THE TOUR OF U.S. PRESIDENTS WHO HAVE APPEARED IN DC COMICS

From the founding of the republic to the modern era, the office of President of the United States has carried extraordinary weight. As head of state, chief executive, and commander in chief, the President faces constant scrutiny and decisions that can shape the course of history. Wars, economic turmoil, and social change have all tested those who have held the office, making it one of the most demanding roles in the world.

Yet for all its gravity, the presidency has also found itself reflected in popular culture in unexpected and sometimes amusing ways. One of the more unusual honors or hazards of the office is being written into the pages of comic books. In the four-color worlds of superheroes and supervillains, Presidents have delivered speeches, been rescued from alien invasions, authorized daring missions, or occasionally found themselves imperiled by mad scientists and cosmic threats. 

Some Presidents have appeared hundreds of times, others in just a panel or two. And a few Presidents have still never been featured at all. In this tour, we will look at every U.S. President who has appeared in at least one panel of a DC comic book. The entries will be presented in chronological order of the Presidents themselves, rather than by the publication dates of the stories in which they appeared.

PRESIDENT #1
GEORGE WASHINGTON
(2 Terms:  1789 - 1797)
No Party

Washington has appeared over 50 times in various DC comics.  Pictured here is an appearance from Adventure Comics #323 (1964).

PRESIDENT #2
JOHN ADAMS
(1 Term:  1797 - 1801)
Federalist Party

Adams has appeared in at least 6 DC tales.  Shown here is an appearance from Action Comics Annual #6 (1994).

PRESIDENT #3
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(2 Terms:  1801 - 1809)
Democratic-Republican Party

Jefferson is noted as appearing in at least 10 different stories.  Featured here is his inclusion in a Zatara tale featured in World's Finest Comics #28 (1947).

PRESIDENT #4
JAMES MADISON
(2 Terms:  1809 - 1817)
Democratic-Republican Party

Madison is catalogued as appearing in DC stories just twice.  Featured here is an outing from a Metamorpho story published in 1st Issue Special #3 (1975).

PRESIDENT #5
JAMES MADISON
(2 Terms:  1817 - 1825)
Democratic-Republican Party

The only readily chronicled tale featuring James Madison in a comic under the DC umbrella of titles is from Captain Marvel Jr. #105 (1952).

PRESIDENT #6
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
(1 Term:  1825 - 1829)
Democratic-Republican Party

The one appearance I could find for John Quincy Adams is from a "Fact Page" that was actually centered on First Lady Abigail Adams.  It appeared in Wonder Woman (vol 1) #14 (1945).

PRESIDENT #7
ANDREW JACKSON
(2 Terms:  1829 - 1837)
Democratic Party

Andrew Jackson appears to have just one appearance, and it is from Hit Comics #38 (1945).  This Kid Eternity tale was originally published by Quality Comics, but is now part of the extensive DC catalogue.

PRESIDENT #8
MARTIN VAN BUREN
(1 Term:  1837 - 1841)
Democratic Party

I've found no known appearances of Martin Van Buren in a DC tale.

PRESIDENT #9
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON
(Partial Term:  1841 - 1841)
Whig Party

The singular appearance of Harrison that I found was from a "Fact-Page" published in Ghosts #11 (1972). It outlined how (up to the date of publication) every U.S. President elected in a year ending in "0" had died in office. William Henry Harrison was one of those Presidents. Harrison's term was the shortest of any U.S. President, lasting just 31 days. He suffered from pneumonia from the day he took office and succumbed to it a month later.

PRESIDENT #10
JOHN TYLER
(1 Term:  1841 - 1845)
Whig Party

I've found no known appearances of President Tyler in a DC story.

PRESIDENT #11
JAMES KNOX POLK
(1 Term:  1845 - 1849)
Democratic Party

I've found no known appearances by President Polk in any DC stories.

PRESIDENT #12
ZACHARY TAYLOR
(Partial Term:  1849 - 1850)
Whig Party

I've found no known appearances of Zachary Taylor in any DC stories.

President Taylor died 16 months into his term, a result of severe gastroenteritis.  Zachary Taylor was the country's first President who had no prior position in an elected office.  His experience was instead related to the military.

PRESIDENT #13
MILLARD FILLMORE
(Partial Term:  1850 - 1853)
Whig Party

Your tour guide has found just one Fillmore appearance, and it is in Action Comics #371 (January 1969). He is shown as one of several former Presidents in pictures on the wall (lower row, second pic). This is an imaginary story where Superman becomes President.

PRESIDENT #14
FRANKLIN PIERCE
(1 Term:  1853 - 1857)
Democratic Party

President Pierce has appeared at least twice in stories published by DC Comics.  Shown here is his inclusion in a tale from The Kents #2 (1997)

PRESIDENT #15
JAMES BUCHANAN
(Partial Term:  1857 - 1861)
Democratic Party

Your Tour Guide has found just one time that President Buchanan has been in a DC comic, and it is in The Kents #3 (1997).

