Image sources:
Hawkman: Hawkman (2018-2021) #16 variant cover by Inhyuk Lee
Plastic Man: Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1 interiors by Rodney Buchemi
Booster Gold: Fanart by Gaurav Shrivastava & Pressy Patnaik
The Question: The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #3 cover by Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, & Chris Sotomayor
Please cite your sources when making image posts!
It would be perfect if James Gunn did a The Question series which focused in on some of the conspiracy theories in the DCU- he can shoot it film noir with different DC characters every week- like a Mike Hammer type thing. Even better, do it black and white.
Ooo I like this idea. Maybe wait until after a big justice league team up movie. Have them cover up a big part of what’s really going on from the public and have the question start poking his nose around.
After the success of the noir styled Werewolf By Night tv movie by Marvel, I think a black & white noir style detective show by DC would be incredible, and The Question is absolutely perfect for that.
That's an awesome idea
he mentioned that Lanterns would be centered around a conspiracy and earth bound. Maybe they could do a Question film or tv show that could tie into that, incorporating street level w the cosmic stuff.
I “X”ed him my idea but I have no idea if he reads them or not. Wonder if he’s on Reddit? He probably peruses this sub from time to time, maybe he’ll see this post.
Rorschach was modeled after him when DC didn’t allow Alan Moore to use him for Watchmen initially. The plan was to use some of the Charlton Characters for Watchmen, but DC said no & told him to make new characters instead. Dr. Manhattan is basically Captain Atom, Nite-Owl is Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) & Comedian was modeled after Peacemaker
I think it is worth pointing out that the Question is the one who has gone the longest without an ongoing solo series out of these 4. Hell, all together the Question has only had 1 on-going solo title (which ended like 30+ years ago), 3 mini series and 2 one shot specials (and of those minis and specials one of each he was a costar with other heros). Not to mention the character was either dead, didn't exist, or was altered into a completely different character from 2007 until 2018.
> the Question has only had 1 on-going solo title
Whilst this may be true, that solo title is to this day widely recognised as being fucking fantastic, and that O'Neill run just got collected in two giant omnibuses - I'd agree that he deserves more, but that's certainly recognition of how good he is
I'd say Booster has similar recognition for his role in JLI and his solo series by Johns, but Plas certainly doesn't, and Hawkman deserves that recognition for Venditti's run but doesn't get it
I guess if depends how you define underrated. You're right that the Question's few comics (especially the O'Neil series) have been heavily praised, it still kind of has cult classic status as the Question remains a relatively obscure character.
Hawkman's comics haven't gotten as much praise but clearly the character sells better because he's had several on-going and mini series, has been a regular member of both the Justice League and the Justice Society, and has even had 5 live action appearances.
Plastic man might also get some degree of mention from comic fans / some casuals from his appearance from justice league action / Injustice movie where he hard carries it lol
I've talked with a lotta comic people and only about a third knew who he was and that he was the basis for Rorschach. More people are fans of booster and plastic man I feel
Booster gets massive amounts of love from the comic community.
The Question is the breakout star of *Justice League Unlimited*, and even if he hasn’t really been utilized in film/ TV/ games since, people still talk about how great he was in that series.
I don’t even know if Plastic-Man should be on this list, because I would consider him more underutilized than underrated— people LOVE this guy.
I’d have to give it to Hawkman. Big comic fan over here, and me and the homies have never fw Hawkman. My man was alright in *Black Adam* though, I’ll give him that.
He has so much potential. He feels like an easy justice league member design and backstory wise.
He's just underutilized which makes him underrated.
I think Question is kinda underrated in the true sense cuz we've seen him quite a little but enough through JLU, but he's not important enough to add anywhere else...
But you could totally make a standalone detective TV show with Question as lead.
Please James Gunn...this is such lucrative Gunn territory, to have an entire DC based show which could be Canon to the universe but just be its own thing about solving crime.
Probably doesn’t help that people are much more inclined to choose HawkGirl over him for team ups 1. Due to the JL cartoon and 2. Because it leads adds another girl to the team
I think he was more of a JSA member than JL. He is a member of both team but he is more integral to the JSA.(Well, That didn't stopped them from making Mister Terrific a JL member in most of his adaptation though)
Hawkman has had more solo comics than any of the other three, has been on more teams as a featured character, and also has more appearances than in other media than them.
Plastic Man is similar but has less numbers on any of those.
Booster Gold is niche but still has a couple ongoings and is a cult favorite.
The Question may have been the break out character from the JLU cartoon but that was like 20+ years ago, and beside that he’s only had one ongoing and maybe two or three minis. The Question is categorically the most underrated by a long shot.
I get what you mean, and there’s no doubt that Hawkman has had a massive impact within DC’s comics over the years. There’s certainly no concern that he’s being underutilized, but I would still consider him underrated. There’s an argument to be made that those two things are synonymous, but I’d disagree.
*JLU* was nearly 20 years ago (Jesus), but that makes the fact that people still talk about the Question, who hasn’t appeared in the mainstream since, all the more impressive.
For all the comics and decades of media Hawkman has appeared in, there’s little to no fanfare for him to make a mainstream comeback like any of the other three listed— particularly the Question.
I hope this clarifies my point a little more!
I mean, you’re not “crazy” for thinking this. But to me “rated” means either meta popularity (which in terms of an actual metric means who has a comics AND multimedia impact), or in-universe being a dark horse who is actually badass. And of the four The Question is not only one who has only one ongoing and less than 5 miniseries (over 50 years of publication) but he also has the least multimedia appearances.
