DC’s First 10 Legacy Heroes, Ranked by Improvement Over the Original

DC Comics created the superhero in the Golden Age, debuting mantles like the Flash, Green Lantern, the Atom, and loads of others. As the years went on, superhero comics became less popular and most of these heroes disappeared. However, they would get replaced starting in 1956, when Showcase #4 put Barry Allen in the mantle of the Flash. He was the only first, as the newly christened Silver Age would introduce even more new heroes in old mantles. Between this and the creation of the sidekick, DC laid the foundation for what we call today the legacy hero. Over the decades, these heroes have become some of the greatest of all time.

One of the best things about legacy heroes is how they improve on the original. Sometimes, these new versions aren’t much of an improvement, creating a new version that it’s on par with what came before. Other times, a legacy hero will come about that blows away their predecessor, becoming a legend on their own. DC has done a fantastic job over the years of creating the best legacy heroes in comics, keeping their multiverse vital for the last 88 years. These are DC’s first ten legacy heroes, each of them something of an upgrade over what came before.

10) Roy Harper

Green Arrow created an entire family of heroes over the years, starting with Roy Harper. Back when the Emerald Archer first appeared, he was basically just Batman in Robin Hood drag and since he was Batman, that meant that he needed a young sidekick, which is where we got Roy Harper. While Roy would never actually become Green Arrow – the closest he got was Red Arrow – he’s Ollie’s main legacy to the superhero community. He helped found the original Teen Titans and has been a member of groups like the Outsiders, the Justice League, and Checkmate. Roy has some big milestones under his belt as a character, but as great as he is (it’s honestly refreshing that he’s kind of a screw-up, something that you don’t get to see all that much anymore), he’s nowhere near an improvement over Ollie.Oliver Queen is one of the best DC characters of all time and Roy is just a good character.

9) Tempest

Aquaman is something of an icon, but he’s had some rough years, especially after SuperFriends made him the most useless member of the team. He’s sort of come back over the years, but he falls from prominence all the time. However, there was once a time when he was one of the most popular characters around and that meant he needed a sidekick. Aqualad would debut in 1960, joining the ranks of DC sidekicks. He’d help found the Teen Titans, but of all the sidekicks, he was probably the least popular. Garth ended up disappearing for a while and would eventually be brought back as Tempest, a master of magic who has been a member of the Titans in just about every incarnation. While he’s definitely improved as a character over the years, he’s not really much of an upgrade from Arthur. He’s a good character, but there’s no real must-read stories starring the hero, while there are for the king of Atlantis.

8) Hawkwoman

The Hawks are one of the most confusing parts of the DC Universe, which is saying something. When the Hawks were reintroduced in the Silver Age, they were recast as alien police officers from the world of Thanagar rather than the reincarnating couple of the past. Sheira Hall became Shayera Hol, fighting alongside Katar Hol in the city of St. Roch and joining the Justice League. As far as it goes, Shayera is something of an improvement over Shiera. She was made into a tougher, more proactive character and has since become one of the leaders of Thanagar, changing her name to Hawkwoman. If you had to rank the Hawkgirls, it would go Kenrda Saunders (the modern one), Shayera, and then Shiera. It’s the post-Crisis Hawkworld origin that really cinches it for Hol; while it made Hawk stuff way more confusing as the years went on, it was the improvement that the character needed to become unique.

7) Donna Troy

Donna Troy has long been DC’s most complicated character. She only exists because of a retcon – when the Teen Titans were brought together, they put in Wonder Girl, but Wonder Girl wasn’t a sidekick, she was Diana when she was younger. Since then, Donna has been getting new origin after new origin, partly because creators have decided to flesh her out and partly because of the various continuity changes to the DC Multiverse. She’s led the Titans and taken up the mantle of Wonder Woman for a very short time (the first couple of issues of the post-Infinite Crisis relaunch) and is something of an icon in her own right. Personally, I like Donna more than Diana, so I’m ranking her as something of an improvement from Wonder Woman. Donna’s struggles as a character over the years, both her origin woes and the drama of her life, have made her a more compelling character to read about. She’s not perfect and that’s part of the charm of the heroine.

