#alfred approves

[thesilverbatcardinal]

Alfred Pennyworth and the theory of his immortality, and why the same should apply to Martha Kent

Unanimously the Fandom decided that universe granted Alfred Pennyworth immortality and I am not going to question it, because I can not disagree with the fact that as long as there is Alfred, the Bats are there and they are well. There can be different reasons named for his living forever in the first place, but one thing is certain: he should.

The Kents' role in Superman's life (and in Clark's by default) more often than not gets severely underrated, overlooked, and downplayed.

More often than not, we see Clark lose his father to a stroke (to name a few instances: in Richard Donner's Superman film series and in "Smallville" TV Series). Or he falls victim to some unfortunate accident connected to a natural occurrence (a tempest in "The Man of Steel"). Only "Lois and Clark's" and James Gunn's Supermen and the cartoon ones got lucky and kept their Jonathans.

And the only person who almost always stays there for him is his mother.

Yet, even without Pa, Superman has his own Alfred.

And this Alfred is his Ma.

Martha Kent stands for courage, for encouragement to dare and make difficult decisions, for ability to adapt, for flexibility, for wisdom (that may also border on the knowledge how to be cunning) and for her being knowledgeable in many things (having experience and vairous skills in numerous fields).

If Jonathan is a simple farmer, she always is more complex of a person and, unlike her husband, shows Clark how to find unexpected solutions, since life isn't a straight road without curves or obstacles. That is why she matters, that is why she is important.

Martha isn't a spare part in the mechanism that is Superman's life that lays there by a toolbox or in it, gets revisited and left behind. She is a necessity, which many unfortunately unfairly forget about.

Lois keeps Clark going, friends are there to guide him, but when everything is falling apart none other than his mother gives him strength (that is why he always turns to her when life gets rough). Superman shares both happiness and sadness with his Ma, finding good even in the little things. She knows him as the back of her hand, even if she always finds ways to surprise him.

Martha Kent deserves to be immortal.

[sunsetsintandem]

Protective older brothers Dick and Jason is good and all, but today I give you protective siblings Tim and Barbara where Tim overhears someone badmouthing his brothers at a gala and immediately joins forces with Barbara to bring. them. down. in a large scale corporate crashing scheme that Bruce is 100% sure is their doing, but have no actual evidence of their involvement. Meanwhile, Dick, Jason, Damian and Duke are wholly ignorant of the entire thing, Cass and Alfred are silently approving, and Steph is lowkey impressed by her ex-boyfriend and her mentor.

[thesilverbatcardinal]

Call him and you shall get an answer.

I imagine Alfred has two telephone numbers, one is personal, that only the Bats know, and the other that is also known only to select few, but is for work specifically.

The second number, if dialed, automatically redirects you to the menu on the voicemail:

"If you are a superhero, dial "1", Agent A will be with you shortly. If you are a supervillain and still dial "1" I will be aware of that and answer you accordingly. If you are a supervillain, dial "2". This way, I'll know you are one and yet care about your own wellbeing. If you are new to superhero/supervillain thing and aren't sure of what to make of yourself, dial "3" and you'll get redirected to the hot line with a good specialist who will help you figure things out free of charge. When you know the answer to the question of what fraction you belong to, you may call the number again if necessary. And if you have no idea what this is all about and dialed the wrong number, please hang up and consider not calling again. All spam calls and trolls will be reported to the police department of their respective city in their state."

[thesilverbatcardinal]

Collective memory of Ra's Al Ghuls

There is a belief that Lazarus Pit causes Pit Madness that may last a few days or the longest time, depending on a person submerged in it, as well as that the waters heal the wounded, resurrect the dead and even grant immortality, but it also keeps and shares memories of the people who once entered it. Some get to have these foreign memories after the Pit Madness period passes, and some do not. (It is safe to say most do not.)

Anyway, Ra's has been around for centuries holding onto all his knowledge and experiences he gathered through his life and does not intend to die, but what not many know is that, just like Thanagarians remember their past lives, he shares memories with all his versions across the multiverse.

Usually, it doesn't play any role in anything other than give him some advantage in situations concerning certain people.

His own memories, not the ones that come from his variants, are easier to access and are closer to him, so he doesn't get shaky with his facts.

No one even suspects that his mind is actually a very well organized infinite maze of a library.

But sometimes it all makes Ra's dread some meetings severely, and it is hard for him to explain himself without giving anything out when asked (as he doesn't always manage to hide his displeasure).

It is neither fun nor easy to be the Demon's Head...

(It is just a headcanon/part of my AU. Or is it...?)

[thesilverbatcardinal]

There are different kinds of Red Hoods in the world...

My Jason Todd plush arrived today, and I am glad to have it.

It took me a while to figure out whether I really needed him, but in the end, I decided I did, and I do not regret it!

He is very small, just like I wanted him to be, and nice to look at.

I don't think it would be a good idea for anyone to have him attached to a backpack, but being a pocket size version, this Jason is perfect for anyone.

Also, my Fluttershy plush from My Little Pony Hearth's Warming collection arrived as well, which is a bit ironic.

[thesilverbatcardinal]

The Red Hood and the way Damian Wayne first arrived in the Wayne Manor

Before I properly got to know about the circumstances of Damian's arrival at his father’s place and the long thorny way he made others go through becoming a member of the Bat-family, I imagined everything very differently and I still keep my own headcanon dearly in my heart.

So, let us see how the things were presented to us by DC, and then I'll get to my first impressions and conclusions that were made before I found anything out.

