Random Superhero Replacements Better Than Their Predecessors (16 items)

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  (#6) Dick Grayson

  • Young Justice, The Batman, Batman & Robin, Batman, DC Universe

  Batman is quite possibly the most famous superhero ever created. Bruce Wayne has held the mantle for most of the character’s near century-long existence, so to claim anyone is a better Batman than Wayne is quite a statement. Nevertheless, when the original Dark Knight appeared dead in the wake of Final Crisis, former Robin Dick Grayson stepped into his boots.

  Grayson had a lot going for him, with his status as a non-billionaire making him a bit more relatable to about 99% of comic book readers. Dick was also far more likable than Bruce Wayne ever was, especially since he could admit something that Wayne never could: being Batman is an awful lot of fun. 
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  (#4) Wally West

  • Young Justice, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, DC Universe

  For an entire generation, Wally West is The Flash. While Barry Allen has recently become the most famous individual to wear the costume, thanks to his popular television series, he spent over two decades of continuity dead, from 1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths to 2008’s Final Crisis. For the majority of the interim, Wally West was the Flash, and nobody seemed to mind at all. In fact, during this time, things like the animated Justice League series boosted the Flash’s profile, which means that Wally is probably just as responsible for the character’s modern relevance as Barry is.
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  (#5) Batwoman

  • Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, DC Universe

  The original Batwoman was an almost insultingly derivative character. Inserted into Batman lore in the ‘50s to abate the ridiculous “controversy” that Batman and Robin were gay, Kathy Kane was Bruce Wayne’s love interest and carried a utility purse with weaponized lipstick. The character was thankfully phased out in the ‘60s and the name remained dormant until 2006, when a new version of Batwoman appeared.

  This Batwoman was named Kate Kane, but was unrelated to Kathy Kane from the '50s. Kate Kane is a socialite with a military background, who identifies as a lesbian. This broke new ground for DC Comics and Kane's career was inspired, but not facilitated, by Batman’s. This Batwoman proved to be much more of a peer to the Dark Knight than the previous one, and she has stuck around ever since. 
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  (#15) Otto Octavius Was The Superior Spider-Man

  When Marvel decided to kill off Peter Parker in 2012, it was already bound to be a controversial decision. The fact that Parker was killed after having his body stolen by long-time enemy Doctor Octopus made the storyline exponentially more outrage-worthy. However, a last minute blast of memories from Parker’s mind put Doc Ock on a more heroic path, and he set out to become the Superior Spider-Man.

  Surprisingly, Otto Octavius actually managed to prove himself superior to Parker. The Superior Spider-Man cleaned up crime in New York City, shutting down long-term threats like the Kingpin and Alistair Smythe for good. The Superior Spidey stumbled a few times along the way, but nothing compared to the outright tragedies that Peter Parker caused in his early career. In the end, Parker got his body back while Octavius secured his own spider-powered body, becoming the Superior Octopus!
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  (#14) Miles Morales Is A Better Outsider Than Peter Parker

  When Spider-Man was first created, one of his major appeals was that he was not just a teenaged hero, but an unpopular teenager at that. Spidey’s outsider status made him incredibly popular, but over the years that naturally wore off as Peter Parker grew up and began to date supermodels.

  Marvel attempted to regain Spidey’s youthful ways in the Ultimate Spider-Man reboot, but that character aged quickly, too, and still led a privileged life. Then came Miles Morales, Peter Parker’s replacement in the Ultimate universe. Miles gains his powers at a younger age than Peter, making his foibles more genuine, and he’s a minority, which allows him to experience the sort of “outsider” status that Peter Parker could never understand. Miles also has some neat power upgrades, like brief invisibility and a venom blast. 
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  (#7) Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)

  • The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Marvel Universe

  Shazam-types aside, the original Captain Marvel was an alien Kree warrior named Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell was a classic character, so much so that his death the basis of the first Marvel original graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel. Along the way, Mar-Vell was involved in the empowering Carol Danvers, a human who gained his powers and took on the name Ms. Marvel.

  However, Danvers never really established herself as an A-list character until she took on the legacy of Captain Marvel several decades after the original’s death. As a captain, Carol was free to emphasize her military background and leadership abilities. She quickly rose through the ranks of influence in the Marvel universe, to the point where she is now considered a peer of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. 

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