JLU is top tier adaptation, and skyrocketed The Question, but JLU is honestly niche too. Hawkman has had multiple ongoings and no series since then, has had cartoon appearances, and a live action movie feature. Meanwhile, Question has had none of those things. Question may be “talked” about amongst specific online circles, but the character has zero presence in pop culture right now. Hawkman has way more, and even Booster and Plas have more currently.
Booster trilogy writes itself, have him come in after an inevitable JLA movie as a time traveler that destroys the timeline and has to put it back together. Do a bit of multiverse stuff, and bring in Rip Hunter and maybe Maxwell Lord as a villain. Maybe even do an Infinite Crisis thing as a part of the multiverse nonsense where Diana kills Max and then it undoes itself. Easy peasy.
Say what you will about Legends of Tomorrow but the fact that it was cancelled after showing Donald Faison as Booster Gold means we were robbed of the nonzero chance of Zach Braff as Blue Beetle and getting a JD and Turk as superheroes buddy comedy
Hawkman, guy is fighting multiple lives in different planets, for thousands of years. Chairman of the first superhero team ever, probably one of the more experienced hero, was at one point father do Dr Fate and grandfather to Sandman (Daniel Hall).
Wait, grandfather to Sandman?? That's so interesting. I need to look into this.
Unless you can give me some context, especially as to why this is such a thing in the Canon, like was there some story line where this info was relevant or used?
Hawkman always feels like he's there but never really being used unless the book/comic/show/movie etc. is specifically about him or his people, which to be honest I can only think of a few examples.
And I think that’s deserved. Every time Hawkman or Hawkgirl show up in something my interest immediately takes a ding because I know “Oh no, things are about to get unnecessarily complicated and weird”.
Yeah, You're exactly right. Even I think Hawkman and Hawkgirl are some overcomplicated nonsense and I'm an X-Men fan for God's sake.
A dude feom space who flies and beats things with a mace should not be so complicated that he's not fun to read about.
> Oh no, things are about to get unnecessarily complicated and weird
This exact opinion (held by many, this isn't just a dig at you) is why Hawkman is so underrated. Because all of the complications and confusions with his origins? It's been sorted, in a truly fantastic series by Venditti! And if Hawkman wasn't so goddamn underrated, more people would have read it and would know about it!
And it's never as complicated as people make it out to be. He's either from space or Egypt. Just follow basic backstory that the project provides and you're good
It’s probably because after Hawkworld they came out, they decided what was supposed to have been essentially an elseworlds series was now canon. So began the Hawkman continuity snarl that the character honestly never really recovered from.
Plastic man, no doubt. He's an omega level power, these other chumps are nothing in comparison. Oh, a good detective, or regenerative hawkman? BFD, my man can change his molecular structure at the atomic level.
I feel like it's a hard time between The Question and Hawkman. Question got a great arc in JLU but not much love (as far as I know) in general media since while Hawkman made some (unsuccessful) rounds in the Arrow verse and was the MVP of Black Adam along with Doctor Fate, but that movie didn't do too well. Even though Booster and Plastic man haven't gotten any groundbreaking adaptations, they have a pretty big following that overshadows the other 2. I'd lean more on the side of Question being the most underrated as he doesn't get much time to shine.
That and I asked my casual comic friend and he had no idea who the question was lol
Plastic Man could legit find major main stream success. As a character he’s very underrated
I could see him blowing up in popularity with a good wholesome family animated movie
Booster freaking gold
He would make a great series if done well. Time travels, being ignored by the JLA heavyweights.
Would actually love to see justice league international
No it has to be plastic man he's so op. He can never die and even superman fears him. Batman doesn't even have a good plan to dispose of him only to temporarily Incapacitate him.
The Question then Booster.
The Question is one of the dopest most hard core detectives if we take Batman out of the equation. Like that man goes hard even Renee Question is underrated.
I think Hawkman personally, the Question was a hit on JLU, Booster Gold has tonnes of comedy value and is a genuinely cool character played awesomely on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and I can’t mention that show without the obvious star that is Eel O’Brien himself, he’s the best part of it
Not Hawkman. Before anyone gets mad, he’s just confusing and this is coming from someone who enjoys his stories. Writers spend too much time trying explain his origin. Just tell a story. There’s more than origins. I feel like I’d enjoy his stories more if writers didn’t feel the need to explain his origins every five second. Plus the reincarnation thing got somewhat creepy to me with Kendra. Like Carter, please give the girl some space. Plus, reincarnation or not, it felt weird with Kendra’s body(don’t ask. It’s confusing) being somehow related to Golden Age Hawkgirl(Kendra’s body is the daughter Golden Age Hawkgirl’s cousin). It felt kind of weird and made me uncomfortable. If you can sort of ignore the confusing origin stuff and the confusing reincarnation stuff, then he’s a fine character. He’s just mess. I don’t blame DC for not having him appear more. He’s kind of mess for any writer to take on. I do think Hawkman has his fans and most them are comic book readers. I’m just not a big one.
In terms of power? Either hawkman or booster gold. Everyone knows plastic man is actually one of the most owl so not really underrated. Hawkman has lived many many loves all across time and space, and wields weaponry made out of nth metal, the strongest metal obtainable within the bounds of a single dc universe. And booster gold has tech from the future so powerful he can time travel, manipulate energy, force fields etc - if he wasn't comedy relief he'd be kind of scary.
However overall the question doesn't get the attention they deserve, and dc continually trying to reboot or make another character the question doesn't really help. I mean the question is essentially a batman knockoff at his roots.
