LocalAutistic

I have been cursed with life, but you are the ones reaping the consequences of my existence

[ballinandcantgetup452]

Wouldn't it be funny if we find out in Supergirl '26 that most of Krypton was relatively chill and it was just Jor-El and Lara that were subscribers to space-manifest destiny?

I know that Gunn's practically confirmed that in interviews. But, it'll be different once we actually see it on screen. I imagine that we'll get issue 6 of Woman of Tomorrow pretty closely adapted (at least in spirit).

With that, I specifically can't wait to see Zor-El tell Kara, "hey the only way that we can get you off Argo is with your weird uncle Jor's spaceship blueprints. Look after your cousin, Kal. Who knows what message he left for him?"

Just a thought.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

I honestly think that Superman '25 is the most comic book movie of all time. Notice that I said "most," not "best." Lemme explain.

When James Gunn said that he was taking inspiration from All Star Superman, he meant it purely in the way of vibes. Superman '25 is the All Star Superman of movies in the way that it isn't even the best Superman story ever told, but it is the best encapsulation of superhero comics.

Superman '25 feels like I'm starting at issue #43 of a comic and the arc ACTUALLY started 2 issues ago and you just decide to run with it and learn what you need to learn by osmosis via second-hand information. It even kind of adopts the Stan Lee introduction. You know the type. The intro in any old Marvel comic that breaks down what a character is/their origin despite the fact that it could be issue #254?

This world just feels so lived in. The fact that Clark says that he wanted to take the kaiju to an intergalactic zoo and nobody bats an eye at that is proof that this is a regular comic book world. I don't want to turn this into an MCU hit-piece, but I'm willing to bet money that if somebody said "intergalatic zoo" in ANY recent MCU movie they would've had to point out the absurdity despite the fact that it's likely they exist.

I absolutely love the Justice Gang lineup. Because it tells you so much about the world without explicitly telling you much of anything. I know that part of the reason why James Gunn added Guy Gardner was because he wanted to give Nathan Fillion that fuckass haircut I adore so much, but I think it's also because he wants to say that this world's been around for a while. The JSA has only been implied to exist, only through a mural. This movie has just enough continuity porn to keep me looking at EVERYTHING, but not so much continuity porn that I'm not paying attention to the plot.

As an aside, this movie also captures that Superman comic feeling of everybody knowing that Superman is objectively a good person and there's nothing to worry about because of him. I'm pretty sure that EVERYBODY in that Pentagon meeting with Lex was saying "yeah, sure, you make a good point. But it's Superman. He just wouldn't do that." At the very least Rick Flag Sr. and (I think it was) Dante Basco saying that. Even after the fact that his parents Manifest Destiny half of the message got leaked, the Justice Gang still hear him out. The people even still believe in Superman after the inital scare. This is a movie and a world that believes in Superman and knows him.

This movie does have its flaws, and maybe I'll tackle them in a later post, but overall, I'd say that this is the most comic book movie ever, and it should be included in the library of Congress instead of The Dark Knight.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

I really hope that the DCU Batman will have Tim instead of Damian.

To me, it's the only Robin that makes the most logical sense. As an aside, if you want your Batman to stand out, he HAS to have a Robin. I know that James Gunn has an "I'll greenlight anything that's good" policy, but I really think his exception NEEDS to be with this movie.

From a timeline sense, it mostly works, too. Let's assume that Bruce debuted as Batman when he was 22, he can adopt Dick at 23 (Dick will sadly have to be 13 instead of 8, but sacrifices have to be made), have Dick leave when Bruce's 28, have Jason for 2 years, offscreen Jason, and have the movie start with Tim first debuting with Bruce and the growing pains that will come with that. Bruce and Clark are the same age and World's Finest adventures won't be too jarring. Bruce will have more experience, sure. But, Clark's a savant when it comes to being a superhero. They'll bounce off of each other just fine.

From a storytelling perspective, having Tim be Bruce's Robin will leave the movies in a really narratively rich spot. Not only is it Batman with Robin, but it's Batman and Robin both finding out what they mean to each other. I hate to describe it like this, but it would follow a similar arc to The LEGO Batman Movie. Bruce is purposefully shutting himself off from the outside world and his family. Dick's still too bitter to talk to Bruce himself (he barely knows the full extent of Bruce's spiral anyways), Alfred's never really had the emotional capacity to handle stuff like this, and Babs is still in the hospital from getting Killing Joked (keep in mind, Killing Joke and Death in the Family probably take place in the same month). You can have Tim be the one that pulls the Batfamily together. Have a solid trilogy, building Bruce Wayne as a person and Tim Drake as a character and public icon. Tim's been toyetic since his freaking debut. You can not tell me that younger kids would eat Tim Drake up.

