Characters / Just Imagine... Stan Lee Creating the DC Universe

Heroes

Superman

Salden

“How about I do what all the prisons and lockups couldn't do? How about I rid the universe of you once and for all, you slimy, stinkin', murderin' maggot?”

A cop from the planet Krypton, Salden was stranded on Earth when he pursued a criminal who made off with a rocket ship, only for the ship to crash on Earth. He now seeks to find a way to forcibly accelerate the primitive space travel capacities of Earth so that he can return to Krypton.

---

• Adaptational Dumbass: By comparison. Although he's not stupid, the mainstream Superman is a scientific genius and he's not.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Superman is blond here.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: His story in Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee reveals that he entered a relationship with his agent Lois Lane but eventually broke up with her, in contrast to most incarnations of Superman and Lois Lane being married or at least dating.
• Adaptational Jerkass: In the sense that his motivation to fight crime is primarily self-serving. He hopes to lighten the load of law enforcement in order to force more focus on space travel advancement so he can get home.
• Adaptational Name Change: Is notably the only one of the heroes to avert this, as his human alias remains as Clark Kent. Played straight with his Kryptonian birthname however (Salden instead of Kal-El).
• Aliens Speaking English: The Intergalactic Basic language is so complex that Earth languages are childishly simple by comparison, so he learned them very quickly, picking up English ("Only 26 letters?") thanks to crash-landing in the oceans of the US. Gorrok, his foe, learned an African language just as quickly.
• Anti-Hero: Personality-wise he's much more in line with the earlier, more violent and angry Superman than the mainstream Boy Scout, and as mentioned his motivations are more selfish than most heroes, but ultimately his heart's in the right place.
• Arch-Enemy: Gorrok, a Kryptonian terrorist, who he managed to bust after Gorrok had stymied his fellow officers. After escaping custody, Gorrok found out where he lived and killed his wife in order to taunt him.
• Badass Normal: By the standards of his home planet and his fellow species members. Unlike his fellow cops, Salden is not physically enhanced in any way and relies on his species' version of Charles Atlas Superpower as well as technology. It's only when he arrives on Earth that he gains superpowers due to the different environment.
• Character Development: Working with the other members of the JLA helps him develop more empathy toward humanity rather than seeing it as a means to an end.
• Death by Origin Story: His backstory involves his wife being murdered by one of the criminals he turned in. Unlike the standard Superman, his home planet Krypton is still around, with his motivation for fighting crime on Earth mainly being so that space travel will become more advanced fast enough that he can return to his home planet soon.
• Forever War: In his story from Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee, Jimmy Olsen explains to him that no matter how many missiles he destroys or battles he stops, he'll never be able to end war on Earth as long as he doesn't fix the root causes by stopping the people who profit off of war. After he terrifies one war profiteer into giving up his business by sticking him on the battlefield and showing him just what he was doing, the man tells Salden that there are people all over the world he'd have to convince to stop fighting—not just businessmen like him, but also politicians, military men, voters and God-knows how many other people. Stopping all war on earth would be a never-ending battle! Salden just smiles and gets started.
• Glory Seeker: Kind of. In this universe, Lois Lane is a cutthroat talent agent who headhunts him and immediately drops all her other clients. Sometimes he gets a little bemused by her laser-focused obsession with making him the biggest name in the world, but he needs the money and it might help him positively influence Earth culture so they can eventually get back to Krypton, so he generally goes along.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has an "S"-shaped scar on his face.
• Green Rocks: After crash-landing on Earth, Salden (already a Heavyworlder) was exposed to the mysterious green element which powered his ship, enhancing his already-super abilities (by our standards) even further.
• Heavyworlder: In this universe, Superman's physical powers partially stem from the fact Krypton's gravity is far greater than that of Earth, so whilst he was the Badass Normal on his genetically enhanced police force back on Krypton, on Earth, he's a Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond.
• Higher-Tech Species: Stranded on Earth, Kryptonian Salden decides that humans have the potential to reach the same technological, scientific and cultural heights as his home planet, if our resources weren't being diverted to crime, terrorism, war, etc. One of his motivations, therefore, is to try and get rid of all that so humans can focus their energies on advancing enough to help him get back home.
• In a Single Bound: His flying harness was damaged in the crash, but he still uses superhumanly high jumps to get around.
• Interspecies Romance: Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee mentions that he entered a brief relationship with Lois Lane that ended badly. "Revealing your secret identity to the press" badly.
• Lightning Bruiser: Thanks to his Heavyworlder nature and the enhancements from the green element, he's super-fast, -strong, and -tough.
• Line-of-Sight Alias: He chooses Clark Kent as his human alias based on some signs he saw at the moment. It was either that or Peter Parker.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Superman's powers stemming from his being a Heavyworlder in a lower gravity environment, in an inversion of John Carter of Mars, was the original justification for Superman's powers way back when the character was first introduced in the Golden Age Of Comic Books.
  • The flaps on his chest pouches are in the shape of the iconic Superman 'S' crest.
  • The Secret Files and Origins one-shot features a panel of him lifting a car that copies the cover to the first issue of Action Comics, Superman's debut.
• Outgambitted: He planned to become famous on Earth in order to flush Gorrok out, only to be tricked into a trap by Gorrok himself.
• Space Cop: Was one on his home planet.
• Super-Senses: Because Earth's atmosphere is much thinner and less murky than Krypton's he can see and hear much further and in much more detail here.
• Super-Strength: Strong enough to hurl a car into orbit.
• Targeted to Hurt the Hero: His wife was killed by the escaped terrorist Gundar Gorrok, out of revenge for arresting him. Gorrok also left a taunting note.
• There Was a Door: Lois encourages him to make dramatic entrances by smashing through windows, etc.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: Or Depending on the Writer. Within his spotlight book and in Secret Files, Salden is basically a reasonably intelligent, articulate, and even rather clever guy with a bit of a brusque attitude who's still stinging from the loss of his wife and his home, and reserves his anger for Gorrok. Outside of it he seems to become less intelligent with every appearance until by Crisis he's Dumb Muscle with a Hair-Trigger Temper who talks like a stereotypical comic-book gangster/tough guy and attacks Shazam on sight for looking like a gargoyle, even after Shazam shows himself capable of speech. Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee has him acting somewhat more like he was in his debut.

