Welcome back to another politically charged installment of Top 5 Fridays! Unless you are one of the five readers from across the ocean, you should know this Tuesday is the presidential election. I don't think I'm the first to say how crazy of an election year it has been, especially with the two candidates. Now while I'm not going to talk about my political beliefs on a comic blog, I will admit that the election has made me reminisce on some of the political leaders in the DC universe. We have Kings, Queens, and even a teenage president running around the DC universe, so I thought I would talk about a few of my favorites today. As always this is an opinion based list, so if you don't see a character you like, I apologize. With that out-of-the-way, let's step into the ballot box and take a look at this list.
5: President Superman(Red Son)
I'm not a communist, but as the book Animal Farm had implied, it can work if there was no leader willing to abuse it. While we all know that it did fall apart in the real world because of the abuse, what if we could see the hypothetical 'right' leader running things. When Superman came to power on the Red Son Earth, he made communism work and through it, convince the world to follow along. How did he make it work? Because at the core of RS Superman are the values that made us love the regular Superman. He's selfless, cares for his people and the nation he represents, and has a humbling personality. So if he is such a good leader, why is he so high up? Well, unfortunately, the way he punishes his enemies later in life(After being betrayed by a close ally) is pretty dark... Being turned into brain dead robots to help clean up the "Winter Palace." So all you have to do is follow him... Yay? 
4: Calvin Ellis
Remember how I just explained how Superman as a leader made communism work because of his core values? Same story for this guy, except unlike our Commie of Steel, Calvin Ellis has proven that he doesn't need an iron fist to rule. In fact, from what I've seen, Calvin might be the most passive ruler on this list. It's best shown in the Multiversity when he tries to calm the situation between the multiversal travelers and the heroes of Major Comics. Calvin could wipe them all out with a single blast of heat vision, especially since the biggest threat(the magical Thunder God that was knocked out when they arrived) is out of the picture. He chooses not to and offers to help the Major heroes defeat the invading gentry. He not only cares for the country he's sworn to protect but the multiverse as well. Unfortunately, this protection has taken him away from his position as the president, but his skills will help while finding allies in the multiverse.
3: Hippolyta
Amazons are badasses. If Wonder Woman wasn't proof enough, her mother is definite proof. Before Paradise Island was ever created, the Amazonians were slaves to be used however the demigod Hercules saw fit. That's when Hippolyta rose up and fought the demigod, earning the gods favor and leading her people to a new land. That's where the story would end... but she is human after all. She messes up, loses the gods favor for a time, but her people still love her. Why? Because 1: she saved them all from the shackles of Hercules, and 2: she IS allowed to make mistakes because she is only human. Other incidents like this occur, including the birth of Diana, but her people are and always will be loyal to her, as she is loyal to her people. Hippolyta wanted to make sure her people were safe over her own when Hera came for vengeance for cheating with her husband. What happened? Despite the queen's orders, the Amazons stood up for their queen, knowing full well they would feel the full might of the goddess. She may mess up from time to time, but if Hippolyta could inspire her people to face a God, despite her protests, you know she must be doing something right as a leader.
2: Black Adam
Black Adam is a brutal villain. I'm not going to try and defend that. What I am going to point out is WHERE he's a bad guy. When I first heard he rules a country, I instantly thought it was a country that he was dictating over. There is no way wI any country would follow this super villain willingly right? That's when I began seeing images of Kahndaq and how they were honoring him. I then learned how he was a native of the country, and over through a former dictatorship to keep it safe. When I continue to research into the character, I always found that every iteration of him wanted to protect his homeland. I mean can we really fault a guy for that? Yes, he is a villain, but most of the time he's chilling at home taking care of his people. If his country is happy with how he's ruling, should we take it from him?
1: Arthur Curry
You know what continues to piss me off whenever I hear jokes about Aquaman? It's from non-comic readers who don't understand the burden of being the character. He is the son of two worlds, one of which finding themselves above the other. Arthur tried fighting his entire life not to be the king he was destined to be, but when his half brother leads an assault on the surface, he takes his place as king...and it was one of the biggest changes. From that point on, Aquaman tries and tries to be the bridge between the two worlds, but often gets shut down by extremists on either side. This should shake someone into giving up this pursuit of peace, but he just comes back more prepared than ever. He could go to one side or the other, but when he does unite both worlds, he will no longer just be the king, but a beacon of unity.
That's it for this week's Top 5 Friday! Who is your favorite political leader in the DCU? Who would you write in if they could be the president? Leave a comment, and I'll see you next time!
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