Let Damian come after Bruce and Tim's trilogy. Let Bruce establish himself as a person before he's challenged as a father. Once Damian becomes the main Robin, you can have Tim become Red Robin and have him wear the Alex Ross suit. He doesn't even have to come back. You just gotta make him feel like his arc is finished and now he's over there for anybody interested. From there, you can even include some of the Morrison stuff in there with Damian and Bruce instead of Dick. Like when Jason comes back and he's posing as Batman and he's got his own little screwed up Robin. You can have that be Under the Red Hood and highlight the fact that Bruce was never a great dad. It's why he and Tim got along so well. Tim was looking for a mentor. Have Jason repeat those same mistakes with his Robin. Maybe. I dunno.

Are there any opposing arguments that are on the side OF Damian being the main Robin of the DCU?

[ballinandcantgetup452]

Honestly? I wish more X-Men got to be staples in the superhero community. I want everybody to know Scott Summers one way or another. Like, EVERYBODY knows Wolverine. Wolverine was on so many teams at one point that they literally made a single issue where he and Spider-Man drink in a bar because Logan's tired.

Scott being a mutant ambassador makes sense and all, but my dumb monkey brain loves the idea of these costumed bozos doing local NYC stuff where every hero knows each other. I want the First Class and Claremont-era X-Men to truly expand beyond the X-Brand.

At SOME point, we should’ve gotten Scott and Jean mentoring heroes like Miles and Kamala, even just in passing. The Marvel timeline has progressed enough to have multiple generations, and it feels like a missed opportunity. I get why Spider-Man isn’t more active in the superhero community—Marvel/Sony has him in a chokehold—but the X-Men, especially the iconic teams, should’ve branched out by now.

Rogue and Gambit have sort of done it—they’re a package deal, and I’m fine with that—but I want more individual X-Books that focus exclusively on the characters, not them in the X-Men. Kind of like how Justice League members have their own books, which are about their lives and struggles, not just their League membership.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

Am I the only one who's noticed that Supergirl designs have been booty cheeks up until recently?

Here, just lemme show you.

Her Debut Suit:

This cover was recreated by somebody for those who can't tell. But it's the same cover and this is what I could pull up quickly. So this first suit is fine. Gets the job done. Doesn't feel gratitutious. It's a little safe, little unrefined. But that's what a first suit is for. The idea's out in the world. The cool part about comics is the fact that there's a revolving door of people with ideas to bounce off of yours. Let's have this be our baseline. 5/10

There's an interlude of suits here, but I can't find them all.

Crisis on Infinite Earths Costume

Apparently, Screenrant isn't fond of this suit, but I also trust Screenrant as much as I trust my local politician these days. So screw 'em. I think this design kind of rocks. I like how they clearly tried to evolve her look in a way that's different from Clark's while still having the baseline stay the same. I like how the cape goes into the crest. I'm even kind of a sucker for the stupid headband. My only complaint is the skirt feels a little too high which can cause a lesser artist to sexualize her, but, modern day comics have proven that you can prevent this problem by either making the skirt a litle longer, changing the skirt into those half skirt-half shorts thingies, or having Kara wear spandex beneath it. Overall, an admirable attempt at evolution. 7/10

Post Crisis Supergirl (and all adjacent designs)

I have these designs in order of "hate the most" to "hate the least". I absolutely DESPISE Kara's comic post-crisis look on literally every level. I hate how it feels like a cheerleader outfit. I hate how BLUE it all is. I hate how the outfit feels DESIGNED to be sexualized. It's just a bad look. Not just for her, but for feminist representation in comics as a whole. I have the same complaint for the other two. But Kara's first DCAU suit feels more homemade, which I'm fine with. Her second one has a fine enough color scheme. The skirt isn't frickin BLUE. But overall, it doesn't feel like a superhero design. It feels like the worst person you know in high school wanted to dress slutty to the Halloween party (which there's nothing wrong with that if you dressed up slutty in high school, nobody should've been perving on you anyways) and threw together a slapdash Supergirl outfit. 3/10. Uncreative for people literally PAID to be creative.

New 52 Supergirl:

A step in the right direction, but, not my personal favorite. I get that this suit is supposed to line up with the New 52 super costumes. HOWEVER, I just don't like the New 52 super designs. I just think it's too complicated. I admit this is a personal preference thing, but, I like my superhero designs simple. I believe that you've designed a superhero right when a child can draw one in class with relative ease. This costume is fine, I don't disparage its fans. It's just not for me. 5/10. Objectively not bad, just not for me.

Rebirth Suit:

A much BETTER step in the right direction. It takes all the notes I've given and streamlines it the best it can. It still feels like a CW suit, which is fine, but it's just a note. Can't really change or disparage it for that. I give it the "real solid" award. 7/10.

Woman of Tomorrow MK I:

Perfect. Perfection. No notes. I love the golden trimmings. I don't know if it's Bilquis Everly's design philosophy, but I love how her top is kinda baggy, I love the cape, I love everything about this suit. I love how her belt is kind of like a corset. It's helps to round out the colors well. Just absolutely perfect. 10/10. No notes. Do this.

