How DC Comics Finally Gave Its Golden Age Heroes The Victory They Waited 48 Years For

Published Aug 30, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Derek is the Training Lead for ScreenRant. Before his current position, he spent 20 years working in games, TV, and film while also writing for several entertainment sites. Derek is also the co-host of three pop culture podcasts: Across the Omniverse, The Bad Batch, and Watch Men. Sign in to your ScreenRant account When Superman heralded the Golden Age of superhero comics in 1939, the world was on the brink of war. Just months after Action Comics #1 hit stands, Germany, led by the Third Reich, invaded Poland, starting the Second World War. And while it would be two more years before America entered the fray, the heads of DC Comics knew that their many heroes had to stay away from the front from the start. The decision was clear: releasing a comic where Superman, Wonder Woman, or Green Lantern flew across an ocean and took Hitler and the Nazis down would be disrespectful to the soldiers fighting and dying across Europe and the Pacific. The costumed mystery men and women could fight the war at home, taking on saboteurs or war profiteers, but they could never enter the main conflict. Long after the war ended, creators Steve Englehart and Dick Ayers came up with a reason why the heroes never got more involved with the war: Hitler had the Spear of Destiny, which created a magical barrier across the major areas of the war that, if any superpowered being entered it — even the Spectre — they would lose their powers. And while this gave an in-universe reason that could satisfy the readers, the characters themselves were, sadly, unable to do the one thing every decent person who was alive throughout the war wanted to do: give Hitler the beating he so richly deserved. That's when James Robinson and Paul Smith came around and gave DC's Golden Age heroes the victory their fictional hearts dreamed of... The Golden Age Was The Release Readers Waited Decades For Nearly 50 years after World War II, writer James Robinson and artist Paul Smith released their four issue epic, The Golden Age. Originally one of the best Elseworlds titles before elements were added to DCU's continuity, the story focused on some of the lesser known early DC heroes like Americommando, Dan the Dyna-Mite, and Captain Triumph. In it, readers were able to take a more mature look at the state of the DC Universe in the years after the war, and how the world was changing as the heroes got older. Some retired while others kept fighting the good fight, and still others are finding it hard to separate reality from the fiction they have created in their minds. But through all of it is a sense of dread. With the threat of the Nazis gone, the people start to wonder about the costumed heroes and their antics. The American government has started cracking down on them. Some, like Tex Thompson — aka Americommando — use it to their advantage, promising to keep costumed heroes in check as part of his political campaign. Others, like Captain Triumph, think something else is going on, something far worse. That far worse thing is that Dan the Dyna-Mite, a C-list hero, has been turned into Dynaman, a superpowered being with powers that could rival Superman (who isn't around in this continuity). Making it even worse than that, poor Dan isn't Dan anymore. His brain has been replaced with the brain of Hitler, thanks to Tex Thompson, who is secretly the Ultra-Humanite. This all leads to a huge number of DC's Golden Age heroes fighting a superpowered Hitler on the steps of Capitol Hill. And, finally, they get their chance to knock the socks off the jerk. Everyone, from Black Condor to Hawkman, get in a few good licks, but the real heroes of the day are the Green Lantern Alan Scott, who just pummels Hitler, and Liberty Belle, who impales the would-be world conqueror with Starman's staff. Finally, after never being allowed to take on one of the greatest threats the world has ever seen, DC's superheroes got to let out their frustrations. And while they may be fictional characters, you know they loved it just as much as the readers. The Golden Age Also Showed The Dark Times That America Faced After World War II But James Robinson and Paul Smith weren't just doing their alternate history version of things as a way to make everyone feel good. The duo were also telling a story about post-war America and how the country nearly slid into fascism itself. Part of the story is also based on the House Un-American Activities Committee, which saw the US government, with Joseph McCarthy leading the charge to make a name for himself, going after American citizens suspected of being communists, ruining countless lives in the process. Here, instead of filmmakers and artists, the search for communists and secret Nazis is focused on the superheroes. In the story — much like Roy Thomas, Dan Thomas, Rafale Kayanan, Rich Buckler, and Jerry Ordway's America vs. The Justice Society — the government demands that the country's costumed protectors reveal their identities or risk being hunted down. While this element brews in the background of The Golden Age, it serves an important piece, showing how quickly people can be persuaded to turn on others who appear to be different. This part of the take serves more as a warning for the future, reminding the reader of what has come before and how it can come again. How good men and women can be torn apart simply for standing up for what is right. How the ones we look up to today can be villainized tomorrow. And how we must guard ourselves from demagogues looking to take advantage of our suspicious nature when they point to the "other" and claim those are the ones who are responsible for our troubles. First Film Man of Steel First TV Show Peacemaker Cast Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Zachary Levi, Dwayne Johnson, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor, Idris Elba, John Cena, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Xolo Mariduena Created by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson Character(s) Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Shazam, Darkseid, Amanda Waller, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Black Adam Movie(s) Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder's Justice League, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Superman, The Brave and the Bold