How would you Fix a character?

[Artistsean]

There are a few, or more, characters out there that are having or have had a hard time keeping readers or being interesting.
Sometimes they get changed over and over again to try and make them interesting, by either changing the costume or the person behind the costume, or their back story.
For Example, Aquaman and so on.

How would you fix one of these characters so that they would be interesting and keep readers?

 

[cerealkiller182]

I'd make Jason Todd become Red X and become The Punisher of the DCU.

Nightwing should send Nite-wing to Richard Dragon to hone his skills and anger.

Also like to point out DC does a fairly good job "fixing" characters: The new Freedom Fighters, Creeper, Catman, Kid Devil and Calculator all real good

 

[The Leaguer]

Kill Hal Jordan.

 

[Darthphere]

Bring back the real Cassandra Cain.

 

[Andy C.]

Give Brainiac a single, definitive origin story that doesn't take nine hours to explain.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I'd make Jason Todd become Red X and become The Punisher of the DCU.

Nightwing should send Nite-wing to Richard Dragon to hone his skills and anger.

Also like to point out DC does a fairly good job "fixing" characters: The new Freedom Fighters, Creeper, Catman, Kid Devil and Calculator all real good

DON'T FORGET TURNING DR. LIGHT INTO AN ACUTAL THREAT

SERIOUSLY, THE ONLY CHARACTER THAT NEEDS FIXING IS CASSANDRA CAIN.

 

[The Leaguer]

Fix hippie-hunter's keyboard.

 

[Spike_x1]

Give Brainiac a single, definitive origin story that doesn't take nine hours to explain.

His origin only seems overly complicated if you take the lazy route and simply look up his bio on wikipedia or something to that effect, and try to take it all in at once. If you take the time to read his actual conception in the post-crisis timeline, it's not that hard to understand at all. True, it's more complex than most villains' stories usually are, but it's still easy enough for a child to understand.

Vril Dox + Milton Fine = First modern iteration of Brainiac. There's his origin for ya.

It's only when he starts upgrading that it becomes more complicated, but then again, that's not really his origin, is it?

 

[XwolverineX]

Kill Hal Jordan.

t:

 

[Andy C.]

His origin only seems overly complicated if you take the lazy route and simply look up his bio on wikipedia or something to that effect, and try to take it all in at once. If you take the time to read his actual conception in the post-crisis timeline, it's not that hard to understand at all. True, it's more complex than most villains' stories usually are, but it's still easy enough for a child to understand.

Vril Dox + Milton Fine = First modern iteration of Brainiac. There's his origin for ya.

It's only when he starts upgrading that it becomes more complicated, but then again, that's not really his origin, is it?

Well, there's the problem of them re-introducing a lot of his Pre-Crisis elements back into the story, such as the Luthor's Injustice League finding Brainiac's inert bodies in "Silver Age," years before Vril Dox was supposed to have posessed Milton Fine. Not to mention his spaceship and bottle-cities. Would've been fine if it were an out-of-continuity story like Justice, but as I understand it's meant to be in the main continuity.

Then there's all the different Brainiacs that have been cropping up. There's Brainiac 13, Brainiac 5 from the Legion of Super-Heroes, Lena Luthor posessed by Brainiac, Brainiac 2.5, Brainiac 8, etc. Gets a little confusing, especially if you're trying to differentiate the pre- and post-Crisis Brainiacs.

So is he an alien? Or a robot? Or a guy posessed by an alien's consciousness? Or a robot posessed by the consciousness of a guy posessed by an alien's consciousness? Yes, I know how it's all mapped out, but it does get needlessly complicated.

 

[The Question]

He's a techno-organic consciousness from an advanced alien civilization that is grafted to the body of a carnival side show psychic. His body is a blend of technology and mutated human DNA. Brainiac 5 and Brainiac 8 are both his direct descendantds, Brainiac 8 being much more techno-organic in nature wheras Brainiac 5's main technological component is his brain, which grants him a twelf level intelect. Brainiac 13 is the origional Brainiac from the future, only upgraded and almost solely technological in nature.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Fix hippie-hunter's keyboard.

