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phantom-le6 · 7 months ago

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Ramble of the month June 2024: Phase 6/Re-Boot phase 1 of the Batman Begins-Led DCEU

At last, my monthly rambles have brought us to the last instalment for my alternate DCEU, based on the idea that Batman Begins could hypothetically have been the start of a better DCEU than the one we had via Man of Steel. It’s the last instalment simply because the film slate projects a bit into the future, so it’s hard to fan-cast too far ahead of real-world Hollywood. With my hypothetical MCU starting in the 1990’s, and me having a little more knowledge on Marvel lore than on DC, that one will carry on for a while longer, but for now, let’s focus on this hypothetical DCEU.

Now I ended the last phase, which was shorter than most, on a Flashpoint film for the express purpose of rebooting my alternate DCEU. This is because DC has been rebooting its comics periodically ever since 1985 when the company created the Crisis on Infinite Earths epic. The whole point of this was to take an incredibly long run of “canon” that went all the way back to 1939 when Superman began the whole DC Universe, and which had since expanded into a complex multiversal web. After Infinite Earths, DC has periodically rebooted its comics to prevent fans having to wrestle with massive volumes of backstory, not to mention avoiding the need to retire key heroes despite the fact that they created the concept of the side-kick and over time developed it into a way of addressing the need for heroes to ultimately pass mantles along.

By the same token, no film or TV run can go forever due to actors aging, as well as the fact that many TV and film audiences are not always willing to keep up with too long a run of continuity in these mediums. Luckily, because DC has precedent to reboot in its source material, rebooting an inter-connected film universe off the back of something like Flashpoint can work very well. Before we get into what I’ve put into my own reboot idea, let’s consider what I put together for my alternate DCEU up to this point;

Phase 1:

2005: Batman Begins

2006: Man of Steel

2007: Wonder Woman

2008: The Dark Knight, Green Lantern

2009: The Flash, Man of Steel 2

2010: Aquaman, Justice League

Phase 2:

2011: Wonder Woman 2, Green Lantern 2, Green Arrow

2012: Hawkman, Batman/Superman, Aquaman 2

2013: John Constantine, The Flash 2, Suicide Squad

2014: Justice League 2, Green Arrow 2, Batman: The Long Crusade

Phase 3:

2015: Shazam, Man of Steel 3, The Atom

2016: Wonder Woman 3, Batgirl, Teen Titans

2017: Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Shazam vs Black Adam, Suicide Squad 2

2018: Justice League: Darkseid Rising, Aquaman 3, Doom Patrol

Phase 4:

2019: Superman: Doomsday, New Gods, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

2020: Suicide Squad: Arkham, Knightfall, Green Arrow 3

2021: Reign of the Supermen, Green Lantern: Twilight, Knightsend

2022: Justice League: Armageddon, Teen Titans 3, Justice Society

Phase 5:

2023: Justice League: World’s Finest, Nightwing, The Killing Joke

2024: Supergirl, Birds of Prey, Flashpoint

These phases each had a given purpose of sorts. Phase 1 established the DCEU and the Justice League, phase 2 provided expansion and then destabilised the Justice League by adapting the JLA: Tower of Babel story arc. Phase 3 dealt with some of the fallout from that while also paving the way to phase 4, which was largely an homage to the death and rebirth incidents of 90’s DC lore, not to mention the betrayal of Hal Jordan. Phase 5 then began with the redemption of Hal in a final sacrifice, followed by a series of one-off films in the run-up to Flashpoint. In the wake of Flashpoint, we get to jump in on a new continuity, but one that can take new and different approaches because the previous universe already covered a lot of origin arcs. As such, here is phase 6, or reboot phase 1 in summary, followed by the details on each film.

Phase 6/Reboot Phase 1:

2025: Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Green Lantern/Flash: The Brave and The Bold, The Batman

2026: Black Adam, Martian Manhunter, Zatanna

2027: Supergirl/Power Girl: Multiversal Roadtrip, Justice League: Year One, The Many Lives of Wonder Woman

2028: Outsiders, Superman vs The Elite, Justice League Dark

Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2025) Directed by The Russo Brothers

Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent = Henry Cavill

Lois Lane = Amy Adams

Martha Kent = Julianne Moore

Jonathan Kent = Tim Robbins

Dr Emil Hamilton = Mark Ruffalo

Perry White = Forest Whittaker

Jimmy Olsen = Caleb McLaughlin

Cat Grant = Katie Cassidy

Steve Lombard = Evan Peters

Capt. Maggie Sawyer = Mena Suvari

Insp. Turpin = Dylan Moran

Lex Luthor = Mark Strong

Mercy Graves = Katie Leung

Jor-El = Hugh Jackman

Lara Lor-Van = Alyssa Milano

Kara Zor-El/Supergirl = Angourie Rice

Brainiac = Andrew Garfield

Lobo = Jason Mamoa

Following the Flashpoint reboot, Superman provides our initial voyage into the new DC continuity, and having used Brandon Routh as Superman for the duration of the last five phases, I’m putting in Henry Cavill as a Superman who has been active for at least a few years, but is only just starting to run across other heroes. Moreover, while this Superman knows he is an alien, his ship takes such damage on his arrival to Earth that it’s not until the arrival of his cousin Supergirl that he learns anything about Krypton. In turn, the alien bounty hunter Lobo arrives on Earth to try and capture the Kryptonians ahead of the arrival of the alien cyborg Brainiac.

For direction, I’m using the Russo brothers again, having previously picked them to handle the last two Justice League films. In terms of other casting, this is a combination of a little real DCEU and rumoured DCU casting mixed in with my own ideas. I’ve also taken the liberty of picking up the odd Arrowverse alumni across some of these fan-casts, such as taking Katie Cassidy from the role of Laurel Lance to one as Cat Grant for this film.

Green Lantern/Flash: The Brave and the Bold (2025) Directed by Rian Johnson

Flash/Barry Allen = Lucas Till

Green Lantern/Hal Jordan = Zac Efron

Jessica Cruz = Maia Reficco

Sinestro = Zachary Quinto

Kilowog = Winston Duke

Tomar Re = Paul Bettany

Salaak = Benedict Cumberbatch

Ganthet = Colin Firth

Sayd = Olivia Coleman

Manhunter Leader = John Cena

Iris West = Keke Palmer

Captain Cold/Leonard Snart = Sebastian Stan

Heatwave/Mick Rory = Dan Stevens

Captain Boomerang/Digger Harkness = Liam Hemsworth

Mirror Master/Evan McCulloch = Richard Madden

Vath Sarn = Tom Hopper

Isamot Kol = George Young

This film, directed by Rian Johnson (of Star Wars and Knives Out fame), focuses on Sinestro betraying the Green Lantern Corps, but doing so in a different way to what we’ve seen before. In this case, to deflect investigation of his experiments in harnessing fear energy, Sinestro sets up trainee GL Jessica Cruz for the murder of two fellow rookies. Suspecting the truth, Hal Jordan defies the Corps and retreats to Earth with Jessica to enlist the aid of the Flash, AKA forensic scientist Barry Allen, in proving Jessica’s innocence. Matters are complicated by the Flash having to deal with the Rogues, not to mention the Guardians being tricked by Sinestro into unleashing the Manhunters.

For this film, a lot of the cast involves MCU alumni mixed in with a few others, but ultimately the core of the film is the friendship between Hal and Barry, played by Zac Efron and Lucas Till respectively, while also digging into the character of Jessica Cruz, who in this film run is Hal’s sector partner (bearing in mind the pre-Flashpoint continuity already included Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner, so including Jessica next instead of going back to these characters would be a logical progression).

The Batman (2025) Directed by Andy Serkis

Bruce Wayne/Batman = Brett Dalton

Alfred Pennyworth = Ken Branagh

Lucius Fox = Denzel Washington

James "Jim" Gordon = Robert Downey Jr.

Selina Kyle/Catwoman = Emma Stone

Det. Harvey Bullock = Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Det. Renee Montoya = Selena Gomez

Dr Victor Fries/Mr Freeze = Tom Hiddleston

Nora Freeze = Scarlett Johansson

Ferris Boyle = Leonardo DiCaprio

I have avoided the recent film entitled “The Batman” due to the fact I cannot stand Robert Pattinson, or Robert Prat-inson as I call him, and for reasons beyond just the mere involvement in the vampire-ruining Twilight franchise. As such, while I’m happy to swipe the title of the film into my own DCU, the cast had to undergo some change, along with plot, characters, etc. Long story short, this film takes the basic plot of the Batman animated series episode “Heart of Ice” and expands it into a feature-length film, in part by adding in members of the GCPD and Catwoman. Direction-wise, I opted to take Andy Serkis from the role of Alfred and make him the director, leaving Ken Branagh to play Alfred opposite Brett Dalton, who MCU fans will best know as Agent Grant Ward from the Agents of SHIELD TV series.

For other roles, I’ve gone for a mix of actors, including the likes of Robert Downey Jr, Denzel Washington, Emma Stone, Tom Hiddleston and Scarlett Johansson. Now as a rule, I am not a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio and would not include him in most fancasts. However, having caught bits of The Wolf of Wall Street while channel flicking, I can’t help thinking that he would do well playing the uncaring CEO that is targeted by Hiddleston’s version of Victor Fries for vengeance.

Black Adam (2026) Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Black Adam/Teth-Adam = Sammy Sheik

Jay Garrick/Flash = Jake Gyllenhaal

Diana/Wonder Woman = Jessica Szohr

Steve Trevor = Chris Evans

Carter Hall/Hawkman = Stephen Amell

Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl = Serinda Swan

Wildcat/Ted Grant = David Harbour

Doctor Mid-Nite/Charles McNider = Ioan Gruffudd

Black Canary/Dinah Drake = Sara Paxton

Vandal Savage = Gerard Butler

Per Degaton = Mads Mikkelsen

Baroness Paula Von Gunther = Emma Bading

Dr Psycho/Edgar Cizko = August Diehl

Captain Nazi/Albrech Kreiger = Til Schweiger

How to improve Black Adam as a solo film is simple; less Dwayne Johnson, a bit more Justice Society and better villains, albeit with the same director and a better script. To this end, our Black Adam film shows the title character being released in World War 2-era Khandaq to repel the Nazis, and in so doing he becomes an ally of the Justice Society against a group of Nazi super-villains. The idea is do an homage to the golden age of comics and to Indiana Jones films using the JSA and Black Adam. For casting, Vandal Savage remains the one role not re-cast from the pre-Flashpoint continuity, and I opted to seek an Egyptian actor for the lead role. If Black Adam is meant to come from a middle eastern/north-east African nation, it would make sense to pick someone from that region to play the role and not an American who can only ever play himself.

Martian Manhunter (2026) Directed by Sam Raimi

J'onn J'onzz/John Jones/Martian Manhunter = David Oyelowo

Dr Saul Erdel = John Billingsley

Melissa Erdel = Emily Osment

Amanda Waller = Aisha Tyler

Deadshot/Floyd Lawton = Luke Evans

Captain Boomerang/Digger Harkness = Liam Hemsworth

Harley Quinn = Lily-Rose Depp

Bronze Tiger/Ben Turner = Daniel Kaluuya

Killer Croc/Waylon Jones = Aldis Hodge

Aubrey Sparks/Scorch = Debby Ryan

Bette San Souce/Plastique = Melissa Roxburgh

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen = Boyd Holbrook

Dinah Lance/Black Canary = Emily Wickersham

Arthur Curry/Aquaman = William Moseley

Despite Martian Manhunter being a mainstay member of the Justice League, he doesn’t get much if any attention on a solo basis, so I thought it would be cool to do a version of his origin story in this rebooted DCEU. For director, I chose to go with Sam Raimi of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange MoM fame, while selecting David Oyelowo as J’onn J’onzz. In this film, the scientist who accidentally teleports J’onn across time and space from ancient Mars to present-day Earth is working for Project Cadmus. When he sneaks the confused and traumatised J’onn away to save him, they become the targets of a major manhunt conducted by Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad. Luckily, aid is to be found as J’onn quickly learns about Earth and humanity while on the run. Along with the GL/Flash film, this is a major set-up moment for the later Justice League film.

Zatanna (2026) Directed by Peyton Reed

Zatanna Zatara = Laura Marano

Giovanni "John" Zatara = Pierfrancesco Favino

John Constantine = Will Poulter

Carter Hall II/Hawkman = Robbie Amell

Shiera Hall/Hawkgirl = Italia Ricci

Felix Faust = David Tennant

Neron = Jude Law

Ra's Al Ghul = T.J. Ramini

In the pre-Flashpoint continuity of this DCEU, I gave Constantine a solo film with Zatanna featured as his love interest and equal in magic heroism. This film gives Zatanna the spotlight, effectively reversing the roles. In this case, a few years after the death of her father Zatara at the hands of Felix Faust, Zatanna is roped into mystic heroism again when reincarnated superheroes Hawkman and Hawkgirl are also targeted by Faust. This leads Zatanna on a quest to find out why and stop Faust, along the way reuniting with Constantine and also having to deal with the long-lived Ra’s Al Ghul and the demon Neron. Direction comes from Peyton Reed of Ant-Man fame, and former Disney Channel actress Laura Marano is my pick to play the lead role opposite Will Poulter as Constantine. We also get different actors for the present-day Hawkman and Hawkgirl to fully exploit the reincarnation concept, plus David Tennant and Jude Law in the most major villain roles to really do them justice.

Supergirl/Power Girl: Multiversal Roadtrip (2027) Directed by Reese Witherspoon & Elizabeth Banks

Kara Zor-El/Supergirl = Angourie Rice

Kara Zor-L/Power Girl = Melissa Benoist

Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent = Henry Cavill

Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate = Hugh Laurie

Michael Holt/Mr Terrific = Donald Glover

Owlman/Thomas Wayne Jr. = Dave Franco

Ultraman/Clark Kent = Jamie Dornan

Superwoman/Lois Lane = Gina Carrano

Power Ring/Jordan Harrolds = Alexander Draymon

Johnny Quick = Tom Felton

Manhawk = Ed Skrein

Earth-2 Flash/Jay Garrick = Hayden Christensen

Earth-2 GL/Alan Scott = Chris Pine

Earth-2 Wildcat/Ted Grant = Karl Urban

Earth-2 Black Canary/Dinah Drake = Amanda Seyfreid

Earth-2 Hourman/Rex Tyler = Scott Eastwood

Earth-2 Dr Fate/Khalid Nassour = Rami Malek

Earth-30 Superman = Dmitry Chepovetsky

Earth-30 Lex Luthor = Stanley Tucci

Earth-30 Lois Lane = Courtney Cox

Earth-30 Wonder Woman = Gal Gadot

Earth-30 Batman = Sergei Polunin

Earth-11 Superwoman/Clara Kent = Liv Tyler

Earth-11 Batwoman/Becky Wayne = Mandy Moore

Earth-11 Wonder Man/Dion = Daniel Bruhl

Earth-11 Green Lantern/Jane Stewart = Lupita Nyong'o

Earth-11 Flash/Betty Allen = Kirsten Dunst

Earth-11 Aquawoman/Anna Curry = Laura Haddock

Earth-11 Green Arrow/Olivia Queen = Brooklyn Decker

One of the more interesting ideas that seems to have done the rounds in DC lore is the notion that within a multiversal model, Supergirl and Power Girl are the same person, each from a different universe and with Power Girl as an older iteration of the character. In turn, we also have things like Elseworlds titles that also get folded into the multiversal concept, as well as the whole “evil heroes” alternate reality represented by the Crime Syndicate of Amerika. Now imagine combining all those concepts into one film, and you get the essence of this film. In it, Supergirl runs into Power Girl, who hails from Earth-2 within the new DCEU multiverse, and who is trying to keep ahead of Earth-3 rulers the Crime Syndicate, who are trying to steal something from Power Girl in order to unleash a campaign of multiversal conquest.

While Superman, Doctor Fate and Mr Terrific try to delay the CSA, the two super-women begin a trip across the multiverse to try and figure out how to stop their pursuers. The three universes visited, in no particular order, consist of Earth-2 (Power Girl’s native reality and home to a present-day Justice Society and 1950’s future aesthetic), Earth-30 (based on Superman: Red Son) and Earth-11 (where women are the dominant gender on Earth, resulting in a gender-flipped Justice League). For direction, I picked Reese Witherspoon and Elizabeth Banks as I think if you’re going to do films with strong female leads, you should begin with the directors. Having cast Angourie Rice as Supergirl, I thought it would also be interesting to take Melissa Benoist, AKA Supergirl of the Arrowverse, and put her in the Power Girl role. Gal Gadot also makes an appearance as Earth-30 Wonder Woman in an homage to the real DCEU, bearing in mind that my pre-Flashpoint Wonder Woman was Kate Beckinsale and the post-Flashpoint WW is Jessica Szohr.

