Legacy: Good or bad?

[skyvolt2000]

Well what do you think of these characters then
Kon-el
Linda danvers
Grant emerson
Ray terrill
Cassie sandsmark
Donna troy
Jason todd
Tim drake
Damian wayne
Kaldur (aqualad)
Wally west
Bart allen
Guy gardner
John stewart
Kyle rayner
Jessica cruz
Simon baz
Ryan choi
Jamie rayes
Stargirl

For starters?? Lol

Before New 52 butcherfest-a lot of those guys coexisted even if they gave up the name-they got another one.

Butcherfest happened when the replacement-Wally, John, Cassandra Cain, Jaime Reyes, Kaldaur and Stephanie Brown-go more popular than the originals. The Silver Age Legion was NOT going to have that.

It is made worst when guys like Simon, Jessica & Fake Wally are pets for certain folks so guys like John Stewart get buried below DC HQ instead of getting War Machined. Or get made Toxic like Cain & Brown.

Batman at least had it right until the Batgirls.

What was done to Wally was flat out insulting.

[Knightsilver]

The legacy aspect is very important to the DCU. One of the biggest problems with the New 52, is that it practically obliterated the legacies, which left the New 52 with "structural damage". It's no coincidence that Rebirth is bringing back so many Pre-Flashpoint elements, most notably the legacy aspects.

[DurararaFTW]

If characters are allowed to grow old and have children, or actually be shown to train a sidekick, they can pass their heroic identity along, otherwise I don't like it. Jaime Reyes is an exception to this rule, Kaldur isn't, only being Aqualad on the cartoon makes him an outright reimagining, not a legacy character. With sidekick identities in general, DC's definitely too free with passing them around. We got way too many Robins, back when Damian was introduced and Jason was brought back, let alone now. Cassie's connection to the Amazons has never been that secure but nu52 has made a big mess of it. Never seen the use of a non-Kara Supergirl, Being Impulse and Kid Flash are interchangable for Bart. Wonder Girl and Kid Flash can be more then slots in the Teen Titans roster that ought to be filled rather the genuine superhero identity of someone who decided to be a member.

[Sacred Knight]

Good, but was overrated and overdone before Flashpoint. And probably will be overdone again since they probably now feel they have to overcompensate for nearly getting rid of it entirely for the New 52. Since DC seems to have no concept of the idea of "middle ground" and "moderation".

So my answer it is depends on the characters. Some properties thrive on it. Others its wholly unnecessary. Hell in some cases, like for instance Superman, I'd go as far as to say that not only is it unnecessary, but its a flat out contradiction and affront to the character concept. To elabtorate, while I'm a fan of Kon-El for instance, I hated it when they started trying to groom him as a future Superman. I like a younger generation of sidekicks, but ones who are their own person and not attempted to be built, even if its for a future that we know will never come, to replace the irreplaceable. For some properties its a viable thing to tackle. For others its stuff best left to imaginary tales. I don't even like the constant ideas lately of replacements for Batman. Not even Dick Grayson. Yes unlike Superman Bruce is going to get old and die fairly early, but time does not move in comics anyway unless you make it, so who cares?

[Agent Z]

If characters are allowed to grow old and have children, or actually be shown to train a sidekick, they can pass their heroic identity along, otherwise I don't like it. Jaime Reyes is an exception to this rule, Kaldur isn't, only being Aqualad on the cartoon makes him an outright reimagining, not a legacy character. With sidekick identities in general, DC's definitely too free with passing them around. We got way too many Robins, back when Damian was introduced and Jason was brought back, let alone now. Cassie's connection to the Amazons has never been that secure but nu52 has made a big mess of it. Never seen the use of a non-Kara Supergirl, Being Impulse and Kid Flash are interchangable for Bart. Wonder Girl and Kid Flash can be more then slots in the Teen Titans roster that ought to be filled rather the genuine superhero identity of someone who decided to be a member.

Is Garth going by Aqualad? Otherwise I think Kaldur can take the name.

[JackDaw]

I think idea of things moving on...one hero passing torch onto another, permanent deaths, etc is ESSENTIAL for really, really top class story telling.

But...it really doesn't work in mainstream continuity in DC or Marvel. There are just too many "characters" like Superman, Batman, etc that have become more important to sales than story quality. There's a massive amount of brand protection in DC story telling.

And in the long term the protection of those brands (that means protected characters must never age, retire, have children grow, have key characters constantly fighting outside their league, etc) weakens story telling for me. The presence of so many "brand characters" continually undermines legacy. (Come on I loved Barry Allen back in the day...far more than Wally...but it was story telling cobblers to bring Barry back.)

