The difference is that none of those are belief systems. Wicca is. "Wiccan" is a term that refers specifically to one who practices Wicca.
I'm fine with the name. I have no strong feelings on it one way or the other. But I can certainly see why other people would object to it. Not even for reasons of appropriation, but just for reasons of semantics.
Yeah, if they do have plans to push Billy (and Teddy) in a big way across all media, they would want to avoid misconceptions, confusions and offending real-life people when the character becomes more prominent in pop-culture. It's not just a "PC" decision, it is also a smart corporate decision.
Never liked the "Wiccan" codename, nor "Hulkling" (personal flavor). Adore the characters, though!
Is Wicca even an organized practice? Went through a phase (albeit misinformed) where I thought I should be practicing as such, but felt there were...too many different ways to go (if that makes sense).
Last edited by Star_Jammer; 11-16-2015 at 11:32 PM.
Neither can they copyright "Thor", "Hercules", "Loki", "Ares" or "Miss America", and they keep using them. I don't think the name change has anything to do with copyright, but rather with realizing the name it is kinda dumb to have Jew superhero use another religion as condename. It's as if a Catholic superhero used the superhero name "Mormon".
All of those codenames are old. Like really old when Marvel/Timely probably didn't estimate what gigantic IPs these characters could become. It's telling that Marvel prefers the full "Miss America Chavez" shebang to just "Miss America" now. The other heroes have existed for decades and established enough that Marvel need not bother with copyright issues now (Except for Ares who like, nobody particularly cares for). Of course "Wiccan" as a superhero codename for a non-Wicca practising character is dumb, but the copyright angle is probably playing just as big a role behind this decision too, if not bigger.
Of course, that isn't going to stop people from screaming "white guilt" any.
I don't know why you people are talking about codenames when this issue had Kree-Skrull Hybrid Knights of the Round Table In Space.
Seriously, you guys.
"It's not whether you win or lose, it's whether I win or lose." - Peter David, on life
"If you can't say anything nice about someone, sit right here by me." - Alice Roosevelt Longworth, on manners
"You're much stronger than you think you are." - Superman, on humankind
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Has Hawkeye really been with SHIELD for years? I get movie synergy and all that, but I don't think he's really been an agent for them for that long even taking the sliding timescale into account .
Teddy isn't going to be Captain Marvel, but maybe something like Marvel Guy? Or any of the thousands codenames that can be created with the Marvel word? :P
About Wiccan, I(obviously) like the name and don't really see any problem with religion, this is the kinda of thing no one ever cared but when someone says everyone just decides to make a big deal about it. About branding I thought about Scarlet Wiccan but he's not really...scarlet like Wanda.