Justice League: Year One (2027) Directed by The Russo Brothers

Flash/Barry Allen = Lucas Till

Green Lantern/Hal Jordan = Zac Efron

J'onn J'onzz/John Jones/Martian Manhunter = David Oyelowo

Arthur Curry/Aquaman = William Moseley

Dinah Lance/Black Canary = Emily Wickersham

Snapper Carr = Zachary Gordon

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen = Boyd Holbrook

Mari McCabe/Vixen = Zazie Beetz

Maxwell Lord = Ryan Gosling

Vandal Savage = Gerard Butler

Solomon Grundy = Kevin Nash

Bruce Gordon/Eclipso = Willem Dafoe

Rose Canton/Thorn = Bella Thorne

Matt Hagen/Clayface = Ben Affleck

Vicki Vale = Kristen Stewart

Jack Ryder = Brenton Thwaites

The Brain = Lambert Wilson

Monsieur Mallah = Omar Sy

Laura De Mille/Madame Rouge = Marion Cotilard

Dr Niles Caulder/The Chief = Matt Damon

Clifford Steele/Robot Man = Taylor Kitsch

Larry Trainor/Negative Man = Miles Teller

Rita Farr/Elasti-Girl = Katrina Law

Xotar = Jim Parsons

Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent = Henry Cavill

Lois Lane = Amy Adams

Bruce Wayne/Batman = Brett Dalton

Buddy Baker/Animal Man = Ben Hardy

Capt. Nathanial Adams/Captain Atom = Jake McDorman

Dr Ray Palmer/Atom = Johnny Galecki

Prof. Martin Stein = Jerry O'Connell

Jason Rusch/Firestorm = Isaac Ryan Brown

Booster Gold/Michael Jon Carter = Ross Lynch

Fire/Beatriz Bonilla da Costa = Barbie Ferreira

Ice/Tora Olafsdotter = Thea Sofie Loch Naess

Black Adam/Teth-Adam = Sammy Sheik

Diana/Wonder Woman = Jessica Szohr

Carter Hall II/Hawkman = Robbie Amell

Shiera Hall/Hawkgirl = Italia Ricci

Much like reboots, DC also has a history of putting out mini-series under the Year One sub-title, each of which serves as a definitive origin arc for the hero or team being show-cased for the new continuity. Case-in-point, following the Zero Hero limited series in 1995, which together with Green Lantern: Emerald Twilight and Justice League: The Final Night covered the whole fall and final sacrifice of Hal Jordan, a number of Year One titles came out, including JLA: Year One in 1998. I bought the run in its graphic novel form a while back, and it’s very much the basis for this film. Much like the Year One run, the film focuses on a founding membership that is composed of Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary and Aquaman, but that also encounters a variety of other heroes as they deal with establishing themselves as a team.

As a result, the plot is focused less on a single adversary bringing the team together and more on how this group of heroes develops into a team, going from a collection of solo acts into a team that can inspire other heroes during a final climax. In order to get in all or most of what was in the mini-series, the film will be quite long, and again it’s the Russo Brothers bringing it to life. We also get a fair share of supporting characters and showcasing of new heroes that other films could later call back to, though some are relatively minor in appearance and as such could be easy recasts if needed.

The Many Lives of Wonder Woman (2027) Directed by Patty Jenkins

Diana/Wonder Woman = Jessica Szohr

Steve Trevor = Chris Evans

Jay Garrick/Flash = Jake Gyllenhaal

Carter Hall/Hawkman = Stephen Amell

Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl = Serinda Swan

Wildcat/Ted Grant = David Harbour

Doctor Mid-Nite/Charles McNider = Ioan Gruffudd

Black Canary/Dinah Drake = Sara Paxton

Kung = John Cho

Dr Isabel Maru/Dr Poison = Laura Berlin

Etta Candy = Anna Popplewell

Colonel Phillip Darnell = Tobey Maguire

Rick Tyler/Hourman = Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Jessie Chambers/Liberty Belle = Samara Weaving

Jade Nguyen/Cheshire = Jamie Chung

Richard Dragon = Simu Liu

Nyssa Al Ghul = Brenda Song

Lady Shiva = Kelly Hu

Hellhound = Steven Yeun

King Faraday = Chris Pratt

Rama Khan = Alexander Siddig

Francisco "Cisco" Ramone/Vibe = Carlos Valdes

Red Tornado/John Smith = Teddy Sears

Jeanne-Mari Jiwe/Vixen II = Lashana Lynch

Blue Beetle/Ted Kord = Eddie Redmayne

Dr Julia Kapatelis = Maria Menounos

Vanessa Kapatelis = Mika Abdalla

Barbara Ann Minerva/Cheetah = Daisy Ridley

Black Adam/Teth-Adam = Sammy Sheik

Where Justice League: Year One covers the first year of the Justice League working together, this film shows how Wonder Woman goes from the Justice Society member we saw in the Black Adam film to her cameo in JL:YO. The film basically consists of a series of shorter stories, giving us vignettes of Wonder Woman’s life during different periods of time. More specifically;

-1950’s – The JSA aids US forces in Korea, but becomes increasingly disillusioned about why they’re fighting, especially after government liaison Steve Trevor is killed in action by Kung and Dr Poison, and McCarthyism tries to force the Society into becoming their pawns. Wonder Woman quits the Society and abandons living in the US over this, and the rest of the Society disbands soon after.

-Late 1960’s – Diana is living in London, England and is pursuing a secret same-sex relationship with Etta Candy when she is approached by Colonel Darnell about a mission in Vietnam. Diana and Etta join the mission along with US Government superhero couple Hourman and Liberty Belle against agents of the League of Assassins. During the mission, Diana and Etta find contentment in a local village, and in the aftermath settle there to defend it.

-Early 1990’s – Diana is now living with a dying Etta in Japan when she is approached by Agent King Faraday to lead a group of superheroes to the Middle East as part of the Gulf War. The mission is against Jarhanpur, an ally of Iraq in the war and led by the mystic Rama Khan. While the mission ultimately succeeds, the death of a team-mate and being unable to return to Japan before Etta passes angers Diana, and she warns Faraday that she will no longer answer the calls of the supposed “good guys”, as they have lost sight of what “good” is.

-Late 2020’s – Diana now lives in Washington DC and works with Dr Julia Kapatelis, who together with Julia’s daughter Vanessa keeps the secret of Diana once being Wonder Woman. However, when Diana sees her one-time ally Black Adam helping the superhero response to the alien invasion, she re-dons her Wonder Woman guise and tackles Cheetah, a super-criminal who has escaped prison as a result of the invasion.

The focus of the film is to show the hope in humanity that is the essence of Wonder Woman, as although she keeps trying to withdraw from the world she came to during the 1940’s, Diana believes enough in humanity to come back and fight for that world. Again, Patty Jenkins who directed the real DCEU Wonder Woman films is directing, and we add quite a few characters in on top of the roles reprised from the Black Adam film.

Outsiders (2028) Directed by Ryan Coogler

Bruce Wayne/Batman = Brett Dalton

Brion Markov/Geo-Force = David Kross

Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning = Tosin Cole

Rex Mason/Metamorpho = Alden Ehrenreich

Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana = Sophie Oda

Emily Briggs/Looker = Madeline Brewer

Baron Bedlam = Matthias Schweighöfer

Dr Helga Jace = Marika Domińczyk

General Karnz = Thomas Kretschmann

Count Vertigo/Werner Zytle = Max Riemelt

Anatoli Knyazev/KGBeast = Ilia Volok

James "Jim" Gordon = Robert Downey Jr.

While the Outsiders aren’t a group that I’m hugely familiar with, having used them as just supporting/guest characters in the Batman/Superman film of our pre-Flashpoint films, I thought they should get another of the post-Flashpoint spotlight films. In this film, Batman works with Geo-Force to form the Outsiders when rogue elements of the latter’s country threaten a coup that could cause a major international crisis. In this case, I’ve picked Ryan Coogler of Black Panther fame to direct because of how well he seems to do getting people to build up fictionalised nations, and for a lot of the castings, I’m looking more at getting people of the right regional origins to play key roles to aid in that world-building. As a result, the film is less star-studded than most by mainstream Hollywood definitions, but better the right names than big names in some cases.

Superman vs The Elite (2028) Directed by Jon Watts

Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent = Henry Cavill

Lois Lane = Amy Adams

Manchester Black = Matt Smith

Nathan Jones/Coldcast = Michael B. Jordan

"Pamela"/Menagerie = Ana De Armas

Rampotatek/The Hat = Ken' ichi Matsuyama

Vera Black = Emma Watson

Perry White = Forest Whittaker

Jimmy Olsen = Caleb McLaughlin

Cat Grant = Katie Cassidy

Steve Lombard = Evan Peters

Capt. Maggie Sawyer = Mena Suvari

Insp. Turpin = Dylan Moran

Martha Kent = Julianne Moore

Jonathan Kent = Tim Robbins

Senator Baxter = Will Smith

Terrence Baxter = Jaden Smith

Joseph Martin/Atomic Skull = Joseph Baena

While Superman solo comics have never been something I’ve really delved into a DC superhero fan, one that I did enjoy as part of a Justice League graphic novel was “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?” The story, which DC and WB later adapted into an animated film entitled Superman vs The Elite, involves Superman meeting a group of metahumans called The Elite who operate as anti-heroes, killing their opponents rather than focusing on saving lives, etc. The group ultimately comes to blows with Superman in a way that establishes why Superman’s morality not only remains relevant, but is actually preferable to the kind of lethal force anti-heroes use. The story was the ultimate retort to the rise of the anti-hero in comics during the 1980’s and 1990’s, and based on comments made by Zach Snyder, I’m guessing he never read it or saw the film version.

Given all of this, I thought my alternate DCEU should include a film adaptation of this story for live-action cinema audiences. I picked Jon Watts to direct this one based on his work on the MCU Spider-Man films, specifically No Way Home which dealt in part with the idea of divided perspectives on key events, as well as choosing to help people versus solving the problem quickly. Much of the cast is retained from our Man of Tomorrow film, with the Elite, Senator Baxter, his son and Atomic Skull all being the new characters, and of course influenced by the animated adaptation from DC/WB home animation. This, in turn, is why the Smiths are in the film; it gives us a chance to see art imitate life slightly by having a real-world father and son play a fictional father and son.

Justice League Dark (2028) Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Diana/Wonder Woman = Jessica Szohr

Bruce Wayne/Batman = Brett Dalton

John Constantine = Will Poulter

Zatanna Zatara = Laura Marano

Boston Brand/Deadman = Mark Whalberg

Jason Blood/Etrigan = Aneurin Barnard/Idris Elba

Alec Holland/Swamp Thing = Adam Joseph Copeland

Circe = Hayley Atwell

Dr Psycho II/Edgar Cizko III = Patrick Schwarzenegger

Felix Faust = David Tennant

Klarion = Beau Hart

Jason Woodrue/Floronic Man = Martin Starr

Papa Midnite = John Boyega

Flash/Barry Allen = Lucas Till

Green Lantern/Hal Jordan = Zac Efron

J'onn J'onzz/John Jones/Martian Manhunter = David Oyelowo

Arthur Curry/Aquaman = William Moseley

Dinah Lance/Black Canary = Emily Wickersham

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen = Boyd Holbrook

Mari McCabe/Vixen = Zazie Beetz

Snapper Carr = Zachary Gordon

The Justice League Dark is a spin-off/sub-team of the Justice League dealing in mystical and supernatural threats that the main team lacks the powers or expertise to deal with, and this film allows us to put them into a live-action film-verse. The idea here is that the main League is incapacitated by a group of supernatural villains, led by long-time Wonder Woman adversary Circe. Needing a team but lacking the means to find everyone she needs due to her long time out of superhero work, Diana recruits Gotham’s dark knight detective to aid her in assembling the Justice League Dark. Direction of this film is something I’d grant to Ken Branagh based on his work on Thor and A Haunting in Venice.

As you can see, these last few films get us as far as 2028, so basically four years from now, and that’s why this alternate DCEU goes as far as it does. If it was to go further, though, where might I consider taking it? That’s something I’m not entirely sure of, but I think there are some plotlines I’d want to adapt into films that haven’t yet been covered, such as Death in the Family for the Batman line of films, the Sinestro War to Blackest Night/Brightest Day arc from Green Lantern lore, and maybe a run of Hawkman/Hawkgirl films instead of just the one-shot I gave them in the pre-Flashpoint phases. I’d probably also like to do more multiversal stuff to maybe build up to an eventual second reboot or final conclusion based on the Crisis on Infinite Earths story arc. I know DC and WB are currently doing this for home animation in terms of real film releases, but they’re not doing well keeping the same format available for each film’s release when it comes to disc-based copies.

In any event, that’s it for this alternate film universe, but still about three phases of 90’s-based MCU to go, and I may consider fan-casting another film franchise, or even a TV one, to keep things alternated. Anyway, until my next monthly ramble, ta-ta for now.

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beyondthetemples-ooc · 8 months ago

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I've been thinking about this for Weeks, but honestly I'm not one with a very long list of Favorite Movies. /^w^';

A few suggestions I've thought up under the cut!

So one underappreciated movie I really like is Powder. It has a pretty emotionally intense scene with animal death in it, it's a fairly important plot point. So we'd want to check with Mags on that one. But it's a really unique movie! Very bittersweet. Tugs the heartstrings for outcast and mystical reasons. Really interesting take on how death works.

I was a big fan of Covenant, though I haven't seen it since I first watched it and I'd be interested in seeing if I Still like it as much!

And the Crow movies. I think the first is probably the best, but aren't there four of them? I don't think I ever watched the fourth one! Death is, of course, a theme, so want to check with Siren if that's okay.

If we're in the mood for horror: Insidious is my favorite horror movie! Maybe around Halloween time? ;P The plot is basically Astral Adventures to Save a Family. I relate to it more than you should be able to relate to a horror movie.

Constantine (the one with Keanu Reeves) is one of my favorites. I like it more as a standalone than as an adaption of the character it was based on, because I saw it before I knew the character's comics, but it's still a cool movie about magic! (Has some cancer content though, so I'm not sure if that's great for Siren.)

Though if we want to watch a series, the Constantine series that came out like 7 years ago is a lot more like the comic character and also great. ;P (Do you like magic? Do you like asshole protagonists who undergo Character Development but never change their personality? Then Constantine might be for you!)

Speaking of John Constantine, we can always watch the animated Justice League Dark movie! It's in the same verse/continuity as Justice League vs. Teen Titans. (Which I am ALWAYS down to watch again!~) I'm not sure how you guys feel about mystical superheroes that AREN'T Raven, but I love it so much!

And then there's JLD: Apokolips War, the ending of that series of movies, but that one's both rambunctiously fun and really dismal at the end. Also has a full-on emeto trigger, but I've memorized where it happens so I know to take my headphones off and look away. But They Let Raven Say Fuck!

And we could always go back to our roots and watch Pokemon or Teen Titans. ;P I'd just have to be in the right headspace to watch the Darkrai movie. But there are lots of Pokemon movies I haven't seen, and I'm always, ALWAYS down to watch Teen Titans!

I have. No Idea how available these things are on streaming services, though. I've always watched DVDs or Flown the Jolly Roger. (Technically I did have paid access to the DC streaming service but they closed that one down years ago!)

@chasm-connected @sirenianheart @beyondthetemples-ooc

So. I had an idea!

Rae and I had a movie night last month over Discord; we both streamed it separately and chatted via text throughout.

Would y'all be interested in maybe setting up a discord server just for the four of us for a movie night? I think it would let one of us stream directly via screen-share that way? I have Netflix and Disney so we can watch a good selection of things!!

Tho my netflix is UK based, so not everything will be there.

Lemme know c:

#friends

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ectonurites · 4 years ago

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idk how to quote tags on mobile where is the conner kent essay i NEED it

ALRIGHT OKAY! here’s 5k+ words plus panels & screenshots of me comparing and contrasting the two drastically different versions of Superboy (comics vs young justice cartoon) and going over what makes them such distinctly separate characters. someday i’ll refine this a bit more its kinda just a word dump that’s been living in my brain that i wanted to actually articulate after i read through Reign of the Supermen but here we go:

Pretty frequently I see the question “Why is Superboy so different in the Young Justice cartoon?” float around in DC circles. I think there are two main approaches to answering this:

Why did the writers of the cartoon decide to create a very different version of Superboy?

What factors make this Superboy so different from the comic version?

For the first approach the answer is relatively straight-forward, from the start Young Justice as a cartoon was never meant to be a direct adaptation of the comics. They just used the title and a few elements so they could create their own approach to the DC universe with a focus on younger heroes. For example, Artemis Crock in their show is also COMPLETELY different from her comic counterpart, Zatanna is aged way down to be a member of the teen team, and Kaldur’ahm was created for this show (and integrated into the comics as Jackson Hyde). They were always trying to do different things than the main comics universe, so them making a different version of Conner also makes sense. Their approach to him is also very clearly influenced more by how he appeared in the Teen Titans comic run that was still coming out as Young Justice started airing (his design, and some other elements we’ll discuss along the way), as opposed to his original version from the 90′s/the Young Justice comic.

So the basic “why” is that from the start they wanted to create something unique to their universe, which they definitely did accomplish.

The much more interesting subject to dive into, though, is looking at the differences in Superboy’s story that contribute to him becoming such a different person.

The drastic changes made to the following factors are what I view as the main source of his differences in personality/outlook/characterization:

The conditions and history of the world at the time he is introduced

The circumstances around him being introduced/leaving Cadmus

The reaction Clark has to him and how their relationship starts

The people he first interacted with & became close to, and how he interacts with the world

The timing of him finding out about his connection to Luthor

The State of the Worlds

In the comics, Superboy is first introduced in Adventures of Superman #500 by iconically saying “Don’t ever call me Superboy!”

during a 1993 event called “Reign of the Supermen”, a follow up to the 1992 event “The Death of Superman”. Based on the title of the 1992 event, I think you can, uh, guess what one major difference in the setting here was vs. the state of the world at the time he was introduced in the cartoon. Obviously Clark didn’t stay dead forever, but Superboy first comes onto the scene as a young clone of Superman who insists he is the new Superman (one of the four characters trying to do so during the event). This is in the main DC universe in the early 90’s, which means that heroes in general, including teen heroes, aren’t a new thing! Not only has the Justice League been around for a while but so has the Teen Titans. Once Clark is alive again, Superboy goes off on his own to establish himself as an individual teen hero.

So how is that different in the cartoon?

In the cartoon, Superboy is first introduced in the pilot episodes “Independence Day” and “Fireworks”

on the 4th of July in (what most people consider to be) 2010. This was supposed to be the day that Robin (Dick Grayson), Speedy (Roy Harper), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Aqualad (Kaldur’ahm) would get to see the true Justice League HQ at the Hall of Justice, which... doesn’t go exactly as planned.

