The CW and Their Justice League

If you're my wife or one of my classmates, you probably know that a while ago I released a video to YouTube in which I pointed out the very obvious and said that the CW network was building their own small screen Justice League, and upon further review I've come to the conclusion that I was even more right than I thought, which as you may well know is saying something, because I usually assume that I'm 100% right all the time unless Wings says otherwise.

She's always right.

My initial thesis that CW is making its own Justice League was based on the fact that there were about seven DC superheroes working together. At the time, that I was as far as I thought the rabbit hole went. Oh, how short sided all thinking seems in retrospect.

I have discovered that if the CW's Justice League roster fleshes out as I've predicted, we could actually be looking at something even more similar to the classic comic book Justice League than we thought.

The Dark, Powerless One

No, I don't mean in a race kind of way. What I do mean is that the Justice League has that one dark, gritty hero who has no superpowers but has instead risen to superhero status through intensive physical and mental training. They operate largely at night and focus on ridding their cities of crime by striking fear into the hearts of their enemies while adopting a strict no-killing policy.

For the classic Justice League, that job goes, of course, to the Dark Knight Detective himself, Batman. But on everything I've just said also applies to a CW hero who is no doubt going to be fulfilling the same role once his Justice League comes together. 

What I'm saying is (really what we've all been saying) that the Arrow is Batman. I've always held my suspicions that he didn't just act like Batman, but for all intents and purposes was that universe's Batman, but there were a few moments that really hammers this idea home for me. 

The first thing that really sold me on this was when I watched the two-part Arrow/Flash crossover, and literally every thing that anyone has ever said makes Batman/Superman team-ups cool was on display in those episodes, with the Arrow very comfortably filling in Batman's half of that relationship. 

But what really left no doubt in my mind was when (SPOILERS FOR ARROW SEASON THREE SKIP DOWN TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH YOU'VE BEEN WARNED) Ra's al Ghul, rather than killing Oliver Queen for assualting Nanda Parbat, offers Oliver the chance to take over the League of Assassins. For those of you who aren't obsessed with Batman, allow me to explain that this kind of relationship with Ra's is a huge element of the Batman mythos, and for the Arrow to take it on has left me with no doubt that in this universe, the Arrow is Batman.

And you know what? I'm okay with that. The Justice League needs a Batman, even if its not a literal Batman. As a sidenote, please note, Warner Bros, that I said a Batman, as in singular. That does not mean that you need to turn every single one of your superheroes in a dark, gritty, tortured avenger. (Believe me, that is not the last you'll hear from me on that subject.)

The Ultrapowerful Boy Scout

Before he stood for wanton destruction and neck-snaps, Superman stood for truth, justice, and the American/Russian (long story) way of life. He was a ultra powerful metahuman who managed to retain his humanity. He was compassionate and brave, a symbol of hope and inspiration. He was a good guy. Not in the sense that he was on a particular side in the good vs evil thing, but he really was a good guy. The kind you were supposed to take home to meet the folks.

Hm. Ultrapowerful metahuman with a heart of gold who's been openly stated by others to be a symbol of hope, now where else have I seen- enough foreplay it's Barry Allen.

I never even considered that the CW's Flash could be an analogue to any Justice Leaguer other than the Flash. At least, not until I saw the Arrow/Flash crossover, when I realized that just as Oliver was fulfilling the Batman half of the classic Batman/Superman dynamic, Barry was just as comfortably fulfilling the role usually held by Supes.

And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Comic Superman and CW Flash are both ultrapowerful golden boys who play good cop opposite their grim and brooding buddies. 

The Tech-y Flyboy

Unlike my earlier Batman/Arrow comparison, here's one I'm fairly certain a lot of other people on the internet haven't made.

To begin with, a lot of people are still calling the CW's Ray Palmer aka "The Atom" an Iron Man rip-off, which I have to say is a bit unfair. For starters, while Iron Man is easily the most recognizeable flying dude in power armor, he's by no means got some kind of patent on that shtick. Beyond that, the character that is now Ray Palmer was initially supposed to be Ted Kord, a genius inventor crime fighter known as the Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle in power armor makes a lot of sense. The Atom, less so, but when DC tells you that you can't use Ted Kord and have to use Ray Palmer, then you use Ray Palmer. S'the way it goes.

