Marvel/Shazam Family

[KurtW95]

Here’s a question.

How would you feel about Billy gaining a non-powered support team, ala Ned in Spider-Man Homecoming? I’m specifically speaking of Pedro, Eugene, and Darla in that position.

That’s kind of what the Thunderworld Lieutenant Marvels were, except for some of the Johns kids are too young for that.

[phantom1592]

Here’s a question.

How would you feel about Billy gaining a non-powered support team, ala Ned in Spider-Man Homecoming? I’m specifically speaking of Pedro, Eugene, and Darla in that position.

Just in general.... I LOVE supporting characters, but HATE Support teams. Captain Marvel should not NEED a support team. He has the Strength, the Power, the Wisdom... He's the total package. There's just something that irks me about non-powered characters telling the heroes how to be heroes...

The CW shows are Huge into that. There has to be someone on the comm links telling Barry how to use his speed, when to vibrate and when to run faster... it's demeaning to the hero. You want a Jimmy Olsen or Lois Lane to run around and spruce up Clark's non-cape life, I'm all for it. But the moment they have to tell him what to do and how to hero... I lose a lot of interest.

[SilverWarriorWolf]

Just in general.... I LOVE supporting characters, but HATE Support teams. Captain Marvel should not NEED a support team. He has the Strength, the Power, the Wisdom... He's the total package. There's just something that irks me about non-powered characters telling the heroes how to be heroes...

The CW shows are Huge into that. There has to be someone on the comm links telling Barry how to use his speed, when to vibrate and when to run faster... it's demeaning to the hero. You want a Jimmy Olsen or Lois Lane to run around and spruce up Clark's non-cape life, I'm all for it. But the moment they have to tell him what to do and how to hero... I lose a lot of interest.

I don’t mean telling him what to do or directing him. I mean things like covering for him with their foster parents, giving excuses about where he’s disappearing to, or helping him with after battle first aid.

I never got into the CW shows. I watched an episode of Arrow thinking it was a modern version of Robin Hood (GA’s not a character I know well), and an episode of Supergirl, but that’s it. I’ll take your word for it.

[phantom1592]

I don’t mean telling him what to do or directing him. I mean things like covering for him with their foster parents, giving excuses about where he’s disappearing to, or helping him with after battle first aid.

I never got into the CW shows. I watched an episode of Arrow thinking it was a modern version of Robin Hood (GA’s not a character I know well), and an episode of Supergirl, but that’s it. I’ll take your word for it.

Well, my point is that when they put someone in role like that... then they have to invent reasons that they're needed. Suddenly after 80 years Captain Marvel will be needing that First Aid... and he'll no longer be able to keep his secrets. He'll become diminished just to justify the addition of the support team.

Then not only then... but since nobody is content with a character as the sidekick or the girlfriend... they'll have to make the support crew equal to the hero in some way. They'll get more and more screen/page time. More arcs devoted to them... because after all, Cap has had YEARS of exposure, the new folk are blank pages!!!

It's honestly a road I've seen many times before, and I've rarely seen it work well. Oracle was always one of the worst things that happened to Batman. After decades of being the great detective and a master of sciences and criminology... he couldn't seem to open a lock, decipher a text or track a list of suspects without Oracle working her computer magic. Admittedly I don't mind Batgod being knocked down a few pegs... but Teams like that usually boost one at the expense of another... and I hate seeing that happen to Captain Marvel. The fact is, he doesn't NEED a support crew. He's functioned fine without one.

Adding some more cast in a foster home for Billy to associate with is fine... but Keep Billy's world and Captain's separate to create that drama.

[SilverWarriorWolf]

Well, my point is that when they put someone in role like that... then they have to invent reasons that they're needed. Suddenly after 80 years Captain Marvel will be needing that First Aid... and he'll no longer be able to keep his secrets. He'll become diminished just to justify the addition of the support team.

Then not only then... but since nobody is content with a character as the sidekick or the girlfriend... they'll have to make the support crew equal to the hero in some way. They'll get more and more screen/page time. More arcs devoted to them... because after all, Cap has had YEARS of exposure, the new folk are blank pages!!!

It's honestly a road I've seen many times before, and I've rarely seen it work well. Oracle was always one of the worst things that happened to Batman. After decades of being the great detective and a master of sciences and criminology... he couldn't seem to open a lock, decipher a text or track a list of suspects without Oracle working her computer magic. Admittedly I don't mind Batgod being knocked down a few pegs... but Teams like that usually boost one at the expense of another... and I hate seeing that happen to Captain Marvel. The fact is, he doesn't NEED a support crew. He's functioned fine without one.

Adding some more cast in a foster home for Billy to associate with is fine... but Keep Billy's world and Captain's separate to create that drama.

I see what you’re saying, but I have to disagree. The first aid part I’d agree with if you mean he gets the injury as Captain Marvel/Shazam, but more recent incarnations of Billy tend to get into trouble as Billy, and there he would need help. Now, what you think of more troublemaker/troubleseeker Billy is individual, but it is a point to be made. Billy as Billy is not invulnerable, and the trends he’s been going through might imply need for assistance in this manner.

Your second point I’d agree with, but the only way to avoid that is to not have side characters period. Gone are the days where only the hero gets primary screen time. Like it or not, someone, somewhere is going to shout for day-in-the-limelight issues.

I’m going to also disagree that giving a team makes things worse because it makes the hero incompetent. No man is an island, and I’d argue a hero who never needs help in anything suddenly becomes less relatable. Less human, as real humans need help in a lot of things. Billy in particular should need help, because for all his strength, he is a kid. Childhood is a time where bonds and assistance are especially vital, even when the kid is not a superhero.

This is an opinion thing, but I’m kind of sick of superhero worlds and civilian worlds being completely separate. That doesn’t happen with real people. Work life, social life, creative life, they all blend in together, and trying to keep them utterly separate tends to be unhealthy. Yes, it creates drama, but now it’s a kind of cliched drama we’ve been seeing since the 1930’s. I’m not saying get rid of secret identities, but I am saying I like the increase in secret keepers. Not only Billy and his foster siblings, but the Reyes family with early Blue Beetle when they knew Jaime’s secret was good, too. It’s a opinion, so it’s alright to disagree, but I personally want to see more of that in the future.

[SilverWarriorWolf]

I don't mind him being the official, legal guardian... as long as it's pretty much the clever self-sufficient boy billy who's pretty much pulling one over on the system. They say he needs a guardian? Here's an old guy who's like totally my uncle... he's my guardian!

Would anyone be opposed to Darla being related to Uncle Dudley if she were aged up a little and given this relationship?

[WonderScott]

DCnU all the way. I'm looking forward to how Johns and Eagleshamn portray and handle the characters.

[son_ofgolem]

I voted for golden age.