That personal belief has reduced my DC/ Marvel reading enormously. I might read a Superman story or Batman story as a one off....but I'm not interested remotely in a never ending soap opera, where the punch line is always "return to status as of 40 years ago". Happy to read a long run on a D or E list character, where there's at least a chance there might be lasting character changes as part of run. (Ad bonus is that so D or E list characters so seldom last for a long run, that such a series that runs for more than 20 comics is almost certainly good.)

[Batarang]

I voted yes but i don't ever want Bruce Wayne to be replaced as Batman though. Even if i like Terry Mcginnis alot as a Legacy character. I would be against a complete replace. It works for some B list character though... I like what Geoff Johns did wit Mr. America and Citizen Steel in JSA pre flashpoint. I like original Wally West more than Barry Allen as A lister.

[Rig]

It depends on characters. If characters can't stand in their own then they are simply bad characters.

Nightwing is a good character who can stand on his own. Blue beetle(Jaime) is also a cool concept, he is not a kid version of Ted lord, he is his own character. Donna Troy can be successful outside of comics if she goes by Troia or simply Donna Troy, wonder girl is simply lesser version of Diana which is just bad concept. Kid flash, superboy, wonder girl need a new code-name and different design to stand their own.

Edit: with rebirth taking place 5 years after DCnU, there shouldn't be wonder-girl, supergirl, beast boy, kid flash. They should all be adults at this point.

[Agent Z]

It depends on characters. If characters can't stand in their own then they are simply bad characters.

Nightwing is a good character who can stand on his own. Blue beetle(Jaime) is also a cool concept, he is not a kid version of Ted lord, he is his own character. Donna Troy can be successful outside of comics if she goes by Troia or simply Donna Troy, wonder girl is simply lesser version of Diana which is just bad concept. Kid flash, superboy, wonder girl need a new code-name and different design to stand their own.

Cassie isn't a kid version of Donna.

[Trey Strain]

The question is, DOES DC NEED MORE SUPER-HEROES? AND IF SO, WHY?

Comics sales are not going to increase. It'll be a struggle ti maintain them at their current level. So what are more super-heroes going to do at this point?

THEY"RE GOING TO COMPETE WITH YOUR CURRENT HEROES!

That's not what you need. You need new villains and supporting characters, to augment the heroes you've got now.

Oh and better stories too. Focus on that please.

[SiegePerilous02]

Well what do you think of these characters then
Kon-el
Linda danvers
Grant emerson
Ray terrill
Cassie sandsmark
Donna troy
Jason todd
Tim drake
Damian wayne
Kaldur (aqualad)
Wally west
Bart allen
Guy gardner
John stewart
Kyle rayner
Jessica cruz
Simon baz
Ryan choi
Jamie rayes
Stargirl

For starters?? Lol

Ha, can't say I care for a lot of those. Probably only Wally and Damian. Though I wouldn't consider Donna a legacy (she's a hot mess, but not a legacy barring wearing the Wonder Woman mantle for like a minute) and the Green Lanterns aren't really either because that concept allows for multiple Lanterns. I guess Kyle could be considered the closest, which is why I like him the least of the main four.

[Godlike13]

Donna's a legacy. She's part of Wonder Woman's legacy, and is a potential heir or successor to that mantle. She's a legacy character in the same way Dick Grayson is. They might not be currently wearing someone's mantle, and only have for short stints, but the idea of them as their mentors successor is still a part of them.

[Nite-Wing]

imo legacy characters can have their purpose focusing on lesser known characters and aligning them within big name properties
When it comes to sustainability though none of them should be permanently placed within those roles.
A good legacy template is something like Arsenal or Red Arrow
A character who could eventually replace GA but instead creates his own identity and niche

[SiegePerilous02]

Donna's a legacy. She's part of Wonder Woman's legacy, and is a potential heir or successor to that mantle. She a legacy character in the same way Dick Grayson is. They might not be currently wearing someone's mantle, and only have for short stints, but the idea of them as their mentors successor is still a part of them.

I guess if you look at it like that. But personally, I don't consider potential heirs to the mantle to be actual legacies until they inherit it. Which we all know will never happen permanently, especially in the cases of characters like Bruce and Diana. They're too big to ever go away, and even Dick's time as Batman is pretty brief compared to all the other legacies on that list, and he has two other identities to fall back on that he's much more well known for. In comparison, Jamie Reyes and Ryan Choi don't have anything else going on besides inheriting the names of Blue Beetle and the Atom.

I think the only one of the original 5 Titans to really qualify as legacy is Wally because he lasted a good while, and for a long time it was doubtful Barry would ever come back. Nobody expected Bruce to stay dead for more than that one storyline.

[stephens2177]

I think legacy characters can be great IF they dont act like legacy characters.example kon-el,he had supermans face,dna-ish,colors,but everything else about him screamed different and unique (well until geoff got ahold of him,and its been downhill ever since,last person to get him right was joe kelly,and that was many years ago).