The Big League part 7

Still a fair few of these Leaguers left to get through, discussing who we might or might not see in a JLA movie. There's a lot of these buggers, eh? I'd like to say it's 'cos they're just not as picky as the Avengers, but the Avengers let Deathcry in, so clearly not. On we go!

Big Barda (Barda Free)
Joined: JLA #17



Originally one of Darkseid's Female Furies on Apokolips, Big Barda eventually met and fell in love with Mister Miracle, marrying him and settling on New Genesis with the New Gods, turning against Darkseid in the process. Years later, Barda and Orion were sent to Earth, to help prepare the Justice League for the coming of Mageddon. Barda fit in with the League much better than the angry, war hungry Orion, forming friendships with a number of the members, in particular Wonder Woman. Once Mageddon was defeated, Barda returned to New Genesis. Barda is unlikely to appear in a League movie for a while, but if a New Gods film ever happens, you can be sure she'll show up there.

Hourman (Matthew Tyler)
Joined: JLA #26



An android from the 853rd century, and a member of that era's Justice Legion A, Hourman joined the League as a temporary replacement for the Martian Manhunter. He had super strength, flight abilities, and could manipulate spacetime. He could also see the future, but couldn't change events, even if it meant saving lives. The third character to take the name of Hourman, we're not likely to see him in any films for a while. If there is an Hourman on screen, it would be his Golden Age counterpart in the JSA.

Jade (Jennie-Lynn Hayden)
Joined: JLA #27



The daughter of Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and brother of Obsidian, Jade has powers similar to those her father had when he wielded the Starheart and went by the name of Sentinel. She has also, at one time, been entrusted with a Green Lantern ring and acted as a member of the corps. For her chances of appearing in a film, see Obsidian's entry.

Antaeus (Mark Antaeus)
Joined: JLA: Superpower



A man who idolised Superman, Mark Antaeus had been experimented on while he was growing up by his scientist father, making him the peak of human perfection. However, when Mark, who was working as a fireman, one day failed to save a girl from a burning building, he broke down and vanished for two years. When he returned, he had been surgically altered almost beyond recognition, and had gained superpowers which better allowed him to save lives. Drawing the attention of the JLA, Antaeus was invited to join. At first relishing working alongside his heroes, Antaeus soon began questioning why the League didn't get involved in more political situations, going so far as to suggest they overthrow a middle eastern dictator. Eventually, finding himself frustrated with the League's stance on the situation, Antaeus took things upon himself and murdered the dictator in cold blood. When the League intervened, Antaeus tried to justify himself by telling them there was one less murderer in the world. When Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) replied with "Not the way I add up", Antaeus beat him nearly to death. Fighting the rest of the League, it was only when Antaeus saw that his actions had actually made things worse for the country that he realised what he had become. Antaeus, overcome by grief, killed himself. Aside from Superpower, Antaeus only ever appeared again in a cameo role in JLA/Avengers. We won't be seeing him in a film.

Dark Flash (Walter West)
Joined: JLA #33



Boy, the League likes it's Flashes, eh? An alternate version of Wally West, this Flash is unlikely to ever get a film appearance.

Moon Maiden (Laura Klein)
Joined: JLA Giant Size Special #3



I didn't think I knew who Moon Maiden was. Turns out, she only ever appeared in JLA Giant Size Special #3 (well, and a cameo in JLA/Avengers), a comic I own, in which it's revealed that the whole world has forgotten about her. Apparently, I was not immune to this effect. She won't show up in a JLA movie.

Nightwing / Batman (Dick Grayson)
Joined: JLA #69



Ex-Robin and Batman's former sidekick, Nightwing was originally brought in by Batman to lead the League when the core team was travelling back in time. Nightwing lead an interim team (much to Green Arrow's chagrin, as Ollie naturally thought he should lead), then left the League upon the main team's return. However, a few years later, at a time when Bruce Wayne was thought dead (don't ask. Really), Nightwing took over the mantle of the Bat, becoming Batman and joining the League properly. We won't see him in a JLA film, unless he appears in a Batman one first, and even then, a Teen Titans film is a more likely place to find him. We'll never see him on screen in the Batman role.