In this world, superheroes are a newer thing, this is something that the creators have talked about before. At this point, while there is an established Justice League, there are no known teams of teen superheroes. Just the fact that as of season one Dick Grayson is still Robin is a pretty good indicator that this world is early in it’s time with a Batman. Now, the sidekicks aren’t a secret, as they appear very publicly in this first episode, but they are almost always seen acting with their mentors at this point. Again, there is no Teen Titans in this setting, and there never has been.

So when they do form the first teen hero team? It is kept covert-ops. They do not publicize that they act as a superhero team, and the members who weren’t already publicly known heroes (mainly Miss Martian and Superboy) end up being pretty… unknown to a lot of the world outside the hero/villain community! Again their existence is not strictly kept a secret, but they keep the fact that there’s a team of minors who are heroes going on independent missions VERY under the radar on purpose. Thus, those who aren’t going around doing super public hero activities just don’t have nearly as much of a presence.

So to summarize:

In the comics, Superboy is immediately put in a spotlight (he befriends a reporter and is all over tv and literally trademarks the name Superman) becoming known to the world and establishes himself as a solo acting hero YEARS before joining any teams.

In the cartoon, Superboy is kept relatively out of the spotlight, immediately becomes part of a covert-ops team and doesn’t act solo very often. The well known teen heroes in this setting are sidekicks working under a mentor, and Superboy does not actually act as a sidekick.

What does this mean for Superboy?

Superboy in the comics gets to, right away, act on his own and get a taste of what being Superman is like. In the cartoon, he’s brought into the world at a time where there already is a Superman. I think back to this bit from the therapy episode, where he says:

“See, from the moment I first opened my eyes in that Cadmus pod, there’s been one thing I’ve wanted, and feared. To know what it is to be Superman.”

Comics Superboy started out getting to do that! He immediately got a shot at filling that role, and he then makes the choice to relinquish it back to the original once he’s alive again. He (begrudgingly at first) understood that it wasn’t yet his time to be Superman, and knows he’ll someday fill those shoes for real- but in the meantime being Superboy is gonna be his own thing and he’ll embrace it and make it work.

Cartoon Superboy is left in a shadow, not ever truly knowing what it’s like to fill those shoes (except in a doomsday scenario training exercise gone awry that he then just feels intense guilt over). This leaves him a lot more frustrated and lost, and I think is a major contributor to how angry this version of Superboy is compared to his much more ‘chill go with the flow’ attitude in the comics.

Cadmus

In the comics, in that same issue he’s introduced, we find out that Superboy broke out of his cloning tube prematurely and left Cadmus with the assistance of the second Newsboy Legion, who also gave him his first leather jacket, before the programming that would allow Cadmus to control him was implemented.

He quickly gets up to speed with the situation, that Clark is dead. So he comes on the scene starting to save people and saying he is Superman, or at least the clone of the original one. A major thing that does influence his character here is the fact that… this is the 90’s. He is designed around the idea of what is ‘cool’ back in 1993. (look, even his original character design sheets call him cool)

So right off the bat he’s got a stereotypical ‘cool teen guy in that era’ personality, which is often played for comedy to add a little lightness to some of the dark things happening during this event.

Anyways, he has left Cadmus, he’s acting on his own, and he starts realizing that his powers aren’t exactly the same as Superman’s over the course of the Reign of the Supermen story.

After the main conflict is settled and Clark is fully alive and acting as Superman again, the two of them end up going back to Cadmus to find out what the exact deal is with him. I’ll go into this more in a later point, but they find out he’s not exactly a clone of Superman (or Lex- him being actually involved as a DNA donor is a retcon that happened a decade later). They agree to let someone from Cadmus (Dubbilex- the grey guy with the horns in this pic) leave Metropolis with him, as he sets out on a press tour to establish himself as Superboy now that he relinquished the trademark on the Superman name back to Clark.

Let’s pause and look at how this is different in the cartoon.

In the cartoon, when the trio of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad decide to prove themselves to their mentors they run off on their own to attend to a fire at Project Cadmus when the Justice League got called off to do something else. Upon arriving, they accidentally uncover some weird things about Cadmus, like the crazy amount of sublevels, the creatures roaming around, and the fact that it’s not on the main power grids. They eventually find Superboy, still in his cloning tube. They break him out, but then get captured themselves.

When they are then put into tubes by Cadmus personnel, they manage to convince Superboy to help free them by promising him things like getting to meet Superman, and see the moon. The group of four now working together manages to escape from the building and it topples down, where they are then greeted by the Justice League who are Not Happy.

Superman flies away shortly after, and the group of kids explain to their remaining mentors that sure, they disobeyed orders, but they accomplished something good here, and they are going to keep doing it, whether the League likes it or not. The compromise is the formation of The Team, to be covert-ops while the Justice League acts publicly, and the boys are joined by Miss Martian.

So to summarize:

In the comics, Superboy leaves Cadmus pretty independently (with some assistance) to go act on his own as a hero immediately. He returns to Cadmus later for more information, and they reveal truths to him about his existence. After he knows his truth, he goes off to continue establishing himself as a solo hero but lets Cadmus still supervise what he’s doing through Dubbilex.

In the cartoon, Superboy is rescued from Cadmus by Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, without knowing pretty much anything about himself besides the fact that he is a clone of Superman, and is immediately put on the covert ops team.

What it means for Superboy:

Comic Superboy goes to act on his own, even after he admits he’s not the real Superman anymore. Yes he’s not 100% alone in terms of ‘he’s got people (Rex, Roxy, Dubbilex, Tana) around him’, but as a hero he’s a solo act and ends up taking residence in Hawaii. In the cartoon, by joining a team right away, he’s taking on a very different style of being a hero, especially because the team itself is covert-ops. Rather than regularly saving the day all on his own much like Superman, which can help comic Superboy feel like he’s still living up to the name more, cartoon Superboy is working under the radar in a group setting, while still wanting to desperately fill those Superman shoes.

He is overconfident in his abilities and wants to be the hero he was created to be, so him being put into this very different type of superhero situation is another major contributor to the frustration/anger. Even later on when comics Superboy is part of forming the Young Justice team, they were never a secret covert-ops team, they were always publicly known. (hell, a reporter is the one who gave them the team name Young Justice because he’d misheard Bart)

Superboy & Superman

In the comics, as we have established, Clark was dead at the time Superboy first came on the hero scene. Clark comes back to life, during a little bit of a lull in the middle of the huge conflict. He immediately accepts that Superboy is one of four who came forward to try to replace him, and one of the only two (Superboy & Steel) who genuinely only had good intentions in doing so. Clark, Steel, Supergirl, Hal Jordan, and Superboy then all work together in the big battle against the Cyborg Superman.

Once things are settled, Clark is curious about him, and where he came from and his origin, so they end up going to Cadmus together with Guardian and learning more about him, as I previously mentioned. Once it is established that Superboy is in fact a metahuman clone who was created to mimic Superman, but is not actually a clone of him, Superman still accepts him and thinks he’s earned his right to continue using the ’S’ shield and have the name of Superboy.

They part ways so Superboy can go on his press tour, but in general they have pretty positive interactions where they mutually respect each other! Not too much later in the comics even (I forget exaaactly when this happens but it’s definitely before the 1998 Young justice comic), Superman is the first one to give Superboy a real name, “Kon-El”, something he is so happy about he literally cries.

How is this different in the cartoon?

When the boys first escaped, and Superboy first meets the Justice League, Clark is standoffish. Other members of the league need to nudge him over to go actually talk to Superboy, and it’s not much of a conversation before he flies off and away, leaving Superboy frustrated and alone.

This… turns into the standard for almost the entire first season. Other characters constantly telling Clark that he needs to reach out and be support for the boy (like in this iconic diner scene with Bruce and Clark), but Clark consistently being too freaked out by the fact that someone made a clone of him without his knowledge to properly accept Conner. While this does over time get better, this being the immediate reaction when Superboy is brand new in the world definitely… has an impact!

He is rejected by the person he idolizes, and feels neglected and abandoned, and definitely kinda overcompensates with ego to try to make up for it.

So:

In the comics, Superman and Superboy work together from the start, not falling into a hero/sidekick situation but rather acknowledging each other as individual heroes with respect for one another. They grow to see each other as family much faster, and little tension between them. A crucial difference in situations, though, is that at the time these versions first meet Superboy is not actually a clone of Superman.

In the cartoon, Superman at first avoids Superboy, and does not offer guidance or mentorship or anything the boy needs. It is clear that he wants to work with Superman and be like him, since it was what he was created to do. It takes a lot of time for Clark to accept Conner in this setting, and there is a lot of tension for the first several months Conner exists. (they seem to settle this towards the end of season 1/during the gap between season 2, but it still has it’s impact on who Conner is early in his life)

What does this mean?

I feel like this is another major factor that contributes to Conner being so angry all the time in the cartoon, he feels immediately rejected by the person he’s supposed to be someday, rather than accepted by him. Again, very different from how comics Superboy got a chance to be Superman, and a chance to then work with the real deal as equals.

Friendships, Relationships and Identity

When Superboy is freed by the second Newsboy Legion, it’s primarily out of a ‘we’re clones who are stuck here, but you need to be out there, you’re what Metropolis needs right now!’ kind of idea. The first person he actually becomes close to is a reporter named Tana Moon.

Tana and Superboy’s relationship is… bad once it actually becomes romantic due to their huge age difference (she’s around 23, he is for all intents and purposes 16), but during the Reign of the Supermen where they’re still just friends for the most part, it’s not as bad. Tana becomes the GBS correspondent who focuses on everything Superboy (at this time still insisting he is the new Superman) is doing as a hero, and they become close friends.

GBS then also brings in Rex Leech (and his daughter Roxy) to be his agent, to promote Superboy and manage things for him. Rex is exploitative as hell, but Roxy does become another really important person to Superboy. These characters along with Dubbilex are his main supporting cast at the start of his solo comic when he’s in Hawaii.

In this whole era, Superboy is pretty much a celebrity. He’s cool, he’s a superhero, and I think it’s very notable he does not have a secret Identity. For a decent chunk of time, he is always just ‘Superboy’ (until, as I mentioned earlier, Clark gives him the name Kon-El. Even so, he doesn’t adopt a regular secret identity [Conner Kent, although he actually used a different one, Carl Grummett, before that!] until he begins living with the Kents in the early 2000s). By the time he joins any teams, Kon is pretty damn confident in who he is as a hero and has a relatively good grasp on who he is in general, if anything he’s a little too confident.

Young Justice was created in the aftermath of World Without Grown Ups when the trio of Superboy, Robin (Tim Drake) and Impulse (Bart Allen) had teamed up. After they saved the day they realized they worked well together and formed their team, utilizing the old Justice League base in Mount Justice. They were eventually joined by more members, especially relevant here is Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark) who Kon later dates for a portion of the Teen Titans run that these four are in after Young Justice ends.

The four of them become close, and when Kon dies during Infinite Crisis it rips a hole in everything they had established growing up together over the past several years (Cassie joins a cult dedicated to bringing him back, Tim tries to clone a new Kon, Bart got aged up and took on the mantle of the Flash, etc) and Bart’s death that followed similarly shook the remaining Cassie and Tim. This group eventually does get to reunite, with Kon and Bart coming back during Final Crisis, solidifying how even things like death don’t keep them apart for long. It’s hard to look at the comic book versions of these four characters and imagine how they would be without their connections to each other... until you look at the YJ cartoon and see a world where they’re not even all part of the same generation, let alone a friend group.

Now in the cartoon…

The first people Conner primarily interacts with are Dick, Wally, Kaldur, and M’gann, along with the League members who interact with The Team pretty regularly, Red Tornado, Batman, and Black Canary. He’s shown to be friends with the other memebers of the team and get along with them relatively well, but in general he’s not much of a social person.

Much like in the comics, Superboy is considered very attractive, and immediately upon their meeting, M’gann is interested in him. Very, very interested in him.

At first it definitely does seem more just like an innocent crush, but it’s later revealed to be a little more… concerning than that. As in ‘Megan subtlety influencing Superboy to become her dream boyfriend based on a TV show she likes’ concerning. Like… she literally gives him the name ‘Conner’ after the TV show character that was the boyfriend of the character she bases her human self and entire identity on. The two date and once that becomes a thing, a lot of their plot lines in the following seasons revolve around the ups and downs of their relationship.

In general in this show, Superboy doesn’t really get much of a chance to establish himself on his own terms. Within months of him leaving his cloning pod, he and M’gann start going to high school with secret identities, so he’s already having to hide who he truly is to blend in with other people, before he even knows who he truly is.

So to compare:

In the comics, Superboy gets to figure out who he is as Superman’s Clone/Superboy very publicly, has multiple love interests and a celebrity status, and over time becomes part of a tight-knit group of friends. He doesn’t use a regular secret identity for the first several years he’s active.

In the cartoon, Superboy has one love interest with a very large impact on him, not nearly as much focus is given to his other friendships, and he immediately adopts a secret identity meaning he needs to hide who he is from the start.

What it means:

These factors play a big difference in his attitude, particularly highlighting how extroverted his comic version is and how introverted his cartoon version is. Comic Superboy never really needed to hide who he was until years into his career, vs being told to do so early on in his life. When you get used to needing to hide things so early, that can definitely lead to being more private/disconnected from others. Also somewhat related- in the comics, when Kon is given knowledge in his cloning tube, more pop culture got included. He mentions knowing Star Wars without having seen it, and references a ton of TV and Movies, vs the cartoon version of him that seems to have been given a lot of history of the world but not the current fun stuff. It’s the difference between knowing what’s going on in the world and what’s popular, vs only knowing the past and what’s fundamental. Not knowing pop culture like this can also really contribute to feeling alienated and lead to introversion. (I just... I think about how in the comics Kon’s favorite TV show is Wendy The Werewolf Stalker, in the cartoon Conner just... watches white noise static)

Also, having a completely different set of friends with different personalities has a big effect, people are always gonna be influenced by the people they’re close to to some extent. Bumping Conner up to Dick’s generation of heroes instead of Tim’s not only gives him completely different friends, but it also puts him in this position of being one of the ‘Original Team Members’. By this I mean, a member of the first iteration of the only teen team, one of the people that younger heroes coming onto the scene and joining the team in later seasons see as an experienced and older team member to look up to (despite the fact that cartoon Conner is permanently 16- they never fixed that for him like in the comics). That just creates a different dynamic entirely, because in the comics even when the Tim/Kon/Cassie/Bart group are more experienced on their team late in the Teen Titans run, they are still always going to have heroes like Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Wally West etc as the older generation of ‘original teen heroes’ who came before them.

Also, while I am talking mostly about in-universe reasoning here, I do wanna bring up one slightly more meta reason that might also have contributed to them choosing to go for a more ‘introverted brooding hero’ characterization with him: the fact that their version of Wally already filled the ‘flirty jokey’ archetype original Comics Kon fits into. Having two characters like that in the show from the start would definitely get... overwhelming. And at the time this show was first airing, in the comics, he was relatively devoted to Cassie and not nearly as flirty anymore anyways.

Lex Luthor / Details of Cloning

In the comics, as I have already mentioned and will now actually explain, when Superboy was first introduced he was not the clone of Superman and Lex Luthor as we know him to be today. Kon was a metahuman clone, made with the DNA of Paul Westfield who worked at Cadmus, that they genetically altered to look like Superman, and gave powers based on the energy aura they discovered to exist around Clark’s dead body. This telekinetic field gave Kon the distinct powers he had for his first decade of existence: His Tactile Telekinesis (often referred to by him as TTK)

Lex Luthor was originally not directly involved in his creation, but he was aware that it was going on as is revealed during the Reign of the Supermen arc. Kon’s TTK allowed him to mimic Superman’s flight and strength, but not all of his powers. TTK also gave him powers Superman DOESN’T have, such as his ability to dismantle machinery or mold materials he is touching into different shapes. (The reason this is called Tactile Telekinesis is because there needs to be a tactile element, he needs to be touching the things)

It is not until 2003, a decade after Superboy was created, that writer Geoff Johns in his Teen Titans run decided to alter Superboy’s origin. He established that Lex Luthor had been the real human DNA donor and that Superman’s Kryptonian DNA was actually used in the cloning process. Around this time, Conner also begins to exhibit more of the typical Kryptonian powers, like Clark did around this age.

This information is at first only known by Conner and Tim, because the email had actually been sent to Tim directly. The two keep it a secret as Conner was not ready to tell the rest of the team, because he fears the implications it has, and is afraid of becoming evil or being rejected. This revelation about Lex being one of his ‘parents’ DNA-wise coming years into his hero career changes a lot of things for Conner, and makes him begin to question who he is. Unfortunately, Lex does at one point take control of Conner and force him to break Tim’s arm and attack Cassie directly (as well as the rest of the team, but these two specifically are what Conner expresses the most guilt over after the fact). This era of Conner in the comics is where he’s definitely closest to his cartoon counterpart, because he’s very troubled and dealing with a lot of heavy stuff regarding himself as a person. Yet there’s still traces of who he has always been in there. I mean, if you’re only familiar with cartoon Conner, can you really imagine his final words as he’s dying after saving the world being “Isn’t it cool?”

Now, looking at the cartoon…

Conner finds out about his connection to Lex in November, only a few months after having existed outside of a cloning tube. He finds it out on his own, from Lex speaking to him directly, after Conner went back to investigate the remains of Cadmus and ended up having a fight with Match (another clone who is able to pass for Conner’s duplicate who they… their version of Match is another thing they drastically changed from the comic version but as we’ve established that’s something they like to do so I’m not gonna dwell on it).

In the cartoon, Conner’s powerset is, from the start, different from both Superman and comic Superboy. Here he has heightened senses and strength and the ability to leap really far, but he lacks actual flight and some of the other standard Kryptonian powers, and has no TTK. The cartoon explains these gaps in his powers as being due to his half human DNA, and they introduce these patches that are able to suppress his human DNA and give him temporary access to full powers. Lex uses these patches as a way to manipulate him. Much like in the comics, Lex has a code word programmed into Conner that effects him, although it isn’t quite used for the same amount of ‘total mind control’, and he doesn’t get fully brainwashed and turn against the team or anything. Instead, the code word (here “Red Sun” rather than “Aut vincere, aut mori” [Translated as “to conquer or die" / "victory or death”]) just leaves him stuck in a hypnotic trance.

