AFC East
Now we have the AFC East. This division could be arguably the best in PML due to them having two Super Bowl appearances. However, these Super Bowl appearances came from the same team, the Patriots. In this division we have some characters from different backgrounds. There is the Atom, who is not one of the most well-known DC characters but he has been around for a long time. Sort of think of Marvel’s Ant-Man but a DC version of this character. We then have Batman, who probably has the best plot armor in all of comic book history. He’s only human, but seems to survive thing the average human cannot. He pushes his body to absolute peak shape and is one of the founding members of the Justice League. Not only is he an iconic DC character, but he is one of the most popular fictional characters in the world. Then, we have Cyborg in this division. He is one of the lesser known DC characters and has yet to get a solo film. This does not take away from the fact that he is a key character in the comics. He has jumped around in roles from the Teen Titans and being a Justice League member. He recently hit the big screen in the Justice League Live Action film a few years ago. Lastly, we have a Firestorm in this division. Some of the older guys reading this may be like “who the heck is this guy?” Don’t worry, I will catch you up to speed later in this article. He came out in the late 1900s and not too well known in the DC Universe like Batman and Atom. People who know about Firestorm are mainly the comic book lovers, like myself, or have probably played the Injustice video game. He is a playable character in the Injustice video game franchise. So those are the four characters we will be using for the AFC East. Many of these characters range in their intellect, powers, and threat to opponents as a whole. It will be interesting to see how these guys play out with their PML counterparts.
Jets – Atom
First Appearance: SHOWCASE #34 (1961)
Arch nemesis: Chronos
Abilities: subatomic miniaturization, genius-level intellect, advanced technology
Motives: There are three men who have taken the mantle of the Atom. Ray Palmer, Al Pratt, and Ryan Choi being the current Atom in the DC Universe. All three of these men are scientific geniuses in their own right. Their origin stories tend to vary, but it based around a science accident or an accident in general giving these men the ability to shrink to the size of a molecule. They realized this, created a belt to control their body sizes, and used their capabilities to fight evil.
Notable Moment(s): Ryan Choi created the Bangstick, which was one of the most powerful weapons in the DC Universe at the time in the late 1900s. The Bangstick was a handheld staff that gave Choi the ability to fly. Atom was the 9th member of the Justice League of America. He was one of the key cornerstones to this in the DC Universe at the time and making him one of the first members written to be in the JLA ever.
Correlation: Atom is one of those DC characters that has been around for a long time, basically a veteran but does not get the recognition he deserves. This is where Greeny comes into play. He is one of the veteran members of PML now, but it seems he does not get the respect he possibly deserves. Many people have called him out on certain things, and an uproar in PML even costed him his spot in the league at one point in time. Now is his reputation self-inflicted? That is for you all to decide, but this is what I see from the outside looking in. Atom is one of the smartest characters in DC, and is considered to be a genius. He is definitely in the top 20 in regards to most intelligent characters in DC. Greeny may not be one of the top 10 users you see in the league, but he is aware of more things in Madden and PML than you would expect. His intelligence in these aspects make him sort of a parallel with Atom in DC.
Patriots – Batman
First Appearance: DETECTIVE COMICS #27 (1939)
Arch nemesis: Joker
Abilities: no real superpowers, exceptional martial artist, combat strategy, inexhaustible wealth, brilliant deductive skill, advanced technology, considered one of the 3 smartest beings in the universe
Motives: Filled with vengeance from his parents’ deaths, he became a hero to clean the streets of Gotham from criminals. Bruce also has a rule that nearly everyone in America knows, which is to not kill anyone. The rogue gallery Batman has is one of the most dangerous in all of the DC Universe, but no matter how far his enemies push him he sticks by his code. Batman wants to protect the planet, but in a very calculated and effective manner.
Notable Moment(s): For a character with no powers, he is one of the strongest characters in the DC Universe because of his mind. He founded the Justice League, a group of the strongest heroes on Earth gathered to protect it. He was able to snap Superman out of mind control by throwing his fiancé off of a building, something none of Superman’s allies would have the guts to do. He has outsmarted Darkseid numerous times and is one of the heroes Darkseid respects the most, despite Batman having no powers. He’s also removed the power ring from Green Lantern before. He has also defeated Superman.
Correlation: Batman is one of the most iconic characters ever, but he should not be able to accomplish half of the stuff he does if we are being realistic. This is where SPDOT is a perfect representation of him. His play style isn’t flashy but it is effective. He has beaten the Darkseid of PML (KMFO) and has made back to back Super Bowl appearances. It is sort of like no one knows how he is so effective but he is. Dot is meticulous with his play calling and defensive playstyle. This is where he is similar to Batman as well. Bruce is a mastermind and can take down ANYONE in the DC Universe if he is given an ample amount of prep time. Dot can beat anyone in PML at any given time. You may be fooled at first thinking he isn’t doing anything special when he turns out to be one of the most dangerous users in PML.
