With this Wednesday bringing us the newest hero to dawn the Thor mantle, and Sam Wilson taking over for Cap full-time, I figured it was time for a blogpost on my favorite replacement heroes.
One of the most common super-hero tropes is the "death" of the hero, or "passing the torch" to someone else. As a HUGE comic fan from the 90s, where this practice was common, you'll see that most of my favorites derive from that time period. Hope you enjoy!
Honorable Mention: Beta Ray Bill (Thor)
One of my favorite characters, mainly due to his look and power-set, but definitely worthy of wielding Mjolnir! Hope we see more of Bill in the future, maybe in a future Thor film?!?
11: Connor Hawke (Green Arrow)
Connor was the illegitimate son of Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) and was just as adept at archery as his old man. Connor took over for his father upon Oliver's death (don't worry, he got better), and was part of one of my favorite GA runs to date (Lemire's current run with Sorrentino just surpassed it). His GA was quite the departure from Ollie's, and it was a breath of fresh air, for me at least.
10: John Henry Irons (Superman)
John Henry Irons was inspired by Superman himself to be a better man, and after Superman's death in battle with Doomsday, Irons fashioned a suit of armor (steel, don't you know), to provide inspiration to a world without Superman. After Superman's return, Irons stayed a hero, changing his name to Steel. I loved Bogdanove's art on this character, and found the character to be truly inspirational, myself!
9: Bucky Barnes (Captain America)
Many long time comic book fans thought that Bucky would NEVER return, but when Brubaker decided to revive the character as the Winter Soldier, it seemed the impossible had occurred. After Steve Rogers' death (starting to notice a trend?), Bucky decided to honor Steve's memory and take up the shield. Brubaker sold me on the idea of Bucky as a BAMF, both as Winter Soldier and Captain America. Can't wait for Bucky's new title this week!
8: Kon-El/Conner Kent (Superman)
Bursting on the scene after Superman's death, this clone (Don't call him Superboy...well, at least not at first) would be one of the replacement Superman. Just like Steel, after Superman's return, Kon-El (as Clark eventually named him) accepted the role of Superboy. He's gone through many costumes, power-ups and downs, and eventually learned that his other "dad" was none other than Lex Luthor! Now, he is the genetic clone of Superman & Lois' son, Jon Lane Kent, infused with extra DNA from Superman & Lois. For me, the original "Metropolis Kid" is the best, straps and all.
7: Jean Paul Valley (Batman)
When Bane broke the Batman's back, Bruce looked to Valley to take up the mantle of the Bat instead of Dick (stay tuned). Now, to be honest, it's not Valley's time as Batman that I enjoyed, but his time as Azrael. Granted, that is one AWESOME suit of armor, but he was kind of a douche as Batman. Once Bruce came back to take back the mantle, Valley went back to his Azrael persona, which I enjoyed very much. Some of Kitson's best stuff on that run!
6: Otto Octavius (Spider-Man)
You might think that this is a cheat, but as I always say, this is MY blog, so I can do what I want :P Sure, Otto didn't replace Peter in the typical way. It was more of a hostile take-over. But as most Spider-fans, I grew to love Otto as the Superior Spider-Man, and I'm ecstatic to see him leading the other Spider-people in Spider-Verse!
5: Miles Morales (Ultimate Spider-Man)
It's tough to fill the shoes of someone that sacrificed themselves for the well-being of other, as Ultimate Peter Parker did, but Miles, in my opinion, is a BETTER Spider-Man! There, I said it! I know, Peter gave his life to stop the Goblin, and he's a hero to all the world, but Miles has that "something extra!" I've enjoyed his adventures much more than the original run of USM, and I won't spoil his current title, but you should check it out if you haven't already!
4: Kyle Rayner (Green Lantern)
THIS is MY Green Lantern! To me, as a young adult, Hal Jordan was SOOO boring! I enjoyed that DC got rid of the Corps, pared down the number of rings, and swapped out the "insane" Hal Jordan with the young, energetic, imaginative Kyle Rayner. I know, HEAT will come get me for saying that (look it up, it's what we did before the internet), but it was true! As an "old man," I'm glad DC has revived the Corps, integrated all of the Earth GL's, and brought back Hal, but Kyle will always be my favorite GL!
3: Wally West (The Flash)
When Barry Allen sacrificed himself during Crisis on Infinite Earths, his young side-kick stepped up to the challenge of filling his mentor's boots. Wally was the first side-kick to "graduate" to the big leagues and take up the mantle of his mentor, and for me, he was my favorite Flash. Just as Hal felt stale as GL, Barry was as the Flash as well. At least Barry got to go out a hero, and not insane, but Wally lived up to, and honored his mentor until HIS return. Now, OUR Wally is MIA, but a new Wally West has been introduced, and I'm willing to give him a shot.
2: Ben Reilly (Spider-Man)
Much like Jean Paul Valley, it's not Ben's time as Spider-Man that I enjoy the most, but his stint as Scarlet Spider! I know that a lot of you HATED the Clone Saga, but it got me back to Spider-Man (much how Superior & Miles Morales did recently) and I loved every minute of it! I'm not ashamed to admit this anymore, and hopefully we get more Ben during Spider-Verse!
1: Dick Grayson (Batman)
Dick has the distinction of replacing his mentor, not once, but twice! The first was after Bruce returned to take the mantle back from Jean Paul Valley, and the second upon his "death" in Batman R.I.P. His second go was much longer, and more memorable, as he was helping young Damian Wayne come to grips with his father's death and learning to become a hero.
Dick is easily the best replacement hero ever, but who's your favorite?