Woman of Tomorrow MK II:

If you need to "modernize" the costume, then this gets the job done just fine. I'm not ecstatic about it, but I think y'all can tell that's just my preference when it comes to DC designs. I like them simple. I like my Superman to have trunks and look dorky. I like my Supergirl to follow suit. I am really fond of the cape collar. They did something like that in Superman Up in the Sky and I liked it there, too. Overall, solid, but not for me. 8.5/10.

Current Suit:

The epitome of fine. I'm still a believer that jackets are to the 2010's as pouches were to the 90's, but still fine. It's just missing something. Dan Mora typically has the sauce here (and he cooks with her design in World's Finest), but something here isn't clicking for me. 6/10.

Overall, Supergirl's designs didn't really begin to get good until recently. And that makes me sad.

[artbyblastweave]

It occurred to me a while back that Question’s attempt to kill Lex Luthor in Justice League Unlimited reads like a thematic inversion of the end of Rorschach’s arc from Watchmen.

Rorschach is a morally rigid, self-righteous paranoiac who chooses to force Manhattan to kill him because he’s the only superhero unwilling to compromise his deontological principles to stave off Armageddon; this is treated as the work’s final blow against traditional superheroics, as they simply aren’t capable of addressing situations of this complexity. The Question, meanwhile, is a self-aware paranoiac who also concludes that traditional superheroics can’t address or survive the situation at hand- except that he likes that paradigm despite falling somewhat outside of it himself, so he decides exploit his established reputation as a fringe crackpot in order to fall on the sword on the behalf of all other superheroes by killing Luthor to defuse the Justice Lords scenario, martyring himself to keep the flame alive instead of as a last desperate spasm.

And of course he proceeds to immediately get nailed to the wall because like Rorschach, he wildly misjudged the trajectory of the story he was in but in the other direction- Luthor’s running a much more traditional supervillain scheme than The Question assumed he was, and this does, in fact, turn out to be the kind of story where you can resolve the problem with traditional two-fisted violence against a giant space robot.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

As a Watchmen hater (on a social level, the story itself is good), OP absolutely COOKED. Something that I love about JLU specifically is the willingness to supply a giant robot to punch. I once heard somebody tell me that superheroes aren't about punching the giant robot, but it's about punching the giant robot that's a representation for famine or poverty. Comics are inherently a kind of silly medium, and I think that JLU doing the Brainiac twist is genius on a social level.

Maybe I'm reaching here, but I think that the twist might be indicative of the continually growing "comics are dumb" mindset that was growing more and more post the release of Watchmen. I admit that I'm partially talking entirely out of my ass here, but I think that JLU was trying to say that maybe superheroes, at their core, are as simple as can be. We can complexify them as much as we want. We can make the giant robot represent anything. But, at their core, it's going to be a person in tights lifting a car and threatening corrupt landlords. Even in its complexity, it should be straightforward.

The more I'm writing this, the more I'm realizing that I should've made this post be about how JLU Question is an anti-Rorschach, but, I digress. I think the Brainiac twist itself is still a statement. So, I'll make that a separate post if you want.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

I legitimately hope that BNHA takes from American comics and allows for several people to work on the title. Vigilantes is proof that Horikoshi will allow for legitimate spin-offs and not just "oooo they're chibi" type spin-offs. I honestly think that Horikoshi would be okay with more spin-offs if they were good ideas. Here's some ideas that I would want to see get greenlit in order of what I want the most to least:

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Boku No Hero Career:

Basically just Deku trying to be an adult, while being a teacher, while being a hero. Basically, I'm asking for J. Michael Strazinski's run on Spider-Man. But I could specifically see somebody having a field day with how this new society works, and how hero-work is moving more towards helping the oppressed rather than fighting sludge monsters. There'd still be sludge monsters, I'm not trying to de-comicify My Hero, but it's a whole lot more of trying to fight the root of the problem. I think a strength of this potential story could be the use of non-violent conflict resolution. There'd obviously be action, but nothing bigger in scale than say the Overhaul fight. If you want to add inherent stakes, you can always have Deku's armor get damaged or something. Gun to my head, I could see the first long running arc about Deku and crew trying to end a prostitution ring. I also wouldn't mind an Izuocha subplot, but that's just my personal preference. I admit that part of this is just me missing JMS' Spider-Man run.

Skycrawler Adventures:

Okay I only had one cool title name; sue me. But I just want more of Koichi, man. Horikoshi has said he's a sucker for Spider-Man and at the very least one cover is literally a direct homage to Ultimate Spider-Man Vs. Venom. If BNHC is JMS' run on Spider-Man, this is Tom DeFalco and JM DeMatteis' runs on Spider-Man. It's that early 20's, post-college and in your first big kid job vibes. Maybe we start with Koichi starting up his own hero agency and struggling to maintain it. Maybe we finally make him canonically autistic? I admit I'm projecting with that one. But I think that Skycrawler Adventures could be like Chainsaw Man Part 2. Not exactly, but in terms of making this into an epic.

