DC Comics was the first purveyor of superheroes as we known them, hooking generation after generation of readers on the four-color adventures of the greatest heroes of all time. While the publisher’s heroes aren’t as popular as they once were, with Marvel riding the wave of the MCU to the top, they’ve still created some of the greatest superheroes ever, changing the game numerous times. Superman, Batman, Robin, Supergirl, Batgirl, and Wonder Woman are household names, and heroes like Green Lantern, the Flash, and Green Arrow have all had their dalliances with mainstream stardom. Everyone knows the big name DC heroes but they are just the tip of the iceberg.
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The big name heroes aren’t the only great heroes in DC Comics. For almost a hundred years, the publisher has been putting out some of the greatest comics of all time, introducing readers to numerous heroes. Some of these heroes have been forgotten over the years, but that doesn’t change how amazing they are. These seven DC heroes don’t get talked about enough, but definitely deserve way more attention.
7) Bumblebee
The Teen Titans have awesome members, with some of the coolest heroes ever calling the team home. Everyone knows the big name members of the group like Nightwing, Donna Troy, Wally West, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, and more, but Bumblebee isn’t as well known. Karen Beecher was a young genius, joining the Titans along with her boyfriend Mal Duncan in the pre-New Teen Titans days of the team. She created a suit that allowed her to fly and shrink, eventually gaining shrinking powers from the use of her tech. Bumblebee is basically a combination of the Wasp and Hank Pym but much better, and is a solid C-list hero who should be much higher up. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a member of the New Teen Titans version of the team, so she’s not as well known as she should be.
6) Zauriel
Zauriel came from the Grant Morrison-written JLA, introduced in JLA #6-7. An angel of the Silver City, Zauriel warned the team about Asmodel and the Bull Legion’s rebellion and attack on the Earth, all to save the woman he had been watching for years. Zauriel was positioned to fit into the Hawkman slot on the Justice League, staying with the team throughout Morrison’s run. Zauriel has had several miniseries, but he’s not nearly as popular as he could be. Strangely enough, the character’s downfall started almost from the beginning in JLA; he was pushed to the background when the rest of the Pantheon League joined the team. DC never gave the angelic hero a fair shake, not even putting him on the Justice League Dark, where he would have definitely belonged.
5) Mon-El
Mon-El is a Daxamite, an offshoot of the Kryptonians, with the same powers but different weaknesses, like lead. He met Superman when Clark Kent was young in Smallville, the two of them adventuring together, and got lead poisoning. Clark sent him to the Phantom Zone, where he would become a wraith and the lead poisoning wouldn’t kill him, while he tried to figure out how to cure his friend. However, it would take over a thousand years in the Phantom Zone before the young hero would be freed, when Brainiac 5 found a cure and pulled him out of the Zone. Mon-El joined the Legion of Superheroes, and became one of the team’s heaviest hitters. The Daxamite hero’s origin and history have been changed numerous times over the years, much like the rest of the Legion, but he is always an awesome hero. He’s one of DC’s coolest heroes, and he deserves way more credit and attention.
4) Lilith Clay
Lilith Clay is another nearly forgotten members of the Teen Titans. Much like Bumblebee, she joined the team in the pre-New Teen Titans days of the group. She is a powerful telepath/telekinetic with red hair, and is very much reminiscent of Jean Grey before all of the Phoenix Force shenanigans derailed the character’s story. However, unlike Jean, Lilith never really got a chance to come back after the team that debuted her got popular. She was in limbo for years, showing up occasionally, and in the 21st century would join the cast of Titans and Power Girl. She’s a fun character with great powers, and has all of the potential in the world. Her recent turn in Power Girl was awesome, and hopefully she’ll be back in the spotlight sooner rather than later.
3) Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate has been around in one form or another for 85 years, setting the stage for the debut of every magical hero in comics. The first Doctor Fate was Kent Nelson, who found the Helm of Order on an archeological dig The Helmet was home to the Lord of Order Nabu, and when Nelson donned it, he became the world’s magical protector, helping found the Justice Society of America. Since then, multiple characters have worn the helmet, with the current bearer being Khalid Nassour, a relative of Nelson’s. The hero is basically Doctor Strange if he was was actually interesting, with each various version of Fate taking the character in new directions. That’s what makes the character so interesting; Doctor Fate can be anything you need depending on which version of the character being used, from Golden Age powerhouse to edgy ’90s dude (yes, really; it was wild).
2) Atom-Smasher
Atom-Smasher started his superhero career as Nuklon. He was the grandson of the villain Cyclotron and was raised by Cyclotron’s enemy the Atom, a founding member of the Justice Society. He joined Infinity Inc., basically the JSA’s Teen Titans, and would eventually end up on the Justice League before joining the JSA during the Geoff Johns run. He became one of the coolest members of that group, with his relationships with Stargirl and Black Adam being some of the best parts of the book. He ended up leaving the team with Adam, helping him violently free Khandaq, and that was basically the end of his push, although he did return to the team. Since then, he’s been in the background more often than not, and that’s a shame. Atom-Smasher had loads of potential, and it’s about time someone allowed him to meet it.
1) Hourman I
The Justice Society is DC’s first team, and its original roster is one of the coolest ever. It introduced some amazing legacies to the DC Universe, but there’s one that doesn’t get the praise it should. Hourman I was Rex Tyler, a chemist who created a drug called Miraclo, which gave him superhuman strength and invulnerability for an hour. He ended up addicted to the drug and the thrill of superheroism, keeping his superhero career after the JSA disbanded thanks to the actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee, spending years battling evil and his addiction. The hero is a lot deeper than anyone imagines, and could have had the same kind of spotlight of someone like Sandman I had in Sandman Mystery Theater in the ’90s. I’m Hourman I’s biggest fan and he’s the most underrated DC hero ever in my opinion.
Who’s your favorite underrated DC hero? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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