Can Wonder Woman be replaced?

[Carabas]

Falcon has his own identity. Why would he drop it to carry the bag for old man Steve?

Who knows? Maybe Steve asked him to? Maybe he feels that somebody needs to be Captain America, that it's more important that there is a Captain America than that there is a Falcon. Captain America is bigger than the guy wearing the costume.
Who knows? Story's not even printed yet.

Also, you've been reading comics longer than this, you know that nobody is giving up anything, just setting it aside for a few story arcs.

I can see the Falcon being Captain America if he keeps the wings, Redwing and his bird telepathy. He has to be his own Cap, and not a copy of Steve Rogers. Wonder how that would effect the Mighty Avengers?

Preview art shows him still having the wings.

[ed2962]

Yep, for all the talk of "why don't they just make a new character?", I have yet to see a new minority character take off.

The new Ms Marvel is doing pretty well, but she's kind of an exception.

[ed2962]

Falcon has his own identity. Why would he drop it to carry the bag for old man Steve?
It would be just as insulting if Black Panther gave up his iconic identity to be Captain America.

He won't be completely dropping his own identity. Plus he's done it before. Plus everyone who's been readding comics more than a couple of years knows Steve will be back in maybe a year...this is probably Marvel thinking they can generate interest in a Sam ongoing.

[Carabas]

The new Ms Marvel is doing pretty well, but she's kind of an exception.

And there's no end of complaining from fans who want Carol Danvers to take back her identity and get rid of this pandering to minorities.

[Username taken]

And there's no end of complaining from fans who want Carol Danvers to take back her identity and get rid of this pandering to minorities.

Quoted for truth.

[Gaelforce]

Meanwhile, the question is 'should Wonder Woman...'

[RealWonderman]

I'm guessing some of us didn't actually read the article before chiming in. The article is actually rather sarcastic regarding Wonder Woman being replaced by a man. It's pointing out the absurdity of making Thor a female instead of just, you know, making new female and minority characters.

"Of course, there will be some challenges, such as filling the bustier, but in an age of padded bras and other clever devices for creating illusions, that should hardly be a challenge that the DC Comics team can't tackle. The same goes for the lower part of the costume where a beer gut and a pair of hairy legs will certainly add a twist to a familiar tale and delight readers with pleasures that they never saw coming.

So is this idea as ridiculous as it sounds? Yes, but so is the stunt casting by Marvel Comics of its major characters. To be clear, it is great that the powers that be at Marvel Comics are finally paying attention to underrepresented minorities in their stories but by simply plugging them into the costumes and legends of established characters, they are not so much elevating minorities as using them to sell more comics in a progressive age.

If they really wanted to introduce minority characters into their comics, the right and responsible way to do it would be to introduce new characters that are just as powerful and charismatic as Captain America or Thor, and to develop them from the ground up as African American or female. By meddling with characters whose physical imagery has already been ingrained into pop culture psyche for more than half a century, all Marvel Comics is really doing is extending brands that are past their prime and/or trying to be politically correct in the silliest way possible."

[Carabas]

I'm guessing some of us didn't actually read the article before chiming in. The article is actually rather sarcastic regarding Wonder Woman being replaced by a man. It's pointing out the absurdity of making Thor a female instead of just, you know, making new female and minority characters.

I feel that it possibly was intended that way, but misses the mark by a mile and accidentally became something entirely different in tone.

[RealWonderman]

I feel that it possibly was intended that way, but misses the mark by a mile and accidentally became something entirely different in tone.

I thought it was pretty clear:

So is this idea as ridiculous as it sounds? Yes, but so is the stunt casting by Marvel Comics of its major characters. To be clear, it is great that the powers that be at Marvel Comics are finally paying attention to underrepresented minorities in their stories but by simply plugging them into the costumes and legends of established characters, they are not so much elevating minorities as using them to sell more comics in a progressive age.

...but I guess maybe as the article goes on the tone shifts, but not really the point.