Boku No 52

This title requires some light explaining. Back in the day, DC had an event called 52. This came right after the event Infinite Crisis. After Infinite Crisis, the DC universe had a one year time-skip. However, 52 also released at the beginning of said time-skip. The premise of the book being that each issue would cover one week, and by the end of the series (which had 52 issues), you would know everything that happened during the time-skip. The only real caveat with this book being that Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were practically off the table. So, you had to use more minor characters. The book had 4 all-star writers and it was an absolute smash hit. It's still beloved to this day. I think that BNHA could use something like this. It can even fit my prior two pitches in there. But you can also have chapters about the new class 1-A, Bakguo yelling at clouds, is Endeavor still trying to be a father, what is Momo up to, literally anything. You can have it showcase a bunch of new mangaka. I'm sure that Horikoshi had drawing assistants, let them have a shot at this. This one is definitely the least likely to get passed. But, I also think it has the highest potential.

I'm willing to bet that Jump DESPERATELY wants to have another Naruto or Bleach or One Piece. Specifically a manga line that lasts for a STUPIDLY long time that's extremely popular that they can ride into the sunset. I think that My Hero has that potential. I just think that they should keep Horikoshi as a consultant, and do brand new things.

[frownyalfred]

there’s fluffy feel-good yoga and there’s “sit in stillness with discomfort until you can’t tell the difference between pain and non-pain” yoga, and I think Bruce absolutely teaches the Batkids the latter. maybe he and Ollie even trade off teaching what on paper probably looks like the worst kind of white boy yoga but is actually a gentler version of LoA training for lookouts and snipers and other roles that frequently spend time in fixed positions. you go into it bracing for cultural appropriation and maybe some cool poses and end up sobbing in a modified half-pigeon because you can’t feel your legs but also somehow all you can feel is your legs.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

What does "No Kents" in Absolute Superman even MEAN?

I’m worried that Absolute Superman’s gonna be booty cheeks and too edgy. The writer has a mixed track record. Jason Aaron is known for writing the best parts of recent Thor and he created The Mighty Thor (Jane Foster). So I think he can handle the action that comes with writing god-tier characters quite well. I’m just really concerned that Aaron’s not gonna get the spirit.

I’m hoping that this does what Henry Cavill’s Superman was SUPPOSED to be: a cynic who’s still trying his best to smile despite all the pain he’s been through because he STILL believes in doing the right thing simply because it’s good. I hope that Absolute Superman is a story about letting people in, and how Clark doesn’t need the Kent’s to be fundamentally compassionate. I suspect that if you take away the Kents, then you still have a good person, but one that’s slow to trust anybody

I just don’t know what they mean by “no Kent’s”

All we really have is the artist showing us an action scene, and the knowledge that Superman’s cape is all Misty because it’s the “ashes of Krypton” which means that his suit is purely Kryptonian in origin

Did he LIVE on Krypton? Was he in the foster system? Was he raised by a different, shitty family? The phrase “no Kents” is just really vague. “No money” is relatively easy to work around. Granted, Bruce has an inciting incident that creates The Batman, so it's not too much of a stretch to put him in any circumstance. “No Amazons” probably means you just switch pantheons (I'm partial to the idea that she's raised by the pantheon of the New Gods). But “no Kents” has borderline infinite unrelated possibilities that I don’t know what the ACTUAL premise is of the book. Perhaps you could say the same about Diana, but I'm worried for Clark because edgy Supermans are just now fading in popularity, and I don't want to see them make a comeback over a POORLY written edgy Superman.

Shot in the dark, I think each Absolute line is going to be a commentary on the misconceptions of the traditional line. Absolute Batman was about debunking the “Batman beats up poor and mentally ill people” bullshit. If that’s actually a pattern and not malarky, I don’t know what Absolute Superman would address. Thoughts?

[ballinandcantgetup452]

I Genuinely Do Not Know if Gege Akutami is a Good Action Writer

Don't get me wrong, when Gege works, he REALLY works. The cursed energy power system by ITSELF is proof that Gege is bare minimum a genius when it comes to worldbuilding. But, I don't think that Gege Akutami knows how to write a story with a big cast using that system.

I'm specifically referring to how Gege has a really bad habit of benching people that are too powerful. Now, this isn't entirely a bad thing that Gege does. When he benched Gojo, it made narrative and thematic sense. I'm considering Gojo to be the exception to this problem that Gege has. But, let's look at every character that Gege has benched for what I could see to be no other reason than they were too strong in order of most to least justified.

