jump to:
of 10
With the recent ascension of <i>Daily Bugle</i> Publisher and long-time <a href=http://www.newsarama.com/topic/spider-man>Spider-Man</a> nemesis J. Jonah Jameson to Mayor of New York City of the Marvel Comics' Universe and President Barack Obama's continued presence as a comic book character (and a top-selling one at that), Newsarama thought it would be a good time to look at some of most notable political careers of the comic book world throughout the years... <p><i>by Troy Brownfield</i>
Following the events of <b>Infinite Crisis</b>, during the <b>One Year Later</b> storyline, Oliver Queen became mayor of fictional Star City. This was actually a modern update of an idea that had been entertained in previous decades, but it had a substantially longer shelf life. Oliver had to juggle his role as Green Arrow and his political career as organized crime, corruption, and super-villains made their moves. <p>Eventually, Queen resigned, ostensibly due to a scandal that was tied to the machinations of others. He went back to crime-fighting full-time, capping off the launch of this new phase in his career by proposing to his long-time love interest, Black Canary. Though she frequently punches him in the face, the occasionally happy couple can be found fighting evil in <a href=http://newsarama.com/comics/040916-Didio20.html><b>Green Arrow/Black Canary</b>M</a> every month.
Okay, we're not counting Obama in this list, but we're counting Nixon. Why, you ask? Because we're specifically counting only one version of Nixon: this is the Richard Nixon of <a href=http://www.newsarama.com/topic/Watchmen><b>Watchmen</b></a>. If you recall your American history, the real Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency in 1974 due to fallout stemming from the Watergate break-in and cover-up. <p>In <b>Watchmen</b>, the United States won the Vietnam War due to the intervention of Dr. Manhattan. Subsequently, a wildly popular Nixon is still president in 1985. The aging president must confront the possibility of impending nuclear war with the U.S.S.R., but <b>spoiler alert</b> that all changes thanks to a really big squid and a guy that likes to have Tears for Fears playing in his lobby.
This one gets a little bit complicated. Though there is a regular Kyle Richmond operating in the "regular" <a href=http://www.newsarama.com/topic/marvel-comics>Marvel Universe</a> we're talking about Richmond from an off-shoot parallel Marvel Universe. Like the regular Richmond, the "other" Kyle is Nighthawk. On that world, he's a member of their premiere super-team, the Squadron Supreme. Richmond eventually retires from adventuring and runs for Senate. He is later elected President. Unfortunately, he soon fell under the control of the alien villain Overmind. <p>After a cross-world battle in which the Squadron teamed up with the Defenders of regular Marvel Universe to defeat Overmind, their world was left in a shambles. The Squadron decides to save their world, undertaking a Utopia Project that includes behavior modification. Richmond quits the Squadron in disgust and begins a resistance movement. Eventually, the two sides meet in battle and Richmond is killed by Foxfire. Richmond's death and the Squadron's surrender leads to the dismantling of the Utopia Project.
The star of the <a href=http://www.newsarama.com/topic/dc-comics>DC Comics</a>/Wildstorm series <b>Ex Machina</b>, Mitchell Hundred, was the superhero known as the Great Machine. In his storyline, he's the only superhero of his world. He is elected Mayor of New York City after 9/11, during which he managed to save the south tower of the World Trade Center. <p>Unlike most of the other characters that have a passing interaction with politics, Hundred is firmly ensconced in this world. The title overall is an examination of the issues afflicting the super-powered mayor, and how he might strive to use both his mental and heroic acumen to solve problems that confront the city. The close to the real-world setting allows for some potent analogies; the shot of one surviving Tower from the opening story arc remains a starkly haunting visual.
Lex Luthor, greatest criminal mind of all time and <a href=http://www.newsarama.com/topic/Superman>Superman</a>'s arch foe, becomes president!? Preposterous, you say? Not so much. Luthor reached the presidency in the <b>Lex 2000</b> special in, yes, 2000, in the wake of the Cataclysm earthquake that ravaged Gotham City. Luthor's science-first agenda, coupled with a swift aid plan for Gotham (largely motivated by a real-estate swindle, just like in all the <i>Superman</i> movies!) made him unduly popular. <p>Of course, Lex's great delight was to be a huge pain in the ass to the heroes of the DC Universe. He knew about the Imperiex invasion before it happened, he frequently ordered superheroes into harm's way in situations that he often helped create, and he probably charged the taxpayers for head shinings. Eventually, due to actions of Batman, Superman, and others, Lex confesses to major transgressions on video. He eventually gets out of this fracas by pinning his crimes on Alexander Luthor, a doppelganger that did briefly impersonate him during events surrounding <b>Infinite Crisis</b>.
