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  1. #1
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    Default What started the trend of silver age girlfriends becoming modern superheroines?

    I hate to call it a trend. Maybe a phenomenon or trope.
    But look at how many there are:
    Spider-man: Gwen Stacy now Ghost Spider.
    Pepper Potts now Rescue
    Jane Foster now Thor, Valkyrie
    Betty Ross now Red She-Hulk/Harpy
    Peggy Carter now Captain Carter.

    Karen Page is the odd one out. But she was a ex-junkie/porn star who gave up Matt’s identity one time.
    But Elektra (Bronze Age girlfriend) is currently Daredevil anyway.
    Last edited by Will Evans; 01-19-2022 at 01:53 PM.

  2. #2
    Ultimate Member j9ac9k's Avatar
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    I want to say when Brandy Clark became Starshine in "Rom" but I doubt that's right...

  3. #3
    Cosmic Curmudgeon JudicatorPrime's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Will Evans View Post
    I hate to call it a trend. Maybe a phenomenon or trope.
    But look at how many there are:
    Spider-man: Gwen Stacy now Ghost Spider.
    Pepper Potts now Rescue
    Jane Foster now Thor, Valkyrie
    Betty Ross now Red She-Hulk/Harpy
    Peggy Carter now Captain Carter.

    Karen Page is the odd one out. But she was a ex-junkie/porn star who gave up Matt’s identity one time.
    Do characters like Sue Storm and Janet Van Dyne qualify for this discussion?

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Will Evans View Post
    I hate to call it a trend. Maybe a phenomenon or trope.
    But look at how many there are:
    Spider-man: Gwen Stacy now Ghost Spider.
    Pepper Potts now Rescue
    Jane Foster now Thor, Valkyrie
    Betty Ross now Red She-Hulk/Harpy
    Peggy Carter now Captain Carter.

    Karen Page is the odd one out. But she was a ex-junkie/porn star who gave up Matt’s identity one time.
    Convenience. You wanna get more female heroes, giving existing female characters powers is simpler.

    Technically it's Matt Fraction and Rescue/Pepper Potts but you could say it was Carol Danvers.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by JudicatorPrime View Post
    Do characters like Sue Storm and Janet Van Dyne qualify for this discussion?
    No. I’m talking civilian girlfriends like Lois Lane and Mary Jane. Not girlfriends who are teammates.

  6. #6
    The Spirits of Vengeance K7P5V's Avatar
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    Probably doesn't count, but a personal favorite would be...

    Betty Brant
    Quote Originally Posted by j9ac9k View Post
    I want to say when Brandy Clark became Starshine in "Rom" but I doubt that's right...
    I know, right?! I feel the same about...

    Frankie Raye

  7. #7
    Extraordinary Member Doctor Know's Avatar
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    I would say that Carol Danvers was the first. She was an early love interest/damsel for Mar-Vell. Later she got her own superpowers as Ms. Marvel.

  8. #8
    Cosmic Curmudgeon JudicatorPrime's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Will Evans View Post
    No. I’m talking civilian girlfriends like Lois Lane and Mary Jane. Not girlfriends who are teammates.
    Well, technically they were all civilians as Sue and Janet dated Reed and Hank respectively before any of them had their powers or were on teams, if memory serves. But I see your point.

  9. #9
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    I don't think neither Carol or Brandy were the firsts, since they became super heroines in the 70s or 80s and this trend started a few years ago.

  10. #10
    Latverian ambassador Iron Maiden's Avatar
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    *cough* Nobody remembers Patsy Walker? She had her own comic back in the Timely days. Then she made her first appearance in Marvel Comics at the wedding of Reed and Sue in FF annual #3. She became Hellcat in Avengers #144 and is currently appearing in Christopher Cantwell's Iron Man. IMO she's the one that started the trend.


  11. #11
    Fantastic Member Alpha to Omega's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JudicatorPrime View Post
    Well, technically they were all civilians as Sue and Janet dated Reed and Hank respectively before any of them had their powers or were on teams, if memory serves. But I see your point.
    Hank had his costumes and powers before meeting Janet, he discovered Pym Particles in Tales to Astonish #27, became Ant-Man in #35 and Janet was introduced in #44 and got her powers and costumes that same issue but they didn’t start dating until later.

  12. #12
    Chaos bringer GenericUsername's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Will Evans View Post
    I hate to call it a trend. Maybe a phenomenon or trope.
    But look at how many there are:
    Spider-man: Gwen Stacy now Ghost Spider.
    Pepper Potts now Rescue
    Jane Foster now Thor, Valkyrie
    Betty Ross now Red She-Hulk/Harpy
    Peggy Carter now Captain Carter.

    Karen Page is the odd one out. But she was a ex-junkie/porn star who gave up Matt’s identity one time.
    Peggy Carter wasn't a Silver Age girlfriend. She was someone Cap had worked with. He was originally with Betsy Ross in the Golden Age. Later it was retconned that he had kissed Peggy in the Golden Age, but nothing in the Silver Age.

    The trend is likely Marvel trying to treat female characters as something more than a side piece. Which I welcome.

    Pepper Potts wasn't a silver age girlfriend either. Tony and Pepper had a fling in modern comics, but nothing back in Silver Age. She was with Happy then.
    Love is for souls, not bodies.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by the illustrious mr. kenway View Post
    Convenience. You wanna get more female heroes, giving existing female characters powers is simpler.

    Technically it's Matt Fraction and Rescue/Pepper Potts but you could say it was Carol Danvers.
    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.

    And in cases like Spider-gwen or Gwenpoole they both are Gwen in name only, they are nothing like their 616 counterparts.I get alt. universes means diff, and I don't expect them to be copies because of the era gap alone but they share 0 character traits.They even state in the comics Spider-gwen is nothing like 616 Gwen multiple times.So it's not for 616 Gwen fans, and she's nothing like TASM or Spec. Gwen so not for the fans of popular adaptations either.

    Not a fan of the trend, either one of them.It's cheap, I get why they do it though(and also it's considered to be progressive[this is more for the legacy part of this so not very valid to this thread) but really they're all following the footsteps of straight white men.It works for mantle's like Cap. America but others not so much]

    I wish they tried harder and gave us more original characters, even something like a Maya Lopez whose introduced in a pre-existing book and then spin-off onto their own thing.Or America Chavez.
    Last edited by Spiderfan001; 12-10-2021 at 09:43 PM.

  14. #14

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    I grew up with shonen anime so it's not a big deal. I just wished they had more interesting powers/id's than being "________ girl"

  15. #15
    The Spirits of Vengeance K7P5V's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alpha to Omega View Post
    Hank had his costumes and powers before meeting Janet, he discovered Pym Particles in Tales to Astonish #27, became Ant-Man in #35 and Janet was introduced in #44 and got her powers and costumes that same issue but they didn’t start dating until later.
    Correct! Pym was being such an old, fuddy-duddy the whole time (LOL):
    Quote Originally Posted by the illustrious mr. kenway View Post
    I grew up with shonen anime so it's not a big deal. I just wished they had more interesting powers/id's than being "________ girl"
    I know, right?! I feel the same about...

    Bernie America

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