How do you feel about Emil Hamilton

[Kuwagaton]

Shay never felt like she existed outside of the plot, but it would have been nice to keep her around after the New 52 anyway.

There's a valid story in there somewhere though. I can't recall exactly why Hamilton turned on Clark but this was around the era of Dominus, and Clark had made a lot of mistakes in those years. The story of a man losing faith in his friend and turning on him is a good one, especially when that friend is Superman, but why Hamilton became a supervillain.....

Bah, best to the whole thing.

He was actually a big part of the Return to Krypton "retcon" stuff too. Felt to me like when they got to OWAW it felt time to do some cast pruning.

[Gaius]

Haven’t read him much in the comics but I enjoyed him in Superman: TAS. I was fairly surprised when I found out the behind-the-scenes team on the show hated him though.

[BBally]

Shay Veratis is much better character.

I personally prefer Dr. Jenet Klyburn from the Bronze Age run on Superman, I was so happy to see her used in the Death of Superman animated movie.



Though I also liked Emil Hamilton too. I think you can both characters exist, have Hamilton be a freelance scientist like how he originally started out in the comics while still helping out at Starlabs where Jenet is the head scientist of.

[Ascended]

Shay never felt like she existed outside of the plot, but it would have been nice to keep her around after the New 52 anyway.

I've heard that she's been used in Lobdell's Red Hood series. I guess she's just a human scientist who got trapped in that lab we first saw in Lobdell's Superman. I don't know how much there is to her story, but I feel like less is more. I loved that Shay was such a mystery and we weren't even sure if she was human.

I really dig the characters who, in their own way, are just as wild and fantastical as Superman. Leo Quintum from All-Star, Shay Veritas, those guys are tons and tons of fun. Hamilton was fun though just because he was so ordinary. That was a fun contrast and I loved seeing Clark fly in and be all "Hey man, I found this thing in space and it might be a miniature galaxy or maybe a sentient parasite that'll eat the city, you mind holding onto it for me?" Poor Hamilton, that old man was always out of his depth.

He was actually a big part of the Return to Krypton "retcon" stuff too. Felt to me like when they got to OWAW it felt time to do some cast pruning.

Eh, I think it really started before OW@W, once Loeb retconned Krypton it was all downhill. I'm a hardcore pre-Crisis fan but the early 00's tossed almost *everything* post-Crisis out the window, including stuff that should have been kept.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I think the combo of Dr. Kylburn and John Henry Irons make a better tech support team for Superman than Dr. Hamilton, who hasn't been particularly compelling in any of the stuff that I read with him.

[Adekis]

I like pretty much all of Superman's scientist buddies. Professor Potter, Emil Hamilton, Kitty Faulkner, Jenet Klyburn, Jude of the Hairies, Dubbilex, Serling Roquette, John Henry Irons, Leo Quintum, Shay Veritas - they're all really cool. I want each and every one of them to show up in more and more Superman media.

I just read through parts of the late '80s "Starman" and I think I might finish out the whole series - for no other reason than that Kitty features in it very prominently! I was definitely pleasantly surprised to find her there in such a prominent role!

Regarding Hamilton, I think he's kind of got both the best and worst of everything. On the one hand, the fact that he works with STAR Labs, but as an independent ex-criminal Mad Scientist gives Hamilton an edge. And then there's the fact that Hamilton has the most exposure out of any of these characters in outside media beyond comics!

At the same time, every single adaptation pretty much leaves out that unique "ex-mad, independent scientist" angle, in favor of just making him a respectable scientist guy who works for STAR. What's up with that? What's even the point?

And then there's the fact that he became a villain and stopped showing up in the comics. I never liked that either. It unnecessarily removed a great character from Superman's supporting cast, which is generally always a mistake no matter how or why you do it.

So... I don't know. I guess it'd be nice if that Original Hamilton, Mad Science and all, made a triumphant comeback to Superman's friend group.

And the rest of those guys too! But to pick only one, probably Hamilton.

[Jim Kelly]

Sterling Holloway played two different scientists on THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN--Professor Oscar Quinn (twice) and Professor Twiddle (once)--while Phillips Tead played Professor Pepperwinkle (five times). Pepperwinkle then returned in the Superman comics in the 1970s, making several appearances.

Jena Malone played Jenet Klyburn in BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, but most of her scenes were cut from the theatrical release--with some scenes restored to the extended cut.

[JAK]

Hamilton was one of my favorite characters in the comics, by far. He was awesome. I love the "good (semi)mad scientist" angle, and absolutely hated the whole "Ruin" thing.

[Venceremos]

Like most of the post-crisis supporting characters of the first 7 years or so, loved him. He turned bad after my time, when I had already stopped reading, but was disappointed to find out they had done him dirty like that... especially since his original characterization was that he was once "bad" and became reformed.

[magha_regulus]

I liked him before he went rogue. What i didn't like was that he was used as a scientific crutch rather than someone Superman could connect with as a fellow scientist. I have a huge peeve against writers disavowing Superman's superintelligence and that entire era rubs me the wrong way because of it.

[magha_regulus]

Shay Veratis is much better character.

I agree. I really liked Veritas and wanted them to explore her character more.

[Kuwagaton]

Whoa, had no idea Klyburn was in BvS. That's pretty impressive.

I liked him before he went rogue. What i didn't like was that he was used as a scientific crutch rather than someone Superman could connect with as a fellow scientist. I have a huge peeve against writers disavowing Superman's superintelligence and that entire era rubs me the wrong way because of it.

*Shrug*

I never really liked super intelligence, I think it's too much of a distraction and gets him written into corners. Versus having a dedicated character who specializes in that stuff and for inventions, and deals in it by having more time off screen.

I like that for all of what Hamilton knew, he was limited in exploring many of the applications until Superman came along.

[Adekis]

Now that's an interesting debate... I do like super-intelligence, and I like seeing Superman doing science projects - welding with his heat vision as he works on a rocket or a portal or something, that kind of thing! But giving him a great additional supporting cast member to talk to is more important than making Superman seem self-sufficient. I think Superman can be like Peter Parker - well versed in super-science, but also understands that others might have more expertise, better equipment, more time to devote to solving scientific problems while he does rescues or goes to work, or just more general know-how! And! He's not too big to ask for help from his friends.

Though, my favorite take on his super-intelligence is actually more of a super-observance - I don't like seeing people sneak up on the guy with super-hearing and hit him from behind, or to see him missing a clue that someone else finds instead!

[Jim Kelly]

In the sixth and final season of THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, four episodes all written by Robert Leslie Bellem & Whitney Ellsworth (episodes 2, 3, 4, 5) had four different scientists (good and bad) that tested the limits of Superman's powers. I wouldn't say Superman was ignorant, but even he didn't know how much he might be able to do as he tested out different theories. Such as the fact he could split in two or that he could walk through solid objects. I think that Superman had super-intelligence but he needed to understand the theoretical science before he could begin to use his powers in new and different ways. So having another person of intelligence--even it's an adversary--would help him to discover just how much he could do.