Trading Places: DC Edition

You know how in every superhero team situation the heroes will switch villains to through their enemies off? I wanna Pitch a few of those scenarios. So today I'm going to be pitching six showdowns between The Justice League and some unlikely enemies!

Green Lantern: Atlantis Reborn

(Green Lantern vs Ocean Master)

Hal Jordan and John Stewart investigate a planet made mostly of water where some threats of war have been dwelling. Once there, they discover half the planet's people (fish-people) have been subjected by Orm, the former King of Atlantis and the self-proclaimed Ocean Master. Turns out these aliens sent a ship to Earth to retrieve Aquaman, hoping he could aid them in these war times, but Ocean Master tricked them into bringing him there. Now Ocean Master manipulates the entire watery planet with his magic trident and only Hal and John can defeat him. Problem is, some people don't want Orm gone as he has provided stability and safety in return for loyalty. I think this showdown would be interesting because all the power in the world can't help the Lanterns dethrone a king that everybody believes in. Hal's sworn enemy Sinestro used to subjugate his own planet using his Power Ring and The Guardians would do nothing about it. So I feel Hal would have a huge issue with Ocean Master doing the same, while John-as a former Marine-would fully understand the political complications of the whole thing. Regardless, seeing Hal and John fight underwater is a refreshing change.

Aquaman: The Oceans Will Boil

(Aquaman vs Ares)

Ares-The God of War-seeks to destroy Atlantis, hoping this act of genocidal destruction would be enough to gain Poseidon's attention. And when it does, he'll kill The God of The Sea and be that much closer to defeating Zeus. Aquaman, Mera, Tempest, and all of Atlantis' defenders must band together when Ares literally boils the ocean and raises Atlantis to the surface. A full on war between a God and a nation. This would of course parallel Ares' repeated battles with Wonder Woman and The Amazons, but with a big difference. There is an importance balance between fascinating, thought-out Aquaman stories, and just plain badass ones, and I really wanna see Arthur go all out on Ares. Fire vs water, sea vs war, Poseidon could show up at the end and help Aquaman plunge Ares into the briny depths. Now that would be epic.

The Flash: Wacky Races

(The Flash vs Mister Mxyzptlk)

The Flash deals with some silly stuff. Gorillas, time travel, colorful super-villains, but he's never dealt with someone who could change reality. Mister Mxyzptlk usually uses his reality-warping powers to mess with Superman, but with Flash this 5th dimensional imp could see just how fast The Fastest Man alive is! Mxy could take all those silly Flash stories from the 60's and make them challenges for Barry, like making The Flash obese, or giving Flash a huge forehead, or turning him into a puppet. Disabling his legs, making him race every version of The Flash ever, awesome stuff like that. For The Flash, breaking the laws of physics is a cakewalk, but when someone else is breaking them for their amusement it's not so easy to deal with. I just wanted one of these versus to be fun and crazy and weird and I love the idea of The Flash looking at the bizarre challenges Mxy gives him and saying "I can make this work".

Wonder Woman: The New Goddess

(Wonder Woman vs Poison Ivy)

Poison Ivy would see Themyscira as a paradise. No men, no pollution, ruled by powerful women who share love and respect for the Earth. At first, Ivy wouldn't even have to mind-control the Amazonians, but when Wonder Woman urges her sisters to kick Ivy out she turns the whole island against her. Fortunately, The Lasso of Truth makes Wondie immune to mind-control and she can sneak among the island hoping to find Ivy. In the process, Diana would have to fight her sisters, battle huge plant monsters, and pull Poison Ivy off the island with her bare hands. We don't see Wonder Woman fight traditional super-villains anymore, and Poison Ivy is one of those Batman villains who's strong enough to run in the big leagues. Plus, Ivy isn't doing this because she's evil, she's doing it because she doesn't want to live in the world where plant life has to suffer. But because she's a crazy person she jumps to the conclusion that she can't gain Wonder Woman's trust and so she must force her way into the island. And by the end maybe Diana can give Ivy a chance to be good, because that's just Wonder Woman's way.

Batman: Beware My Power

(Batman vs Sinestro)

After learning of the Yellow Lantern Ring Batman has in his possession, Sinestro comes to Gotham City to take his property back. While there though, Sinestro finds Gotham is desperate need of stability and decides Batman is only a half measure. Batman is willing to take the law into his own hands, but not the culture, the economy, the society, this is where Sinestro comes in. Sinestro plans on taking over Gotham the same way he took over his own planet. He kills criminals, he controls the media, and in a way he earns the respect of Gotham's citizens. It's like Gotham has it's own Superman now. Knowing Sinestro's control comes with a cost, Batman has to customize his anti-Green Lantern plans to suit Sinestro and prepare for a battle against the Yellow Lantern. Using Nth Metal, a Green Lantern Ring, and Scarecrow's fear toxin, Batman just might be able to out-fear Sinestro. I always found it interesting that Green Lantern's greatest foe was driven by intimidation, just as Batman is. It would be an interesting showdown to see two men who weaponize fear fight for control of a city. One who hides in the shadows and one who is cascaded in light. And hey, Batman never fights one alien. Maybe a group or an army, but never just one.

Superman: Fastest Men Alive

(Superman vs Reverse Flash)

"Who is faster" has always been a question between Superman and The Flash, and usually The Flash is the victor. So what happens when Superman comes to blows with someone who's faster than him? Not stronger, not smarter, but faster. Knowing how Superman is an inspiration to all heroes, Reverse Flash decides to divert his attention away from the Speedster to take his aggression out on The Man of Steel. Reverse Flash zips around Metropolis throwing people out windows, making cars careen towards each other, knocking down trees and small buildings. And all Superman can do is follow Reverse Flash and fix all of it. Superman would have to save everyone is Metropolis as fast as he can, knowing that eventually Reverse Flash will outrun him. Knowing that Reverse Flash could kill everyone in The Daily Planet in less than a second. How does someone stop a man as fast as light? Even Superman would find this challenging. But, being him, he'd find some clever way to stop him. Maybe Superman could tap into the Speed Force through sheer force of will? That would be a one-time-only kind of awesome! And it's a fair fight for Reverse Flash too, because if Superman can grab him, he's done. All the speed in the world doesn't make him invincible.
Thanks for reading!
Which fight do you wanna see!?