Fumihiko Takaba: This one is definitely the least offensive benching on this list. I can imagine that Comedian is a very tough CT to choreograph in a group setting while keeping your overall serious tone. The Shinjuku Showdown for just about its entire runtime feels tense. Comedian is not only an overpowered CT, but it's also a tonally overpowering CT. You can write Comedian to be scary if you have no idea how it works; but, that's still making the Shinjuku Showdown all about Takaba and not Sukuna like Gege intended. So, having Takaba being on the Sukuna Squad would be a lot of work on Gege to properly balance. You were going to have to bench him in some way. I'm fine with him being in charge of taking down Kenjaku. That fight was probably my favorite fight in all of JJK, and, it makes complete sense as to how and why he got benched.

Nobara Kugisaki: While I'm ecstatic that Nobara's alive, it does kind of hurt the story in retrospect, even if her return was properly built up. If Gege had simply killed Nobara, then I wouldn't be putting her on this list. Because sure, Nobara had a technique that would've allowed her to damage the soul from a distance-something that proved to be INTEGRAL during Shinjuku-so killing her could make the Shinjuku Showdown a whole lot harder, but her death meant a lot to the cast. It deeply affected Yuji and caused him to grow even more as a character. So, I was willing to let it slide. But, the fact that Gege kept her alive is proof that he knew that he had made her too powerful and he wanted to use her for later. If he had built this up more instead of one passive "well she might be alive" comment, I wouldn't be complaining. However, here we are.

Hiromi Higuruma: This one is definitely the most egregious in my opinion. The fact that he is alive significantly hurts this story in retrospect. I wouldn't even be making this list in general if he was alive. Something to keep in mind is that I'm trying to look at this story from both a powerscaling and a narrative perspective. So I get why Gege killed him. Anybody with an insta-kill weapon has to be dealt with in some shape way or form. And, once again, killing him gave Yuji more motivation. I honestly don't even get why Gege did it this time with the knowledge that there isn't going to be a JJK2. Keeping Higuruma alive exclusively hurts the story. Especially because he had already mainly served his narrative purpose in the Culling Games.

I know that this is a pretty small list. However, keep in mind, this all happened in one arc. At the very end. So, it overall hurts the package. In making this list, I have gotten to thinking about it, and, I don't think that Gege is a bad writer. I think that he does phenomenal with smaller casts. I genuinely believe that Hidden Inventory is one of the best arcs in the series. I just think that Gege got a little too ambitious and he couldn't wrap things up in time because of mangaka fatigue so he got sloppy at the very end.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

I'm fine if MCU's Spider-Man 4 takes place on Battleworld, as long as they still treat it like a Spider-Man movie. SpiderVerse proves that you can plop Spider-Man into literally anywhere and it'll probably work. I'm willing to bet there's a caveman Spider-Man named Petunga Pakunga.

I don't even care if there's multiverse nonsense. I just do not want Tobey and Andrew to come back. I do not want Peter to run into any alternate spider people. He can run into any coterie of alternate Marvel street level characters. Hell, he can run into Old Man Logan. I'm even particular to the idea that the villain is an old man Punisher that shows what Peter can become if he chooses to keep himself completely isolated. Just do not let him team up with the other Spideys again. That works in NWH because of the novelty and the idea that Peter will never see them again. Peter got to see a glimpse into two possible futures and he saw that he turned out okay. So, maybe, he can turn out okay, too.

I don't care how you do it. I'd prefer if you did it in New York and made it a Kraven or Kingpin or Scorpion or whoever movie. But the one thing that Spider-Man 4 HAS to get right in my opinion is the idea that Peter is actively choosing to be isolated and it's going to kill him. The MCU's Spider-Man 4 should be about letting people in as an adult. Because as a college sophomore who had to transfer to a whole new college, it can be tough as shit to let new people in. And if the college trilogy is going to deal with college problems, I think that making new permanent friends should be apart of it.

I believe that part of the strength of Spider-Man as a character is that you can use him as a vehicle to depict every aspect of growing up. As a college student, I believe that the college era is the one least covered. And I think that college isolation is an amazing central idea the movie can cover.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

Can we stop calling The Punisher a hero?

I'm sick and tired of the glorification of The Punisher. Frank Castle is a sick man whose happy place is being in a war and it doesn't really matter what or who he's warring against. He never started this crusade for revenge. If it was for revenge, then he would've gone home like 3 weeks in to Punishering it up.

Frank Castle is not a hero. He’s not some tough-as-nails, misunderstood anti-hero. He’s not some tough teeth gritting vigilante with a heart of gold. You're thinking of Wolverine. No, he’s a murderer. Plain and simple. That’s his whole thing. That’s what he does. That’s all he does. He doesn’t fight for justice, he doesn’t save people; he kills. And yet, people still put him on this twisted pedestal, like he’s the symbol of the moral gray and justification. And I’m so sick of it.

