Are there any characters who you feel should be retired?

[Timothy Hunter]

Do you feel there are any DC characters, who are so worn out and overexposed that they don't have any more stories left in them? So much so that they need to be retired or killed off?

[Adset]

i tend to not be in favor of forced retirements. for example, i not only dislike most harley quinn creative takes i also think she's rather overexposed, but she has plenty of fans and i'm happy for those who do enjoy her and get a large harley fix most months.

my own personal rule of thumb is not for characters to be shown the exit door but rather the right creative team comes in and makes me interested enough to read.

[Buried Alien]

The only characters whom I support being retired are those whose portrayals are grounded in racism, sexism, homophobia, or mocking those who have developmental challenges. Captain Marvel's Golden Age "sidekick" Tugboat, as one famous example, should never see the light of day again. Nor should the Bronze Age FLASH villain Big Sir (unless heavily modified and updated a la in THE FLASH TV series).

On the other hand, Thomas Kamalku has been sufficiently updated/modified that he can continue to be a supporting character to Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[j9ac9k]

I think there's a certain Darwinism at play where if enough creators and fans think a character should be "retired" they just stop reading and writing stories about them and they just fade away - which is better than wasting time creating a story just to shelve them.

[DavidRA]

Harley Quinn could do with a long long rest.

[LP22]

Bart allen/tim drake/kon-el

From the earth lanterns I'll retire two out of the six (I don't know who)

Bruce Wayne(kill him)

Roy harper (I really dislike the character LOL)and HIC got that covered

Harley

[astro@work]

Batman.

Please can we have a DC mini or Elseworlds that ISN'T Bat-centric? At this point I'm rooting for three deaths in Crime Alley, lol.

[Ascended]

There are characters I want to see retire from superheroics, but not because they're overexposed. The market itself will fix that problem.

No, what I want to see are characters who don't offer a lot of potential as costumed heroes moved into different kinds of heroism. I've been, for the last few years, really intrigued by a post-spandex view of heroics and how that plays out. There's lots of ways to be a hero that don't involve costumes and violence, and I'd like to explore those avenues by having established heroes push the boundaries of what we consider "heroic" in the DCU. Sure, we could introduce new characters or use supporting characters, but that's nothing new. No, I think it'd be far more interesting to see actual, established heroes move in different directions. They won't carry solo books in these new roles but they weren't going to contribute much in the first place, so there's no real loss.

So, for example; Beast Boy. I feel like basically everything that can be said about Gar Logan as we currently recognize and understand him has already been said. He's not a property with a ton of solo potential and his strongest ties are to a team franchise that needs a fresh perspective more than it needs nostalgia. There's not a lot of new places to take him as a superhero.

So I'd have Gar become a highly successful Award winning actor in the vein of Andy Serkis; playing crazy roles and bringing ridiculous characters to life in a way few others could. And he'd be one of those loud mouth celebrities who is always being outspoken about various social issues, political opinions, etc, with a big focus on issues that impact at-risk kids.

And it'd turn out that Gar accomplishes far more good as a noisy celebrity than he ever did as a costumed hero. He raises money that changes lives, keeps non-profits in business, and impacts political policy. As a hero, Gar Logan was a also-ran who was never able to grow beyond his childhood team. But as a social powerhouse and Hollywood trendsetter, he's able to make a much bigger difference in lives all across the country, or even the world.

And he could still pull out the costume now and then for the big Crisis events, or for a nice evening of superheroic patrol with his best friend Cyborg. A shift away from full-time heroics doesn't mean Gar can never be Beast Boy again, it just means that most of his panel time is going to be spent developing and exploring a new facet of both his character and the wider DCU.

That's the kind of retirement I want to see. "Life after the cape" as it were, and what can be done from that vantage point. If we want a character written out of the DCU, just stop writing them.

[Talon1load]

Bart allen/tim drake/kon-el

From the earth lanterns I'll retire two out of the six (I don't know who)

Bruce Wayne(kill him)

Roy harper (I really dislike the character LOL)and HIC got that covered

Harley

Who hurt you?

[Kon93]

Bart allen/tim drake/kon-el

From the earth lanterns I'll retire two out of the six (I don't know who)

Bruce Wayne(kill him)

Roy harper (I really dislike the character LOL)and HIC got that covered

Harley

Who hurt you?

Exactly, and in grateful that he isnt in charge of the DCU.

YJ 4LIFE

[DevilBat66]

Dan Didio

That's my pick.

[Badou]

The Joker.

The concept feels so creatively bankrupt they have to do stuff like have 3 Jokers now! Or have a atl reality Batman that turns into a universal threat Joker! They will never retire the character but I don't feel any excitement or anything with Joker stories anymore.

[DrNewGod]

There are characters I want to see retire from superheroics, but not because they're overexposed. The market itself will fix that problem.

No, what I want to see are characters who don't offer a lot of potential as costumed heroes moved into different kinds of heroism. I've been, for the last few years, really intrigued by a post-spandex view of heroics and how that plays out. There's lots of ways to be a hero that don't involve costumes and violence, and I'd like to explore those avenues by having established heroes push the boundaries of what we consider "heroic" in the DCU. Sure, we could introduce new characters or use supporting characters, but that's nothing new. No, I think it'd be far more interesting to see actual, established heroes move in different directions. They won't carry solo books in these new roles but they weren't going to contribute much in the first place, so there's no real loss.

So, for example; Beast Boy. I feel like basically everything that can be said about Gar Logan as we currently recognize and understand him has already been said. He's not a property with a ton of solo potential and his strongest ties are to a team franchise that needs a fresh perspective more than it needs nostalgia. There's not a lot of new places to take him as a superhero.

So I'd have Gar become a highly successful Award winning actor in the vein of Andy Serkis; playing crazy roles and bringing ridiculous characters to life in a way few others could. And he'd be one of those loud mouth celebrities who is always being outspoken about various social issues, political opinions, etc, with a big focus on issues that impact at-risk kids.

And it'd turn out that Gar accomplishes far more good as a noisy celebrity than he ever did as a costumed hero. He raises money that changes lives, keeps non-profits in business, and impacts political policy. As a hero, Gar Logan was a also-ran who was never able to grow beyond his childhood team. But as a social powerhouse and Hollywood trendsetter, he's able to make a much bigger difference in lives all across the country, or even the world.

And he could still pull out the costume now and then for the big Crisis events, or for a nice evening of superheroic patrol with his best friend Cyborg. A shift away from full-time heroics doesn't mean Gar can never be Beast Boy again, it just means that most of his panel time is going to be spent developing and exploring a new facet of both his character and the wider DCU.

That's the kind of retirement I want to see. "Life after the cape" as it were, and what can be done from that vantage point. If we want a character written out of the DCU, just stop writing them.

I love that idea! I was never all that big on Beast Boy (although the Deathstroke's Trial arc and Donna's wedding almost flipped me), but this is a cool approach to him. The only issue is that it requires an Astro City approach to the DCU, and the discipline to stick with it.

[married guy]

I always liked the Earth 2 Bruce Wayne who retired as Batman, but STILL fought the good fight as Bruce Wayne.
THAT would be something I'd be OK with Earth Prime Bruce doing, passing the mantle onto Dick (not Ric or Rich or whatever other STUPID crap currently going on) and go from there.

[Pohzee]

I got in here before the mass calls for Silver Age heroes to retire?