AFC South
This division has not been talked about a lot all cycle. There has been some movement in the middle of the cycle, where the Jaguars user got replaced. This division might be the least talked about one in all of PML this cycle. The users have not been as competitive as people thought they would be, but people have to look at the AFC as a whole. The AFC is a top heavy conference with some well-built rosters while these AFC South teams are young. They needed some time to develop. So this division does not have the strongest group of characters, but they are unique in their own rights. Now let’s get into this division.
Texans – Black Manta
First Appearance: AQUAMAN #35 (1967)
Arch nemesis: Aquaman
Abilities: superpowers come from suit, enhanced strength, energy blasts, skilled fighter, unrivaled swimmer, master swordsman, advanced technology, intelligence
Motives: Black Manta simply wants to destroy everything Aquaman loves, make him suffer, and then kill him
Notable Moment(s): He’s killed Aquaman’s son in the comics. He killed all of his co-workers when he heard that Aquaman has returned. He has also captured Aqualad before.
Correlation: Black Manta has a variety of origin stories, but all roads ALWAYS lead to wanting to destroy Aquaman’s life and everything that he loves. He is not Reverse Flash level of petty, but he simply will go there with Aquaman….like he is with all of that energy!!! Keraun when he first came into the league was a guy that is really cool, calm, and collected. When you p*** him off though, you can get him angry. Similar to Black Manta, he was willing to take it there with people if they were talking crazy behind the keyboard. He still might have the same type of energy to those who may disrespect him. Black Manta and Keraun stand on business! These guys are similar because once you get on their bad side it’s a full court press. In addition, Black Manta is no slouch as a villain. He has beaten Aquaman on numerous occasions and has contributed to the Legion of Doom sometimes. Being able to go toe to toe with the King of Atlantis is quite a feat in itself already. Keraun has established himself as a great user last cycle with the Ravens. He has not been as dangerous with the Texans so far this cycle, but I think this is the year he makes a push. In season 1, he was even in the running for the 1 seed with the Texans too. This was even more impressive than his playoff runs with the Ravens squad. All of these factors are why Ke is Black Manta.
Titans – Mister Terrific
First Appearance: SENSATION COMICS #1 (1942)
Arch nemesis: Metahuman criminals
Abilities: no real superpowers, genius-level intellect, advanced technology, gymnastic ability, skilled fighter, considered one of the 3 smartest beings in the universe
Motives: He always had a drive towards perfecting everything he had done. He joined the Justice Society of America because he wanted to help others and follow the footsteps of his wife who was a humanitarian. Michael Holt (Mr. Terrific) created the T-Sphere to help him take on villains. The robot flying spheres respond to his commands and can create projections and specialized weapons
Notable Moment(s): Not many moments for this character considering he only has been stepping into the spotlight recently. The one moment he had was in the show “Arrow”, where he was extremely close to figuring out Green Arrow’s secret identity. This is a testament to his intellect in the DC Universe.
Correlation: Dlloyd is the friendly guy of the AFC. People have no problems with him and he has no problems with anyone. Mr. Terrific is the same way in the DC Universe. Most of the time while the Justice League is out on missions he is staying back watching the headquarters. He is only called in when it is an absolute NEED for him to be there. These guys are similar in those aspects, and Dlloyd is very smart when it comes to football. We all know Madden is a bad product, and sometimes the guys who know things that would work in REAL LIFE football will not translate to Madden. Do not let his Madden play this cycle fool you, this guy knows football. He knows how to read coverages, the leverage of coverages, personnel, and other key aspects of the game. Mr. Terrific is one of the smartest characters in the DC Universe, but he may not come off that way to the audience. When it comes to both of these guys there is more than meets the eye. They are much smarter than you may perceive them to be. This is why Dlloyd is Mr. Terrific.
Jaguars – Aquaman
First Appearance: MORE FUN COMICS #73 (1941)
Arch nemesis: Black Manta
Abilities: super strength, durability, control over sea life, exceptional swimming ability, ability to breathe underwater
Motives: His mother being the Queen of Atlantis and his father being a human from the surface, he was a half-breed. He was sought to claim the throne of Atlantis and to protect the Earth. He wanted to prevent a war between the land and the seas, where both of his parents are from.
Notable Moment(s): When his brother Ocean Master was planning on taking over the Earth, he went through the entire Justice League. The only person able to stop Ocean Master was Aquaman. When he defeated the original Black Manta, he did not save him from his death
Correlation: Well the only correlation between these two is water. Since the guy who joined PML this season has a username of water, why not just say he is Aquaman? There is not much we know about him since he is new, so this correlation is strictly based off of the username. I am not sure about his gameplay or virtual personality, but he seems like a good addition to the league. Hopefully by next cycle I will have more information on him. Not much to analyze here though, the guy’s name is water so I figured why not make him our Aquaman.
Colts – Steel
First Appearance: THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #500 (1993)
Arch nemesis: Lex Luthor
Abilities: superpowers come from suit, genius-level intellect, enhanced strength, flight, advanced technology
Motives: To protect Metropolis since Superman had passed away. Inspired by Superman and all he has done for the planet, he developed a suit that shows his respect to him and enable him to protect the city
Notable Moment(s): No huge moments in the comics.
Correlation: This man is one of the most underrated characters in the DC Universe, but it is for good reason. Steel has the right motives and everything, but he does not strike fear into most characters in DC. He was able to go toe to toe with Superboy, Cyborg Superman, and the Eradicator though. All of these guys have traces of Superman’s DNA or powers in them. However, they are nowhere near as powerful as the true Man of Steel himself. This is like CB. He is a great guy and one of the coolest guys in the league to me honestly. His gameplay on the field may not be the best though. He even has a series on himself about all of his interceptions and even makes fun of himself in chat. Its great that he’s able to laugh at himself and he will even tell you he is not the best. (CB dotted me up this season so I’m not the best user myself either lol). Steel is a nice guy in DC but really does not have the tools to hang with the top dogs. I feel like CB making it clear he has a lot of room for improvement made me start thinking of this character. Steel is relatively new because he did not enter the DC Universe until the late 1900s. CB is in his second cycle, but could still be considered a new guy too. I feel like after this cycle people he will start entering PML veteran territory. This is why CB is our Steel.
We have an interesting arrangement of characters in this division. These are not the most well known guys but they have their motives and stick to them. Steel is sort of like the Iron Man of DC, but just not as smart. He still is dangerous in this suit and is willed by the want to do good in society. We have both Aquaman and Black Manta, which is pretty funny considering they are archrivals and are in the same division. Aquaman wants to right by his people as being a half breed. A half surface dweller and Atlanteon. He will do anything to prevent a war between both, and is one of the original members of the Justice League. Black Manta may arguably be the pettiest DC character besides Reverse Flash. His power is underestimated, he gets it from his suit, but it is still quite powerful and he has defeated Aquaman on multiple occasions. Lastly, we have Mr. Terrific. This guy is one of the new members of the Justice League in films and serves as more of a headquarters guy. He may not be the flashiest character but he for sure is one of the 5 smartest men in the DC Universe. These four characters may not jump out to you on the big screen, but they are formidable in the comics. This is the only division with both the superhero and villain of one another both in it. So this makes the AFC South stand out a bit.