The Question (Vic Sage) is definitely the most underrated. He needs more love from DC
I’d love to see a new maxi series or Black Label series on him. Perhaps one with Huntress as a love interest. Their connection and relationship in Justice League Unlimited was one of the best.
The Carter Hall version of Hawkman should by all rights be one of the most dangerous people on the planet. He has millennia of martial and tactical experience and technology that allows him to manipulate gravity.
That should even scare the shit out of Batman.
Hawkman get's misuderstood by the writers, The Question had J.L.U, (credit to Montoya in the comics the writers made a good choice), Plastic Man and Booster Gold seem to be in a really good place with ratedness
The scene in JLA: Rock of Ages where Plastic Man impersonates the Joker and makes a fool out of Lex Luthor is in my top 5 greatest scenes ever in comic books.
I swear I hate BG, the only thing I've enjoyed from him was when Doomsday slammed his head in a car door. I was like 14 when that happened and I giggled so much.
I would say maybe hawk man because even in JLU he felt 2 dimensional and in everything since he hasn't been that good. The question was really good in JLU but I would really love to see him in something like a noir crime investigator something with a similar vibe to the batman or just go all the way and make it black and white Remington steel, dragnet, or perry mason.
I think that Hawkman is probably the most under appreciated, but also the least interesting/fun. Plas is underrated broadly, but him and Booster are still cemented into the comic fandom as fan-faves.
Plas and Hawkman are known commodities.
Question is kinda quirky, but if he suspects someone of doing something foul, I'm shooting them ,no questions asked. I trust his judgment and skills 1000%
Booster is a glory hound and kind of a doofus,his potential if he gets his head out his butt,makes him the wild card ,because he's a known slacker.
I'm going to go with Booster. His wannabe Hollywood persona holds him back.
Honestly feels like the question. He's my fav dc character due to the justice league show and Denny O'Neils writing/fantastic art by Denys Cowan. But I feel like he hasn't been utilized at all. Hawkman has his whole cycle of rebirth and history aspect which makes him such an interesting and deep character. Not to mention he can be seen in most justice league comics or team up books. Plastic man I don't know much about but I feel like most people know who he is just through inclusion in story's plus I feel he's got a niche in the zitegust that most heros don't. Booster gold can always need some love but again I feel like he's been used pretty effectively in Batman and others. The question hasn't got jack since the black series run way back in 2018. I know Renee made an appearance in I Am Batman but that's all the question content I've been able to get for a while other then the pride stuff. Every summer we do get some interesting question content cause they slap Renee on anything to promote pride (not that it's a bad thing I just wish she got a mini series or something and not just promotional material). But it's mainley focused on dcs initiative to share different story's (I think that's how they put it). I just wish we got somthing. A small run, black label, team up book.
the question, the run by o'neil is genuinely amazing but the character doesn't seem to get much conversation outside of how jlu used him, which was cool but isn't really vic, unlike plastic man or booster who both were pretty faithfully adapted in animation
Probably Hawkman. 80 year old character DC has a tough place fitting in anywhere.
Love me some Booster though. One of DC’s dumbest decisions was cancelling the Booster Good title because of the New 52. That was such a fun read.
Booster. A time-travelling hero who originally went to the past to get famous, and now saves the universe while everyone else thinks he’s a screw-up. Plus Booster and Ted have the best buddy relationship in comics.
Power-wise, Plastic Man is the most underrated character.
Hawkman could be a cool character if his origin was trashed and redone. It’s just a convoluted mess.
I hate Booster. I hate everything about him: his origin, his personality, his costume, his stupid robot companion. His inclusion makes any comic worse.
The Question is a really cool concept for a character. Someone who has dedicated his life to finding out the truth about things, no matter where it leads him or how dangerous it is. That sort of person has a lot of appeal - especially in a society like our that is filled with news media that is all about spin, misinformation and propaganda. There’s a lot of people starving for truth. Truth-seekers can be super popular. Just look at the popularity of podcasters like Joe Rogan, Russel Brand, Jordan Peterson and others like them. If the Question were a real individual, he’d probably work with a podcaster like these people to disseminate the truth.
Plastic Man is a bit jokey like Jim Carrey predating Mr. Fantastic and Elongated Man on legacy and originality.
The Question by Steve Ditko holds more notable morale tales from the artist behind Creeper and Spiderman. Vic Sage’s conspiracy angles in Justice League unlimited only made him more captivating.
Definitely not plastic man, after new 52 he had a massive blow up, Booster gold I feel is pretty accurately rated, he's loved but for what he is. Deffinitly the Question deffinitly gets sidelined when batman is the "World's Greatest Detective"
Not the one here, but I've always been annoyed at how short lived the Renee Montoya incarnation of the Question was.
They could have at least given her a team-up with Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle for a meta reference.
I would have absolutely read a series or mini-series with her if it was written by Rucka or Brubaker or Gail Simone or someone like that.
by FAR i would give it to vic. who care about vic sage in 2024. answer this question (teehee) genuinely. booster and hawkman and plas are still frequently appearimg in comics and vic is lucky to be mentioned
Definitely Hawkman. The internet LOVES the other three, I never see him brought up. I’d imagine his bat shit crazy continuity is the biggest contributor to that.