Bills – Cyborg
First Appearance: DC COMICS PRESENTS #26 (1980)
Arch nemesis: Metahuman criminals
Abilities: super strength, advanced technology, instant weaponry, genius-level intellect, control over technology, computer hacking, durability, teleportation
Motives: Before becoming Cyborg, Vic Stone was in a horrible accident. With the remaining parts of his body, is father tried to save his life. In this process his father had passed away, but Cyborg was born. After his father’s death, Cyborg vowed to become a hero and not let his sacrifice go to waste. Cyborg is fused with Apokolptic technology, which is the technology from Darkseid’s planet. This then led to Cyborg crossing paths with the Justice League as they were in the hunt for Darkseid. Other versions of Cyborg have him joining the Teen Titans instead, but he is usually only appearing in films or comics led by DC Universe groups.
Notable Moment(s): Not many signature moments for Cyborg because he is more a team member in the DC comics and films. The one moment he had if anything was being the first black superhero to lead a team in DC. He did this in 1989 for the Teen Titans. This was a pretty groundbreaking moment and helped push more black characters into the spotlight for DC. This was pretty remarkable in the comic book world, but an even bigger impact in the real-life world.
Correlation: As we know, Cyborg is not the most well-known character in DC. He is still relatively new to some people who watch DC films or read the DC Comics. BEAST is a new user in PML. He has a season or two under his belt, but not many guys are familiar with him 100% yet. This is why I made Cyborg his counterpart. Cyborg is one of the misunderstood characters in DC, and there should be more of a light on his stories rather than just being a member of teams. James Gunn is now the head of everything at DC so hopefully he gives Cyborg more of the spotlight in his new DCU. BEAST seems to be a really likeable PML member similar to how Cyborg is likeable in the comics. Both of these guys stay out the way and don’t have many or if not any haters. Cyborg is a strong character but does have his limitations sometimes. He is half man and half robot. He is very vulnerable to magic and mind control. His mind was controlled by Darkseid before and has contributed to the entire Justice League getting killed before. BEAST came into PML strong but has struggled recently with his Buffalo Bills squad. I feel like once he gets a team he likes for a cycle, he can be a true problem in PML for an entire cycle.
Dolphins – Firestorm
First Appearance: FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MAN #1 (1978)
Arch nemesis: Metahuman criminals
Abilities: flight, super strength, energy blasts, radiation absorption, atomic/molecular rearrangement and restructuring
Motives: There are multiple versions of Firestorm, but most of them deal with getting into a nuclear accident which grants them their powers into becoming a metahuman. Firestorm getting these powers that he could not imagine then inspired him to want to become a superhero, in a universe already having the Justice League in it. He saw those heroes and wanted to be just like them.
Notable Moment(s): This is not comic book related, but the character Firestorm was created by the same writer who killed Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man’s girlfriend, in a comic. It is amazing seeing the crossover between DC and Marvel with them having the same writer in these aspects. This writer was Gerry Conway. Back to the comics, Firestorm is one of the youngest members of the Justice League. He is a fire elemental, which means his connection to fire is so deeply connected that it is nearly spiritual. There have been eight different Firestorms in the comics, and one of them is the cousin of Green Arrow.
Correlation: You may think after reading all of this, “how the heck is Deebo like Firestorm?” It is mainly because these guys are alike in many ways. Firestorm is a cool character, stays out the way, does his job, and goes on about his day. This is exactly how Deebo is in PML. He does what he has to do and doesn’t bother anyone. He is a cool relaxed guy in our league. Honestly, it is a breath of fresh air to have that in PML. Firestorm is quite a strong character, but not in the spotlight that often. The main correlation between Deebo and Firestorm are there personalities if anything. Deebo can beat anyone in the league at any given time as well. Firestorm’s strength is not to be taken for granted. His power levels are on a nuclear level in DC.
This might be one of the most interesting divisions of characters we have had so far in this series. We have an iconic character in Batman with some lower tier DC characters in regards to popularity. At the end of the day, you cannot sleep on anyone in this division. Batman… it doesn’t need to be explained what he can do. Cyborg has the technology of a foreign planet that is run by one of the ten strongest characters in DC, Darkseid. The Atom can shrink to the size of just about anything. He is basically undetectable if you do not know he is within your distance. Firestorm is one of the new DC characters, but he is pretty darn strong. He can rearrange matter and energy in any form. He actually has enough power to actually take on the likes of Superman.
