WTF would the icons of DC look like if started today?

[Stanlos]

Comics are said to be a genuinely American artform. And the industry's original icon was said to be made with the immigrant journey to America as inspiration.

I was listening to a lady speaking in Washington state chirp about how she and her peops do NOT want to be in a Democracy.

It got me to thinking how notions of America factor into 2/3 of the tales of the DC Trinity as well too as 2/3 of the original one person League Can Do characters. So how might the tales of characters like Superman differ if the rocket came down today? Where would it need to land in order to remain true to our current understanding of the character?

With the massive social and tech changes since the 40s, what kinds of changes to origin stories, secret identities, or backgrounds might we see?

[Riv86672]

^^^Good question(s).

Not sure what we’d see, but I doubt I’d like much of it.

[Robotman]

it’s very hard to say what Superman would be like if he debuted today.

if a new character came on the scene who was a literal illegal alien, worked for the “liberal media”, and in his first outing stopped a war profiteer, corrupt politician, and a wife beater I think Twitter and certain media outlets would have a meltdown.

It’s been a challenge over the last few decades to get people interested in a hero who doesn’t kill and helps people just because he has the power to help. He would probably have to be more violent to get people’s attention.

[LordMikel]

I personally feel Clark Kent would not be a reporter. I haven't been able to think about what he would be, but I don't think he would be a reporter.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Wonder Woman would be the most different as she was defined by Marston's worldview.

Gl may not be tied to space as space travel is more of a niche interest in society.

Batman would be a more tech heavy character.

Superman would probably be visually different- more ethnically ambigous but the refugee angle would be the same.

[Digifiend]

I personally feel Clark Kent would not be a reporter. I haven't been able to think about what he would be, but I don't think he would be a reporter.

I agree. He became a reporter to more easily find out about incidents, but anyone can easily do that nowadays by just browsing the Internet.

Batman would probably be more akin to Iron Man - he'd basically be Batwing. Wonder Woman would probably have a completely different colour scheme - how did it ever make sense for her to wear an eagle, stars, and red and blue, which makes her look like an American patriot, when she's not American, but from a fictional culture similar to ancient Greece? That would be seen as cultural appropriation nowadays.

[Stanlos]

I agree. He became a reporter to more easily find out about incidents, but anyone can easily do that nowadays by just browsing the Internet.

Batman would probably be more akin to Iron Man - he'd basically be Batwing. Wonder Woman would probably have a completely different colour scheme - how did it ever make sense for her to wear an eagle, stars, and red and blue, which makes her look like an American patriot, when she's not American, but from a fictional culture similar to ancient Greece? That would be seen as cultural appropriation nowadays.

Well, the suit originally was made to align her with the (more) peace loving and (more) just nations in the conflict. Originally, the Amazons were conceived as having mastered all of time and space. They had technology that let them view and/or visit past, present and future on any plane and in any dimension. After attending the pilot, they did some snooping and the costume was made.

Later stories like Post Crisis would add other explanations that didn't depend on technology since that take aggressively took that away.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Comics are said to be a genuinely American artform. And the industry's original icon was said to be made with the immigrant journey to America as inspiration.

I was listening to a lady speaking in Washington state chirp about how she and her peops do NOT want to be in a Democracy.

It got me to thinking how notions of America factor into 2/3 of the tales of the DC Trinity as well too as 2/3 of the original one person League Can Do characters. So how might the tales of characters like Superman differ if the rocket came down today? Where would it need to land in order to remain true to our current understanding of the character?

With the massive social and tech changes since the 40s, what kinds of changes to origin stories, secret identities, or backgrounds might we see?

I dont think the American aspects would be different. Most countries's media are ethnocentric and patriotic.

I could still see Superman as a patriotic character.

[thefinalguy]

I'll probably post more as of think of them:

I agree Batman would be more tech-heavy. Hs parents getting shot outside a movie, not the theater would stick.

The Amazons being very openly sapphic would be there from the start, Diana's earliest love interest would likely be a woman. Her design and look would be more Mediterranean (leaning towards those drawings and adaptions where she's tanner). Her pacificism would probably be glossed over and they'd lean into the "Diana will kill if necessary" angle.

I can see Clark staying as a reporter or The Daily Planet being made into a news site, not a printed paper. More open stance on immigration and the idea of "aliens" living in America. Lois would likely be a very liberal, modern woman. I think she wouldn't be white either. Lex would represent the corrupt billionaire, nothing new but they're more heavy-handed with the messages.

[Stanlos]

I'll probably post more as of think of them:

I agree Batman would be more tech-heavy. Hs parents getting shot outside a movie, not the theater would stick.

The Amazons being very openly sapphic would be there from the start, Diana's earliest love interest would likely be a woman. Her design and look would be more Mediterranean (leaning towards those drawings and adaptions where she's tanner). Her pacificism would probably be glossed over and they'd lean into the "Diana will kill if necessary" angle.

I can see Clark staying as a reporter or The Daily Planet being made into a news site, not a printed paper. More open stance on immigration and the idea of "aliens" living in America. Lois would likely be a very liberal, modern woman. I think she wouldn't be white either. Lex would represent the corrupt billionaire, nothing new but they're more heavy-handed with the messages.

Do you think Lex would be much older than Supes? Would he be anti-democracy?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Supes would probably be the firebrand he was in the golden age.

[DragonsChi]

I'm no where near close to the age of the era that DC core characters were made in but... I am so grateful that they where made in the time they were. In spite of how the comics are written today we can still go back and look to see REAL examples of how heroes should be.

As to the thread topic ...

If these characters were made today? They wouldn't be around long enough to have a defacto stance or Iconic presence in todays world.

[thefinalguy]

Do you think Lex would be much older than Supes? Would he be anti-democracy?

Maybe not too much older, but old enough. Like Clark being like 25/26 on introduction and Lex being mid-30s. I think there was a seven-year gap in Smallville, something similar to that works.

And, I see Lex being a stand-in for a Bezos-Musk type and them leaning into that for inspiration. I could see his politics being more complicated than "evil capitalist" depending on the writer. Him and Clark aligning on a few ideas, but fundamentally handling them in different ways makes the most sense to me.