[Darius]

All I can say is, wow, some people seem top be really pissed off that a black guy gets to be Captain America for a year or so.

And of course, putting a guy in drag as Wonder Woman is exactly the same thing.


Sheesh. [Imagine a Picard/Riker double facepalm image here]

I think that's what the article is trying to say ... it's making fun of the haters but pointing out how ridiculous it would be if DC made Wonder Woman a man. It's also calling Marvel out for going for the sensationalized "Female Thor" and "Black CA". Both changes feel like they are straight up pandering to the problem of underrepresentation of women and minorities in most mainstream comics. It's satire.

[The_Greatest_Username]

If they really wanted to introduce minority characters into their comics, the right and responsible way to do it would be to introduce new characters that are just as powerful and charismatic as Captain America or Thor, and to develop them from the ground up as African American or female. By meddling with characters whose physical imagery has already been ingrained into pop culture psyche for more than half a century, all Marvel Comics is really doing is extending brands that are past their prime and/or trying to be politically correct in the silliest way possible."

That would be nice in theory, but I don't see it working in the market as it currently stands. New characters that aren't spun out of already established characters just don't seem to thrive like they used to.

[AmiMizuno]

Doing diversity u show create a character not take a character and change them . Any way for u guys why as Superheroes like storm or Super girl have not gotten the same status as Wonder Woman? Does it have to deal with she is one of the very few Super hero females that did not have a attachment to a group or male hero?

[ed2962]

Sure the writer tries to use the idea of changing WW into a man as satire on "political correctness" and "diversity in comics." Frank Miller tried to satirize Wonder Woman in All Star Batman and Robin. His version didn't make sense either.

The thing is Thor has been replaced before by a dude, an alien, and a frog. But now that he might be replaced by a woman, well that's just beyond the pale for some people. There's been almost a half a dozen different people who have been Cap America, but now that it's a black man, it's ridiculous and pandering despite the fact that it's happened before.

Yes, I agree that DC/Marvel needs promote women and minority characters on their own terms. But there's something a little disingenuous about claiming that a well worn trope that DC/Marvel use on fairly regular basis is now somehow worse when it's a female or black man, and that it's over concern about "real diversity."


Having said that ( and trying to stick to the question of the thread), well...WW has been replaced before. So maybe we should ask, who might be interesting replacements? I'm trying to think outside the box beyond the obvious Donna, Cassie, etc...

Etta Candy (pre nu52)- Full figured and fun loving yet smart and capable. Etta could bring not only a different approach to the mission of being a warrior for peace, but also a slightly different beauty standard.

Helena Bertinelli (pre nu52)- She'd be the "dark" WW. Not because she kills but because her over all approach to life and fighting evil. She'd be more the female Id to Diana's Ego. She'd be more about passion than ideas.

Jenny Sparks/Quantum- But I'd want a Jenny that smoked cigs and had a dry sarcastic sense of humor. She'd show up wearing regular clothes that included a T-Shirt and that had the old school Wonder Woman logo/writing on it. Under the right writer it could be funny.

[AmiMizuno]

Nubia the black Wonder Woman. However I would rather her be her own hero in Wondie universe.

[Justice Prince]

Since all of this at Marvel is just temporary, like always, it could be cool to have a Wonder Man for a period of time just to tell some story and piss some people.

Anyway, since we're talking about another person taking her place and something unexpected and so... I had an idea a while ago: reintroduce Donna Troy as a transwoman. She could be an Amazon who was given to Hephaestus because she was born male. That could explore some concepts people have been thinking for quite a long time like "what's the Amazons stance on transpeople", and make a big transgender character. Also, even with DC making things completely new for those legacy characters, like Wally West, it wouldn't necessarily change her old status quo. She could be married and stuff like that. Would also be cool to explore a relationship of a man with a transwoman, since there's also much stigma on that matter.

That could be interesting. I had my own idea about bringing Mia Dearden back as a transwoman. Both would be interesting options for transgender superheroes who aren't just trans allegory shapeshifters.