Faith
Joined: JLA #69



Another character brought into the League by Batman as a temporary replacement when the main team were travelling back in time, Faith's origins are shrouded in mystery, though Batman seems to be aware of them. Well, he would be, wouldn't he. Faith has psychic and telekinetic powers, and has also served with the Doom Patrol, but is unlikely to appear in a JLA film, as she's just too obscure.

Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)
Joined: JLA #69



You know, I do actually love the Hawks, but for the purposes of this blog, I really wish the League would stop recruiting them.

Jason Blood
Joined: JLA #69



Jason Blood was also brought into the temporary League by Batman to act as their occult specialist. However Jason is best known as the alter-ego of the Demon. By chanting "Gone, gone the form of man, arise the demon Etrigan", Jason will swap places with his demonic alter-ego. Etrigan is pretty cool, speaking in rhyme, breathing fire and busting chops, but it's Blood who served with the League. Both Blood and Etrigan stand a pretty good chance of appearing in a DC Universe film, though not a League one, certainly not for now. Rather, it wouldn't surprise me if The Demon got his own movie somewhere down the line.

Green Lantern (John Stewart)
Joined: JLA #76



Wow, the League like their Green Lanterns almost as much as their Flashes. John Stewart, originally a replacement for Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern Corps, was brought into the League to replace Kyle Rayner, who was taking a leave of absence to head into space for a bit. But John was actually a member of the League in it's cartoon version first. The producers of the Justice League animated series chose John Stewart over both Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner (apparently, poor Guy Gardner was never considered) because, well, he looked cool. At this time, in the comics, John hadn't been a Green Lantern for a while, but after seeing how well received he was on TV, DC put him back in the GL uniform and had him front and center once more. With his exposure in the TV series, don't be surprised if he shows up in a GL movie down the line, before appearing in a JLA film.

Manitou Raven
Joined: JLA #78



A mystic originally hailing from the year 1000 BC, the time period the League travelled back to when Batman recruited the members discussed above, Manitou Raven returned with his wife, Dawn, to the Leagues present day, and joined the team. He also joined the League's black ops team, the Justice League Elite. But then Green Arrow slept with his wife, and he died. Poor bugger. We probably won't see him in any JLA film. He's a bit obscure.

Justice League Elite
First Appeared: JLA #100



A team put together as a Justice League black ops team, to handle missions the main League couldn't or wouldn't, the JLE was lead by Sister Superior, and featured Coldcast, Menagerie, Naif Al-Sheik, Masumi (actually an undercover Batgirl), Major Disaster, Manitou Raven and League mainstays Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) and the Flash (Wally West). Upon Manitou Raven's death, they were also joined by his wife, Dawn, as Manitou Dawn. While a fairly interesting concept, chances are we won't really see them in a JLA film, certainly as a group.

Firestorm (Jason Rusch)
Joined: 52 #4



The second Firestorm, while he's a pretty cool character, he's not likely to appear. If there's a Firestorm in a JLA film, it'll be Ronnie Raymond.

Firehawk (Lorraine Reily)
Joined: 52 #24



Only a member of the League very briefly, during the events of 52, Firehawk won't appear in a JLA movie.

Super-Chief (Jon Standing Bear)
Joined: 52 #24



Yeah, this poor guy was embarrassingly killed by Skeets, Booster Gold's tiny robot sidekick. He doesn't really deserve to be in the JLA film as a result.

Bulleteer (Alix Harrower)
Joined: 52 #24



Look how ridiculous she looks! She won't be in a film. 'cos of the ridiculous.

Ambush Bug (Irwin Schwab)
Joined: 52 #24



Hee hee! Ambush Bug's so silly. I think he should be front and center in the JLA film. Make it happen DC!

To be continued...

The Big League part 6

We're rushing towards the end game! Well, we might be. I dunno. How many more members are there? *checks* Oh, well... This could take an extra chapter. Oh, well. Let's see who's gonna show up in the Justice League next!