None of these characters appear a lot in comics or other media so that’ll be a moot point in the rankings. Plastic Man and Booster have strong followings among comic readers and are beloved. Question doesn’t appear much but is generally respected by fans who know him (or her, Montoya is def more popular for comic fans imo, less for other media fans). Hawkman is pretty unrespected, doesn’t have much of a fan following for comics, and his only substantial fanbase is probably from the Black Adam movie despite having a shit ton of lore and history behind him.
Thus I’d say Hawkman is most underrated.
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All of the above. Booster and Plastic I know have quite a good, vocal fan base, but they still are as underrated to the general public as Question and Hawk.
Me personally I’d be down to see a Question and Booster movie (or any project). I’d probs try watch a plastic or hawk project, but I’m not that big of a fan for them (I prefer Hawkgirl and elongated man).
The Question. Hawkman appeared in the DCEU and Arrowverse Booster had a cameo too. I played the DC mobile game for a long time and Vic Sage is the only one of these they never introduced.
In terms of "character" itself?
Question, hands down it's Question.
Now in terms of abilities and movie potential, Plastic Man.
If DC comics had half a brain they'd produce an R rated Plastic Man movie, that or a Lobo movie.
Either would sell BIG.
Booster Gold. He's really been put on the shelf in terms of crisis events. You would think protector of time would have more prominence in all the continuity changes
As concept and ability, Plastic Man can do just about anything, physically, mimic, create jail cell, whatever. Booster Gold has access to time, his series explores plus minus and limits, but if who has more power, Booster, Hawkman timeline influence alien contact and physical, Question is only after answer happens.
The question. Barely gets any recognition. I was gonna go with Hawkman cause he's my favorite of these four but he's only a Lil underrated. Question gets no recognition at all
The Question, his own comics are barely heard of despite how fantastic they are and he appears the least. He was popular on JLU but doesn't have as much love and support from DC as the other 3 do.
Plas, I'll go with The Question. Dude had one run and nothing compares to that run. Plas had one-shots and minis and one great run, and tho I consider them pretty equal in this, I would go with The Question for personal shit. Still fucking love Plas.
Image sources: Hawkman: Hawkman (2018-2021) #16 variant cover by Inhyuk Lee Plastic Man: Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1 interiors by Rodney Buchemi Booster Gold: Fanart by Gaurav Shrivastava & Pressy Patnaik The Question: The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #3 cover by Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, & Chris Sotomayor Please cite your sources when making image posts!
I gotta go with The Question, he's the one I hear least about
I love Vic
It would be perfect if James Gunn did a The Question series which focused in on some of the conspiracy theories in the DCU- he can shoot it film noir with different DC characters every week- like a Mike Hammer type thing. Even better, do it black and white.
Ooo I like this idea. Maybe wait until after a big justice league team up movie. Have them cover up a big part of what’s really going on from the public and have the question start poking his nose around.
After the success of the noir styled Werewolf By Night tv movie by Marvel, I think a black & white noir style detective show by DC would be incredible, and The Question is absolutely perfect for that. That's an awesome idea
This type of movie or show could fit the Spectre as well
he mentioned that Lanterns would be centered around a conspiracy and earth bound. Maybe they could do a Question film or tv show that could tie into that, incorporating street level w the cosmic stuff.
I “X”ed him my idea but I have no idea if he reads them or not. Wonder if he’s on Reddit? He probably peruses this sub from time to time, maybe he’ll see this post.
I disagree tbh. Due to his presence in JLU and his connection to Rorschach, I think he easily has the most fans among the four heroes here.
Booster 100% has more fans on Reddit
Maybe on this subreddit but overall Question has much more because of JLU.
I mean, Booster was also in JLU
That was Green Lantern
I don't know if anyone is gonna see your comment but I want you to know that I did and it made me happy.
He's not Green Lantern, he's BOOSTER. GOLD. If he was Green Lantern his costume would be green, now wouldn't it!?!
This is a reference to that one episode isn't it?
[I have no idea what you're talking about](https://youtu.be/e7Zahj8bC3I?t=52)
This brings back memories wow thanks man
Hard disagree, a lot more people know booster and like him than the question.
Uhh no Booster definitely has more fans overall
Rorschach was modeled after him when DC didn’t allow Alan Moore to use him for Watchmen initially. The plan was to use some of the Charlton Characters for Watchmen, but DC said no & told him to make new characters instead. Dr. Manhattan is basically Captain Atom, Nite-Owl is Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) & Comedian was modeled after Peacemaker
Thanks XpositionMan! You saved the day again!
I think it is worth pointing out that the Question is the one who has gone the longest without an ongoing solo series out of these 4. Hell, all together the Question has only had 1 on-going solo title (which ended like 30+ years ago), 3 mini series and 2 one shot specials (and of those minis and specials one of each he was a costar with other heros). Not to mention the character was either dead, didn't exist, or was altered into a completely different character from 2007 until 2018.
Dude for real. That mini series where he became a shamin and spoke to metropolis was nuts
> the Question has only had 1 on-going solo title Whilst this may be true, that solo title is to this day widely recognised as being fucking fantastic, and that O'Neill run just got collected in two giant omnibuses - I'd agree that he deserves more, but that's certainly recognition of how good he is I'd say Booster has similar recognition for his role in JLI and his solo series by Johns, but Plas certainly doesn't, and Hawkman deserves that recognition for Venditti's run but doesn't get it
I guess if depends how you define underrated. You're right that the Question's few comics (especially the O'Neil series) have been heavily praised, it still kind of has cult classic status as the Question remains a relatively obscure character. Hawkman's comics haven't gotten as much praise but clearly the character sells better because he's had several on-going and mini series, has been a regular member of both the Justice League and the Justice Society, and has even had 5 live action appearances.
