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Episode 1686 Talkback - Top 5 Legacy Heroes

The time has come for a Top 5 episode--one that salutes the heritage of heroism! With a welcome assist from our brother-in-arms Ian Levenstein, we hand down our lists of personal favorite comics legacy characters. Any hero who's ever succeeded to, filled in for, been inspired/influenced by, or stolen from another character is fair game! Top 5 Fever: Pass it on! (2:36:33)

Listen here.
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Comments

  • chrislchrisl Posts: 78
    Great topic. I can't wait to listen.
  • i_am_scifii_am_scifi Posts: 784
    edited February 2018
    As always, an honor and a pleasure to join you guys. Had a fantastic few hours catching up and geeking out. Fellowship!

    EDIT: To add, I just remembered that I purchased a whole bunch of Spider-Girl digests at @wildpigcomics back in the day, at one of their in-between sales while the store was occasionally popping up at its Kenilworth location before the re-opening. This purchase contributed to making my friend's daughter a huge fan of comics, and to this day, even as she is now in her teens, I send her Ms. Marvel collections for Christmas to read. Which, according to her mother, she reads through immediately after receiving!
  • mwhitt80mwhitt80 Posts: 4,637
    Great episode. I really liked all the picks.
  • Can't wait to get into this! Here's a suggestion for another Top 5 list in honor of the MCU 10th anniversary how about a MCU focused Top 5. Maybe speed rounds of Top 5 MCU movies, top 5 non-starring MCU character, Top 5 scenes in a movie or whatever you guys can come up with.
  • i_am_scifii_am_scifi Posts: 784
    edited February 2018
    I'm way more sympathetic to present day DC:Rebirth Barry than I was Flash:Rebirth Barry Allen or that of the Silver Age, @nweathington. I think they've done a great job of making his character a bit more nuanced and interesting. Here's hoping Joshua Williamson remains on the title for quite some time.

    And good choices! Totally forgot about Kate Bishop, but at least she falls under Young Avengers as one of my alternates. :)
  • I'm way more sympathetic to present day DC:Rebirth Barry than I was Flash:Rebirth Barry Allen or that of the Silver Age, @nweathington. I think they've done a great job of making his character a bit more nuanced and interesting. Here's hoping Joshua Williamson remains on the title for quite some time.

    I buy it for my son, so I read the first four or five issues, but it wasn’t for me. Couldn’t get into it at all. My son’s enjoying it though.
  • luke52luke52 Posts: 1,392
    Gotta put Alec Holland Swamp Thing our there, if he’s allowed? Technically he’s the second Swampy.
  • luke52 said:

    Gotta put Alec Holland Swamp Thing our there, if he’s allowed? Technically he’s the second Swampy.

    Of course he's allowed, @luke52! Didn't even know that first Swamp Thing story existed until I just looked it up.
  • fredzillafredzilla Posts: 2,131
    edited February 2018
    I've only listened up to number 4 but right away I thought of Miles Morales. I think he'd be number one for me. I loved the ultimate universe and was upset when word came out that Ultimate Peter was going to die. I didn't think Miles would be able to equal Peter's appeal, but he was, and I was blown away. Not to mention hearing all the people of color gush about how they loved Spidey because he wore a mask and that meant they could pretend they were Spider-Man. The real telling of his impact on me was when I heard what the plan was for dissolving the universes and that the ultimate universe was going away. I felt the same way about the possibility of Miles going away that I felt when I heard Ultimate Peter was going to die. His book is still on the top of my pile each month.

    EDIT: Just got to number 2 when @i_am_scifi mentioned Miles. Couldn't have said it better. Great character.
  • LeeNovaLeeNova Posts: 14
    edited February 2018
    You have delivered yet another thoughtful and entertaining Top 5 episode, gentlemen. I was pleasantly surprised that Murd reserved his top pick for Connor Hawke; I thought for sure Connor was going to be missed by the time you all arrived at your top picks. Connor has always been a favorite of mine for many of the same reasons that Murd mentioned, and one of my prized possessions (as seen below) is a page of original art by Will Rosado from Green Arrow 114 (a Final Night tie-in and my first Green Arrow comic).

