AFC West
Out of all of the divisions so far, this may be the strongest one in the DC Universe. We have four POWERHOUSE characters in this one. There is Mr. Freeze, who is exactly what the name is, willing to freeze anyone! He is a scientific genius who will freeze anyone who steps in his way. You then have Green Lantern, which is one of the five most powerful weapons in the DC Universe. Everyone who wears the ring has the will to create anything that comes to their mind. The people who are worthy of the ring must be pure and strong mentally. Then we come to Braniac 5, who is a character I doubt most of you all know about. Braniac 5 is not Braniac. These are two different people. The Braniac some of you all may know is absolute evil and usually runs into Superman a lot. Braniac 5…well let’s say he is not exactly as evil as you think. He is also smarter than Braniac as well. His mind makes him one of the most powerful characters in DC. Lastly, we have the Reverse Flash who is also known as Professor Zoom. He is what the name is, the opposite of the Flash! He can do everything that Flash does, but his intentions are very different. Just think of the fastest man in the DC Universe with an evil version of him. Braniac 5, Reverse Flash, Green Lantern, and Mr. Freeze is an interesting combination of characters. These guys are all smart and powerful. Now let’s get into breaking down these DC comparisons.
Chiefs – Reverse Flash
First Appearance: The Flash #139 (September 1963)
Arch nemesis: Flash
Abilities: super speed, intangibility, superhuman agility, time travel, creates and controls lightning, multiversal knowledge, pass through solid objects, create afterimages of himself (“speed mirages”)
Motives: Simply to make the Flash’s life as miserable as possible, it is really just that simple. He is the most determined person in the DC Universe to want to destroy the Flash and everything that is important to him
Notable Moment(s): He killed Flash’s mother and framed his father. He has tried to steal Iris West (Flash’s wife/girlfriend) and when she rejected him he murdered her. He turned Barry Allen’s kids evil. He killed every boyfriend a woman has ever had. He killed his own family and teacher.
Correlation: Reverse flash has done some of the most sadistic things in DC Universe history. I am not saying Matigy is similar to Reverse Flash in that aspect, but he is just as petty as him. Matigy has slowly climbed the leaderboard into being the pettiest member in PML today. He has even made some of the loudest mouths in PML tap out of arguing with him. His level of being petty or annoying to his opposition matches that of Reverse Flash. Eobard Thawne (Reverse Flash) will do anything in his power to absolutely get on his archrival’s last nerve. Some things he does are just not necessary at all. Even some of the stuff he has done to civilians in the comics. Matigy has mastered getting under people’s skin and is definitely the best at doing that so far in PML. This is why he is the Reverse Flash of PML right now.
Chargers – Braniac 5
First Appearance: Action Comics #276 (May 1961)
Arch nemesis: Metahuman criminals
Abilities: 12th level intelligence, can create advanced technology like time machines, knowledgeable of medical technology, he excels at using all types of technology and other’s technology, can regulate his body’s automatic nervous features, considered one of the 5 smartest characters in the universe
Motives: To prove his not like the original Braniac and the other versions of himself in the DC Universe. He also wants to be and already sees himself as the smartest character in the DC Universe.
Notable Moment(s): He has captured Braniac. Which is quite a feat considering that Braniac is one of the biggest threats to the Justice League. His biggest moment in being that he had fallen in love with Supergirl.
Correlation: In the shows and comics, Braniac 5 comes off as arrogant. Even when he joined the Legion of Superheroes, he came in thinking he was the most powerful of them all because of his mind. This is where he has his similarities to Codes. When Codes first joined PML, he was public enemy number one. He talked his trash and stood on it which is commendable. Many people were rubbed the wrong way by his attitude and would perceive him to be cocky. This is the same exact way Braniac 5 came into the Legion of Superheroes. Braniac 5 earned the respect of his peers by proving he is not evil like the original Braniac. He has his times where he would come off the wrong way but it was all with good intentions. Braniac 5 being a part of the Braniac family tree made people really hesitant on trusting him. His path from being perceived as evil to then a good person was an amazing journey. Codes came off as the villain when he first came into the league. He is not seen as much of a villain now thanks to how petty his divisionmate Matigy is. However, some people may still feel the same way about Codes but he definitely has been trending more in the positive direction rather than villain role. Out of all of my DC Universe comparisons, this is definitely one of the most accurate ones. Everything from their personalities, public reputation, and journeys in what they do are all alike in some fashion. Codes is definitely the Braniac 5 of PML.
