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?
