Justice League Dream Team #7

Mister Miracle

I’m a total freak for the Fourth World, so this one won’t come as a huge shock to those that know me. However, why Scott over Orion or Barda? I needed someone who knew there way around technology. Mister Miracle has the greatest relationship with a Mother Box EVER and while he might not be a genius of technology, she IS! Just get Mother Box near the techno-problem, and she’ll start solve it quicker than you can say “Hightfather’s PJs.” How many times do the villains put the heroes in some elaborate death trap? Once in a while, one might answer. If you were in a diabolical death trap, would you rather have Superman or the guy who escaped from Apokolips when he was barely out of his teens? Scott Free all the way, man! Plus, if the JLA were ever in a real pinch for firepower, Scott just has to call his wife and ask her to help out. In case you didn’t know, Scott Free is married to Big Barda, onetime leader of Darkseid’s Female Furies. We’re talking about a woman who beat down the Wonder Woman of the 853^rd century (“She might last a week or two on the firepit crust-colonies of Armagetto,” Barda says after knocking Wonder Woman through most of the Watchtower, “but she lacks discipline.”)!

Mister Miracle rounds out this team and makes it the perfect Justice League of America.

I know this flies in the face of all of Tate's Kriby-love (I suspect he was tempted to have an All New Gods JLA), but I never have liked the idea of having any of the Fourth World characters in the League; I think I've always felt that the New Gods were a bit too, I don't know, cosmic to be involved with the League. Yes, Scott and Barda worked well in Giffen's League due to the comedic tone, and the inclusion of the New Gods during Morrison's run fit in with the escalating threat of his run, but on the whole, I shy away from the idea. So, who is my 7th? Let me tell you, I've gone back and forth on this a lot, and after a heated round of einey-meeny-miney-moe, I've settled on:

Captain Atom


I realize that my League is a bit testosterone heavy, and I was this close to choosing Black Canary, but something made me go with the good Captain instead. I think Captain Atom is one of those characters who hasn't fared so well over the years outside of his own title; in his previous tenures in the League he was often portrayed as bumbling, intolerant, and kind of unlikable hot-head. A lot of that came from him being the straight man in Giffen's JLE, and a lot came from the horror story that was Extreme Justice (the less said about that the better). I guess I'd just like a chance for Nate to finally step forward and show his potential as a leader without all of the artificial obstacles being thrown in his way.

The Fourth World is pretty cosmic, this is true. But Scott and Barda are about as down-to-earth as you can get in the DCU. They live here...and in suburbia. Plus, they're really great characters. It isn't like I wanted Lightray in the League or anything. That would be totally weak.

While I can certainly understand wanting Captain Atom in the League for both firepower and to give him a shot at being a likable guy (Extreme Justice was quite the load of baggage for him), I'm surprised to see him mentioned as leader. You can see from earlier that I assumed Hawkman would be the leader of Todd's JLA and I stand by that pick. Maybe Captain Atom would be a good second in command, but with Katar around I can't see him wearing the big shoes at the Big Show, Nate's tenure as leader in the JLE notwithstanding.

Wow...the most non-argument argument ever. On to the Alternates!