So:

In the comics, Kon finds out after years of believing he was a metahuman clone who was given powers to mimic Superman, that he is actually a clone of Lex Luthor and Superman, which alters his entire perspective on himself! This causes him to become a lot more unsure and anxious about who he is, in stark contrast with how confident he was before. There are still traces of his old self within him, but this is a development in his character that influences him moving forward, making him a bit more serious but still at his core the same person he used to be.

In the cartoon, Conner finds out after months of thinking he was a clone of just Superman, that he has half human DNA and the donor was Lex Luthor. While he always had confidence in his abilities, he was still somewhat lost as a person in knowing who he really was outside of things other people have assigned to him (teammate, boyfriend, superhero, etc), and finding out this information about himself just adds to the uncertainty and frustration.

What it means:

Having this struggle be something Conner has to deal with so early in his existence is one of the most fundamental changes in my opinion. Finding out that Lex Luthor is one of your clone parents is something that will alter your entire perception of yourself and who you are! In the comics, Conner had already been confident in who he was so it shakes his world in a really big way, but in the cartoon he still didn’t know who he really was so it just adds to further confusion.

I think that even with the more serious characterization Kon starts getting in the 2003 Teen TItans run, his history and past as the fun cool 90′s Metropolis Kid isn’t entirely forgotten, it’s still a part of who he is/was. Sure, maybe he’s sometimes even embarrassed by how he used to be, but it’s not treated as though it didn’t happen. All of his history comes together to create the character and who he is by the time he wears just a T shirt as a costume.

By skipping over the fun era of his life and jumping right into who he was when he started facing these huge changes, it creates such a completely different set of challenges for him and that contributes directly to how he’s characterized.

Putting it all together

The ultimate point I am trying to reach in all of this is that, beyond just ‘they made a writing choice to make him different’ the environment that Superboy was brought into and the events that took place right when he came into the world greatly influenced the type of character he would become. Every time an adaptation is made of something like comics, there are going to be changes and alterations to fit the world the creators want to make. Sometimes these changes are minor and don’t actually change who a character is (an example for the YJ cartoon’s universe itself: In the tie-in comics [issue 6] it’s established in this universe that the Flying Graysons weren’t just Dick and his parents, but other family members were active parts of it too. One was an uncle also named Richard, who actually survived the fall that killed the rest of his family but was left paralyzed and thus unable to care for him. This uncle already used the nickname ‘Rick’ which is likely why Dick ended up using ‘Dick’ as a name in a modern setting even though it has fallen out of popularity as a nickname because uh, connotations. This is something that is mostly unique to their world and helps to explain some things, but it’s not like tragically losing a few more family members changed their version of Dick and his backstory that drastically. At his core, he still has many similarities to his comic self) but they’re still changes, and that’s okay. Superboy, though, is such an extreme case where they made so many changes that at his core he really does become a completely separate character. Sure he has the name and design, but I was able to write five thousand words about differences here and am struggling to come up with more similarities beyond that.

I think there still could be specks of the original Superboy buried inside cartoon Conner, and that maybe he could have been more like his original version under other circumstances. Looking at these differences and where they come from is, I think, a cool way to begin to understand what elements contribute to who each version of Conner Kent really is. I think it’s clear from how I wrote this that I prefer the comic version, but there are definitely things that are fun to look at and think about with both.

if u read all of this UH thanks for listenin to me ramble! sorry if this is incomprehensibe!

#rainbowroadimpulse #sam writes #conner kent #superboy

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opheliawillowbrook · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020), Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016), Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Movies - Nolan), Hamlet - Shakespeare, Hamlet - All Media Types, Teen Titans (Comics), Red Hood: Lost Days, Robin (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Raven/Damian Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd/Rose Wilson, Raven & Rose Wilson, Damian Wayne & Rose Wilson, Jon Lane Kent & Damian Wayne, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Talia al Ghul/Slade Wilson, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Talia al Ghul/Jason Todd, Alfred Pennyworth & Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Raven, Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Ra's al Ghul & Damian Wayne Characters: Damian Wayne, Raven (DCU), Talia al Ghul, Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd, Rose Wilson, Slade Wilson, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Jonathan Kent, Barbara Gordon, Tara Markov, Zachary Zatara, Selina Kyle, Donna Troy, Garfield Logan, Jaime Reyes Additional Tags: Damian is Hamlet, DamiRae - Freeform, dc shakespeare, based off hamlet, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Eventual Smut, Smut, References to Shakespeare, Shakespeare Quotations, References to Hamlet, Inspired by Hamlet, Demon birds, Nothing Band, Musical References, Authorship Question, Angst, Tragedy, Angst and Tragedy, Tragic Romance, Betrayal, Murder, Murder Husbands Summary:

After the brutal death of his grandfather, Damian is brought to America to meet his estranged father, Bruce Wayne. Years later, having grown to love and respect the Dark Knight who raised him, Damian’s world shatters with the untimely death of his father. Overcome with grief and spiraling into self-destruction, Damian becomes haunted by the ghosts of the past and the nightmares of the present. When his mother’s new marriage feels like a cold betrayal, he uncovers a shocking truth—one so dark and dangerous it threatens to unravel everything he holds dear. A DC fueled reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, this story explores love, loss, and the devastating consequences of hidden truths.

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strangeduckpaper · 3 years ago

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Teen Titans Prologue Misc. Headcanons

The Teen Titans are definitely the most significant roster of teen heroes & sidekicks, but in E136, they weren’t the first young heroes of the new age.

Supergirl-Kara Zor L

- Appearance based off of Sasha Calle from the DCEU

- Arrived on Earth with her little sibling Jor

- Didn’t adjust to Earth too well at first, so she was private schooled

- Friends/Love interests with Lena Luthor, also friends with Jimmy Olsen, Winslow Schott Jr, Lucy Lane and surprisingly, Cat Grant.

- Owner of Krypto, the last full blooded Kryptonian Wolfhound. Real dog person.

Batgirl-Kate Kane

- Trans, and very lesbian

- Around 7 years younger than Bruce.

- Became the first Batgirl after the accidental death of Jacob Kane by the Court of Owls when he saved Bruce. This is in addition to losing her mother & twin sister in a kidnapping situation.

- Personality and first costume based off of Barbara Gordon from the 2004 Batman TV series, but more sarcastic & acerbic from her traumas

- Becomes Batwoman in her second year of college, and actually ends up running with the Sentinels of Magic(E136 Justice League Dark)

- Eventually marries Renee Montoya, and actually fosters Tim Drake instead of Bruce.

Oracle-Barbara Gordon

- Never Batgirl in E136

- Adopted by her uncle James Gordon after the death of her parents in the same car accident that paralyzed her.

- Becomes a white hat hacker while in recovery, takes the codename Oracle

- Managed to hack into the experimental Gotham security system, but managed to break Batman’s countermeasures, and ends up helping him on occasion.

- Brought into Batfam confidence by Kate & Dick, officially becomes Oracle

- Learns combat from Batman, Catwoman & Huntress.

- Ends up founding the second version of the Birds of Prey.

- African American, and her appearance is somewhat based on Francine Charles from New 52 Batgirl run.

Wonder Girl-Nubia

- Diana’s younger sister, came to Themyscira with her dying mother in the 1400s from modern day Sudan

- After her birth mom’s death, she was adopted by Hippolyta

- Feistier and more aggressive than Diana, and very interested in the modern world.

- Smuggled both herself and Diana’s daughter Donna, but while Donna was sent back for awhile, but Nubia stayed.

- As she grows, she actually becomes Themyscira’s UN ambassador

Blue Beetle-Ted Kord

- Half Mexican, teen genius in charge of Kord Omniversal

- Becomes a superhero after being inspired by the heroics of Dan Garette, who was from the same generation as Infinity Inc. & Helena Bertanelli

- Finds the Scarab Garrett used up until his death, but doesn’t use it, instead reverse engineering its technology.

- Goes to Gotham to try & become Batman’s sidekick, but Batman tells him that A) He already has a sidekick, & B) Ted should get some more experience.

- Isn’t killed by Maxwell Lord, but is paralyzed, though the circumstances may be different

- Becomes known as Operator, bonds with Barbara Gordon over the experience

- Hands over Blue Beetle to Tim Drake, while also helping to train Jaime Reyes after the Scarab bonds to him.

- His friendship to Booster Gold is a given

Aqualad-Garth of Shayeris

- Born to Thar & Berra of Shayeris, a realm of Atlantis close to the british isles (and somewhat inspired by Doggerland)

- Home to the Idylists, the keepers of Atlantis’ magical lore

- His uncle Zath craved that knowledge, so he raised an undead army & launched a coup

- Killed Thar & Berra and trapped Shayeris within the same type of Shield that Xebel has, but essentially reversed

- Grows up in the Royal palace of Poseidonis, trained in magic by Sha’lain’a

- Bonds with Mera over their mirrored origins & becomes a little brother to her

- When Atlantis fell into civil war Zath would side with Orm, so Zath vs Garth confrontation is inevitable. Garth wins.

- Becomes the 2nd Tempest after Mera’s semiretirement with the birth of her children

- Later becomes the Atlantean representative for the Sentinels of Magic

Red Arrow-Will Harper

- Older brother of Roy Harper, raised by Raymond Brave Bow after their parents’ death in a forest fire

- Dyed his hair red in solidarity with Roy, actually brunette

- Becomes both Speedy & Red Arrow, but semi retires to help kick Roy out of his drug habit.

- Founds Bowhunter security, help use it as cover for the Outsiders

- Becomes a couple with Donna when they are both in their late 20s.

#DC #DC AU #Teen Titans #technically #E136 #Earth 136 #E136 Lore

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anothertimdrakestan · 4 years ago

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Sharing Is Caring - Gar Logan x Reader Soulmate AU

Words: 2.3k

Requested? Yes! From a lovely anon!

“Hiya I love your writing and it’s cute that you call us angels hehehe! May I request 18 with beast boy in teen titans where a new titan (fem! reader) joins and they finally touch during a battle or something and the sparks go off? based of the AU you did with familiar green!” (18. I think you might be my soulmate)

LINK TO PROMPTS -> REQUESTS ARE STILL OPEN!

I’m so happy you like the AU and I love BB so this is perfect! Also yes - I do call y’all angels because you’re always making me so happy and fulfilled so thank you for the amazing request angel I hope you like it <3 Also I there’s lots of Teen Titans universes so I went with the Titans from right after Justice League vs. Teen Titans before D.A. goes and rips my heart up haha. Let me have me moment.

“Welcome to the Titans y/h/n!” Kori greeted you, reaching out a hand. You clasped it, feeling her energy radiate but you closed yourself off from pulling her powers. “TT she doesn’t look all that powerful” a short, domino mask clad, child teen starred at you. “Shush Damian let her get settled in then she can show off her talents” Nightwing chided Damian who crossed his arms staring at you. “I think a new team member is sick! Welcome y/h/n!” a green colored boy grinned ear to ear. “Uh hi, is there somewhere I can put my stuff?” you trusted Nightwing, Dick as he had recently told you.

Martian Manhunter had found you on an away mission. Some form of test subject you were a confusing mash between human dna and white martian, unable to shift on your own, who ever’s experiment you were had weaponized martian dna turning you into a parasite. You realized this during your training, and learned to control the leeching, even discovering a way to share the powers of others without harming them. Eventually on your next birthday you pretended your powers had disappeared. Seeing as only you could now activate your powers your captor rendered you useless, a weapon with no more bullets. At that he gave you to alien traffickers, who had little use for a human girl. Then, working tirelessly on a planet of some random sector the green martian stormed you, sensing the white martian blood. Fast forward through a terrifying fight and explanation, you had been brought to earth and dropped in the hands of Nightwing. He promised you a team and finally, a family.

“Yeah I’ll take you to your room” Dick smiled, placing a hand on the small of your back - that’s when you realized he was powerless. Human touch was comforting, you didn’t have to suppress the desire to share, or steal human’s abilities, it was refreshing. As the two of you walked through the tower Dick explained about each person on your team while he gave you a tour. You had learned that Raven was quiet but trustworthy, Blue Beetle was uber powerful but kind of a loose cannon - you wondered if you could test your powers on his, next was Robin who was the newest but was cold yet secretly cared, according to Dick at least, then there was Cyborg who came and went, and finally Beast Boy who was apparently the easiest to get along with, even though he was green. It was a lot to take in while also trying to memorize the floor plan of the seemingly never ending tower. Finally you arrived at your room and began setting it up. You didn’t have much as you were new to earth, but you had a few rocks from the planet you were working on and some new furniture and clothing Dick had bought you before you arrived.

Putting the finishing touches on you room you heard a knock at the door. As you approached it slid open to reveal a cheery green boy. “Hi! Nightwing told me to give you your new suit! It’s totally cool look!” he pushed a suit into your hands with a smile as he continued talking. “It’s like my suit! Super stretchy and stuff because of your powers. What exactly are your powers cuz this suit kinda has it all? Fireproof, waterproof, light weight, maneuverable, but it doesn’t have any cool gadgets like Robin’s so that means you have to have powers!” he rambled on while you took in his appearance. He looked confident and kind, like was happy to be in his own skin regardless of the color, he had light freckles that peppered across his nose and he had the prettiest eyes, they were a delicate light brown with golden flecks, they were mesmerizing; and they were staring right at you.

“Uh hello? Earth to hero?” you flushed as Beast Boy had caught you staring. “Oh sorry thanks this is great! Uh do I have to wear it all the time or?” you still hadn’t quite picked up on the way life was around the tower. “No, not unless you want to! Also y/h/n is cool but some of us, me included have real names too! So as you already know Beast Boy, Garfield. Please to meet you!” He stuck out a hand but retracted it when he realized you had moved back into your room to put away your suit. “Oh okay! I’ve always wanted a real name!” you called from halfway inside your closet. Pausing to think of the perfect name that really represented who you wanted to be on earth you decided. “Y/n” you called out to Garfield who still stood in your doorway. “Cool name! Y/n - I like it! Well, I think you have to get settled in but catch you later for training y/n!” he bounded down the hall, lucky for you he was quick enough he didn’t catch the blush dancing across your face everytime he said “y/n”.

Your room looked good as you headed towards the kitchen, excited to try whatever real humans ate. “Y/n! I hope you don’t mind but Gar filled us in on your name and it’s pretty cool!” Blue Beetle waved at you from the kitchen. Sitting down at the kitchen island you peered over to see what he was making. “Hungry? Gar and I are eating grilled cheese. I can make you one?” you nodded, fascinated with the way the bread browned on the pan. As he slid you your plate you saw a green dog running towards the kitchen. Terrified you stood up, ready to take on the creature, hoping Blue Beetle wouldn’t mind sharing a little juice. The dog noticed your alarm as it shifted into Garfield. “Woah y/n sorry, you probably don’t really know all about us yet! Dude thanks for the meal Jaime!” Gar slid into a chair a couple seats over and he began digging in. The grilled cheese was delicious, after giving your compliments to the chef the three of you began talking about your lives. You learned a ton about Jaime and Gar, really happy that they were so welcoming. “So what are your guys powers? Besides turning into a dog and all” you smirked at Gar who stuck his tongue out at you. A familiar voice interrupted you, “actually y/h/n I think it’s better of you come see for yourself! Up for a little training?” you turned to see Dick who stood next to Raven and Robin.

“So to help y/n understand her new team mates lets do a little one on one!” the others looked bored while you couldn’t help but be excited. Jaime and Robin were chosen first. It blew your mind to watch blue colored metal envelop Jaime’s body. Damian was also shockingly talented, you assumed he was powerless like Dick because of the heritage and the fact that his suit had a tool belt as Gar had said. The two danced around the practice area, bantering about the weakness of the other and what not the entire time. Damian soon had Blue Beetle pinned down and even though you knew he could go further, Jaime pulled out of the fight.

Next was Raven and Nightwing because apparently Dick demanded a “rematch” from last time. Raven’s powers were by far the most amazing. Your jaw dropped as black light seemed to lift any object at her will, including Dick. What you didn’t expect was that the powerless defeated their opponent again. It was so exciting. All that was left was you and Beast Boy. Before you could begin you realized you needed to explain your powers to the team. “Okay wait! I’m gonna need some help for my battle” the others look surprised but Dick nodded, encouraging you to explain.

“Okay so basically I’m half human half martian. I know it sounds super scary but technically the experiment with my dna was a failure. I control my own powers even though I really have none. As you probably know martians are shape shifters right? They take the form of creatures along with other mind bending powers. What the scientists did with me was basically taking away the creativity and giving me more control. See, I started with the ability to steal the powers of other creatures, like a parasite. I hated the feeling of snatching the life force of other creatures so I essentially taught myself to share. Because of the martian blood I can set up a link between me and another hero where I mirror their power without draining it, like a sharing is caring kinda thing. I was hoping one of you would let me try it?” You finished sheepishly. Dick and Damian shrugged knowing they couldn’t help and Raven was the first to say no. “Y/n I’d be interested in the future but I don’t think I can trust you right now, the power I possess is difficult and confusing and I don’t want us to get hurt” you agreed, after hearing snippets from Gar and Jaime you completely agreed. “Well I’ll let you!” Starfire grinned and you couldn’t help but get excited to show off.

Taking her hand you established a link, she blinked a couple of times, explaining how it felt like there was an invisible loop between the two of you, but she was completely fine. You could feel her powers radiating heat and energy. After just a few seconds you tested the powers out, throwing blasts of green energy from your hands. “Oh yes you can fly can’t you!” you grinned as you began levitating. The whole team was amazed. “Alright Gar let’s go. But fair warning if I can get a hand on you I might just use some of those shape shifting abilities” you winked.

