Monday, January 12, 2015

When superheroes vote

In 1983, the Flash killed the Reverse-Flash. Then the Justice League of America voted on whether or not to kick Flash out. (The cover gave away everything but the deciding vote.)

Here are the results of that show of thumbs and five others involving DC Comics characters. (As it happens, in multiple instances, the number of members voting was seven.)

The Flash #327 (11/83)



in:

Green Arrow
Elongated Man
Firestorm

out:

Wonder Woman
Aquaman
Hawkman

tiebreaker (in):

Superman




JLA: The Secret Society of Super-Heroes #2 (2000)


The issue: Should the group go public?

(vote not formally revealed but implied by composition)

go public:

Flash
Green Lantern
Atom
Plastic Man

stay hidden:

Superman
Wonder Woman
Hawkgirl
Metamorpho

tiebreaker (go public):

Impulse/Kid Flash

JLA #46 (10/00)



The issue: Should Batman be kicked out of the JLA for preparing methods of stopping JLA members should they go rogue?

in:

Flash
Green Lantern
Martian Manhunter

out:

Wonder Woman
Aquaman
Plastic Man

tiebreaker (out):

Superman

Justice League season 2/series finale “Starcrossed” (5/04)



The issue: Should Hawkgirl be kicked out of the Justice League for originally joining the League as a Thanagarian advance scout/spy?

(vote not shown but this is how it was later revealed to go)

in:

Flash
Martian Manhunter

out:

Batman
Wonder Woman

recused:

Green Lantern

tiebreaker (in):

Superman (stated in the subsequent episode “Wake the Dead”)

Identity Crisis #2 (9/04)



The issue: Should the JLA mindwipe (“clean up”) Dr. Light for threatening to attack Sue Dibny again?

for:

Hawkman
Atom
Zatanna

against:

Green Lantern
Green Arrow
Black Canary

tiebreaker (for):

Flash

JLA #118 (11/05)



The issue: Should the JLA mindwipe (“clean up”) members of the Secret Society of Super-Villains who learned the JLA’s secret identities?

for:

Flash
Hawkman
Green Arrow

against:

Superman
Green Lantern
Black Canary

tiebreaker (she wouldn’t do the mindwipe so a no):

Zatanna

Superman was a tiebreaker three times, twice siding with teammates (Flash and Hawkgirl) and once siding against (Batman).

The harshest voters?


  • Wonder Woman voted against a teammate three times, Aquaman twice.
  • Hawkman voted against a teammate once and twice voted to mindwipe villains.
  • Twice Flash voted to keep a teammate but twice he voted to mindwipe.

The most sympathetic voters?


  • Like Flash, Martian Manhunter twice voted to keep a teammate. (He was not present for mindwipe votes.)
  • Green Lantern voted to keep a teammate and twice voted not to mindwipe.
  • Black Canary twice voted not to mindwipe.
  • Green Arrow voted to keep a teammate; he voted once to mindwipe and once not to.

Am I missing any DC Comics voting scenarios?

4 comments:

J. L. Bell said...

As it happens, Peter David was just looking back on the Young Justice leadership vote of 2002, which was inspired by Legion of Super Heroes elections: http://www.peterdavid.net/2015/01/02/young-justice-the-vote/

Marc Tyler Nobleman said...

Thanks for the link, J.L. I didn't read that issue. Do you remember if it was a "everyone weighs in" situation (i.e. we see who voted for whom)?

LinWash said...

Great list! Seems like Wonder Woman usually votes in favor of booting out members.

I just watched Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox, which has an alternate ending for Reverse-Flash/Zoom. I'd like to see Doom, which is based on JLA #46.

J. L. Bell said...

Marc, I don't recall whether Young Justice, #46 (the election issue), showed a roll call vote. Four members of the group were running for the leader's post, so we can guess whom they voted for. That left four (?) other votes up for grabs. The actual result depended on readers' votes, as in the Legion elections. Wonder Girl won.

I recall thinking that news came rather abruptly, making me wonder if deadlines forced DC to dance around it. But I don't recall anything else.