#especially Harper row/bluebird

[megaguardain]

Bi-on-bi hostility

[zahri-melitor]

Have now met Minhkhoa Khan.

I honestly think he's the most interesting addition to the wider Bat lore since probably Damian's introduction, in terms of the fact he's actually filling an unoccupied gap in the setting and lore.

Part of the issue with the proliferation of new characters over the last 10-15 years has been that a lot of them are effectively redundant on arrival: they're not providing new storytelling opportunities. Characters like Harper Row (Bluebird) and Mary Turner (Strix) and Claire Clover (Gotham Girl) and Bao Pham (Clownhunter) and Francine Charles (Operator) and so on aren't really designed to have a long term existence or take-up. You know once a writer leaves a book that character is probably done, and going to fade into the annals of 'hey do you remember'.

They exist because a writer can't use the character they clearly wanted to use instead, or they wanted to run a trope in a story arc (the characters listed above are: 2x 'we actually wanted to use Cass'; 1x 'we wanted to use Oracle'; 2x 'we wanted a troubled kid for Bruce to help deal with their trauma').

And I personally don't have a problem with creating short term characters to tell the story you want to tell, though I do prefer it if writers actually check if there's a pre-existing character that fits what is wanted, especially if that character is well known. (We shouldn't have the 'this is just Cass, but the writers weren't allowed to use Cass' situation).

But what makes Khoa instantly compelling to me is that he fits straight into continuity without causing any issues, because he's a character that makes sense to exist, and could have existed in the background for decades.

He's part of Bruce's past training journey, but unlike Henri Ducard or David Cain or the O-Sensei, he's not one of Bruce's teachers; he's a fellow student and rival.

Unlike Thomas Elliot, he's someone Bruce has an active rivalry with and who can instantly draw Bruce back into acting like a petulant teenager. He's not from the Gotham society Bruce left behind like Tommy is (or Roman Sionis); he's part of the development of Bruce's code of morality in his world travels. And he's someone Bruce actually has a give and take relationship with, rather than being a character developing a terrible case of one-sided rivalry watching Bruce.

It takes genuine effort to look at the Bat canon and go 'hey, there's an unoccupied gap here where I can fit in a character that will add to the story, rather than just repeat it'. And Khoa's also a character that can disappear off panel for 5-10 years then pop back up when another writer wants to use him and that would make complete sense; he's not someone who should be getting called in and isn't, or whose only use after his initial story arc is to fill out the background of crowd scenes.

I'm honestly impressed. And interested to see where this goes.

(Also I want fic about David Cain, Minhkhoa Khan and young Cass very, very badly; or a story where Cass runs into him while she's working in Hong Kong)

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Got some more questions

1: what made you name Jake’s hero name skybird?

2: how come Chris superhero name is Nightwing phantom instead of something else like super wing or maybe dark wing? Feels like a mouthful to me lol

3: what’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to them? Either together or separate.

4: what horror movies have they tried to watch?

5: just like the supersons in canon (and maybe in some ppls fanons) have they ever do some slight teasing with each other? For example: calling each other dork, nerd, buttmunch, hit like a girl, etc…

6: what’s one cartoon/movie that they watch religiously? My headcanon for Chris that it’s SpongeBob.

Well my friend @gothicghost2000 , do I have some answers alright lol

1. Well what happened was that originally I gave Jake the code name of Bluebird since his main outfit was the Discowing colors on a Robin like suit. Only thing was, after some research, I rediscovered the character of Harper Row who went by Bluebird. Hence why I went with Skybird since I felt like it was different enough moniker name from Bluebird.

2. Well the idea was essentially to split the Nightwing mantle between Chris and Dick akin to how back at the marvelous competition, the X Men and Avengers gave a tendency for different teams that operate under a similar banner to bear a subtitle in order to help distinguish them. For example, the mainline X team can be X Men Gold while either a team of newly graduated members or even a time displaced version of the original team can be X Men Blue. Or there’s the main Avengers helmed by Captain America, Iron Man and Thor while another team lead by Hawkeye at San Francisco can be the aptly named West Coast Avengers.

So when differentiating Dick and Chris with the Nightwing mantle, since the former is more well known of the two (it’s a sad fact but true), I had to give Chris a way to let audiences know he too is a Nightwing albeit of a different sort than the one they’re most used to. I would’ve tried with a color based coding for them but I don’t know if Nightwing Orange would be as appealing sounding of a name since unlike Gold or Blue, it doesn’t sound a truly stand out color. So then I applied the fact Chris was born in the Phantom Zone and that his more distinctive powers are shadow based to the name process, hence Nightwing Phantom. Plus calling him simply Phantom by itself would be ripping off a golden age hero called the Phantom. So yeah…lol

3. For Chris, it would be the time Conner washed the laundry but he accidentally shrink Chris’ clothes so much but that morning he had to rush for school. The only thing that’ll fit him in the meantime was Lois’ wedding dress. You can imagine how red his face was when walking into class in said dress.

Meanwhile, there that one time Jake attempted singing a traditional Tamaranean folk song for a talent show. His louder wailing voice combined with the speakers needless to say certainly got not just tons of broken windows but a ribbon for sixth place

4. Mainly they stick to classic Universal Mosnters and if they feel especially brave, J-Horror movies starring Onryo, especially the Ringu and Grudge films. Though the first Ttime they tried watching Ringu, they were very very nervous around unlabeled video tapes

5. Chris and Jake probably do so especially at an earlier time when their little team was still barely coming together but far more lighthearted and less harsh in comparison to that other team. It’s more common for them to call each other teasing names during video game play throughs than out in their superhero jobs

6. For Jake, it’ll be both Powerpuff Girls Classic and of course Voltron Legendary Defender. For the latter case though, he completely ignores all the shipping that goes on in the fandom and just focuses on the show itself

Now as for the both of them being of them, two shows stand out being their go to ones: Avatar: The Last Airbender and Steven Universe

[insomniac-jay]

DC OC | Next Gen Cont.

Laverne Row | Nightingale

Laverne Row is the daughter of Bluebird (Harper Row) and Songstress (Alicia Sandiego Row). Her twin sister is Mockingbird (Piper Row). Starting out as the sidekick to Spoiler (Stephanie Brown), Laverne later becomes a member of an all girls group of vigilantes called the Lizzies.

Like her mother Alicia, Laverne has the power of musical manipulation. Meaning that she can use her voice to produce any type of music to effect the environment around her. Unlike Songstress, who can only use jazz and opera, Nightingale can use all genres.

Piper Row | Mockingbird

Piper is Laverne's twin sister. A wild child at heart, Piper is determined to set herself apart from her parents and her sister; and she does this by becoming a member of the second iteration of Team Arrow.

While she doesn't have any superpowers, she is skilled with weapons, especially her trusty paintball gun that's been converted into a multipurpose weapon-- mainly a sniper rifle and grappling hook.

Oliver Harper | Robin Hood

Oliver is the triplet son of Arsenal (Roy Harper) and Angeknight (Sophia Evangelista-Harper) as well as the younger half brother of Red Riding Hood/Cheshire Cat (Lian Harper). He has some of his mother's angel powers but prefers not to use them unless necessary. He is a member of the second iteration of Team Arrow.

Like his parents, Oliver is a skilled archer and seems to be good with other weapons. He has a bow that can transform into other kinds of weapons such as a sword, spear, and more.

Hazel Emerson | Witchling

Hazel is the only child of Damage (Grant Emerson) and Pandora (Elyon Morningstar Emerson). As her codename suggests, she is a witch but she's a practitioner of both the dark and white arts. She's a member of Titans South now that her dad's been allowed back in Atlanta.

