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DC’s version of Frankenstein has gotten quite a push recently thanks to his appearance in the Creature Commandos show, but the monster-turned-hero only exists because another DC hero wasn’t available. DC’s Frankenstein was drastically reinvented by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke during the Seven Soldiers of Victory crossover event and quickly became a standout character in the DC Comics pantheon.
Appearing on the Word Balloon podcast, former DC publisher Dan DiDio revealed to host John Siuntres that Grant Morrison originally had different plans for their Seven Soldiers of Victory metaseries. According to DiDio, Morrison initially wanted Martian Manhunter to join the team, but when the Justice Leaguer was unavailable, they had to find a replacement.
That need led to the inclusion of Frankenstein, a decision DiDio ultimately saw as an improvement, stating, “That brought the Frankenstein character in, which I think was even better, at the end of the day.”
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Grant Morrison Swapped Martian Manhunter for Frankenstein
The core concept of Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers of Victory was to assemble a superhero team that ultimately saves the world—without ever actually meeting in person. Spread across seven miniseries and two specials, the heroes unknowingly work in tandem to stop the Sheeda, a fairy-like army from the future. Among them was a radically reimagined version of Frankenstein’s Monster, who wielded a sword and a pistol while quoting John Milton, making him one of the most distinctive reinventions in the series.
As DiDio explains on Word Balloon, Morrison’s decision to replace Martian Manhunter with Frankenstein demonstrates the writer’s ability to pivot. DiDio states, “One thing about Grant is really interesting… You can throw [them] a curveball… that could upset [Morrison’s] storytelling, and [they] find a way around it every time.” Frankenstein ended up becoming one of the more popular characters to emerge from the Seven Soldiers event, eventually landing his own ongoing series when DC relaunched its entire line as part of the New 52 initiative. His inclusion in Creature Commandos further illustrates how popular the character became, though the lovelorn creep portrayed in the show is quite different from his comic book counterpart.
The line-up of Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers of Victory included Zatanna, the Manhattan Guardian, Klarion the Witch-Boy, the Shining Knight, the Bulleteer, Mister Miracle and Frankenstein.
From Seven Soldiers to Creature Commandos, DC’s Frankenstein Remains Popular
Martian Manhunter’s Loss Was Frankenstein’s Gain
It’s fascinating to think that Martian Manhunter was originally meant to be part of Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers of Victory project. However, Frankenstein’s inclusion in his place allowed the character to develop a following of his own. Remnants of J’onn J’onzz remained in the final story, as Frankenstein travels to Mars in his miniseries via an “Erdel Gate”—a nod to Dr. Saul Erdel, the scientist who first brought the Martian Manhunter to Earth. While fans didn’t get to see Martian Manhunter in Seven Soldiers of Victory, the change-up ultimately led to paving the path for Frankenstein to join the Creature Commandos instead.
Source: Word Balloon
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