Yeah, sure, this is the Marvel Universe, where logic bends, where guys in tights throw buildings and teenagers can swing between skyscrapers like it’s no big deal. Ethics get fuzzy when you have gods and mutants and billionaire playboys. But what Frank does goes beyond all of that. Because Frank Castle is a bad man. A sick man. A man whose entire life is wrapped up in a never-ending war he never really wanted to end.

He lives in a van or warehouse full of guns and weapons, and he’s still out there, free, because he's too violent, too ruthless for anyone to deal with. Nobody stops him. Nobody can truly stop him. Not because he's some anti-hero with a tragic backstory. Once again, you're thinking of Wolverine. It's because he's a walking, talking, killing machine who’ll unload a clip in your face before you even think about it. People think he’s a badass. They think he’s cool. No. He’s a psychopath. A man who is only happy and defines himself by being in the middle of a war.

Don’t get me wrong; I like the character. I really do. But, I read his comics the way you might watch a true crime documentary about Jeffrey Dahmer. You’re not rooting for Dahmer. You’re horrified by him. But you’re fascinated. You’re trying to understand what makes a person tick when their clock is so broken. That’s The Punisher. There’s something raw, something almost cathartic about watching one man wage his own war against crime with no empathy, no mercy, just a hell of a lot of ultraviolence. And yeah, everyone gets in that mood every once in a while.

But here’s what gets me: people out there, actual people, glorify this. They paint his skull on their cars, their jackets, their walls. They act like he’s some kind of symbol of tough love or real justice. But Frank Castle would hate that. He’s said it himself — "Captain America would love to have you. I would not." He despises anyone who sees him as a role model because he knows what he is. He’s not confused. He’s not conflicted. He’s not trying to be a better person. One more time, you're thinking of Wolverine. Frank Castle is a monster.

And he knows it.

So let’s call it out. Call out the people who put Frank Castle on a pedestal like he’s something to aspire to. You wanna read a tough teeth gritting vigilante? Go read Frank Miller’s Batman or Daredevil. You want someone morally gray, someone who actually grapples with the weight of what they do? Check out Moon Knight. But if you want to peer into the mind of a deeply broken, deeply dangerous man, then yeah, read The Punisher. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking he’s anything other than what he is: a guy who likes to kill people, who lives to kill people, and who’s damn good at it.

Frank Castle is not a hero. And he never will be.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

I'm really fond of Billy Batson being like the 4th or 5th superhero to debut. Like, he pops up RIGHT after the trinity pops up. I think it's a prime chance to see essentially a newly reborn DCU through a child's eyes. Not in like the New Frontier "Wow! Look at all of these guys!" way (not to knock that, it's still great when moments like that do happen). But in the "everybody is green enough that the idea that this grown man is acting like an 11 year old is extremely suspect" kind of way.

Every member of the trinity has generally the same reaction.

Clark is much more of a "this is the only other person who will TALK to me... BUT he's also probably autistic". Where he's cordial and kind to Billy but also keeps his distance. He's a country bumpkin, and as an autistic person who's ALSO a country bumpkin, I can bet that he'd use the signature "be kind at a distance and let him work it out himself" strategy that I most often see used. Not to say that Clark is going to be a jerk about it. He just knows that he's not qualified to help and since he's an adult he can take care of himself.

Bruce ALSO assumes that Billy is autistic. Especially since the first time he even MEETS Captain Marvel is when he's interrupted on a stakeout. I always envisioned a Year 2 Bruce not being cruel to strangers, but also not being nice either. He just kind of ignores him until eventually he calls Captain Marvel over to whatever he's doing and explains what's going on. Bruce is the kindest to Billy, even if it's not as overt as Clark's.

On theme, Diana ALSO assumes that Billy is autistic after meeting him. Of course, she assumes that after somebody explains the concept of autism to her after explaining how something's just off with "that guy". She's not fond of the fact that some asshole is using the power of old gods, but lets it slide because she doesn't know how to confront that and can tell that the conversation and confrontation with him simply isn't worth it. She's a whole lot more proper and Billy finds her nice and all, but a little bit too grown up for his taste.

Billy isn't a founding member or anything, but once he is indicted, each member of the trinity keeps an eye out on him. Batman doesn't find out that Billy is a LITERAL child until he's a couple of years in with Dick. So he just keeps the lie going. It's easier to tell somebody "he's autistic" instead of "he's a 12 year old swapping bodies with an adult deity"

Any other potential headcanons that can come with Billy Batson becoming the 4th or 5th or just a really early superhero?