@calciumcryptid @peachyblkdemonslayer @milf-percy

[tailsrevane]

2022 in review, part 6: comics & manga first reads

1. orcs! by christine larsen (2021)

this is frighteningly perfect. orcs as protagonists, cute (but not too cute for orcs) art, and just supremely powerful good boy energy. (yeah a lot of the protagonists aren’t boys, but i feel like all orcs have good boy energy regardless of gender.) also it’s kinda gay!

this filled a hole i didn’t even know could be filled (which despite being ace is oftentimes what i’m looking for with orcs, hey-o), with the only problem being that whenever i go out looking for more orc fiction i’m looking for this specific vibe and nothing else has it. woof.

(in all seriousness i wouldn’t want every orc story to have this vibe because that would make it less special, but still i want more of this than this and its immediate sequel, y’know?)

2. the witch boy by molly ostertag (2017)

given the title & author i am less than 0% surprised how strongly i vibed with this. this gave me so many gender feels.

3. batman/teenage mutant ninja turtles (2015-16) writer: james tyrnion iv / artist: freddie williams ii

a love letter to fans of both franchises. this is one of the all-time great crossovers between two totally separate franchises. it might be the best ever.

4. the adventure zone, vol. 4: the crystal kingdom (2021) writers: clint mcelroy & griffin mcelroy & justin mcelroy & travis mcelroy artist: carey pietsch

it took me a minute to get into adventure zone because i was so thoroughly spoiled by the frankly superior dimension 20, but it really does grow on you. and i think the crystal kingdom story is the first one where the comic adaptation actually noticeably improved upon the podcast. the ending especially was just so arresting seeing it in comic form, and it really had an impact on me that i don’t remember it having when i was listening to the pod.

5. superman: birthright (2003-04) writer: mark waid / artists: leinil francis yu & gerry alanguilan

not only is this the best verison of superman’s origin story i’ve ever seen, it’s one of the best superman comics i’ve ever read.

6. batman, vol. 2: the city of owls (2012) writers: scott snyder & james tynion iv / artists: greg capulo & rafael albuquerque & more

what made this so special is not just that it was the epic confrontation between batman and the court (and possibly his long-lost brother). it also had two side stories, one that showed that the new 52 version of mr. freeze is kind of a unique twist on the character, but i'm actually way more interested in the last issue of the volume. this issue featured a pair of super gay siblings named harper and cullen row. harper will eventually become the hero bluebird, but for now we just see her civilian life and how she first comes into contact with batman. and honestly, just seeing these two low-income queer siblings existing and being extremely relatable was such a joy.

7. avatar: tsu’tey’s path (2019) writer: sherri l. smith / artists: dan parsons & jay durresma

basically a drastically better version of the first movie with less human stuff. it couldn’t totally remove the shitty white savior stuff from the narrative obviously since it is following the same events, but it did at least push them off to the side as much as it could.

8. batman: hush (2002) writer: jeph loeb / artist: jim lee

i’ve been a batman/catwoman shipper since before i knew that shipping was a thing, so obviously i loved this. ivy being blatantly femdommy, and bisexual at that, was also extremely, extremely, extremely my jam. yes please. more of that, please.

9. pleasure & corruption, vol. 1 by you someya (2019)

*pounding fist on table in rhythm to words* more. boy. subs. more. boy. subs. more. boy. subs.

i do wish so many authors didn’t seem so convinced that subby boys always have to “deserve it” by being pervs or whatever in stories like this, it makes them way harder to relate to. but yeah. seeing a boy get tied up and bullied a bunch is extremely wish fulfillment imo. also, loveloveloved the heavy emphasis on bondage, obviously.

10. 5 seconds before a witch falls in love by zeniko sumiya (2021)

a super cute enemies-to-lovers yuri about a witch & witch hunter. hell yeah.

[batmanofthewestcoast]

Bluebird's Gadgets

Inspired by @blueskyerising 's tag about wanting Harper Row to have a wider array of weapons, I've compiled a list of things Harper has and could have in the future.

Taser Rifle

Her default weapon and the first piece of tech that we saw Harper use when she became Bluebird in the pages of Batman. My only issue with it is that while it is strong, it would be difficult to carry around, especially if she's pursuing someone by rooftop.

My solution would be to have it be collapsible. I know we've seen it before in the pages of Batman Eternal, but perhaps make it into something she could wear.

I would take inspiration from Gail Simone's favourite franchise, Kamen Rider. More specifically, the Faiz Blaster, which has a collapsable suitcase-like form. In my mind it (the Taser Rifle II) could collapse into a backpack-like form that attaches to the back of her suit.

Bird Bots

Seen in the pages of Batman and Robin Eternal these drone-like machines were used to seize the joints of the Powers Technology Exo-Batsuit. I seem them as versatile tools, would love for them to come back and be used to scramble cameras, which would be extra useful since Punchline will most likely be coming after Harper and her brother Cullen.

Silk Spinner/Booger Gun

In her fight against Killer Moth in Batgirl, Bluebird was able to get his weapon and apprehend him, noting that she thought "it was kinda fun". It'd be a good way for her to keep villains and criminals stuck in place, to a degree like Spider-Man and his webs.

Batarang Launcher (NEW)

In the Superheavy arc of Batman, Commissioner Gordon took over the role of Batman in the absence of the caped crusader. Backed by Powers Technology, one of the tools he was armed with was a gun that could shoot batarang projectiles. Post-Superheavy it seems these tools have been scattered to the winds, with Exo-Batsuit in the possession of the GCPD, and Rookie in the possession of Batwing/Luke Fox. I think a tool like the Batarang Launcher would be a good fit for Harper as she's already seemingly has experience with projectiles.

Cattle Prod (NEW)

This is something I'm a bit indecisive about considering that Nightwing is know for electrical batons in the Arkham series of games. My initial idea was a collapsible baton similar to one seen in the first Watchdogs video game, easy for Harper to keep on her. But I returned to the Kamen Rider well of ideas and I thought of something inspired by Billy the Rod, an electrical nightstick used by Kamen Rider Fourze. Being a mix between a billy club and a cattle prod, it would be Harper's go to in situations where the Taser Rifle wouldn't be ideal, such as tight spaces.

[docgold13]

365 DC Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

June 22nd - Blue Bird

Harper Row is an especially clever young woman who grew up in the rough neighborhood of Gotham known as ‘The Narrows.’  Her mother had passed away and her father was never in the picture yet she maintained a very close relationship with her brother, Cullen.  One night Cullen was attacked by a group of bigots intents on beating him up because of his being gay.  Batman intervened and likely saved Cullen’s life.   Harper witnessed this event and was so thankful that she dedicated herself to aiding the Dark Knight.  Originally, Harper mainly used her technological knowhow to improve Batman’s security cameras monitoring Gotham.  Although later she joined forces with Red Robin and assumes the costumed guise of Bluebird.   As Bluebird, Harper would go on to have numerous adventures alongside the extended Batman Family.  During one such adventure, Harper discovered that her mother’s death was actually a murder committed by The Orphan (Cassandra Cane).  Eventually, Harper discovered that The Orphan was being mentally controlled by the diabolical villainess called Mother.  Harper helped Orphan break free from Mother’s thrall and the villain as ultimately defeated.  Since then Harper and Cassandra have become very close with the pair going on a number of dates together.   More recently, Harper has become a medical volunteer at Leslie Thompkins' clinic and periodically accompanies the Bat-Family on missions.  The heroine first appeared in the pages of Batman Vol. 2 #7 (2012).

[ectonurites]

is harper row lgbt? and is she part of the batfam??

she is bi! I forget the issue number but this is from Tynion’s rebirth detective comics run

and like she’s not a Wayne, but she’s definitely batfam adjacent and most would consider her batfam (i do) especially now that she’s active as Bluebird again as of the Punchline oneshot! 

[thebabiestbatfam]

Harper Row: Character Cheat-Sheet

Finished reading through (most of) her chronology- here’s what I learned (and how I interpret her character).

Skills:

In canon, Harper is very good at hardware electronics, like wiring, engineering, etc. She is also very good at software, like hacking and coding.

