10 Best DC Heroic Legacies

DC Comics have made legacy one of the most important aspects of the superhero comic. The publisher created the superhero in 1938, and since then have introduced readers to some of the greatest heroes and villains in fiction. Comics are a business that are all about nostalgia, taking the old and making it new again. Legacy characters have become a key part of DC (and to a lesser extent Marvel, who has been trying to copy their distinguished competition’s legacy hero success) starting in 1956, when the publisher introduced a new version of the Flash. Since then, we’ve seen many different superhero families, creating legends that fans love.

DC’s heroic legacies are some of the greatest imaginable. The various families of heroes have become one of the most important aspects of their superhero multiverse. These heroic legacies are DC’s best, defining the publisher over the decades.

10) The Starman Family

If you love the modern version of the Justice Society, you have the Starman Family to thank. Ted Knight was the first Starman, creating the Gravity Rod, a powerful weapon that allowed him to fly and fire powerful energy blasts. There have been six Starmen over the years: Ted, David Knight, Jack Knight, Mikaal Tomas, Prince Gavyn, and Will Payton, and one Stargirl, Courtney Starsmore. Only four of them used the Gravity Rod or its replacement the Cosmic Rod, with Tomas, Gavyn, and Payton having other powers. The most popular Starman is Jack (with Stargirl just behind him), and the ’90s Starman series made fans love the Golden Age legacy heroes again (along with Sandman Mystery Theater and The Golden Age).

9) The Shazam Family

Once upon a time Superman was the most popular superhero of them all, and everyone was copying him. One of these copies was able to actually outsell the Man of Steel: Captain Marvel, who has gone by Shazam and the Captain after losing (another) court case over the character (DC would sue Fawcett Publications over him in the ’50s and win, destroying the publisher). Young Billy Batson met a wizard who gave him the power to transform into a superhero, and the rest is history. He was soon joined by his sister Mary as Mary Marvel and their friend Freddie as Captain Marvel Jr. Since then, several more characters have been added to the Shazam Family (Darla, Eugene, and Pedro), and they’ve become an integral part of the DC B-list.

8) Mister Terrific

Terry Sloane was the first Mister Terrific, and let’s be honest: he seems like the lamest hero imaginable. A rich genius who served as the brains of the Justice Society with a bad costume, he’s exactly the kind of Golden Age hero that wouldn’t ever create a legacy of his own. Or so you’d think. However, the return to prominence of the JSA in the ’90s brought us the perfect new version of the hero in Michael Holt. Holt was amazing as Mister Terrific II (and the New 52 Sloane was pretty awesome), and he’s become a beloved character, both in the comics and the movies. Mister Terrific II has taken a lead role in the Justice League, his son is his sidekick Fair Play, and there’s Quiz Kid, who was Sloane’s forgotten sidekick who was frozen in time for years. The Terrific family of heroes isn’t large, but they are great.

7) The Zataras

Giovanni Zatara first appeared alongside Superman in Action Comics #1, becoming one of the first magical superheroes. He was a lower-level star of the Golden Age, and eventually readers were introduced to his daughter, Zatanna, in Hawkman (if you can ever find the old DC trade JLA: Zatanna’s Search, get it; it’s wonderful). Zatanna ended up joining the League and her father had his own adventures until his death in Swamp Thing‘s “American Gothic”. Zatara opened the door for DC’s most popular magical character, changing the face of the publisher.

6) The Hourmen

Hourman is another Golden Age legacy that few fans remember, but he’s one of the deepest. Rex Tyler created a drug called Miraclo, that gave him superhuman strength and durability for an hour, and became Hourman. His son Rick eventually took up the mantle, with a sentient time-traveling nanobot becoming the third Hourman. What makes the legacy so interesting is the themes of addiction that run through Rex and Rick’s lives, the two of them dealing with their addiction to Miraclo, and the thrill of being superheroes. It’s a shame that DC has never really used this idea to its fullest potential (I have a pitch, though), but that doesn’t change how great they are.

5) The Superman Family

Superman is the greatest hero in DC Comics. In a lot of ways, every superhero ever is a part of his legacy. However, like many DC characters, he’s created his own family of heroes. The first was Supergirl, and she’d be joined by characters like Superboy II, Steel, Jon Kent, Super-Man, Steel II, and the Super-Twins. These characters have all become legends in their own right, wearing the big red S and following the example of the first hero. Even Earth-Two Superman had his own legacy, with Power Girl being his Supergirl. The Superman Family isn’t as popular as others, but it definitely has it where it counts.

4) The Wonders

Wonder Woman is the original female superhero, and much like Superman, every woman who came after her could be considered a part of her legacy. Wonder Woman’s family would start small, introducing readers to DC’s most confusing character Donna Troy, the retcon queen. For years, it was just the two of them, but in the ’90s we’d get Artemis and Diana’s mother as Wonder Woman, followed by new Wonder Girls like Cassie Sandsmark and Yara Flor. Nubia hasn’t used the “Wonder” name, but is still an important part of the family and a queen of Themyscira. Finally, there’s Trinity, the newly introduced daughter of Diana and Steve Trevor.

3) The Bat-Family

Batman paved the way for the vigilante superhero, and after his first year introduced readers to the first kid sidekick Dick Grayson. Since then, Batman created the family that was taken from him in Crime Alley. There have been numerous Robins (Grayson, Jason Todd, Carrie Kelly {yes, we’re counting her}, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne), several Batgirls (Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown), Batwoman, Huntress (the Earth-Two daughter of Batman and Catwoman, who was changed after Crisis into a slain mob boss’s daughter), Catwoman, the Signal, and more I’m probably missing. It’s become an iconic part of DC Comics.

2) Green Lanterns

Alan Scott was the first Green Lantern, his magical ring making him one of the heavy hitters of the Justice Society. He would disappear along with the rest of the team in the early ’50s, but his legacy would live on in the Silver Age. Hal Jordan was the first of a new generation of Green Lanterns, and it would prove to be one of the most fruitful. Now, there is an entire corps of Green Lanterns, a spaceborne police force with thousands of members. Jordan was joined by Jon Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, and Jessica Cruz, forming the core of the Corps and taking readers on amazing space adventures for decades.

1) The Flash Family

Jay Garrick first debuted as the Flash in Flash Comics #1 in 1940. The superfast everyman was a great hero, and he would birth an entire family of heroes that has become one of the most powerful and beloved of all time. Barry Allen would usher in the Silver Age, and since then, we’ve had multiple Flashes. There’s Wally West, the first Kid Flash, Barry’s future grandson Bart Allen, the first Impulse, John Fox from the future, and Avery Ho. Bart and Wallace West have also been Kid Flash, and then there are ancillary members of the family like Max Mercury, Johnny Quick, and his daughter Jessie. Finally, Wally’s kids Jai and Irey are taking their place as superheroes in the group as well. The Flash Family is a true family, and they’ve become the most beloved family in DC Comics.

What’s your favorite DC legacy family? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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