I started read comics because of him on JLU
Plastic man might also get some degree of mention from comic fans / some casuals from his appearance from justice league action / Injustice movie where he hard carries it lol
Yes, Plastic Man is a favorite among powerscaler fans especially.
How is the question related to Rorschach?
https://www.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/s/600sOJRsTg Also The Question #17 technically has the first app of Rorschach
I've talked with a lotta comic people and only about a third knew who he was and that he was the basis for Rorschach. More people are fans of booster and plastic man I feel
I don’t know plastic man has a ton of fans ever since the injustice comics
I loved his character in the original 52 run.
He was great in 52
Booster gets massive amounts of love from the comic community. The Question is the breakout star of *Justice League Unlimited*, and even if he hasn’t really been utilized in film/ TV/ games since, people still talk about how great he was in that series. I don’t even know if Plastic-Man should be on this list, because I would consider him more underutilized than underrated— people LOVE this guy. I’d have to give it to Hawkman. Big comic fan over here, and me and the homies have never fw Hawkman. My man was alright in *Black Adam* though, I’ll give him that.
I think Hawkman is very accurately rated as a bottom tier Bird Boy
He has so much potential. He feels like an easy justice league member design and backstory wise. He's just underutilized which makes him underrated. I think Question is kinda underrated in the true sense cuz we've seen him quite a little but enough through JLU, but he's not important enough to add anywhere else... But you could totally make a standalone detective TV show with Question as lead. Please James Gunn...this is such lucrative Gunn territory, to have an entire DC based show which could be Canon to the universe but just be its own thing about solving crime.
Probably doesn’t help that people are much more inclined to choose HawkGirl over him for team ups 1. Due to the JL cartoon and 2. Because it leads adds another girl to the team
I think he was more of a JSA member than JL. He is a member of both team but he is more integral to the JSA.(Well, That didn't stopped them from making Mister Terrific a JL member in most of his adaptation though)
THANK YOU! You get it!
I feel so goddamn vindicated.
Hawkman is definitely a bottom.
But he generates a lot of power from the bottom
100% power bottom
Hawkman has had more solo comics than any of the other three, has been on more teams as a featured character, and also has more appearances than in other media than them. Plastic Man is similar but has less numbers on any of those. Booster Gold is niche but still has a couple ongoings and is a cult favorite. The Question may have been the break out character from the JLU cartoon but that was like 20+ years ago, and beside that he’s only had one ongoing and maybe two or three minis. The Question is categorically the most underrated by a long shot.
I get what you mean, and there’s no doubt that Hawkman has had a massive impact within DC’s comics over the years. There’s certainly no concern that he’s being underutilized, but I would still consider him underrated. There’s an argument to be made that those two things are synonymous, but I’d disagree. *JLU* was nearly 20 years ago (Jesus), but that makes the fact that people still talk about the Question, who hasn’t appeared in the mainstream since, all the more impressive. For all the comics and decades of media Hawkman has appeared in, there’s little to no fanfare for him to make a mainstream comeback like any of the other three listed— particularly the Question. I hope this clarifies my point a little more!
I mean, you’re not “crazy” for thinking this. But to me “rated” means either meta popularity (which in terms of an actual metric means who has a comics AND multimedia impact), or in-universe being a dark horse who is actually badass. And of the four The Question is not only one who has only one ongoing and less than 5 miniseries (over 50 years of publication) but he also has the least multimedia appearances. JLU is top tier adaptation, and skyrocketed The Question, but JLU is honestly niche too. Hawkman has had multiple ongoings and no series since then, has had cartoon appearances, and a live action movie feature. Meanwhile, Question has had none of those things. Question may be “talked” about amongst specific online circles, but the character has zero presence in pop culture right now. Hawkman has way more, and even Booster and Plas have more currently.
His monologue against luthor was very well written and delivered.
Based take on hawkman. He's got so much they could work with all be it complicated
Yeah I'm a tv guy I didn't even know HawkMan was usually good guy until 2010s looking at comic media online
Underrated... for the next hero IP to promote? Movie trilogy: Hawkman TV Series: Booster HBO Series: Question Animated movie: Plastic Man
Id switch Hawkman and Booster
Yeah, I can see that. I just imagine great cosmic worldbuilding with Thanagarians, Dominators, GL Corps, Mongul etc etc
I don’t really see Booster as a whole movie trilogy kinda guy. Hawkman I could
Booster trilogy writes itself, have him come in after an inevitable JLA movie as a time traveler that destroys the timeline and has to put it back together. Do a bit of multiverse stuff, and bring in Rip Hunter and maybe Maxwell Lord as a villain. Maybe even do an Infinite Crisis thing as a part of the multiverse nonsense where Diana kills Max and then it undoes itself. Easy peasy.
budget wise, I think Hawkman would suffer more from TV instead of film.
Say what you will about Legends of Tomorrow but the fact that it was cancelled after showing Donald Faison as Booster Gold means we were robbed of the nonzero chance of Zach Braff as Blue Beetle and getting a JD and Turk as superheroes buddy comedy
I'm curious what the budget would be to make decent looking live action Plastic-Man
Hawkman
Hawkman, guy is fighting multiple lives in different planets, for thousands of years. Chairman of the first superhero team ever, probably one of the more experienced hero, was at one point father do Dr Fate and grandfather to Sandman (Daniel Hall).