To be honest, I don’t think this makes much sense. She learned these skills by tinkering with household electronics as a child and later by fixing electronics for others. Therefore, the skill with software has no origin, but it’s still canon.

Ideally, for me, the difference between the three ‘smart’ batkids, Harper, Barbara, and Tim, is that Harper is good with hardware, Babs is good with software, and Tim is good with making connections and at profiling. The writers seem determined, however, to eliminate any differences between their skillsets.

Harper is also a proficient fighter, and makes frequent use of electricity as a weapon.

Character Traits:

Harper’s driving force is her sense of responsibility to Cullen. She loves her brother very deeply and wants to create a better world for him and for everyone else. He is ultimately the reason she retires Bluebird at the end of the n52, and he is ultimately the reason she brings Bluebird out of retirement in the Punchline 2020 special.

Her biggest character flaw is her stubborn nature. She struggles to accept that she might sometimes be wrong or that other people might sometimes be right. She also refuses to back down, even when that might be the wisest course of action.

Harper wants the people she cares about to be safe and happy. This is what drives her to put herself at risk as Bluebird, but is also what drives her to retire so that she won’t leave her brother alone.

Harper fears being left behind. She thinks of the people she cares about as deserving of the world, and doesn’t want them to outgrow her. As a result, she gets along well with particularly traumatized people like Cass, likely because they will always need her.

Legal relationships:

Harper’s parents are Marcus and Miranda Row. Miranda was murdered by Cassandra, as part of Mother’s plan to produce a perfect Robin for Bruce, as detailed in Batman and Robin Eternal (2015).

Marcus and Miranda were both minor criminals, and Marcus became an abusive alcoholic after Miranda’s death. Harper filed for emancipation at 15 and was granted it, allowing her to take her brother Cullen away from her father.

Personal Relationships:

Within the Batfamily:

Harper is very close with Stephanie, who is her roommate, and Cassandra, who is her close friend. She is also friends with Tim.

She gets along with Bruce and admires him to some extent, though she understands him on a much more human level than a hero-worship type thing.

She has a crush on Batwoman.

She has worked with Clayface, with Luke Fox as Batwing, and with Barbara as Batgirl.

She has met Duke, Dick, and Jason, but their relationship is borderline non-existent.

Outside of the Batfamily:

Cullen is the most treasured person in her life.

She is close with Leslie Thompkins, as she is a volunteer at her clinic.

She knows and works with Jean-Paul Valley as both a civilian and as Azreal.

In one issue, she mentions that she has always found it difficult to make friends, which is why she became so close with so many of the batfam.

Relationship Dynamics:

Harper is often sassy and sarcastic. She can also be genuine and heartfelt, and has no difficulty expressing herself. She prefers to dominate conversations, never letting a remark go unanswered. Harper is fiercely protective and just a tad controlling, leading to some friction in her relationship with her brother.

Metatextual Role:

Harper is the upstart. Her role is to be underestimated, and to prove herself using her skills to more established players. Harper is more down to earth than most batfam members, as before her debut as a vigilante, she didn’t really have much interaction with anything supervillain or superhero related.

Interestingly, Harper also acts as a source of both guilt and forgiveness for Bruce and Cassandra, especially during the Batman and Robin Eternal (2015) arc.

Suggested Reading:

I really enjoyed Batman and Robin Eternal (2015), which you might have guessed given that I’ve referenced it twice it in the above post. Batman Eternal (2011) is also pretty good, and she certainly plays a major role in it.

I really loved Detective Comics #950, but she just makes a cameo appearance in that, it’s mostly about Cassandra. I also thought the Punchline (2020) special was interesting.

[lady-griffin]

Characters That Might Be Introduced in Young Justice Season 4: Phantoms

This is just my own personal speculation, based on what I think might happen in Season 4 and what YJ has given us so far. I’m sure that I’ve missed plenty of characters that others 100% believe or know will be making an appearance...but, I can’t do anything about that. 

While the majority of the characters on this list are ones we haven’t met before, there are a few we have met in the show - I included these characters, because I think they might be added to the ever-growing roster of heroes or have a more prominent role to play. 

This is really long, but I had fun doing it and I hope you enjoy it. 

Characters We've Met Already

Part I: Prominent Future Role

     M’comm M’orzz/Ma'alefa'ak

M’gann’s younger brother who wants to start a white revolution on Mars. We met him in season 3 during the episode of “Away Mission,” where he was a major focal point.

There are a couple of factors for why I think he’ll play a prominent role.

He’s M’gann’s younger brother and as several people have speculated upon, this season’s tagline of “Phantoms” might be in reference to our main characters’ own personal phantoms from their pasts, rather than literal ghosts. Also given how M’gann has a new little brother in Gar, who was given more prominence last season – there could be something there.

M’Comm wants to start a White Revolution and we know M’gann, Conner, J’onn, and Gar (I believe) will be heading to Mars, either before or at the beginning of Season 4. Since J’onn/Martian Manhunter is usually the last Green Martian – some dark stuff may be awaiting our heroes on Mars or occur while they’re there.

I think he’ll play a significant role in the upcoming season. 

     Jason Todd/Red Hood

Jason is a prominent member of the Batfamily and we’ve already learned that he was the Robin after Dick, but died before Season 2 began. 

In Season 3 – he was also an easter egg in “Nightmare Monkeys,” where he died in Beast Boy’s mind, along with other fallen comrades.

More importantly, in “Rescue Op,” we actually met him as the Red Hooded Ninja on Infinity Island. Towards the end of that episode there was attention given to the fact that he recognized Dick and therefore his memory was returning.

I can definitely see him having a more significant part in the future. He would most likely be Dick’s main phantom, if that’s the case for Season 4. 

     Big Barda

One of Granny’s most loyal generals and the leader of the furies before she defects against Darkseid. We were introduced to her in Season 3, in “Influence" - she fought against the Justice League, but more importantly she was saved by Superman. While it’s clear that Granny hurting her or being willing to sacrifice her is par for the course, it seemed pretty clear (to me) that Superman reshaped her outlook on life. 

We never saw her again, so more than likely she defected after Superman saved her.

Given her usual importance to the plot of Darkseid as well as the fact that her main love interest is Scot Free – I think there is more than a good chance we’ll see her again in Season 4.

--

In the third season, each of these characters were introduced in a single episode. Given their significant relationships to either a character or a plot element that is important to Young Justice - it seems more than likely we’ll see them play a larger role in the upcoming season.

Part II: Minor Future Role

     Harper Rowe/Bluebird

She was a minor character in Season 3, but she was also pretty prominent. Given that she’s a hero in the comics, I can see Harper being a new hero added to the roster. I can’t say how prominent she’ll actually be, but I can definitely see her playing a minor role.    

     Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl

Courtney is a pretty prominent young hero in DC and she made several appearances in Season 3 – with her show (Stargirl) where she reported and interviewed young heroes. So, maybe she’ll have decided instead of just interviewing heroes, she’ll become one herself. 

     Cisco Ramon/Vibe

For a character who was just being bullied they paid a decent amount of attention to him. Now maybe he was just a prominent Easter Egg for fans (CW’s The Flash), but it could also be YJ laying some slight ground work for him in the future.

     Cassandra Cain/Orphan

Orphan is a member of the Batfamily and her mother is Lady Shiva - The Light’s new enforcer, who we got to know decently well in Season 3. Because of that, I think there could be something there to explore in Season 4.

-- 

I don’t really think any of these guys will be major characters, but I’m betting we’ll at least see them in the background as heroes. Similar to how Stephanie Brown and others were introduced as easter eggs and then in the following season we saw them working as heroes.

In addition, there are of course other minor hero/super-powered characters whom we’ve already met (Arrowette, Spoiler, Mist etc.) and any one of them could get more screen time, it’s honestly anyone’s guess; I just don’t have anything specific to speculate about for them.