[faeriesofarcadia]

Time and publication wise . That might be off a bit . Bruce and Clark early to mid 1930's Diana same time Frame I think. Billy I think during ww2

[ballinandcantgetup452]

Oh I meant in regards to like canonicity. I thought of the idea after reading Superman/Shazam: First Thunder. How that version of Billy is like the 3rd or 4th superhero to debut. Not in terms of literal timeline. I don't know when Fawcett comics debuted Captain Marvel. It was more in a canon sense

[ballinandcantgetup452]

I'm really fond of Billy Batson being like the 4th or 5th superhero to debut. Like, he pops up RIGHT after the trinity pops up. I think it's a prime chance to see essentially a newly reborn DCU through a child's eyes. Not in like the New Frontier "Wow! Look at all of these guys!" way (not to knock that, it's still great when moments like that do happen). But in the "everybody is green enough that the idea that this grown man is acting like an 11 year old is extremely suspect" kind of way.

Every member of the trinity has generally the same reaction.

Clark is much more of a "this is the only other person who will TALK to me... BUT he's also probably autistic". Where he's cordial and kind to Billy but also keeps his distance. He's a country bumpkin, and as an autistic person who's ALSO a country bumpkin, I can bet that he'd use the signature "be kind at a distance and let him work it out himself" strategy that I most often see used. Not to say that Clark is going to be a jerk about it. He just knows that he's not qualified to help and since he's an adult he can take care of himself.

Bruce ALSO assumes that Billy is autistic. Especially since the first time he even MEETS Captain Marvel is when he's interrupted on a stakeout. I always envisioned a Year 2 Bruce not being cruel to strangers, but also not being nice either. He just kind of ignores him until eventually he calls Captain Marvel over to whatever he's doing and explains what's going on. Bruce is the kindest to Billy, even if it's not as overt as Clark's.

On theme, Diana ALSO assumes that Billy is autistic after meeting him. Of course, she assumes that after somebody explains the concept of autism to her after explaining how something's just off with "that guy". She's not fond of the fact that some asshole is using the power of old gods, but lets it slide because she doesn't know how to confront that and can tell that the conversation and confrontation with him simply isn't worth it. She's a whole lot more proper and Billy finds her nice and all, but a little bit too grown up for his taste.

Billy isn't a founding member or anything, but once he is indicted, each member of the trinity keeps an eye out on him. Batman doesn't find out that Billy is a LITERAL child until he's a couple of years in with Dick. So he just keeps the lie going. It's easier to tell somebody "he's autistic" instead of "he's a 12 year old swapping bodies with an adult deity"

Any other potential headcanons that can come with Billy Batson becoming the 4th or 5th or just a really early superhero?

[makiruz]

Of course Billy probably is neurodivergent, but that's another thing

[auiak]

Billy probably is neurodivergent, BUT it would be so much funnier if he was neurotypical. Just, nine years old and socially deprived but not autistic.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

That's what I was thinking!! Get out of my head!!

[onnahu]

Batman is great with kids. He's kind, he's gentle, he's patient. But never towards his own.

A tragedy of Bruce being a parent, stopping seeing his kids as kids.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

My ideal Batman Timeline

I'm leaving this for reference for any fanfiction I make or post I make. Take it or leave it. Do what you want. I'm just trying to get all of Bruce's Robins in order and some of the DC timeline.

Bruce Wayne leaves at 17 after graduating high school early

Bruce graduates college at 19 with a business degree (Alfred didn’t order him to, but he strongly inclined Bruce to do it)

Bruce trains until he is 22

Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham and becomes Batman at 22

When he is 23 (AKA Year 2) The Long Halloween scandal occurs

By the end of Year 2 Harvey Dent is officially Two-Face

At the beginning of Year 3 Bruce adopts Dick Grayson

During the middle of Year 3, Batman meets Superman for the first time. After an adventure, they become friends

At the end of Year 3 Dick Grayson is properly trained to be Robin

By Year 4, Bruce is officially stuck in a month long entanglement with the Al Ghuls. Bruce and Talia sleep together multiple times throughout this month. By the end of it, Bruce has cut ties with the entire family and they will occasionally feud.

By year 5, the Justice League is formed

During Year 13 of Bruce’s career, Dick turns 18 and has a falling out with Bruce. Dick leaves to become Nightwing and form the Teen Titans

Ages to keep in mind so far

As of Year 3: Bruce Wayne is 24 Dick Grayson is 8 Barbra Gordon is 9

As of Year 13: Bruce Wayne is 34 Dick Grayson is 18 Barbra Gordon is 19 (Barb starts doing Batgirl stuff after 6 months Dick becomes Robin and becomes recognized as a Batfamily member by the end of Year 4)

During the middle of Year 13, Barry Allen dies during Crisis. The Crisis doesn't matter, but now Barry Allen is dead due to stopping a world ending event. Wally West is now The Flash

Year 14, Bruce finds Jason Todd stealing his tires on the anniversary of his parents death. This cracks him up so much that he adopts him (that’s actually canon)

