Blue Marvel Appreciation 2020

[XPac]

I agree. He would probably regret that he wasn't more active during the civil rights era and/or the 80's but he wouldn't go on a violent rampage.

Having said that, I wouldn't mind seeing a BM story that deals with this subject. It's all well and good that he can crush a mountain with his hands, but how do you defeat a system that incentivizes police ( even black ones) to behave in racist ways?

Oh, he's the PERFECT character to have a story dealing with these issues. I'm not sure they wanna go there with him again though ... but if it's a story they want to tell he works.

[JudicatorPrime]

Oh, he's the PERFECT character to have a story dealing with these issues. I'm not sure they wanna go there with him again though ... but if it's a story they want to tell he works.

On the one hand, they would certainly risk doubling down on the perception that Blue Marvel is a political SJW character, as opposed to an African American who happens to be a hero. But perhaps he is the only one who fittingly can bring this discussion to the table?

There are many people who feel that the Civil Rights Era ended. Like it was an epoch with a start and stop date. I don't think Adam sees it that way. The struggle is ongoing. In his eyes the Civil Rights "era" is occurring RIGHT NOW. To all of us. We're in it up to the crowns of our heads...and some of us for the first time are deeply submerging. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said it best in his LA Times op-ed:

"Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air."

One of the biggest complaints and misconceptions about the Blue Marvel is that "he decided" to sit it out when America needed him most. Well, here we are again at an yet another crucial inflection point. You're right, Marvel won't go there. If they did, they'd probably give that role to Sam Wilson, Luke Cage, or one of their more popular, younger characters like Miles, Rayshayn Lucas (I think that's the Patriot's name) and Kamala. But it would be nice if Adam got the call.

[JudicatorPrime]

On a different, lighter topic...

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 meaning, "Implausible/Inconceivable/WTF are you smoking?!?", and 10 meaning, "Oh, yeah, that works!", what do you think of the following proposition:

Adam Brashear. Crusher Creel. Road-dogs.

I haven't worked out the full plot, but it starts with Crusher, who needs urgent help rescuing a loved one from a very powerful foe. Due to his history and the fact that he's still wanted by authorities, Crusher doesn't feel that he can turn to any of the other heroes. After coming across an old media report where Adam Brashear is mentioned, Crusher decides to track him down to ask for his help. It's an uneasy alliance at first, but by the time the story ends, both men are changed. In fact, Adam gains a reputation among the supervillain community of being a "true blue" stand-up guy, unlike the other heroes, for helping Creed...even though the story ends with Adam giving Creed 48 hours to turn himself in, or else he's going to go looking for him.

[ARkadelphia]

On a different, lighter topic...

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 meaning, "Implausible/Inconceivable/WTF are you smoking?!?", and 10 meaning, "Oh, yeah, that works!", what do you think of the following proposition:

Adam Brashear. Crusher Creel. Road-dogs.

I haven't worked out the full plot, but it starts with Crusher, who needs urgent help rescuing a loved one from a very powerful foe. Due to his history and the fact that he's still wanted by authorities, Crusher doesn't feel that he can turn to any of the other heroes. After coming across an old media report where Adam Brashear is mentioned, Crusher decides to track him down to ask for his help. It's an uneasy alliance at first, but by the time the story ends, both men are changed. In fact, Adam gains a reputation among the supervillain community of being a "true blue" stand-up guy, unlike the other heroes, for helping Creed...even though the story ends with Adam giving Creed 48 hours to turn himself in, or else he's going to go looking for him.

Ongoing or mini?

[XPac]

On a different, lighter topic...

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 meaning, "Implausible/Inconceivable/WTF are you smoking?!?", and 10 meaning, "Oh, yeah, that works!", what do you think of the following proposition:

Adam Brashear. Crusher Creel. Road-dogs.