Characters We Haven’t Met 

Part I: Legion of Super-Heroes/Time Travel

Based on the idea that the Legion of Super-Heroes and time travel could play a significant role in Season 4 – which is based on how season 3 ended with an unknown woman wearing a Legion Ring. 

Legion of Super-Heroes

The Legion of Super-Heroes are a superhero team from the 31st Century; they are similar to The Justice League, but they protect and defend the United Planets. 

     Tinya Wazzo/Phantom Girl

Phantom Girl is a member of the Legion, so based off that and her name, there’s a decent chance we’ll meet her. I can’t say how big of role she’ll actually have, but I feel confident in saying this season won’t be named after her; it’ll just be fun little tie-in, if she does make an appearance.

     Querl Dox/Brainiac 5

Brainiac is a very prominent member of the Legion and knowing that they will play some role, it’s not a stretch to say he’ll also play a role. 

Brainiac 5, or at least in the WB animated show, was the inventor of the Legion Ring, as well as the ability to time-travel. 

Given his relation to one of Superman’s greatest enemies, Brainiac, who could definitely be a threat to both the League and The Light (if Brainiac even appears), I can definitely see Brainiac 5 playing a role. 

But, just his promience within the Legion is enough reason to speculate he’ll make an apperance.

     Imra Ardeen/Saturn Girl

Given Saturn Girl’s usual importance and prominence to the Legion (founding member), plus the fact that it was a waitress wearing the ring – it could very well have been her at the end of Season 3.

And even if it wasn’t her, she will still likely make an apperance. 

Other Members of the Legion of Super-Heroes who we could meet: Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Bouncing Boy, Triplicate Girl, Timber Wolf, Chameleon Boy, etc.

     Michael Carter/Booster Gold

Booster Gold is a pretty popular character who has appeared in many other works and is intrinsically linked with time-travel. On top of that, he typically has (or had) a good friendship with the old Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), so maybe we’ll see some reverse-mentor relationship with him and Jaime, the new Beetle – Jaime teaching him what it actually means to be a hero.

In general, I think he would just be a fun and new kind of personality to be brought in. 

     Future Kids (Lian Nguyen-Harper, Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, Tornado Twins, etc).

Given how time-travel will possibly be an element in Season 4, I think there’s a chance we’ll have an episode set in the future, starring the next generation of heroes. Maybe not all the kids we saw in “Home Fires,” but probably some of them.

Part II: The Phantom Zone  

I have the theory that Granny’s X-Pit is a type of Phantom Zone or at least based off the real thing.

Granny herself even called the pit the Ghost Dimension (which just sounds like another name for the Phantom Zone). So, it seems very likely to me that given the title of Season Four, the prominence of The Phantom Zone in DC, and how the X-Pit worked in YJ -- that The Phantom Zone will make an appearance in season 4, if not play an important part.

There could be lots of ways they could incorporate it into the show.

Maybe it works as a prison. The prison cells are like the red boxes Granny used to protect herself and thus there’s no chance of prisoners escaping the Zone, because if they try leave their cells, they’ll experience excruciating pain

Depending on how the Phantom Zone would work in in YJ, I feel like those who escape the Phantom Zone or are from there, could be called Phantoms.

While I do personally think the tagline Phantoms will refer to our main heroes’ own personal phantoms, the tagline could also be in reference to other elements of the season (like the Phantom Zone).

      Kara Zor-El/Supergirl

Supergirl is an important and popular character in the DC and given the prominence of the Batfamily in YJ, it seems a bit odd that the Superfamily is rather lacking in comparison. 

Supergirl has been a part of the Legion of Super-Heroes and due to her popular CW Show - she is more recently associated with the Phantom Zone. In her show, she ended up being stuck in the Phantom Zone which is why she arrived on Earth so much later than Clark. YJ could do something like that or maybe she’ll have been stuck in the Phantom Zone until the 31st Century. 

The introduction of Supergirl could be an interesting storyline in association with Conner (and Clark). We know that Clark has been interested in finding other Kryptonians and Kara is certainly more than just another Kryptonian.

She’s also a likely candidate to be the waitress who was wearing the Legion Ring. 

     Mon-El

A Daxxamite who’s a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and is also strongly associated with the Phantom Zone. Given how in Season 1, Superman thought that Shazam and Icon were potential Kryptonians, there could be something interesting there with Mon-El – especially since his species are so similar to Kryptonians.

In the comics, Mon-El had been inspired by Superboy into becoming a hero, but he was put in the Phantom Zone because he had an incurable disease; he was later saved by Brainiac 5 in the 31st Century. So that could be another potential storyline for Superboy in Season 4.

Mon-El has also gotten some more recognition in recent years, due to his role in CW’s Supergirl.

Also, when I was looking up a picture for him to use, I learned that there is another version of Mon-El, where he is a descendent of House El/Superman. 

So maybe that version will be introduced instead of the Daxxamite one, I don’t know. 

     Zod Trio -- Zod, Ursa, Non

I don’t actually think these guys will be important to Season 4, if even they are introduced. But they are important Superman Villains and they’re usually connected with the Phantom Zone ��� given how many continuities they are prisoners of said Zone. 

So, it seemed silly to not speculate about them at least making an appearance or small cameo, if not something more. 

Part III: Darkseid and Meta-Trafficking  

     Scott Free/Mister Miracle

Scott or Scot is Darkseid’s adopted son and the biological son of Highfather, so it feels safe to say that he’ll be a part of the show at some point. Especially, given the increase prominence of Darkseid as well as how much we’ve seen of the New Gods, Motherboxes/Fatherboxes, and the two worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips.

Scot is a defector of Apokolips or more accurately was never broken by the place. He is known for being able to escape any imprisonment - particularly Granny’s Orphanage/X-Pit, so if there’s a return of the X-Pit, Scot would be a great asset to our heroes.

Given how we’ve been introduced to the X-Pit quite thoroughly in Season 3, I think that Scot’s ability to free himself would be all the more impressive, and a quick way to establish this new character and his skills. 

In addition, while we didn’t meet the real Orion, we do know that he exists in this universe. Orion is the adopted son of Highfather and the biological one of Darkseid. In the comics, Scot and Orion were traded as part of a Peace Treaty between the worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips. 

Basically, he’s due to make an apperance. 

     Princess Koriand’r of Tamaran/Starfire

The plots of Season 2 and 3 were largely focused on the kidnapping, experimenting, and trafficking of meta-human children/teenagers, so given all of that - Starfire seems very likely to be included in YJ.

Or at the very least, YJ has laid down the groundwork for her to be introduced - whether or not they’ll use that, we’ll have to see.

Starfire’s origin is that she is a Tamerean Princess who was taken and experimented on, which resulted in her gaining powers (more powers). So, in the YJ universe she would essentially be a Meta-Tamerean. 

Starfire could be a great way to show that the Meta-Gene exploitation isn’t just an earth/human problem anymore, as many more beings across the universe are being experimented on and turned into living weapons.

Thus, expanding upon the trafficking story thread that was introduced in Season 3. 

In general, Starfire’s origin story fits very well with the trafficking/meta-experimenting storylines that we’ve gotten so far and I think her presence would add something new.

Given the popularity of Teen Titans and the prominence of Nightwing, Beast Boy, and Cyborg in YJ, it seems more than likely that Star will be a character in the show. 

Also, we know that Arsenal will be on the Covert Team and that Jason is alive, so maybe if Star is introduced, we’ll see a version of the Outlaws in YJ. Which could be fun. 

Finally, she is one of Nightwing’s main love interests, so there could be some personal drama to be had, if the show goes down that route, which they may not. 

Starfire obviously doesn’t have to be a love interest for Nightwing to be added into the story. 

While I love RobStar (+ Dickbabs), I feel like sometimes Star is just limited to being Nightwing’s other girlfriend. So, if she is introduced in YJ, I would not be opposed to other storylines involving her without Nightwing. 

