What if Lin-Manuel Miranda were a DC superhero?

The CW has achieved a feat of superhero television that was once unimaginable.  Four days in a row of shows based on DC comics, three of which take place in the same universe with the fourth just a hop, skip, and a breach away.  Somehow, the collective cast of this group of shows became full of actors with backgrounds in musical theater, especially Supergirl and The Flash.  The titular Supergirl and Flash are played by Melissa Benoist and Grant Gustin who both broke into television by way of Glee, and they are joined by esteemed Broadway legends like Laura Benanti and Jesse L. Martin as well as a younger cast with credits including Bonnie and Clyde and musical Internet sensation StarKid Productions (it's hard to explain if you don't already know).  That's why the two shows are planning a musical crossover for the current seasons.  And yet, they're not alone.  Arrow features John Barrowman, who has a background in the theater scenes of both New York and London, while Legends of Tomorrow has Godspell star Victor Garber and Once's Arthur Darvill.  With all these musical theater actors playing superheroes I wonder if there's a role for the musical-dork-in-chief, Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda, in a DC movie or series.

Blue Lantern

The 2011 film Green Lantern is widely considered a critical and commercial flop, so widely that even the film's star Ryan Reynolds seems to despise it.  I imagine it also raises complicated emotions in writer and producer Greg Berlanti, the ringleader of the CW shows.  However, the Green Lantern Corps of intergalactic police is still a great concept full of great characters.  That's probably why a movie is planned for 2020 and with a little luck a Lantern will show up on TV before much longer.  As for Lin-Manuel Miranda, I don't really see him as a Green Lantern.  GL's are defined by their determination, a trait Miranda surely has in spades, but I believe he would make an even better Blue Lantern.  Blue Lanterns have the same powers as Green Lanterns, (rings that create whatever the wearer imagines from thin air) but Blue Lanterns are defined by hope rather will.  If I know one thing about Lin-Manuel Miranda it's that he is bursting with optimism.  There isn't anyone alive who is more excited to be alive.  He doesn't seem to have a bad word to say about anything but an endless supply of good words about everything.  On the other hand, there could be place for him in the Indigo Tribe, a group of Lantern types who are powered by compassion.

Vibe

A few years ago the character "Vibe" was a fun obscure comic book reference.  He was the ridiculous joke of a "Justice League Detroit" gimmick to pander to hip-hop fans.  (The very first image of Vibe showed him break-dancing.)  The character is now building a different reputation thanks to his main role in The Flash.  The live-action Vibe is very different from the original.  He's a brilliant scientist who lives and breathes nerdy pop culture references and provides just the right amount of comic relief.  The only remnants of the old Vibe seems to be the name "Cisco Ramon," his Hispanic ethnicity, and his vibration based powers, along with a connection to the multi-verse that first appeared when the character was rebooted in 2011.  That's where Lin-Manuel Miranda comes in.  I believe he could perfectly fuse the two versions of the character, perhaps for the cinematic DC universe.  He's a lovable dork who loves hip-hop; the biggest nerd in the game and the coolest dweeb in the world.  I don't know if he can break-dance but I bet he could learn.

Plastic Man

As superhero movies grow in quantity the need for interesting, less known source material also grows.  That's how 2015 produced the excellent Deadpool and the sloppy but enjoyable Suicide Squad.  Maybe if that trend continues the long rumored Plastic Man movie could see the light of day.  Crafting a good Plastic Man movie would certainly be an impressive feat.  The character is as rooted in comedy as Deadpool but much more kid-friendly and cartoonish.  He has the power to stretch and mold his body into any shape he desires and change his appearance at will.  Casting a character like this would be a challenge unless Jim Carrey is still up for getting in superhero shape in his 50's.  For a more youthful alternative, I suggest Miranda.  He's an incredibly physical performer and as a host on SNL he proved his excellent comedic timing.  Although, it may not be a role befitting of a certifiable genius like Mr. Miranda.

Uncle Sam

On SNL Miranda compared Hamilton to the disastrous 2016 election but one notable difference is the time.  Hamilton takes place during and after the American Revolution, when the United States was a fledgling nation full of promise.  When Alexander Hamilton declares himself "just like my country, young, scrappy and hungry," it fills an American heart with pride.  It makes one believe that America's potential has not yet been tapped and depleted.  Also, it's nice to know that one of the greatest artistic minds of our time comes from the U.S. of A.  As far as superheroes go, one might think that Marvel has the market on patriotic do-gooders cornered with Captain America but DC is home to the one and only embodiment of the American Spirit known as Uncle Sam.  The man under the star-spangled top hat has existed in DC Comics in one way or another since 1940.  There's no reason Miranda couldn't regrow Alexander Hamilton's goatee to portray a Puerto Rican-American version of Uncle Sam, perhaps in Legends of Tomorrow.  Sure, it would be a little cheesy, but no one does cheese better than LMM.  The man's a human nacho cheese fountain.

Mad Men Report: Star Trek: Seeking Out 'Luke Cage' and 'Westworld'

Captains Log:  My mission to rank new TV shows based on how much they could distract me from watching other shows has been slowed by Hurricane Matthew but I am nearly back on track.  On a related note, the fall's slate of new premieres seems to be slowing down.  We only have two new series on the docket, although both are quite exciting.  They should prove to be quite a pair of diversions from my viewing of Star Trek.

Luke Cage

In a time when every week brings a different video of another black man being unjustly shot Marvel and Netflix offer a champion who swats away bullets like flies.  The latest in the Defenders series of grim, hard PG-13 superheroes that includes Daredevil and Jessica Jones sees Luke Cage building a humble life in Harlem after a hazardous fling with Jessica Jones herself.  Of course, he can't stay hidden for long and he quickly begins a one-man war on Harlem's criminal underworld.  Mike Colter returns to the role he originated in Jessica Jones.  He is joined by Alfre Woodard, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi, and 2016's favorite character actor Ron Cephas Jones.  Luke Cage is exciting and absorbing, but I can't shake the feeling that the Defenders are just as susceptible to formula as the Avengers, they just have a different formula.  Fortunately, that formula includes nurse Claire Temple, played by Rosario Dawson who is possibly the strongest actor in Marvel's stable.

Star Trek threat level: 7/10

Westworld

The late, great Yul Brynner is having a good year.  He was replaced by Denzel Washington in the remake of The Magnificent Seven and Ed Harris in the TV adaptation of Westworld.  The former is a fun movie that's worth watching but the latter has immediately established itself as a must-see.  Together they amount to a Western and a half.  Westworld has a Western outer shell and a gooey sci-fi center.  It's about a theme park that allows visitors to live out their fantasies of the Wild West with the help of life-like robotic hosts.  Obviously, that fantasy includes filling strangers with hot lead but none of the guns in the park work on humans, only on soulless machines.  The problem is that they may not remain soulless for long.  Evan Rachel Wood plays a sweet farm girl who begins to realize that her existence is a creation made with zeroes and ones.  The mastermind behind the park, played by Anthony Hopkins, sorrowfully passes the torch to the new wave of innovators, Jeffrey Wright, Simon Quarterman, and Shannon Woodward but not before making a few last innovations of his own.  Showrunner Jonathan Nolan, best known for writing films directed by his brother Christopher, has crafted an Ex-Machina style mindfuck wrapped in the breathtaking scenery of a John Ford cowboy picture.  The HBO series has been compared to Game of Thrones but if the first episode is any indication there's no need to worry about filling those shoes.  Yul Brynner would be proud.

Star Trek threat level: 9.5/10