Blue Devil (Daniel Cassidy)
Joined: Justice League America #98



Blue Devil was a special effects and stunt guy in the movies. The Blue Devil costume was designed as part of a film, but an encounter with a demon left Daniel Cassidy bonded to the costume permanently. Later dying and coming back to life as an actual Blue Devil, Cassidy served with the League for a short while, though these days you're more likely to find him as a member of one of DC's supernatural teams, such as the Sentinels of Magic or Shadowpact. We're unlikely to see him in a League movie, but a possible appearance somewhere in the DC film universe isn't off the cards.

Icemaiden (Sigrid Nansen)
Joined: Justice League America #98



Sorry Icemaiden, but if there's gonna be an icy lady in the JLA film, it'll be Ice.

L-Ron
Joined: Justice League Task Force #12





L-Ron was a robot who assisted the Justice League in a very much supporting role for a while. Then, in order to stop a rampage by the villain Despero, the Green Lantern Kilowog transferred L-Ron's consciousness into Despero's body. L-Ron served with the League in this form for a while, though Despero was able to regain control on occasion. L-Ron and Despero were eventually separated and returned to their own bodies. L-Ron may appear in his robot form as a supporting role in the Justice League movie. A robot helper isn't out of the question, and when there's one already waiting, why not use it? There's also a chance that Despero could show up down the line as a League bad guy. Will we eventually see this weird body swap on the silver screen? Not impossible.

Mystek (Jennifer Barclay)
Joined: Justice League Task Force #26



Originally starting out as an enemy of the Ray, Mystek was offered a second chance and membership in the League by the Martian Manhunter. Unfortunately, her tenure was short, as she died soon after. Not much chance of seeing her in a JLA film.

The Wonder Twins (Zan and Jayna of Exor)
Joined: Extreme Justice #16



Yep. The Wonder Twins, of Superfriends fame. I hope to God they're in a JLA film. "Wonder Twins powers activate!"

Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
Joined: Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare #3



In the nineties, DC Comics did the unthinkable (again), and turned Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, into a supervillain known as Parallax. Unlike when they killed off the Flash, there was no Kid Green Lantern to take his place. Instead, DC took the radical move of creating an entirely new character to take up the mantle of Green Lantern in Kyle Rayner. Kyle more than acquitted himself as GL, proving that he was different to Hal Jordan, but just as great. Like Wally West as the Flash, Kyle was Green Lantern when I first started reading comics. If you asked me who my favourite Flash is, I'd say Wally West. Ask me my favourite GL? Actually, I can't decide. I love Hal and Kyle equally, and I'm glad that since Hal's return in the pages of Green Lantern, Kyle hasn't been overlooked, taking center stage in Green Lantern Corps. Chances of seeing him on film though? If Green Lantern does well (not long to wait now), then we may well see him in a sequel. In the League? Hmmm...

Tomorrow Woman (Clara Kendall)
Joined: JLA #5



An android created by Professor Ivo and T.O. Morrow to infiltrate the League and take them down from within, Tomorrow Woman ended up turning on her creators (as these androids designed to infiltrate super teams on behalf of the bad guy always do) and sacrificed her own life to save the League. Don't be surprised if this forms the storyline of a future JLA sequel.

Aztek (Curt Falconer)
Joined: Aztek #10



A warrior trained to fight the ultimate threat to Earth, and granted the technology to do so, Aztek joined the League, but left shortly after when he found out that one of the main financial backers of the Aztek project was one Lex Luthor. Feeling that he couldn't serve with the League knowing that he owed his abilities to one of their greatest enemies, Aztek left the team. However, when the world destroying engine Maggedon arrived at Earth, the very threat Aztek was created to oppose, he sacrificed his life to aid the League in destroying Mageddon. Aztek's storyline was a key part of Grant Morrison's tenure on the JLA book, which all culminated with the Mageddon storyline. It would make an excellent DC Universe film, not just a JLA one, and if that happened, Aztek would be front and center. Shame it's not gonna happen.

Green Arrow (Connor Hawke)
Joined: JLA #9



The son of the original Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, Connor Hawke took up his father's superhero identity when Ollie was killed. Connor's time with the League was brief, but he more than held his own against the Key and the Injustice Gang, proving himself to his team mates. It's not likely we'll see him in a film, except maybe as a child if Green Arrow ever gets a solo venture.