Batman

Wayne Williams

“No one's gonna push me around ever again.”

Once an ordinary citizen with a decent heart and the son of a respected cop, Wayne Williams' life was forever changed when he made the mistake of protecting a woman from a drive-by attempt. That woman turned out to be the girlfriend of legendarily vindictive and petty gangster "Handz", who responded by framing Wayne for a crime he didn't commit. Wayne vowed to seek justice when he was released. Training body and mind during his extensive prison stay, upon his release, he took to prowling the streets in the guise of a monstrous humanoid bat, searching for a way to make true criminals like Handz pay.

---

• Arch-Enemy: Handz Horgum, who killed Wayne's father and framed him for accessory to armed robbery—while Wayne was in jail, his mother died of a broken heart and loneliness, cementing the young man's hatred for the criminal.
• Badass Normal: One of the few things from the original Batman that was kept is the aspect of fighting crime while only a normal human being without any powers to speak of. He actually gets a little annoyed when people mistake him for a powered hero.
• Beardless Protection Program: Batman got out of prison knowing that Handz would be after him, so he shaved his head bald and turned his goatee into a handlebar mustache.
• Composite Character: In addition to the Batman name, his backstory is a combination of Batman and Luke Cage, whilst his costume makes him resemble the minor Bat-foe Man-Bat. Being a professional fighter and bodybuilder, having been framed for killing a man, and his animal-based superhero costume, he has a strong similarity to Ted Grant's Wildcat.
• Death by Origin Story: Like the standard version of Batman, this Batman's origin involves being orphaned. The difference is that Wayne Williams' father was a cop who was shot by Handz when Wayne was a teenager and Wayne's mother died while he was incarcerated after Handz set him up rather than Wayne Williams losing both parents to a mugger at age eight like Bruce Wayne.
• Genius Bruiser: At Doctor Grant's suggestion he both started working out in earnest and availing himself of the prison library as well as learning from the physicist/inventor, until by the time he was out of prison, he'd bulked his body and mind up immensely.
• Glory Seeker: Much like this Earth's Superman, he needs money to accomplish his goal, in this case to eventually topple the wealthy and powerful Handz. After seeing a wrestling match on TV, he decides to become a wrestler with a gimmick—he would never remove his costume or otherwise reveal his identity in public. This mystique—combined with his incredible athletic prowess in the ring—soon has his name in lights, and he ends up a multi-millionaire via endorsements and merchandise.
• Not His Sled: The one-shot focusing on the Just Imagine continuity's take on Robin has him offer to form a partnership with Robin, but Robin turns him down. Wayne believes their paths will cross again, however.
• Not Quite Flight: His cape allows him to glide long distances.
• Prisons Are Gymnasiums: Part of Batman's backstory; after being framed for a crime he didn't commit, the skinny Wayne Williams started exercising strenuously until he had nearly doubled in size. He also spent a lot of time in the prison library, training his mind to match his body.
• Pro Wrestling Is Real: Batman is a massively popular pro-wrestler by day, and though the theatrics of wrestling are at the forefront, the "theater" part isn't.
• Race Lift: Batman is black in this universe.
• Shout-Out: Wayne cares for and adopts a pet bat in prison, similar to Robert Stroud and his birds in Birdman of Alcatraz— the Batman of Alcatraz?
• Self-Made Man: Whereas Bruce Wayne was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Wayne Williams obtained his fortune through hard work.
• Super-Senses: His mask incorporates several enhanced sensory abilities.

