9 Best DC Superheroes Created By Stan Lee
The Marvel Universe owes Stan Lee for the creation of some of its most iconic superheroes and supervillains, with more and more joining the MCU every year. But when the legendary creator was given the chance to introduce his own version of the Justice League for DC Comics, bold new versions of Superman, Batman, and more were unleashed. Whether brilliant or deranged, these Stan Lee creations need to be studied.
9
Wonder Woman
An Environmentalist Powered By A Sun God, Not A Demigod Warrior Princess
stan lee’s wonder woman designed for dc comics
In a move arguably reflective of his best Marvel comic book characters, Stan Lee begins his re-imagining of Wonder Woman by removing all mythical elements of a demigod parentage, and replaces them his modern responsibility. In Stan Lee’s version of the origin story, the normal human Maria Mendoza gains her powers from ancient Incan sun gods, with a mission that is more environmental and humanitarian than anything ‘warrior’ like. Diana is a paragaon of virtue in the main DC Universe, but Maria struggles with doubt, balance, and the cost of intervention. Her strength is also redefined as symbolic, making her into a protector of natural; order, not a warrior princess. While at the same time making sure that Maria’s version of Wonder Woman is just as committed to stewardship, not superheroics, as the classic heroine.
8
Superman
An Alien Police Officer With Strange Tech, Not A Kryptonian ‘Savior’ At All
Knowing the most established aspects of the character, Stan Lee’s Superman deliberately subverts any idea that Kal-El was ‘destined’ for greatness, or a light for entire peoples to follow. Superman begins as the Kryptonian ‘Salden,’ a police officer empowered by alien technology already delivering justice through super-bravery on his native homeworld, as a full-grown man. Without the loss of Krypton, the Kents, or a moral compass baked into his origin, this Superman falls almost instantly into a classic Firty Harry-esque action archetype. An origin story based on ‘power without purpose’ is almost the recipe for a supervillain, and the resulting Superman’s mission doesn’t relieve those concerns.
7
Batman
A Vigilante Forged Inside A Prison, The Opposite of A Gotham Billionaire
Stan Lee Version of Batman in DC Comic Art
Wayne Williams isn’t a billionaire transforming himself into a symbol; he’s a man brutalized by a broken justice system, hellbent on revenge in a manner not befitting a true superhero.Where Bruce Wayne’s Batman is a honed weapon, defined by unparelleled control and preparation, Stan Lee’s version of Batman is raw, reactive, and visibly scarred. And a professional wrestler, proving Lee has his habits. There’s much to say about Stan Lee’s idea of taking Batman to the streets of Gotham’s lower classes, years before Absolute Batman did the same. But it’s Wayne Williams’ decision to physically transform into a man-sized bat, more horror story than urban legend, that makes Lee’s incarnation genuinely unforgettable.
6
Shazam
Magic Chooses Its Demonic Host, Not An Innocent Child’s Fantasy
In one of Lee’s most shocking ‘takes’ on the classic DC Comics pantheon, his version of Shazam transforms the hero from a child’s dream come true, and a poster boy superhero, to a massive, hulking demon. At the same time, removing all themes of childhood innocence or ‘coming of age’ typically made possible through a lead like Billy Batson. Instead of becoming magic’s champion, Interpol agent Robert Rogers is chosen as the new host for the entity Shazam, a magical failsafe created and passed down to modern times by the wizard Merlin (yes, that Merlin). It would be an overstatement to say Shazam becomes DC’s version of the Hulk, but the proof is in the pudding. And while he may be red, winged, and horned, Lee’s Shazam scratches the same itch as Marvel’s jade giant (which should always be taken as a compliment).