Oracle (Barbara Gordon)
Joined: JLA #16



The one time Batgirl, Barbara Gordon was paralysed by the Joker and later became Oracle, Batman's information central. Oracle soon started helping other heroes as well, including Black Canary and Huntress, eventually being brought into the Justice League by Batman. However, with DC's upcoming reboot, it appears that Barbara Gordon is walking again, and once more filling the costume of Batgirl. Quite how this is happening is unclear at the moment, though the writer on Batgirl, Gail Simone, is one of DC's best, and has been writing Barbara for years in Birds of Prey, so she's in good hands. Still, DC's decision to suddenly have Barbara walking again has been a controversial one, so I would expect them to steer clear of Barbara, in either of her incarnations, in the cinema for the forseeable future.

Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brien)
Joined: JLA #16



Under the correct writer, Plastic Man is hilarious. During Grant Morrison's run on JLA, and subsequently under Mark Waid, as well as in the hands of Kurt Busiek in JLA / Avengers, Plas was very much the comic relief. It'd be nice to see him in a JLA movie, but to be honest, he's just too whacky. Honestly, the best thing to hope for is a new cartoon series. That'd be cool.

Steel (John Henry Irons)
Joined: JLA #16



When Superman was killed by Doomsday, steelworker John Henry Irons, who had previously been rescued by Superman, took it upon himself to fill the Man of Steel's shoes. Building a high tech suit of armour, Irons turned himself into a literal man of steel. Continuing to operate as Steel upon Superman's return, Irons was eventually invited to join the JLA. Steel may show up in a future Superman film, and if that happens, could conceivably graduate to a JLA film after that. Let's just ignore the previous attempt at a Steel film in which Shaquille O'Neal played the part. Please.

Zauriel
Joined: JLA #16



An angel. An honest to God angel on the Justice League. I'd be surprised if he showed up in a JLA film, though rumour has it that Grant Morrison created him simply to have a winged character on the team while Hawkman was unavailable. Could the film makers pull a similar trick?

Wonder Woman (Hippolyta of Themyscira)
Joined: JLA #16



Continuity strikes again! Like Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman was created in the Golden Age of comics, and fought alongside the Justice Society of America during World War II. But then, when continuity had to change, and Supes and Bats were written out of these adventures in order for them to still exist in the present day, Wonder Woman went a slightly different route. Rather than pretend she just hadn't been there, DC instead said that there was, indeed, a Wonder Woman fighting with the JSA during WWII, but it wasn't Princess Diana. Instead, it was her mother, Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Later on, when Diana wasn't apparently killed, Hippolyta again took up the mantle of Wonder Woman, and served in the Justice League until her daughters return. Hippolyta will be in a Wonder Woman film. She will never join the League in a film.

To be continued...

The Big League part 5

I thought about rebooting my blog, going back to part 1 and pretending the previous entries didn't happen as a tribute to DC Comics, but then I realised, that would be stupid. Onwards!

Metamorpho (Rex Mason)
Joined: Justice League International #24



Metamorpho, the element man, could transform parts of his body (or the whole thing, if necessary) into any of the elements on the periodic table, though he was also stuck in the bizarre form you see above. Metamorpho has been killed twice in the comics, and returned both times, having what would probably be best described as a cult following. Don't be surprised if Rex has some kind of cameo in a Justice League movie.

Power Girl (Kara Zor-L / Karen Starr)
Joined: Justice League International #24



Okay, Power Girl's another of those characters who gets confusing thanks to DC's love of a crisis. Originally, she was the cousin of Superman from Earth-2 (the world populated by the Justice Society, in which Superman fought during World War 2), basically being that universe's version of Supergirl. Then Crisis on Infinite Earths happened, the two worlds merged, and Power Girl wasn't a Kryptonian any more. Instead, she was the daughter of an Atlantean sorcerer. But then Infinite Crisis happened, and she was Kryptonian again, but her universe didn't exist any more and... Anyone else want another entry on Hawkman? It's unlikely we'll see Power Girl in a JLA film, as it's just difficult to know how they'd handle her. Notice I went the entire entry without mentioning her costume...

