FICTIONAL CHARACTERS as US PRESIDENTS
It’s no secret that the 2016 Presidential Election is going to go down in history as one of the most insane elections to have ever happened. And yes, we’re comparing that to all of the fictional presidents we’ve seen come through comic books, television, dystopian futures, etc.
Comic books – along with similar mediums – have a history of supervillains and heroes running for the oval office. Sometimes, they surprise us and are amazing leaders, but most of the time they just play into our expectations of comic book presidents. After going through presidential comic book history, here are a few highlights.
Lex Luthor
One of the biggest names on this list, Lex Luthor has become the American president in a few different scenarios within the DC multiverse. In the animated film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Luthor wins as a third-party candidate and creates his own superhero team under government administration. (He also injects himself with Kryptonite and kisses Amanda Waller, but that’s less important to the story.) In the comic books, Lex Luthor helps rebuild Gotham after a massive earthquake (heroic!) but lets Earth be invaded by aliens so he gets the credit for leading the planet in a time of crisis (not heroic). The super villain had his presidential moments, but ultimately – he was just too villainous for the job.
Beth Ross
From the DC limited series Prez, Beth Ross is a teenager who is elected to the office by Twitter… in 2036. The satirical series was short-lived but poignant – Beth gained internet notoriety from a viral video focusing on her and her fast-food service job, and emerged as a dark horse candidate. Not only did she win, but she focused equally on battling corruption and running the country. She wasn’t the best president, but she was just a teenager – so what can you do?
Loki
Technically, Loki hasn’t been president yet – he’s only running, and his candidacy only begins in June 2016 when his new series Vote Loki starts. We don’t know much yet, but we do know that he’ll gain a lot of supporters very quickly. We’re excited to know how (and why) he’s running, and we’re sure he’s going to leave a mark on politics (and comics_ to come. #MakeAmericaTrickyAgain.
Margaret Valentine
We don’t know much about how Margaret Valentine served as president since we’re only introduced to her through Agent 355 (when she tells her that it’s now her duty to become President). She only rose to the role initially because she was the highest ranked woman in the Executive branch of the government, but she did win her re-election campaign. Not bad for somebody who only rose to the office thanks to the Constitutional rites of succession!
Barack Obama
Okay, okay – so this one is a little bit of a stretch, but yeah – several publishers have put President Obama in their comic books because the president is an avid comic book reader. Marvel even created a whole issue in The Amazing Spider-Man titled “Spidey Meets the President!” with Barack Obama on the cover. Obama has also appeared in Archie, Godzilla, and MAD Magazine comics – as well as many other Marvel titles. All hail the chief!
And we may get a new candidate in the future……
