The Justice League Shuffle

[PatrickG]

Okay... So this is just a fun little exercise. You're given the keys to the Big Seven JLA. Assume you start with the big guns all in place.

You have to kill one of them, replace one of them with an unlikely replacement, give one of them new powers, take one member's powers and abilities away, sideline one of them at the far rim of creation with a crucial piece of information, have one of them betray the team and make one of them into the savior of mankind who can reset everything.

Killed:

Wonder Woman - Nobody handles a death scene with more flair than a warrior like Diana and her return at the end of the arc would have impact.

Replaced:

Martian Manhunter - Replaced by Triumph. Triumph is a favorite of mine and his uneasy father/son relationship with J'Onn coupled with his temprament make him a replacement that would make sparks fly.

New Powers:

I kinda dig the idea of the gods, in need of a champion, deciding that if Hal was good enough for the Guardians, he's good enough to fill in for them in a pinch. Enter Captain Wonder. Plus, a guy like Hal relying on magic seems like something equally weird and potentially classic. Plus, gives Diana a chance to shine posthumously when he screws up and makes a mistake she wouldn't.

Lost Powers:

Batman. No one would be more crippled by the loss of their abilities than Batman even though his are the most subtle. He made himself what he is in order to cope and it would be interesting to see how he copes with the world having to start from square one, with only an average person's mind, resources and physical prowess.

Sidelined at the Edge of the Universe:

Aquaman - How much fun is this? He's very resourceful and an expert at navigation but completely out of his element in deep space, working his way back to earth.

Traitor:

Superman - The most gripping traitor possible. I think he could be turned to the dark side temporarily if his anxieties about the moral application of his own powers were turned inside out. He's a walking example of self-control and if he was sufficiently made to feel both responsible for the existence of his peers and feel that they were all reckless, he might be a formidable opponent.

Savior:

The Flash - Capable of coming up with a clever solution, good at rallying/inspiring a family of peers. Beyond that, he really doesn't work in any of the other roles for me.

[Charles RB]

Killed:

Batman - I'm going to make myself unable to use his wealth, tech, or skills as a crutch.

Replaced:

Superman - Replaced by Triumph. Pretty much for the same reasons as you, and because he seems more fun to have in the Superman role.

New Powers:

Martian Manhunter - And he's going to have Firestorm's powers, possibly even be Firestorm. Every time he uses his powers, he's hurting himself and harming his endurance. His battles are a struggle, and he's forced to use his powers and his environment creatively - because if he gets hit, he's going down even at full flame.

Lost Powers:

The Flash - let's strip Barry of his speed and have him as full-on forensic scientist. He fills one of Batman's roles, without the inherent "he'll win cos he's BATMAN!" psychological block; and it focuses on another of his strengths.

Sidelined at the Edge of the Universe:

Wonder Woman - She can find her way back, but will she when the edge of the universe needs peace being brought to it far more than Man's World does?

Traitor:

Hal Jordan - He works for an alien organisation. If that organisation decides the JLA most be stopped for the greater good, or maybe Earth itself needs to become an Oa protectorate for its own safety...

Savior:

Aquaman - Fuck you "ha ha he talks to fish" meme, Aquaman can be cool and he's GOING to be.

[PatrickG]

I think I like your choices as well or better than my own.

[K-DoG7p7]

[
Aquaman - Fuck you "ha ha he talks to fish" meme, Aquaman can be cool and he's GOING to be.

The current Aquaman meme is

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m51/bushi138/outrageous.jpg

and

http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs38/f/2008/342/3/3/Aquamans_Undercover_Adventure_by_MK01.jpg

[tangentman]

Okay... So this is just a fun little exercise. You're given the keys to the Big Seven JLA. Assume you start with the big guns all in place.

You have to kill one of them, replace one of them with an unlikely replacement, give one of them new powers, take one member's powers and abilities away, sideline one of them at the far rim of creation with a crucial piece of information, have one of them betray the team and make one of them into the savior of mankind who can reset everything.

Killed:

Superman. Taking out Clark always challenges League morale.

Replaced:

Aquaman--replaced by Mera. :biggrin:

New Powers:

Batman. A weird Kryptonian contigency allows Batman to inherit half of Superman's power. The other half? Thanks to Phantom Zone rogues' interference, that goes to Lex Luthor. Stakes raised against the League.

