Quote Originally Posted by Quasar's Bands View Post
If you introduce a male supporting character in Wonder Woman and give him the equal amount of time that Lana or Lois might get in Superman, the alleged "rabid" Wonder Woman fanbase gets angry.
He's called Steve Trevor, dude. A lot of rabid WW fans and also movie goers like him just fine because he does share the spotlight with Diana without being given most of it like Robinson did with Jason.


understand that they don't want the strongest DC female superhero character to lose "airtime" or get overshadowed, but that consistent response, over and over, writer to writer, leads to a serious potential for problems in interesting storylines for DC. It shouldn't have to be that way.
Maybe it wouldn't be if there weren't a kind of ingrained thinking that Wonder Woman HAS to have a male of equal or greater power around to get the job done.

You want to see mansplaining. Sho Mr Robinson Batman mansplaining to Diana about how to deal with a race of aliens during the last volume. Oh, the Vegetative Injustice!



Now, I didn't like Jason as a PERSON much, but I'm not sure we were supposed to. He's no Lana Lang, Kara, or Lois Lane - he's a screw up, easily manipulated and gullible, but with a good heart in the end. So, I NEVER THOUGHT HE WAS TAKING AWAY THE SPOTLIGHT AS THE HERO OF THE BOOK. That actually impressed me - Robinson was trying to walk a tightrope given to him by Geoff Johns -- introduce a new MALE character to the Wonder Woman universe, give him powers, but don't have him eclipse Diana - let her be the hero he looks up to. I think Robinson did exactly that. The vest is interesting - it was meant for Diana and it would have made her clearly more powerful than Superman if she had it, and I still wonder if she may use it someday if a writer decides to go that way. However, for now, it gives Jason at least a fighting chance to survive life with the Dark Gods. It also leads to a potential storyline where Jason "grows up" and becomes a hero largely on his own, fighting them or at least guiding them to their universe. Maybe he really does become more of a "Jason and the Argonauts" like character as a result of that experience! Maybe he becomes a Knight-Errant who goes throughout the universe, helping people whenever they need it, but often getting sidetracked because of this need to help people coupled with (what seems to be) ADHD - easily distracted from his goals. In any case, at least having the "God Vest" helps him on that journey.
In the story that define the term, Ensign Mary Sue looks up to all the crew of Kirk's Enterprise.

But she's still a Mary Sue, and so is Jason.



By the way, one last point with respect to Jason "saving the day" in issue 50. That is the way it should have been, since he was "going away" after this storyline and according to the prophecy from Geoff Johns' storyline, Jason was destined to "save the day." So, Robinson did EXACTLY what he set out to do - bring that storyline to a place where the "prophecy" could be fulfilled. Did Diana do much? No. But, again, I've read many comics in which Spider-Man, Hulk, Superman, Batman, Iron Man, and other male characters have had another, secondary character, make the "sacrifice" to end the storyline, often while the hero is yelling "NOOOOOO!" Jane Foster is probably a bad example, since she WAS the main character in Thor for awhile, but she's the most obvious recent character to do that and it was Odinson who was screaming "NOOOOO!" I remember tons of secondary characters actually making the ULTIMATE sacrifice in many plotlines over the years to save the day - and one could argue sometimes that is why they exist, to sacrifice for the life and safety of the hero of the book. Perhaps the best example is Bucky Barnes - who in Marvel cannon was dead for 50 + years, before he was returned as Winter Soldier. Who can forget Captain America screaming at Bucky to "LET GO, LET GO!!!!"? In a kinda, sorta way, Jason is to Diana as Bucky was to Captain America.
Can't remember a four month story in Caps own book where Bucky is the who comes with the plan and implements the plan that outplays the Red Skull and Hydra while Cap swings ineffectual punches.