When Stan Lee reimagined DC superheroes

Had he been alive today, Stan Lee would have been 100 years old. He passed away in 2018 and left behind a peerless legacy. Said to have co-created some of the most iconic characters in pop culture, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, and more. Yes, controversies plagued his career from the very beginning. Creatives who worked with him like Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby accused him of stealing the credit for their work. To the younger generations, however, he was that jolly old man and a Marvel legend who played cameos in nearly every Marvel movie, and even a DC movie (yes, Google it). In many ways, Stan Lee and Marvel are synonymous. 

His work at Marvel is extremely well-documented, but little known is his work at DC. He created his own versions of DC Comics' greatest superheroes!

As a matter of fact, yes! That happened long after Lee was out of Marvel. He had left the company he helped popularise in the 1990s, though he drew an annual salary of $1 million a year. In the early 2000s, he got to work with what he called the Distinguished Competition. The comic-book line was called 'Just Imagine...' and featured reimagined versions of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and more.

Here are the descriptions of his redesigned versions of the DC trinity: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman:

This is not the classic Bruce Wayne Batman. This Batman was an African-American and was called Wayne Williams. Currently, he is in the peak human condition and is filthy rich just like Bruce Wayne. But his origin story is quite different. His father was a cop who was killed in an ambush. Wayne was framed for the crime and is imprisoned. In the prison, he learns how to "develop his mind" as well as bodybuilding from the scientist Frederick Grant. He also learns that his mother is also dead. During a prison riot, he rescues the warden and is granted a pardon. He then goes on a quest for revenge against the leader of the gang called Handz that is responsible for framing him. 

To earn money, he becomes a wrestler and assumes the persona called 'Batman'. He becomes a superstar and earns a fortune even as he continues to search for Handz. He teams up with his old friend at the prison Grant to take on the organisation. He later becomes the symbol of justice. 

Lee's Superman was an alien, all right. But a lot about him was different from Clarke Kent. He was called Salden and similarly had superstrength and superspeed. But he was the weakest member of the Kryptonian Police Force on his home planet. He captures a dangerous criminal but the said criminal sends himself and Salden to a very primitive earth. Both arrive at different places and discover that they have amplified abilities. The criminal declares himself the king of the jungle tribe. Salden tries to build technology to return to his world. But the earth is riven with war and poverty. So Salden decides to become a superhero to solve these issues and begins to call himself Superman.

Lee's Wonder Woman is not Diana Prince. She is called Maria Mendoza. She is an activist who is protesting against the excavation of a holy Incan site near her home. The CEO of the company in charge of the excavation wishes to gain power from the holy site and becomes the ruler of the world. After Maria's father is kidnapped by the man and taken to the site, she follows but is too late to save him. The CEO has gained demonic powers from the possessed objects at the site and Mria finds the staff of Manco Capac, and gains the powers of the Incan Sun god. She becomes a superhero and takes the name of Wonder Woman.