The two of you began, using Starfire’s abilities you went on offense, soaring after Beast Boy as he shifted between creatures. Throwing bolts of energy at him you managed to land a hit on him when he was a hawk, he tumbled to the ground but shifted into a cat, landing on all fours. This went on for a few minutes until you saw the opportunity to grab his shoulder and pull some of his energy. Soaring down you kicked him down, pinning him beneath you, reaching for his shoulder. When you touched him, sparks like you’d never felt before erupted. You bounded backwards, quite literally shocked. Beast Boy shifted. back to his normal form, rubbing his shoulder with confusion.

“I- that’s never happened before. The electricity was - do you have those powers too?” You couldn’t understand what had happened until Damian walked up to you. “TT - Y/n you’re human are you not?” you nodded. Damian turned to stalk over to Garfield, “and so are you Garfield, even though you are quite green” the rest of the titans let out some form of an “oh my god” or “no way” or “only here” and you stood up, still confused. “I don’t get it. Is he a special human that shocks me? That has never happened before why does it make sense to you?!” you stared at the team as their heads all turned to Beast Boy. He got up, closing the distance between the two of you. “Well you probably didn’t learn this on your planet but here, humans have soulmates and when they touched - ” Gar moved his hand to your cheek and the same sparks danced on your skin, you leaned into the touch, the warmth was perfection, something felt right, you looked up at Gar who continued. “when soulmates touch they feel sparks, that’s how you know it’s them and well, I think you might be my soulmate.” he finished. You looked at the others for confirmation. After a couple nods you looked back at Gar.

“But I’m not all human. Shouldn’t I not have a soulmate? I read about it in magazines since I’ve been here but I wrote it off as a human only kinda deal?” Beast Boy shrugged, “hey I’m not all human either, I thought I’d be missing out as well. Fate works in funny ways I guess” you smiled, you had read that soulmates were perfect for each other in every way, coming to Earth seemed scary but knowing you had a forever friend made it seem a lot better.

“I think we can call it quits on practice” Dick started. “The new soulmates probably have a lot of catching up to do, seeing as they’ll kinda be together forever” Damian groaned, saying something about the disgusting idea of soulmates and how he thought he’d probably never have one, Raven quietly agreed. Jaime told the two of you he’d catch up later as he walked off with Dick and Kori.

Now just the two of you, you reached up to Gar’s face, letting the unfamiliar feeling crackle and pop with electricity. “This is not how I expected my first day to go” you admitted, still trying to wrap your head around the days events. Gar looked at you, his eyes softening, “trust me y/n I did not think today would be like this either. But I did think you were totally cute even before I found out you’re already mine” you laughed, but couldn’t help the butterflies that were now dancing in your stomach. Craving more of the warmth you closed the distance between the two of you, not ready for anything more than a hug just yet, you wrapped your arms around his torso while his tightened around your waist. The books were right, the feeling of your soulmate’s touch was addicting, perfect in every way, you could definitely get used to the idea of feeling this all the time. Pulling away Gar clasped your hand in his and winked at you, “now that you’re my soulmate you can share my powers anytime mamas” you rolled your eyes, but were pretty excited to know what it felt like to take a real cat nap. “I think I might have to take you up on that Greenie” you grinned, resting your head on his shoulder as Gar led you up towards your rooms for some well deserved rest. Finding your soulmate was definitely a great start to your time with the Titans, you couldn’t help but wonder what would be next.

#garfield logan #garfield logan x reader #gar logan #gar logan x reader #gar logan x y/n #garfield logan x y/n #teen titans #jaime reyes #damian wayne #dick grayson #raven #starfire #teen titans x reader #titans x reader #gar logan fluff #dc fluff #soulmate au

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milfzatannaz · 3 years ago

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☕️ + DC comics

there’s a LOT to unpack here. thank u got asking. my brain is huge and caffeinated rn.

anyway I don’t ascribe to the “DC is better than Marvel” argument bc the Big Two are on equal playing fields and arguing whose set of characters are better or “more powerful” is asinine and a useless endeavor, because the power of a character is a storytelling device, not something unique and comparative. now that that’s out of the way:

I love DC. I was socialized as a DC stan, I grew up on Teen Titans 03 and Justice League Unlimited. I used to dress up in my cousin’s Terry McGinnis costume at like, 4.

I also view the DCEU and DCTV (arrowverse, etc) to be separate from DC comics and I think that’s a really important line to draw. Those properties are not interested in adapting characters faithfully, because movies and TV have a different audience and have different appeal than straight up comics. I don’t think that’s inherently a bad thing, I think it COULD generate lots of new ideas and such. I fundamentally oppose the Comic Book Movie Industrial Complex, because it doesn’t exist to question why we love superheroes and how their narratives can be compelling and inspiring, or stand as societal critiques- the CBM industry makes money off of cheap consumption and almost mindless devotion sometimes. Why do people get into arguments about directors on Twitter? Like what good does that do? Does it give your characters better stories? Or does it really point towards the fact that Marvel vs DC is inherently circular ESP when it comes down to the endless cycle of movie releases?

So when I critique DC I never do it from a standpoint of judging the franchise based off their live action properties. I have very specific complaints- the dismantling of Vertigo, the rampant misogyny and racism, the hiring of misogynistic and racist writers, hiring Batcest shippers and letting them loose on Twitter…

I think we should critique DC’s creative decisions and push towards better content, bc I think somewhere they ARE listening, just not at the rate we’d like or as often and as tangibly as we’d like. But time will tell.

But at the end of the day so much of what I love in life has been because of DC. The very first comic I ever said was my favorite besides Saga was Batman and Robin (2011). I mean, DC gave me Vertigo, and Vertigo gave me Hellblazer. And when I say Hellblazer is so important to me as a random poor lesbian, that statement cannot be understated. DC inspires me as an artist and as someone who fundamentally believes in stories.

#this was not very in depth and feel free to ask to me like elaborate #anyway I hope you enjoy my rambling dhgddhgdgd

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multiverseforger · 4 years ago

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Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) meets a Cambodian woman named Lillian Wilson (born: Lillian Worth) on a search-and-rescue mission a few years after his divorce from Adeline Kane. His mission is to make sure that she escapes war-torn Cambodia safely. After an intermittent love affair with Wilson, Worth gives birth to a daughter whom she names Rose. Believing it to be in the child's best interest, Worth keeps Rose a secret from Wilson. Worth eventually settles down at a brothel in New York City, and, during a time when Deathstroke is injured and a fugitive from the law, Worth takes him in and nurses his wounds. Wintergreen (Deathstroke's butler) discovers 14-year-old Rose and suspects that she is Deathstroke's daughter.

When Ravager (Wade DeFarge – Deathstroke's half-brother) kills Deathstroke's friends and family, Ravager discovers Rose, captures her, and tells her that Deathstroke is her father. Wintergreen and Worth launch a rescue attempt, but Worth is presumed dead after she drives a Jeep off a cliff while trying to run over DeFarge. Wintergreen successfully rescues Rose and escapes.

Rose tries to reach out to her father, but he turns her away. He fears for her safety because he believes himself to be responsible for the deaths of two of his sons. Deathstroke leaves her in the care of the Teen Titans superhero team. During a training exercise, Rose is injured and taken to the hospital, and her precognitive powers emerge for the first time when she has a lengthy vision of Deathstroke's future. She awakens before she can test her powers further. She leaves the Titans shortly after and does not see them again until the Technis Imperative conflict, where she allies herself with the Titans to save fellow Titan Cyborg. During this incident, she vocally challenges the New God Big Barda, as the Titans and the Justice League had come to blows. Barda seems more amused than concerned over Rose and their potential fight is neutralized by other forces.

New RavagerEdit

The Madison family in Chicago adopt Rose, but DeFarge kills her new family. The Ravager claims to have been offered $100,000 for her death by an anonymous source, but neither of them know that Deathstroke hired DeFarge in an attempt to bring Rose closer to him.

Deathstroke anonymously alerts the Titans that Rose's life is in danger, and they fight to defend her. All of the fighters are rendered unconscious by an explosion of halothane gas, and Rose awakens in Deathstroke's lair. He apologizes to Rose for abandoning her and says that she is the only family he has left. Deathstroke suggests that she become his apprentice, offering DeFarge as her first kill. Rose accepts and takes the name “Ravager” for herself. Deathstroke secretly injects Rose with the same serum that gave him his abilities, and it causes her to suffer from psychosis.

Deathstroke doubts Rose's readiness to work with him and plans to disown her after she hesitates and is unable to kill Deathstroke's son Jericho (when he possesses Beast Boy's body). To prove her loyalty, she gouges out an eye to match his missing eye.

Batgirl vs Ravager. Cover to Batgirl #64 (2005). Art by Alé Garza.

After Rose suffers a defeat at the hands of Batgirl, Deathstroke places her under the tutelage of Nightwing after Slade is led to believe he has given up being a hero. Nightwing agrees to train Rose, while surreptitiously teaching her the values of heroism. Although Rose develops a crush on Nightwing as the training progresses, the attraction seemed entirely one-sided. In order to test Grayson's loyalty, Deathstroke replaces Rose's missing eye with one carved from Kryptonite and pits her and Nightwing against Superman. Rose attempts to kill Superman, but Nightwing uses Superman's concern for the safety of not only the civilian bystanders, but Rose herself as her final lesson on altruism. Nightwing agrees to stay away from Rose on the condition that Blüdhaven remained off-limits to the latest incarnation of The Society, of which Deathstroke is a charter member. Following the bombing of Blüdhaven on Deathstroke's orders in Infinite Crisis, Nightwing returns and informs Rose that the Kryptonite Deathstroke had implanted in her eye-socket is not just a danger to Kryptonians, but it is also carcinogenic and is indeed lethal to humans under extended periods of prolonged exposure. Enraged and heartbroken that her father would endanger her life so dismissively, and emboldened by Nightwing's tutelage, Rose breaks all ties with her father and runs away.

One year after the events depicted in the Infinite Crisis crossover, Rose once again joins the Teen Titans. She wears the same costume and wields two katana-style swords. With Deathstroke and his serum's influence gone, Rose appears more balanced than previously depicted. Robin admits Rose to the team as a favor to the team founder and ex-leader, her former mentor Nightwing.

Rose forms a friendship with Kid Devil, using his flame breath to light her cigarettes. When Kid Devil is injured during a mission, Rose defends him, and on multiple occasions threatens those she deemed a threat to him. She later admits to Kid Devil that she is afraid of being kicked out, should the old members return to the team.

Over the lost year, the Teen Titans came to the conclusion that they needed more members. After discovering that Raven believes there was a traitor on the team during the previous year, the team agrees to begin with her. The team travels the world in search of Raven apparently on the run from the traitor. They also meet several other former Titans, such as Red Star, Zatara, and Bombshell. During a meeting with Bombshell, Rose is accused of being the latest traitor, working for Deathstroke instead. She denies the accusation, supported by not only Kid Devil, but also Wonder Girl, who believes Rose would never go back to her father. Robin and Cyborg agree that Ravager would return to the Tower. Furious, Rose prepares to quit the team altogether until the team's caretakers Wendy and Marvin reveal to her that the traitor had stolen one particular object: the computer disk containing Jericho's essence.

Realizing why Raven is truly on the run, Ravager quickly returns to the Titans' aid, just as the traitor is revealed to be Bombshell. Ravager manages to save Raven, just as the empathic Titan uses the same spell which resurrected her to resurrect Rose's dead and previously insane half-brother Jericho. Upon the resurrection of her elder brother, Joseph and Rose begin fraternizing, unaware that Bombshell's betrayal was orchestrated by Deathstroke, and that their teammates have been subdued by his associates.

Later, Rose and Joseph fly to New York to have lunch with Nightwing, after which they go to the original Titans Island and discover that someone has built a demented version of the original tower there. Upon entering, they find that their father has kidnapped their teammates, all in order to gain control of them again. Rose and Joey then rescue Robin from Slade and Batgirl, during which Rose finally has her rematch with Cassandra Cain. Rose and Joey both attempt to stop their father, but they are defeated and left at his mercy until Nightwing, Donna Troy, Raven, Cyborg, Duela Dent, Beast Boy, and Bart Allen arrive.

Following the death of her former-teammate Bart Allen, Rose attends his funeral in Countdown #43 along with the rest of the Teen Titans.

In Teen Titans #50, Rose is present for Bart's wake, although she slips off after a while, bored with the somber, reminiscent atmosphere, and invites Kid Devil to join her in skinny-dipping in the Titans' swimming pool.

In Teen Titans vol. 3 #51, the Titans Tomorrow—a possible future version of the current Titans team—arrive in the present to aid the Teen Titans against Starro-controlled villains. Ravager's future-self is absent from the group and it is revealed that she betrays the team (primarily Bart Allen and Kid Devil) at some point. Kid Devil, his adult version Red Devil, and Rose are then sent to battle against Rampage & Livewire. Red Devil tries to convince Eddie to let Rose die during the fight, so that she does not manage to betray them in the future. Initially, it appears that Eddie intends to do so, before betraying his older self in order to aid Rose. Later, the trio return to the Titans Lair (home of the original Teen Titans), where they meet with Blue Beetle. There, Red Devil attacks Blue Beetle, claiming that he too cannot be trusted.

Eddie, Rose, and Jaime find themselves surrounded by an army of Titans led by Lex Luthor before they all battle against an invading army of Starros. Thanks in large part to Blue Beetle's powers and Robin and Wonder Girl managing to supposedly alter Robin's future (and thus alter the future of the Titans as a whole), the army of Titans is apparently defeated.

In Teen Titans #57, Rose is attacked by Persuader, Copperhead, and Dreadbolt of the Terror Titans, who had managed to infiltrate Titans Tower. During the battle, they goad Rose about the fate of Kid Devil, whom they had earlier captured. Despite overwhelming numbers, they are unable to take down Rose. Rose ruptures a gas line with her energy swords, blowing up a section of the tower. Rose is revealed to have survived the explosion by crossing the swords, creating a forcefield. She then follows the Terror Titans back to their base, saving Wonder Girl from Disruptor and Persuader. She then battles Clock King, her own precognitive powers matching him. Clock King offers Rose a place on his team, but she refuses. Clock King then ejects the Titans from his base. Back at the tower, Rose overhears Robin and Wonder Girl talking about her almost killing Persuader during battle, and deciding there will be "repercussions". Rose decides to leave the Titans, using one of Clock King's teleportation devices to do it.

In Terror Titans #1, Ravager is seen talking with Clock King, negotiating her role within his group. She agrees to take part in one of The Dark Side Club's arena battles, fighting against Fever. Rose defeats Fever, but when given the order to finish her, refuses, prompting Clock King to have Fever shot in the head. Although appalled by Fever's death, Rose stays, hoping to find out what Clock King's plan is. Continuing to fight in the tournament, Rose faces off against Static, and is almost killed.[1] Rose eventually discover that Clock King intends to use the mind-controlled teen heroes as his own "Martyr Militia" to destroy Los Angeles, entirely for his own amusement. Attempting to get help, Rose is attacked by the Terror Titans, who overwhelm her.[2] Help comes in the form of Miss Martian, who had been posing as one of the brainwashed teens, and had managed to use her telepathy to free them. Ravager follows the retreating villains back to their base, where she confronts Clock King. Despite their equal precognitive abilities, Ravager is able to defeat him, although she was unable to prevent his escape.[3]

Ravager returns during the Teen Titans/Titans/Vigilante crossover "Deathtrap", seeking to save Jericho, who had been targeted by Vigilante. However, the unbalanced Jericho refuses her offer of help, continuing in his plot to kill the Titans, forcing Rose to team up with the heroes to stop him.[4] It is also apparent that she has become addicted to the adrenaline given to her by the Clock King.

Following the "Deathtrap" storyline, Rose briefly tries her hand at being a part of the Titans, but finds that she does not belong with them. After an altercation with Bombshell, staged to ensure her loyalty to the team, Rose leaves to find her own way in life.[5] From Teen Titans #72 onwards, Ravager is featured in a 10-page, 9 part co-feature, Ravager: Fresh Hell, written by Sean McKeever and drawn by Yildiray Cinar.

In the Teen Titans tie-in to the Blackest Night crossover, Rose tracks Deathstroke down to his old mentor Wintergreen's house and attacks him. During the fight, the two are attacked by their deceased relatives Grant, Wade and Adeline, who, along with Wintergreen, have all been reanimated as Black Lanterns. When Grant attacks Deathstroke, intending to burn him in a fireplace, Rose reluctantly intervenes, saving her hated father. She then attempts to incinerate Wade, but is surprised when Jericho jumps out of his body.[6] Jericho, whose eyes had grown back since Vigilante's attack, uses his powers to make the Black Lanterns destroy themselves. After the battle, Rose refuses to reconcile with Deathstroke, despite acknowledging her daughterly love for him. She also realises that her mother may still be alive, as she was not among the attacking Black Lanterns.[7]

Following an adventure in another dimension, Static, Miss Martian, Bombshell, and Aquagirl leave the Titans, and Rose is invited to rejoin the team in order to help build it back up. While staying in the Tower, Rose hacks into the team computer and begins searching for information on her mother.[8] During her time with the group, Rose begins flirting with Superboy, and befriends Damian Wayne, the new Robin. She remains with the team up until the final battle with Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Doom, where she teams with Speedy to take down Persuader, one of her former teammates on the Terror Titans. She and Damian also help turn the tide of the battle by using a piece of Kryptonite to destroy several evil clones of Superboy.[9]

The New 52Edit

Following the events of "Flashpoint", the DC Universe was relaunched. In the New 52, Rose now has both eyes intact and does not go by the name Ravager, though she still appears to have her martial arts training and trademark swords. She is a teenaged mercenary hired by the shadowy organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to act as a handler for Superboy after he destroyed the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. lab used to create him in self-defense. Rose has a rivalry with Caitlin Fairchild, a young N.O.W.H.E.R.E. researcher who cares for Superboy.[10] Her origin is altered so that she is now the daughter of Slade Wilson and his wife Adeline Kane, removing her Asian heritage in the process.