6) Supergirl

Supergirl was the first addition to the Superman family and what an addition she’s been. Kara Zor-El has been having some of the most bizarre adventures in comic history for years, fighting alongside her cousin and proving that she wasn’t just a gender-swapped Man of Steel. She’s been a part of numerous major DC events and is one of the most recognizable characters in comics. One of things that makes Supergirl so great is that she’s been allowed to become her own character over the years. While many of us like Superman more than Kara, there’s something about her that makes her an improvement. I think it’s partly because you never know where one of her stories will go. Seeing her struggle with the tragedies of her past while trying to build a new life is something that we didn’t get to see with Superman – he was fully formed as a person when we first got him – and has helped keep her vital for decades.

5) Barry Allen

I’m honestly conflicted about rating Barry this high because for my money, he’s not really an improvement at all over Jay Garrick. However, the proof is in the pudding. Barry was the first time DC put an entirely new character in an old mantle and it worked like gangbusters. Say what you want about Barry in 2026, but for a long time, he was a beloved character and the heart and soul of the DC Multiverse. Barry’s death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 remains one of the most important moments in DC history and he’s played a massive role in the development of the DC Multiverse over the decades. He has become one of the patron saints of DC Comics, a hero who has inspired generations. Jay is a better character (and Wally is light years better), but Barry’s success made the DC we know and love today possible.

4) Hawkman

Carter Hall was the first Hawkman, battling alongside the Justice Society of America and becoming their first leader. The reincarnating pharaoh became something of a star but it faded away, like most of DC’s Golden Age legends. However, a new version would show up in the Silver Age, the Thanagarian policeman known as Katar Hol. Hol and Shayera would become heroes on Earth and work alongside the Justice League, creating a web of relationships with the heroes of Earth-One. Crisis on Infinite Earths completely destroyed the Hawks as character for years, with Katar going the way of dodo until his return in JSA (Vol. 1). Katar is a definite, obvious improvement over Carter. Everything that fans like about the current Carter – the friendship with the Atom, the grudge with Green Arrow, the more conservative outlook on the world – all come from this version of the character. The current melded Carter is pretty great, but Katar will always be the best part of the Hawks.

3) Hal Jordan

Alan Scott is an amazing hero, one who has gotten better and better since his long ago Golden Age debut. However, for years, Alan wasn’t fit to charge Hal’s ring. Hal Jordan was the perfect character to make into Green Lantern – fearless, cocky, funny – and made a new kind of sci-fi superhero possible. Hal was a legend right from the word go and he’s only gotten better over the years. Hal and Alan are neck and neck for me as far as characters go, but Jordan is easily the more important and popular of Green Lanterns. The changes made to the character’s mythos only worked because of him and the fact that he was able to return after nearly a decade gone and not miss a step in the ’00s shows just how great he really is. Alan is an icon, but the Green Lantern wouldn’t be a legend without Hal.

2) The Atom

The original Atom is one of the least memorable Justice Society members ever. Al Pratt was the pint-sized brawler of the team, the little man with a big chip on his shoulder. Even with the Justice Society having become popular again, no one really cares about Al. He’s never had his own solo series and there are basically no important stories about him. In fact, the best thing about the Atom as a character is Atom-Smasher, the hero he trained later in his life who took his place in the JSA. DC made a huge improvement on the mantle of the Atom by introducing Ray Palmer. Ray wasn’t able to reach the iconic status of some others on this list – he has a cool history but hasn’t been a popular character in a long time – but he is a major upgrade over Al. Maybe one day, we’ll get some kind of flashback story that makes Al better, but for now, Ray is the best Atom.

1) Nightwing

Nightwing is DC’s greatest legacy hero and it’s not even close. Dick Grayson was the first sidekick in superhero comics, quickly becoming the most popular of all time. Robin was a major part of the Batman mythos, but Dick proved to be a great character even beyond the mantle (personally, I’ve always really enjoyed Earth-Two Dick; he was the first mature version of the hero and he was fantastic, a proof of concept for the Dick we have today). He founded the Teen Titans, became the star of New Teen Titans, created his own superhero identity, and moved beyond the shadow of his mentor. He’s since taken up the mantle of Batman twice and has become one of the leaders of the superhero community. Everyone looks up to him and trusts him. While Batman is definitely more popular, Dick is better than him in every way. He’s a more enjoyable character in a lot of ways, growing in directions no one would have guessed decades ago.

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

10 Best DC Characters Who Became Villains Years Later