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Warning – Spoilers for JSA #6 (2024) Ahead!
Everyone knows that, between the gadgets, the plans, and just plain raw skill, Batman is one of DC’s toughest heroes. But being tough as nails doesn’t automatically make you DC’s biggest badass, and this member of the Justice Societyproves that DC’s old guard are still the most brazen heroes around.
In JSA #6 (2024)—by Jeff Lemire, Diego Olortegui, and Luis Guerrero—the JSA is trapped in hell and under full assault from the Injustice Society. While Doctor Fate is instrumental in staving off the Injustice Society’s infernal legions, Red Lantern, Doctor Elemental, Lady Eve, and Fog have breached the Tower of Fate, with only Wildcat standing between them and Doctor Fate.
Despite Wildcat admittedly only having the powers of “a mook with a good left hook,” he immediately puts himself between Doctor Fate and the four villains, taking them all on regardless of their vastly greater powers.
Despite only having his fists to his name, Wildcat repeatedly steps into the ring against foes who vastly overpower him.
Wildcat Is DC’s Greatest Badass (& Here’s Why)
In a World of Superheroes, a Lone Boxer Stands Atop Them All
For those in the know, Ted Grant—Wildcat—is one of DC’s oldest and most venerated heroes. The character has an incredible pedigree: first appearing in Sensation Comics (1942) #1’s “The Story of Wildcat!”—by Bill Finger and Irwin Hasen—Wildcat shares a creator with Batman and debuted in the same book as Wonder Woman herself. Formerly a boxer framed for the murder of his friend in a grudge match, Ted Grant was inspired by Green Lantern (Alan Scott) to adopt the costume and identity of Wildcat, and would later join Green Lantern as a member of the Justice Society.
The Justice Society has long served as mentors to the generations of heroes who followed them, and as one of the foremost hand-to-hand combatants in DC, Wildcat is no exception. One of Wildcat’s most famous students includes Batman himself, with Wildcat’s influence on the Dark Knight’s fighting style noted in Batman: Killing Time #3, by David Marquez and Tom King. Wildcat’s other notable protégé is none other than Black Canary, with Wildcat proudly standing as her coach during Black Canary’s fighting match with Lady Shiva in Black Canary: The Best of the Best, by Tom King and Ryan Sook.
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Wildcat Proves He’s DC’s Greatest Badass Without Powers OR Batman’s Gadgets
Why Wildcat’s Old-School Heroism Still Outshines Batman’s High-Tech Crusade
Having shared a creator, Batman and Wildcat share a lot of the same DNA: both are regular people with no superpowers, thrown into vigilantism when their loved ones are unjustly murdered. However, Batman’s war on crime has turned him into the ultimate ninja with a variety of high-tech gadgets and military hardware at his disposal; Wildcat has only ever been a boxer, albeit an extraordinarily good one. Despite only having his fists to his name, Wildcat repeatedly steps into the ring against foes who vastly overpower him because it is the right thing to do.
Wildcat belongs to the old school of superheroes, back when a snappy costume and a penchant for fisticuffs were enough to be “super.” Despite the scope of the heroes and villains far eclipsing his own, Wildcat continues to train young heroes in how to fight and is still an active member of the JSA. Batman’s teacher has no tech, no gear, and is getting up there in age–but he still won’t hesitate to put himself between four supervillains in a heartbeat, and that, alongside his storied career, makes the Justice Society’s Wildcat DC’s greatest badass.
JSA #6 (2024) is available on April 2, 2025, from DC Comics!
“}]] There’s no school like the old school. Read More