Being a superhero is not easy, especially not in the DC Universe. For every massive success story like Superman or Batman, there are plenty of others who are perfectly fine- but that's the problem. A lot of heroes started out and seemed like they were ready to hit the top ranks of the DC Universe's most respected heroes but the reality was quite different.
Many heroes over the years have had storied careers for a time only to quickly drop off the radar. Some of them were able to claw their back but never reach the heights that were expected of them, toiling away in a worn-out rut.
10 Impulse Was Supposed To Be The Next Big Speeder But Lost The Race
Impulse was introduced to a decent amount of ballyhoo in the '90s. Barry Allen's hyperactive grandson who was raised in the future and one of the fastest speedsters in the Flash family, Impulse had his own book for a while before helping found Young Justice and eventually taking up the Kid Flash mantle, joining the Titans. He'd even took over as Flash after Infinite Crisis. His future looked bright.
However, things didn't go well as Flash and he ended up dead. Resurrected in the 31st century to help Superman and Superboy fight Superboy-Prime, he'd go back to being Kid Flash before the New 52 changed everything. He bounced around for a while before disappearing again, replaced by Wallace West, and then returned as Impulse, seemingly restarting the race.
9 Cyborg Took His Shot On The Justice League And Missed
Cyborg got his chance to shine in the Justice League but he was much better as a Teen Titan. He got a massive power upgrade when his origin was changed by the New 52 but none of that mattered at all, as he got relegated to being the team's tech guy, which is pretty much the bottom-barrel role on any superteam.
On top of that, he was suddenly a medium size fish in the middle of an ocean- it was impossible for him to steal the show like he did as a Titan. While he certainly deserved his shot on the big team, it was an all-around miss and that's tragic- he deserved better.
8 Orion Is The Ultimate Jobber
Orion is one of the most powerful New Gods but he honestly doesn't do a lot with that power, when it comes right down to it. Sure, he's prophesied to one day be the person to kill Darkseid but for now, he's basically the guy who gets fed to bigger threats. It's a huge waste of his potential.
Orion is amazingly powerful- this is someone who can fight it out with the most powerful beings in the DC Multiverse and is going to be able to kill Darkseid. That's a really big deal and yet he constantly gets jobbed out. Part of it is because he just sort of rushes in; he's heard the hype and believes it.
7 Artemis Went From Wonder Woman To Just Another Amazon
The '90s were a time of big change over at DC, with a raft of new characters introduced whose entire purpose was take up old mantles and inject some new blood into things. Artemis was one of these, taking over as Wonder Woman briefly before being killed. She would return to life in subsequent years but would never reach those heights again.
For the most part, she's been in the mid-ground of most of the Amazons' conflicts, except for a memorable but short run as an Outlaw with Red Hood. For someone who proved she was better than any Amazon on Themyscira and earned the title of Wonder Woman, she's just sort of languished ever since.
6 Starfire Is Stuck On The B-Team
Starfire was introduced with Cyborg and Raven but she never really got the same treatment as the two of them. Starfire was massively powerful and well trained, but for whatever reason she never got the same chance to shine as the two of them did. Maybe it was because she got dropped into a relationship with Dick Grayson immediately but regardless, she never really reached the heights she could have.
Starfire has everything that a hero should need to be A-list but it just never happened for whatever reason. She never got a chance on the main Justice League and got shunted into the B-list even though she clearly had A-list potential.
5 Cassie Sandsmark As Wonder Girl Never Rose To The Heights She Could Have
Cassie Sandsmark made a name for herself as Wonder Girl, proving to be one of the best young heroes of her generation. She made a name for herself on Young Justice, joined up with the Teen Titans, and eventually led the team. The future looked pretty bright for her but then she just sort of stopped moving forward.
The New 52 reboot started her from square one, erasing all of her development and she'd eventually just sort of disappear. She's returned with the rest of Young Justice recently but has been pigeonholed on the team. Donna Troy at least became Wonder Woman; Cassie just sort of languished as Wonder Girl.
4 Jaime Reyes's Blue Beetle Was Almost A Contender
After the death of Ted Kord, Jaime Reyes got a hold of the Blue Beetle scarab and it actually worked for him, transforming him into the new Blue Beetle. He made a splash right off the bat, becoming a great young hero and redefining the Blue Beetle mantle. However, as time went by, all of his potential sort of went away.
While he was a refreshing take on the Blue Beetle and brought something special to the mantle, he just sort of petered out. It doesn't help that Ted Kord returned and took back the Blue Beetle mantle. Reyes had a lot of potential but he never really got a chance to reach it.
3 Conner Kent Was Supposed To Be The Next Superman
Conner Kent had really big things in front of him that just never panned out. A clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, his brash attitude and amazing power set made him a clutch member of teams like Young Justice and the Teen Titans. Before that, he was a great hero on his own, protecting Metropolis and Hawaii. Future versions of him were even revealed to have become Superman.
As with most of the teen heroes of his generation, the New 52 screwed everything up for him. He disappeared for years but recently came back. However, there was a new Superboy and potential Superman in town- Jon Kent. He's now a second-string Superboy.
2 Tim Drake Had All The Potential But Got Lost In The Shuffle
Tim Drake is probably the best Robin ever. He doesn't have the immense physicality of Dick Grayson or the amazing fighting skill of Jason Todd or Damian Wayne's ability to win at any cost but he's good at all of it and is the best detective of the lot. Tim Drake had all the tools to become the greatest vigilante in the DC Universe but things just sort of happened.
Dick Grayson and Damian became Batman and Robin and Tim just sort of drifted from mantle to mantle as Damian remained Robin. Now, he's just a solid lover level B-lister which is extremely disappointing for someone who was able to figure out Batman's secret identity all on his own.
1 Booster Gold Has Saved Time And Space But Is A Buffoon
Booster Gold is the most annoying man in the DC Universe and while that's definitely a part of his charm, he could be so much more. His technology-based power set gives him the abilities he needs to take on just about anything but everything else about him holds him back.
Booster has all of the tools but he just can't get out of his way. For every time he saves the cosmos, he does something ill-advised enough to make everyone forget just how great he can be.