4. Not Quite A Superhero...
Booster Gold, AKA Michael Jon Carter, was born in 25th century Gotham City. He grew up poor (his dad was a gambler) and was a gifted athlete; attending Gotham University on a football scholarship and becoming star quarterback. All things go south when his father comes back into his life, convincing him to start losing games for money. He eventually gets caught, disgraced, and expelled from Gotham U. Eventually he's able to get a job at the Metropolis Space Museum, where he becomes enamored by displays featuring superheroes and villains from the past. He's a glory seeker in need of a break, who proceeds to steal some superhero equipment from the museum and travel back in time to the 21st century; where he stages high-stakes heroics using his knowledge of historical events. He's like a not-evil version of Syndrome from The Incredibles, parading around as a superhero in order to reap the benefits and glory. Booster Gold's origin story is one of the most unique and interesting in the DC universe. It also presents DC/Warner Bros. with a chance to give the superhero genre a bit of a new spin and present us with a flawed character who, with time, becomes a hero. The DC universe is constantly criticised for featuring Gods and unwavering heroes nobody can relate to. So why not introduce a man with no superpowers, down on his luck and full of selfish ambitions that we can root for?