The high quality of content that comes out of DC Comics has entertained audiences for close to 90 years and there’s still no end in sight. DC is one of the biggest names in the comics industry and they’re responsible for thousands of iconic characters that either valiantly fight crime or contribute to chaos.
There’s a distinct style to DC heroes and intimidating designs and enviable superpowers will take these figures far, but none of that’s going to mean much if they’re stuck with a weak name. There’s something to be said for an imaginative moniker, but these DC superheroes have basic branding that does them a disservice.
10 Captain Victory Is An Obscure Jack Kirby Creation With A Significant Backstory
Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers is a 14-issue series by Jack Kirby that was actually published for the tiny Pacific Comics line in exchange for him having full creative control and ownership of the character. Captain Victory's roots are in Pacific Comics, but his origins directly tie to DC's New Gods and it's heavily implied that Captain Victory is the son of Orion.
Most New Gods have striking names like Darkseid or Steppenwolf, but Captain Victory sounds like a presumptuous parody of a hero. It completely undersells his vast power and importance.
9 Mister Terrific Is A Name That Rolls Eyes Rather Than Win Over Hearts
Mister Terrific becomes a crucial member of the Justice Society, but everything else about this hero feels like a first draft. The hero’s name has nothing to do with his unique powers and it could be applied to anyone. He also exhibits zero tact with his own superhero group, which he calls the Terrifics.
The obtrusive T-Mask on Terrific’s face is also one of the uglier superhero looks. Mister Terrific sounds like the out of touch nickname that Lex Luthor would want people to call him at work, not the title of someone with advanced nanotechnology powers.
8 Booster Gold Means Nothing And Yet Is The Perfect Name For This Wild Card
Some superhero names are extremely self-explanatory while others defy logic. Booster Gold somehow fits into both categories. Booster Gold's playful personality guarantees that his time-traveling adventures always entertain and he’s helped out the Justice League on countless occasions.
Booster Gold's signature outfit features prominent gold coloring, but the Booster part of his name remains a mystery. Somehow, Booster Gold is the perfect name for this hero and it just fits for this DC oddity even if it's nonsense when it's put under heavy scrutiny. He’s got a wild enough energy to make his name seem pedestrian.
7 Mister Miracle’s Showy Name Undermines Other Heroes’ Accomplishments
Many of Jack Kirby's New God creations are fantastical figures with unconventional names and designs. Mister Miracle has survived tremendous adversity on Apokolips and Tom King's 2018 take on the character has helped him resonate with modern audiences.
Curiously, one of the biggest hurdles with this character is his name, which implies his actions are Godly in nature. Arguably any superhero's actions could be viewed as miracles, so this ostentatious title comes across as hollow.
6 The Elongated Man Is Exactly What’s Advertised
There's a lot of value in a superhero with malleable stretching powers and Marvel has their fair share of these figures between Mr. Fantastic, Plastic Man, and Ms. Marvel, all of which don't have particularly exciting names. DC's solution to stretching is Ralph Dibney's Elongated Man, a superhero with a title that's almost painfully literal.
"Elongated" is hardly the most eloquent way to refer to elasticity and it's reminiscent of sensationalistic '50s sci-fi. It’s easy to mock a character with such a cumbersome title, but it at least delivers on what it promises.
5 Steel Is A Formidable Superman Replacement With A Name That Lacks Imagination
Audiences have gotten comfortable with the fact that Superman isn't going anywhere, but one of the most thrilling periods in DC Comics is the aftermath of "The Death of Superman," where several Man of Steel substitutes attempted to fill the void.
John Henry Irons takes Superman's Man of Steel moniker literally and he uses his engineering skills to build a metallic suit that closely approximates Superman's powers. Irons' creation is incredible, but its name, Steel, is as basic as it gets. It's a clever reinvention of Superman that's unfortunately distilled to a clunky name.
4 Phantom Lady Doesn’t Bury The Lede With This Invisible Vixen
Comics have become much more sophisticated in the many decades that have followed their inception, but there are still many characters that function as nostalgic relics of the past. Phantom Lady is a DC heroine whose origins go all the way back to the 1940s and the Golden Age of Comics.
"Phantom" was an incredibly popular title during this time, but it's actually applicable to Phantom Lady, who can turn invisible, teleport, and cast illusions. Phantom Lady is an apt name, but it's also incredibly literal in the case of this female crime-fighter.
3 Arm-Fall-Off Boy Gives The Audience Exactly What They Expect
Arm-Fall-Off-Boy leaves absolutely nothing to mystery and, as his name suggests, he can remove his limbs and use them as rudimentary tools. This might seem like a fairly short-sighted character, which is exactly why he's repeatedly rejected by the Legion of Superheroes.
Finally, the character decides to rebrand himself as Splitter, which isn't the strongest name, but it's a significant upgrade. At the very least it doesn’t infantilize him. The Suicide Squad’s TDK–The Detachable Kid is proof that a character of this nature can still have a flashy and mysterious name.
2 Wonder Woman Is A Name From A Bygone Era That’s Lost Its Impact
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Wonder Woman is one of DC’s most popular characters and she’s also one of the few superheroes who’s been able to thrive in the DC Extended Universe. Wonder Woman is an inspiration to many, but her name reflects the simpler time period in which she was first created.
Countless heroes just have some basic superlative before their name, but Wonder Woman is especially clunky since “wonder” isn’t synonymous with awe in the same way that words like “super” or “power” are. Wonder Woman is part of DC’s Trinity and audiences have just learned to accept her lackluster name.
1 Both Captain Marvel And Shazam Undersell Billy Batson’s Godly Powers
Shazam and Captain Marvel are now both cinematic superhero franchises from competing companies, but DC's Billy Batson used to be known as Captain Marvel way before Marvel Comics had established themselves. Captain Marvel is a mundane name that doesn't mean much, but it eventually became a conflict of interest when a DC character had the same name as their biggest competitor in comics.
Captain Marvel is a basic label, but Batson's replacement title, Shazam, isn't much better. There’s also likely to be issues when a hero’s name is also the magic word that triggers their superpowered transformation.