DC 5G: the Replacements

[Zaresh]

You are severely underestimating the reaction to the fans if it happens. Relationship drama never goes away. It was teased and it was largely disliked in that Eternal story. It will open up an endless cycle of love triangle drama between them and Dick too, and nearly every story with them going forward will change to adapt to that new dynamic. Just like when that AoA story with Rogue and Magneto completely changed their dynamic and that was a alt reality story that started it.

Heck. There's people that still is warring about Kori or Babs. Or Logan or Scott. Shippin wars are eternal and really divisive. If the rumour is that it's something controversial, Barbara and Jason hooking definitely fills the bill to the T. It's pure craziness.

[Superlad93]

I guess my main reasoning for not really being all that broken up about Dick and his generation becoming the new mainstays is the fact that they've been in their mid to late 20s and early 30s for decades now. They've all more or less become their mentors at one point or another. I can't imagine Donna as Wonder Woman is any different from Donna as Troia. Dick being Batman with his own Robin and on his own Justice League is something I've seen what would be the big difference now? Wally was the Flash for longer than I've actually been alive. Bart has even been the Flash for a bit. And for Conner, the point of his character seemed to be him realizing that he didn't have to one day become Superman to be a hero in his own right.

Now I have my reservations regarding some of the choices, yeah. Like, I don't particularly see the merit in doing Boomerang's kid as Flash, and I really hope Jackson gets to be Aquaman over whoever else. But I can at least say these ideas are fresh for the respective mantels. Conceptually, I suppose it being Boomerang's kid is supposed to play against predetermination in contrast to something like Jon's deal that's to do with rising to the standard of an impossible legacy you were born into by being the best version of yourself.

[king81992]

I guess my main reasoning for not really being all that broken up about Dick and his generation becoming the new mainstays is the fact that they've been in their mid to late 20s and early 30s for decades now. They've all more or less become their mentors at one point or another. I can't imagine Donna as Wonder Woman is any different from Donna as Troia. Dick being Batman with his own Robin and on his own Justice League is something I've seen what would be the big difference now? Wally was the Flash for longer than I've actually been alive. Bart has even been the Flash for a bit. And for Conner, the point of his character seemed to be him realizing that he didn't have to one day become Superman to be a hero in his own right.

Now I have my reservations regarding some of the choices, yeah. Like, I don't particularly see the merit in doing Boomerang's kid as Flash, and I really hope Jackson gets to be Aquaman over whoever else. But I can at least say these ideas are fresh for the respective mantels. Conceptually, I suppose it being Boomerang's kid is supposed to play against predetermination in contrast to something like Jon's deal that's to do with rising to the standard of an impossible legacy you were born into by being the best version of yourself.

I'd be more receptive to 5G if it was about Dick and his generation stepping up. So far, it seems like there's no present or future for them once 5G launches.

[Frontier]

Might just be Metropolis. But Earth is about to become part of the United Planets and possibly have an influx of alien cultures and maybe even tech.

Also they don't seem to care much about keeping up with today's tech or aesthetic given the fact that it's apparently 1997 (the atom bomb dropped in 45 and Wonder Woman was in the war in 42) in the DCU right now according to the timeline.

Incidentally, given the fact that it is apparently still the 20th century, it stands to reason that our 5G heroes will be the heroes of the 21st century, thus--yup, you guess it-- 3 year time skip into 5G. That would then make Bruce 58, Clark 63, and Damian 18. This would also put Clark at the last year of his Presidency if President of Earth works similar to President of the US. That then leaves room for the Supergirl presidency a year later.

I guess that would explain the Batman Beyond influence for Luke Fox.

I guess my main reasoning for not really being all that broken up about Dick and his generation becoming the new mainstays is the fact that they've been in their mid to late 20s and early 30s for decades now. They've all more or less become their mentors at one point or another. I can't imagine Donna as Wonder Woman is any different from Donna as Troia. Dick being Batman with his own Robin and on his own Justice League is something I've seen what would be the big difference now? Wally was the Flash for longer than I've actually been alive. Bart has even been the Flash for a bit. And for Conner, the point of his character seemed to be him realizing that he didn't have to one day become Superman to be a hero in his own right.

I think it would be less of an issue if most of the characters you mentioned hadn't been as derailed as they have been since losing those mantles, and with the likelihood that this time-skip might reduce their role even further.

But Donna as Wonder Woman would be a lot different Donna as Troia because she would be put in a much bigger position and spotlight then she ever would have been as Troia. Which is probably why DC would never put her in that position.

I'd be more receptive to 5G if it was about Dick and his generation stepping up. So far, it seems like there's no present or future for them once 5G launches.

Yeah, especially when 5G went for mantle changes that are "unexpected" instead of the obvious points of succession (thus skipping over the Titans generation), aside from Jon Kent.

[SanityOrMadness]

Thing about the Titans generation is that, if this all pans out as suggested... they're going to be nearly as old as the founding JLAers. Dick's going to be late-40s, early-50s, for instance. It's only once you get to Tim's generation and later that you start getting characters who are the sort of age the JLAers are normally presented as. (e.g., the preliminary timeline on Bleeding Cool said Tim debuts around 16 years ago, so he would be early-30s).

