If there was ONE character that you could take back to their roots...

[DrNewGod]

When you've been publishing comics for 75 years, stuff has to change.

The Spectre was a dead guy that became an angel. Swamp Thing was an accident that became an Elemental Force. Superman was a Man Of Tomorrow that became a Man Of Steel.

Still, change isn't always good. Is there a character that changed from their roots that you would want to return to the source, either in powers or backstory?

For me: Captain Atom. I'd like to see his mass-shifting abilities restored, along with the idea that the more of his power he uses, the weaker he becomes (ala Ditko), and the vague quantum stuff jettisoned.

[caj]

Katar Hol - none of this reincarnation nonsense. He goes back to being a policeman from Thanagar who travels to Earth and becomes the hero Hawkman.

And yes, I know you said ONE, but he brings his wife Shayera with him.

[Pohzee]

Batman got Robin pretty early on in his history, but he wasn't always Professor X. I'd like to take him back to that.

I'd also appreciate more crime solving and crime fighting than terrorist fighting in the general sense. It seems like so few stories these days have villains inspired by greed and instead generally want control or mayhem.

But I think that last point extends beyond Batman to most of DC's villains these days.

[lemonpeace]

I say we take Black Lightning back to his roots. I'm talking waaaaaaaay back. That's right, it's time to bring in the BLACK BOMBER "It's C.P. time!"

/s

[superduperman]

Superman. The GA stories were some of the best IMO because he wasn't fighting the alien of the month, he was fighting corrupt politicians and gangsters. They also didn't focus on Krypton all that much. It was mentioned in his origin and not really brought up again for something like ten years. There was also a focus on Clark Kent as an investigative journalist. Today it's mostly just a disguise he wears when he's not being Superman.

[Lee Stone]

Hands down...

Batman.

Take him back to being a realistic 'can get hurt', 'not perfect' Year One Batman. Even with a Robin. Just ONE Robin.
And maybe a Batgirl or Batwoman.
With his Dick Tracy-styled villains.
More organized crime and everyday criminals and less psychos. Maybe some loony, but not everyone has to have been an understudy for Hannibal.
Just because there's an Arkham doesn't mean all the villains belong there.

[Güicho]

Absolutely pulp era Batman and especially (since the op specified just ONE) Robin.

I know this isn't a popular opinion here, yet the truth is Robin to Nightwing was a step down, the most interesting thing about Grayson will always be that he was Robin.
Grayson's Robin identity will always have the most cachet; particularly Grayson's take (going back to the Golden age where he's the young ,devilmaycare, daredevil, solo taking on Zucco (his parents killers) and the mob, somersaulting, slingshoting and kicking mobsters (even the Joker) off city skyscrapers to their death! So much that Batman has to intervene to save them, from Robin.
That's his greatest most defining story arc. Who he is.
This will always be the definitive version, who Batman recognized in himself, had to real in, and take under his wing (and Oath), so he wouldn't become what took his parents.



DC has forever since been trying to retrieve that, with all these crap "new" derivative re-imaginings of the character, so they can have the young version back, and new readers can tell themselves look how edgy and "kick-ass" Robin is now, with mostly (creepy clones) trying to imitate the original. LOL!

With an inherent ongoing sliding-time-scale being the lifeblood of comics characters and why they've lasted so long, (despite some fans here pretending aging them is the way to go) One of the worst moves DC did was aging this character to Nightwing, when the only update he needed was a costume, adding green/black leggings cape and full boots.
Which Neal Addam's pretty much came up with for Grayson anyway, and every "new" incarnation has shamelessly with out credit been appropriating since. : )
Other than founding the Titans which he can still do. Most his extraneous supposed "character development" people cling to like it defined him, has been garbage.
Eliminate all the derivative clones, (if you want tell story beats where they stood in for Robin while he was unavailable, yet eventually took their own IDs that works great too) Truth is Grayson despite some delusion here, will never replace Bruce Wayne as Batman, and you or any writer will never come up with something more interesting than his role as the original Robin. He needs to take back and own his most important and significant role (that everyone from Todd, Timm, Carrie, Hit-Girl to Damian want to be), the one he defined.

Also his visual and thematic nod was both to the Bird and Robin Hood.

[Phoenixx9]

When you've been publishing comics for 75 years, stuff has to change.

