DC Comics has some of the heaviest hitters in the world of super heroes. The Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman is one example. The Marvel Family and Green Lantern Corps are two more. Even Ambush Bug has had his time in the sun. They have all saved the universe - actually, multiple universes - at least once in their lifetimes.
Out of those heavy-hitters there are a few who, to put it nicely, shouldn't be as heavy as they are. Yet, they still maintain a presence, even if it's a cameo or one line that makes everyone turn toward them in amazed disgust. Here are 10 big name DC heroes who've actually done nothing.
10 Hawkman
Every time Hawkman comes back, and that's a lot of times, a collective "Huzzah!" emerges from DC fans. Even though the only thing he can do is fly. Oh, and the Nth metal thing. Also, the whole incarnation deal. But that's about it.
Though he's been around since its DC's earliest days, he doesn't do much other than look cool in his hawk mask. Even his tenures on the Justice Society and Justice League haven't amounted to much. Yet, he gets a new series for every incarnation. He's like Doctor Who, minus the cool spaceship.
9 Lobo
He was introduced in 1983 as a parody of gritty characters like Wolverine and Punisher. He rode a space motorcycle, threatened individuals smaller than him, and protected space dolphins. For some reason, readers didn't see him as a joke. Hence, why Lobo eventually got his own series, has been a part of the DC animated universe, and made an appearance on the live-action Krypton.
In the end, this anti-hero is just alien muscle. All he adds is unneeded violence and space swear words teenagers can use in place of real ones. Even Space Cabbie laughs behind his back when he sees him. Still, fans go crazy when creators make changes to him. For instance, when a younger, handsomer version of the character appeared in the New 52.
8 Red Hood (Jason Todd)
How did Jason Todd become a big-name mainstay in the current DC universe? Didn't his fans kill him off decades ago? Okay, calling them fans is probably not the best way to categorize those who voted for the teen's death. Perhaps the phrase "unfeeling miscreants" is better.
Yet, here he is with a steady fan base for doing nothing except coming back to life. He's been part of the Batman family, then not, then part of the New 52, then part of Rebirth. No matter his transformations, fans keep sticking with him. Probably to keep others from voting for his second death.
7 Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
The main reason the Barbara Gordon incarnation of Batgirl remains popular is sympathy. It can't be popularity. After her initial burst on the scene in both TV and comics in 1967, she faded into the background of the Batman family.
It's only when the Joker shot her in The Killing Joke that people examined her in a different light. They felt bad she was paralyzed and out of the hero game. Now that she's returned to the Batgirl mantle, Babs does less than when she was Oracle and solved all the technical problems for DC's heroes. Still, she hangs on and does occasional technical support for Batman. Man has a giant computer in his cave and keeps forgetting his password.
6 Booster Gold
In that era known as Back in the Day -- you may call it the 1980s -- Booster Gold was created by Dan Jurgens for a post-Crisis DC universe. While the character thought he was hot stuff, everyone else thought of him as comic relief. Especially when he joined that era's incarnation of the Justice League. That's when he became Dean Martin to Blue Beetle's Jerry Lewis.
While DC has tried to make him more essential to various timelines and its enormous amount of crises, he has always been known as a secondary hero. He actually knows this and lets everyone know as well. Frankly, most of the villains he battles walk away because they're tired of him complaining about his life.
5 Robin (Pick One)
Robin, Red Robin, We Are... Robin, the list goes on. Regardless of the incarnation, the Boy Wonder isn't really that wonderful. He doesn't have cool gadgets like his mentor, that Bat Guy. Nor does he have a cool vehicle. Furthermore, the Robins don't have the emotionally unattached attitude that the men and women find alluring.
Still, these yellow-caped teens seem to grow like weeds, even when Batman says he's fine without one. The character is like the Hydra - cut one head off and eight more grow. Perhaps Tim Drake's transformation from Red Robin to Drake (not to be confused with the Canadian superstar) will stem the popularity of this do-nothing sidekick.
4 Green Arrow
How the heck did this character get his own show, let alone a universe (the Arrowverse) named after him? For decades, Green Arrow remained an outsider to the rest of the hero world. And that includes the times he was part of the Justice League. In addition, there were plenty of moments he wondered how his archery skills could help big-time heroes like Superman, Flash, and, of course, Vibe.
For some reason, fans kept with him. Perhaps it was the liberal attitude he developed during the early 70s that carried him through several generations. Or the fact he had an on-going relationship with Black Canary. Maybe it was the goatee. Yes, that's it. The goatee has kept people coming back to Oliver Queen for years. No wonder he was unpopular during the New 52 - he lost his van dyke.
3 Mister Terrific
Maybe Mister Okay, or Mister Know-It-All, but not Terrific. Since his introduction in the late 90s, Michael Holt has been a mainstay of the DC universe through all its transformations. This includes the New Scooby-Doo 52, where everyone became a version of Shaggy. Not the singer, the cartoon character. Then again, the two are interchangeable.
Thing is, there's no reason for him to be so popular. Yes, he's incredibly smart and can control those T-Spheres like Disney controls all Star Wars revamps (Chewbacca: The Newspaper Training Years). Nevertheless, he hasn't saved the universe from imploding or fixed the Speed Force. Those are the only feats what would permit him to name a team after himself.
2 The Atom
Ray Palmer can shrink down to atomic size and ride inside telephone wires. Big whoop. He can't do much of the latter with the advent of smart phones. In that case, why was he a main plot point when DC Rebirth kicked off?
Though he has been a mainstay since the Silver Age of comics, The Atom doesn't do much. Plus, when things get tough, he shrinks down and runs away. What kind of hero does that? All of them? Ah, in a metaphorical way.
1 Aquaman
Sure, people have read Aquaman's adventures since the early 1940s.. In addition, he gained popularity due to his portrayal by Jason Momoa in the DCEU live-action movies. Nevertheless, every time he asks to be part of the Trinity, Superman has to turn his head so Arthur doesn't see him roll his eyes at the suggestion.
There's no exact reason why Aquaman has done so little yet continues to be popular. Many top creators over the last decades have given the King of the Seas a good deal of heft. Peter David even tried to make him more menacing by giving him a hook instead of a hand. Still, when all one can do is talk to fish, there's not much that's menacing. Unless he stabs you when you're laughing in his face.