Wonder Woman

Maria Mendoza

A Peruvian woman who sought to protect the ruins of her culture, only to be caught up in a plot by evil CEO Armando Guitez. After Guitez unlocked the evil power from the ruins' artifacts, Maria was chosen by the Golden Staff to protect the Earth.

---

• Action Girl: True to form for any version of Wonder Woman.
• Amazonian Beauty: Just as muscular and gorgeous as her main DC counterpart.
• Disappeared Dad: Her dad was killed by Armando Guitez.
• Dude Magnet: Is repeatedly noted to be very attractive and in her debut issue, every named male character not related to her wants to bang her.
• Light Is Good: She's an agent of the Incan sun god who wields holy powers to battle against the forces of darkness and evil. Naturally, she's brimming with positive light-related symbology.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: When Maria/Wonder Woman learns that her father is Guitez's puppet.
• The Power of the Sun: Being that she's an emissary of an ancient sun god.
• Race Lift: Maria is an Peruvian girl whose powers stem from the Inca pantheon.

The Flash

Mary Maxwell

“I remember the old saying, "be careful what you wish for— you may get it." I've got the super power I always dreamed of... But it came at the cost of my father's life. And my own life can never be normal again.”

• Ascended Fangirl: She's a passionate fan of in-universe superhero comics who becomes a superhero herself.
• The Baby of the Bunch: She is the youngest member of this universe's Justice League and is 18 as of Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee.
• Big Eater: Much like the mainstream Flash, she eats a lot, partly due to being a teenager.
• Death by Origin Story: Her origin involves her father being assassinated by S.T.E.A.L.T.H. agents.
• Disappeared Dad: Her dad suffers a Death by Origin Story.
• Gender Flip: The Flash is female in this version, whilst every official Flash in the main DCU at the time was male.
• Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke: She was genetically modified to withstand the effects of time travel.
• Kid Hero: She’s still in her teens, and is as capable of holding her own as the adult heroes.
• Super-Speed: Wouldn't be the Flash without it. Her version relies on manipulating her personal connection to the flow of time, rather than her canon counterparts' connection to the Speed Force.
• Tagalong Kid: She's the youngest of the heroes due to being a teenager, though she can hold her own just as well as the others.
• Time Travel: As mentioned above, her powers stem from a form of this, which she's still learning to control. She has learned how to precisely go back in time by the sequel story.
• You Can't Fight Fate: Her story in Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee concerns her attempting to use her powers to go back in time and prevent her father's death, with no success.

Green Lantern

Leonard Lewis

• Composite Character: In addition being a mixture between Alan Scott (whose powers are based in mysticism) and Hal Jordan (strength of character and enormous courage), Leonard also invokes Alan's retconned daughter, Jade, whose powers turned her whole body green and faintly luminescent when she used them. The connection to the life of Earth and plant life is also very Swamp Thing-esque. Looks-wise, his superpowered form also bears a strong resemblance to Doctor Manhattan (which is helped by the fact that the character's one-shot was illustrated by Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons).
• Decomposite Character: The Just Imagine continuity features two versions of Hal Jordan, neither who are shown to have any connection to Green Lantern: one is a retired police officer and the father of Catwoman, and the other was featured in Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee as The Commissioner Gordon for Batman.
• Green Thumb: Because his powers stem from his connection to the spirit of life and the Earth, Leonard's powers manifest predominantly as the ability to control plants.

Shazam

Robert Rogers

• Adaptation Species Change: Instead of his alternate form resembling a human, Robert's transformed self is a towering magenta/red monster man with claws on his digits and spikes on his head and forearms. He flies by growing dragon-like wings.
• Age Lift: Robert is an adult Interpol agent instead of a kid like Billy Batson.
• Big Eater: Shazam is, as seen in the sequel story.
• Composite Character: Robert's transformation into a monstrous Shazam form and his affiliation with Merlin mirrors how Jason Blood becomes the demon-prince Etrigan.
• Decomposite Character: In this universe, while the "Shazam" powers are given to Robert Rogers, there exists two characters who are also inspired by the classic character;
  • First, there's Billy Marvel. He's an American orphan in India who becomes an honorary U.S. Peace Corps Captain, meaning he's this universe's literal "Captain Marvel".
  • Second is Ambassador Batson, who is the one who awards Marvel's heroism with the honorary title.

