Rivalries between DC heroes: Do we need more of them?

[Ceebiro]

I've always loved the interactions between Green Arrow and Batman, they're a goldmine.

There is definitely was a legitimate reason for a rivalry preceding New 52. I'm not so sure it exists anymore.

[LoneNecromancer]

I like the dynamics between Hal and Bruce then Ollie and Hal.

The amusing thing about the Ollie and Hal antagonism in hindsight, thanks to the retcons about their family life- Hal has to be written as a whitebread Republican for it to work, but Ollie is the one who's come from a very privileged, heavily capitalist/corporate background, whilst Hal watched his dad die and then his widowed mother had to raise three boys on her own.

[Ascended]

I enjoy a good rivalry, or heroes who just plain dont like each other. But it can be a slippery slope. One issue you can have Arrow and Hawkman arguing about taxes and abortion rights and legalized marijuana, then the next they end up trying to kill each other while Despero eats Manhattan. The former makes for good drama and a fun exploration of the characters and what they believe. The latter is just plain poor writing that pushes both characters to places they should never be. Not even Ollie Queen, the poster child for flawed and screwed up heroes at DC, is going to be so immature and petty.

Marvel goes overboard with this sort of stuff. Way overboard. They take it to such an extreme its not about heroes and villains, its not even about politics. Its just about super human turf wars. At their worst, the X-Men and Avengers and other heroes and groups end up looking like gangs at war with each other for no reason other than boredom. And just to clarify, its not always like that. Im quite enjoying the moral quandary happening in the Avengers right now for example and that feels like a natural conflict. But things like AVX? That's just fanwanking superhero fights for the sake of it. And while I think Marvel's reputation for this is blown out of proportion, there's certainly a truth to it as well that is well earned.

DC on the other hand, doesnt embrace the hero rivalry enough. Some of these people are vastly different. Batman, Superman, Hal Jordan, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, they all see the world, and the hero's role in it, differently. And while I appreciate DC writing these characters with enough maturity to set aside their differences long enough to deal with the real threats, I also have a hard time believing that they'd all get along just fine. Like somehow Superman feels that fear mongering, authoritarian control freaks with obsession issues are a real problem, unless that fear mongering, authoritarian control freak happens to be Batman, then its okay. I mean, what?

[chamber-music]

I've always loved the interactions between Green Arrow and Batman, they're a goldmine.

I love them as well

[Great O.G.U.F.O.O.L.]

Batman just hates green lanterns in general because he believes in using your own hardwork , not some magic ring to do the work.

Apparently not all of them

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[Great O.G.U.F.O.O.L.]

Like somehow Superman feels that fear mongering, authoritarian control freaks with obsession issues are a real problem, unless that fear mongering, authoritarian control freak happens to be Batman, then its okay. I mean, what?

The way you describe Batman he sounds like a villain and I suppose no other hero hero should like him. I know some writers write him as such but the thing is,, in most of his published history Batman hasn't been like that which is why they've been friends for most of it.

Also, having different point of views isn't unlikely between friends. Most of my friends are my friends because we went through some stuff together although we vote differently for example (we aren't fanatical about it). If these superheroes have fought next to each other, saved each other's life and also the world (which means each other's loved ones) they should have some bond between them. Having arguments among them is understandable, but super-powered fisticuffs make them look immature (which I suppose is in character for some but not all), especially considering the damage they can cause.