8 Iconic DC Characters Who Weren't Originally From DC Comics
DC Comics has been the home for some of the most iconic superheroes in comic book history. With heroes like Shazam and Blue Beetle getting massive new projects, modern DC has gotten bigger than ever. However, some people might be surprised to know that those two heroes previously mentioned weren't from DC Comics at first.
It might be a bit hard to believe nowadays, but there was a time when DC and Marvel were contested by other comic book companies. Since some heroes' comics managed to be a hit with the readers and were outselling some of the mainstream competition, DC decided to capitalize and take them for themselves. Now, these characters have had some great moments with the rest of the DC Universe.
At the height of World War II, there were a lot of comics detailing the fight against the Axis powers. Captain America and Superman were obvious mascots of that effort, extolling upon the aggressors with patriotic words and fists. However, there was also room for ordinary humans, who wielded extraordinary military skills.
Coming from Quality Comics before joining DC Comics in 2011 (via Hollywood Reporter), Blackhawk, the leader of the Blackhawks, was one of the most famous wartime characters who didn't have any special powers at all. Blackhawk epitomized the fact that a soldier didn't need to have a super serum injected into them or be an alien from a distant planet to make a difference.
The '90s were teeming with so many anti-heroes wielding guns and the quintessential example of that is Cole Cash, AKA The Grifter. A former US Special Forces soldier who became part of a Black Ops team known as Team 7, Wildstorm's version of the Merc With The Mouth made waves in the anti-hero age of comics.
Grifter has been part of so many crossovers, including the likes of Spawn, The JLA, and even the X-Men at one point. Despite all the makings of being an edgelord, Grifter is a pretty snarky hero with a strong set of moral principles he follows. As far as the '90s are concerned, Grifter having any positivity made him look like Shazam to the rest of DC's darker boys.
Captain Atom is one of the local powerhouses in DC Comics. He originated from Charlton Comics where Captain Atom's original identity was that of Allen Adam, a technician who worked on the experimental nuclear rocket that gave him his quantum powers.
When he was migrated to DC, however, he turned into Nathaniel Adam, a decorated Captain of the United States Air Force, who was wrongfully court-maritally for crimes he didn't commit. His choices were execution or an experiment involving sitting in an alien metal container and getting nuked. He chose the latter, which, in turn, turned him into a superhero when the experiment melded the alien metal to his skin and gave him superpowers.
Another iconic character poached by DC Comics, The Question was created by the legendary Steve Ditko and appeared alongside fellow DC refugee Blue Beetle in his first-ever comic appearance (or more like the back pages of Blue Beetle #5). The Question, some might be surprised to know, was a controversial character for his time.
Steve Ditko used The Question as a mouthpiece for his own political and moral beliefs. In one story, The Question let a bunch of criminals in a fast-flowing river of sewage and called the police to get them out. For the Silver Age of comics, this was a very controversial move and made The Question a fascinating character.
Peacemaker is another Charlon Comic character who was part of their slew of World War II heroes. Rather paradoxically, Peacemaker was a "pacifist diplomat" who loved peace so much that he was willing to fight for it. Hilarious considering he was eventually found appalling even by his superiors for going too far in his "quest for peace." Peacemaker's characterization in the eventual show wasn't as ridiculous as one would think.
Much like many of the Charlton characters (like The Question), Peacemaker was deconstructed by Alan Moore in his DC series, The Watchmen. If Rorschach was Moore's The Question, then The Comedian was Moore's Peacemaker. The exploration of hypocrisy and mental anguish is explored with deeper meaning in Peacemaker's future stories.
The best of the rubber men in comic book history, Plastic Man was originally from Quality comics before eventually becoming a mainstay of the DC Universe. As far as stretchy boys go, Plastic Man is without a doubt the most iconic, with his closest opponent, Mr. Fantastic, being more known for his intelligence than the fact that he can stretch real good. Funny enough, his first appearance was in Police Comics #1, so moving on to Detective Comics was a promotion.
Although Plastic Man has yet to hit the same mainstream success as many of his Justice League contemporaries, he is a favorite amongst the comic book community, especially by comic book creators. The likes of Grant Morisson, Alex Ross, Kyle Baker, and Frank Miller love Plastic Man and take every chance they can to include him in their own stories.
Blue Beetle was a Golden Age superhero from Mystery Men Comics and published by Fox Feature Syndicate. Despite what most people believed, Ted Kord was not the first Blue Beetle, but instead, a man named Dan Garret. He was a rookie cop who had super strength from a strange vitamin that gave him super strength.
Thankfully, Charlton got a hold of the character and gave him the scarab armor fans know and love today. When he died, Ted Kord, a close friend, took the mantle and made the character all his own. It was Ted Kord who had the honor of bringing the Blue Beetle armor to DC Comics when Charlton folded, and he held the mantle for a long time until the scarab was inherited by Jaime Reyes. It's funny how the scarab not only changed hosts but also comic book publishers three times.
Shazam's publication history is complicated, to say the least. A Superman Expy named Captain Marvel might have sounded like a fine idea back in the '40s when superhero comics were starting, but as the money started rolling in, eyes started turning towards the upstart thunder boy. A million copies monthly were amazing, even by modern standards. For context, the highest-selling single-issue comic of the 2010s was Star Wars #1 (2015) which sold over a million copies for the entire year (via Comic Book). That was at the height of Star Wars mania as well.
However, DC took Captain Marvel's publishers, Fawcett Comics, to court over stealing the idea of Superman (via Business Insider). Although Fawcett fought them off at first, Captain Marvel eventually started declining in sales, and they caved to DC's demands. Years later, DC folded Captain Marvel back into the fold, but at this point, Marvel had also become a powerhouse and copyrighted the name for their character. Thus, Shazam became Billy Batson's new name. In modern times, Shazam stands as a reminder of the golden age of comics, through Billy Batson's ridiculous power and even more ridiculous optimism.