5 DC Comics Heroes Who Were Even Better After Being Rebooted

Reboots are just a fact of life when it comes to DC Comics and for good reason. With nearly a century of characters and stories, things have to change from time to time in order to keep things interesting and relevant for readers. Sometimes, these reboots don’t go particularly well and characters are changed in ways that both upset readers and leave them scratching their heads. But there are also times when reboots work and end up making characters refreshed for the better.

From massive overhauls that redefine characters until they’re practically brand new to shifts that restored beloved and iconic characters to the status fans have come to expect, these five characters benefitted the most from various DC reboots.

5) Green Arrow (Green Arrow: Year One)

As is the case with many DC characters, Green Arrow has been given many tweaks and changes over the years. While some have been more successful than others, the hero has no shortage of great stories — but one can argue the best “reboot” of the Emerald Archer is actually the simplest. Andy Diggle and Jock’s Green Arrow: Year One took the hero’s island-based origin that was already well-known to readers and went a bit deeper. The book focused on specifically that experience for Oliver Queen as well as retconned aspects from previous writers’ runs (namely that of Mike Grell) while also introducing new villains and a sinister reason for Oliver to end up on the island in the first place. It’s a sort of soft reboot that really worked for the character — so much so that this fresh version of the origin was used for television’s Arrow.

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4) Superman (Rebirth)

It’s not really a controversial statement to say that DC’s New 52 wasn’t exactly most fans’ favorite era. It was an era that rebooted a lot of the publisher’s iconic characters and those reboots weren’t exactly well-received. DC’s Rebirth era fixed a lot of things in that regard, and perhaps one of the better fresh reboots from that time is that of Superman. Rebirth Superman brought back a more classic version of the iconic hero and restored him as a symbol of hope. It also restored his relationship with Lois Lane and strengthened the character’s overall family dynamic, very much bringing the character back to heroic heart of the DC universe fans have long loved.

3) Kate Kane/Batwoman (“Elegy”)

Kate Kane marks a big reboot of sorts for the Batwoman character. While this version first appeared in DC’s year-long 52 series and established her backstory as a relative of Bruce Waynes who had been kicked out of West Point due to her sexuality, it was Greck Rucka and J.H. Willliams III’s Detective Comics run that really fleshed things out. “Elegy” digs deeper into Kate’s story — particularly aspects of her personal life and her relationship with her father as well as saw the introduction of a woman named Alice who ends up being a major foe for Batwoman who ends up having a very significant connection to the hero. It’s the case of a reboot being so thorough it’s almost like a brand-new character.

2) Harley Quinn

When it comes to Harley Quinn, there isn’t just one reboot that stands out since, in a very real sense, the character is frequently undergoing shifts, changes, and major overhauls that one could consider a reboot and it’s part of what makes her so interesting.  The biggest shift for Harley, and therefor probably the most important reboot, came during the New 52 which saw the character firmly established as an anti-hero protagonist more than merely the Joker’s girlfriend/sidekick.  Thanks to a solo series from Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley finally started to be fully fleshed out as a real character that was more than just something with a connection to the Clown Prince of Crime and it’s a change that DC has kept through almost every era since. Most recently for DC All-In, we’ve seen her regress just a bit into her old ways, but she’s doing it for good reasons. Feels like growth to us.

1) Aquaman (The New 52)

When it comes to reboots, Aquaman is the DC character that had the biggest glow up. Let’s be honest for a moment: before the New 52, Aquaman didn’t really feel like much more than a guy who could talk to fish. Yes, that’s wildly over-simplifying things and to be very clear, the character had a lot more development and some interesting adventures that went well beyond that, but that’s a lot of how people saw the character. Then The New 52 came along and changed things up. This new take on the hero leaned into his half-human side and even saw the character struggle with how others perceive him and his powers. The run really changed how people saw Aquaman and elevated him as a character, so much so that this is the version most fans are most familiar with now.

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