Monday, February 20, 2012

Presidents That Would Never Get a Day

I'm off today for (U.S.) Presidents' Day, and I thought it was a good time to recognize a few U.S. Presidents who will never have a day to commemorate them.  Not so much because they're forgettable or non-noteworthy, but mainly because they're fictional--and in some cases evil.

Nelson Rockefeller was a real guy, though on our Earth he never became president.  In the Alternate Earth of Marvel's Squadron Supreme, he becomes an evil president.  Power corrupted Rockefeller--the power of the Serpent Crown, an artifact from ancient Lemuria.

Also on the world of the Squadron Supreme, a former superhero named Kyle Richmond also became president.  Richmond's crimefighting identity was Nighthawk; he was essentially the Batman of his world (I think I'd vote for Batman for president).  Anyway, he eventually got controlled by an alien called Overmind, so his administration couldn't be called a complete success.

In the regular Marvel Universe in the 70s, Captain America uncovered a veritable cancer on the presidency: a president who was also secretly the leader of a criminal organization planning a takeover of the U.S. government.  This president's identity is never revealed in the issue, but his suicide after a confrontation with Captain America leads to his replacement with a double so the public wouldn't know.  Suspiciously, this was all around the time of the Watergate scandal.

The president in the somewhat dystopian future (or was it present?) of Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns looks a lot like Ronald Reagan.  This President wraps himself (literally) in the flag and is unfailingly optimistic while invading Central American nations and ultimately leading the country into nuclear war.

So next time you're tempted to complain about the job a president is doing.  Just think of how bad it could have been.  They can't all be Kyle Richmond or Travis Morgan. Or Prez.

7 comments:

Chris C. said...

Great president's day post! It does put US presidential history in perspective...

The Angry Lurker said...

I still have "The Dark Knight Returns" original issues and remember the Reagan president, have a good one.....

Ray Rousell said...

I was going to say he looked like Reagan! A rather good resemblance infact!

Pierce said...

No matter how good his policies are I would have a real hard time voting for someone wearing a snake crown.

Trey said...

@Pierce - It's a two party system, man. He could just be the lesser of evils.

Unknown said...

Ah, Prez... I was stoked when he dropped in on Batman BatB.

Jeb said...

Don't forget the President in American Flagg that abandoned the country and ran off with his wealthy backers and cronies to a space station.