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As many people know, Stan Lee has created or helped create a massive amount of characters for Marvel Comics. But after moving away from his regular duties at Marvel, Lee began working on other projects. One of these projects was for Marvel’s biggest competitor, DC, in which he would make a series of one-shots featuring some of their major characters, rewritten by Lee himself.
These one-shots, published under the banner Just Imagine… and taking place on Earth-6, included DC mainstays like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. But, as this was Stan Lee rewriting the characters and their stories, there are multiple changes between the original characters and their new interpretations.
Batman
Batman is one of DC’s greatest detectives and one of the smartest characters in the universe. However, Lee’s version of him was far from this.
Instead of a billionaire businessman, Earth-6’s Batman is Wayne Williams, a man seeking revenge against Handz, the gangster that framed him for a crime he didn’t commit. Aided by scientist Frederick Grant, Williams becomes a wrestler to make money, going by the alias “Batman.” Like the original Batman, Williams has no superpowers, but unlike him, he doesn’t have any detective skills. He simply relies on his strength and athleticism to stop crime and defeat villains. His costume is also far more bat-like than Bruce Wayne’s.
Superman
Superman is one of the most overpowered superheroes of all time, making his Earth-6 counterpart quite weak in comparison.
This version, named Salden, is a Law Bringer/Police Officer on Krypton, known for his refusal to use any sort of physical enhancements in his work, who comes to Earth chasing an escaped convict.
Much of Salden’s abilities on Earth are like the original Superman, with him getting enhanced speed, strength, and durability. But unlike the original Superman, Salden’s enhanced abilities come from Earth having a lower gravity than Krypton, making seem like he has insane powers in comparison to regular humans.
Wonder Woman
The main universe Wonder Woman is a trained fighter able to take down most foes with ease. Lee’s version of her differs far from this.
Unlike the original Wonder Woman, this one, Maria Mendoza, has nothing to do with the Greek Pantheon. Instead, Mendoza received the powers of spirits of light from the Incas, who gave her a special staff that allowed her to be empowered by the Sun God, turning her into Wonder Woman. She uses these powers of light to fight the forces of darkness in Los Angeles.
The Flash
There are many different versions of the Flash in the multiverse, but none are quite like the one that Lee created for this series.
This Flash is Mary Maxwell, a college girl with a life-threatening illness that’s causing her to slowly waste away. Her speed, however, doesn’t come from the Speed Force. Instead, it comes from an injection she received from her father that contained the DNA of a hummingbird, which also cured her of her illness. While this makes her easily much slower than the mainstream Flash, Maxwell still is the fastest superhuman on Earth-6 and would go on to take up the mantle of the Flash and join the Justice League.
Aquaman
Aquaman has become more popular in recent years, partly thanks to newer interpretations of the character such as by Jason Momoa in Aquaman. But Earth-6’s Aquaman takes the character in a drastically different direction.
No longer a king or Atlantean whatsoever, the Aquaman here is Ramon Raymond, a marine biologist who was exposed to a strange, glowing green liquid on an expedition. This exposure gave him the powers of hydrokinesis and the ability to transform himself into the water itself. Also unlike the original Aquaman, Raymond becomes a vigilante and crime fighter rather than a king protecting his people, given that Atlantis itself doesn’t exist on this Earth)
Shazam
Where both the original Shazam and Earth-6’s Shazam both have transformed into a new form as an ability, Earth-6’s Shazam form is a little more monstrous.
In this universe, Robert Rogers, a mild-mannered Interpol agent, travels to India to track down criminal mastermind Gungha Khan. While there, he is empowered with the ability to transform into a large, hairy, red creature by saying the word “Shazam.” Unlike his main universe counterpart, Rogers does not get smarter when transforming into his Shazam form. Instead, he gets dumber. However, his strength levels are enhanced much like the original Shazam’s, making him one of Earth-6’s strongest heroes.
Catwoman
Despite their different views, Batman and Catwoman are one of the fans’ favorite superhero couples in the comics. Lee’s version isn’t like that at all she’s not even a thief here.
Earth-6’s Catwoman is Joan “Joanie” Jordan, a famous fashion model who was struck with green lightning alongside her cat, Ebony, which granted her the abilities of a cat and a psychic link with Ebony while also giving the cat enhanced intelligence. This makes her completely different from her mainstream counterpart – while the original Catwoman merely dresses up like a cat, Jordan has the actual abilities of a cat, such as claws and enhanced senses – not to mention she decides to become a superhero instead of a supervillain.
Robin
Out of all the characters, Robin might be the closest to his main universe counterpart. However, there are still some differences between the two.
Robin was raised in an orphanage and is eventually lured to the church of Reverend Darrk, one of the main villains of the universe, where he was both empowered and mind controlled to serve his will. Thanks to this empowerment, Robin gained several basic superpowers, like enhanced strength and agility, making him different from his mainstream counterpart. However, he soon becomes a hero like the original Robin, and perhaps even stronger than him, given that he is ultimately the one that defeats the evil Crisis at the end of Just Imagine…
Sandman
Though the Sandman in Netflix’s latest series matches multiple comic panels in some scenes, it is an older version of the character that Lee adapts for his series – with multiple changes to the character overall.
Earth-6’s Sandman is Larry Wilton, a fighter pilot, and astronaut. He is granted magical dream-based powers thanks to an encounter with a green mist, becoming the Sandman. While he’s certainly not as strong as the original Sandman, his magic powers, enhanced even further when he dreams, set him apart from his counterpart and truly make him a Dreamlord. Wilton also has with him magical sands inside a gemstone, which can be manipulated and are the source of his powers.
Green Lantern
Green Lantern may be a galactic officer of the Green Lantern Corp in the main canon, but on Earth-6, there is no such galactic organization.
With origins that involve Norse Mythology rather than aliens, Leonard Lewis is an archeologist that travels to Africa to find Yggdrasil, the tree of life. He succeeds, and Yggdrasil makes him it’s champion and gives him mystical powers. Like the Green Lanterns from mainstream DC Comics, Lewis’s powers rely on thought, but he also has access to superpowers that Green Lanterns don’t have, like creating windstorms and geokinetic abilities. While in his Green Lantern form, he also appears to be completely invincible.
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