Lost Powers:

Martian Manhunter. How often have we seen J'onn cope w/a drastic power loss? I can't think of any off the top of my head.

Sidelined at the Edge of the Universe:

Batman. A true test of his resourcefulness.

Traitor:

Flash. Nobody would see THAT coming from such a "True Blue Boy Scout" type.

Savior:

Wonder Woman. I can't remember the last time she brought the League to a clear-cut victory. We're in an "Age of Wonder", thanks to the Renaissance undertaken by Gail. Let's see Diana shine in the League, too!

[stealthwise]

Crap, which are the seven again? Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter and... Aquaman, right?

Killed:

Seriously, who on this list hasn't been killed before? I guess I'd go with Green Lantern and pull a switcheroo, making it G'Nort, going out in comical fashion before Hal can get back and bail him out. The rest of the team would simply shrug a bit sadly and then move on with their day-to-day.

Replaced:

Superman would be replaced by Superbo... er, SuperMAN Prime, but not with anyone realizing it (except for Batman, because it's the Dick Grayson Batman, and SMP has a device up his sleeve that's able to confuse/convince everyone else that he actually is Superman, but it malfunctions with Dick because he's not the same Batman).

New Powers:

Flash loses touch with the Speed Force and this causes him to still be able to move at very fast speeds, but not deal with a ton of the aftermath surrounding him, leading to WW and MM having to deal with the hurricanes and friction fires that are left in the wake. As a result, Flash has to remake himself as an elemental type figure, so as not to scare others.

Lost Powers:

Green Lantern. Superman Prime's device is skewering the ring's ability to tell time, and it often will not hold a charge for very long (that's right, I'm ignoring the percentage-based battery charge that Johns is utilizing currently). These leads to Hal having to hold his own without relying entirely on the ring.

Sidelined at the Edge of the Universe:

Batman. Because who wouldn't want Bats to bring himself back from the brink, especially since it's Dick, who would apparently have a lot more to prove than his predecessor.

Traitor:

Superman would seem to be the one who betrays the team, until it's revealed that Superman Prime swapped places with him, thanks to the help of Aquaman, not the Arthur Curry or hook-handed guy or Sword of Atlantis guy, but another version from Earth-2 (likely the Morrison/Quitely version). With Hal powerless, Flash out of control, Martian Manhunter preoccupied with keeping everything in line, Bats working his way back from the edge of the universe, who's left to save the day?

Savior:

Wonder Woman. Because she's Badass, and would figure out a way to take on Superman Prime and the alternate-universe Aquaman and whoop their asses but good.

[RachelEvil]

Killed:

"Say good night, Hal."

Replaced:

"The Man of Tomorrow departs, and the Tomorrow Woman steps in!"

New Powers:

"I'm Batman, and I can breathe in space."

Lost Powers:

"The Manhunter from Mars has lost his array of abilities, and must become the world's greatest extraterrestrial gumshoe."

Sidlined at the Edge of the Universe:

"Can the Flash run fast enough to make it back in time to warn everyone?"

Traitor:

"The armies of the sea will rise up against you. It is our only hope to survive."

Savior:

"I am Truth. I am Hope. I have come from my home to bring peace to this world, and so I shall."

[K-DoG7p7]

Crap, which are the seven again? Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter and... Aquaman, right?

yup..
The "Eleven" are
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman and Black Canary (in that order)
Then we enter the 70's and things get weird..


I always kinda wondered why Green arrow was never looked at as a founder..
so he wasn't in The Brave and the Bold # 28.. but he did join the team in JLA #4.

Roy and Donna are Teen Titans founders.. but they both joined later
(Ok so the Junior Justice League wasn't the een Titans.. but it was kinda the start)

[Charles RB]

You know what would be fun? Doing this with the Big 7's... substitutes from the 90s and the like. Matrix Supergirl, Azrael, Artemis, Kyle, the alternate universe Dark Flash, J'Onn's Bloodwynd guise, and what the hell, Triumph.

Hell, let's just have that team anyway!

[PatrickG]

You know what would be fun? Doing this with the Big 7's... substitutes from the 90s and the like. Matrix Supergirl, Azrael, Artemis, Kyle, the alternate universe Dark Flash, J'Onn's Bloodwynd guise, and what the hell, Triumph.

