NFC West
Welcome to the next installment of my PML x DC Comics series. We have done the entire AFC and now we move on to the lower half of the NFC. We are now diving into the NFC West. This might be the strongest group of characters in the NFC as a whole. We have Hawkman, who is not a well known guy but he has super strength and the will to hang with anyone. He’s a guy with wings but can beat a lot of characters on any given day. Then we have Lex Luthor. I mean this guy has no superpowers, but he is a WORLDWIDE threat. The smartest man in the ENTIRE DC Universe. He is sometimes a good guy in DC and sometimes the big bad guy. Long story short, you want this guy on your side at all times and not against you. Black Adam is the next character. This man is probably the strongest character in the DC Universe of Earth 1. He has magic which is Superman’s weakness, and the physical powers to beat literally anyone in the DC Universe. Black Adam would have been a force in the DC movie universe for years to come, but it unfortunately got scrapped. Lastly, we have Black Lightning. This guy is not the strongest but his power is up there. His abilities with lightning make him a serious threat in the DC Universe. This is a unique combination in the NFC west. Let’s get into it.
Rams – Lex Luthor
First Appearance: Action Comics #23 (1940)
Arch nemesis: Superman
Abilities: no superpowers, genius-level intellect, inexhaustible wealth, political influence
Motives: He wants revenge over those he feels do him wrong. He also wants to be in a position of power and loves being in control of things. His biggest motive thought is to defeat the Man of Steel, Superman
Notable Moment(s): Lex Luthor is the smartest human on Earth, with his intellect surpassing the likes of Batman and Mr. Terrific. He was able to easily find out the real identity of Batman. Lex was responsible for creating Doomsday, the monster that killed Superman. He’s also built a suit for himself out of scraps that could aid him in fighting the likes of Superman or other super powered beings. Lex has also once cured an incurable disease and once was President of the United States. He is one of the most respected characters in the DC Universe by others
Correlation: Lex has no superpowers, but his mind makes him one of the 5 most dangerous villains in the DC Universe. When you see Cookieboy you may think he is just a guy who plays Madden. H***, he has been playing Madden since I was in middle school, and is one of the OG’s in regards to the Madden content creation community. However, there is more than meets the eye. When he is locked in, he is probably the most dangerous member of PML and has proved it by winning back to back Super Bowls. You may think he is a harmless person at first on the virtual gridiron, but he can really turn up and beat ANYONE and ANY given time when he cares. Right now, he is the best user in the league and has to be seen as the PML villain right now. There is no one more fit for this than Lex Luthor as his DC counterpart. Both can fool you with their words but can destroy you in the blink of an eye, and you wouldn’t know how the heck it happened.
49ers – Hawkman
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (1940)
Arch nemesis: Hath-Set
Abilities: flight, enhanced strength, weapons expert, combat skill, combat strategy, reincarnation
Motives: A fierce warrior without equal, Hawkman has been a human being trapped in an ancient Egyptian curse of endless death and rebirth, and at other times, an alien police officer sent to Earth to help defend it. Sometimes, he’s even been a combination of both. His origin story has not had much of the spotlight recently in DC, but long story short he is one of the historic heroes
Notable Moment(s): Not many notable moments in the comics, but is considered by Batman to be the best melee combatant in the world
Correlation: Many people have not talked about CEO. Everyone just brushes past his name like he is washed or ancient. Personally, I feel like this guy can hang with anyone and he may not like Madden this year. He is also stuck in division with tons of competitive users. Let’s not act like he did not make the playoffs in season 1 as well. Hawkman is a strong character in DC, but he is one of the ancient ones. He’s been a part of the Justice Society in some comics then was a part of the Justice League. Usually he is referred to as one of the older heroes in the comics. I feel like CEO fits this mold because of the reputation people have given him. His track record has not been the best as of late, but he is still good enough to hang with a lot of people in PML. Hawkman is seen a strong old guy with wings and weaponry, but one swing of that will have you feeling how d*** strong he is. There is no character that fits 2024 CEO more than Hawkman at the moment.
Cardinals – Black Lightning
First Appearance: Black Lightning #1 (April 1977)
Arch nemesis: Tobias Whale
Abilities: creates and controls lightning, creates and controls electromagnetic fields, Olympic-level athlete, skilled fighter
Motives: Jefferson Pierce grew up poor and with few expectations put on him. But rather than coast through life, he decided to challenge every chance. As an adult, he entered the Olympics and won three gold medals. He furthered his education, then started teaching so he could help young people realize their own potential as he had, but gang violence and criminals kept threatening his community and his students, which is when Jefferson Pierce decided to no longer hide from the metahuman abilities he had been born with. He then began fighting crime as Black Lightning
Notable Moment(s): Not many major moments for this character as he is relatively new in the DC Universe
Correlation: Que is one of those PML members that is always seen developing speed. Like Fallen, they seem to have a knack for developing the fastest teams in the league. This is why Que is Black Lightning more than anything. His teams always seem to be lightning fast. Everyone blinked and the Cardinals have 95 speed guys EVERYWHERE. We know the damage he did with the speed demons in Miami last cycle. He created another set of those demons in Arizona this cycle. This correlation is more name related and team building based. The power levels and other aspects are not really similar. When Que is locked in, he can definitely be seen as a stronger character. This cycle it seems he is having fun as the man should. Madden is a video game at the end of the day, and we are all playing it with different purposes. Let Que have fun! With all of that being said, he is our Black Lightning of the PML DC Universe.
Seahawks – Black Adam
First Appearance: The Marvel Family #1 (1945)
Arch nemesis: Shazam/Captain Marvel
Abilities: immortality, super strength, super speed, invulnerability, flight, magic, teleportation, healing factor
Motives: Thousands of years before Billy Batson became a magically-empowered hero (Captain Marvel), the wizard Shazam selected another champion. Teth-Adam began as a hero of humanity, but then allowed his power to corrupt his ideals and desires. Now labeled Black Adam, he was exiled by Shazam, but returned in the modern day. A frequent enemy to Earth’s heroes, Black Adam believes he is the right person to lead humanity and any action he takes is necessary for the greater good.
Notable Moment(s): He was once a member of the Justice League and Justice Society. He’s also mastered forms of martial arts that Batman couldn’t beat before. He’s started a world war too
Correlation: This guy is one of the strongest characters in the entire DC Universe. There was a blockbuster movie about Black Adam for a reason. He can take down Superman, Green Lantern, Darkseid, and other top tier characters. Z is always looked at as one of the best users in PML. He is always in the mix for playoff appearances and due for at least one good playoff run per cycle. He may not have the best resume playoff wise right now this cycle, but the respect is always there. On any given day, he can take down the BEST in PML. Black Adam often sees himself holding back when it comes to fighting opponents, but once he is angry he is nearly unstoppable. Just imagine Superman with lightning powers and magic. This is Black Adam. This name strikes fear into many characters in the DC Universe. Z is the Black Adam of our PML DC Universe.