Aquaman

Ramon Raymond

• Adaptation Species Change: Is a human being who gains powers rather than a human/Atlantean hybrid.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: Rather than being able to breathe underwater, communicate telepathically to fish and having a strong enough durability to survive underwater pressure, this Aquaman is able to turn into living water and manipulate water around him.
• Captain Ersatz: Visually, he resembles the Spider-Man villain Hydro-Man more than his namesake, or his traditional Marvel analogue of Namor The Submariner.
• Elemental Shapeshifter: After exposure to the same mystic force that created the Green Lantern whilst injected with an experimental formula containing DNA from various oceanic species, Ramon gained the power to become a being of living water.
• Expy: With his personality, science background, danger sense and girlfriend who lacks the same interests as him he had similarities with Spider-Man.
• Making a Splash: When in his "Aquaman" form, Ramon can freely manipulate water around him.
• Professor Guinea Pig: He got his powers after he injected himself with his own experimental formula.
• Team Member in the Adaptation: Inverted. He isn't a member of this world's Justice League when they form, though he does join them when they all appear Crisis, the final issue of the series.

Catwoman

Joanie Jordan

• Anti-Hero: Despite genuinely wanting to do good, Joanie is very vain and has a real problem with kleptomania.
• Cat Girl: Much more directly than her mainstream counterpart. She can see in the dark, has cat-like reflexes and the ability to jump really far, and can change her fingers into elongated, claw-like talons.
• Cleavage Window: And a heart-shaped one to boot!
• Wolverine Claws: Catwoman has the ability to extend her fingers into elongated, razor-sharp talons. Much like how Aquaman resembles a heroic counterpart to Marvel's Hydroman, they make her look like a non-deformed version of Lady Deathstrike.

Sandman

Larry Wilton

• The Ace: He was an MIT-educated astrophysicist and was such a good fighter pilot that he was able to leave that to become an astronaut. Then it turned out he was The Chosen One of the Dreamworld and became its magic-wielding champion. So Wilton's a pretty accomplished guy.
• Alliterative Name: As you may have noticed, he's the only superhero in the setting to completely avert it.

Lois Lane

• Adaptational Job Change: This version of Lois is Salden’s manager and publicist, instead of a journalist.
• Engineered Heroics: In Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee Lois hires a desperate ex-con supervillain to disrupt a press conference with Senator Amanda Waller so the the JLA can be seen "saving" her and get some good PR...without the knowledge or consent of the JLA. The guy squeals when captured and the JLA manages to get good PR anyway after disavowing the stunt. As for Lois...she's in hot water with the senator and very likely also the cops.
• Hot Scoop: This Lois is an agent instead of a Daily Planet journalist, but damn if she isn’t attractive!

Villains

Thief of Souls

Reverend Dominic Darrk

• Big Bad: Is the nefarious force that shows up through the stories and is up to no good.
• In the Hood: He and his followers are all shown wearing black hoods.
• Religion of Evil: Runs one.

Doom Patrol

In general

• Adaptational Villainy: The Doom Patrol of the standard DC Universe are a hero team, while this interpretation is instead a team of villains who happened to be killers awaiting execution before Darrk empowered them and brought them together (granted, the namesakes of the individual members of this Doom Patrol were already villains).
• Adaptational Superpower Change: Played straight with Deathstroke (who is able to instantly kill whoever he touches rather than being a mercenary with formidable strength and endurance) and Parasite (who possesses people and flies rather than the standard Parasite's power of absorbing people's energy and copying any abilities the victim happens to possess), averted with Blockbuster (who is still a super-strong behemoth).
• Cheated Death, Died Anyway: All three of them were death row inmates who Reverend Darrk recruited right before they were about to be executed. In the final battle, all three end up getting killed.
• Purple Is Powerful: All of them are colored purple or at least give off a purple glow when using their powers.

Brock Smith/Blockbuster

• Bald of Evil: He is bald and was a convicted killer before gaining his super-strength.
• High-Voltage Death: He meets his end by walking into an exposed wire and being electrocuted to death.

Deke Durgan/Deathstroke

• Eyepatch of Power: The one thing he shares with his standard incarnation is wearing an eyepatch.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: The Flash defeats him by tricking him into touching his own body, resulting in his own death.
• Touch of Death: His power is that he instantly kills whoever he touches.

Lucinda Radama/Parasite

• Black Widow: She was apparently sentenced to death because she murdered every man she married.
• Death Equals Redemption: Yggdrasil cleanses her of her past sins, freeing her soul.
• Gender Flip: She is female unlike most Parasites (predating Alexandra Allston by two years).
• Race Lift: The first interpretation of the Parasite to be black.

Crisis

• Mythology Gag: His very name alludes to the circumstances of Crisis on Infinite Earths, where all the heroes united against a crisis that served as the end of the status quo.

Choker

A Serial Killer with a preference for strangulation confronted by Batman in his story in Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee.

---

• Practically Joker: He's very obviously created to be the Just Imagine universe's counterpart to the Joker. As if the rhyming codename wasn't obvious enough, he even has green hair, pale skin, purple clothing and is said to have the given name of Jack.
• Serial Killer: He strangles people to death, as his codename may suggest.