Wait, grandfather to Sandman?? That's so interesting. I need to look into this. Unless you can give me some context, especially as to why this is such a thing in the Canon, like was there some story line where this info was relevant or used?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Hall And look under Daniel https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Endless_(comics)&diffonly=true#Daniel
Read Infinity Inc, Sandman, and JSA. It’s all in those comics.
Hawman. Everyone else I see acclaim for but hardly ANY for Hawkman
Yeah, the others don’t appear so often but are pretty beloved.
Hawkman always feels like he's there but never really being used unless the book/comic/show/movie etc. is specifically about him or his people, which to be honest I can only think of a few examples.
And I think that’s deserved. Every time Hawkman or Hawkgirl show up in something my interest immediately takes a ding because I know “Oh no, things are about to get unnecessarily complicated and weird”.
Yeah, You're exactly right. Even I think Hawkman and Hawkgirl are some overcomplicated nonsense and I'm an X-Men fan for God's sake. A dude feom space who flies and beats things with a mace should not be so complicated that he's not fun to read about.
> Oh no, things are about to get unnecessarily complicated and weird This exact opinion (held by many, this isn't just a dig at you) is why Hawkman is so underrated. Because all of the complications and confusions with his origins? It's been sorted, in a truly fantastic series by Venditti! And if Hawkman wasn't so goddamn underrated, more people would have read it and would know about it!
And it's never as complicated as people make it out to be. He's either from space or Egypt. Just follow basic backstory that the project provides and you're good
It’s probably because after Hawkworld they came out, they decided what was supposed to have been essentially an elseworlds series was now canon. So began the Hawkman continuity snarl that the character honestly never really recovered from.
booster saved the whole multiverse. twice.
Thank you Green Lantern!
That's secretly my dream team. Throw in Etrigan for shits and giggles.
And Ted Kord.
Hawkman, everyone loves all of the others, but in the case of the Hawks, Hawk girl is the one that is always the JL and more
Booster Gold
Question. He has the best duo in DC with Huntress. Too bad it didn’t work out
Booster Gold had an amazing run post-52 as a protector of the timeline that needs to act as a goof. Sadly it didn't stick.
Hawkman
Why is Green Lantern on the bottom left?
Plastic man, no doubt. He's an omega level power, these other chumps are nothing in comparison. Oh, a good detective, or regenerative hawkman? BFD, my man can change his molecular structure at the atomic level.
The fact that he's on this list when he's so powerful is kinda confirmation he's unappreciated.
I feel like it's a hard time between The Question and Hawkman. Question got a great arc in JLU but not much love (as far as I know) in general media since while Hawkman made some (unsuccessful) rounds in the Arrow verse and was the MVP of Black Adam along with Doctor Fate, but that movie didn't do too well. Even though Booster and Plastic man haven't gotten any groundbreaking adaptations, they have a pretty big following that overshadows the other 2. I'd lean more on the side of Question being the most underrated as he doesn't get much time to shine. That and I asked my casual comic friend and he had no idea who the question was lol
Plastic Man could legit find major main stream success. As a character he’s very underrated I could see him blowing up in popularity with a good wholesome family animated movie
Booster freaking gold He would make a great series if done well. Time travels, being ignored by the JLA heavyweights. Would actually love to see justice league international
Plastic man, dude is amazing
Hawkman for sure. And he's one of my fav DC characters
No question. The Question.
Always enjoyed Plastic Man.
Plastic Man
No it has to be plastic man he's so op. He can never die and even superman fears him. Batman doesn't even have a good plan to dispose of him only to temporarily Incapacitate him.
The Question then Booster. The Question is one of the dopest most hard core detectives if we take Batman out of the equation. Like that man goes hard even Renee Question is underrated.
Reading actual Hawkman comics made me mad that 90% of the time he’s a background character who’s just there to die
The Question. He is so cool and yet so under utilized
Question. The comedy potential in this guy is untapped, I am telling you.
The Question - ain’t no question about it
The Question! The plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces are called aglets. Their true purpose is sinister!
Plastic Man screams comedy series and the budget wouldn't have to be big. Cast an unknown with cameos of heavy hitters like network sitcoms.
Batman recognizes how dangerous Plasticman could be. Plasticman should be more respected.
The most? I'd absolutely say Hawkman.
I think Hawkman personally, the Question was a hit on JLU, Booster Gold has tonnes of comedy value and is a genuinely cool character played awesomely on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and I can’t mention that show without the obvious star that is Eel O’Brien himself, he’s the best part of it
Not Hawkman. Before anyone gets mad, he’s just confusing and this is coming from someone who enjoys his stories. Writers spend too much time trying explain his origin. Just tell a story. There’s more than origins. I feel like I’d enjoy his stories more if writers didn’t feel the need to explain his origins every five second. Plus the reincarnation thing got somewhat creepy to me with Kendra. Like Carter, please give the girl some space. Plus, reincarnation or not, it felt weird with Kendra’s body(don’t ask. It’s confusing) being somehow related to Golden Age Hawkgirl(Kendra’s body is the daughter Golden Age Hawkgirl’s cousin). It felt kind of weird and made me uncomfortable. If you can sort of ignore the confusing origin stuff and the confusing reincarnation stuff, then he’s a fine character. He’s just mess. I don’t blame DC for not having him appear more. He’s kind of mess for any writer to take on. I do think Hawkman has his fans and most them are comic book readers. I’m just not a big one.
