The Retirement thread (no hate please)

[Digifiend]

To add to the thread, I can think of two super-hero retirements that stuck:

- Jack Knight, when the book ended: this one was never seen again.

-Arrowette/Cissie King Jones: This one I found extremely interesting; she retires from superheroing very early in the original YJ book, yet she still hangs around everybody just out of friendship. I thought it was an interesting and refreshing take at the time.

Yeah, Jack's creator won't let him be reused I think? Even the Stargirl TV show merged him with Skyman, aka the original Star Spangled Kid and the other hero Stargirl is the legacy character of.

As for Arrowette, yeah, she stuck around but was no longer on the team. When they became the Teen Titans, she was finally replaced by a new Speedy, Mia Dearden. Cissie came back in Bendis's YJ (so the retirement stuck for a long time but wasn't permanent) and has also appeared in the YJ cartoon.

Aquaman seems like a logical choice to me, there's always the notion that he has more important things to worry about than being a superhero and he can rarely juggle being a hero and a king well anyway. Plus you can still tell "King Arthur" stories while Kaldur takes over as Aquaman on the surface.

That actually happened in the Young Justice cartoon, and I think the comics are heading that way too with Jackson starring in a mini called Aquaman instead of Aqualad.

[king81992]

Harley, since she's pretty much a Batfam now. Actually becoming a psychiatrist that heroes and villains can defer to because of her experience in both... and I personally think, because of her personality, she'd still be funny and interesting.



People would argue that Harley's more interesting in costume, so this is just for me personally. Since my main interest tend to be plot or character development, I was never that interested in Harley going on random adventures. Like it's a book I like to read once in a while because it's entertaining and fun, but is never my priority because it's off to the side doing its own thing.

Having her involved in a main plot involving mental health would interests me more.

Harley 'reformed' or not is the last person to be giving mental help advice to anyone.

Lilith Clay/ Omen is already a shrink and needs to be used more, let her take the hero/villain psychiatrist role.

[Ascended]

I'm not a regular reader of Harley Quinn, but I've seen plenty of stories of her in jail. And with her looooooong service within the Suicide Squad, her criminal record should be expunged by now. Plus, her current series seems to be all about her making amends for her past crimes.

As I recall, her federal record was purged thanks to her work with the Squad, but she still had some smaller state warrants for her arrest. There was an issue where she visits her parents in....Florida?....and finds out there's still a outstanding warrant for something she had done years prior.

But generally speaking, as far as the law is concerned she's more or less paid her dues.

That said, I don't like "hero and friend of Batman" Harley. It's kinda gross. I liked her in her last volume; more of an anti-villain than anything else. Still a terrible person who killed so, so, so many people....but one who wasn't just out for herself.

[Ra-El]

It's basically what is happening now in Action Comics, but I would like to see Clark "retiring" from Earth in a more permanent basis. Just looking around and seeing that are places in more need for his assistance than Earth. Let Luthor, Prankster, Toyman and all those villains behind and go fight guys he doesn't need to pull his punches against.

Aside from Superman, I can't think of anyone changing professions really, maybe give some of the GLs something more unique to do, the GLC is overcrowded with humans.

Aquaman should quit the more traditional superhero stuff and become fulltime king of Atlantis, and I mean absolutist type of king, screw democracy in Atlantis. They should make a arc where Arthur just takes over, by force if necessary. Go Conan or go home.

John Constantine should retire too, and in his case it's basically just ditching the superhero business and blocking the calls from the JL and JLD, and going back to his Hellblazer stuff, writen by Si Purrier and pencilled by Aaron Campbell.

[Restingvoice]

Harley 'reformed' or not is the last person to be giving mental help advice to anyone.

Lilith Clay/ Omen is already a shrink and needs to be used more, let her take the hero/villain psychiatrist role.

I know Lilith can do it, but she's not funny

[exile001]

I think the end of Grell's Green Arrow run would have been the perfect time for Ollie to "grow up" and retire from costumed heroics.

I'd take a retired Ollie at any point, tbh. Not the jaded, anti-League ranter we've seen in past (a la The Dark Knight) but a mature person who has seen the city (and America) and it's problems from every conceivable angle.

He could be the guy who has done everything, been rich and homeless and everything in between, who became a street vigilante, a Citywide hero and a even card carrying Justice Leaguer. A rich boy of privilege who had everything striped away (and returned and stripped away and returned and...), became an adventurer, became a father, became the head of a family, became a beloved cultural icon and now just wants to change his city into something better.

He realises that as only one man there's very little he can actually do in the grand scheme of things when putting on a costume and working from the shadows battling the same supervillains over and over (he's not Batman and doesn't have powers) so he outs Oliver Queen as Green Arrow (if his identity is secret again now) and uses that platform to launch a political career based on social justice. He's supposed to be the leftie. Run with it!