By the middle of Year 14, Jason Todd has been trained to become Robin

By the beginning of Year 16, Joker kills Jason Todd

Ages so far Year 16: Bruce Wayne is 37 Dick Grayson is 21 Barbra Gordon is 22 Jason Todd is 16

Jason Todd is revived by the League of Assassins before he is buried. Bruce Wayne is too frazzled to notice the fake body

Shortly after the death of Jason Todd, Joker shoots Barbra Gordon in the spine, causing her to be paralyzed from the waist down. Since Batman didn’t have a Robin, Batman almost killed the Joker

By the middle of Year 16, Tim Drake recognizes that Bruce is a hop skip and a jump away from killing someone and forces himself into the Batfamily. By the end of Year 16, Tim Drake is officially Robin

Year 19: Jason Todd officially debuts as the Red Hood

By year 22, Damian Wayne is in the picture and Tim Drake becomes Red Robin

By year 24, Jason is accepted back into the Bat Family as he vows not to kill anyone ever again

By year 24 (basically current day):

Bruce Wayne: 45 Dick Grayson: 29 Barbra Gordon: 30 Jason Todd: 24 Tim Drake: 18 Damian Wayne: 14

Got any additions? I'd love to hear!

[no1-papav-perpetua-fan]

Amazing timeline but when does duke comes in?:3

[ballinandcantgetup452]

Duke Thomas is something of a blind spot of mine, so I'll run the gambit of blindspot characters for me.

Duke Thomas comes in to Bruce's life by Year 23

Stephanie Brown was Robin for 4 months at Year 17. She's presumed dead. She comes back in year 19

Cassandra Cain joins the Batfamily by Year 18. Shenanigans ensue

Sorry about that! Those three are kind of my blind spots. I know so little about Harper Row I can't even talk about her!

[ballinandcantgetup452]

My ideal Batman Timeline

I'm leaving this for reference for any fanfiction I make or post I make. Take it or leave it. Do what you want. I'm just trying to get all of Bruce's Robins in order and some of the DC timeline.

Bruce Wayne leaves at 17 after graduating high school early

Bruce graduates college at 19 with a business degree (Alfred didn’t order him to, but he strongly inclined Bruce to do it)

Bruce trains until he is 22

Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham and becomes Batman at 22

When he is 23 (AKA Year 2) The Long Halloween scandal occurs

By the end of Year 2 Harvey Dent is officially Two-Face

At the beginning of Year 3 Bruce adopts Dick Grayson

During the middle of Year 3, Batman meets Superman for the first time. After an adventure, they become friends

At the end of Year 3 Dick Grayson is properly trained to be Robin

By Year 4, Bruce is officially stuck in a month long entanglement with the Al Ghuls. Bruce and Talia sleep together multiple times throughout this month. By the end of it, Bruce has cut ties with the entire family and they will occasionally feud.

By year 5, the Justice League is formed

During Year 13 of Bruce’s career, Dick turns 18 and has a falling out with Bruce. Dick leaves to become Nightwing and form the Teen Titans

Ages to keep in mind so far

As of Year 3: Bruce Wayne is 24 Dick Grayson is 8 Barbra Gordon is 9

As of Year 13: Bruce Wayne is 34 Dick Grayson is 18 Barbra Gordon is 19 (Barb starts doing Batgirl stuff after 6 months Dick becomes Robin and becomes recognized as a Batfamily member by the end of Year 4)

During the middle of Year 13, Barry Allen dies during Crisis. The Crisis doesn't matter, but now Barry Allen is dead due to stopping a world ending event. Wally West is now The Flash

Year 14, Bruce finds Jason Todd stealing his tires on the anniversary of his parents death. This cracks him up so much that he adopts him (that’s actually canon)

By the middle of Year 14, Jason Todd has been trained to become Robin

By the beginning of Year 16, Joker kills Jason Todd

Ages so far Year 16: Bruce Wayne is 37 Dick Grayson is 21 Barbra Gordon is 22 Jason Todd is 16

Jason Todd is revived by the League of Assassins before he is buried. Bruce Wayne is too frazzled to notice the fake body

Shortly after the death of Jason Todd, Joker shoots Barbra Gordon in the spine, causing her to be paralyzed from the waist down. Since Batman didn’t have a Robin, Batman almost killed the Joker

By the middle of Year 16, Tim Drake recognizes that Bruce is a hop skip and a jump away from killing someone and forces himself into the Batfamily. By the end of Year 16, Tim Drake is officially Robin

Year 19: Jason Todd officially debuts as the Red Hood

By year 22, Damian Wayne is in the picture and Tim Drake becomes Red Robin

By year 24, Jason is accepted back into the Bat Family as he vows not to kill anyone ever again

By year 24 (basically current day):

Bruce Wayne: 45 Dick Grayson: 29 Barbra Gordon: 30 Jason Todd: 24 Tim Drake: 18 Damian Wayne: 14

Got any additions? I'd love to hear!