After last seen by the side of her father Deathstroke, following the events that happened in The Ravagers, she reappears in a possible future 20 years distant. In this timeline she is along her husband Garfield Logan, now labeled as Beast Man, living together in the Justice League Watchtower as Beast Man is the only Justice Leaguer alive. The two also have a daughter named Red who is being mentored by them along other superpowered teenagers in order for them to become a team. After an encounter with three members of the Teen Titans from the present Red Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy, Rose and Gar put in action a plan to swap Superboy (Kon-El) with the man of whom he is a clone (Jon Lane Kent, son of Superman and Lois Lane), who is responsible for the tragedy that happened in that future, in order to prevent those events from happening again. The plan is a success as Raven's soul-self departs with the Titans from the present and the unconscious Jon Lane, not Conner. Once alone, Rose asks Gar if they really did the right thing, which Gar responds: "I damn well hope so Rose. I damn well hope so".[11]

DC RebirthEdit

Learn more

This article needs to be updated.

Rose later reappears after the DC Rebirth relaunch, with her original Cambodian origin and mixed-race heritage now restored.[12] She is seen working as a strip club bouncer who moonlights as a teenage mercenary, and reunites with her father after someone puts a hit on her. Her past in the New 52 continuity also appears to be retconned, as she makes no mention of N.O.W.H.E.R.E., and claims to have been trained by Nightwing, much to Slade's annoyance

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tpen29 · 5 years ago

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BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER (DAMIRAE)

FAN FIC DAMIRAE EVENTS DURING THE 1 YR BETWEEN JUSTICE LEAGUE VS TEEN TITANS AND JUDAS CONTRACT **AFTER PARTY/TRAINING**

During the pizza party held by Cyborg, Dick aka Nightwing stopped by since Kori asked him if he wanted some pizza also.

After the party Damian walked towards to Raven

“Are you in top condition Raven?” Damian asked

“A bit full, thanks to the pizza” with a faint smile

“Then I suppose there’s nothing to worry about since Trigon’s attack”

Damian left and went to his room.

Garfield asked Jaime “Dude, am I dreaming or did Damian just asked if Raven is okay?”

Nightwing butted in “Give him some time. He’s not really the most sociable person I know due to his childhood.”

Cyborg replied “Just like the Bat himself.

”“Indeed” Nightwing chuckled.

A few moments later, Cyborg and Nightwing bid farewell towards the Titans. Cyborg is needed in the Justice League. While Nightwing has something to do on Batman’s request but they promised he will stop by again in the tower to have some pizza with them.

The next day, each of the Titans has their own agenda until the afternoon training. Raven is meditating in her room, Damian with his solo patrol and training while Garfield and Jaime are playing video games As for Dick and Kori they’re out shopping for the necessities in the tower.

The afternoon training started. Kori wanted to try the new training style that Damian suggested. 2v1 combat since there’s only five of them and they reflected that they got “smacked in the booty” by the Justice League during Trigon’s attack as would Garfield would say.

The first match up was Robin vs Garfield and Kori. As they were warming up Garfield tried to do some trashtalking to Damian for him to lose composure.

“Are you ready to take this big fat L Boy Wonder?” Garfield laughingly shouted

Damian smirked “Just like what I did to you in the carnival Beast Boy”

Jaime shouted “DAAAAAAAAAMN. You just got burned BB”

“Enough! It is time for training”

Instead of being in the defensive side Damian went into offense right off the bat. He dashed towards to Beast Boy but Kori stopped him in his tracks with her startbolt. Damian threw three batarangs to keep her distracted but in the corner of his eye he saw Garfield rushing in as a lion. Damian jumped into the air and tried to do a karate chop towards Gar but he instantly transformed into a mosquito. Damian let out a flurry of slashes towards Garfield until he morphed into an elephant. Damian dodged and kicked Gar with all his might.

As Garfield morphs back into human form

Damian blurted out “Sloppy”

“Yeah you too” as he was shot by Kori’s starbolt

Jaime and Raven went to Garfield

Jaime jokingly says “2-0”

“Not cool man” Garfield grumbled

Raven had a faint smile and went to Damian to check if he was okay

“I’ve had worse injuries than this” as Damian shrugs off the pain from Starfire’s bolt

After a 5 minute break Round 2 of the training started

Damian angrily says “I can still keep on going”

Kori worried, decided to team him up with Raven versus Jaime and his Bug

Just as Round 2 starts Damian swiftly threw batarangs to Blue Beetle and lunged towards him. His pride and anger towards losing made him fight based on instinct.

Raven noticed that Damian is starting to get out of control. She formulated a plan on how to win in the training and also keeping Damian from rampaging further.

Raven kept Blue Beetle distracted by her blasts

Then Damian threw series of fighting combos that he learned from his grandfather and Batman. Blue Beetle got caught off guard with a kick. The beetle let out loud noises signifying that they’re in danger.

“Oh no” Raven muttered

Raven remembered the incident when Damian first came into the Titans, she casted a shield towards Damian.

The shield protected him and waked him up into his senses

Raven collapsed due to being tired

“Dios Mio! I am sorry again Kori…. I”

“Training is enough for today. Everybody take rest, come Damian we must tend to her” as she carries Raven towards her room

Later that night

Raven woke up

“Is this my room?” she asked

“Correct deduction” Damian replied

“Kori stepped out for a moment to bring you dinner and some medication” he added

“It’s nothing. I’m fine just tired”

“You are not fine. Lie down and rest” Damian insisted

Kori entered the room with some porridge and medicine

“Eat this Raven, to regain some strength. I’ll check on Gar and Jaime’s condition”

“Thanks Kori”

As Kori gets out of the room, Damian mumbled

“You’re a great teammate. You possess good qualities in backing up. I hope to see more of that in action”

Then he left towards his room.

Raven smiled, and then began to eat her porridge.

Damian lied down in his bed and whispered “Why can’t I say Thank you” and went to sleep.

#damirae #damian wayne #damian x raven #teen titans #fanfic #dc #birdsofthesamefeather #robrae #love

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majingojira · 5 years ago

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Batman Real-Time Aging Timeline

One of my fun hobbies is, well, a crossover universe where things age in real-time. I’ve been working on a timeline involving masked vigilantism, and Batman is, of course, central to it. Presented below is part of that rough timeline. Things are still in flux, but understand that the primary sources for this are a few select crossover stories (IE: Batman & Captain America, Batman & Tarzan: Claws of the Catwoman, Batman vs Predator, Batgirl & Ghost, etc), and stories that involve real-time aging for the Bat-Family (IE: John Byrne’s Generations -- though even that is a bit weird). And Pulps. Lots and Lotas of Pulps. Also, things are taken with a “Imagine trying to figure out what happened at Pearl Harbor when all you have to go on are the movies made from it” and most comics fall under the Michael Bay version.

I’ll focus on dates of birth, mantel adoptions, marriages, retirements and the like, but I’ll also mention fun crossovers that occur along the way. Not all of them, but some. So, brace yourself for weird. But I did my best to include EVERYONE.

1917 - Bruce Wayne born.

1928 - Dick Grayson born.

1929 - The Shadow saves the Waynes and their son from a mugger. (Batman #259 - “The Night of the Shadow”) However, he only delays the inevitable as the Waynes are gunned down in front of the young Bruce who swears to never let that happen to anyone else.

1930 - James Gordon, in an effort to clean up Gotham, takes to some mild vigilantism himself as “The Whisperer.” He does so for only a year before finding it too taxing. Also:

1931 - Barbara Gordon born.

1937 - Bruce Wayne adopts the mantle of “Batman” to prey on the superstitions and cowardice of the criminal lot.

1939-1945 - World War II

1939 - Batman/Tarzan: Claws of the Cat-Woman - Batman and Tarzan team up on an adventure. A Wayne founded expedition to Africa was corrupted by Finnegan Dent (an uncle to DA Harvey Dent) and they looted ... Wakanda. It’s Wakanda. Sure, they don’t call it that, but Wakanda is already in the crossover universe, and how many bast-worshiping Egyptian civilizations exist in Africa? One is enough. Also, The Cat-Woman is a princess priestess of Bast stealing back the looted artifacts and uses a black leopard themed outfit for her escapades. So, yeah, Catwoman is The Black Panther. And she’s a dark-skinned African Woman named Khefretari. The adventure concludes with her having to not use the mantle and ascend to kingship with the death of her father, but it is not the end of their story as she still has artifacts to return...

Batman and Superman meet for the first time.

The Justice Society forms. As a social club for vigilantes and superhumans to unwind in. They mostly share stories and shoot the breeze, but occasionally teamed up for larger missions, especially when America entered WWII. But it’s primary purpose is networking and recovery.

1940 - Dick Grayson’s family is murdered in front of him. Bruce Wayne adopts the boy and Dick soon joins Batman on his adventures as Robin the Boy Wonder.

The Masked Vigilante Boom of the 1940s begins in earnest, with many people taking to vigilantism to battle crime. Black Canary and Green Arrow get their start among many others.

1941 - Detective Comics #63 - Batman battles the master thief Raffles.

1945 - Batman Meets Captain America - The Joker may be evil, but he’s at least not a Nazi! He ends up in a gulag for his troubles. He doesn’t find it very funny.

1948 - The House of Un-American Activities starts to target Costumed Vigilantes. The Justice Society disbanded in response. Diana Trevor, Wonder Woman, starts working from inside the system to counter McArthy and J. Edgar Hoover. Subtly and openly, be it the Holiday Girls (secretaries make excellent spies) or secretly abetting other superhumans. Still, most costumed vigilantes retire at this point. As for the rest... Some are apprehended, others sign up with the government, and others still are killed in FBI Raids.

As Superheroes are under fire from the government, several class-action lawsuits also hound more public figures of superheroes, and only a few survive with their reputations and resources intact.

1949 - Dick Grayson goes to College (and later, law school).

Khefretari/Selina Kyle finishes her mission and abdicates her role as Black Panther. With the aid of Diana Trevor, she explains her situation to the UN world court. In the end, she still serves some time for what she did (Colonizers gonna Colonize), but she is effectively let off with a slap on the wrist. She did this to help mend the rift between herself and Bruce Wayne. Doing so, however, removed her from the line of royal succession. Her brother, T’Chaka, father of T’Challa, becomes the next Black Panther. Khefretari’s timing, however, could have been better, for you see ...

1950 - Bruce Wayne marries Julie Madison.

Bruce Wayne jr. born.

Dick Grayson takes over as Batman II primarily with Bruce focusing a bit more on Family life. However, he cannot leave it fully alone.

Kathy Kane and Bette Kane attempt to help out their cousin Bruce on various cases, as Bat-Woman I and Bat-Girl I.

1953 - Batman #253 - Batman and the Shadow meet as crime fighters for the first time.

Kathy Kane and Bette Kane retire as Bat-Woman and Bat-Girl.

1954 - Batman #259 - Batman and the Shadow meet again.

Barbara Gordon is off to a party, and her own “Batgirl” costume gives her a minor edge when she stops a crime in progress. Thrilled with the idea, she begins to operate as Batgirl II. Eventually getting Dick and Bruce to agree. Because she will not take ‘no’ from either of them.

Sandra Wu-San a.k.a. “Lady Shiva” is born.

1955 - Julie Madison and Bruce Wayne divorce. Even married, even with family, Bruce is a might obsessive with this vow of vengeance.

At this time, Bruce Wayne begins matching his wits against a man the comics report to be “Ra’s Al Ghul”, the Demon’s Head. He is also known as The Devil Doctor, Fu Manchu.

Khefretari/Selina Kyle is now a free woman.

1957 - Bruce Wayne marries Khefretari/Selina Kyle. Helena Wayne born.

1958 - Batman: The Brave and the Bold “Trials of the Demon!” - Batman is summoned back to the 1890s by Jason Blood for help escaping being blamed for occult crimes. Jason is subdued, but Holmes and Watson are there to help Batman adjust and rescue Jason Blood/The Demon Etrigan from the forces of hell itself.

1959 - DC Comics: The New Frontier - The Centre attacks.

Diana Trevor works out a government organization to better employ multi-mystery-man operations in the future with her at the head and thus limiting access to their identities or technologies by the other branches. This is often called “The Justice League” or “The Avengers” among other things. The laws about costumed vigilantism are changed somewhat. The short of it is, Good Samaritan Laws apply now to people in masks, but vigilantism is still illegal. Most Superheroes work either for government agencies or are deputized by such, work as private investigators, or bail bondsmen. Some still act independently of that, but again, Good Samaritan laws apply. This is why the “No Killing” rule became so common in superhero stories at this time.

1960 - Dick Grayson marries Barbara Gordon. They have a son, James Grayson.

1961 - Birth of Jason Todd.

1964 - Dick and Barbara Grayson’s second son, Dick Grayson Jr, is born.

1966 - Batman/The Green Hornet - “A Piece of the Action”/“Batman’s Satisfaction”

1971 - The New Scooby-Doo Movies “The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair” - Batman and Robin meet Mysteries Inc.

1973 - Barbara Grayson christens Helena Wayne as the new Batgirl (Batgirl III). Barbara Grayson refines the “Oracle Database”

1974 - Dick Grayson is critically injured on a case and retires as Batman. Bruce Wayne Jr. becomes Batman III.

Detective Comics #446 “Slaughter in Silver” - The new Batman crosses paths with The Shadow.

1975 - Jason Todd is taken in by Bruce Wayne jr.

1975-1984 - The “Biomega” War.

1977 - Khefretari is nearly killed after suffering blackmail. Helena is incensed by this and becomes the Huntress to reflect her darker outlook.

Batman Family #18 “A Choice of Destinies” - Helena Wayne joins the Lawfirm her family runs: Cranston, Grayson, and Wayne. Founded by Bruce Wayne (Batman), Dick Grayson (Batrman II) and Lamont Cranston (The Shadow).

1978 - Stephanie Brown born.

1979 - Jason Todd starts college, Dick Grayson Jr. steps up to become Robin IV while he’s away. Jason is ... a little annoyed at this, but doesn’t speak up about it.

Tim Drake is born to Jack and Angela Drake.

Formation of The “New” Teen Titans, the prior group being a publicity op and little else. The members are gathered by Raven, a sorceress daughter of an extremely powerful demonic entity (The First? Nyarlathotep?). They include a Founder alien living on earth known as Garfield Logan or “Beast Boy”, Dick Grayson Jr. as first Robin IV and then Nightwing I, Kori’ander a.k.a. Starfire (a Vigori of Oden’Tall), Victor Stone a.k.a. “Cyborg” (a more severe cyberization given to a high school senior after a terrible accident than that of Steven Austin), and the amazonian handmaiden to the royal family known as Troia or Donna Troy/Wonder Girl. They are ‘supervised’ by Wally West a.k.a. The Flash III.

1980 - Barbara Gordon survives an assassination attempt, but is left paralyzed from the waist down.

The Oracle Database becomes the Oracle Network.

James Gordon sr. is tortured and nearly killed by the same assassins.

Helena Wayne marries Santo Bertinelli, a young man born into a Mafia family who turned on them out of a sense of justice. Helena Bertinelli Jr. born.

Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk: The Monster and the Madman

1981 - Fu Manchu/Ra’s Al Ghul meets his final end. Several groups spawn from the dissolving of his group, and others expand their bases of operations with the power vacuum established. These include the Atlas Foundation, The Hand/The Foot, the League of Assassins, and the League of Shadows. Bruce Wayne and Khefretari fake their deaths to lead one of those splinter groups (after a Lazarus dip) in secret and try and turn the network towards good.

Bruce Wayne Jr., Batman III, forms a covert band of metahumans dubbed “The Outsiders,” consisting of himself, chemical shifter Rex Mason (Metamorpho), Geokinetic Brion Markov (Geo-Force), martial artist and enchanted weapon wielder Tatsu Yamashiro (Katana), atomic mutant Gabrielle Doe (Halo), Psychokinetic Emilia Briggs (Looker), and Electrical Mutant Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning). others join or leave over time, the team operates for a few years before disbanding.

1982 - Jason Todd is killed in action. Talia Al Ghul/The Daughter of the Demon, steals his body and revives it to begin twisting him into a weapon against the Wayne family that helped kill her father and leave Si-Fan in tatters. Dick Grayson Jr. becomes Nightwing I.

1983 - Cassandra Cain was born to “Lady Shiva” and David Cain.

1984 - Carrie Kelly becomes Robin V to Bruce Wayne Jr.’s Batman III.

Spider-man and Batman: Disordered Minds

1985 - Batman and Spider-Man

1986 - Detective Comics #572 “The Doomsday Book” - Batman III (Bruce Wayne Jr.) and Robin V (Carrie Kelly) join Ralph Dibney (The Elongated Man) and aged private eye Slam Bradley on a case that takes them to London to prevent the assassination of Queen Elizabeth by Edgar Moriarity. Mary Jane Watson-Parker is on the scene, herself a descendant of Doctor John Watson (and Red Sonja of Hyrkania), just in time for all to me the 132-year-old Sherlock Holmes as he helps ensure Edgar’s capture. Peter Parker, also on the scene as himself, learns that he is also a descendant of the Moriarity’s. Holmes gives the couple his blessing.

1987 - Dick Grayson Jr marries Kori’ander/Kory Anders/Starfire of Oden’tal.

1988 - Mar’i Grayson of Earth/Mary Grayson is born.

1989 - Helena Bertinelli Sr. retires as Huntress.

1990 - Harley Quinn first appears as the Joker’s go-to henchwoman.

1993 - Damian Wayne born to Bruce Wayne Sr. and Khefretari.

Dr. Pamela Isley makes a bargain with the fae realms and becomes a creature of fairy similar to a Dryad. She is known only as Poison Ivy.

