70 Years Ago, DC Debuted The Most Underrated Hero No Movie Has Done Right

Of all the spectacular superheroes DC Comics has created over decades of storytelling, J’onn J’onzz, aka Martian Manhunter, is undoubtedly one of their most significant accomplishments. A Martian who arrived on Earth, J’onn is a founding member of the Justice League and remains one of their most constant members. He has appeared in countless comics, minor movie roles, TV Shows, video games, and more. Yet, despite this impressive roster of appearances, J’onn has been unfairly overlooked by most fans. He’s never had his own movie, and his only major live-action film appearance was in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, where he was played briefly by Harry Lennix. In honor of his 70th anniversary as a character, it’s time to look back and give Martian Manhunter the respect he deserves.

Created by writer Joe Samachson and artist Joe Certa, J’onn J’onzz made his debut in Detective Comics #225, which was published in November 1955 as part of an anthology series. A brilliant detective, a powerful alien, and a tragic yet kind-hearted hero, J’onn J’onzz is one of the most captivating characters DC has ever produced. Hopefully, James Gunn’s DCU will finally give this Martian hero the spotlight that he has been denied for far too long. And as J’onn’s powers and emotional journey demonstrate, he has more than enough going for him to become a major figure in the new film franchise.

How Martian Manhunter Came to Earth

If his moniker didn’t give it away, J’onn is a native of the Red Planet. J’onn’s first appearance in the short story Manhunter From Mars: The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel reveals how he arrived on Earth and made it his home. Doctor Mark Edel was a brilliant scientist experimenting with a robot brain teleportation device to retrieve objects from outer space and bring them to Earth for study. During one such test, Dr. Erdel accidentally transports a green man who identifies himself as J’onn J’onzz from Mars. J’onn requests to be returned to Mars, but Dr. Erdel says it could take months, or even years, to reprogram the teleporter to send the Martian back home.

In response to this unfortunate news, J’onn shapeshifts to look like a human so that he can blend in on Earth while Erdel gets to work on the teleporter. Unfortunately, the shock of witnessing J’onn’s shapeshifting abilities gives the old Dr. Erdel a heart attack. As Dr. Erdel dies in J’onn’s arms, he begs the Martian to forgive him for trapping him on Earth. With the loss of the one man capable of sending him back to Mars, J’onn is forced to make Earth his permanent home. Taking on the human identity of John Jones, the Martian witnesses the level of crime on Earth and decides to become a detective, using his powers for good. And with that, DC laid the foundations for one of their greatest heroes.

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Martian Manhunter is One of DC Comics’ Strongest Heroes

Among the countless superheroes that DC has created, J’onn possesses one of the most vast power sets of any single hero. He ranks as one of the strongest members of the Justice League, with his strength and speed often compared to Superman’s. A testament to his incredible abilities, J’onn is fast enough to fly faster than light and has helped Superman and Wonder Woman pull the Earth. Add in his heat vision, X-Ray vision, and super-breath abilities, and J’onn can at first seem like a copy of Superman. However, J’onn’s Martian physiology provides him with a host of additional skills. The Man of Steel has even stated that of all the beings in the universe that he’d be afraid to fight, J’onn is at the top of the list.

Thanks to his Martian origins, J’onn has complete control over his atomic structure, which gives him a remarkable set of powers. He can shapeshift to look like anyone, grow or shrink in size, and even transform into a giant dragon. J’onn can also turn invisible and intangible, making it so no one can see or even touch him. J’onn’s mastery over his own body also gives him one of the strongest regenerative abilities in DC Comics. J’onn can survive almost any injury because he can and regrow his entire body from just a single atom. For example, he has managed to survive being atomized by the goddess Perpetua, who created the infinite DC Multiverse. Yet, even with these incredible physical powers, they pale in comparison to J’onn’s mental abilities.

As a Martian, J’onn is one of the most powerful telepaths in the DC Universe. He can read minds, create mental illusions, brainwash people, project his mind over vast distances, and fire psionic blasts. J’onn also possess telekinetic abilities. J’onn’s telepathic feats are practically unmatched in DC Comics, with perhaps only Starro and Despero coming close. He’s briefly made the Joker sane, read every mind in the galaxy simultaneously, and can even form mental links with people after they have died. At first, this overwhelming, mind-manipulating power can sound terrifying. Yet, J’onn primarily uses his telepathic abilities passively and non-invasively, which makes him one of DC’s most empathetic, wise, and compassionate heroes – always attuned to how people are feeling and how best to support them.

Martian Manhunter’s Story is One of Loss and Healing

J’onn’s powers make him a mighty superhero. Still, it’s his emotional character journey that makes him one of DC’s most stand-out characters. Although J’onn’s initial appearance in Detective Comics #225 had him longing to go back to Mars, later comics reveal that he’s truly alone in the universe. Tragically, almost all the Martians, including J’onn’s wife and daughter, were killed by a deadly telepathic virus orchestrated by his own evil brother, Mal’alefa’ak. After watching his wife and child die before his eyes, J’onn wandered Mars alone for centuries, consumed by grief and regret. J’onn’s arrival on Earth, coupled with his forced exile from Mars, only reinforced his deep sense of loneliness.

Unlike Superman, who was better able to integrate into humanity because he has no memories of his homeworld, and was raised by humans as an infant, J’onn remains an outsider. Although his shapeshifting ability allows him to disguise himself and walk among humans, J’onn still feels it’s a form of hiding, and he fears that he will never belong. Even when J’onn takes on his green-skinned superhero form, he’s still in disguise, fearing that his true, more otherworldly Martian form would terrify humans. Haunted for years by both the loss of his people and his status as an outsider in a strange new world, J’onn closed himself off from others, resigning himself to a life of isolation and misery. That all changed, however, when he joined the Justice League.

A founding member of the Justice League, J’onn found people who weren’t repulsed by his alien origin or appearance. Despite trying to build an emotional wall between himself and his teammates, their kindness and acceptance helped heal J’onn’s broken heart. He came to see the Justice League as his new family and the Earth as his adoptive home, which he swore to protect. J’onn’s surrogate family grew when he became the mentor of the young hero Miss Martian. No longer hiding, J’onn learned to move past his trauma and find joy in life again. Through his wisdom, compassion, and story of healing, J’onn J’onzz became the heart and soul of the Justice League – and one of DC’s most underappreciated heroes who needs a more fleshed-out role in future DCU films.

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