[transformers03]

I guess my main reasoning for not really being all that broken up about Dick and his generation becoming the new mainstays is the fact that they've been in their mid to late 20s and early 30s for decades now. They've all more or less become their mentors at one point or another. I can't imagine Donna as Wonder Woman is any different from Donna as Troia. Dick being Batman with his own Robin and on his own Justice League is something I've seen what would be the big difference now? Wally was the Flash for longer than I've actually been alive. Bart has even been the Flash for a bit. And for Conner, the point of his character seemed to be him realizing that he didn't have to one day become Superman to be a hero in his own right.

Now I have my reservations regarding some of the choices, yeah. Like, I don't particularly see the merit in doing Boomerang's kid as Flash, and I really hope Jackson gets to be Aquaman over whoever else. But I can at least say these ideas are fresh for the respective mantels. Conceptually, I suppose it being Boomerang's kid is supposed to play against predetermination in contrast to something like Jon's deal that's to do with rising to the standard of an impossible legacy you were born into by being the best version of yourself.

I get that point of view.

Here's the thing, we have plenty of stories with Bruce Wayne as Batman, Clark Kent as Superman, and etcetera. They will continue to have stories being told about them during, and after 5G. I'm all up for new characters taking mantles of classic heroes. With the right creators, a new face under the mask can lead into new poignant stories. Maybe Luke Fox being Batman can lead into thought-provoking stories about inheriting a mantle, and being the face of something greater than himself. The same thing can be said for Jon or the child of Captain Boomerang.

I just think 5G would work better if it was Legacy characters, because the whole point of 5G appears to center on original generations passing onto the next generations. I think passing the mantle will work so much better if it was actually characters that were build up to be next Batman or Superman, rather than be an "unorthodox" choice that the editors pick just to be different.

Not only that, but it seems like the whole editorial at DC seem really conflicted at the moment. For something like this to work, they needed everyone to be on the same page, and it doesn't look like that will be the case. Based on the rumors, it feels like some editors are having second thoughts on the whole endeavor, several writers don't seem to want to work in 5G, and some high profile figures are just leaving. On the bright side, DC does seem to bringing in new writers to work on the 5G once the current writers leave. But it is not a good sign when Bleeding Cool is reporting that writers like Scott Snyder wont make reference to 5G in his upcoming work and is possibly no longer working on in-continuity DC stuff anymore. If writers and editors aren't agreeing with some major points with 5G, then that means the whole initiative will have some ruff waters to go through. It also probably doesn't help that people on internet like me are writing how mix they feel about it.

However I want 5G to be successful, and I want new good stories to come from it. I just wish DC's editorial can get their stuff together, and agree what will it be. If what Bleeding Cool is said is true, then it appears that certain things are still in flux when it comes to certain major decisions. While the aging of the characters seems set, I hope the stuff in-flux are the new characters that will take up the new mantles. Luke Fox and Jon seem to far along to go back now, yet I really do hope they are reconsidering who will be Flash and Wonder Woman. If they pick the right characters, it can ultimately make 5G something more to look forward with.

[HunterX]

Heroes age, realtime events, generations of new heroes arrive.

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I guess that would explain the Batman Beyond influence for Luke Fox.

Which is what?

[king81992]

Thing about the Titans generation is that, if this all pans out as suggested... they're going to be nearly as old as the founding JLAers. Dick's going to be late-40s, early-50s, for instance. It's only once you get to Tim's generation and later that you start getting characters who are the sort of age the JLAers are normally presented as. (e.g., the preliminary timeline on Bleeding Cool said Tim debuts around 16 years ago, so he would be early-30s).

I still have my doubts about suddenly aging everyone up. What happens if 5G doesn't do well? Will they reset everyone's ages and reboot everything again?

It so bizarre that Didio who claims that 'sidekicks' age their mentors is supporting something that she's everyone.

[Slim Shady]

I think 5G will be my exit from being a regular DC Comics reader. I have less and less time to read comics these days and I’m really not excited by what DC has been producing (and it doesn’t sound like their future plans are for me). It’s been a good run of almost 20 years.

Yeah, my comic reading has gotten smaller and smaller over the years, this might be the nail in the coffin for me.

I have certain DC characters I follow and enjoy reading when the writing is good. I'm not about to suddenly start buying a bunch of substitutes in their place. 5G as an alternative might be interesting, but 5G as a replacement and the main DC universe going forward is something I have no interest in and will not be buying.

Yeah this is pretty much how I feel. I care about the characters wearing the suit, not just the suit. Putting characters that I don't really care about in the suits just does nothing for me. Maybe elseworld or something I could handle, but not the main permanent stuff.