1994 - Carrie Kelly becomes the “heroic” Catwoman in part to counter all the “Pretenders to the Throne” as it were (and to stop the Helenas from killing them outright for the insult). She also starts operating heavily within the Oracle Network, being groomed by Barbara to be her replacement.

1995 - Tim Drake becomes Robin VI. Stephanie Brown becomes The Spoiler.

Poison Ivy takes in Harley Quinn and helps her recover from the abuse the Joker heaped upon her or at least tries. She is kept as a ward of the fairies and has an extended life span as a result. It still takes her over a decade to get over “Mr. Jay.”

1996 - Carrie Kelly takes over the Oracle Network's primary leadership role.

1998 - Helena Bertinelli Jr. takes up her mother’s mantle as Huntress.

2000 - No Man’s Land begins. Cassandra Cain becomes Batgirl III.

2004 - Bruce Wayne Jr. starts working in an armored “Beyond” Batsuit. Tim Drake changed his costumed and started to be called “Red Robin” to his annoyance. Jason Todd Attacks. Cassandra Cain manages to annoy the editors of DC Comics.

2005-2015 - The Biomega Menace trickles through with various attacks until it comes to a head in 2015 when it revives the Centre. The beast is destroyed, ending the Biomega threat...for now. (Atomic Robo and the Ring of Fire, Pacific Rim)

2005 - Bruce Wayne Sr. and Selena Wayne recruit Cassandra Cain among others for “Batman Inc” to help them take down the other Si-fan factions, in particular, the League of Shadows which followed Cassandra’s mother, Lady Shiva (who could care less about it, but her uncontrollable force-of-nature like movements were throwing everything into chaos). Cassandra adopts the identity of “Hei Bianfu” (Black Bat) or just “Batman of Hong Kong.”

Damian Wayne is sent to live with the rest of the “Bat-family” to hopefully temper the bad influences still remaining around his parents that had seeped into the boy’s development.

Kate Kane becomes Batwoman II.

Stephanie Brown becomes Batgirl V.

2010 - Tim Drake starts taking over as Batman IV.

Cassandra Cain becomes Nightwing III.

2011 - Tim Drake weds Stephanie Brown. Cassandra Cain lives with them. Their relationship is the stuff of tabloid platinum.

2013 - Luke Fox joins the American Batman inc. as Batwing II.

2014 - Duke Thomas starts leading the Robin gang, to Damian’s irritation. Of the group, Terry McGinnis, Harper Row, Riko Sheridan, and Isabella Oritz, along with Duke, do eventually meet Damian’s exacting standards. Eventually.

2015 - Duke Thomas becomes The Signal.

Night of the Monster Men: Gotham is threatened by a fierce attack from Biomega under the control of a man invoking the name of Hugo Strange. 4 of the monsters are unleashed, several of them also carry a variant of the Insania Virus in their blood and viscera. When people are exposed to it, it drives them to high aggression or even transforming them into hideous beasts. A cure is quickly deduced, and Hugo captured. The Bat-family during this crisis consists of Timothy Drake (Batman IV), Cassandra Cain (Batwoman III), Stephanie Brown (Nightwing IV), Sin Lance (Orphan--visiting from the Arrow family), Tiffany Fox (Spoiler II), Duke Thomas (The Signal), and a being referred to as “Clayface” (Identity currently unknown).

2020 - Damian Wayne takes over as the primary Batman, but also dons the Nightwing attire because he likes it. Terry McGinnis and Duke Thomas share roles as “Batwing” or “Batman Beyond.” Cassandra Cain is known as simply The Batt. Stephanie Brown as Nightwing IV, with Tiffany Fox as Batgirl V. Harper Row mostly operates behind the scenes, but has the identity of “Bluebird” to help when it's needed. Tim Drake is fully entrenched as part of the Oracle network. Riko Sheridan and Isabella Oritz share duties as Robins.

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bart-allen-head-space · 6 years ago

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So I'm pissed and here's how I would do DC.

(This is kinda based off a post I read on here and just imagine all current stories ended but are still canon.)

Action Comics:

Superman action and team-ups. Two book arcs with teams between older less used heroes.

Clark Kent Superman:

Here's the big story. It's family based. A long story about how important his family is to him now. Conner is there, Kara, Jon, and Lois. They also bring back Chris. The Superman family.

Detective Comics:

Like Action Comics it's a team up. Batman with his family, the GCPD, and many smaller street level heroes that might help with the push. Maybe Robin will be an important character in this.

Bruce Wayne Batman:

Bruce trying to fix his Bane shit. Tom King did his story, messed up the Bat family. Now a new villain or team of older that Batman can't take alone. He slowly regains the trust of his family. Dick and him talk. He apologizes to Jason. Tim gets a hit back. Damian is already okay with him. So on, so forth. They take on the bad guy as a team and we get cute family stuff. They're all reluctant sure, but it's a build up for anything later.

Sensation Comics:

Like action and detective comics. Team-ups with a ton of lesser known female heroes.

Diana Prince Wonder Woman:

Diana is the weirdest member of the Trinity. She's rarely written right but when she is she is an amazing character. This book is all about her legacy, a book with Cassie and Dona. Man Hunter and even a new Wonder Boy? A cute story that's meant to build up her family like Superman or Batman.

The Justice League:

Just kinda... Just kinda keep it up. It's good as it is. It's exploring the universe and helping people.

The Flash:

Barry Allen explores the new forces for an arc. He reintroduces Bart for an arc. New force, character growth. The Flash is good but it's been just Barry Allen. There are more characters out there to use.

Wally West The Flash:

Wally is in his own little world. He's dealing with that event... Bart and him team up to fix it. He finally talks with Linda Parks and they mention the kids. Bart's like. "You've been looking for them?" And disappears. He comes back with them. The rest is just hero stuff.

Green Lantern:

Hal Jordan team up vs space bat guys. Guy is there. Simon gets his story. Other lanterns that aren't humans get a story.

The lanterns:

This is meant to push the other corps. Hope Corgy and a small blue lantern boy. A new pink lantern stealing a ring, he uses it for mischief. A story in the orange lantern field, a big fight. Also a new team of other lanterns. A push to the other lanterns that aren't yellow, red, or green.

Aquaman:

Keep it up, I've been enjoying it. It's pretty good.

Nightwing:

Fresh with his old memories he gets attacked almost right away by a new Talon. They're smaller and have some to most of their memories. Dick wants to help him but at the same time refuses to take him down the same path Bruce did to him. But what if that's the only way?

Jason Todd laws meant to be broken:

So just like with Tim it's revealed Jason Todd lost a shit ton of his pre new 52 memories. He got them back with the end of Doomsday Clock and he's sickened by what he's done. That one sidekick? What? Orange hair? Really? His white streak. Now with the little character developed new him he has to take on his older self with his new friends.

Batgirl

Cassandra, Stephanie, and Barbra do team stuff I their Batgirl costumes. Batwoman helps them.

Young Justice:

Tim Drake just got back to Earth. He and his friends have faced so many versions of themselves. But now it's back to just classic Young Justice. Old characters return, they fight Lobo. Slowbo? Yes! Inertia? Story arc?

The Teen Titans:

Damian disbanded the team after recent events with Slade and Red Arrow. But with the new Titans Tower build it needs to be used, right? So Batman has his newest sidekick Single and Cyborg help find a new team. The new team being Those two, Sideways, Beast Boy, Ravanger, and Jericho.

The Titans:

Dick Grayson is back baby! He finds out his team isn't really in the best place though. Wally is a murderer, Dona and Garth and both drunken messes, Roy is still dead, and no one has heard from the rest. He's going to try to fix that. All while

The Supersons of today!:

Jon is older now, Damian is being a little shit. Oh hey, it's Billy Batson what's he doing? Collin's back too! And a new Wonder Woman kid? 16-year-old FtM trans kid Wonder Boy.

The JSA:

Old WWII stories about older heroes. Jay Garrick, Allen Scott, Wild Cat, and even Wonder Woman? Some nice golden age stories about some nice folks.

The Legion

Legion stuff with the legion. They fight racism, homophobia, and xenophobia. There's not much more to them in this. Sliver age type stories about them going all Captain Planet on some bad guys. They can even get Chris Kent.

The Watchmen

I'm putting this here as a short 6 issue thing just because they're there. It's the Comedian and whoever's left from the old universe trying to pick up what they have left.

These are just ideas I think sound fun. Wonder Woman always deserves more, Batman and Superman get their own books as they do. I would push Wonder Woman a lot more(she is so underused still!) While featuring older heroes with the Trinity as a way to help continuity. I may have placed in OC ideas here and there too. But like, this is just an idea I had. Dick gets a sidekick because the story with that would be so cool. The JSA book with Wonder Woman is kinds pulling with her movie thing and also replacing Superman as the oldest hero.

Dc has so many heroes with suck a large continuity. With old heroes, it's fun to tell the stories. I feel like legacy characters are one of the coolest things they have. Right now, they should not be treating characters like this. It's dumb.

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nightglider124 · 6 years ago

Text

Stay The Night

So, I watched ‘Justice League VS Teen Titans’ the other night to amp my dickkory feels to motivate me to write an update for Bound but instead... this idea popped into my head.

It’s based with DCAU at the end of the first TT movie.

We’re just ignoring the part at the end when you see Terra on her way to the tower. We’re pretending that doesn’t exist in this oneshot. K? Thnx. XD

Also; didn’t get a chance to update Bound today because I was writing this and now I’m about to work on another thing too so expect a Bound update on Sunday.

Hope ya like it.

Kory reached into the large pizza box that Cyborg held in his hands, smiling when she noticed Damian sidling up beside her for the next slice.

She closed her eyes as she took a large bite, the mix of flavors tingling her taste buds. Cheese mixed with tomato, pepperoni and sausage; the spice from the meats making her want to nibble some more without bothering to swallow the first mouthful, but she reluctantly resisted the temptation. Pizza was worth savoring anyway.

She hummed a content sound to herself and sat on the sofa, surprised to see Damian sit down beside her. He had taken a seat on the far end but it was near enough and Kory decided to call that a positive. She hoped he would eventually warm up to them all in his own time; this entire situation with Trigon had already put him to the test and he’d shown great potential however, he still had a long way to go.

But, Kory focused on the good in him. He was trying and he was showing improvement nonetheless; no matter how small it was.

She smiled to herself as she leaned forward for the next bite of pizza.

Garfield hurried back over to his spot on the opposite sofa, grinning when Jaime gave him a playful shove and nodded towards the game controllers on the side table.

“Vic! Get your metal butt over here; you owe me a game from last time, remember?” Gar pointed out, smirking as he wolfed down his slice of pizza whole.

Cyborg chuckled and handed one box of pizza over to Kory, who placed it between her and Damian; something that seemed to perk the boy wonder up as he reached for another piece.

Raven then gracefully accepted the box of plain cheese pizza, taking a slice and lifting into a float, her legs crossed in a pretzel style, resting the box in her lap.

Kory smiled to herself; Diana had been right when she mentioned being proud of them. She was growing fonder and fonder of the little team crowded around the main room. She watched as Jaime showed off his bubbly nature that was occasionally so hidden by the burden of the scarab fused to his spine. Garfield; the goofball she had known from the day she crash landed on Earth. Even Raven appeared to be remaining in the room and socializing more than she usually ever did, opting for this instead of a night in her room with a novel.

And Damian, as much of a conundrum as he could be in the few days she had personally known him beyond Dick’s musings; he was still with them, hanging out. He could have easily gotten back from the depths of hell and gone to his room to brood and be alone however; he had chosen to remain with them.

Kory wouldn’t be drawing attention to that anytime soon but it made her inwardly very happy that he wasn’t running from them like he had in the first day of knowing them, refusing to so much as even acknowledge their existence.

There was a warm glow in her chest as she glanced around the room and she smiled to herself.

When Dick and the other former Titans had left to go and pursue different routes in their lives, Kory had felt panicked and concerned, figuring she would be all alone. Gar stayed; decided he wanted to play hero in a team for as long as possible even if the team member count had dwindled.

But, Kory had felt a sense of loss for a while and when the younger Titans had turned up, it was far from the wholesome family feel that the past Titans radiated. She wanted that feeling back and she hoped that the younger generation would allow her this, even if it did take baby steps to get there.

Suddenly, Kory’s thigh vibrated and she flinched, forgetting that her phone was stashed in the pocket of her purple skirt. Setting the crust of her pizza slice down in the box, she stood up and wandered into the hallway, pulling her phone out from the fabric confines.

She checked the caller ID and beamed, immediately accepting the call.

“Greetings,” She chirped, leaning her back against the wall, just outside the doors of the main room,

“Hey, beautiful. How are things?” Dick greeted, a rustling of wind in the background of his voice,

“Good. And you?” Kory replied, an ache of sadness blooming out of nowhere in her chest,

She had missed him these past few weeks. Less and less did they get the chance to talk with one another. Whilst Dick was doing his own thing in Bludhaven, he had been rarely available hence why she had been so very happy to see him when he dropped Damian off to them the few days beforehand.

In front of the Titans, they maintained an air of professionalism and tried to cover up the fact there was anything more between them although; Gar gave them cheeky grins anytime they were within a foot of each other. He knew the truth; being one of their longest friends and teammates. Kory had a sneaky suspicion Raven and Jaime and even Damian most likely knew the true nature of her relationship with Dick too but they wisely didn’t tease or question it.

Of course, she knew Dick tried his hardest to contact her most days, apologizing profusely when he missed a day or two. She couldn’t be angry with him in the slightest, he was trying and that was enough for her.

It didn’t stop that hollow feeling in her heart though.

Dick chuckled, “Things are fine down this way; criminals and assholes doing their usual activities.” He paused, “How has Damian been? Still ready to throw him out a window?”

Kory snorted and there was the familiar fluttering in her stomach that only Dick managed to conjure up inside of her, “Mm... no. It has shifted to... a mild annoyance but he is learning. He has proven already that he is capable of working within a team. It seems to help him mellow out a little.”

“Damian? Mellow? I’m sorry, Kory. I don’t think I heard you right.”

She grinned and shook her head, “You would be surprised. He is taking teamwork seriously so far.”

“Well, good.” Dick briefly stopped talking and sighed, “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” Kory wondered, idly twisting a lock of her hair around her index finger,

“I saw reports and feeds on the city. Demons... fire... I’m assuming it’s connected with Raven.” Dick murmured, his tone one of dread,

Kory exhaled and stared at the floor beneath her feet, “It was a... challenging day.”

“Kory...”

“We took care of it; as a team. There is much to tell you about it but just know; things were handled.” Kory reported back,

“Why didn’t you call me for backup?” He asked, his voice tinged with hurt,

“I... well... you are busy in Bludhaven... you’re not a Titan anymore-”

“You know I would be there in a heartbeat if you needed me, Kory.”

Kory felt unexpected tears prick her eyes and she argued with herself over why she was feeling so fragile. She pinned it down to missing and being so far from him. It wasn’t like he was in the room just next door anymore. He was her confidant; her trust and her heart.

It was difficult; the distance and the space between them.

“Kory?” Dick prompted,

“I know you would but it was under control... even Batman seemed impressed with our ability to save them and the world from demonic destruction.”

“Them?”

“As I said, I will need to update you on the details but... the league were affected by Trigon’s power.”

There was a long stretch of silence and she wondered if Dick sensed she was trying to steer the conversation back to the way it was going.

“Well, you guys must have really shown off if you saved the league from this thing.” He retorted, his voice softer now,

“I think it helped Damian to know Bruce was proud of what he had done.” Kory murmured,

“Sometimes, I think that’s all Damian wants; Bruce to be proud of him.” Dick admitted,

“Not always the easiest person to get that from.”

“Nope.”

The bout of silence returned and Kory chewed on her lower lip, unsure of what to say. There was an unspoken cloud that hung over them like this sometimes; when they had been apart for so long.

“So, what’re you guys doing now?” Dick asked,

Kory shook her head and forced an upbeat mindset, “Well, Victor came over and brought pizza with him. He and Garfield and Jaime are playing video games. Raven and Damian are even sitting in and watching. It is nice that they’re all socializing together.”

She heard the smile in his voice as he replied, “You’ve made a good team, Kory.”

Blushing, she rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her.

“I have nothing to do with-”

“They’re becoming a good team because they have an amazing leader.” He told her, firmly,

She was quiet for a moment and shyly smiled to herself, “Thank you.”

He chuckled, “I knew I left the right person in charge.” He paused, “And you? Are you okay? Having fun with the others?”

“Of course.” She chirped, in a tone she hoped sounded convincing. It wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying spending time with the team and Victor’s appearance certainly lifted her spirits but... she still wished someone else was with them and yet, he was not. She was talking to him over the phone instead of face to face.

“I miss you, y’know.” Dick blurted and Kory leaned further back against the wall, her eyes downcast. She inhaled deeply and felt a touch of hope swell within her.

“Perhaps... you could join us? If you are available... I-” He cut her off with an apologetic sigh,

“I can’t. I’m following a lead tonight on a string of recent thefts. Maybe next weekend?” He offered, trying to at least make up for his absence this evening,

Kory’s shoulders sagged and her heart sank, a crushed feeling sweeping through her. She knew what his answer would be; knew he was busy protecting Bludhaven and she couldn’t fault him for that. It was one of the reasons she loved him; his determination to help and protect the innocent from threats and danger.

But, she couldn’t help the disappointment that flowed through her.

“I’m sorry, Kory.” He told her, earnestly,

She closed her eyes and sniffled, shaking her head and smiling, “Do not be. It was merely a suggestion if you were able to. I understand.”

“I wish I could-”

“But you cannot. I know. You should go; you are busy and I should get back to the team. I believe they wish to start a movie night.” Kory replied, quickly.

“Kory-”

“I shall speak with you soon...” He paused, “I love you, Dick.”

He was silent for a moment before he exhaled and returned the sentiment, “I love you too. You know that, right?”