Raiders – Green Lantern (John Stewart)
First Appearance: Green Lantern #87 (December 1971/January 1972)
Arch nemesis: Sinestro
Abilities: hard light constructs, instant weaponry, force fields, flight, durability, alien technology
Motives: John Stewart was a member of the US Marine Corps and then was later chosen by the power ring to become a Green Lantern. His heart was already pure before getting the ring, which is what made him worthy of it in the first place. John was a hero before getting his powers and always wanted to do the right thing in life. He was the second main Green Lantern to take the mantle after Hal Jordan.
Notable Moment(s): John Stewart was DC’s first black superhero. This was a huge moment in not only DC, but all of comic books. This huge feat is more of a real life impact rather than just what he has done as Green Lantern in the comics.
Correlation: Everyone in the Green Lantern Corps are strong. Those power rings grant the ones who wear it some of the greatest abilities in the DC Universe. John Stewart embodies great character and the will to do the right thing. This is where he is similar to King Mike. They both have the good guy reputation and are considered to be guys that people tend to like. Out of all of the Green Lanterns, John Stewart is the fan favorite. He was the Green Lantern in multiple Justice League films and the animated series. The main reason King Mike is Green Lantern rather than another DC fan favorite is because of how great a Madden player he is. The resume speaks for itself. King Mike has been to multiple conference championships and Super Bowls. When locked in, he is one of the best users in PML for sure. Green Lantern wields one of the most powerful weapons in the DC Universe and can go toe to toe with the strongest characters. Even though John Stewart is not the strongest Green Lantern, he is formidable in various ways. This is why King Mike is the Green Lantern of PML.
Broncos – Mr. Freeze
First Appearance: Batman #121 (February 1959)
Arch nemesis: Batman
Abilities: cryogenic ability, genius-level intellect, impervious to sub-freezing temperatures, weapons with the ability to freeze anything
Motives: His wife, Nora, became terminally ill. Before the disease could take her life Victor (Mr. Freeze) put her into suspended animation and will stop at nothing to find a cure for his dying wife.
Notable Moment(s): Mr. Freeze aided the Court of Owls, which is one of the most dangerous organizations in Gotham. They promised him to restore Nora in return for him helping them kill Batman. Mr. Freeze also started a new ice age. He attempted to create a frozen world where people in suspended animation could do research to find ways to cure Nora.
Correlation: DK was one of the toughest guys for me to come up with a DC Universe comparison for but I feel like Mr. Freeze is pretty close to him. He comes off as someone without ill intent in PML, and this is exactly how Mr. Freeze is in the comics. Mr. Freeze is technically not a villain, he is just trying his best to find ways to cure his wife. His passion for being willing to go to any length to help her gets manipulated by other villains in the DC Universe. He had been played by the Court of Owls, the Mad Hatter, the Joker, and the list goes on. People know he only wants to cure his wife and he will kill anyone in order to accomplish that. DK comes off as a really nice guy with no intentions to be rude at all. However, deep down this guy is a madman on the sticks. He will be super friendly with you but beat you by 100 points on the sticks. Naturally he could be a really nice guy but he plays no games on the virtual gridiron. Sort of like Russell Westbrook, guys seem to love him off of the court but know once they get in between those lines that he is an absolute MONSTER. Mr. Freeze is a kind hearted killer in the DC Universe. DK is a warm-hearted user who can destroy anyone in the league, which is why he is our Mr. Freeze.
That is the AFC West. We have an amazing combination of personalities in this division. Also, this division is full of Super Bowl winners from last cycle. No matter how bad any of their seasons could possibly be, they can beat anyone in the blink of an eye. Braniac 5, Reverse Flash, Mr. Freeze, and Green Lantern are not be taken lightly in the DC Universe. They could be weakened for a moment, but can kill anyone in the DC Universe. The speed of the Reverse Flash can cause havoc for any of his opponents. Braniac 5’s intelligence is on another level and he can analyze the weaknesses of his opponents in a quick manner. Green Lantern has the strongest ring in the DC Universe, and can create anything from it to stop his opponents. Mr. Freeze is smart enough to stop just about anyone if he really wants to.