But enough about that, because I've got someone else to compare The Atom to. To begin with, let's boil him down to some defining traits that he brings to the table. An overconfident smartass who utilizes hyper-advanced technology to manifest all kinds of powers from flight to energy projection while also using said technology for a wide range of information gathering activities.

Know anyone else like that?

Hint: It's this guy.

That's right, ladies and gentlmen of the jury, I propose to this courtroom that despite that one Superman joke in "All-Star Team Up", Ray Palmer is actually an analogue to the Green Lantern!

The Lighthearted One

Referencing that one video I made once again, I'd like to once again bring up the prospect of The Flash's Cisco Ramon becoming the superhero Vibe, and how he'd fit into this still technically hypothetical Justice League the CW very obviously has cooking.

Cisco has been the lightest heart on an already lighthearted show. He's the one who gets all excited watching Barry in action, gets a stupid huge grin whenever he's talking about tech and inventions, and gives all the supervillains their cool supervillain names. Despite this, he has shown his more mature and emotional side at times, proving theirs more to this loveable nerd than an endless supply of cool t-shirts.

If Cisco were to become Vibe, he'd be the slightly immature, lighthearted superhero who can occasionally get himself caught in jams as a result of his youth and inexperience. I could also see a lot of people misunderstanding or underestimating his powers when they first meet him.

And that description fits perfectly on...the Flash. Don't worry, it confused everyone else I told too. I'm not talking about the CW Flash. I'm talking about the Flash from the Justice League animated series, and to a lesser extent comic book Flash. 

On top of these comparisons, comic Flash is pretty good friends with comic Green Lantern. They have all kinds of team-ups and, for lack of a better word, bromance. That's not a far stretch from what we got to see with Cisco and Ray, who as previously established, is this universe's Green Lantern.

Mind blown? Mind blown.

The Freaky Outsider

Do you know that Martian Manhunter really, in terms of power level, pretty much a green Superman? He's got superstrength (okay, whoop dee doo on that one, since every other person in comics has super strength) and he can fly. He's also a shapeshifter, he can go intangible, and he's a telepath. A very, very powerful telepath, who if you wanted to could lobotomize everyone in a room all at once with his mind.

He's also green, and socially awkward, and incredibly isolated from the rest of humanity due to his species and powers. Complain all you want about your isolation Supes, at least you were raised here and aren't green. J'hon J'onzz just sort of showed up one day. Born in a world where everyone was a telepath probably feels terrifyingly alone even inside his head on Earth. That is a man who is alienated.

But who on the CW's roster of heroes has been made into something of a powerful freak due to his superpowers? Well, just taking a shot in the dark here, but I'm going to say its the disassociative identity disorder patient who's on fire all the time.

In this world, Firestorm is our Martian Manhunter.

The Girl

Okay, I admit this is where my comparisons get a little flimsy. Laurel Lance and Wonder Woman don't have a ton in common outside being the only girl who seems to be around right now. I hear there's another CW spinoff in the works that's aiming to bring in, among other people, Hawkgirl, and if that happens I'm pretty sure their Hawkgirl will make a much better Wonder Woman stand-in than the Black Canary, what with Hawkgirl being an aggressive femme warrior type. But for now, this is what we've got.

The Other Guy

I said this is where things get flimsy, and I meant it. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter. Those guys have been on the Justice League since (in technical historic terms) like forever. Their archetypes are things that you will see in a Justice League roster. 

But the seventh guy? That's a bit trickier. Comic tradition says Aquaman is the seventh member. But then there's the extremely popular and beloved DC Animated Universe that says Hawkgirl is the seventh (probably for the sake of having more than one girl on the team). Then the New 52 decided Cyborg is the seventh.

So, for the sake of making this argument even feasible, I'm going to say the seventh is Cyborg, boil him down to a younger hero swept into the larger conflicts of the League by circumstance, and then declare that Roy Harper can probably fill that mold if we needed him to. 

Yeah, I know Colton Haynes left the show as a regular, but he's still open to guest appearances, so I can still use him. 

Man, this argument kind of fell apart toward the very end... ah well, was fun to write.