Sunday, 3 July 2011

The Big League part 8



Oh, hello there. What's that? You want to hear more of my opinions on which members of the JLA may or may not show up in a possible film? Okay then. For those eagerly awaiting chapters on the villains, the supporting cast and what we won't see, they're coming soon.

Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce)
Joined: Justice League of America #7



Arguably the first major black DC superhero, Black Lightning has grown from cult character to a firm fan favourite over the years. DC cemented this position by giving Black Lightning ties to Batman and a premier position in Brad Meltzer's post Infinite Crisis Justice League relaunch. Operating as a detective, but with lightning powers, there was a definite blaxploitation vibe about the character originally, though he has grown far beyond this in recent years. He would be a fun addition to a JLA film.

Red Arrow (Roy Harper)
Joined: Justice League of America #7



Originally starting out as Speedy, Green Arrow's sidekick, Roy Harper then took on the identity of Arsenal with the Titans, before being nominated for League membership by his former mentor, and taking on the identity of Red Arrow. Harper was always an interesting character, gaining a drug addiction in the seventies, which he eventually overcame, only to father a child with the supervillain, Cheshire. Harper later cleaned up his act, becoming one of the the DCU's greatest heroes. So it's a shame that, more recently, DC ruined the character by undoing all their good works and having him turn back to drugs, practically rape Cheshire, and, in the ultimate crime seen in comics in recent years, killed a kitten for no good reason! He won't be in a JLA film. If there's an Arrow, it'll be Green. But, should there be a series of Green Arrow films in the future, expect Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow to appear there somewhere down the line. Hopefully, he'll be nice to any kittens involved.

Geo-Force (Prince Brion Markov)
Joined: Justice League of America #7



The prince of Markovia, Geo-Force is probably better known as a member of the Outsiders and half-brother of the Teen Titans member, Terra. While an Outsiders film is unlikely, it's even less likely that we'll see Geo-Force in a JLA film.

Supergirl (Kara Zor-El / Linda Lang)
Joined: Justice League: Cry For Justice #3



Superman's cousin, who was also saved from the destruction of Krypton, Kara Zor-El arrived on Earth a while after Kal-El. Originally older than her cousin, her ship kept her in suspended animation for her trip to Earth, and by the time she arrived, baby Kal had grown up into Superman. Kara was originally killed in Crisis on Infinite Earth's, but returned in the pages of Superman/Batman, and has been back front and center in the DCU ever since. She won't be in a JLA movie though. More likely, she'll appear in a future Superman film, then get her own movie down the line. Let's hope it's better than the Helen Slater version, huh?

Starman (Mikaal Tomas)
Joined: Justice League: Cry For Justice #5



There have been a lot of Starmen in the DCU, though they've largely managed to avoid the continuity nightmares of the various Hawkmen. This particular version of Starman was an alien who arrived on Earth to help his people conquer it, but ended up turning on them instead. Given the name Starman after the David Bowie song, rather than any of the previous Starmen. Starman, notable for being one of DC's first gay superheroes, won't be in the JLA. There are too many other Starmen to choose from, most of whom are better known.

Congorilla (William "Congo Bill" Glenmorgan)
Joined: Justice League: Cry For Justice #5



Congo Bill was an adventurer who was eventually transformed into a gorilla. Gorilla's are cool. But, if we're gonna see a talking gorilla in a JLA movie, it'll be the villain Gorilla Grodd rather Congorilla. Talking gorillas are quite common in the DCU.

Guardian (Jim Harper)
Joined: Justice League of America #41



Created in 1942 by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, this non-powered shield slinger bore more than a passing resemblance to Kirby and Simon's earlier creation, Captain America. Becoming an ally of Superman, the Guardian eventually found himself dying, but had his consciousness transferred into a clone body by Project Cadmus, saving his life and allowing him to continue as a superhero, as well as serving as the head of Project Cadmus security. He's more likely to show up as a supporting player in a future Superman film than a JLA film.

Mon-El (Lar Gand)
Joined: Justice League of America #41



A member if the 31st Century super team, the Legion of Superheroes, Mon-El has powers comparable to Superman. His origins have been retconned a number of times, and he has served with the League briefly as a replacement for Superman. However, we're not going to see him in JLA. What we should hope for is a Legion of Superheroes film, 'cos that would be awesome, and would most likely feature Mon-El.

Donna Troy
Joined: Justice League of America #41



Formerly known as Wonder Girl, sidekick to Wonder Woman, Donna Troy even briefly served as Wonder Woman when Diana was away. Donna is one of DC's more tragic characters, having witnessed the deaths of her husband and infant son. A founding member of the Teen Titans, Donna is an integral part of the DCU, though don't expect to see her in a JLA film. Rather, look for her to show up in any possible Wonder Woman films, and hope for a Teen Titans film after that.

Cyborg (Victor Stone)
Joined: Justice League of America #41



Another former Teen Titan who joined the League, Cyborg would appear to have replaced Martian Manhunter as one of DC's "big seven" in the upcoming reboot. This actually means that the chances of Cyborg appearing in any League film are actually pretty good. This is almost a shame as, while Cyborg is awesome, it would mean he couldn't be used in a Teen Titans film.

Starfire (Koriand'r)
Joined: Justice League of America #41



Another former Titan. Yeah, for a while, the League was basically a grown up Teen Titans. As with the other Titans, Starfire is more likely to show up in a Titans film.

Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
Joined: Justice League: Generation Lost #3



In Generation Lost, Keith Giffen once again returned to the JLI characters he'd had prior success with. However, Ted Kord (Blue Beetle), a key member of the team, was actually dead in the comics. To replace him, Giffen brought in his successor, Jaime Reyes, to replace him. Jaime is a pretty interesting character, with an interesting look when in costume. Chances of seeing him in a JLA movie? Well, the character is still rumoured to be getting his own live action TV series, so it's not impossible.

Rocket Red 7 (Gavril Ivanovich)
Joined: Justice league: Generation Lost #4



Same armour, different bloke. See previous Rocket Red entries.

Right, that's all the League members covered. Join me next time when I have a look at which villains we may see.

To be continued...

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