WTF would the icons of DC look like if started today?

[Stick Figure]

Secret identities are creepy so I don’t have much issue with getting rid of them. Costumes would obviously be toned down. I’m not sure if they’d exist at all.

[Stanlos]

Do you think any of them would be corporate mouthpieces or otherwise corporatized like early Booster and the Conglomerate?

And how about the bizarre thrust toward fascism or autocracy? Would any of them be shaped that part of modern day America??

[j9ac9k]

Do you think any of them would be corporate mouthpieces or otherwise corporatized like early Booster and the Conglomerate?

And how about the bizarre thrust toward fascism or autocracy? Would any of them be shaped that part of modern day America??

So.... "The Boys?"

[Aahz]

But being incredibly rich is basically Batman’s superpower. He has an unlimited supply of gadgets and vehicles which is a big part of his appeal. He wouldn’t have that if he were middle class or even just somewhat rich.

I know a lot of people like Batman just for the gritty darkness of his world but the “wonderful toys” are also a huge part of the character’s popularity.

It amuses me when people say that Batman is the most real world superhero. The guy is basically Bugs Bunny. He reaches behind his back and pulls out a Bat-mallet or whatever gadget he needs for the situation.

Don't know, there were pretty polular eras in comics (early golden age, 70s, 80s and parts of the 90s) were that toy aspect was way toned down in comparison to to now.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Do you think any of them would be corporate mouthpieces or otherwise corporatized like early Booster and the Conglomerate?

And how about the bizarre thrust toward fascism or autocracy? Would any of them be shaped that part of modern day America??

They would probably still fight against the latter.

The former would probably be how some heroes start.

[bat39]

Do you think any of them would be corporate mouthpieces or otherwise corporatized like early Booster and the Conglomerate?

And how about the bizarre thrust toward fascism or autocracy? Would any of them be shaped that part of modern day America??

I can definitely see military and corporate influence playing a possible role in the emergence of modern-day superheroes. I think the MCU, and the Ultimates before, got that part right.

As far as fascism and autocracy goes...honestly its pretty hard to tell because, depending on who you ask, superheroes are already either the ultimate authoritarians or anti-authoritarians. And authoritarianism isn't exclusively a right-wing or a left-wing thing either.

But the traditional superhero construct of heroes basically supplementing the justice system by defeating villains and handing them over to the authorities, or working with the authorities even if they were technically vigilantes, probably might not hold muster - because the superhero genre, as we know it today, was largely shaped by the context of a post-WW2 liberal order that seems to be falling apart. Both in and out of universe, the appeal of heroes who don't kill but handover villains to get a slap on the wrist from the authorities, seems to be dwindling. On the flip-side, you also have people increasingly questioning who's a 'hero' and who's a 'villain', because our politics is so polarized right now that its even getting difficult to come to a universal understanding of what is a 'crime', or even a legitimate threat to the public (or who even is the 'public' that deserves to be defended).

Take the very traditional scene of Batman stopping a store robbery. You'd have people on the left arguing that robbing the store is justice because its the oppressed lashing out against the oppressor, and that Batman is the villanous 'oppressor' here. You'd equally have people on the right arguing that maybe Batman should eliminate these violent criminals, or at least give them such a beating that they're in the hospital for life, because they're scum who never deserve to walk the streets again. Batman's partnership with Gordon would also come under scrutiny, with people on the left and the right increasingly viewing police departments as manifestations of a corrupt system, depending on the politics of the specific city/state/country they live in.

[Agent Z]

Bodyguard. Like in Earth One, Beware the Batman and the Snyder-verse.

But it raises the question of where he was during the Wayne murder. You could say he took the night off and regretted in forever or maybe spin some larger conspiracy but I don't know. I like the humility in Alfred that he has a bad ass history but chooses to be a butler anyway. That his calm, collected demeanor is in contrast to Bruce who is dark and driven.

You could say he was hired after Bruce's parents were killed.

I also suspect we'll see more of Bruce's extended family.

[Agent Z]

That is essentially the question. I was wondering how the characters would be different if their deals were executed today rather than WWII era.

The question came to me as I was pondering why the Superman and WW franchises seem to have been scrubbed of their overt Americanisms. Then I saw this weird vid from the state of Washington where a lady decries being a democracy. In present day America.

It made me wonder wtf is going on with people in America. Then it made me wonder what the DC icons, many of whom were created with overt patriotic elements, would look like if created today. In an America that seems to be in the midst of a manufactured identity crisis.

How would Supreme be different? Would he still be tied to the immigrant story mythos of America? If not, what would he be like? Would any of his elements be different?

How would WW be different? In the OG stuff, Hippolyte and the Amazons identified America as the moral leader in the conflict and modeled the outfit to show allegiance to justice etc. Would today's America viewed by an outsider be seen in the same way? How would this change her?

Blah blah.

My head exploded trying to make sense of much of the stories in the news digest so I started wondering about DC characters.

People being cynical about America isn't a new thing.

[Confuzzled]

If the Trinity weren't created during World War 2 and formed the archetypal basis for the entire superhero genre, the superhero genre may not even exist today as we know it.

So if they were to be created "today", maybe we are looking at different genres altogether?

Diana would be the protagonist of a young adult fantasy series about demigods and monsters, similar to Percy Jackson and Shadow & Bone.

Bruce would be a James Bond-esque action/adventure lead, more along the veins of the darker 007 films like Casino Royale and Skyfall.

Clark would be similar to that Kyle XY show from the 00's, an obvious Smallville sci-fi knock-off but exploring the angle of an alien who looks like a human integrating himself in society.