PRESIDENT #16
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
(1 Term and 1 Partial Term:  1861 - 1865)
Republican Party

President Lincoln has been featured in over 50 issues of DC Comics' tales.  He's shown here in a tale from Adventure Comics #297 (1962).

Lincoln was assassinated just 42 days into his second term.

PRESIDENT #17
ANDREW JOHNSON
(Partial Term:  1865 - 1869)
Democratic Party

President Johnson has appeared at least twice within the pages of DC's comics.  He's shown here from The Kents #11 (1998)

PRESIDENT #18
ULYSSES S. GRANT
(2 Terms:  1869 - 1877)
Republican Party

Grant has been seen at least seven times in DC publications. He's shown here from a tale in Secret Origins (vol. 2) #19 (1987).

 

PRESIDENT #19

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES
(1 Term and 1 Partial Term:  1877 - 1881)
Republican Party

Hayes has been spotted at least twice in DC Comics.  He's shown here from a story in Time Masters #3 (1990).

PRESIDENT #20
JAMES GARFIELD
(Partial Term:  1881 - 1881)
Republican Party

Four months after taking office, Garfiled was shot.  He struggled for 2 months before succumbing to blood poisoning from infections.  He was the second U.S. President to be assassinated.

Garfield has been seen at least three times in DC Comics.  He's shown here from Ghosts #21 (1973).

PRESIDENT #21
CHESTER ARTHUR
(Partial Term:  1881 - 1885)
Republican Party

I've found no known appearances of Chester Arthur in any DC story.

PRESIDENT #22 and #24

GROVER CLEVELAND
(2 Terms (non-consecutive):  1885 - 1889 and 1893 - 1897)
Democratic Party

Our first President to serve non-consecutive terms seems to have just one DC appearance.  It is from a "Facts Page" that appeared in Plastic Man Special #1 (1999)

PRESIDENT #23
BENJAMIN HARRISON
(1 Term:  1889 - 1893)
Republican Party

I've found no known appearances of President Harrison in any DC comic story.

PRESIDENT #25
WILLIAM MCKINLEY
(1 Term and 1 Partial Term:  1897 - 1901)
Republican Party

President McKinley has appeared in at least 4 times in the pages of DC Comics.  Shown here is a panel from Ghosts #21 (1973).

PRESIDENT #26
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
(2 Terms:  1901 - 1909)
Republican Party

Teddy ("Speak softly and carry a big stick") Roosevelt has appeared in at least 4 issues of DC Comics.  He's pictured here from Our Army at War #239 (1971).

PRESIDENT #27
WILLIAM TAFT
(1 Term:  1909 - 1913)
Republican Party

President Taft seems to have appeared only once in a DC tale...  Real Facts Comics #4 (1946).

PRESIDENT #28
WOODROW WILSON
(2 Terms:  1913 - 1921)
Democratic Party

Your Tour Guide has found only one instance in which President Wilson appeared in a DC comic.  It's shown here from a Metamorpho story in 1st Issue Special #3 (1975).

PRESIDENT #29
WARREN HARDING
(Partial Term:  1921 - 1923)
Republican Party

Like William Henry Harrison, Warren Harding's singular appearance in a DC comic book comes from a "Fact Page" in Ghosts #11 (1972).  The page provides information on how all U.S. Presidents (up to that time) elected in a year ending in zero died while in office.

Harrison died of a heart attack just 29 months into his term.

PRESIDENT #30
CALVIN COOLIDGE
(A Partial Term and 1 Term:  1923 - 1929)
Republican Party

It appears that President Coolidge has had just one appearance in a DC Comic.  He's shown here from G.I. Combat #271 (1984).  

PRESIDENT #31
HERBERT HOOVER
(1 Term:  1929 - 1933)
Republican Party

Hoover's one found appearance in a DC comic is in Real Facts Comics #4 (1946).

PRESIDENT #32
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
(3 Terms and 1 Partial Term:  1933 - 1945)
Democratic Party

The only U.S. President to serve more than two terms has been spotted in over eighty issues of DC comic books.  Heck, he was pretty much a supporting cast member in All-Star Squadron.  He's shown here from All-Star Squadron #7 (1982).

PRESIDENT #33
HARRY S TRUMAN
(1 Partial Term and 1 Term:  1945 - 1953)
Democratic Party

President Truman has at least 25 appearances in the pages of DC Comics.  He's shown here from JSA (vol. 1) #72 (2005).

(Fun Fact!  Though it is considered grammatically correct to place a period after the "S", it is not an abbreviation.  S was his middle name!)

PRESIDENT #34
DWIGHT D EISENHOWER 
(2 Terms:  1953 - 1961)
Republican Party

Eisenhower racks up an impressive number of appearances in DC Comics, topping 50 at the time of this publication.  He's shown here from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #86 (1965).

PRESIDENT #35
JOHN F. KENNEDY
(Partial Term:  1961 - 1963)
Democratic Party

Kennedy has appeared on more than 40 occasions in the pages of DC Comics.  He's shown here from Action Comics #309 (1964).  In this tale, readers learn that Superman lets the President in on his secret identity.  In a bit of sad irony, this issue had already been published, but ended up on the newsstands after Kennedy's assassination.

