With DC Comics' new mission to spotlight lesser-known characters, 2025 could be the perfect time to bring back Jonah Hex in a dark western style. The DC Universe is one of the biggest fictional universes in any medium. The publisher has hundreds and hundreds of characters in its roster, and while some of them are world-famous, not all of them get the recognition and respect that they deserve - like Jonah Hex.

Since the interesting characters that DC has is Jonah Hex, but he just hasn't been used recently.

Now that DC has committed to spotlighting new characters, especially in its recently-begun All In era, it would be the perfect time to bring Jonah Hex back and fully explore a point in DC's history that is very rarely shown.

Jonah Hex Is One of DC's Best Anti-Heroes

A Deeply Complicated Man in a Lawless Land

One of the things that DC doesn't really explore all that much is time periods, which is a bit disappointing considering just how many different characters DC has in different time periods. While DC used to focus a lot on characters like the Legion of Super-Heroes, who make their home in the 31st Century, the publisher hasn't put as much focus on that future team lately. There are also characters whose stories take place in the past, such as the Justice Society of America and Jonah Hex.

Plenty of characters have tragic backstories in comics, but Jonah Hex has perhaps one of the darkest backstories around. It seemed that Jonah just couldn't catch a break. He was born into an abusive family where he was regularly beaten by his father, before being sold into slavery. After earning the acceptance of the Native American tribe that bought him, he was again betrayed and left for dead. Jonah was then rescued by a group of rangers, who, again, left Jonah for dead after he tried to prevent them from killing some Native children.

From there, Jonah fought in the American Civil War, surprisingly on the side of the Confederacy. After having a crisis of faith over what he was fighting for, Jonah surrendered, but was falsely labeled as a coward and a traitor by the Southern forces. After that, he reunited with his tribe, but, due to the treachery of his adopted brother, he had to kill his adopted brother, his adoptive father, and his entire tribe in self-defense. As far as backstories go, there are few characters who are more tragic than Jonah.

Jonah Hex Perfectly Fits DC's New Focus on Classic, Underused Characters

If Metamorpho Can Get an Ongoing Series, Why Not Jonah Hex?

But Jonah Hex's history with America makes him the perfect character to tell stories from pretty much any angle. He's been enslaved; he's been part of a Native American tribe; he's fought for the Confederacy; and he's been a bounty hunter. He is tied into so many different layers of American history that there could be dozens of stories told about him that aren't just generic Westerns. While he could still have those perfect and gritty bounty hunter stories, he is also just as at home in a Civil War piece. Jonah Hex is a surprisingly versatile character.

If Metamorpho, a character twelve years older than Jonah Hex, can suddenly get a solo series, there shouldn't be any reason that the old gunslinger can't get one as well.

DC has recently been focusing on its older characters, even giving Metamorpho his own ongoing comic book at the tail end of 2024. If Metamorpho, a character twelve years older than Jonah Hex, can suddenly get a solo series, there shouldn't be any reason that the old gunslinger can't get one as well. James Gunn has also stated that he wants the DCU to focus more on characters, regardless of what point in time they are. If what Gunn has claimed is true, then Jonah Hex would make a perfect character for the new movie and TV initiative, and having him in the DCU means that it wouldn't hurt to give him a comic as well.

The Justice League Always Takes the Spotlight Away from Characters Like Jonah Hex

But There Are Other Characters DC Could Focus On

The beauty of the DC Universe is the sheer number of different types of stories it can tell. That's why having such an overabundance of characters is important. Batman can be part of a gritty street-level noir story, while Superman can be part of lighter sci-fi tales, fighting mad scientists and silly monsters. Green Lantern has long been part of high science-fiction epics that feature deep space exploration and aliens. But DC hasn't really focused on Western storytelling as of late, which is what Jonah Hex was originally created for, but over time DC just hasn't been focusing on him as much.

As DC redoubles efforts to explore older characters, like Metamorpho, there's no reason that Jonah Hex shouldn't be included on that list. He's an intensely deep character with a ton of different facets to his personality. His history has taken him all over America, and he's fought on many of different sides of conflicts. If DC is truly serious about exploring its lesser-used characters, then there really isn't a better candidate for DC to pick up next than Jonah Hex.