[Aahz]

If the Trinity weren't created during World War 2 and formed the archetypal basis for the entire superhero genre, the superhero genre may not even exist today as we know it.

At least Batman is pretty much based on characters that existed before (Zorro, the Shadow) so I don't think he is really that realted to WWII.
And Superman was actually predated WWII by a few month.

Bruce would be a James Bond-esque action/adventure lead, more along the veins of the darker 007 films like Casino Royale and Skyfall.

I don't think James Bond is a character that would be created today...

[The Darknight Detective]

At least Batman is pretty much based on characters that existed before (Zorro, the Shadow) so I don't think he is really that realted to WWII.
And Superman was actually predated WWII by a few month.

Both of them predated (barely) WWII.

I don't think James Bond is a character that would be created today...

He definitely would be different, at any rate.

[DrNewGod]

It largely depends on the audience at which the character is aimed. If it's your typical comics fan of today, you're probably going to get something rather different than what would land with a YA-fantasy-lit crowd.

As for the the big icons, I'm not convinced that the core of them would change that much. Particularly not if we don't have the 70+ years of trope forcing them into channels. The tropes formed pretty fast, but if you go back to 1938, they were seasoning to Superman's first few appearances, but not the whole dish.

The things that make Batman iconic would probably stay. Wealth and tech to power his mission, although probably not Iron Man-scale tech, but just slightly better than what the rest of us have. A tragic backstory for motivation. A supernatural-dipped disguise, both to intimidate and so he can anonymously act with impunity. Whether he's got a mansion over a batcave or a penthouse near a secret warehouse would be up for question. There might be more emphasis on Bruce Wayne subtly going after the causes of crime (poverty, inequality, etc.) in contrast to Batman's going after the moment of crime.

[Confuzzled]

At least Batman is pretty much based on characters that existed before (Zorro, the Shadow) so I don't think he is really that realted to WWII.
And Superman was actually predated WWII by a few month.

I meant around WW2. It's a bit hard to pin down a singular alternative take for Batman as he could be imagined as a number of things: a tech based adventurer, a gothic Phantom of the Opera styled tragic hero, a vigilante fighting gang wars etc.

I don't think James Bond is a character that would be created today...

I was referring to gadget based capers like Ethan Hunt (and for the younger set) Artemis Fowl.

[DrNewGod]

Superman.
There are elements I can see sticking:

• A human-looking alien raised by rural foster parents with a strong sense of responsibility and humility
• An incorruptible moral compass. Not a perfect being, but a reminder to us that we can choose to be better than we are. This would include a reluctance to meddle in how humanity chooses its destiny.
• A Secret ID. Those are less popular these days, but I can see a number of reasons for it:
  • Superman's not about being the center of attention, he's about helping others and representing a higher example. Especially in today's narcissistic times, that seems like something on which he'd push back
  • For all that he is, Superman likes unpretentious things, including friends other than those who'd flock to him as a celebrity (plus he wouldn't want the Luthors of the world trying to get at him through them)
  • It's awful handy for him to be able to look into problems without every celebrity blogger on the web trying to get a pic or quote
• Access to salvaged (or reinvented) Kryptonian tech
• Kryptonite: it's just too handy for leveling the playing field and making the likes of Metallo a serious threat
• A costume: aside from comics being a visual medium, he'd need something that can stand up to the physical distress he'd dish out to fabrics. I could seem him starting with something like the New 52 relaunch and progressing to something more suited to his work

I can also see somethings changing:

• The Job. Reporters are in bad odor (although, if you look at pre-1950's Cinema, the profession's always had a sketchy rep). Something tho that still gave him an excuse to look into problems without attracting undue attention. That might mean any number of NGOs or he might be a blogger on social issues that supports himself as a stringer for several news sources (including The Planet)
• The Power Level. I could see dialing him back to something closer to the early Siegel & Schuster levels, if for no other reason, so writers don't have to put the whole planet at risk every time they need to threaten him.
• The Secret ID. No, I'm not contradicting myself, but I could see modifying this a couple of ways:
  • He changes his ID periodically, knowing that he's going to get outted, so moves from life to life as needed.
  • He might be less reluctant to share who he is with a wider circle that he trusts.
• More tech.
  • This is another reason for having a costume (which might look more like what the character in Gods and Monsters wore); he uses his Kryptonian tech to amplify his superabilities. That lets us tell Superman stories that have him at a range of power levels.
  • Rather than having him hear a gunshot in Tokyo from Metropolis, maybe he relies on Kryptonian tech to help him monitor the world. Or travel in space. Or anything else we don't want him able to do without some constraint.
  • Adapting or reinventing the tech also lets him showcase his brains a bit.
• As others have said, a more racially ambiguous appearance. Maybe his foster family consists of migrant farm workers. Let's let him face privilege issues head on.
• If not more hostility toward entrenched authority, perhaps less tolerance of it, reaching back toward S&S's vision of him as an SJW.
• Less public adoration. A Superman, recognizable to the original, would always be controversial. Not just because some envy or fear his power, or are frustrated by their inability to manipulate him, but because he often doesn't solve the problems some think that he should, or at least not in the way they would have done.

All of this, of course, assumes we're trying to project something recognizable onto today's environment. If that's the case, I still think there are good, decent and humble people out there, and Superman is intended to speak of their virtues for us.

[Aahz]

When it comes to the secret IDs I think at least the aspect of them of playing the idiot in their public persons would likely go away.