Discover how the DC Comics series and movies have impacted the canon in comics, placing popular characters that emerged beyond the panels
DC superheroes are everywhere. Between blockbuster movies like The Batman and Wonder Woman to series like The Flash and Peacemaker, viewers have become so aware of superheroes that even obscure characters like Deathstorm, Vigilante, and King Shark have become almost as well known in the DC Universe as Superman. and Batman.
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What was once a landscape of scarce media where blockbuster superhero movies seemed to arrive every decade has become a geek crash course for enthusiastic audiences fascinated by the breadth of stories comics can create that those other media can’t. they can.
For most fans, it’s now easier to watch a show or movie than to pick a comic, something that has helped eighth art. Strong superhero storytelling has a way of rising to the top.
Years ago it was impossible to place characters like Ratcatcher, Polka Dot-Man, Carmine Falcone, Maxwell Lord and others who were born in the comics, but others like Jimmy Olsen, Harley Quinn and even Batgirl have an origin outside of comics.
Also heroes like John Stewart and Cyborg, among others, have struggled throughout their existence to have recognition, something that came thanks to media exposure.
Characters that emerged in other media and left for DC comics
Jimmy Olson
One of the first characters to make the leap from other media to Superman stories is Jimmy Olsen, who, like Perry White, emerged thanks to the radio series The Adventures of Superman.
With the success of the show both Olsen and Perry White were integrated into the Superman canon, becoming important allies of the Man of Steel.
harley quinn
The most outstanding example of characters that jump from television to comics is Harley Quinn, who emerged as a secondary character, as an homage to the series of the 60’s, when the villains had helpers or sidekicks with outlandish outfits.
Harley Quinn’s impact on the series led to her being included in more episodes, in addition to the Emmy Award-winning storyline Mad Love. Until in 1999 the former Arkham psychiatrist made the leap to cartoons
batgirl
This is a classic case where one wonders if it was the chicken or the egg first, or in this case the comic or the television series. In the 1940s, a character named Bat-Girl was introduced, which was not well received by readers, which led to her not being taken into account.
This changed until 1967, where the producer of the Batman series, William Dozier, suggested the character of Barbara Gordon, the daughter of the Commissioner of Police who will become Batgirl, the ally of Batman and Robin in the fight against crime, what which was seen in Detective Comics #359, and weeks later Yvonne Craig played the heroine on television.
Rene Montoya
Like Harley Quinn, Renee Montoya emerged in the 1992 Batman animated series as a police officer who, like Jim Gordon, trusted Batman and his fight against the underworld.
In Batman #475, writer Alan Grant and artist Norm Breyfogle brought Renee Montoya to the pages of comics, and in 2019 Montoya made her big-screen debut, played by Rosie Perez, whom we saw in movies like Perdita Durango.
And what characters have gained space thanks to television and cinema?
mr freeze
In the 60s, the Batman comics saw the origin of Mr. Freeze, who at first did not have as much impact, remaining on the Dark Knight’s list of B villains, even reaching the series starring Adam West.
In 1992 the Heart of Ice chapter of the Batman animated series gave Mr. Freeze a 180-degree turn by giving him a tragic backstory that places Victor Fries as a victim of circumstance, which was later adopted to comics and movies. (Let’s be honest, Mr. Freeze’s origin story from Batman and Robin has a noble ending that transforms.)
John Stewart
In the pages of Green Lantern #87 (January 1972) Nenny O’Neal and Neal Addams gave us John Stewart, a war veteran whose bravery made him become a member of the Green Lantern corporation.
But his name sounded in the 21st century when he became a founding member of the Justice League, within the animated series of the same name, which gave Stewart more spaces within the DC Universe, even being more recognized than Hal Jordan himself. .
Cyborg
A similar case happened with Cyborg, who was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez for the pages of DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980). Cyborg joined the ranks of the Teen Titans, but his fame skyrocketed when he became a member of the Powerpuff Team in the final season of the Hanna Barbera animated series.
Cyborg earned his space among the new generations with the animated series Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go, which led him to have two live-action versions with Jovian Wade in the Doom Patrol series and with Ray Fisher in 2017’s Justice League.
Do you remember other DC Comics characters that have changed thanks to the series and movies?
It may interest you: The lively evolution of the Super Friends
Source: DC Comics
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