He has the trust of the people of Star City and retires to becomes a campaigner for actual, real, meaningful change (not just slogans like "clean up City Hall" or vaguely hinting at police corruption). Have him actively use his skills (and help from the GA family who'd still be in costume for superheroic fun) and great wealth to become an effective agent of change in the city instead of just stopping the symptoms of a broken system.

Have him fight conceptual injustices as well as actual corruption from the imbalance of wealth in the city to the rich guy having a word with a judge to get his kid off a drunk driving charge. He finally realises that the problems start at the top and trickle down. Star City has a Police Department for the everyday things, he's going after the untouchables. The problems caused by the excesses of a capitalist system and those who profit from it (specifically at the detriment of others).

Transforming the city into a green, anti-pollution city of the future.

Have his buddy Superman show up from time to time and help with projects and endorse his good work (I REALLY dislike non-interventionist Superman).

I'd love to see a story where the hero actually makes life better for the majority of people in their city. And then show the struggles of those trying to oppose him and the genuine counter arguments to his cause and way of doing it. First thing would be the media turning against him, of course. The old money, the leading businessmen and career politicians dedicated to maintaining the status quo that has kept them rich/employed.

I'd like to see a hero actually win and explore what happens when a hero really saves their city and those who oppose it.

[Eskana]

I definitely feel that some heroes should retire, even though we all know that fans wouldn't want it to be permanent. I kind of wish we still had the whole Earth 1/Earth 2 thing going, so we could retire some heroes or have alternates without crowding. It would solve the Barry/Wally, JLA/JSA problem, at least.

My top candidate is one of my favorites, Blue Beetle Ted Kord... I feel like he's just got everything stacked against him. He's a non-powered superhero, practically the most non-lethal you can get (seriously.... what good is a compressed air gun) who would probably be fine as he originally was, with more street-level crooks, but let's be honest, that's not going to happen at this point. He was in a coma twice even before being put out of the game with a heart condition, killed off, replaced, used as motivation for his buddy's character development, and then brought back as a trainer, in which case he was also excised from any past with the JL, before being more-or-less restored to his pre-Infinite Crisis state. I love him but I think he would be so much better off as just a straight-up inventor, and I think Ted looking out for the little guy and "common folk" would be more in line with his personality, anyway.

My second candidate would probably be Booster, but less a retirement as a switch. Leaving him as "Booster Gold" just lets people hammer on about his early personality, sometimes with the time-traveler tacked-on. Honestly, at this point, he should just be starting the Time Masters, maybe working with Chronos (Walker Gabriel) or something.

My next choices would probably be Barry Allen or Hal Jordan- they're great, but I think they've earned a break, and they both have so many legacy characters that it would just help. Maybe they can team up and form a new team on another planet, lol.


...I can't believe I keep picking my favorites, haha. Maybe I just want them to live happily ever after?

[Doctor Know]

My list would come mainly from the Titans. Since the YJ (Tim Drake) generation copied nearly everything from Dick’s generation. To the point that you have Damian fighting on the Titans with the same characters that were also from Dick’s era.

Wally and Wallace I would retire out. Wally complicates things with Barry around. Besides, I kinda dig what Wolfman and Perez were going for back in the 80s when they retired Wally. Wallace was a failed experiment from the New 52 to be different. Or maybe it was inspired by the CW Flash show. I can’t remember clearly now. I’d bring back Bart and take a page from the CW and make him Barry’s son. Instead of what they did in the comics by making Bart Barry’s estranged grandson. Forget Dawn and Don Allen. Most people have anyway.


Tim shares the role of ex-Robin with Dick, Jason, Stephanie and Damian. He’s the current Robin now, but after excluding him from the role since Batman RIP/Final Crisis in 2008. The role doesn’t fit him anymore. Alfred is dead. Make Tim the new Alfred/Oracle.


Arthur should take up being king full time and only make guest appearances on the JL or during events. Leave the role of Aquaman to either Garth or Kaldur.

Beast Boy and Raven need to retire. Neither has accomplished anything since the 80s. They’re just instantly recognizable now and used to keep the team looking like the NTT. Raven has a shot if she joined the JLD or palled around with Fate or Zatanna as a magician’s assistant.

[Lightning Rider]

I’d bring back Bart and take a page from the CW and make him Barry’s son. Instead of what they did in the comics by making Bart Barry’s estranged grandson. Forget Dawn and Don Allen. Most people have anyway.

Okay now you've gone too far buddy.

[godisawesome]

I’d have Bruce and Barry both go into semi-retirement, like what Jay Garrick did for a long time, and have Dick and Wally replace them again…

…And then just do a $#!+ ton of flashback books and series like what Legends of the Dark Knight did.

Mostly because I think Bruce could genuinely play an “Undertaker” style role in modern stories if used sparingly but deliciously, while Dick excelled in the role and he is his own character even when wearing the cowl. And mostly because Wally’s just better than Barry. And both are more interesting to me when they can float up and down their timelines in terms of what story I’m picking up that week.

