10 Lesser Known Characters Who Should Be In Justice League

With as many times as a Justice League movie has been discussed and then trashed, it's hard to buy into one actually being made, let alone being made well. Still, it looks like Warner Bros. is finally going to make this happen and they're going to do it with Zack Snyder at the helm. The fact a film is being made certainly doesn't mean that it'll be good though, and the only thing worse than never seeing a Justice League movie at all would be to see a terrible one end up in theatres. Marvel has obviously found success with their films in recent years and were even able to do a team-up flick worthy of all the heroes in it. Now that they've succeeded with the more common characters, they're finding ways to get creative, going as far as a movie featuring a gun-toting raccoon. Marvel has definitely set the standard, but how will DC answer? It's safe to assume that Justice League will include Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. It's also almost guaranteed that Flash, Green Lantern, and the Green Arrow will be involved in some capacity. The question now, is, how can Warner fully utilize the vast array of DC characters at their disposal? With this question in mind, we here at We Got This Covered set out to select some lesser-known DC characters who would be quality additions to Justice League. While there's obviously not room for all of them, we think that adding any of them would put Warner Bros. well on the way to creating an excellent film. So, without further ado, read on for 10 lesser known characters who should be in Justice League. Hawkman Hawkman is a character that was born for big screen adaptation. Thanks to the advancements in CGI and a visionary director like Zack Snyder, the time for his big screen debut may now be upon us. All it would take is a little courage from the filmmakers to bring this often criticized, yet under-appreciated hero to life in the upcoming Justice League movie. The character has been through the ringer over the years, falling victim to several retcons that did nothing but muddy his origins, which has become a sort of pick-your-own-adventure story through history. One of the most popular origins takes us back to ancient Egypt. A prince named Khufu and his wife, Chay-Ara, were killed and cursed by their rival, a priest named Hath-Set. The curse causes Khufu and Chay-Ara to live forever, destined to find each other, fall in love, then get killed and reincarnated, again and again. The two retain the memories of their past lives, and vow to protect the world during each lifetime as Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Introducing Hawkman (or even Hawkgirl) in a Justice League movie would be a great way to lay the foundation for this origin story, leaving room for further exploration in a future solo film. Hawkman is particularly interesting in a team-up because he doesn't play well with others, is famous for his short fuse, is violent and unpredictable, and he has a total disdain for Green Arrow. He’s also one of the few League members who isn’t afraid to spill a bit of blood to do get the job done, and is willing to kill if necessary. Placing him in a team full of more morally-centered heroes like Superman and Batman could add an interesting dynamic to the group. Would Batman be okay with Superman killing Zod? Absolutely not. Hawkman, on the other hand, would have wished that he could have done the job himself. Plus, there are visual advantages to his character as well that Zack Snyder could definitely take advantage of. What better director is there to bring the mace-wielding, golden helmet wearing hero to life on the big screen, giant wings and all? Red Tornado There’s a color theme going on with Justice League heroes. You have Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Blue Beetle, Black Lightning, and Booster Gold among others, and right along with that you have Red Tornado. The Tornado is unique though because he’s not just a superhero, he’s an artificial life form, one who was built by a super-villain to infiltrate the Justice League precursor the Justice Society of America, and destroy it from within. Through logical reasoning though, Red Tornado decided that good was superior to evil and became a hero from that point on. Created by the villain T.O. Morrow, who depending on the version you’re reading is either from the future or has insight into it, Red Tornado initially finds himself swept into repeated plots to destroy the JSA and the Justice League, but his heroism continues to set himself apart, and he begins to develop human emotions and attachments. He’s also continually destroyed in the line of duty and yet, somehow, he’s always able to return in new forms with the assistance of his Justice League allies. Over the years, he’s been an active member of the League, and even acted as mentor to the League’s next generation, the teen hero team Young Justice (made up of Superboy, Robin and Kid Flash). Of course, Vision, The Avengers' own artificial life form member, will appear in Age of Ultron, so I submit that any Justice League movie should up the ante with their own android. Not only is Red Tornado a unique character as a robot with a fake past trying to find his humanity, but he has a unique power set, too. He has aereokinetic abilities, meaning that he can manipulate wind and air, including the power to fly away on a red-colored twister. You can’t tell me that’s not going to look awesome on film! And by casting Ray Fisher as Cyborg for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zack Snyder’s already opened the door to cybernetic and robotic characters in the future. Guy Gardner Hal Jordan became Earth’s first Green Lantern in the comics (and in the movie) when the spaceship of Abin Sur crash lands near him. But if Abin Sur’s ship had been on a slightly different trajectory, the green power ring might have gone to Guy Gardner