In my personal opinion, not including Star would be such a wasted opportunity, given what YJ has already established so far.

Part IV: Zatanna’s Protégé(s) / Magic-Based Characters

I have a small theory, that magic might play a larger role in season 4. This is mostly based on the fact that magic has been pushed to the background in the past two seasons. Also, the title of ‘Phantoms’ makes me think of the supernatural (aka Magic). 

We also know that Zatanna will have protégés, as in plural. Now she already has Thirteen, so at the very least we can say that one new magical-based character will be introduced to the team or the hero side. 

     The Phantom Stranger

A mysterious mystic who battles supernatural forces. It’s unlikely he’ll be a protégé for Zatanna, but I mentioned him first, because of his name. Which is the main reason for why I think he, out of all the magical characters in DC, could make an appearance.

Similar to Phantom Girl, I don’t think the season’s tagline will come from his name, but it might just be a nice little tie-in regardless.

     Eddie Bloomberg/Kid Devil aka Red Devil

Blue Devil has made a few minor appearances in Seasons 1 & 2 and given how Kid Devil was once his sidekick in the comics, I think there’s a decent chance Red Devil we’ll make an appearance.

He’s a character who I think many people might not know about or at least not a lot about; and YJ does like to shine a light on those characters.

Eddie started out as human kid/teenager who became Kid Devil - sidekick to Blue Devil. He ended up making a deal with a demon and got demonic powers and looks to match - possibly related to that, he had a falling out with Blue Devil and stopped being his sidekick.

I’m pretty fuzzy on the details of his story, as I’m not super familiar with his character; but the broad strokes that I do know, I think could really work for YJ.

He starts  out as the sidekick of Blue Devil (maybe he knows the team), but he has a falling out with Blue or goes off on his own – and gets his demonic powers, becoming Red Devil. Or something like that.

As he becomes Zatanna’s protégé (trying to learn to control his magical powers), he also has to work on his strained relationship with Blue Devil.

It could be a similar story to Red Arrow’s from Season 1, a nice throwback with a new character. And a character who while being new, does already have some slight groundwork laid out for his introduction - with Blue Devil already existing in YJ.

Again, I’m just throwing ideas out here and speculating. 

     Zachary Zatara

Several people have pointed out that Zachary is a more likely candidate to be Zatanna’s new protégé than Raven is - who was the first person I thought of - given how Zachary is Zatanna’s cousin. 

And yeah, I think there’s a decent enough chance for him becoming a character in Season 4. 

He’s related to a former member of the OG Team and like Eddie, he’s not really a character many people are super familiar with, so that could work in his favor.

It could also be fun to have someone back on the team who has magic like Zatanna and if Zachary was part of the team, we would probably see more of Zatanna – which would be great.

One problem I do have though, is if he does exist in this universe - why didn’t Zatanna move in with his parent(s) (her aunt or uncle) when her father became the host for Doctor Fate.

Of course, that could just be because in season one they had never intended for him to exist in the show, but now things have changed. 

And in Season 2, we were given no indication that Beast Boy had been with the Doom Patrol or that they had died tragic deaths in between the time his mother died and when he joined the team. So yeah....

Zachary is a likely candidate to be added, especially in regard to Zatanna have multiple protégés (or at least 2). 

     Rachel Roth/Raven 

Unlike Starfire, Raven’s main story arc involving Trigon doesn’t really relate to what has been going on in Young Justice so far. Nonetheless, it seems very likely she’ll be included - given the popularity of TT, plus Nightwing, Beast Boy, and Cyborg being prominent characters. 

Raven  shouldn’t be limited by the existence of Trigon; as you easily have Raven in a story, without Trigon being front and center, in my opinion. And, it would be nice seeing other storylines involving Raven that don’t include Trigon, or at least not having him be a major factor.

There’s nothing specific that makes me think Raven will be introduced in Season 4, but –

She could definitely be Zatanna’s new protégé or at least one of them. And, while in the comics Zatanna and Raven haven’t always gotten along – there’s no reason that has to be the case in YJ. Plus, in Bombshells, Raven is Zatanna’s pseudo/adopted daughter.

Though, I think Raven being the protégé of Doctor Fate might work a bit better. 

Also, in regard to my personal theory that magic will become more prominent, Raven would be a great way to go about doing that, especially with her wide range of powers and abilities. 

While, I don’t think a story needs Trigon to have Raven – her being the daughter of one of the great evils of the universe, could certainly be a bonding element for her and the other heroes who also have supervillain relatives. 

Plus, Raven being the portal to Trigon (this seemingly unstoppable force) could be something interesting to explore in regards to Darkseid’s and the Light’s plans. Maybe Darkseid and the Light would perceive Raven as a major threat and want to get rid of her and perhaps even the good guys would also see her as a threat that needs to be stopped. 

There’s just so much that YJ could do with Raven. And while I would love for her a main or secondary character, I think she could be an interesting neutral party or a single-episode character. 

--

There are many other magical characters that could be introduced to YJ, but it feels silly to list a whole bunch of characters, just because they have magic. 

Part V: Random Characters

     Rose Wilson/Ravager and Joe Wilson/Jericho

Two of Deathstroke’s children who operate as heroes. I can see a lot being done with these two in YJ, especially with Deathstroke being a member of the Light. They could potentially bond with the other characters who also have supervillain parents and maybe even bond with Tara over the terrible parenting skills of Deathstroke. .

     Natasha Irons/Steel aka Starlight aka Vaporlock

Natasha is the niece of John Henry Irons/Steel who had a very minor role in Season 3, but nonetheless was introduced to the audience. In addition, Natasha has been associated with Infinity Inc, Lex Luthor’s group of “superheroes” who were also introduced in Season 3.

And while I could be mistaken, as I don’t know much about her, when she was part of Infinity Inc., she was injected with a serum that unlocked her meta-gene, giving her powers.

Natasha could possibly be introduced in Season 4, as a lot of the elements to her story, are already part of Young Justice. 

Green Lanterns

I think there’s a decent chance of us meeting a new Green Lantern, especially a younger one - as they would be a member of the Covert Team or the Outsiders. 

     Jessica Cruz/Green Lantern 

She's recently been popularized or at least introduced to many fans through the show DC Superhero Girls (2019) and I think if there was a combination of that version and her comic book counterpart – you could have a really compelling character for YJ. 

In the comics, Jess suffers from extreme anxiety, which is such an interesting and unique folly for a Green Lantern to have. And, I just think there’s a lot of story potential to be explored in that dilemma. 

     Keli Quintela/Teen Lantern

From what I’ve seen of Keli, I think she could be a fun addition. Just for the sheer fact that she uses the Green Lantern power completely different than every other Lantern we’ve seen – that alone is enough reason for her to be added.

     Kyle Raynor

One of the major Green Lanterns of DC. Like the two ladies above, there’s nothing specific with what we’ve been given so far in YJ to indicate he’ll be included, but I just think because of his status among fans, if the show was to introduce another GL – he has a decent shot.

     Vic Sage/Question

Since Season 1, I thought Question would be a great addition to the hero side – as the typical conspiracy stuff he obsesses over and discovers to be true, actually does align with what The Light has consistently been doing.

In general, he would be a fun character to add. Also, if we’re thinking of potential new protégés - Vic Sage could be the current Question and there could be a young (or at least somewhat young) Renee Montoya - under his care/tutelage. Or Renee could just be Question - either works for me.

I loved Question in JLU and would love to see him again.

Finally,

Wally West/ Kid Flash (former)

I think there’s a very good chance we’ll see the return of Wally in Season 4. Especially since Season 3 left us with many little hints that he’s not really dead.

Also, in regards to the idea that the tagline of “Phantoms” could be about the team’s personal ghosts haunting them, well Wally is a ghost for many of our characters - so that fits rather perfectly.

