Why is it that Mercy does not get the same attention as Harleyquin?

[Carabas]

They could turn her into "corporate cutthroat bitch" who stabbed Lex Luthor in the back and took over his empire (part of) and is now a thorn in Superman's backside. Keep her in a grey area in which she sometimes help the good guys and sometimes she is just furthering her own agenda. She is one of the few things I liked about Smallville.

And if the Super-editorial had done that 15 years ago, and had kept it going through several reboots, maybe the character would be a big thing by now.

[Carabas]

Which version of Mercy do you all like? The Human, The renegade Amazon, or the cyborg?

I only know about the Amazon and had no idea there was a human and a cyborg version as well.

[Francisco]

And if the Super-editorial had done that 15 years ago, and had kept it going through several reboots, maybe the character would be a big thing by now.

But she is not part of the bat-stable so they don't give a damn.

[Francisco]

I only know about the Amazon and had no idea there was a human and a cyborg version as well.

I think she was completely human in the Animated Series by dini and timm. In comics I always knew she had some sort of augmentations by Lex but never knew she was an Amazon. I'd like to see her back teaming up with Hope. A Hope and Mercy mini would be great to re-introduce both characters.

[Superlad93]

Ooooo make her a cyborg Amazon! I'd only really known about the human and the cyborg from YJ honestly. But yeah cyborg renegade Amazon all the way. Don't make her visually ridiculous, but still keep her distinct. Some interesting story could be made out of why she lets less boss her around so much. It could be a twisted version of how those slaves let Diana be their slaver in loving submission.

Damn, now I really wanna see this. Get on it Tomasi and Gleason!

[misslane]

Tess Mercer (Mercy) on Smallville was Lex Luthor's half-sister (her biological father was Lionel Luthor), a former Checkmate agent, acting CEO of LuthorCorp, a Harvard graduate with a degree in marine biology, and Oliver Queen's ex-girlfriend who he met when they were both stranded on the island that made him Green Arrow. Tess was raised in an orphanage run by Granny Goodness and was on her way to becoming one of her Furies when she was adopted by a family that included a dad who regularly abused her. When she was little she used to pretend to be the Little Mermaid in order to escape the stress of her abusive home life. She was a passionate environmentalist, and she grew up wanting to save Earth by any means necessary. She tended to rely on being the woman behind a greater man (Lex, Zod, Clark). Clark helped Tess come back from the edge of total darkness. His friendship and faith in her transformed her into an ally to the proto-Justice League. She was fierce, funny, sexy, and so cool she had an escape slide and a store of weapons in her office.

Anyway, some of my favorite Tess moments:

[Vanguard-01]

Tess Mercer (Mercy) on Smallville was Lex Luthor's half-sister (her biological father was Lionel Luthor), a former Checkmate agent, acting CEO of LuthorCorp, a Harvard graduate with a degree in marine biology, and Oliver Queen's ex-girlfriend who he met when they were both stranded on the island that made him Green Arrow. Tess was raised in an orphanage run by Granny Goodness and was on her way to becoming one of her Furies when she was adopted by a family that included a dad who regularly abused her. When she was little she used to pretend to be the Little Mermaid in order to escape the stress of her abusive home life. She was a passionate environmentalist, and she grew up wanting to save Earth by any means necessary. She tended to rely on being the woman behind a greater man (Lex, Zod, Clark). Clark helped Tess come back from the edge of total darkness. His friendship and faith in her transformed her into an ally to the proto-Justice League. She was fierce, funny, sexy, and so cool she had an escape slide and a store of weapons in her office.

Anyway, some of my favorite Tess moments:

Yes, now THERE'S a Mercy who could've gone somewhere. If only they could bring her into the comics, and/or use her in the movies.

[Castiel]

Yes, now THERE'S a Mercy who could've gone somewhere. If only they could bring her into the comics, and/or use her in the movies.

I just had an idea! What if they completely reboot her! Like say her mother was an Amazon who fell for Lionel and got played and consequently banished but Mercy was forcibly taken from her mother. When she got older she found out and left but not before raising some hell.

She finally meets her dad who takes her in under the condition she never tell Lex or anyone her identity. She starts out as a maid and strikes up a friendship with Lex.

However she witnesses the abuse Lionel puts Lex through causing her to become over protective and even begins making excuses for him all the while never telling him who she really is. It could come out in a Wonder Woman crossover where Diana beseech Mercy to return to her sisters to which Mercy laughs responding with something like "Please I was never anything but a soldier to you Amazons!"

In the end Mercy is outed to Lex and nearly dies but Lex saves her by infusing her with alien technology making her surpass Wonder Woman and rival even Superman. I could ideally see her becoming like Tabitha Galavan on Gotham if something like that happened. Also I can see Lex treating her the same Theo did to Tabitha.

[Carabas]

But she is not part of the bat-stable so they don't give a damn.

The Super-editorial only promotes Batman-related characters now?

[Francisco]

The Super-editorial only promotes Batman-related characters now?

Pretty much. LOOK at the JOKER. He went from insane mass murderer with knives, guns and squirting acid plastic flower to I have nukes, mind control gas and the power to take down the Justice League on my own... But Batman is the only one who can stop me.

[Carabas]

Pretty much. LOOK at the JOKER. He went from insane mass murderer with knives, guns and squirting acid plastic flower to I have nukes, mind control gas and the power to take down the Justice League on my own... But Batman is the only one who can stop me.

And how exactly is the Super-editorial promoting the Joker, who does not appear in any of their books at all?

[Francisco]

And how exactly is the Super-editorial promoting the Joker, who does not appear in any of their books at all?

I didn't say the super editorial was promoting him. They aren't even promoting their own properties. That's the actual problem

[Carabas]

I didn't say the super editorial was promoting him.

Yyyes you did. Well, you said that Super-editorial only promotes Bat-characters.

They aren't even promoting their own properties. That's the actual problem

Clearly you have not even been reading my posts.

[Tec15]

Because she just didn't catch on. Not everything is a massive anti-Superman conspiracy. Creating breakout characters is not an exact science. Even Dini and Timm didn't know that Harley would ever get this big. When they deliberately tried to engineer a popular Harley type character with Roxy Rocket, it failed.

Some of the chips on the shoulder in this thread though.... "If Mercy was a Bat character she would be popular and promoted. Whine, whine whine." I guess Mercy needs to be a bat character before the Super-editorial office gets of their asses and does the necessary job in building and promoting her the way the Bat-editorial office did with Harley.

[Carabas]

Because she just didn't catch on. Not everything is a massive anti-Superman conspiracy. Creating breakout characters is not an exact science. Even Dini and Timm didn't know that Harley would ever get this big. When they deliberately tried to engineer a popular Harley type character with Roxy Rocket, it failed.

Some of the chips on the shoulder in this thread though.... "If Mercy was a Bat character she would be popular and promoted. Whine, whine whine." I guess Mercy needs to be a bat character before the Super-editorial office gets of their asses and does the necessary job in building and promoting her the way the Bat-editorial office did with Harley.

Eddie Berganza and his people never ever bothered to try and mke her catch on.
She's not magically going to make it big if she's never portrayed as much more than generic henchwoman #2.

To compare, these are the main universe first appearances of both characters:

This is how the Superman editorial introduces a potentially popular character from a hit animated series:



And this is how the Batman editorial handles the same:



With a special issue, complete with frelling Alex Ross cover.

Harley Quinn is popular because the Batman editorial invested in her. Mercy graves is not because the Superman editorial treated her as little more your avererage goon.