The Spectre was a dead guy that became an angel. Swamp Thing was an accident that became an Elemental Force. Superman was a Man Of Tomorrow that became a Man Of Steel.

Still, change isn't always good. Is there a character that changed from their roots that you would want to return to the source, either in powers or backstory?

For me: Captain Atom. I'd like to see his mass-shifting abilities restored, along with the idea that the more of his power he uses, the weaker he becomes (ala Ditko), and the vague quantum stuff jettisoned.

My comic friends and I have talked about taking all the characters back to their origin period +5 years (just to stabilize their look/powers) at the early stage, before every character grew to outrageous power levels. Having limits on powers made the stories more interesting.

[Sacred Knight]

Superman. The GA stories were some of the best IMO because he wasn't fighting the alien of the month, he was fighting corrupt politicians and gangsters. They also didn't focus on Krypton all that much. It was mentioned in his origin and not really brought up again for something like ten years. There was also a focus on Clark Kent as an investigative journalist. Today it's mostly just a disguise he wears when he's not being Superman.

This. I'm also a proponent that his evolution into a husband and father is an overall negative change. Its only helped in the long process of watering down his personality and mission statement.

[DrNewGod]

Absolutely pulp era Batman and especially (since the op specified just ONE) Robin.

I know this isn't a popular opinion here, yet the truth is Robin to Nightwing was a step down, the most interesting thing about Grayson will always be that he was Robin.
Grayson's Robin identity will always have the most cachet; particularly Grayson's take (going back to the Golden age where he's the young ,devilmaycare, daredevil, solo taking on Zucco (his parents killers) and the mob, somersaulting, slingshoting and kicking mobsters (even the Joker) off city skyscrapers to their death! So much that Batman has to intervene to save them, from Robin.
That's his greatest most defining story arc. Who he is.
This will always be the definitive version, who Batman recognized in himself, had to real in, and take under his wing (and Oath), so he wouldn't become what took his parents.



DC has forever since been trying to retrieve that, with all these crap "new" derivative re-imaginings of the character, so they can have the young version back, and new readers can tell themselves look how edgy and "kick-ass" Robin is now, with mostly (creepy clones) trying to imitate the original. LOL!

With an inherent ongoing sliding-time-scale being the lifeblood of comics characters and why they've lasted so long, (despite some fans here pretending aging them is the way to go) One of the worst moves DC did was aging this character to Nightwing, when the only update he needed was a costume, adding green/black leggings cape and full boots.
Which Neal Addam's pretty much came up with for Grayson anyway, and every "new" incarnation has shamelessly with out credit been appropriating since. : )
Other than founding the Titans which he can still do. Most his extraneous supposed "character development" people cling to like it defined him, has been garbage.
Eliminate all the derivative clones, (if you want tell story beats where they stood in for Robin while he was unavailable, yet eventually took their own IDs that works great too) Truth is Grayson despite some delusion here, will never replace Bruce Wayne as Batman, and you or any writer will never come up with something more interesting than his role as the original Robin. He needs to take back and own his most important and significant role (that everyone from Todd, Timm, Carrie, Hit-Girl to Damian want to be), the one he defined.

Also his visual and thematic nod was both to the Bird and Robin Hood.

I've often wondered if Crisis would have happened at all if Grayson had a standalone name like Nightowl or Raven. Granted, DC was split in 1985 between the NTT's success and wanting to maintain "Batman and...." Still, if Grayson had a name that made for an independent brand, what might have happened?

All that said, I'm with you. The plethora of Robin's makes the brand useless.

[SiegePerilous02]

The Wonder Woman universe in general, but Etta Candy in particular. Don't go completely Golden Age to make her the butt of fat jokes, but you really don't have to dial it back too much as Legend of Wonder Woman and Earth One show.

I'm sick of these mostly bland Etta-in-name-only's we've been stuck with off and on since the Bronze Age.

Superman. The GA stories were some of the best IMO because he wasn't fighting the alien of the month, he was fighting corrupt politicians and gangsters. They also didn't focus on Krypton all that much. It was mentioned in his origin and not really brought up again for something like ten years. There was also a focus on Clark Kent as an investigative journalist. Today it's mostly just a disguise he wears when he's not being Superman.

This. I'm also a proponent that his evolution into a husband and father is an overall negative change. Its only helped in the long process of watering down his personality and mission statement.

