Long before David Harewood brought J’onn J’onzz to life on the Supergirl TV series and Harry Lennix’s Calvin Swanwick was revealed to be the hero also known as Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Carl Lumbly voiced the character in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. These entries on the list of best animated TV shows of all time played a big role in introducing Martian Manhunter to people unfamiliar with him from the comics, but will we see him in the new DC Universe franchise? That remains to be seen, though if J’onn does get announced for an upcoming DC movie or upcoming DC TV show, I really like the idea Lumbly shared with me about how he should be depicted.
These days, Lumbly is leaving his mark on the superhero genre by playing Isaiah Bradley in the MCU, making his first appearance in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and then reprising the role earlier this year for Captain America: Brave New World (where he had a particularly difficult running scene). However, as a longtime fan of his version of Martian Manhunter, I had to ask him what he would like to see done with J’onn if he’s included in the DC Universe, and he told me:
Well, ok, so my J’onn J'onnz heard his voice, had to make vocal production for the first time when he arrived on Earth. So it's a voice that he had only heard in his head, and as he learned to converse as the English got better, he was able to find a place for himself in the world, not as an extraterrestrial immigrant, but as a citizen. So I would be curious to see what his citizenry looks like now, apart from all of his powers and his ability to discorporate, his ability to read minds, his ability to shapeshift. Well, what does his citizenry look like on this planet?
J’onn J’onzz’s traditional origin story sees him forcibly brought to Earth from Mars by a human scientist. Because the scientist died from a heart attack after seeing J’onn shapeshifter, the Martian, who’s often depicted as the last of his kind, was left stranded on Earth and made the John Jones identity so he could live incognito amongst humans. The Justice League animated series handled his arrival on Earth differently, as he came to our world to warn humanity of the Imperium, only to be taken prisoner by Imperium invaders disguised as members of the U.S. government.
Superman and Batman found J’onn being held captive and freed him, and once the Imperium was defeated, those three founded the Justice League with Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. However, it wasn’t until Justice League Unlimited’s final season that J’onn tried living among humanity. So I absolutely agree with Carl Lumbly that it would be great to see how the DC Universe’s J’onn has acclimated to being around us right off the bat. It would make for a nice contrast to David Corenswet’s Superman, who not only looks human, but has been living on Earth since he was an infant.
I’ll keep crossing my fingers that the DC Universe decides to include Martian Manhunter someday and hope that if/when that day comes, his citizenry will be explored in the way Carl Lumbly suggested. The franchise’s first movie, James Gunn’s Superman, opens in theaters on July 11.
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