Crimson Fox (Vivian and Constance d'Aramis)
Joined: Justice League Europe #13



An interesting one this. Crimson Fox is a superhero identity shared by identical twins. The sisters would take it in turns to wear the costume, allowing each of them to have some semblance of a normal life when they weren't superheroing. Of course, that isn't much help when both of them get killed, but oh well. While the character is too obscure to feature in a League film, the idea of twins sharing an identity like this is an interesting one. Don't be surprised if it shows up in a superhero film at some point. Shut up, the Prestige doesn't count. There's not a superhero in sight.

Blue Jay (Jay Abrams)
Joined: Justice League Europe #20



Dear DC Comics, just because you name one superhero after a tiny bird, and find success with him as Batman's sidekick, it doesn't mean it will work twice. What's that? He can shrink? Yeah, 'cos blue jays do that all the time. No.

Silver Sorceress (Laura Neilsen)
Joined: Justice League Europe #20



Silver Sorceress (who didn't wear silver) used magic. She's dead now. Will she be in a JLA film? No chance.

Maya (Chandi Gupta)
Joined: Justice League Europe #50



I have no idea who this is. *checks wikipedia* Oh, right. Well, she's Indian, she has elemental powers, and she's never going to be in a JLA film ever.

Justice League Antarctica
Joined: Justice League Annual #4



A group who appeared only once, and who were very much brought together to take the piss a bit. Though one member, Major Disaster, would go on to join the League proper in JLA #69, it's highly unlikely any of them will make the JLA film.

Triumph (William MacIntyre)
Joined: Justice League International #67



Triumph was supposed to be one of the Earth's great heroes, but, as sometimes happens, he got lost in a dimensional limbo and everyone forgot he existed. When he finally returned, he was a bit of an angry fellow, and managed to get himself fired from the Justice League. Later on, a Bitter and resentful Triumph launched an attack on the JLA with the aid of an imp from the fifth dimension. He almost took them down too, but unfortunately for him, the League were being aided at this point by Hourman, Captain Marvel and the JSA, who also had an imp from the fifth dimension on the team. Triumph was turned into an ice statue by the Spectre, and was presumably killed when the JLA headquarters was destroyed. Triumph's story in the pages of JLA, as told by Grant Morrison, was a high point in a run of stories which were all rather excellent. It would make for a good film in and of itself, though you'd need to get the back story out the way somehow and involve the JSA too. It's unlikely, but it would be damn cool!

Hawkman (Katar Hol)
Joined: Justice League America #0



AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I TAKE IT BACK, I TAKE IT BACK!!!!! MAKE HIM GO AWAY!!!!!!

Nuklon (Albert Rothstein)
Joined: Justice League America #0



With that mohawk, you better hope Nuklon appears in a JLA movie! Though, if he does, it's more likely to be sans mohawk under his current identity of Atom Smasher. Which I haven't listed here 'cos he was never in the League under that name in the comics. Just in the awesome Justice League Unlimited cartoon. As far as I know.

Obsidian (Todd Rice)
Joined: Justice League America #0



Obsidian is the son of Golden Age Green Lantern and Justice Society of America founding member, Alan Scott. While Obsidian is pretty cool, don't expect him to show up in a JLA movie. Obsidian's more associated with his dad's team, the JSA. What would be cool is if DC and Warner Bros gave us the war time JSA movie we discussed in the entry for the Golden Age Flash, then hit us with a sequel to that set in modern times and featuring Obsidian and his sister, Jade.

Amazing Man (Will Everett, III)
Joined: Extreme Justice #0



Dude's called Amazing Man. Far as I'm concerned, that's reason enough to have him in a film.

To be continued...

The Big League part 4

You know how it is, you start out hoping to update your blog about who we will and won't see in a Justice League movie on a weekly basis, then you get ill and have a birthday. And then, in the two weeks when you're not blogging, DC Comics go and announce that they're rebooting their whole bloody universe. Again. Soon as they do, everything in this blog could be rendered obsolete! Still, that isn't happening until September, so as long as I'm done by then, I still win. Shall we get on with it?

