DC Comics gave readers the first A-list heroes in characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. After the stars were gathered, the publisher began peopling their universe with B-listers, great heroes who were popular but not as popular as the big guys. These Golden Age B-listers proved to be successful, and since then, the publisher has created even more great B-listers, lower-level characters who aren’t the biggest names, yet they are names in comics that most fans agree are great. DC has always had an extremely deep bench of great characters, and their B-list heroes are something very special.
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DC has been making superheroes for 86 years now, and looking over those years reveals some of the coolest heroes ever. B-listers have come and go, but the best of them have lasted the test of time, starring in team books, miniseries, and sometimes even solo ongoings. These ten DC B-listers are not the pick of the litter, but they’re still great.
10) Superboy
“Reign of the Supermen” introduced readers to four new Supermen, including one who wasn’t exactly a man (but don’t call him a boy). This new Superboy was a hit with ’90s readers (some that may even resemble me) and has stayed popular ever since. Conner Kent has grown and changed over the years, battling the greatest threats in the universe, tasting death and rebirth, and helping the Superman family battle the greatest threats. His plot in the recent Action Comics story “Phantoms” saw him becoming a warlord of the Khund, which was the perfect little bit of development for him, and his fans are dying for him to get more spotlight. The various Superboys have always been great, but Kon-El is easily the best.
9) Tim Drake
Tim Drake is the Robin who earned it, and it’s a shame that he fell from grace. Tim was able to get the edgy teens of the ’90s to like Robin again and he became a solo star in his own right, so much so that Robin mostly just appeared in his own series and was only rarely in the main Batman books. Since then, the young detective has seen his star fall because of characters like Damian Wayne, but that doesn’t change just how great Drake is. The character has always been the best Robin, his adventures proving how great he could be. Drake’s return in recent years has been great, proving what ’90s kids always knew: Tim Drake is a star.
8) Cliff Steele
Cliff Steele was a race car driver whose body was destroyed in a crash secretly caused by Professor Niles Caulder. His brain was put into a robot body, and Robotman was born. Since then, Cliff has experienced the weirdest things imaginable as a member of the Doom Patrol, somehow keeping a level head despite the insanity of his life. Cliff is perfect; he’s a character with a lot of personality and a great sense of humor. He’s the beating heart of the Doom Patrol, doing his best to help his friends, whether that be giving them advice or smashing the heads of anyone who attacks the team.
7) Donna Troy
Donna Troy is one of the most complicated characters ever. Her very existence is a retcon — Wonder Girl was originally young Diana, like Superboy was young Clark, but then someone put her in the Teen Titans, and they had to change her into an individual character — and over the year,s the numerous changes to Donna Troy’s origin has made her a hard character to get into for a lot of fans. However, away from all of the continuity woes, she’s a simple character: she’s a good person who loves her friends and her sister Diana, and she’ll do anything for anyone. Donna Troy has been a part of some of the best stories eve,r and despite how complicated she can be, she’s still an amazing character.
6) Cyborg
Cyborg is one of the breakout stars of the early ’80s sensation New Teen Titans and has grown a ton since his first appearance over 40 years ago. Victor Stone has been retconned and rewritten several times — he was a founding member of the Justice League for a while — but he’s always been the same hero, even if his cybernetic shell and powers changed. DC finally gave a member of the New Teen Titans a chance to shine and it’s honestly gone pretty well. Cyborg has become more important to the superhero community than ever before, and this has made her an even better character. At this point, all he needs is a long-running solo ongoing, and he’ll hit the A-list.
5) Zatanna
Zatanna is one of DC’s greatest heroines and is another character who is basically an A-lister at this point. The daughter of Zatara, she learned magic from her father and joined the magical superhero game. Since then, she’s been a member of the Justice League, both the regular and Dark versions, and has become a leader in the magical community, working with the big-name magic users when the heroes need their muscle. She’s starred in several ongoings and miniseries over the years, having become the perfect B-lister. She’s popular and recognizable, and can helm a team book or a miniseries at any time.
4) Black Canary
Black Canary is one of DC’s Golden Age legends, debuting in Flash Comics #86 in 1947. She joined the Justice Society and had her own serial in several books back then before fading away with the rest of the heroes who weren’t Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. She returned with the Justice Society in Justice League of America #21, and eventually switched over to Earth-One, where she started her relationship with Green Arrow. Since then, she’s become one of the greatest leaders of the Justice League of all time. She’s so popular that she’s become her own legacy hero, with the current version being the daughter of the Golden Age one (although soon they’ll have to change that granddaughter). Black Canary is an icon of the B-list and has earned her spot at the top.
3) Hawkman
Hawkman has been DC’s most savage warrior for 85 years now. He led the Justice Society and starred in his own serials before fading away, a reincarnated Egyptian prince fighting evil the old-fashioned way… with a mace. The character would get rebooted in the Silver Age, becoming a Thanagarian police man and joined the Justice League. The character’s continuity was particularly victimized by the post-Crisis reboot, and it’s only been in the 21st century that we’ve gotten a version of the character that makes sense. He’s been a low-key star for decades, and is one of DC’s first heroes. Hawkman has a lot more fans than most people think, but not enough to hit the A-list.
2) Alan Scott
There have been some amazing Green Lanterns over the years, and none of them would be here if it wasn’t for Alan Scott. The original Green Lantern was one of the greatest powerhouses of the Golden Age, and fans loved him for decades. The 21st century has been especially good for the character; he’s starred in amazing team books like JSA and Justice Society of America, came out of the closet as a gay man, and helmed his own stellar miniseries Alan Scott: Green Lantern. Scott is an amazing character, a regal, complicated hero that everyone looks up to. He’s a timeless hero and fans love him.
1) Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick first appeared in Flash Comics #1 and quickly became one of the most popular heroes in comics. He joined the Justice Society and became one of the team’s most important members, the everyman with powers who was there for everyone. The first crossover between the Golden Age and the Silver Age came with his meeting Barry Allen in The Flash #121, and he became a staple of the yearly JLA/JSA crossovers. He’s become a member of the modern Flash family and is still the heart of the Justice Society still, even all these years later. He’s starred in his own miniseries and even gotten his own daughter in the time lost to the Boom. Jay is everyone’s favorite fast grandpa, and hopefully, we’ll have him for a very long time.
Who’s your favorite DC B-lister? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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