The Booster Gold. While there are any number of C-List characters who could be introduced into the reality of The CW's shared superhero universe, Booster Gold is the most capable of fitting into nearly any series as a comedic foil or time-traveling ally.
Booster Gold first appeared in Booster Gold #1 in February 1986 and was the creation of comic creator Dan Jurgens. Booster was originally conceived as a comedic character, satirizing the excesses of the 1980s by attaching the "greed is good" ethos of the era to the traditionally altruistic profession of superheroism. Booster was an anomaly among DC Comics' heroes, being just as concerned with selling his name and winning sponsorship deals as he was with punishing criminals and protecting the innocent.
Booster Gold would evolve in later years, with more attention being paid to his nature as a time-traveler than his status as the world's first "corporate crusader." Booster would continue to play the fool in public, while waging a secret war against some of the DC Universe's most powerful villains, struggling to put right what once went wrong with his knowledge of how the future was supposed to turn out. This earned him the title of "The Greatest Hero You've Never Heard Of" and makes him an ideal entry into the Arrowverse.
Who Is Booster Gold In The Comics?
Born Michael Jon Carter, Booster Gold and his twin sister, Michelle, were raised by their single mother in the slums of 25th century Gotham City, where he earned a full scholarship to play football for Gotham University. It was at this point that that Michael's father, a gambling addict who abandoned his family when the money ran out, reentered his life and convinced him to start throwing games to win the money needed to take care of his family. Unfortunately, the scheme was exposed and Michael was expelled and banned from ever playing professional football. Disgraced and without prospects, the only job Michael could find was as a night watchman for the Metropolis Space Museum.
It was here that Michael began studying the displays and became enthralled by the heroes of Earth's past, particularly the superheroes of the late 20th century. This inspired a mad scheme, where Michael decided to become a superhero himself, traveling back in time to the Age of Heroes after robbing the museum of everything he needed. This included a Rip Hunter, and used it to take himself and a repurposed security droid named Skeets back to the 20th century, where he would adopt the name Goldstar.
Michael's plan worked with only one minor hitch; he became known as Booster Gold rather than Goldstar. This was due to him fumbling his own name during his grand debut, stepping in to save President Ronald Reagan from an assassination attempt. When asked for his name, Michael reflexively gave his nickname on the football field, Booster, before quickly trying to correct himself and say Goldstar. President Reagan introduced him to the watching reporters and the world as "Booster Gold" and the name stuck.
Despite this ignominious start and his greedy nature (which turned off most of the hero community) Booster Gold was still accepted into the newly reformed Justice League. It was here that Booster began to mellow after he failed to stop the death of Superman. He also secretly took up a new role as the new universe's continuity cop, under the guidance of Time Master Rip Hunter, who felt that Booster's buffoonish reputation made him the perfect agent to act in secret against the many supervillains who sought to alter the timeline to their benefit. While the masterminds always ed for the actions of Superman or Batman, Hunter reasoned, they'd never consider someone like Booster Gold when scheming their evil plans.
Why Booster Gold Needs To Be In The Arrowverse
There are many reasons why Booster Gold should be brought into the Arrowverse. First, there would be a historical resonance introducing him into the Post-Crisis Earth-Prime. As Booster was the first original superhero created for DC Comics' universe following Crisis on Infinite Earths, it would be fitting if the new Arrowverse mirrored that aspect of the comics and used the coming year to introduce him.
Beyond that, there were plans to bring Booster Gold into the Arrowverse at one time and it would be nice if the producers were allowed to follow through on the idea, as they clearly have high regard for him. In a 2014 interview, The Flash producer Geoff Johns (who co-wrote the 2007 Booster Gold comic series) said he thought it likely that Booster Gold solo series in 2011 for the Syfy Channel, which ultimately wasn't picked up. This was just one year before Berlanti established the Arrowverse with the premiere of Arrow on The CW.
Clearly Berlanti and Johns both thought Booster Gold was a natural for the small screen at one time, and it's not hard to see why. Booster's characterization over the years has varied considerably and he could be easily adapted to meet the needs of various productions because of his versatility. A younger Booster could be brought into almost any of the Arrowverse series as a source of comic relief. Conversely, an older Booster Gold could appear in his capacity as a guardian of the established timeline, similar to the Time Masters in the first season of Legends of Tomorrow.
What Booster's Role Would Be In The Post-Crisis Arrowverse
The best reason for introducing Booster Gold into the Arrowverse is that he could play a number of roles and would fit in perfectly among the cast of most of the established shows. He could act as a comedic foil for Superman in the Supergirl. Booster Gold's antics were a frequent source of annoyance for J'onn in his Justice League International days and his profit-minded approach to heroism tested even the near-infinite patience of Superman when Booster Gold first showed up in modern-day Metropolis.
Booster Gold could also find a new home among the heroes of Central City on The Flash. Most of the series' major battles have focused upon the effects of paradoxes and speedster villains altering the course of history. Booster Gold could either show up intending to secretly stop some new crisis that arises from the latest Reverse-Flash scheme or become the focus of Team Flash's efforts to prevent the well-meaning but short-sighted Booster from screwing up Earth-Prime's timeline with his efforts to build his brand.
The best home for Booster Gold in the Arrowverse, however, may be on the Waverider with the Legends of Tomorrow, among other heroes who are famous for "screwing history up for the better." The tone of the Legends' adventures is a close match for most of Booster's appearances in the comics, with his incarnation of the Justice League having been as comedic as they were heroic. With the recent departure of The Atom, the team is also in need of a tech-minded hero with a super-suit. Most importantly, Booster's knowledge of future events could make him a valuable resource for fighting whatever historical threat follows after this year's Encore menace.