I haven't worked out the full plot, but it starts with Crusher, who needs urgent help rescuing a loved one from a very powerful foe. Due to his history and the fact that he's still wanted by authorities, Crusher doesn't feel that he can turn to any of the other heroes. After coming across an old media report where Adam Brashear is mentioned, Crusher decides to track him down to ask for his help. It's an uneasy alliance at first, but by the time the story ends, both men are changed. In fact, Adam gains a reputation among the supervillain community of being a "true blue" stand-up guy, unlike the other heroes, for helping Creed...even though the story ends with Adam giving Creed 48 hours to turn himself in, or else he's going to go looking for him.

I'll give that a 10. No reason that doens't work.

Crusher actually has a bit of history working with super heroes.... I think he sort of became buddies with Thunderstrike back in the day. And because most villains probably don't even know Adam they're far less likely to have any sort of personal vendetta against him.

[The Cool Thatguy]

On the one hand, they would certainly risk doubling down on the perception that Blue Marvel is a political SJW character, as opposed to an African American who happens to be a hero. But perhaps he is the only one who fittingly can bring this discussion to the table?

I don't think Adam possibly could, or even should, shake the perception of being a SJW character.

[JudicatorPrime]

Ongoing or mini?

Limited series. I don't know that an ongoing would work for any villain-hero pairing, except the A-listers at this point.

[Midnight_v]

I don't think Adam possibly could, or even should, shake the perception of being a SJW character.

He absolutely can and should. He really shouldn't have been clumped in with that at all temporally speaking. Then consider his origin and actions during the civil rights movement
and its pretty apparent that he's NOT playing that game. Hes a black hero not necessarily a social justice one they're mutually exclusive despite the desires of those sworn to things
like intersectionality.
I was looking for the What if... thread because I had an idea for him and stumbled in here. He grew on me. He's complex and doesn't have the cookie cutterness of many heroes that
have been in the spotlight recently.

[Agent Z]

There is certainly value in having diverse characters whose race, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc are not necessarily important to their stories. Having such characters around actually normalizes diversity in media.

That said, a character's race is just as valid for development as anything else about them.

[The Cool Thatguy]

He absolutely can and should. He really shouldn't have been clumped in with that at all temporally speaking. Then consider his origin and actions during the civil rights movement
and its pretty apparent that he's NOT playing that game. Hes a black hero not necessarily a social justice one they're mutually exclusive despite the desires of those sworn to things
like intersectionality.
I was looking for the What if... thread because I had an idea for him and stumbled in here. He grew on me. He's complex and doesn't have the cookie cutterness of many heroes that
have been in the spotlight recently.

Yes, not all African American have to be social justice focused, but I'm hard pressed to see how Adam can avoid it overall.

A large part of his character arc was retiring from the public eye so as not to negatively affect the non violent civil rights movement that was happening at the time. So yeah...

[dkrook]

He absolutely can and should. He really shouldn't have been clumped in with that at all temporally speaking. Then consider his origin and actions during the civil rights movement
and its pretty apparent that he's NOT playing that game. Hes a black hero not necessarily a social justice one they're mutually exclusive despite the desires of those sworn to things
like intersectionality.
I was looking for the What if... thread because I had an idea for him and stumbled in here. He grew on me. He's complex and doesn't have the cookie cutterness of many heroes that
have been in the spotlight recently.

Yes, I agree. This is in part what I was getting at. I think there's so much potential for storytelling with peeling away the layers and complexities of the psyche of a black man with the power he has. Its crazy to dismiss the possibility that he may be conflicted even now with all the trash he has witnessed just on a racial level. I think that with good writer there are gems to be mined.

[Midnight_v]

Yes, not all African American have to be social justice focused, but I'm hard pressed to see how Adam can avoid it overall.

A large part of his character arc was retiring from the public eye so as not to negatively affect the non violent civil rights movement that was happening at the time. So yeah...