instead. What’s the big deal? Well, despite being brave, skilled and committed to the Green Lantern Corps, Guy Gardner is also arrogant, childish, narcissistic and quick tempered; not exactly the best superhero material. Still, Gardner has regularly been a part of the Justice League line-up since the mid-80s, despite the fact that he’s rubbed just about every member of the team the wrong way. So, how can Earth have two Green Lanterns? In the comics, Gardner becomes an auxiliary Lantern, a back-up for Jordan who manages to prove his worth as one of the Corp and becomes a more permanent part of the Green Lantern starting line-up. As part of one incarnation of the Justice League, Gardner managed a complicated work relationship with his fellow heroes, although he did try to start a fistfight with Batman, which was either ultra-brave or foolhardy (and given the fact that the Dark Knight knocked him out with one punch it was probably the latter). Still, Guy is dependable, loyal and fierce in any fight, whether it's against the Superman-killer Doomsday or the reality-bending Parallax. It’s pretty unlikely that a Justice League movie would recruit the Ryan Reynolds incarnation of Green Lantern for the film, but you do need a Green Lantern on the team, so why not go with Gardner? With his take-no-prisoners attitude, and ends-justify-the-means world view, he goes against the superhero type and would be a natural foil to the rest of the team. More specifically, Gardner would have real friction with Superman, who would likely be leader and lead character for the League. If the Man of Steel represents the fine, upstanding positivity of America and the American experience, Gardner is the jingoistic “ugly American” stereotype come to life. In other words, Guy makes a more complicated Justice League, not to mention one that’s a little more dysfunctional, too. Firestorm While the threat of nuclear problems may not be as prevalent as it once was, I'm not sure that's a scare that's going to ever be completely behind us. One of the many comic characters spawned from such fears is Firestorm, who first appeared in 1978. This nuclear man has been through a few iterations, but the one that I find most interesting, and that would be most interesting for a film, is the Ronnie Raymond/Martin Stein character. Yes, those are two separate people, but that's part of the joy of this character. A nuclear accident merges everyman high school student Ronnie Raymond with Nobel Prize-winning physicist Martin Stein. Raymond retains most of the control, but Stein serves as the voice of logic in the background. There's a lot of banter between the two characters, which creates a sense of internal fun which few of DC's other characters share. Firestorm has the potential to rival Flash in terms of being quirky and humorous, but that doesn't mean he's not a quality addition when it comes to crime fighting. He can fly, survive without air, boost his own immune system and even change the atomic composition of matter. The possibilities are basically limitless there, both in terms of defeating villains and epic cinematic scenes. Contrary to what Robot Chicken would want us to believe, he actually is a pretty cool character. Elongated Man MMMmmm good! There are few drinks on the market better than Gingold, and I'm not just talking about taste. No, if you want to end up being a contortionist, much like Ralph Dibny did, then it's the only drink for you. Of course, for Dibny, the drink reacted with his DNA to turn himself into a metahuman, but that really doesn't have much to do with the quality of the beverage. After the reaction he became Elongated Man, which basically means all the things you think it would. He can do everything that elastic can. He was pretty liberal with revealing his identity to the public, which I think adds a cool change of pace for the JL. With so many characters who have super secretive alter-egos, it'd be nice to have at least one guy who's fairly open about it. Also, the fact he was a detective adds an extra layer which could open a lot of doors for the DC films. Yes, Batman is the world's greatest detective, but by now the other aspects of the character have been so built up that I doubt Warner would be willing to take the risk of focusing on the Dark Knight's abilities in that realm. That leaves the opportunity for Dibny to be the PI of the bunch. Oracle We know that Ben Affleck’s Batman will have been fighting crime for quite some time in this new iteration, which means the door is wide open for his various proteges and sidekicks to appear in the burgeoning DC cinematic universe. We’ve already heard rumors that Nightwing may make an appearance in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but could there be room for Oracle, the former Batgirl, as well? Barbara Gordon is one of the most beloved comic book characters of all time, and while casual audiences may not be willing to accept Batgirl on the big screen (thanks a lot, Batman & Robin!), her other alter-ego may be more appropriate anyway. For those unfamiliar, Oracle is a moniker that Barbara took up after being shot and paralyzed by the Joker in "The Killing Joke." Not willing to give up her love of heroics, she now operates behind an array of computer screens, feeding Batman and his costumed companions with strategies, battle tactics, and pivotal information when they’re on patrol. She’s like a more badass Felicty Smoak from Arrow. Her story is one of incredible strength and a strong belief in doing what’s right, even after heart-wrenching personal tragedy. Throwing her into a Justice League movie would be a great way to introduce her character, and give the team another normal human team member for audiences to latch on to (all while giving the film a much needed dose of gender diversity). She could even help the team from Gotham City, feeding them vital intel via blutooth and using her skills to help each hero individually. The