Or, maybe he ended up in the Phantom Zone. Or if ‘Phantoms’ is referring to more literal ghosts, even that still works in regards to Wally, as he’s presumed dead. Or maybe, he was jumped through time and somehow ended up in the 31st century (w/ the Legion of Super-Heroes). 

Maybe I’m wrong, but it just seems very likely Wally will be returning.

--

And now we’re finally done. 

As I’ve mentioned before, this is just my own speculation and I’m sure I’ve missed several characters. Also, I obviously don’t think all of these characters will be introduced in Season 4, but to me they all have somewhat of a chance. 

And yeah...that’s it. 

I hope you enjoyed this extremely long list of characters who I think could be introduced in Season 4 of Young Justice. 

[dilfdoctordoom]

Since I’m in a first meeting ask streak here’s another. Bette’s first meetings with the Batgirls (plus Harper).

Steph’s not gonna be included in this, since she was in the Robins, but let’s go!

Barbara Gordon:

Babs & Bette are rivals when they first meet

It’s perfectionist vs perfectionist, why did anyone think this was gonna go well?

Babs isn’t Batgirl at this point & Bette’s in her final six months before Kathy dies

They’re both on the debate team & constantly try to one-up each other

Luke & Dick find it very amusing

Their friendship is like... when you look at it from the outside? You’re gonna think those two must hate each other

They don’t

They think the other one is awesome & maybe there’s a crush thrown in there & oh no, I like my esteemed rival. Quick, time to double down on my antagonism

They move past that phase eventually & become, like, normal friends. Or at least as normal as vigilante badasses can get

Bette doesn’t know that Babs is Batgirl & Babs has no idea that Bette is the original Bat-Girl & when they meet in their vigilante personas, they, uh, don’t see eye to eye

Basically canon, there’s a panel out there somewhere of Bette being like ‘BUT I AM THE COOLER BAT-GIRL, I HAVE A HYPHEN, DOES SHE? DID SHE DITCH IT? WHAT, TOO LAME FOR ONE? PFFT’ to Duela Dent

Helena Bertinelli:

Fun fact we get their first meeting in canon!!!! And I love it!!!!

It’s in JLA/Titans

Flamebird Vs Huntress

Bette kicks Helena’s ass in the Titans Vs JLA fight & Helena...

Look it’s kind of hot when someone can beat her, okay? Especially when they’re super cute heroes & not, you know, psychotic villains

They talk after the fight, when everything’s calmed down, & they get along. It’s mostly teasing when they first talking but, yeah, these two hit it off (once they stop fighting...)

Monthly meet-ups to discuss the utter bullshit that is Bruce Wayne, much complaining to be had, Helena kind of loves it?? Flamebird’s actually awesome??? Awesome and cute???

Oh no, she likes her esteemed ally

Cassandra Cain:

Yet another meeting that we see in canon!

They meet in Young Justice #21 & hell yes, I love this team-up

It’s all very adorable & very Young Justice, but it’s... pretty well done Bette appearance which is like finding a unicorn

Acknowledge that Bette was Bat-Girl? Check

Cass kicking ass & Bette being hella impressed? Check

I genuinely love this story because a) I’m a slut of Cassandra Cain & b) it’s fun? It’s cute? It has a bunch of my favourite characters?

They’d definitely meet after the team-up. Like, DC doesn’t say it, but when have I cared about that? Bette is now Cass’s older sister who provides hot chocolate, dating advice & How To Light An Opponent On Fire 101

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe:

These two have actually been seen working together once... in the Titans Tomorrow storyline. But we don’t know how they meet so, uh, watch me make it up, DC can fight me

I think they’d end up working together when Charlie is Misfit

Bette’s doing a short stint on the Birds of Prey as a favour to Babs & she ends up running a lot of missions with Charlie

I actually don’t think they develop, like, a major connection on their first meeting

Bette definitely likes her, thinks she’s adorable, but this would be in the period where she’s Hawkfire and trying to be a serious vigilante

Charlie is appreciative of her weapon choice, but Helena says she isn’t allowed any flamethrowers. Talk about rude

They work well together

They get closer in the future & Huntress & Batwoman end up working closely together

Tiffany Fox:

Bette meets Tiff when she’s a kid

She’s friends with Luke, of course, she would meet his baby sister

She’s helped Luke babysit Tiff a lot

Helped her with make-up when she was older

Always bought her pink presents because icons recognize icons, okay?

Bette is literally always gonna see her as, like, this little kid. Because for years, that’s what she was & while she really shouldn’t have been surprised that she ended up suiting up, she... struggles with it, I guess?

Like. This is a kid she’s known since Tiff was born

God, she’s starting to get Bruce now, that’s just weird

Harper Row:

She’s a bisexual with a taser

Am I talking about Bette or Harper? Who knows

But yes, they absolutely click the second they meet

Harper actually upgrades her suit!!! She makes a bunch of adjustments that end up improving everything, especially in her tool belt

Bette ends up going to her any time she needs help with her weapons, because Harper’s got talent

Absolutely respects her decision to leave behind Bluebird & keeps checking in on her to make sure she has everything that she needs

They go to Pride together

[irregularjohnnywiggins]

Harper Row

First Impression: From Batman Eternal, where I was having fun with her right up until the last few issues where she's the one who inspires Steph to stay and fight.

Impression Now: I like her well enough, and she adds a lot to the world and the characters, especially as a former superhero who still knows enough about the Batfamily to be a sounding board for their drama.

Favourite Moment: As a bi man, the way she comes out is pretty good and really funny:

Idea for a story: This is probably affected by me watching Linkara's Heroes in Crisis review, but I'd really like a Sanctuary series where she's training to be a therapist.

Unpopular opinion: I actually don't mind most of the Mary Sue things in Batman Eternal? I mean, part of that might be my bigger unpopular opinion that Batman Eternal is pretty good, but I honestly like her role in it, again until Steph shows up.

Favourite Relationship: I remember reading a lot of HarperCass fanfic back in the day, so probably them.

Favourite headcanon: Whilst Harper has technically given up the Bluebird identity, whenever Cullen is threatened she pulls out the biggest weapon she can find and comes out of retirement for at least one night.

[valkerymillenia]

Now that I've finished season 3 of Young Justice, I'm adding on to my previous thoughts/review.

Anyway...

There's a criminal lack of Spoiler and Orphan, for starters but it's understandable why, this isn't a BatFam show after all (but I'd sooooooo watch a BatFam spin-off of this universe).

Got to see a hint of Suicide Squad! That was a surprise (not really but it's awesome).

Vandal Savage's backstory and development? Literal gold if you like villains (I never liked Savage and yet this interpretation of him just has so much potential!). I do wonder if they will ever approach the "Roy Harper is Savage's descendant" detail...

Thank you, Lord, for all the Klarion! Boy needs to show up more in DC media.

So Halo is bisexual and non-binary? That's pretty awesome but it sucks that nobody in the show seems to get the NB part and everyone codes her as female throughout the whole season, kinda defeats the purpose of having a NB character.

Still annoyed that they used the hijab for hype but removed her actual faith from the character (she literally says "I'm not Muslim", they could have at least left it undefined), you can't bank on a character's traits for "representation" and ignore the meaning behind them, otherwise it's pointless and insulting.

Also, making the Muslim girl the immortal? Badass (and works well with the character). Making it so you can repeatedly kill her to very graphically highlight the seriousness of the situation? A little fucked up, dude.

Still, she's powerful as hell and saved everyone in an amazing display of power.

So yeah, I totally love Halo and her concept is awesome but she was a bit disrespected by the writer and deserves better on some aspects. Oh, and I like the whole "Halo and Cyborg are now related" thing more than I anticipated.

Really happy to get bi Harper Row in the story! Bluebird is such an underappreciated character of the BatFam. The abuse subplot was also very good because it's a topic that needs to be approached in media, victims need to see positive representation.

