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

[The Darknight Detective]

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.

That was dying out when I was a kid fifty years ago in the comics, so that wouldn't be surprising.

[DrNewGod]

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.

Idiot? Yes.
Timid? Probably not.

The whole point is to separate the personas. That's not just to explain why Milk Toast McGee is not recognized as Captain Awesome. It's to speak to what each of us would like to do yet don't because it would complicate our lives beyond our tolerance.

That's a bit different from the original concept, which was about a child imagining having power without giving up who they were. The core of it still works.

[Confuzzled]

Even Hannah Montana was doing the secret id thing uptil the 2000s so I don't think that aspect will necessarily go away

I think Bruce is the only one depicted with an "idiot" public persona nowadays and everybody else is more on the timid, unimpressive side as compared to their hero identities as DrNewGod said. And Bruce's fake himbo strategy is incredibly effective. I can see him fooling the judgmental know-it-alls on social media for sure. It's a trope taken directly from The Scarlet Pimpernel so it's a classic trope.

[DrNewGod]

Wonder Woman.

This is a tough one. By and large, I think her powerset would be unchanged, the real differences would be in Wonder Woman's motives and fine nuances to her backstory.

It depends on whether the creator wanted to focus on the original core mission in man's world of promoting peace or to focus more on equal respect for all genders and races. The two aren't mutually exclusive, but the former lends itself more to the bracelets and lasso and the latter to the sword and shield. Also, if we're not mainly after world peace, Steve Trevor's raison d'être vanishes in a puff of smoke, along with any reason for her to have any kind of relationship with anybody's defense apparatus.

One direction might be to take the early Black Panther approach. Whatever reason she gives publicly, Wonder Woman might actually be here to keep an eye on us, and to keep us away from Paradise Island.

I'm not sure if a modern creator would lean into such a literal interpretation of the Olympian mythology. Assuming there's a Marvel comics out there, it might be seen as done to death. I don't suggest that they'd chuck all Amazon mythology, but maybe treat the gods as something a lot more ethereal and mysterious that the Greeks misinterpreted. How that's handled would have implications for her origins, and whether she's a demi-god, a mystical creation, or "merely" an exceptional Amazon. It might also reshape some of her enemies roster.

The costume would definitely be less American in iconography. Probably something in gold, and more like Greco-Roman armor.

I agree with those that speculate WW would likely be pan-sexual. That doesn't necessarily rub Steve Trevor out, but it would certainly diminish his role in the narrative.

A secret identity seems unlikely for her. She's here as an ambassador (and possibly, spy in plain sight), so she'd probably not be living in disguise. She might, however, have a private retreat where she goes to live discreetly, surrounded by locals that either don't recognize her, or don't care.

[dswynne]

Comics are said to be a genuinely American artform. And the industry's original icon was said to be made with the immigrant journey to America as inspiration.

I was listening to a lady speaking in Washington state chirp about how she and her peops do NOT want to be in a Democracy.

It got me to thinking how notions of America factor into 2/3 of the tales of the DC Trinity as well too as 2/3 of the original one person League Can Do characters. So how might the tales of characters like Superman differ if the rocket came down today? Where would it need to land in order to remain true to our current understanding of the character?

With the massive social and tech changes since the 40s, what kinds of changes to origin stories, secret identities, or backgrounds might we see?

I think the post-modern series you are looking for is called THE BOYS, by Garth Ennis. Probably not as "graphic", but still...

[Stanlos]

So would that make the spinoff show their .... TITANS? Would powered teens and athletically talented teens have any motivation toward hero work? Could they put down their mobiles long enough to accomplish anything?

Or would they show up only to upload the clip of the disaster to tgeir Insta?

[DrNewGod]

So would that make the spinoff show their .... TITANS? Would powered teens and athletically talented teens have any motivation toward hero work? Could they put down their mobiles long enough to accomplish anything?

Or would they show up only to upload the clip of the disaster to tgeir Insta?

I could see something like Booster Gold's original concept working, or Witchfire from Busiek's Power Company.