Characters Who Have Been Around For 50+ Years

While there have been some DC Comics characters that have extended well into 80 years on this Earth, there are others that have just a few decades to their name but can be considered equally as iconic in their own right. Some of the best DC Comics characters are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2024, whereas others have already reached that milestone.

Every DC Comics character deserves remembrance on their anniversary, and all of these DC Characters were created in the 70s and showcase features and designs that create heralds of creativity and excitement among the DC fandom.

8 Man-Bat

Created on: June, 1970

• Debut Issue: Detective Comics #400
• Created by: Frank Robbins, Neal Adams

Doctor Kirk Langstrom is a welcome addition to the Batman mythos, this scientist once believed bats could be used to cure the blind and the deaf – only to discover that his experiments and chemicals would turn those who fell victim to its promising effects into bat-sized creatures of the night with nothing but a blood lust.

Man-Bat is one of Batman’s more mystical villains and threats, and it’s hard to believe that he’s over 50 years old now. Despite having 5 decades behind him, Man-Bat hasn’t featured all that much outside of a few issues, and it’s a shame since he would make a great horror villain in a Batman movie.

7 Darkseid

Created on: December, 1970

• Debut Issue: Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134
• Created by: Jack Kirby

Darkseid is a name that can make anyone’s skin crawl in and out of the DC Universe. Darkseid is a tyrant, a New God who rules Apokolips and seeks to dismantle life itself with the Anti-Life equation. With his Omega Beams and his unrelenting will, Darkseid will crush everything and everyone in his immortal life.

Yet, who would have expected that a menacing villain such as Darkseid didn’t originate in a Superman comic or a Justice League one, but instead, one all about Jimmy Olsen? Darkseid’s appearance well over 50 years ago is brief, and features just a white guy with a black helmet, but was quickly changed to be the menacing rock man he’s seen as today.

6 Power Girl

Created on: February, 1976

• Debut Issue: All-Star Comics #58
• Created by: Frank Robbins, Neal Adams

It might be cheating a smidge to mention Power Girl, considering she is just 2 years away from hitting the impressive 5 decades benchmark, but it’s hard not to bring her up considering she’s so close to it – and so iconic. Power Girl is an interesting character in her own right, and comes from a time when multiverse shenanigans were becoming more commonplace thanks to her being the cousin of Superman from Earth-Two.

Power Girl has often served with the Justice Society of America, and as Kara Zor-L, she would have her origins tied with Krypton forever, just not the Krypton of the Prime-Earth and New-Earth that many readers know. Despite her heritage from a parallel Earth, Power Girl has the staying power of a beloved hero that has always been welcomed back into mainline continuity due to her familiar powers and cocky spirit.

5 Big Barda

Created on: October, 1971

• Debut Issue: Mister Miracle #4
• Created by: Jack Kirby

One of the New Gods of Apokolips, Big Barda was a member of the dreaded and feared Female Furies – a ghastly task force that would do Darkseid’s twisted bidding with unfaltering loyalty. Yet, even someone as strong as Big Barda could not resist the pull of love, and she fell for Mister Miracle and became a hero.

Big Barda’s backstory is as interesting as it gets, and she now uses her powers to aid those weaker and has joined up with the Justice League and the Birds of Prey on numerous occasions. Often one for strength and not for jokes, Big Barda’s a character who has changed a lot in 50 years.

4 Mister Miracle

Created on: April, 1971

• Debut Issue: Mister Miracle #1
• Created by: Jack Kirby

Scott Free was named for his devotion and talent for escaping the restraints that befell him on Apokolips, and it’s a name that he has run with since he escaped his twisted planet. Taking the name Mister Miracle, Scott Free would use his talents of escapism to be a brilliant performance artist, but one that would never forget his roots as Darkseid’s adopted son as a New God.

Hailing from Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, Mister Miracle celebrates 5 decades of existence, and in that time, he too has had a fair share of changes. Most recently, Mister Miracle has been a character study from Tom King with his own solo series that delves into the multiverse, an identity crisis, and darker thoughts.

3 Swamp Thing

Created on: November, 1972

• Debut Issue: Swamp Thing #1
• Created by: Len Wein, Bernie Wrightston

With Doctor Alec Holland’s death, Swamp Thing was born, providing the Green with a new avatar to protect all plant life of Earth. Swamp Thing isn’t just a character born to be a protector, as this avatar of the Green can be lethal and punishing to those who deserve it, and will control the plants and fungus on Earth to dish out that punishment.

Swamp Thing has been around for over 50 years, and in that time, he’s seen a poorly received creature feature movie as well as a beloved short-lived TV series. While the media doesn’t seem to love Swamp Thing, James Mangold certainly does, and the DCU should provide him with his very own feature movie.

2 Ra’s al Ghul

Created on: June, 1971

• Debut Issue: Batman #232
• Created by: Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams

There is no man like Ra’s al Ghul, and there truly shouldn’t be. Ra’s is effectively immortal thanks to his abuse of the Lazarus Pit, which will see him resurrected and de-aged, time and again, but lacking the essential sanity needed to keep him composed and rational. Ra’s goals extend to hundreds of years of philosophy, where he claims that humanity’s evil can be snuffed out through violence and chaos.

Ra’s is a manipulator, a mastermind, and a violent combatant who leads the League of Assassins – although he sees the World’s Greatest Detective, Batman, as a successor. Ra’s deservingly features outside of comics as a true adversary to Gotham City, and hopefully, his reign continues for another 50 years.

1 John Stewart (Green Lantern)

Created on: January, 1972

• Debut Issue: Green Lantern #87
• Created by: Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams

One of Earth’s mightiest Green Lanterns is John Stewart, a man of constant conflict who only desires peace. John’s veteran status of war is best represented through his peacekeeping abilities when it comes to saving the universe as a Green Lantern, but his stubbornness has cost some lives, even if it has saved millions more.

John Stewart is a flawed and brilliant Green Lantern, and it’s hard to believe he’s already 50 years old. John is one of the best of the bunch, teaming and competing with the likes of Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner for the crown of the best Green Lantern, but it seems this is the hero to stick around with the DCU’s Lantern series.