Top 10 DC Legacy Heroes

Wonder Woman

Diana Prince, aka Princess Diana of Themyscira is and always will be Wonder Woman in our hearts. But after acknowledging that, it’s worth recognizing the accomplishments of Donna Troy, the one-time Robin equivalent to Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl. Her story has been retconned a number of times over the years. She’s been Diana’s kid sister, a human orphan taken under Diana’s wing and imbued with Amazonian abilities, a ward of the Greek titan Rhea, and later Amazonian again. During the events of “One Year Later” however, this wayward character was finally given her chance to briefly take center stage as Wonder Woman, proving herself worthy of the title, if not equal to her predecessor.

The Atom

Ryan Choi isn’t the first successor to the mantle of the Atom. In fact, he’s technically the fourth. Ray Palmer is the Atom that most people are familiar with, but he actually took over the role from a golden age character by the name of Al Pratt, who got a second lease on life in 2011 as part of the Earth 2 storylines. During Ray’s tenure, the identity was also briefly taken by a third Atom, Adam Cray, but he’s really a footnote. Ryan Choi, a brilliant scientist and long-time ally/protégé of Ray Palmer’s, is the legacy Atom readers deserve. First and foremost, a scientist at heart, which is what being The Atom is all about.

Robin

It’s not easy being Robin. And that goes double for any ward unlucky enough to don the spandex tights after Dick Grayson, Batman’s original sidekick. Damian Wayne might have Jason beat in terms of bad behavior, but as the second Robin, Todd nonetheless tops Bruce’s son in terms of legacy - which is funny to say because fans originally hated him so much that they literally killed him off via popular vote. An angsty and brooding Robin, Jason was brutally murdered by the Joker - an event that would shape Batman’s character moving forward. Jason Todd has since been resurrected and really come into his own as the rebellious vigilante anti-hero, Red Hood.

Blue Beetle

In recent years, Blue Beetle has been largely relegated to the B and C-list, only popping up for major crossover events or as part of a dynamic duo with Booster Gold. For whatever reason, in the 21st century, the character simply didn’t seem to have the same resonance with readers. What the character needed was a facelift. Enter… Jaime Reyes. Debuting in 2006, Reyes was a clear attempt to modernize the Blue Beetle brand, and for the most part, it succeeded. This Blue Beetle introduced alien origins, a sharp new look and powers to match. With predecessor Ted Kord and his partner Booster Gold serving as mentors, it also felt like a respectful passing of the torch.

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#6: Tim Drake

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Robin

Considering the reception that Jason Todd received and worse, his send-off, it seemed as if readers had made it perfectly clear that they were not interested in seeing the return of Batman’s sidekick unless it was Dick Grayson. For Batman’s part, after arguably the second most traumatic loss of his life, he seemed similarly committed to the idea of his war against crime being of the “one man” variety. Slowly but surely however, a brilliant youngster by the name of Tim Drake, who proved himself by deducing Batman’s identity, won over both Bruce Wayne and readers alike. He was a totally different breed of Robin, and a welcome breath of fresh air at the Dark Knight’s side.

The Flash

How do you know when you’ve succeeded as a legacy hero? When, for an entire generation of readers, and multiple decades, yours is the first name that comes to mind when your superhero name is mentioned. And that’s exactly the level of success that Wally West achieved during his time as the scarlet speedster, aka the Flash. After serving as Kid Flash for years, Wally donned the mantle of his mentor when Barry Allen bit the dust during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. He stepped into the role under the pretense that it was only until Allen returned, but that would stretch on from 1986 to 2009. Not bad, kid.

Green Lantern

Readers never really asked for a second Green Lantern. And considering how badly the first backup, Guy Gardner, flopped, John Stewart had the odds stacked against him. But DC’s very first black superhero soon proved himself to be every inch a Green Lantern. In the mid-80s, John Stewart became one of the leads in the Green Lantern Corps series. With his inclusion in the Justice League animated series in the 2000s, he attained an unprecedented level of mainstream recognition and success. His enduring popularity is such that, even with Hal Jordan’s return from Parallax-induced madness, John continues to be a major presence in the world of DC comics.

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#3: Ted Kord

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Blue Beetle

For modern readers, Ted Kord might feel like a relic of a bygone era, but trust us, his blue duds and reliance on various gadgets look downright futuristic compared to the original Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett. You see, Blue Beetle was created by Fox Comics and subsequently owned and published by Charlton Comics, whose characters were eventually absorbed by DC. Blue Beetle dates back to 1939, and Dan Garrett was the sort of pulpy hero that fit the times. Ted Kord was originally introduced as a pupil of Garrett’s, but he would go on to eclipse his mentor in the public consciousness, becoming, in the eyes of many DC readers, the quote unquote “original” Blue Beetle.

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#2: Hal Jordan

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Green Lantern

Younger readers might be unaware, but Hal Jordan is not the first Green Lantern. That distinction goes to Alan Scott, who was admittedly very different from the heroes who would later bear his name. Scott, who debuted in 1940, got his powers from a magical green lantern that would talk to him - a history that would only be retconned to fit with the whole Green Lantern Corps years later. Though we feel for this golden age hero, there’s no denying the appeal of the legacy hero who came after him. Hal Jordan and his extraterrestrial ring commanded the attention of not just a new generation of readers, but many more to come.

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#1: Barry Allen

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The Flash

You see… old Alan Scott had this buddy by the name of Jay Garrick, and they used to fight crime together. Of course, they used superhero names, and those were Green Lantern and… the Flash. Like Scott, Garrick debuted in 1940, and would go on to serve as a member of the Justice Society of America for roughly a decade of popularity, at which point he was shelved. In 1956, the character was revisited, but a new hero with a fresh origin story was introduced, the legendary Scarlet Speedster himself, Barry Allen. Garrick would continue to get nods in later comics, but Allen far surpassed him in popularity to become arguably DC’s greatest legacy hero.