PRESIDENT #36
LYNDON B. JOHNSON
(Partial Term and 1 Term:  1963 - 1969)
Democratic Party

Johnson has been featured in at least 10 issues of comics published by DC.  He's shown here from Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #71 (1967).

PRESIDENT #37
RICHARD NIXON
(1 Term and Partial Term:  1969 - 1974)
Republican Party

President Nixon can be found in at least 15 issues of DC Comics.  He's shown here on the cover of From Beyond the Unknown #17 (1972).

PRESIDENT #38
GERALD FORD
(Partial Term:  1974 - 1977)
Republican Party

President Ford is the first and only President to have never been elected for the office of President or Vice President.  He has appeared in at least 10 various issues of DC Comics.  He's shown here from Super-Team Family #8 (1976)

 

PRESIDENT #39
JIMMY CARTER
(1 Term:  1977 - 1981)
Democratic Party

Carter has been seen in at least 15 different issues of DC Comics. 

The audience featured on the cover of the All-New Collector's Edition volume 1 C-56 (Superman vs. Mohammed Ali) is made up almost entirely of real people.  Jimmy Carter is featured prominently in the lower right corner.  

PRESIDENT #40
RONALD REAGAN
(2 Terms:  1981 - 1989)
Republican Party

Reagan has racked up an impressive 80+ appearances within the various titles published by DC Comics.  Shown here, he's interacting with Superman in the Justice League International (vol. 1) #7 (1987).

PRESIDENT #41
GEORGE H.W. BUSH
(1 Term:  1989 - 1993)
Republican Party

George H.W. Bush has appeared in at least 15 DC issues.  He's shown here from Checkmate (vol. 1) #18 (1989).

PRESIDENT #42
WILLIAM "BILL" CLINTON
(2 Terms:  1993 - 2001)
Democratic Party

To date, Bill Clinton has appeared at least 35 times in DC's titles.  Pictured here is a panel from Superman: The Man of Steel (vol. 1) ##20 (1993).  This was during the "Death of Superman" storyline.

PRESIDENT #43
GEORGE W. BUSH
(2 Terms:  2001 - 2009)
Republican Party

Unlike most of his modern contemporaries, George W. Bush has had very little representation in DC Comics.  To date, he's appeared just twice. This is most likely because during Bush Jr's actual time in office, DC had an ongoing storyline in which Lex Luthor was President of the U.S. within the DC Universe. Bush is shown here from Justice League (vol. 2) #6 (April 2012).

PRESIDENT #44
BARACK OBAMA
(2 Terms:  2009 - 2017)
Democratic Party

To date, President Obama has appeared in at least 29 issues of DC Comics. He's featured here from Action Comics (vol. 1) #901 (2011).

PRESIDENT #45
DONALD TRUMP
(1 Term:  2017 - 2021*)
Republican Party

Donald Trump has appeared in at least 11 issues of DC Comics. He's featured here from Bat-Mite #6 (2016). Trump holds the distinction of being the first person elected as President who had no experience as a publicly elected official or as a member of the U.S. military. (*President Trump is currently serving his second term, which began in 2025)

PRESIDENT #46
JOSEPH "JOE" BIDEN
(1 Term:  2021 - 2025)
Democratic Party

Joe Biden has appeared in just two storylines published by DC Comics during his time in office. One storyline was in Wonder Woman, the other was in Titans: Beast World. In both titles, he is never referenced by name, nor is his face shown. He is always shown from the back of the head or with heavy shadowing. This is most likely because in both storylines, the President is duped by Amanda Waller or under the subjugation of evil forces.

Having visited all the Presidents in our country's history, let's take a quick off-ramp on this tour and look at three more important Presidents related to the DC's history before we wrap things up!


IMAGINARY PRESIDENT #1
PREZ RICKARD

After the age of eligibility to run for President was lowered from 35 to 19, the U.S. citizens of Earth-One voted Prez Rickard into office.  Prez appeared in his own series, which lasted just four issues published in 1973 and 1974.

IMAGINARY PRESIDENT #2
LEX LUTHOR

In the DC Universe, Lex Luthor was elected President in 2000, succeeding Bill Clinton into the highest office in the nation in 2001.  He ran as a third-party candidate, and his term lasted until 2003, when he was forced out of office.  

IMAGINARY PRESIDENT #3
BETH ROSS

In 2015/2016, DC reimagined its 1970s Prez concept.  Set in the year 2036, the citizens of the United States elect Beth Ross as their Prez!  Beth becomes the first teenage President.  This Prez was featured in a six-issue mini-series.

Well, there you have it!  We've transported you through time by showing 250 years' worth of U.S. Presidents as they have been represented in the pages of DC Comics, along with some bonus entries!  We hope you enjoyed the ride! 

This is definitely a blog that will require updates every four years, but we're up for the challenge!

Meanwhile, if you know of any appearances by the six Presidents this tour couldn't find appearances for... please let your tour guide know!    




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