5
Flash
A Superhero Superfan, Upgraded With Genetic Animal Experimentation
The Flash Stan Lee Just Imagine
Of all the superpowers Stan Lee has dabbled in over the years, a level of super-speed to the extremes of The Flash is a rarity. So for his incarnation of the character, Lee made sure to swing for the fences. Once again starting with a college-aged young woman, Mary Maxwell spent her days dreaming of someday becoming a superhero, living a life of adventure… before her scientist father’s secret dealings with terrorist organizations made that dream into a reality. To save his daughter’s life once afflicted with a fatally-slow metabolism, Maxwell crossed her genetics with that of a hummingbird, proving his experimentations were truly capable of creating super-soldiers. Able to move her body faster than anything in nature, Mary’s hummingbird DNA imbued her with light-speed levels of reaction time and movement, creating a costume and identity as the Flash of this strange new universe.
4
Aquaman
A Half-Dolphin Experiment, Not The Destined King of Atlantis
In yet another instance of human-animal hybrid science, Stan Lee’s take on Aquaman (himself an eerily similar doppelganger to Marvel’s Namor) begins his life as an unassuming marine biologist named Ramon Raymond. Where Atlanteans have conquered the idea of underwater physiology in the main DC Universe, Ramon studied dolphin DNA to see if Earth’s leading mammals could adapt to life underwater. Eventually, testing on himself to find out. With a redirected experiment, and some mystical and mysterious algae to thank, Ramon Raymond unlocks a new, water-based form. Capable of communing with water and sea life as a result, he becomes a champion for good, but with no sign of Atlantis or a throne to motivate him.
3
Robin
An Orphan Unsaved By Bruce Wayne, This ‘Sidekick’ Goes Rogue
Funny enough, Stan Lee’s version of Robin begins as one of the most recognizable when compared to the original, but ultimately ascends to a level of fictional shape-shifting rarely even attempted among DC heroes (or villains). Born as an unnamed orphan in Gotham City, the child dubbed ‘Robin’ due to a bird visitor in his orphanage was closer to Jason Todd than Dick Grayson. A tough-nosed loner with a mean streak, Robin became the perfect candidate for some mentally-dominated villainy. Of course, Batman elected to help Robin when he tried to kill him, allowing him to forge his own heroic path. First, by transforming himself into Stan Lee’s version of Hawkman, and later becoming Lee’s take on the Atom.
2
Catwoman
A Survivor of Genetic Experimentation, Not A ‘Femme Fatale’ Thief
On the surface, the supermodel Joanie Jordan might seem to have much in common with Selina Kyle. But where the classic incarnation of the character was a mirror opposite to Batman, there is far more going on behind the powers and destiny of Stan Lee’s Catwoman. As fans can predict based on Lee’s other creations, Joanie is subjected to a mystical transformation along with her beloved cat, Ebony. Permanently altering both of the beings’ natures.
Where Joan is gifted the physical abilities of her cat, Ebony is imbued with the heightened intelligence of a human being. Together, the pair become a leading crime-fighter (and part of a much larger wave of human/animal hybridization). As it just so happens, Joan is also the daughter of Hal Jordan, a retired LAPD Inspector in this continuity.
1
Green Lantern
A Professor Becomes A Mystical Avatar, Not An Interstellar Cop
Green Lantern as created by Stan Lee for the Just Imagine… series
With so many strange mystical origins at work in the rest of the Justice League heroes, it is Stan Lee’s version of Green Lantern which finally brings all the puzzle pieces together into a clear, pre-ordained picture. More Indiana Jones than Han Solo, Lee’s take on Green Lantern is a professor of archaeology, dreaming of discovering Yggdrasil, the legendary ‘Tree of Life’ on Earth. And in a certain sense, he does actually achieve that goal. Unfortunately, professor Len Lewis is left for dead once he actually does find it on a mission to Africa. But everything changes when Len is chosen to become the champion of the Tree of Life, merging his human essence with that of nature itself. The first of several heroes created by Yggdrasil, this new Green Lantern ascends to near-Silver-Surfer status, as the ultimate mystical defender of planet Earth.
Headshot Of Stan Lee In The Los Angeles Premiere of ‘Thor’
Birthdate
December 28, 1922
Birthplace
New York, New York, USA
Height
5 feet 11 inches
Professions
Writer, Editor, Publisher, Producer, Actor
已发布: 2025-12-24 08:13:00
来源: screenrant.com