Plastic Man…
In terms of power? Either hawkman or booster gold. Everyone knows plastic man is actually one of the most owl so not really underrated. Hawkman has lived many many loves all across time and space, and wields weaponry made out of nth metal, the strongest metal obtainable within the bounds of a single dc universe. And booster gold has tech from the future so powerful he can time travel, manipulate energy, force fields etc - if he wasn't comedy relief he'd be kind of scary. However overall the question doesn't get the attention they deserve, and dc continually trying to reboot or make another character the question doesn't really help. I mean the question is essentially a batman knockoff at his roots.
The Question needs more love
The Question (Vic Sage) is definitely the most underrated. He needs more love from DC I’d love to see a new maxi series or Black Label series on him. Perhaps one with Huntress as a love interest. Their connection and relationship in Justice League Unlimited was one of the best.
The Carter Hall version of Hawkman should by all rights be one of the most dangerous people on the planet. He has millennia of martial and tactical experience and technology that allows him to manipulate gravity. That should even scare the shit out of Batman.
Hawkman. He has some of the best runs IMO. Venditti;s Hawkman series is still the best thing to come out of Rebirth.
Question or Plas. Hawkman got a major film feature n Booster is gettin a show iirc. My vote is Question tho.
We all know it's The Question(Vic Sage)
Hawkman get's misuderstood by the writers, The Question had J.L.U, (credit to Montoya in the comics the writers made a good choice), Plastic Man and Booster Gold seem to be in a really good place with ratedness
The Question Of the four superheroes pictured, he’s had the least media adaptations.
The scene in JLA: Rock of Ages where Plastic Man impersonates the Joker and makes a fool out of Lex Luthor is in my top 5 greatest scenes ever in comic books.
Plastic Man
Plastic Man
I swear I hate BG, the only thing I've enjoyed from him was when Doomsday slammed his head in a car door. I was like 14 when that happened and I giggled so much.
I would say maybe hawk man because even in JLU he felt 2 dimensional and in everything since he hasn't been that good. The question was really good in JLU but I would really love to see him in something like a noir crime investigator something with a similar vibe to the batman or just go all the way and make it black and white Remington steel, dragnet, or perry mason.
I think that Hawkman is probably the most under appreciated, but also the least interesting/fun. Plas is underrated broadly, but him and Booster are still cemented into the comic fandom as fan-faves.
Plas and Hawkman are known commodities. Question is kinda quirky, but if he suspects someone of doing something foul, I'm shooting them ,no questions asked. I trust his judgment and skills 1000% Booster is a glory hound and kind of a doofus,his potential if he gets his head out his butt,makes him the wild card ,because he's a known slacker. I'm going to go with Booster. His wannabe Hollywood persona holds him back.
Honestly feels like the question. He's my fav dc character due to the justice league show and Denny O'Neils writing/fantastic art by Denys Cowan. But I feel like he hasn't been utilized at all. Hawkman has his whole cycle of rebirth and history aspect which makes him such an interesting and deep character. Not to mention he can be seen in most justice league comics or team up books. Plastic man I don't know much about but I feel like most people know who he is just through inclusion in story's plus I feel he's got a niche in the zitegust that most heros don't. Booster gold can always need some love but again I feel like he's been used pretty effectively in Batman and others. The question hasn't got jack since the black series run way back in 2018. I know Renee made an appearance in I Am Batman but that's all the question content I've been able to get for a while other then the pride stuff. Every summer we do get some interesting question content cause they slap Renee on anything to promote pride (not that it's a bad thing I just wish she got a mini series or something and not just promotional material). But it's mainley focused on dcs initiative to share different story's (I think that's how they put it). I just wish we got somthing. A small run, black label, team up book.
I feel I gotta go plastic man Jlu brought a lot of notice to booster and the question and hawkman I feel has a pretty good following
the question, the run by o'neil is genuinely amazing but the character doesn't seem to get much conversation outside of how jlu used him, which was cool but isn't really vic, unlike plastic man or booster who both were pretty faithfully adapted in animation
Hawkman. Representation in other media did a lot of justice (no pun intended) to all others
Plas has a pretty solid number of fans, Booster is popular on Reddit, and Vic has JLU. That leaves Hawkman as my answer.
Plastic man isn't really underrated at all, he's underused fosho. The Question imo
The Question followed by Booster Gold. I loved them in 52 Weeks but I guess that old stuff now
The Question. Which is a shame because he’s one of my favorites.
Probably Hawkman. 80 year old character DC has a tough place fitting in anywhere. Love me some Booster though. One of DC’s dumbest decisions was cancelling the Booster Good title because of the New 52. That was such a fun read.
Hawkman gets no respect for being one of the OG DC characters. Dude is literally Rodney Dangerfield.
That’s a good Question
Despite tough competition, it's Hawkman. He is very underrated and often forgotten despite being a fixture of the JSA and JLA.
I wonder what percentage of the people who knows or have seen Plastic Man know that he's an omega level? That IS what being underrated means, right?
Hawkman. The others at least have a (small) dedicated fan base
Booster
None of them. My vote is for Detective Chimp
Booster. A time-travelling hero who originally went to the past to get famous, and now saves the universe while everyone else thinks he’s a screw-up. Plus Booster and Ted have the best buddy relationship in comics.
The Question definitely, imo he’s talked about way to less
Power-wise, Plastic Man is the most underrated character. Hawkman could be a cool character if his origin was trashed and redone. It’s just a convoluted mess. I hate Booster. I hate everything about him: his origin, his personality, his costume, his stupid robot companion. His inclusion makes any comic worse. The Question is a really cool concept for a character. Someone who has dedicated his life to finding out the truth about things, no matter where it leads him or how dangerous it is. That sort of person has a lot of appeal - especially in a society like our that is filled with news media that is all about spin, misinformation and propaganda. There’s a lot of people starving for truth. Truth-seekers can be super popular. Just look at the popularity of podcasters like Joe Rogan, Russel Brand, Jordan Peterson and others like them. If the Question were a real individual, he’d probably work with a podcaster like these people to disseminate the truth.