    As for my own list, I’m afraid it’s all DC. There are many characters I love from Marvel that would fit the legacy character definition, but I couldn’t leave any of these DC characters off of my final list.
    1. Starman (Jack Knight)
    2. Green Arrow (Connor Hawke)
    3. Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
    4. Dick Grayson (mostly as Nightwing)
    5. Brainiac 5

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  • johnnyhateschachijohnnyhateschachi Posts: 37
    edited February 2018
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    1. Billy Kessler - Cobra's Commander's Son would grow into a member of the Arashikage Clan and one of the great underappreciated heroes in the history of comics.

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    2. Wally West - Even though I began reading comics during the Barry Allen years and Wally has one of the laziest origins ever, this is my Flash, period.

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    3.Ted Kord - Ever since I was lucky enough to find some Modern Comics reprints of the Charlton Steve Ditko material in a bargin bin as a young boy, I've loved this character. This retelling of the Beetle origins by Len Wein and Gil Kane is amazing and well worth seeking out.

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    4. John Walker - His sincere effort, warts and all, to fill the shoes of Steve Rogers is one of the best Captain America story arcs of all time.

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    5.The Star Child - Star Brand's Ken Connell's son arrived through the vision of John Byrne to further shake the already rocky New Universe to it's core.

  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200
    I was happy to hear Genis-Vell made a list. PAD's Captain Marvel is the book that got me back into comics.
  • I loved the episode as well.

    My top 5:
    1. Tim Drake
    2. Miles Morales
    3. Kamala Kahn
    4. X-23
    5. Cassandra Cain
  • I found myself agreeing quite a bit with Shane's take on The JLA. While listening to the episode, it was them, the Teen Titans, and Guardians of the Galaxy that kept popping into my head in terms of my favorite "legacies." Boiling it down to individuals though, here's my top 5:

    1) Superior Spider-Man
    2) Scott Lang
    3) Bizarro (Does he not count? Or did I miss Murd mentioning him??)
    4) Beta Ray Bill
    5) Guy Gardner (*)

    * - Almost exclusively because of this:
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  • My top 5 (in no particular order):

    1. Miles Morales (Spider-Man)
    2. Kamala Kahn (Ms. Marvel)
    3. Kate Bishop (Hawkeye)
    4. Danny Rand (Iron Fist)
    5. X-23 (Wolverine)
  • 3) Bizarro (Does he not count? Or did I miss Murd mentioning him??)

    I can't speak for Murd, but I think Bizarro is typically classified as a villain, although one could make a case for him being a hero based on Bizarro's own backwards version of what makes a hero.

    As you can see from my avatar, I'm quite fond of ol' Bizarro myself...but I still say he's a villain.
  • TheOriginalGManTheOriginalGMan Posts: 1,763
    edited February 2018

    I can't speak for Murd, but I think Bizarro is typically classified as a villain, although one could make a case for him being a hero based on Bizarro's own backwards version of what makes a hero.

    As you can see from my avatar, I'm quite fond of ol' Bizarro myself...but I still say he's a villain.

    Ugh, you're right. My bad.

    After I posted my top 5, I regretted not including Jack Knight/Starman, so, fortunately for him, a spot has now opened up on the roster! Welcome to the squad, Jack!

  • aquatroyaquatroy Posts: 552
    With a couple of exception, I'm going for concept rather than individual characters.

    The Phantom
    Green Lantern
    Dick Grayson
    Wally West
    Marvel Boy/Quasar

    Alternates
    Damian Wayne
    The Legion of Super-Heroes
  • BionicDaveBionicDave Posts: 377
    edited February 2018
    Terrific episode! To be honest, the title led me to expect a less exciting discussion about huge characters who already get enough press - I had no idea we'd be hearing so much about so many lesser talked about comic book gems.
    Air Wave, woohoo!
    Duela Dent!
    Damage!