Hell, let's just have that team anyway!

See... This taps into my great Triumph pitch I'm hoping for someday.

My take is basically that Triumph is actually the founder of an alternate JLA on an earth where, basically, the 90s never ended. And the question becomes: Did his absence on that earth create the never-ending Dark Age -- OR was it his added presence that inspired it?

[Charles RB]

My take is basically that Triumph is actually the founder of an alternate JLA on an earth where, basically, the 90s never ended.

I would buy that.

[Reptisaurus!]

You know what would be fun? Doing this with the Big 7's... substitutes from the 90s and the like. Matrix Supergirl, Azrael, Artemis, Kyle, the alternate universe Dark Flash, J'Onn's Bloodwynd guise, and what the hell, Triumph.

Hell, let's just have that team anyway!

I'm afraid of the '90s, but I always wanted to see a Supergirl/Nightwing/Wonder Girl/Jay Garrick Flash/Guy Gardner/Ocean Master/... There's a female Martian Manhunter now, right? JLA.

[Gumbo Maximillian]

Kill One: Wonder Woman
Replace One: Flash
New Powers: Aqua Man
Take away powers: Superman
Abadonned at the edge of creation w/info: Green Lantern
Traitor: Martian Manhunter
Savior: Batman



Scenario:

Martian Manhunter gets infected via an alien virus on one of his missions w/GL, developes a severe mental disorder and leaves GL stranded at a part of the galaxy thats' laws of physics are so different even the concept of "will" isn't the same.

He tells them that GL unfortunately died on their relatively non-dangerous mission to chart that part of the universe.

During a moment when Wonder Woman is praying to her gods; he actually manages to follow the psychic connection and makes the gods change their mind as to who they want as their replacement and choose aquaman.

At the time it makes sense to them, WW's continiously "failed" in her mission and Aquaman's royalty, experienced, the whole atlantis thing plus some connection to mysticism already and he's kind of a perfect fit.

Wonder Woman is dead, soul in hades and her body has reverted back to being clay.

Flash is the worlds fastest zombie who does nothing but hang out in MM's closest due to being brain dead and replaced by a fascimile created via MM getting half of his arm cut off and growing it to a full size body and mind controlling it via his own telepathy.

His plan is to eventually replace all the Justice League as such.

Now Martian Manhunter is going about his business to replace all the JLA but there are still villains going around doing their thing so he still needs them until they are all replaced.

During one of those bad guy beat downs he manages to take advantage of a hurt superman and convince him the damage is bad enough that he has at least semi-permamently lost the vast majority of his powers and is essentially a normal human.

But crazy virus Martian Manhunter has made the mistake in underestimating Batman due to being "human" and the last one he feels the need to be concerned with.

Now normal MM would realize what a danger Batman is but current derranged MM isn't quite up to snuff.

And on top of all the craziness, GL "dead", Wonder Woman dead, Aquaman given a new set of powers/responsibilities, Flash acting stranger than usual, superman powerless, Batman notices that Martian Manhunter is acting strange.

Analyzing a random piece of the alien that just "glopped off" Batman realizes that Martian Manhunter is sick of a foreign virus that just happens to be curable via peniccilin.

In the course of trying to get Martian Manhunter to accept a cure; it comes out what he's been doing, he loses control of the flash, both original and the "martian flashhunter" so to speak.

They manage to restrain him, once cured he reveals what happened to GL, they use one of the teleporters to get him back, the gods bring Wonder Woman back to life, Superman's powers come back, Aquaman goes back to being plain old Aquaman.

To make up for his transgressions the gods send Martian Manhunter on 12 labors.

There you go; issue 1 of the JLA series I would work on.

[Joe Acro]

You have to kill one of themGreen Lantern.

replace one of them with an unlikely replacementSuperman replaced with Uncle Sam.

give one of them new powersWonder Woman.

take one member's powers and abilities awayMartian Manhunter

sideline one of them at the far rim of creation with a crucial piece of informationBatman. Who else would I trust with my crucial information?

have one of them betray the teamAquaman.

make one of them into the savior of mankind who can reset everythingThe Flash. Something involving use of the Speed Force.