7 Most Inconsistently Written DC Characters

DC Comics has been creating some of the greatest superhero stories for decades. A lot goes into these stories and there are numerous factors in making a comic into a hit. One of the most important is consistency. Obviously, you want the writing and art to be consistently good and you need the characters to have some kind of consistent characters, power level, and missions. These consistencies keep the characters popular with fans, as they are what get fans in the door. Everyone has a certain idea of who a character is and how their stories should be, so keeping things consistent even with changing creators is an extremely important part of what fans look for.

There are always going to be inconsistencies in comics, but some characters seem almost defined by the fact that no two creators will write them consistently. Everyone sees the characters differently and this has led creators taking them in wildly inconsistent directions. These seven DC characters are the most inconsistently written, something that annoys fans to no end.

7) Conner Kent

Conner Kent is one of four Superman replacements introduced after the blockbuster “Death of Superman”. He was a mouthy ’90s kid who wanted to be a hero and he became known for being impulsive and immature. For 13 years, from ’93 to ’06, his story arc was all about maturing, ending with him sacrificing himself to save the universe in Infinite Crisis. Then, he came back to life, got butchered by the New 52, and eventually become the immature character he’s always been. It doesn’t feel like creators have decided whether he’s impulsive and immature, reasonable and mature, or something in between and it’s cost the character over the years.

6) Power Girl

Power Girl was introduced as the Supergirl of Earth-Two in the ’70s. Like other female characters introduced in the decade of disco, she was more assertive and played as a more modern feminist kind of hero than Supergirl. Then Crisis on Infinite Earths happened. No one knew what to do with her as a character without Earth-Two and she couldn’t be a Kryptonian anymore thanks to John Byrne. Sometimes, she was angry and loved to fight. Other times, she was sad and wished she had a family. She’s vacillated between these two poles for years and it’s honestly kind of tiring. PG is an awesome character (she’s my favorite Kara Zor-El) and it’s a shame that no one really knows what to do with her long term.

5) The Joker

The Joker is one of the most dangerous villains in comics. However, I would say that what’s actually made him so popular is the inconsistency. Sometimes, he’s a monster defined by the bloody chaos that he causes. Other times, he’s a crime lord out to take more power in the underworld. Sometimes, he’s perfectly efficient, other times his insanity makes him make huge mistakes. At times, he’s an untrained but deadly fighter and other times he gets one-shotted. The inconsistency with which he’s been written over his decades honestly sells his insanity better than anything else creators could have done. It’s one of the few times inconsistency has been positive.

4) Red Hood

DC doesn’t know what to do with Jason Todd and his years of inconsistency are an example of that. Jason was created to be the new Dick Grayson, down to having a similar origin and character, but he wasn’t nearly as popular. Post-Crisis, he was made into the angry, mouthy Robin that fans would start to hate even more. He was killed off and his return in the mid ’00s saw him become a hyper-competent villain. Since then, he’s gone back to being a vigilante, rejoining the Bat-Family. Sometimes, he’s angry and dislikes everyone. Other times, he regrets the way he’s comported himself and wants to be friends with everyone. Sometimes, he loves being the black sheep and other times he doesn’t. Much like Power Girl, he has two plot lines, and they keep getting repeated ad naseum.

3) Darkseid

Darkseid is considered by many to be DC’s greatest villain and has been a victim of inconsistency over the decades. The God of Evil is a superlatively powerful villain in some stories, with entire teams of heroes breaking against the rock of his power. Other times, he’s beaten by a single hero. It’s been explained that the various versions of the villain are lesser emanations, making him weaker at times and more powerful at others. He runs into a problem that many overpowered heroes and villains do, as he has to be nerfed and buffed to make him work in different stories.

2) Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is one of the most important female heroes ever, if not the most important. The comic industry hasn’t always been good for superheroines and Wonder Woman has suffered from this more than anyone. It feels like every creative team that comes on the book decides to take her in their own directions. She’s been the most pure hero ever, she’s been a pragmatic killer, she’s been the personification of peace and truth. Over the years, she’s been like a metronome, moving back and forth between personalities. She’s a beloved hero, but no one really knows what kind of Diana they’re going to get when a new run starts.

1) Batman

Batman is one of comics’ greatest legends, but inconsistency has been his stock in trade for decades. I think the best way to underline this is the way he’s portrayed in his comics and the way he is in other characters or teams. In Justice League books, he’s an unstoppable force who will figure out a way to win against anything. In his own comics, he’s getting outsmarted and overpowered by street-level villains and criminals. There’s also his attitude – sometimes he’s mean and short-tempered and other times he’s everyone’s dad. He can be a million different things and creators flip a coin every time he shows up in a book.

What DC characters do you think are inconsistent? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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