possibilities are endless, and Zack Snyder would be smart to include a character who can not only explain what’s happening to the audience, but ground some of the more fantastical elements in a beloved human character. Hourman In late 2013, a rumor broke that Hourman might be making his way to the small screen in a CW show. While we haven't heard anything substantial about the series since that report, I think that he's a phenomenal character for TV, despite the lack of popularity. Still, the fact that I'd love to see him in a series doesn't mean that Hourman wouldn't be a quality addition to the DC cinematic universe as well. Hourman was one of the founders of the first superhero team, the Justice Society of America. That alone is plenty of reason for why he should be a part of the more modern society. Admittedly, his age does make him a bit outdated, but Warner Bros. could always go with his son, Rick, instead of the elder Tyler. That would open the door to some father-son moments, which might be nice considering that the Justice League's two main characters are both without a father. Captain Atom When Captain Atom first came out in the 1960s, (drawn by Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko no less), it seemed that radiation and nuclear power was the magic potion that could turn people into heroes and monsters. The nuclear boogeyman isn’t gone, and thanks to the recent disaster at the power plant in Fukushima, nuclear disaster is more omnipresent in our collective minds, so maybe the time is right for a captain of the atom. A man burned by the system, but given a second chance at life and reborn as a hero to become a frequent fixture of the Justice League across almost all its various incarnations. As the story goes, an Air Force Officer named Nathaniel Adams, convicted of a war crime he didn’t commit, finds his death sentence commuted in exchange for his participation in a military experiment. He’s secured inside an alien spaceship, which is placed over an atomic bomb and detonated. The resulting explosion welded the alien metal to his body and sent him 25 years into the future, arriving in the present day with the powers of strength, flight, energy blasts and the ability to absorb atomic energy. Because of his dual dedication to the air force and being a superhero, Captain Atom sometimes finds himself torn between his duty to the chain of command and the fact that the chain is sometime corrupted by a few bad links. In Man of Steel, it’s implied that there’s a healthy distrust of Superman on the part of the government and the military, which could jive nicely with the comic book background of Captain Atom. Maybe they sneak him on to the newly formed Justice League with the intention of keeping eyes on the highly suspicious working relationship between Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Maybe Captain Atom is a good soldier, and doesn’t understand the intentions of his superior officers. And maybe he then realizes his boss’ ill-intentions and dedicates himself to being the superhero he’s meant to be. Black Canary One of the better known characters we have on this list is Black Canary, though I'm sure that much of her popularity recently stems from Arrow. Obviously if they decide to include the Green Arrow in Justice League (which they should), Black Canary should be an integral part as well. There isn't anything much better than a super couple, and there are few of those more entertaining than Oliver Queen and his sonic screaming seductress. Canary's biggest power is the Canary Cry, which has been known to make ears hurt through the pages of a comic. I'm not entirely sure how well that would translate to the big screen, but I'm pretty certain that a high-pitched blasting shriek would have some effect in a theater. She also knows acrobatics and plenty of forms of martial arts. But let's be real here, the Cry is where things get really exciting. Booster Gold Booster Gold has one of the most unique origin stories in the entire DC universe, and has the potential to be an Iron Man-like success if adapted properly. A few years ago SyFy announced that they were working on a Booster Gold series, but since that appears to have gained no traction. I say toss him into a Justice League movie instead. His cheesy blue and gold costume would need a bit of re-imagining, but judging by the look of the new Batsuit, costume designer Michael Wilkinson is up to the challenge. Booster Gold is the alter-ego of Michael Jon Carter, who was born in Gotham City in the 25th Century. Thanks to his father’s gambling debts, he grew up poor, though he was able to attend Gotham University on a football scholarship. There he became star quarterback, but lost it all when his father came back into his life and convinced him to purposefully lose games for money. He was caught and expelled from Gotham U, then moved to Metropolis. There, he got a job at the Space Museum, and was drawn to the various displays featuring superheroes from the past. Being a glory seeker in need of a break, he stole some of the equipment on display and went back in time to the 21st Century, where he used knowledge of historical events (thanks to a robotic AI named Skeets) to stage high-stakes heroics, gaining fame and fortune in the process. Over time, personal tragedies forge him to throw away his narcissism and become a true hero, who constantly feels the weight of his misdeeds and the reputation he created for himself. The DCU is constantly criticized for having too many “God-like” characters that no one can relate to. So, why not introduce a flawed man with no powers, who was simply down on his luck and full of selfish ambitions that we can root for? That would work, wouldn't it? That does it for our list, but take a quick look back at our 10 picks in the gallery below and then head on down to the comments section and let us know which characters would you like to see in the Justice League film?