In the "Son of Batman" (2014) animated movie, it was shown that Talia decided to give Damian with his duffel bag on a stick to Bruce, saying he was completely his from then on and telling him to do whatever he deems necessary and right with their son, who's been raised in the League of Assassins and about whose existence Wayne didn't even know until then.

That's pretty much it.

All the interactions with Jason in the League and later on were completely ommissed.

(I still do not know the whole canonical story DC preferes, and, to be fair, don't have much interest in finding out.)

Now it's time for my take.

I always thought the things went something like this:

Talia, thinking her son had to learn a lot from his father to become the next Demon's Head when the time comes, sends Damian with Jason for his protection to Gotham.

Jason, sick and tired of being one of the members of the League, even if close to Ra's and Talia through Bruce, decides he isn’t going to return there after getting the little boy to Bruce. So, having all of his feelings piled up in him and his thirst for revenge and justice, completely not ready to face the Bats again, he takes up the identity of the Red Hood to act freely in Gotham and be safe from any attempts of finding him from the side of the League.

So, not yet the Red Hood, but having the plan in mind and having told Damian everything he knew about his family (Alfred, Bruce, and Dick (he isn’t yet aware of the existance of Tim as an addition to the family)), brings the little boy to the doors of the Wayne Mansion with all of his posessions, rings the bell and disappears in the shadows of the night.

Alfred opens the doors, sees Damian (like as if he was a small angry black kitten in a box), and invites him in.

This is how Bruce finds out he has a son with Talia (I actually fancy the idea of Damian being a genetically engineered baby of theirs created in a lab more than of him being actually born the natural way).

Jason, in his own turn, reconciles with his family in about a year of time after becoming the Red Hood and a successful Crime Lord, and after coming to terms with Tim having been taken in by his adoptive father soon after he died and with the fact that he wasn't ever really meant to be his replacement.

This course of events just seems right to me.

[thesilverbatcardinal]

How the Bat has Fallen...

A couple of days ago I finally watched "The Crisis on Infinite Earths" (Arrowverse (Parts 1-5 (2019))) and, to be fair, there is a lot to say, both good and bad.

It is obvious that it has something that grasps attention, especially since the concept was revisited in, for instance in "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths" (Tomorrowverse (Parts 1-3 (2024))), which can serve as a hint to what I am going say.

(A more obvious hint: Think Earth-12. If you remember, you remember.)

There were many nice cameos in Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths, including the one of "Smallville's" Clark and his own family (though I doubt it is really a part of the original "Smallville" continuity at least because what even is their world without a Superman and how would Martha Kent allow it to happen (Not assuming a possibility of the Red Queen replacing Superman as the part of the JLU)?), but I am going to talk about one in particular.

I am going to talk about the Earth-99 that Kara Danvers and Kate Kane visited in search of the Paragon of Courage, who was described as "The Bat of the Future".

Earth-99th Batman of the future (quite literally) is Bruce Wayne, and he is played by late great Kevin Conroy.

Now, here is a curious thing.

The Earth-99 Supergirl and Batwoman visited is in the future (which is easy to gather even from what was said before) and Bruce tells his cousin that he came to cross the line he swore not to and at some point started killing.

Doesn't it remind you of something?

Future... Kevin Conroy's Batman... Batman, who gets too close to breaking his oath... Year 2019...

Coincidence is that in 2019, in "Batman Beyond" (DCAU (1998-2000)), Bruce almost shots a thug and considers it a turning point, retiring from being the Caped Crusader of Gotham and in "The Crisis on Infinite Earths" (Arrowverse (2019)), in the future where Kara and Kate teleport to from 2019 a Batman with the same voice tells a story of him becoming a monster to finally win over monsters once and for all.

I find it to be a neat detail that can mean a lot or nothing at all.

Considering the fact that some Earths were named randomly in Arrowverse, Earth-99 may be an Earth-12 variant where Bruce never retired and got broken by his first killing and never encountered a Terry McGinnis.

[thesilverbatcardinal]

Superboy, Kon-El, Conner Luthor, Conner Kent... they are many.

A lot can be said about «My Adventures with Superman» but one thing is certain: it is a prime example of good animated series that are being rarely created and released nowadays (at least about superheroes).

There is a good, consistent plot, the characters portrayals are crafted uniquely and therefore are memorable and recognizable, the art style of the series is pleasant to the eye.

And, what's more, in My Adventures with Superman we see a sunny, kind, a bit clumsy Clark who sees good in everything and everyone, and who believes in a better tomorrow even if it seems the world itself is ending, which to me is of utmost importance, because not as many Supermen as it may seem are portrayed this way.

But what is also worth acknowledging is the fact that Superboy is a part of MAWS's universe from season three on.

Now lets get to the elephant in the room, I really hope MAWS's Kon lives up to expectations and is just as great as he should be.

I've already gotten acquainted with a few Kons, and more often than not, they seem like they are completely different people (or half-kryptonians, I guess).

(Here is an example)

I'll talk about the deal with DC universes/worlds/Earths and variants of one and the same characters another time.

But I'd be happy if this Kon matched the way I imagine him.

And while we are at it, if (or when) Jon appears on the show, I hope for no less.

On unrelated note, I can't stress enough how interesting MAWS's portrayal of Lois is, not necessarily because it is what Lois really should be like, but because she is just... Well, something.

(Let's not talk about the fact she looks like Luz Noceda from the Owl House, though it isn't necessarily a bad thing.)

I really envy her energy, though, while all in all, there are quite a bit of things we are fairly similar in (ex. both petite and determined).