What started the trend of silver age girlfriends becoming modern superheroines?

[Sutekh]

And the fact they can't get OC's to stick nowadays so hence have to use pre-existing characters to get traction.Same reason why their has been a massive boom in legacy characters. They can't get any of their new creations to stick so they use existing heroes and their fanbases to get traction.

I feel like Flash Thompson becoming Agent Venom was another example of this, some random dude from Spider-Man's history being powered up, rather than a new character being introduced. As a fan of more modern original characters, this trend of picking random side-characters / girlfriends introduced in the seventies and powering them up (usually with the same powers as the characters whose books they once showed up in, like She-Thor Jane, She-Spider Gwen, She-Iron Pepper, etc.) is kinda boring.

There are ways in which a character could have thematically similar or related powers, without just being the same as the super-dude they used to date. Jane becoming a Valkyrie is one step in a better direction, but Pepper having a different role (such as her Hera role during The Order series) or Gwen using technology like the spider-slayer suit to compensate for not having actual powers, would be more interesting to me than just exactly copying the menfolk.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I feel like Flash Thompson becoming Agent Venom was another example of this, some random dude from Spider-Man's history being powered up, rather than a new character being introduced. As a fan of more modern original characters, this trend of picking random side-characters / girlfriends introduced in the seventies and powering them up (usually with the same powers as the characters whose books they once showed up in, like She-Thor Jane, She-Spider Gwen, She-Iron Pepper, etc.) is kinda boring.

There are ways in which a character could have thematically similar or related powers, without just being the same as the super-dude they used to date. Jane becoming a Valkyrie is one step in a better direction, but Pepper having a different role (such as her Hera role during The Order series) or Gwen using technology like the spider-slayer suit to compensate for not having actual powers, would be more interesting to me than just exactly copying the menfolk.

Except that with Flash, it wasn't random.

He'd been a soldier and disabled prior, and his struggles to control the suit complimented his character development pretty damn well.

I think a big problem is that now comic book movies are becoming popular, writers don't wanna hand over their ideas to Marvel for pennies. So they're forced to use existing characters when they wanna do something new(ish)

[CosmiComic]

Except that with Flash, it wasn't random.

He'd been a soldier and disabled prior, and his struggles to control the suit complimented his character development pretty damn well.

I think a big problem is that now comic book movies are becoming popular, writers don't wanna hand over their ideas to Marvel for pennies. So they're forced to use existing characters when they wanna do something new(ish)

That'll only hurt Marvel in the end

[The Cool Thatguy]

That'll only hurt Marvel in the end

Marvel not sharing profits with writers, or constantly recycling existing characters?

[CosmiComic]

Marvel not sharing profits with writers, or constantly recycling existing characters?

I think the first leads to the second, if I'm interpreting your post correctly

[Riv86672]

Not sure who came first but wanted to get Bobbi Morse into the mix.

She debuted as a supporting character for Ka-Zar in Astonishing Tales 6 (1971)…


…and became Mockingbird in Marvel Team Up 95 (1980)…:


EDIT
I just read that Bobbi also went very briefly as The Huntress, debuting that identity in Marvel Super Action 1 (1977)…:

[BlackClaw]

She’s not a silver age love interest but I hope a future Black Panther scribe can get in on this trend with Monica Lynne.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

That'll only hurt Marvel in the end

Maybe but they avoided it for 60 years. I imagine they'll avoid it a little longer.

She’s not a silver age love interest but I hope a future Black Panther scribe can get in on this trend with Monica Lynne.

She could be a recruit for the Dora Milaje.

[Will Evans]

She’s not a silver age love interest but I hope a future Black Panther scribe can get in on this trend with Monica Lynne.

Didn’t she die of cancer in the 2018 comics,

[Digifiend]

Not sure who came first but wanted to get Bobbi Morse into the mix.

She debuted as a supporting character for Ka-Zar in Astonishing Tales 6 (1971)…


…and became Mockingbird in Marvel Team Up 95 (1980)…:


EDIT
I just read that Bobbi also went very briefly as The Huntress, debuting that identity in Marvel Super Action 1 (1977)…:

Yeah. They had to change it due to the Huntress associated with Batman and the JSA.

[BlackClaw]

Didn’t she die of cancer in the 2018 comics,

In one of the stories of the annual. But I always figured they could retcon that and say it happened in another timeline. Lol.

[Will Evans]

And now Clea has taken over the Dr Strange role.

[Gaastra]

Well not just marvel as dc had lois lane become a superhero with powers at least 4 times in the old lois comics and jimmy became turtle boy (?)

As for marvel don't forget bluebird in untold tales of spider-man who was in spideys first story decades before she became a hero in the comics.

[Ravin' Ray]

Probably doesn't count, but a personal favorite would be...

Betty Brant

That costume! Just… just… no.

[Hypestyle]

I don't mind as long as the character is fun. gives her more to do as a character, hopefully.