THE CAPS ARE STAYING

READ THE CUSTOM TITLE

 

[cerealkiller182]

DON'T FORGET TURNING DR. LIGHT INTO AN ACUTAL THREAT

SERIOUSLY, THE ONLY CHARACTER THAT NEEDS FIXING IS CASSANDRA CAIN.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Dr. Light.

Lagoon Boy- De-"wuss"-ify Lagoon Boy. He has no real useful powers beside the ability to talk to animals. His sea-mutant look would make think he should have the ability to mimic differenet abilities of ocean animals (eel electirc shock, squid ink screen, etc.) although that power is wearing thin in DCU between Animal Man, Beast Boy, and Vixen. I still think it is a good idea.

More Teen Titan recurits:
I have to say this idea is kinda lame and a rip off of Academy X, but Im going to say it anyways. When the New Teen Titans started I remember cyborg stating specifically that there was a lot of titans out there they just need to find them to both robin and speedy at seperate ocassions (maybe not robin, but def speedy). The day Speedy showed up the locker room was shown to have numerous lockers. This lead me to believe that cuborg wanted to open a school fro teen heroes. They should bring in some of the YJ reserves (Lagoon Boy, Empress, The Point Men) not as real members, but as background characters for scenes around the Tower as well as a training session everyonce in a while.

 

[hippie_hunter]

More Teen Titan recurits:
I have to say this idea is kinda lame and a rip off of Academy X, but Im going to say it anyways. When the New Teen Titans started I remember cyborg stating specifically that there was a lot of titans out there they just need to find them to both robin and speedy at seperate ocassions (maybe not robin, but def speedy). The day Speedy showed up the locker room was shown to have numerous lockers. This lead me to believe that cuborg wanted to open a school fro teen heroes. They should bring in some of the YJ reserves (Lagoon Boy, Empress, The Point Men) not as real members, but as background characters for scenes around the Tower as well as a training session everyonce in a while.

I THINK THAT THE TEEN TITANS SHOULD RECRUIT BACK SPEEDY, MISTY, AND AQUAGIRL.

 

[The Leaguer]

THE CAPS ARE STAYING

READ THE CUSTOM TITLE

Strange, your title says "king" but all I can think is "queen."

 

[hippie_hunter]

Strange, your title says "king" but all I can think is "queen."

WELL ALL I CAN THINK WHEN I SEE YOUR AVATAR IS HOW MUCH ZAURIEL, GRANT MORRISON, AND HOWARD PORTER SUCK

 

[The Leaguer]

Now I know why I think "queen."

 

[Sloth7d]

Cure Speedy of AIDS!

 

[hippie_hunter]

Now I know why I think "queen."

YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M GLAD THAT DC BASTARDIZED CASSANDRA CAIN'S CHARACTER. AND YOU KNOW WHAT I HOPE THEY DO TO KYLE RAYNER, I HOPE THEY KILL HIM. AND I HOPE THAT THEY'LL RETCON MORRISON'S RUN ON JLA JUST LIKE MARVEL DID TO HIS RUN ON NEW X-MEN (WHICH SUCKED).

 

[hippie_hunter]

Cure Speedy of AIDS!

CAN'T ZATANNA JUST GO UP TO SPEEDY AND GO "SDIA DERUC"

 

[The Leaguer]

YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M GLAD THAT DC BASTARDIZED CASSANDRA CAIN'S CHARACTER. AND YOU KNOW WHAT I HOPE THEY DO TO KYLE RAYNER, I HOPE THEY KILL HIM. AND I HOPE THAT THEY'LL RETCON MORRISON'S RUN ON JLA JUST LIKE MARVEL DID TO HIS RUN ON NEW X-MEN (WHICH SUCKED).

Weak.

 

[Artistsean]

I know this is a DC thread, my DC thread, but...
They retconned New X-Men? How, what happened?

Also here is what I would do with Steel, wouldn't really fix him but just be another gradual change.

Lex Luther has changed him into a man with metal skin, or metal body, so I think he should become the new Commander Steel.