Kory felt another wave of sadness wash over her. She did know that but she sometimes considered their distant relationship; wondered if there would ever be a time where they didn’t communicate mostly through scattered calls and video chats.

“Of course I do.” Kory swallowed, “Bye, Dick.”

He bid her goodbye and Kory pulled her cell phone away from her ear, ending the call. She frowned and her brows knitted together as she drummed her fingertips against the back of the device, staring aimlessly at the wall opposite her.

“Kory! You in or out for movie night!?” Garfield shouted, “If you are; we’re doing this pajama style!”

Kory blinked before she burst out laughing, “I will be there in a moment!”

She smiled in the direction of the main room. Despite Dick not being able to spend time with her as much as either of them would like, she appreciated that she was not completely alone. She was in good company.

With that thought in her head, she walked towards her room, intending to do what had been asked of her and change into her bed clothes, consisting of an off the shoulder sweater that was a little too big for her and a pair of little grey shorts, revealing her long legs but it was nothing less than she showed in her uniform so she deemed it acceptable.

When she returned to the main room, she jerked in surprise. Gar had been busy shifting the couches around so they ran alongside each other rather than being situated opposite. Cyborg stood there chewing on a bite of pizza and watching as the changeling panted, out of breath from moving the furniture.

He stood back and grinned, dressed in his own pajama set, “There. Now, it’s better. It’s like a real movie night.”

Vic rolled his human eye and set the pizza down on the coffee table before making his way over to Kory. He threw an arm around her shoulders, “Everything okay there, Princess?” He paused and gave her a soft smile, “You were out on the phone for a while.”

Kory favored her friend with a warm smile and hugged him around his middle, “Everything is fine. Dick was checking in.”

“I don’t suppose the others know about you and- Oof!” He winced as Kory squeezed him that bit tighter,

“Possibly but... it is not a common topic no... I would prefer not to...” Kory murmured,

Vic held his hands up, “Right, right... I get it... keep it professional and all.” He tilted her chin up so he could look her in the eyes, “As long as everything is good between the two of you?”

She smiled, her heart swelling at Victor’s brotherly nature. He had always been this way and she cherished him for it; he made her feel looked after when she felt alone or upset,

“We are fine.” Kory told him, effectively shutting down his doubts.

He gave her one last squeeze and then released her, “Glad to hear it. Cute pj’s, by the way.”

Kory beamed at him and moved to help Gar with blankets.

Soon enough, Jaime emerged in his night clothes followed by Raven who had a book tucked under her arm but was still trying to be a team player by remaining out in the main room with them all.

Damian returned, maskless and wearing a simple pajama set consisting of a long sleeved red t-shirt and black sweatpants, surprising practically everyone else.

“What?” He snipped, brows creased and his arms folded over his chest,

“Nothing... just... weird seeing you not all, ‘I am robin merh!’” Gar admitted, puffing out his chest to impersonate him,

Damian scowled, “You said pajamas were a requirement for the movie night. I am obliging.”

Raven nudged Gar and gave him a look that asked him to give the uptight teen a break. Gar swallowed his laughter and nodded at Raven,

“That’s true. Glad you’re joining in.” Garfield smiled, earning a nod from the young, dark haired boy,

“I’m just glad none of ya’ll are opting for onesies.” Cyborg mentioned as he wandered in from the kitchen with three bowls of fresh popcorn which he placed on the coffee table,

Raven smirked and raised an eyebrow, “Onesies? Really?”

“I mean I have one but-” Gar mused but Jaime stared at him incredulously,

“How old even are you?” He snorted,

Gar huffed, “I’ll have you know onesies are appropriate for any age!”

“Mhm... keep telling yourself that.” Cyborg snarked, taking his seat in the middle of one sofa whilst Damian sat beside him. Raven curled up against the corner of the second sofa, opening the book she had to her bookmarked page.

Jaime sat beside her and rolled his eyes as Gar dropped to his knees in front of the large TV, sifting through the movie choices. Kory pushed thoughts of Dick and their relationship out of her head as she toyed with the silver bangle around her wrist; a present from her masked boyfriend himself. He’d gifted it to her after she had been with the former team for a whole year.

Of course, it had been a couple of months before they started dating so he was shy and awkward but completely adorable; especially when she gave him a big hug and a kiss to the cheek, making him turn as red as a tomato. It was something Wally still enjoyed teasing him about.

She let her fingers drop from the piece of jewelry and sat, cross legged on the end of the first sofa, just beside Cyborg.

“What movie are you putting on first, Garfield?” Kory asked, smiling at his enthusiasm,

He grinned and turned to her, holding out a DVD cover, “Bloodbath Baby doll 2!”

Kory grimaced but nodded so not to discourage his cheerfulness. Horror was not something she took great joy in watching; she’d witnessed enough in real life to last a lifetime. But, Garfield and Jaime were big fans so she endured it for them.

“Oooh! Is that the new one!?” Cyborg chimed in, sitting forward suddenly,

“Dude! You know it! Came out 2 weeks ago!” Gar squealed, inserting it into the player and jumping in his seat between Raven and Jaime.

He grabbed the remote and loudly hushed them all. Raven turned the page of her novel and raised a brow, “You’re the only one talking.”

Gar blinked and turned to her, “Technically you are now too.”

She rolled her indigo eyes at him, “Ooh. You got me.”

He smirked and turned back to the screen as the red, dripping letters of the movie’s title appeared. The blankets were tugged across their laps on each couch, Kory snuggling into the arm rest of the sofa, leaning her face against the cushioning.

She was half asleep when there was a beeping that came from the panel at the main doors. Cyborg was halfway through a cold slice of pizza, his wide eyes on the scene unfolding on the TV when it went off. He flinched and shook his head, brushing his hands together and stood up,

Garfield, with the blanket pulled to his mouth, eyed Cyborg going to answer the alert.

“Don’t! It’s gonna be the baby doll!” He whispered,

“If it is, we’re sacrificing you first.” Damian mumbled, his face bored as he watched the movie,

Cyborg rolled his human eye and went down to answer. Kory yawned behind her hand and rested her chin on her palm, considering letting herself just fall asleep. She had to admit, battling an interdimensional demon was pretty exhausting.

She heard the brief sound of the main doors opening again and Cyborg’s voice,

“Well, look here. Got another visitor.” Cyborg announced, the grin in his tone,

“Hey, Titans.”

Kory’s green eyes snapped open and she swiveled towards the deep voice, her heart racing like it so often did with him.

There he stood, in his dark, sleek uniform; the blue bird sweeping across his chest. She glanced up into his smiling face, looking quietly smug and pleased with himself.

“Grayson. What are you doing here?” Damian asked, mildly interested,

“Thought I’d stop by and see how you were settling in.” He explained, eyeing Kory who still appeared a bit shell-shocked at his appearance.

“Gee... thanks.” Damian deadpanned, returning his attention to the horror playing on screen.

Dick stepped into the room a little more, crouching down on the other side of the arm rest that Kory was leaning against.

“Hey.” He murmured,

“Nightwing... but you said-”

“I know... I was actually on my way here when I called you...” He grinned sheepishly, “Surprise?”

Kory blinked before she beamed at him with a happy glow that could rival that of the sun’s. He peeled his mask off so she could see his eyes and she inwardly cursed that she couldn’t casually lean in to kiss him like she wanted to. He sensed this and kissed her cheek, Cyborg’s bulk blocking them from the others if they were even looking in their direction.

“Told you I missed you.” Dick whispered as he pulled away from her cheek,

“Dick...” She murmured, already feeling the soaring of her mood.

It was so good to see him; even if it was only for a short while that he would be stopping by before heading home, it was enough for her. She was just happy to get 5 minutes with him in person.

He winked at her and stood up straight again, wandering around the sofa. He raised a brow at Cyborg and shooed him, “Make room, Vic.”

The half robot snorted but bit his tongue on commenting, opting to shuffle down the sofa instead. Kory offered the blanket to him which he took, sat between her and Vic and placed it back down across their laps.

Kory straightened up, feeling wide awake now. She couldn’t help the tiny smile on her lips as Dick shifted in his seat, leaning his shoulder against hers, just so they had contact.

“Would you like a drink or pizza, Dick?” She asked, politely,

“I’m okay, thanks, Kory.” He returned, glancing at her again.

She nodded as he flashed a smile her way before they both turned their attention to the movie. A woman was sprinting away from the demon baby doll that was wielding a machete.

“God, baby doll is gonna get her!” Garfield fretted,

Raven pulled a face, “If she wasn’t stupid like all horror movie characters, she’d know to run... I don’t know, maybe not into an alleyway with no escape.”

Jaime chuckled and looked at the empath with approval, her comment one of pure truth.

Kory found herself taking interest in the cliché slasher scene and jumped when she felt Dick’s hand on her thigh beneath the blanket.

Her cheeks became warm and she eyed him cautiously, silently asking what he was doing. Dick smirked and shook his head, indicating he wasn’t planning on being naughty or anything; not with the team around them.

She smiled and slid her hands under the blanket as well, finding his one against her skin. She touched his hand and he turned it over, intertwining their fingers. Kory felt a swell of love in her heart; it was such an innocent gesture but one that meant so much.

Kory clasped their joint hands with her other one and gently leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. Dick smiled and relaxed, kissing her hair briefly whilst Cyborg once again unknowingly provided them cover in the darkened room.

They stayed that way whilst the rest of the movie played out and resumed the same position when Garfield decided to have a movie encore with ‘Massacre Season 4’.

“Why do they bother with sequels when it’s the exact same thing each movie?” Dick voiced, narrowing his eyes at the screen and wondering if he had already seen it but ultimately realized it was ‘Massacre Season 2’ that he had seen.

Kory smirked and breathed in his scent as he moved the pad of his thumb in circles against the back of her hand.

Gar glared over at the man, “They are not the same.”

“Oh-ho but they are.” Vic chimed in, staring pointedly at the DVD cases on the floor; the image was identical bar different actors on the fronts.

The changeling followed his gaze and opened his mouth to fight it but seemed to understand that he would be fighting a losing battle. He clamped his mouth shut and turned away, huffing and grumbling under his breath, leaving Dick and Vic to chuckle.

By the end of the movie, time had ticked away and it had gotten late, the moon high in the sky outside of the tower.

Damian yawned as the credits rolled before he got to his feet and stretched his arms above his head, “Thank god that’s over.” He paused, “I thought I’d die of the boredom.”

“What!? That was horror at its finest!” Gar protested, brushing the popcorn kernels off of his lap.

The boy wonder pulled a face, “That’s a shame.”

Gar threw his hands up as he stood, “You are all terrible critics!”

Jaime rolled his shoulders and smirked, “Because not all of us agree that it’s the scariest thing ever?”

“Well yeah!” He paused and glanced down at Raven who was marking the page she was up to, “Right, Rae? It was scary, wasn’t it?”

Her dark eyes met his and she sighed, “Oh yeah. Petrifying. I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight.”

Garfield frowned and crossed his arms, “You guys are young; you don’t know what good horror is yet but don’t worry, you’ll learn.”

Dick rolled his eyes as he got up from the couch. He turned and smiled at Kory, offering her a hand to help her up. She smiled and accepted it, letting him pull her up to his chest, sharing a moment of closeness before she cleared her throat and stepped away.

“Ahem...”

Raising his eyebrows, Dick looked back to see Vic cheekily waggling his fingers at him, “Where’s my helping hand, hm?”

Dick smirked and shrugged, “Beats me.”

Cyborg laughed and hauled himself up, following suit as everyone else.

Kory bent down slightly and began collecting the pizza boxes and empty glasses from the coffee table, carrying them through to the kitchen. She wasn’t much of a fan of leaving the place in a mess after they indulged in movie nights. Otherwise, it would be left until morning when it still wouldn’t be cleared away and the cycle wouldn’t end.

“Do you need some help, Kory?” Raven offered, her voice quiet with fatigue,

The Princess smiled at the girl who she had come to love a bit like a younger sister, “That’s alright, Raven. I can manage. You get some sleep.”

Raven hesitated but nodded and smiled, turning away and heading down the hall to her room.

Garfield yawned loudly and waved to Kory, Dick and Cyborg, “Night pals.”

Jaime shook his head and followed after with Damian scowling at Gar’s volume level,

“Does he need to be so loud?” Damian asked,

“Need to be? No but he chooses to... as annoying as it is.” Jaime muttered, “Night guys!”

“Goodnight.” Damian called, barely looking over his shoulder.

Kory smiled as she watched them all filter through the doors to get some rest, “Goodnight, Titans...” She softly replied,

She quietly hummed to herself as she filled up the basin with hot water, intent on cleaning the glasses now before she lost the motivation to do so.

Dick sat on the arm rest of the sofa, his eyes in her direction, merely watching her move. Cyborg whistled from behind him as he pressed at buttons on the console of his arm,

“I should get going too. Early session with the league.” He sighed,

“Sounds fun.” Dick teased,

Vic shrugged, “Y’know, you’d fit in well with them.”

“And be under the watch of Batman again?” Dick scoffed, “Pass. I’ve done my time of that already, thanks.”

Cyborg chuckled, “The suggestion is always there.”

“Yo, Princess...” Cyborg grinned and wandered into the kitchen to give Kory a kiss on the cheek, “Time for me to go.”

From what Dick could see, she gave him a hug and he heard her faintly speak,

“It was lovely to see you, Victor and thank you for helping us with Trigon.”

Dick felt a slightly sharp bolt of jealousy; Vic had been there to help them but he wasn’t. Inwardly, he tried to reason with himself. The league were involved in this whole thing which means Vic inevitably would have been too.

Still, he wished he could have given the Titans some help. He wished he could have given Kory some help.

There was a brief burst of laughter before Cyborg came ambling out of the kitchen again, “Night, Kory.” He called, waving over his shoulder,

Setting the last digits on his console, Cyborg set up a boom tube, a glowing portal manifesting behind him.

“Dick, you need a boom back to Bludhaven?” Vic queried,

Absently, Dick’s eyes shifted back to the humming woman in the kitchen and rubbed his neck, “Uh... no, I’m good. Thanks though.”

Vic followed his gaze and smirked, “Uh huh... I bet you are. Wanting some time with your lady?”

Dick narrowed his eyes at his friend, “Might wanna catch that portal before it closes. Goodnight, Vic.”

Laughter erupted from the cybernetic man and he shook his head, “Night Dick.” He bid before stepping through the portal and having it close up behind him.

Dick exhaled, glad that the room was finally empty and quiet, meaning he was free to go and greet Kory how he had initially wanted to.

Standing up, he followed the serene sound of her humming until he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning up against the door frame. He stood and watched her a moment before he couldn’t help himself any longer.

He crossed the space between them, using his stealth skills to creep up on her. His arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her back against his broad chest.

Kory gasped and stiffened for the briefest of moments before she relaxed and leaned back on him,

“Dick?” She murmured,

“I should hope so since I’m assuming you don’t let anyone else hold you like this.” He whispered, kissing a spot just below her jaw,

She tilted her head, “Well...”

“Don’t even.” He hushed, making her giggle,

“I thought you would be going home with Cyborg’s boom tube.”

“Thought about it for all of a second but... I was kinda hoping to stay the night... if you don’t mind.”

She stilled and dried her hands with the paper towels just beside the basin, filled to the brim with sudsy bubbles. Kory turned slowly and her jade eyes locked on his cerulean ones,

“Really?” She whispered, her eyes on his lips,

“Well, yeah. It’s a long trip back and I’m tired and... you always warm me up so quickly when we have sleepovers.”

She laughed and rested her forehead against his, “I would love for you to stay.”

“Good because I’ve been meaning to do something since I got here.”

“What-”

He cut her off by pressing his lips against hers, one hand on the small of her back whilst the other traveled up the path of her spine, into her mane of fiery red hair until he cupped her cheek, angling her face towards his a little more so he could deepen their kiss.

Kory gave into a breathy sigh and her hands moved from being pressed to his chest to up and around his shoulders, pulling him close enough so that her breasts were flushed against his chest,

The heat grew between them, their lips never leaving the other’s for even a second. Dick was the one to take it further, teasing her and swiping his tongue along her bottom lip, seeking permission to engage in more play.

She giggled and obliged him, opening her mouth enough for him to entice hers out for some fun. The hand still on her lower back delved even lower until it found her backside. He grinned into their kiss and gave her ass a playful squeeze.

Kory gasped and broke away from him, swatting his chest, “You are terrible.” She laughed,

“I’m just a man who has been missing his girl, is all. I need to catch up on kisses.” He told her,

“Mm, that is true. You need to catch up.”

“And I mean... here’s hoping to more than just kisses tonight.”

Kory raised an eyebrow at him, “Someone is presumptuous...”

Dick smirked, “You know as well as I do that we both really enjoy it, Kory.”

She rolled her eyes, “Again... true.”

He chuckled and brushed a loose lock of red hair behind her ear, “I’ve really missed you, babe.”

“I have missed you as well... it’s been weeks since we’ve properly been together, Dick.” She whispered,

“I know, I know... I’ll try to make more time to come and visit. I’ve been really crap lately-”

“Not at all... you are constantly trying, my love and that is enough for me.”

Dick brushed his nose against hers, “I love you so much...”

Kory leaned into his hold and his touch, “Mm and I love you.”

He sighed and smiled at her, “So, you about done here?” He paused and smirked, “I want to get a head start on the ‘more than kisses’.”

She blinked and laughed, “You are impatient.”

“You just said it’s been weeks and... you try having your hand on your thigh for almost 3 hours without moving it any higher.” Dick complained,

Kory shook her head, her luminous eyes making his breath hitch in his throat,

“Well... I think... I am just about done so...”

He pecked her lips and released her, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the doors,

“Let’s get going then.”

Kory giggled, her heart full and fluttering like the wings of a butterfly; a feeling he never failed to make her feel, no matter where or when.

#teen titans #dickkory #nightwing #starfire #koriand'r #dick grayson #dcau #fanfiction #oneshot #am i forgetting tags?#probably #nightglider124

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