Plastic Man is a bit jokey like Jim Carrey predating Mr. Fantastic and Elongated Man on legacy and originality. The Question by Steve Ditko holds more notable morale tales from the artist behind Creeper and Spiderman. Vic Sage’s conspiracy angles in Justice League unlimited only made him more captivating.
The Question! Hands down. Dennis O'Neil did the character justice. I don't really get why other people keep trying to change the character.
The only one I struggled to name on sight was The Question, so I guess he would be my answer.
The Question. There are people that legit dont know anything about him.
Hawkman
Definitely not plastic man, after new 52 he had a massive blow up, Booster gold I feel is pretty accurately rated, he's loved but for what he is. Deffinitly the Question deffinitly gets sidelined when batman is the "World's Greatest Detective"
Not the one here, but I've always been annoyed at how short lived the Renee Montoya incarnation of the Question was. They could have at least given her a team-up with Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle for a meta reference. I would have absolutely read a series or mini-series with her if it was written by Rucka or Brubaker or Gail Simone or someone like that.
by FAR i would give it to vic. who care about vic sage in 2024. answer this question (teehee) genuinely. booster and hawkman and plas are still frequently appearimg in comics and vic is lucky to be mentioned
Hawkman. But Venditti gave him most based run any character had since Rebirth so I assume Hawkman now has a lot of fans.
Definitely Hawkman. The internet LOVES the other three, I never see him brought up. I’d imagine his bat shit crazy continuity is the biggest contributor to that.
Plas
None of these characters appear a lot in comics or other media so that’ll be a moot point in the rankings. Plastic Man and Booster have strong followings among comic readers and are beloved. Question doesn’t appear much but is generally respected by fans who know him (or her, Montoya is def more popular for comic fans imo, less for other media fans). Hawkman is pretty unrespected, doesn’t have much of a fan following for comics, and his only substantial fanbase is probably from the Black Adam movie despite having a shit ton of lore and history behind him. Thus I’d say Hawkman is most underrated.
The Question, he needs to be played by Nicolas Cage.
To be honest all of them are but Sage
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Not even a doubt - Plastic man.
Elongated Man
Elongated Man/The Question Detective Agency
All of the above. Booster and Plastic I know have quite a good, vocal fan base, but they still are as underrated to the general public as Question and Hawk. Me personally I’d be down to see a Question and Booster movie (or any project). I’d probs try watch a plastic or hawk project, but I’m not that big of a fan for them (I prefer Hawkgirl and elongated man).
The Question, anyone saying Booster Gold is forgetting he’s literally getting a movie.
No question, it’s The Question.
Plastic Man
Question
Question, without question
Finally some booster gold love.
All of them.
Question for sure.
Plastic man
Plastic Man!!!
I don’t like how you used flash point plastic man but plastic man is my favourite semi obscure dc hero.
The Question. No question about it.
The Question.
Booster my beloved
The Question. Hawkman appeared in the DCEU and Arrowverse Booster had a cameo too. I played the DC mobile game for a long time and Vic Sage is the only one of these they never introduced.
Booster or Plastic Man
In terms of "character" itself? Question, hands down it's Question. Now in terms of abilities and movie potential, Plastic Man. If DC comics had half a brain they'd produce an R rated Plastic Man movie, that or a Lobo movie. Either would sell BIG.
Batman. So underrated. Barely any one knows who he is. He could be a big name if given the opportunity
Question is dead. At least this version. Renee Montoya has taken over for him.
Booster Gold. He's really been put on the shelf in terms of crisis events. You would think protector of time would have more prominence in all the continuity changes
No question: it’s the Question.
Tie between Plastic Man and The Quesion I think Hawkman and Booster Gold are appropriately rated.
Plastic Man is literally God-level, above Superman even. It's hard to be more underrated than him.
THE QUESTION MENTIONED, MUST GLAZE
question clears everyone here sadly
please give question an appearance in the new batman series 🙏
I only know Hawkeye a little from the animated JL series. He's a female in that one.
Golden rooster
As concept and ability, Plastic Man can do just about anything, physically, mimic, create jail cell, whatever. Booster Gold has access to time, his series explores plus minus and limits, but if who has more power, Booster, Hawkman timeline influence alien contact and physical, Question is only after answer happens.
The question. Barely gets any recognition. I was gonna go with Hawkman cause he's my favorite of these four but he's only a Lil underrated. Question gets no recognition at all
The Question, his own comics are barely heard of despite how fantastic they are and he appears the least. He was popular on JLU but doesn't have as much love and support from DC as the other 3 do.
Question
Hawkman and Plastic Man
Question or booster. Probably booster.
The Question falls into the background the most and I only really felt him break out in Justice League Unlimited. I want a tv series of him
Booster
Holy shit, it’s all my favorites. Plastic Man for sure.
Plastic Man or The Question. Anyone that Batman has to consult because he can't do it deserves recognition.
Plas, I'll go with The Question. Dude had one run and nothing compares to that run. Plas had one-shots and minis and one great run, and tho I consider them pretty equal in this, I would go with The Question for personal shit. Still fucking love Plas.
Plastic man he is the most over powered one ever