    Kept waiting for a mention of Matt Wagner's Grendel, but I guess that one would be more relevant to this podcast's villainous sequel.

    Anyway, great job guys. Loved every minute of this.
  • johnnyhateschachijohnnyhateschachi Posts: 37
    edited February 2018




    Terrific episode! To be honest, the title led me to expect a less exciting discussion about huge characters who already get enough press - I had no idea we'd be hearing so much about so many lesser talked about comic book gems.
    Air Wave, woohoo!
    Duela Dent!
    Damage!

    Kept waiting for a mention of Matt Wagner's Grendel, but I guess that one would be more relevant to this podcast's villainous sequel.

    Anyway, great job guys. Loved every minute of this.

    I was THIS close to including Grendel, Dave, but it would have meant no shout out to the New U...Magniconte

  • What a great episode! I loved that Genis-Vell got so many mentions but I'm not all that surprised - he was an amazing character in the hands of Peter David (and Kurt Busiek in Avengers Forever) and it was such a shame to see him done in by Baron Zemo. It must be time for a Spotlight Episode on Marvel's Marvel Family! I know the guys already talked about Mar but it would be cool to hear how he spawned his legacy through Monica (however loosely), Genis, Phylla, Carol, and now Kamala al carrying on the Marvel name.

    I totally agree with everything Murd was saying about Damage too. It was fantastic to see what Geoff Johns was doing with him in the Justice Society of America - especially the relationship with Judomaster (who oddly enough is yet another great Legacy character - kudos Mr Johns). It's just a shame that Grant was killed off and more so because it was Mr Johns who did the killing!

    Here's a thought; seeing as Sandy Hawkins received a bit of a mention - could you also consider the original Sandman, Wesley Dodds, a legacy character due to the retcon of Wesley being inspired by Morpheus/Dream/Sandman of the Endless? ;-)

    Also, great to see all the mentions of Kit Walker - The Phantom - here in the discussion. I'm sure he is the original legacy character in comics and also the reason I got into reading in the first place. it wasn't always easy to find the Marvel & DC comics Down Under when I was a lad but The Phantom was always in stock and readily available. He's definitely a character with such a rich history and one who doesn't nearly get enough attention.

    Anyway, another excellent episode and one which will definitely get a re-listen soon!
  • ChrisMurrinChrisMurrin Posts: 256
    edited February 2018
    My top 5:

    5. Terror - Perhaps stretching the legacy concept a bit, Terror is an eternal being whose body is made up of dead parts culled from others. He absorbs the memories and powers of those who make up his body, so he's oddly a legacy character physically and mentally, but not by title or name.

    4. U.S. Agent - Enjoyed reading the tales of the replacement Captain America, and still seek out his adventures wherever I can.

    3. Black Panther - As legacy as it gets, his title as both king and hero being passed down from his father.

    2. Eddie March - One of the earliest replacements for Tony Stark as Iron Man, his story of heroism in the face of death moved me.

    1. Guy Gardner - Such a great combination of foil and comrade for the other lanterns. Since I first learned of him by pulling the late Green Lantern/early Green Lantern Corps issues from back issue bins, he's been one of my favorite characters. The "One Punch!" moment mentioned above did help seal the deal on that.

  • hauberkhauberk Posts: 1,511

    My top 5:

    5. Terror - Perhaps stretching the legacy concept a bit, Terror is an eternal being whose body is made up of dead parts culled from others. He absorbs the memories and powers of those who make up his body, so he's oddly a legacy character physically and mentally, but not by title or name.

    Also legacy by being the only character to be ported over from the sadly underused and utterly disrespected Shadowline Saga books.
  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    In no paticular order

    John Stewart/Green Lantern
    Wally West/Flash
    Miles Morales/Spider-Man
    Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk
    Jane Foster/Thor
  • @Mark_Engblom, yup just flubbed up about JSA.
  • PeterPeter Posts: 470
    The helmet that the Golden Age Flash wears belonged to his father in World War I. So you’re safe @ShaneKelly :wink:
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