebirth next year, helmed by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Scriver, the same genius duo who did Green Lantern: Rebirth and made my #1 choice the best comic in the industry right now, IMO.
I mainly grew up with Wally West as the Flash though. I like Wally a lot, because I like the growth behind the character. He's one of the first, if only sidekicks, who ever actually grew into the role of taking a hero's place, after Barry Allen died in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Also, they brought in the idea of the Speed Force, which I was skeptical about at first, but overall grew to love. However, despite all of that, my favorite representation of the Flash comes from the DCAU. You see the Flash as impulsive, and as a fast worker. I thought that was a great idea to bring to the character. Also, I love his costume to. It kicks ass.
#1. Green LanternIn Brightest Day. In Blackest Night. No Evil Shall Escape My Sight. Let Those Who Worship Evil's Might. BEWARE MY POWER, GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT.
As you can see, I've clearly memorized the Oath. Green Lantern has always been my favorite Super Hero. I just really love the idea of the Green Lantern Ring, a ring that is fueled by your own willpower to create constructs which are only limited by your own imagination and willpower. To quote Kyle Rayner, my personal favorite Green Lantern and the one I grew up with, "I'm your worst nightmare, Pal. A Manga Nut with a Power Ring!" Thank you Grant Morrison, for clearly stating why I would love to have a Power Ring. All the nerd stuff I grew up with, all the mecha designs I've seen or come up with in my head, and all my other imagination created characters, weapons, etc. I could create with just a thought and my own willpower.
This is why, despite my love of Hal Jordan and the rest, Kyle Rayner was always my favorite Green Lantern. He's an artist. For an artist, I can't imagine a better tool than the GL Ring. To be able to bring your creations to life like that just always struck me as being bonafide bad-ass. I mean, I know while traveling through Space, I'd create practically all of the spaceships I've seen in all my years of watching movies, TV, anime, cartoons, etc. All my nerd knowledge would be unleashed upon Sector 2814. They would indeed, Beware My Power!
As I mentioned above, ever since GL: Rebirth, Green Lantern has become my favorite comic book out there right now. GL: Rebirth brough Hal Jordan back to life and into the GL Spotlight once again. I was very, VERY skeptical about them doing this, however I was blown away at how fantastically well the story was handled. It tied in everything that happened to Hal Jordan since Zero Hour so extremely well. Also, they've managed to create a vast and awesome universe for the Green Lantern mythos, which is only getting better and better. Next year, there is a huge event coming called The Blackest Night, which I'm so looking forward to. Needless to say, Green Lantern is my favorite hero ever, and probably always will be.