[Godlike13]

My hesitance with 5G is it’s basically just a bunch of new characters. Take Luke for example. It’s not like it’s hey let’s make this character Batman cause he is such a compelling character right now. Same with teenage Jon. As kid he was fun, but as a teenager he barely has a personality. So more or less they are gonna have to treat these characters as brand new and build things like there personality from the ground up. And honestly how much risk is there going to be with things like that. Are we gonna get a bunch of Tim Drakes. Safe replacements, with safe personalities. Lab designed to be generally acceptable. Or are we gonna get some Damian Wayne’s, with abrasive personalities that are more designed to test them.

[Frostbite883]

Of course I may be overthinking everything. It is possible that they go the Shuri route from Black Panther, and their superhero names are just their normal names.

Do mean in the case of Kaldur and Nubia or them and the other 5G replacements?

[Superlad93]

I just think 5G would work better if it was Legacy characters, because the whole point of 5G appears to center on original generations passing onto the next generations. I think passing the mantle will work so much better if it was actually characters that were build up to be next Batman or Superman, rather than be an "unorthodox" choice that the editors pick just to be different.

I won't really argue this point at all because I largely agree, and that's ultimately why Jon's the one out of all of them that I'm most accepting of. Say what you like about the recent age up, but since the very first arc of Tomasi's Superman run, there's been the guiding push towards Jon one day taking up the mantel. The whole first arc essentially breaks down to a debate between Clark and Eradicator regarding what Krypton and the house of El's legacy should be, and Clark wins over the spirits of his forebears by saying that the legacy of the house of El belongs to Jon. Then several arcs after this are essentially all building towards what sort of Superman Jon will be because the question of if he'll be the next one is no longer up for debate as far as the book goes. Bendis has been building on that that basic idea by throwing out the assumed trajectory that Jon was going, and asking the question if him become Superman one day is something intrinsic to him as a person or if it's the guiding hand of his father, and ultimately the answer is that it's Jon's choice and it's something within him.

Jackson has also had some pretty good build up in Aquaman, and thematically him being Manta's son is strong. Hopefully Luke gets the build up that I'm guessing he'll get with the upcoming run starting in 86. Jo also has her own GL book that's pretty excellent, and GL's are already just a title.

For me, so long as 2 or 3 of the big mantels have sufficient build up then I don't really have much of a problem with the rest of the big mantels of the JL being unorthodox surprise. That's actually fun to me. I'd like the chance to retroactively see what got them there after the initial shock of seeing the out of the box picks. I actually think that's a pretty strong narrative tool in this specific situation, and it keeps it from feeling like "Justice League Babies" if you know what I mean.

Not only that, but it seems like the whole editorial at DC seem really conflicted at the moment.

That's worrisome to hear with something this big and complex (maybe the most complex and involved move in comic's history since the very first Crisis, I feel), but for every writer or editor that's not feeling it, you've got team players out there who will do the job and tell their stories.

However I want 5G to be successful, and I want new good stories to come from it.

My motto is that I go into any story wanting to like it and hoping that it's good because why on Earth would I want to read something not good, no matter what it is?

I'll be totally honest, I've been really excited for the idea of 5G since learning about it, but that was when I was under the impression that it would be a simple jump forward in time by 5 to 10 years. In my opinion that would've sufficiently aged most characters and primed our new generation to take on their new roles. Hearing this extremely strange idea to age everyone somewhat in relation to publication history has me scratching my head, but I remain fascinated by the idea. Not nearly as clean as I'd assumed, and quite a bit more worrying, but still quite interesting.

[Superlad93]

It's only once you get to Tim's generation and later that you start getting characters who are the sort of age the JLAers are normally presented as. (e.g., the preliminary timeline on Bleeding Cool said Tim debuts around 16 years ago, so he would be early-30s).

Isn't that a fascinating thought? Tim's generation aka the Young Justice generation will be the ones at the JL's previous age, and Jon and Luke will be the generation of young adults who's time is upon us. I wonder what that dynamic will be like?

Question though? How old does that make characters like Naomi, Teen Lantern (who is 11), and Jinny Hex? Two of them are of comparable age to our Young Justice generation, and they're clearly on the same team. Do they age too? Were do they get continuity retconed into Young Justice's old adventures like Wonder Woman will be with the JSA? Or is it a situation where they don't age, and it's strange in-story how they all used to be peers? Moreover, how does all of the stuff going on now look? Was Clark in his late 50s when during Bendis' run so far now? Or does the event that gives them back the fullness of their history just rapidly age them like Captain America and the whole world has to deal with the fact that a bunch of people living now just either died of old age or remembered over 50 years of history?

Getting clarification on stuff like this is my top priority

[Lee]

I don't like the idea of every DC hero being part of a lineage, every character's name becoming a job title, every new hero's origin being "I inherited a costume and/or powers from another hero".

[Frontier]

Y'know, it's kind of funny that Marvel has made "Old Man _____" into basically a gimmick now, and DC is about to turn all their major heroes into either old people or make them much older .

Am I ready for Old Lady Zatanna? Older Jaime? Old Lady Mera? Old Man Arthur? Old Man Barry?

Will Hal get the skunk stripe back?