The Bumblebee baby subplot was... Tricky. It really messes with an important ethical conundrum (yikes, eugenics) that is definitely too complex for younger audiences but I think the goal was to create another future super-kid for the next seasons (still a little icky though but at least they tried to frame it as controversial even to Karen's own feelings). I guess we'll find out.

Granny Goodness has always been a brutal villain and I hope we see more of her. Also, MORE BIG BARDA, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!

Wyynde and Kaldur are SO CUTE! GAH! I need more of them! I just love their relationship so much.

"Who is Dick's family anyway? Is Grayson's father Bruce Wayne-...?" *cue someone immediately redirecting the conversation*

I'm sorry but that what AWESOME and kinda hilarious too. (Yes, Brion, Dick is one of Bruce Wayne's several children, get with the BatFam).

The Anti-Life Equation thing was very well done, I didn't expect it to go so well but every player involved played a great role and the idea of a world with no free will? Shivers, man. Now, it just needs to be readressed in the future because no way would any villain give that up so easily with Halo still alive.

The Geranium City subplot was quite sweet, it brought back some intriguing questions and finally touched a piece of Conner's story that has been hanging since season 1.

Will x Artemis is NOT a thing, thank God! They made such a big deal about it that I was scared and I get the appeal but they are in-laws, it would be so messed up.

I mean, I want Artemis to heal in a healthy way and move on as much as any fan (that limbo sequence made me cry my eyes out, so heartbreaking) but there's no need to force a thing with Will, so I'm glad for the way things got resolved.

Luthor's Infinity Inc reminds me waaaay too much of the Seven in "The Boys"... Still, a smart move. Kinda wondering where it's gonna lead in the future now that they basically belong to Brion.

Terra actually choosing redemption and the Outsiders before trying to kill them was surprising (as was everyone knowing she was a mole), I expected a big fight against her and Deathstroke because that's always been the Terra schtick but instead we got a power crazed Brion, which was a beautifully executed plot twist and as much as it hurts me to see Brion fall (and break Violet's heart) I have to give kudos to the writers, that was well played to wrench our hearts to pieces.

And that new psychic asshole manipulating Brion and making Markocvia into the Light's puppet? Interesting addition.

I really hope Brion gets his own redemption in the next season (orrr maybe he degenerates further into full blown villain? I don't think he has it in him and by the very end he seems to be depressed, lonely and disgruntled with his position already so there might be hope for him yet, but it would be interesting to see him fall further and further beyond redemption and I don't see him infiltrating the Light for the good guys because that would just be a rehash of Kaldur in season 2).

Loved how Lex Luthor got taken down from that bullshit UN position. He's a brilliant villain but he was soooo getting on my nerves in that particular position and it was such a relief to see him fall (which is a sign of how well written it was).

Black Lighting as boss!!!!! Ahhh, that was such a goddamn good choice in this particular universe, especially after he spent the whole season being a voice of reason while going through some growth himself. Still, feels a bit odd merely because he was barely in the bg in previous seasons.

Funny how Conner and M'gann never speak out loud even at home, damn I love this ship (miss my classic timkon though).

That little Robin laugh at the end of the season was such a nice touch, really nostalgic.

What's with the Legion Flight ring on the waitress?

What's with Lobo's finger? So messed up.

Oh boy, now I need Jason and Damian in future seasons (hell, Jon too, give us the Super Sons!!!).

All in all, the third season seems to bring a lot of things full circle at last but also feels like the beginning of something completely new, opening doors and raising questions for a lot of possibilities. It was a very intriguing subversion of a lot of DC plotlines and mythology.

Still... Can we just call the Outsiders the alternate Teen Titans? because that's basically what they are.

CAN'T WAIT FOR SEASON 4!!!!!!

[hellyeahheroes]

Pride Month’s LGBTQ Characters of the Day: Harper and Cullen Row

First appearing in 2011 Batman #1, Harper Row becomes a Batman fangirl after he saved her and her openly gay brother Cullen from a bunch of homophobes. Since then she had sporadic appearances in a bunch of issues of that series (#12 is the origin story but she also appears in #7, #18, #25, #28-29, #35, #39-40) and Batman Eternal (#2, #5, #12-19 #25-26, #36 and from #41 to the final issue #52). Along the way she even becomes one of Batman’s sidekicks and picked up codename Bluebird. Cullen first appears in Batman #12 and mostly shows u alongside Harper in the same books.

EDIT: I almost forgot about it - Harper also shows up in issues #47-52 of 2011 Batgirl series.

Harper’s real time in the spotlight comes in Batman & Robin Eternal, where she plays an important role and appears in all but two issues of the entire series. It is also where she develops a strong bond with returning Batfamily fan-favorite, Cassandra Cain. Sadly, after that series, Harper ends up disillusioned with Batman and quits superheroics, at least for now. She returns in 2016 Detective Comics, issues #943-946 (second trade) in a supporting role and at one point casually mentions she is bisexual. Issue #950 all but flat out says she is in love with Cassandra and Cass can see it, but due to her disability finds herself unable to give her an answer.

Sadly, both characters are out of focus a lot or only play supporting roles (which is a frustratingly common theme with characters I do for this series, ESPECIALLY at DC >.<). If you end up wishing for more of them, I also recommend DC Comics Bombshells and Bombshells United, where Harper and Cullen are both members of the League of Batgirls, Batwoman-inspired teenage crimefighters.

- Admin

[heroicadventurists]

Top 10 Moments: Young Justice Outsiders episode 10-13 **SPOILERS**

10. Lobo’s thumb

In episode 9, Nightwing’s team went head to head with Lobo. Two important things happened as a result of that fight; the Light confirmed who was on Nightwing’s team and Lobo left his thumb behind. At the end of episode 11, we see that Lobo’s thumb is regenerating. That opens up a possible appearance from Slobo in the future. Lobo has a healing power that allows him to reconstitute his body from a single drop of blood. Slobo is a smaller weaker offshoot who was separated from the original.

9. Cisco Ramon

This show has done a great job of introducing new characters, and that trend doesn’t seem to be coming to an end. While brief, we are introduced to Cisco Ramon’s character in episode 10. Cisco was the towel boy being bullied by Victor’s teammates in the locker room. In the Arrowverse, Cisco becomes the hero Vibe and can open interdimensional portals. That ability could make Cisco a valuable player in the Young Justice Universe.

8. Harper Row

Speaking of introductions, in episode 11 Harper Row, or Bluebird, is introduced to the series. Harper is a classmate and new friend to Violet Harper (Halo) and Fred Bugg with 2 Gs (Forager). As an outcast herself, Harper welcomes Violet and Fred with open arms.

7. The Court of Owls

In episode 13, Artemis, Jefferson and Brion pose as members of the Court of Owls to free Tara. The Court of Owls is an organized crime group and secret society commonly associated with Batman. They have secretly existed since colonial times in Gotham City. The Court kidnaps child performers from the circus, only to train and transform them into their assassins, known as Talons. With this season leaning heavily on batfamily characters, introducing the Court opens a lot of storyline possibilities in the future for the Bats (especially with Dick).

6. The Most Dangerous Woman Alive

Shiva continues to be a boss this season. Episode 10 kicks off with Batman, Katana and Metamorpho traveling to Santa Prisca for a dark op. While on the island, they encounter Deathstroke & Bane but neither left as big of an impression as Shiva. We learn that Shiva is the new enforcer for The Light, the new sensei for The Shadows and is training Cassandra Savage. When choosing an opponent to battle, Shiva chose Katana, who is formidable in her own right.

5. Halo is a Mother Box

We’ve known for weeks that something was up with Halo. We learn in episode 11 that Violet is a Mother Box. Unfortunately, Gabrielle Daou did indeed die in episode 1. When she died, her body was inhabited by the soul energy of a destroyed Mother Box. This explains why Dr Fate sensed an old soul in her young body. This also explains her close relationship with Sphere.