General Glory (Joseph Jones)
Joined: Justice League America #50



Oh, no, DC weren't having a friendly pop at Captain America at all with this uber patriotic hero, and his sidekick, Ernie the Battling Boy, was definitely not Bucky. With Captain America taking centre stage in his own movie and the Avengers, it's unlikely DC and Warner Bros will want to risk sticking General Glory into any Justice League film. Also, no one's heard of him.

Tasmanian Devil (Hugh Dawkins)
Joined: Justice League America #56



No, not the cartoon character. He's a superhero who won't be in the Justice League film. Next!

Maxima (Maxima of Almerac)
Joined: Justice League America #56



Originally a Superman villain, Maxima later reformed and joined the Justice League, staying with the team during Doomsday's rampage across America which led to the death of Superman. Maxima was a mainstay of several versions of the League for a little while, but eventually returned to her old ways and joined the Superman Revenge Squad with other enemies of the Man of Steel. Since then, Maxima has been one of those characters who walks the line between hero and villain, occasionally falling either side of it. There's a chance we'll see her on the silver screen one day, but it's more likely to be as a bit-part in a future Superman film than as a member of the League.

The Ray (Ray Terrill)
Joined: Justice League America #71



The Ray is one of those characters who never catches a break. He was a member of the League, the Titans and Young Justice, but just never seems to be able to break into the A-list. I'm fond of the character, so there's some bias, but I think there's a chance he'll show up in a Justice League sequel.

Black Condor (Ryan Kendall)
Joined: Justice League America #71



Black Condor is... Um... Well, he was in the Justice League. For a bit. He... Um... Can fly and stuff... Okay, I'm pretty clueless... about a lot of the League members during this period, if I'm honest. Let's hedge some bets. Black Condor will definitely be a main character in the League movie.

Agent Liberty (Benjamin Lockwood)
Joined: Justice League America #71



Hey, look, it's that guy! He'll be in the movie for sure. What? Yeah, I know exactly who he is. He's Agent Liberty. He... um... Okay, fine, I know nothing about him. I said right from the off I don't know the League as well as I know the Avengers. This is your proof.

Bloodwynd
Joined: Justice League America #78



Ah, now this guy I do know. He's all mysterious and stuff. No one even knows his real name! What we do know is that he gains his powers from the mystical bloodgem he wears, which also has ties to the demon Rott. He's quite a cool character, with a good look, but it's unlikely he'll show up in a League movie.

The Flash (Jay Garrick)
Joined: Justice League America #78



The original Flash from the forties, Jay Garrick is better known as a member of the Justice Society of America, the precursors to the League. It's unlikely we'll see him in a League movie, though he may well have some kind of cameo in a Flash movie. Let's also hope that the JSA themselves eventually get their own film, and we see all the Golden Age characters up on screen together, if for no other reason than Flash has the best helmet in all of comics. Um... On his head, there.

Animal Man (Buddy Baker)
Joined: Justice League International #24



Animal Man has the ability to tap into the powers of any of Earth's many animals. This isn't what makes him fun though. The most interesting thing about Animal Man is that he knows he's a comic book character living in a fictional universe. The best thing DC can do with Animal Man is to introduce him in a League movie, then spin him off into his own solo venture. One which gets very weird and trippy, as the comic did when, who else, Grant Morrison was writing it.

The Flash (Wally West)
Joined: Justice League International #24



The third man to carry the name and legacy of the Flash, Wally West started his superhero career as Barry Allen's sidekick, Kid Flash. When Barry died during Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally became the first teen sidekick to take up his mentor's identity. Quite naturally, Wally ended up joining the League, and served as the Flash for many years. For me, personally, Wally is my favourite Flash as he was the one who was in the role when I was reading DC comics. While Barry has returned to life, and his role as the Flash, recently, Wally remains the Flash for many fans. It's not likely he'll appear in a Justice League movie as the Flash, but may well turn up as Kid Flash in a Flash or Teen Titans movie.

To be continued...