Exactly the opposite of the Sjw position. He didn't JUST do that because of the reason you said, but because he was a U.S. Marine, and had a lot of PATRIOTISM for the U.S. not wanting "The Country" to be torn
apart either. The Sjw's of the world would HATE Adam, because he's not one of them, plus they'd always come for him over the 60's if they could really (and probably because of his government mole Caucasian wife).
Food For thought.
He's soooo powerful and more importantly "good" in the status quo sense. All pro-rb at Cornell, aka Johnny Football player hero etc etc.
Now subsequently we could see them try to MOVE him in one direction or the other but I think ... as it stands he'd be like: "No, not "social justice... Just. Justice." now what he thinks of that means would be an entire tale unto itself, but in no way is he on the "Destroy the status quo" movement.

Though that was my what if actually.

Yes, I agree. This is in part what I was getting at. I think there's so much potential for storytelling with peeling away the layers and complexities of the psyche of a black man with the power he has. Its crazy to dismiss the possibility that he may be conflicted even now with all the trash he has witnessed just on a racial level. I think that with good writer there are gems to be mined.

What if: Adam Brasher had enough.

Enough!: a 4 part mini.

I could post some of what I'd been thinking, gimme a bit.

But the musing are written from a slightly unique perspective... my core conceit about Adam Brashear is that he ISN'T a superman pastiche despite all the people saying the opposite even his creator once or twice I think. . .

Narrative speaking if ANYTHING:

He's a Captain Atom, archtype... or if you don't know that guy well then consider ATOM's expy: Doctor Manhattan.
That might not be well received but understand I'm not saying that he's that DIRECTLY, but that:
Superman is an Alien "THING", doing his best to be a human.

Adam is a human, who because of humanities interaction with forces of the modern age... well.. he becomes a god.

Think about that line from the watchmen:

"I never said, 'The superman exists and he’s American.' What I said was 'God exists and he’s American.' If that statement starts to chill you after a couple of moments’ consideration, then don’t be alarmed. A feeling of intense and crushing religious terror at the concept indicates only that you are still sane."

What I said was 'God exists and he’s AFRICAN-American.' If that statement starts to chill you after a couple of moments’ consideration, then don’t be alarmed. A feeling of intense and crushing religious terror at the concept indicates only that you are still sane."

So my 4 part mini - What if: Enough!
Would be a really interesting Adam story because while it not "Injustice" or "The watchmen" or "The Authority" but it would be the story in which he takes and Active turn (yes because of recent events, because recent events have me and many others personally angry).

[JudicatorPrime]

Now subsequently we could see them try to MOVE him in one direction or the other but I think ... as it stands he'd be like: "No, not "social justice... Just. Justice."

I agree 100%. Adam is not a political creature, he is a moral creature. That he was thrust into a highly political backstory by Grevioux doesn't change how Adam sees himself, or his right to self-determination. No ... perception is not always reality. Sometimes perception is merely an epithet used by the wicked to transmogrify moral questions into political ones and create false equivalency to fairness and right-minded standards -- all in a concerted effort to preserve their deleterious construct of privilege and primacy. While others may perceive Adam as an activist or "social justice warrior," he views his mission as a simple quest for justice. If he was the political creature that others make him out to be, he would have destroyed the entire system with Anti-Man cheering him on back in 1962. It's not like there was anyone around that could have stopped them. Hell, if written to their true power levels, there aren't many people around who can stop a combined Adam and Conner now. Fortunately for all involved, Adam isn't Doom, or Namor, or Magneto.

[JudicatorPrime]

I never would have connected the dots. The same man that encountered "Central Park Karen" Amy Cooper is the same man, Chris Cooper, who co-authored Marvel's Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins. Here he is talking about his greatest passion, bird watching, but he does mention the comic book series. His enthusiasm in such a cynical age is refreshing. I wonder if he's free to do a Blue Marvel one-shot or limited series?

[Nobodyworthnoting]

No. He should join the annihilators since they've lost brb, ronan and ikon.