The Big Seven on the JLA Would Be Great, But the Team Would Still Need Personality

I’ve mentioned previously—to myself and others—that I’d like to see the Big Seven return to the pages of The Justice League of America. After all, when Grant Morrison brought the team back together after a prolonged absence, magic happened. Sure, Morrison and magic are often synonymous, but seeing the Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Lantern and the Flash fighting alongside together was awe-inspring.

But wait.

The dynamics of the Big Seven have changed. When Morrison recreated the classic roster, Green Lantern was Kyle Rayner and the Flash was Wally West. They were the magic in Morrison’s bag of tricks. The other members, as iconic as they are, can be somewhat stiff. Kyle and Wally brought a necessary lightness to the team. Especially Kyle, who was still fairly new to being a Green Lantern.

So while I still desire a book with the Big Seven again, I’d like to suggest some names for the team to keep the book from becoming a bland mess. My criteria, and someone else’s might be different, is that these are characters who have been around the DCU for some time (I can get nostalgic about these choices), they can hold their own in a JLA-level threat (alien invasions, super-villain team-ups, etc.), and—most importantly—they have bigger than life personalities:

A little more brute strength couldn't hurt.
Unless you're a bad guy.

Metamorpho: First off—the guy’s real name is Rex Mason. He gets points for having a great name. But I’ve always thought of Metamorpho, the Element Man, as an underused powerhouse. He can become invulnerable, transform into liquid or gaseous states, and he can turn his fist into a hammer. A hammer! Plus, Metamorpho has one of the coolest character designs in comics.

Power Girl: With the Superman and Wonder Woman on the team, having Power Girl there might be too much might. But what super-team couldn’t use more strength. And if she were written as wonderfully as Judd Winick has been writing her over the past year, she could sometimes be a detriment to the team for her propensity to hit first and think later. Power Girl’s real strength is in her relatability. She may be an alien from another planet (and another reality), but she sees the weirdness of the DCU just like you and me.

Animal Man: Perhaps the seemingly weakest character on my list, the charismatic Buddy Baker would be a welcome addition to the League. I said seemingly weakest. Animal Man is one of those characters who, like Metamorpho, in the hands of a writer willing to do some research, could be used in an endless number of creative ways. Animal Man can assume the powers of any animal, living or extinct. That means anything from an ant to a brachiosaurus.

Batman doesn't have to be the only guy on the
team to instill fear.

The Creeper: Here’s a character with another great character design. Jack Ryder’s alter ego may come off somewhat insane, but he’s a formidable enough character to join the League. He has superhuman agility, strength and speed. He may not be able to fly, but he can leap a tall building in a single bound. The Creeper has the power to hypnotically intimidate adversaries and also has a high-pitched laugh that can knock out his opponents.

Robot Man: Okay, it’s not all about a great name and character design, but it don’t hurt. Sure, Cliff Steele has been associated with the Doom Patrol since he first appeared in the 60’s. But could he split his time between the ever-retconned team and the League? Let’s ask Spider-Man and Wolverine what they think. Robot Man is one of the coolest creations in the DCU who turns up in every version of the Doom Patrol for a reason. Robot Man is another heavy-hitter who could bring the right amount of charm the League could use.

Well, those are my choices to bring a little panache to the world’s greatest super-team. Who’d I miss?