9. Mr. Miracle
I’ve never been the hugest New Gods fan, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a definite place in my heart for the Jack Kirby creations. And my favorite one of all would have to be the death defying escape artist of Apokolips, Scott Free, aka Mr. Miracle.
Scott was born a New God on the planet of New Genesis, but his dad traded him for Darkseid’s son as a measure of peace. So Scott got thrown in a deep, dark garbage hole, where he became the prisoner of Granny Goodness. Scott spent his entire life planning his escape, and he eventually did it.
He escaped with his girlfriend-turned-wife and Apokoliptian native, Big Barda of the Female Furies. She’s great, and the duo are literally the best couple in comics. Like, those are my relationship goals, right there. And with my girlfriend’s kickass-ness, all I need to do now is learn how to get out of handcuffs, and we’re halfway there.
Scott eventually joined The Justice League International, where he brought his buddy Oberon to serve as a helper. There he served as a major presence on the team and a founding figure.
8. Aztek
Grant Morrison’s Justice League is one of the best runs on the book of all time, if not THE best.
New World Order is a badass opening, Rock of Ages is fist-pumpingly fun, One Million is one of the best event comics of all time, and World War III makes me tear up every time I read it. And the characters he added to the League were welcome additions to the team’s roster.
My favorite was Morrison and Mark Millar’s (Kick-Ass, Kingsman) creation, Aztek: the Ultimate Man. Trained in secret for years, Aztek has been sent out to save the world from a legendary evil, world-ending force. Aztek finds himself in the city of Vanity, a place full of greed and corruption with a deep, dark underbelly. Although his solo series lasted less than a year, it was fresh and fun and a great change of pace. Wanting to finish Aztek’s story even after the series’ cancelation, Morrison brought him into the JLA, where he eventually fulfilled his destiny.
His destiny as a true hero.