He could be like DC Colossus, only he never turns human. He could replace the current Commander Steel, who wouldn't have to die for that to happen just retire the from the name. He could even make an occassional appearence or be a reoccuring character in the new Steel.

 

[droogiedroogie2]

I'd make Jason Todd become Red X and become The Punisher of the DCU.

Nightwing should send Nite-wing to Richard Dragon to hone his skills and anger.

Also like to point out DC does a fairly good job "fixing" characters: The new Freedom Fighters, Creeper, Catman, Kid Devil and Calculator all real good

Nite-Wing's still around? Gosh, I lost track of that guy.

Creeper was always good. I don't think he needed to be fixed. I will grant that Freedom Fighters, Catman, Kid Devil, and Calculator all needed changed, and DC delivered.

 

[droogiedroogie2]

Fix hippie-hunter's keyboard.

I agree. It's become such a predictable, cliched character. It's time to take Hippie Hunter's Keyboard back to its roots as a dark, mysterious avenger of the night. The past couple of crossovers have just been so derivative, and so contrary to what the character is about.

Well, there's the problem of them re-introducing a lot of his Pre-Crisis elements back into the story, such as the Luthor's Injustice League finding Brainiac's inert bodies in "Silver Age," years before Vril Dox was supposed to have posessed Milton Fine. Not to mention his spaceship and bottle-cities. Would've been fine if it were an out-of-continuity story like Justice, but as I understand it's meant to be in the main continuity.

It was? ****, I've been misreading that. I thought it was just like a "lost tale of Earth-1" or something.

Cure Speedy of AIDS!

Oh come on, even in a world of spandex heroes with the powers of gods, that's unrealistic. The pharmaceuticals have had the cure for years, and they'll keep it locked up because it would take away a huge medication market.

YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M GLAD THAT DC BASTARDIZED CASSANDRA CAIN'S CHARACTER. AND YOU KNOW WHAT I HOPE THEY DO TO KYLE RAYNER, I HOPE THEY KILL HIM. AND I HOPE THAT THEY'LL RETCON MORRISON'S RUN ON JLA JUST LIKE MARVEL DID TO HIS RUN ON NEW X-MEN (WHICH SUCKED).

A post more full of outright lies I've never heard. You do not feel that way.

 

[droogiedroogie2]

Aquaman: The new Aquaman courageously gives his life defending something from something else. The real Aquaman, recognizing that the world will always need an Aquaman, and that Aquaman will always be him, goes to Tempest, who gets together a group of magic folks to reverse the whatever-happened-to-Arthur-ness, and he reclaims his throne. He reunites the sea under his banner (or A-shaped belt buckle, whichever) and we all say, "Hey, DC, everyone makes mistakes. It's cool. The most important thing is admitting it and making it right. Like that Danny Glover-looking guy told his son in 100 Bullets, shortly before getting offed." And we all forget about the whole debacle.

Booster Gold: Gosh. I...I can't think of a thing I'd change about him. With him being dead and all.

Death: Make this lady a little more significant, you know? I mean, lately, Death has no control over people just waltzing right back into the world. When people die, they need to die. I feel like DC is just thumbing their noses at Death.

Dream: Bring. Back. Morpheus.

The Endless in general: More stories. Those guys are cool ****. And incorporate them into the DCU just a little bit. They're cool to be ignored like they are.

John Constantine and Swamp Thing: Same thing. I'm not saying they should be fixtures or anything, but I for one appreciated their appearance at Hal Jordan's funeral, and that one time that John almost participated in something that the Phantom Stranger and some other magic people were doing. And you're telling me that the Spectre's going around cancelling magicians' subscriptions to life, and he totally skips John Constantine? And even if he does, that Constantine doesn't try to do something about the Spectre anyway? Let's have a Hellblazer - Infinite Crisis Special, where we see all the things that John did to fight the Spectre. Better late than never, I always say.

Justice League: Why do people always think that putting scrubs, or even second-stringers, in the League, is going to make it cooler? Big Seven, now.