For younger heroes… as much as I want Tim to rise again, a temporary retirement would be good to work out the kinks he’s accumulated and to figure out what are the best ways to present him to the audience again. I’d do something similar with Kyle Rayner, but with a suggestion that he’s still unknowingly regarded as an emergency agent by the Guardians and Lanterns because of his imagination and willpower being a deadly combination.

[Doctor Know]

Okay now you've gone too far buddy.

I checked out their DC wikia and Comicvine page. Would you believe that in the 53 years they've existed (debut in 1968), that they've only been in 30 issues? Including the recent issues from last year. I mean, damn...

It likely didn't help that Barry was dead for 23 years (1985-2008), and Bart's entire story in the 90s and 00s revolved around him being Barry Allen's grandson. A character DC wasn't writing about anymore, at the time.

XS/Jenni was the same way for decades as well.


A crew that definitely needs to be retired are the superfluous Earth GLs we have now. How many is it now?

Hal Jordan
Guy Gardner
John Stewart
Kyle Rayner
Simon Baz
Jessica Cruz
Sojourner Mullein


Not Corp but still Lanterns
Alan Scott
Jade


All that Lantern power and the GL are still the biggest chumps in the galaxy.

[John Venus]

Yeah, Jack's creator won't let him be reused I think?

James Robinson created him and it's more like an agreement similar to the one where DC has with Neil Gaiman where the character won't be used without the creators approval.


Of the choices presented, I say NO to Tim Drake and Natasha Steel retiring. I think Tim is fine as Red Robin and as the 'cerebral' member of the Bat Family. Natasha has untapped potential and just needs a consistent power set. I will say to Steel retiring. I enjoyed his 90's ongoing but I admit his power set does leave a lot to be desired and I don't mind him being a specialist in alien tech who suits up when the situation calls for it. Also seconding Aquaman, Green Arrow and Black Lightning retiring and letting their legacies take over.

Retiring without disappearing into limbo does open up more possibilities, my choices are:

-Jason Todd: Have him retire from being an anti-hero and have him join the military or an organization like the DEO as their agent.

-Roy Haper: Same as Jason Todd. I always thought Roy working as an agent and not a full on cape made him stand out as a character.

-Jakeem Thunder & Johnny Thunder: There has been various attempts at trying to revive either Johnny or Jakeem and to me none of them have really worked. They're both redundant because Dr Fate is the magic guy on the JSA. Johnny was kind of an idiot and they've never done anything interesting with Jakeem. Might be better to try and revive Kiku and William Twotrees/Willpower, the latter has a more workable power set (electromagnetism) and a unique gimmick (musician plus superhero) and would include more visible Native American heroes.

[Marvell2100]

I think the end of Grell's Green Arrow run would have been the perfect time for Ollie to "grow up" and retire from costumed heroics.

I'd take a retired Ollie at any point, tbh. Not the jaded, anti-League ranter we've seen in past (a la The Dark Knight) but a mature person who has seen the city (and America) and it's problems from every conceivable angle.

He could be the guy who has done everything, been rich and homeless and everything in between, who became a street vigilante, a Citywide hero and a even card carrying Justice Leaguer. A rich boy of privilege who had everything striped away (and returned and stripped away and returned and...), became an adventurer, became a father, became the head of a family, became a beloved cultural icon and now just wants to change his city into something better.

He realises that as only one man there's very little he can actually do in the grand scheme of things when putting on a costume and working from the shadows battling the same supervillains over and over (he's not Batman and doesn't have powers) so he outs Oliver Queen as Green Arrow (if his identity is secret again now) and uses that platform to launch a political career based on social justice. He's supposed to be the leftie. Run with it!

He has the trust of the people of Star City and retires to becomes a campaigner for actual, real, meaningful change (not just slogans like "clean up City Hall" or vaguely hinting at police corruption). Have him actively use his skills (and help from the GA family who'd still be in costume for superheroic fun) and great wealth to become an effective agent of change in the city instead of just stopping the symptoms of a broken system.

Have him fight conceptual injustices as well as actual corruption from the imbalance of wealth in the city to the rich guy having a word with a judge to get his kid off a drunk driving charge. He finally realises that the problems start at the top and trickle down. Star City has a Police Department for the everyday things, he's going after the untouchables. The problems caused by the excesses of a capitalist system and those who profit from it (specifically at the detriment of others).

Transforming the city into a green, anti-pollution city of the future.

Have his buddy Superman show up from time to time and help with projects and endorse his good work (I REALLY dislike non-interventionist Superman).

I'd love to see a story where the hero actually makes life better for the majority of people in their city. And then show the struggles of those trying to oppose him and the genuine counter arguments to his cause and way of doing it. First thing would be the media turning against him, of course. The old money, the leading businessmen and career politicians dedicated to maintaining the status quo that has kept them rich/employed.

I'd like to see a hero actually win and explore what happens when a hero really saves their city and those who oppose it.

I was going to say Ollie too and why but your answer pretty much says what I think.