4. Herrrrre’s Victor

In episodes 10 & 11 we got a very detailed look into Victor’s life. We get a look at his tenuous relationship with his Dad and the HORRIFIC accident that caused his Father to make him into a Cyborg. The most important thing we learned about Victor was that his body was connected to a Father Box; which caused him to have homicidal tendencies and experience outbursts of rage. In one scary moment, Victor went Jack Nicholson in the Shining crazy on Halo. Victor was able to overcome the Father Box with the help of Halo. Booyah

3. Doom Patrol! Go

In episode 12, Beast Boy puts on some Goode Googles that results in him becoming comatose. While in a coma, we learn a lot about Beast Boy. First his Mom was the actress who played Megan in Hello Megan. I found that interesting since that’s who M’gann created her image after. Everytime a character says “Hello Megan” they are quoting his Mom. We also learn how close Beast Boy was to Elastigirl, Rita Dayton. The most important things that we learned however is that the Goode Googles were testing people for the meta-gene and if you had the gene it would brainwash you into going to a secret location. This was a major breakthrough for the team.

2. Deathstroke is the leader of the League

We have been trying to figure out since episode 4 who was leading the League of Shadows. We learn in episode 10 that the League is being led by Deathstroke.

1. The Judas Contract 2.0

In episode 13 the team finally rescues Tara. She seemed relieved and happy to be reignited with her brother Brion, and it felt like this chapter of the story could be closed. At the end of the episode, Tara sent a text message to Deathstroke (new head of the League of Shadows) to let him know she was in. This is a huge revelation and sets up a version of The Judas Contract. In the Judas Contract, Deathstroke monitors the Titans through his double agent Terra whom he rescued after her parents turned their whole village against her and tortured her. While Tara's origin is different, this would make for an interesting storyline.

[smokeybrand]

Harley Quinn and the Miscalculation

Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey is bombing in theaters and what i was apprehensive about, is coming to pass. All of this rara, GRRRL-power, superficial, laughably toxic, feminism saturates this picture. And that’s fine. A little misandry never hurt anyone, especially with as much unapologetic misogyny that is rife within Hollywood. Still, there is a limit to and, while i didn’t mind the whole emancipation equal initialization angle this movie was going for, i can see why it would turn off so many others. We’re on the back end of the MeToo movement now and, in a world where Amber Heard has been exposed for the violent abuser that she truly is, the climate is a little different from when this flick was greenlit. It’s wild watching a marketing strategy trying so goddamn hard to alienate half their audience. Seriously, that sh*t was box office suicide but its not the reason why BoP failed. The media wants to blame sexist men for not supporting an all-women production but that’s not realistic. The demo breakdown for those who went to see BOP skewed heavily male. No, there are several reasons why and i kind of want to go over them here.

Issue 1: Feminist Marketing

The biggest issue this movie had was the way it was marketed. Besides the gung-ho drive in an attempt to appeal to that ludicrously vocal minority of third-wave feminists that don’t support sh*t outside of their own little echo chamber causes, it appears the WB did everything in their power to shoo away and semblance of testosterone. I noted this early, but that sh*t blew up in their face immediately. No one want to sit around and be preached at or two hours. I endued that sh*t because i enjoy comics and Margot’s Harleen is pretty legit but, goddamn! In a world of Nice Guys and Neckbeards, going so hard at that misandrist angle was a goddamn mistake. That, and the misleading push of Harley Quinn. This is not a birds of prey film and never should have been promoted as such. I could tell this was a Harley Quinn film immediately, but Normies sure didn’t. I imagine they wanted more Harley but saw the Birds top billed and decided it wasn’t worth the trip.

Fix: Better Marketing

To just say “Better Marketing” is kind of glib, but bear with me. There’s a lot to this. First thing first, that title should have never got approved. You want to lead with Harley, you lead with Harley. Hilariously, someone at WB thought so, too, and they changed the name. Personally, out the gate, i would have named this thing “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.” from the start, you set the expectation that this is a Harley Quinn movie AND assert that the BoP will have some sort of presence. The movie, itself, can still be exactly what it is, but that title change alters the entire expectation of that whole experience. Doing that also gives you an opportunity to promote this thing in a more balanced manner. Maybe don’t attack all the dudes that might want to see your flick with bullsh*t politics. I rather liked the idea of an all-girl gangster flick. It worked super well for Widows. If executed properly, you can even keep that whole Tarantino-esque vibe. But that might conflict with the second issue...

Issue 2: Hard R Rating

Everyone wants to be Deadpool but no one can be Deadpool. Look, i love the Hard R in my capeflicks. The aforementioned Deadpool was excellent and i absolutely love what Philips and Phoenix brought in Joker, but if you want to see how to do a proper R rated superhero film, look no further than Logan. Holy sh*t, that movie was good. and violent. and moving. I cried at the end of that thing. Shed me a man-tear, for sure. The thing about all of these films? That R was earned. You want to go Tarantino? You go full Tarantino. Bop did not commit like that. This motherf*cker was a “hard PG-13″. Seriously, the violence in this thing was akin to the violence in The Wolverine, a PG-13 flick. Why did they need that Hard R? Just to keep pace with the other Hard R flicks? See, that alienates your best bet at a profit.

Fix: go for that “Hard PG-13″

You want kids to see this thing, specifically young girls. Girls LOVE Harley, as they should. She’s become one helluva character. The growth shown in her comic persona is to be celebrated and this movie kind of touches upon that. 14-year-olds can’t get into your unnecessarily R rated film. You want those 14 and 15-year-olds to see your movie multiple times, and this thing had the potential for just that. Instead, they went too hard for that Hard R and it ruined a massive source of revenue. Besides, you already have a mature Harley show airing on that DCEU streaming whatever. The adults can check that one out, especially since it’s f*cking dope.

Issue 3: Character Interpretation

Harley Quinn has a very specific, very Snyder-esque design. You can’t shake that. Quinn is gonna Quinn. How the f*ck did the rest of these characters land on their respective situations? Hell, Cassanda Cain is “in name only” and that sucks! Cass is one of the dopest Bat-Kids in the fam and she’s relegated to that? Really? You barely even hint at Montoya’s sexuality, which is fine because it doesn’t define her, but to push this flick as LGBTQ, or whatever, without acknowledging the biggest L in the film seems disingenuous to me. And Huntress? Oh, my darling Huntress. You were the best thing about this movie and they didn’t even let you be IN the goddamn movie. Look, I’m all for creativity and letting creatures create but come on. At some point, you gotta give a little back to the fans, not just slap them in the face with such mediocre adaptions.

Fix: Better Characterization

Out the box, you should have NEVER adapted my girl Cass the way you did. Everything about this character is bogus. Where is my socially inept, traumatically mute, bad-ass human weapon? You give me a potty-mouth pick-pocket instead? For real? Nah. A much better character for this would have been Bluebird. How is Harper Row not perfect for this part? Considering her origin, she could start off as Harley’s protege and become better, actually become Blurebird and join the Birds later on down the line. How is that not a thing? And Montoya? Aside from a lack of screen time, maybe tie her into the plot a little better. Aside from a few throwaway line, what do we really know about her? Canary is fine, they did more than enough to give her character legs, but all of the Birds should have gotten as much time to develop. Speaking of time, my darling Huntress should have had WAY more screentime. She was SO dope and it’s a crime you didn’t give Winstead enough time to play with this character because she was having very real fun with her.

These three problems crippled any opportunity this movie had at being great. I’m sure WB thought they had a hit on their hands, or that the name “Harley Quinn” could carry this flick on it’s own but really? After Wondy and Aquaman, hell, even Shazam to a certain extent, you’d think these cats would have learned something. Instead, they opted to go hard with the Snyder-isms and the Box Office reflects all of that. This should have never been a BoP films. Margot should have definitely went for Gotham City Sirens. Still, we got what we got. It’s not good, but it’s not that bad, either. If they would have done the above three things, it could have been great. Missed opportunity.