I'd agree, but I love Silver Age Superman too much. But that's why the early New 52 stuff was so great (minus the costume) because it was a fusion of the two. Over the top Super God with all the crazy Krypton and LoSH lore, but at his core he was the ballsy investigative journalist who focused on social justice issues.

I've often wondered if Crisis would have happened at all if Grayson had a standalone name like Nightowl or Raven. Granted, DC was split in 1985 between the NTT's success and wanting to maintain "Batman and...." Still, if Grayson had a name that made for an independent brand, what might have happened?

All that said, I'm with you. The plethora of Robin's makes the brand useless.

I honestly wish the Robin brand had been retired for the main canon as soon as Dick became Nightwing. Whatever else they may have become afterward due to character writing, the genesis of every new Robin is pretty much "we need to keep the brand alive because it goes with Batman, and Dick is unavailable." They even all look alike at first glance lol.

And I like Damian a lot under certain writers, but it's mostly because of his interactions with Dick. As a Bruce fan, I have no burning desire to have him interact with another Robin after Dick. He certainly could do without the "dead kid under my watch" baggage that Jason brings.

[Frontier]

The Wonder Woman universe in general, but Etta Candy in particular. Don't go completely Golden Age to make her the butt of fat jokes, but you really don't have to dial it back too much as Legend of Wonder Woman and Earth One show.

I'm sick of these mostly bland Etta-in-name-only's we've been stuck with off and on since the Bronze Age.

Or the movie.

But yeah, I really miss old Etta.

I'd agree, but I love Silver Age Superman too much. But that's why the early New 52 stuff was so great (minus the costume) because it was a fusion of the two. Over the top Super God with all the crazy Krypton and LoSH lore, but at his core he was the ballsy investigative journalist who focused on social justice issues.

Even Post-Crisis fused the two depending on the story.

I honestly wish the Robin brand had been retired for the main canon as soon as Dick became Nightwing. Whatever else they may have become afterward due to character writing, the genesis of every new Robin is pretty much "we need to keep the brand alive because it goes with Batman, and Dick is unavailable." They even all look alike at first glance lol.

I mean, they got a long-running and popular Robin solo book out of Tim so it doesn't seem like that catering to brand needs was a negative.

And I like Damian a lot under certain writers, but it's mostly because of his interactions with Dick. As a Bruce fan, I have no burning desire to have him interact with another Robin after Dick. He certainly could do without the "dead kid under my watch" baggage that Jason brings.

I mean, it's Batman. It's all about how he manages the baggage .

[Jackalope89]

Cyborg. Well, at least bringing his history as a Teen Titan back.

[Sacred Knight]

I'd agree, but I love Silver Age Superman too much. But that's why the early New 52 stuff was so great (minus the costume) because it was a fusion of the two. Over the top Super God with all the crazy Krypton and LoSH lore, but at his core he was the ballsy investigative journalist who focused on social justice issues.

Indeed. Maybe someday DC will get it together and realize the potential that was there and utilize that origin/early years template as that for another Superman. That its sitting around doing nothing is a travesty.

[SiegePerilous02]

Even Post-Crisis fused the two depending on the story.

I mean, they got a long-running and popular Robin solo book out of Tim so it doesn't seem like that catering to brand needs was a negative.

As endless fandom debates can attest, ymmv on these
For Superman it seems post-Crisis depends on the story, but it's not consistent enough for everyone

And definitely, nobody can do argue that Tim wasn't successful for a lot of people with a straight face. He and Jason just don't really do much for me, that's all.
Bruce handling the baggage in often unheatlthy ways is unfortunately set in stone, but I could do without the tedious angst fests that Batman devolved into from the 80s onward in part due to stuff like TDKR, TKJ and Jason's death. I'd be happy with ditching the brat and his violent death altogether.

The "break up of Bruce and Dick" being more angst ridden and bitter after COIE wasn't helping either.

Indeed. Maybe someday DC will get it together and realize the potential that was there and utilize that origin/early years template as that for another Superman. That its sitting around doing nothing is a travesty.

What's annoying is that there really isn't any reason it can't be the origin for Superman still. Just ditch the Jim Lee armor for the classic costume and the violent nature of the Kents' death (not them being dead in general, and even that wasn't as bad with the Legion comforting them as they died) and it's perfectly fine.