Chapter Twelve: Caped Crusaders-Part Two
It was a strange thing. Batman was supposed to be a big loner but by the end of the Bronze Age he always had at least three sidekicks; Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing; to back him. Superman, on the other hand, was supposed to be the guy who made friends easily and he only had Supergirl as an occasional guest star in the Silver Age—it only decreased as time went by. (The Bronze Age ended with her dead!) As the nineties came and went that all changed drastically. It was most clearly seen in the Reign of the Supermen.
Superboy had been created as a clone of the great hero by the same people who had created Power Girl and for the same reason: to serve as an anti-Superman deterrent. Whilst the Man of the Steel did understand the government's need to protect US citizens from rogue superhumans—even himself—he sternly disapproved of using a sentient being as a weapon. The Kid had the right to choose his own life.
In the wake of the battle against Cyborg, Superman saw that the Kid already had and proved a cocky, teen punk, womanizing hotshot. As Clark took responsibility for his "son" and let him crash at his apartment, he felt a new respect for Pa. The two worked well enough together against supervillains but it grew increasingly hard for the reporter to keep his secret identity because of it. Superman eventually decided that Superboy needed to learn to be human and learn some responsibility and so arranged for him to live with his mother in Smallville. The Kid was at first resentful but came around to the elder hero's point of view, especially when he give the Kid a proper name—Kon-El.
It was in Smallville that he befriended Ma, or as she asked him to call her, Grandma. He was still the adventure seeker and Smallville provided him with plenty of that—it was still the X-Files locus of strangeness it was when Kal-El was a boy. (This was retroactively acknowledged with the "Wall of Weird," something borrowed from the Smallville TV show.) Residual kryptonite that came through the baby Kal-El's escape rocket's warp gate still kept giving random people—both good and evil—superpowers. (Also borrowed from the show.)
At the same time, however, Kon-El saw that even if Smallville bordered the Twilight Zone the people of were just ordinary decent folks. No, he didn't have hundreds of channels to choose from, and, no, he couldn't walk two steps without someone asking if he'd found Jesus. But he found good people, better than most he had seen so far, and a town worth protecting. For its part, Smallville was glad to see (a) Superboy back and let him know it by bringing back the old "Home of Superboy" outside-of-town sign… though this time with a little twist.
More important than all of that, however, Kon-El found a family in Ma. When summer was over, he gladly enrolled in Smallville high for her sake under the name Conner Kent, her adopted grandson. He remained in Smallville for several years though he stayed active in the lager hero scene serving as a Teen Titan and a founding member of Young Justice. He eventually returned to Metropolis.
Another new ally was Steel, aka John Henry Irons. It was strange. In the wake of Superman's death he was the only of the pretenders who never tried to claim the Man of Steel's name but, because of his nobility, was the only one who Lois Lane seriously considered to be her husband returned. He went on to become third in line after Superman himself and Superwoman. Though his own series was cancelled after a long healthy run, placing his adventures in Metropolis ensured that he would remain the readers' eyes. He and Superman, who named him Steel, remain close friends and have a tremendous respect for each other.
As was revealed, Irons was a genius weapons designer who quit when he saw his work in weapons designs used to kill civilians. When Superman saved his life and challenged the despondent Irons him to live a life worth saving, however, he found himself reinvigorated. He embarked on his superheroic career to fill in for the Man of Steel after his apparent death and to stem the flow of the very weapons he had created into the streets. The rightness of his cause and his legitimacy were only confirmed when he met Superman and gave his name.
Irons went on to found Steelworks, an independent Metropolis workshop where he designed medical equipment and served as the superhero community's tech advisor. (He also inadvertently usurped Professor Potter's role in that, something used to justify Potter's turning into a villain.) He mostly operated out of Suicide Slum where he made great strides towards cleaning it up. Though Steel's adventures were lower key and have him working the "streets" he could and did protect the rest of Metropolis, often pinch hitting for Superman when he was out "saving the world." In that he'd stay protecting the city instead of hanging around the moon with his Justice League friends, some Metropolitans actually held Steel in higher regard that they did Kal-El.
Kelex's relationship with Superman is somewhat different, though. Writers phased out Kal-El's robot duplicates in the early 70s as being too gimmicky but Silver Age madman Mark Waid brought them back. He imagined the robots as being in a support role; they would serve as occasional backup, they'd investigate any leads, conduct forensic examinations, and engage in general upkeep for the Fortress of Solitude. However, they all looked up to Kelex as their leader as he was the only one who "lived" through the end of Krypton. His program was stored in the escape rocket and was downloaded into his current body. He now proudly served Kal-El as he had Jor-El.
As for how Kelex and his fellow robots were re-imagined, they were no longer mere Superman lookalikes. Kelex encouraged them to take names and develop personalities. He also encouraged them to embrace their robot-ness; they gained a far more mechanical appearance that then did in the Silver Age. There was of course the time Kelex though he was Superman but that was the exception.
Seeing that the master needed them, he rallied the robots against Doomsday. Those he assigned to crowd control and evacuation fared much better than those he led on a suicide run against the monster. Though he would have been happy to die knowing he had done his duty, the surviving robots, unable to function without a leader, rebuilt Kelex in Superman's image and called him Master. For a time he thought he was the Man of Steel back from the grave and did his best to serve as the visored "the Last Son of Krypton."
When the truth was revealed, he gladly turned over the cape and shield to the real Superman to resumed his old duties and old face. Kal-El saw him in a whole new light, however. Kelex had proven his usefulness and more importantly his gallantry. Although the noble robot shunned the limelight, preferring instead to work behind the scenes, Kelex proved himself a true hero and a good friend.
Flamebird has already been discussed. Betty Kane crushed on Robin as a girl and boasted she'd marry him when they grew up. Her wish came true when she married (a) Nightwing, Christopher Kent. Chris was General Zod's son but spurned his father's evil ways and chose to become a hero, even going so far as to take the son of Jor-El's human name. Although the General stripped the boy of his powers, Chris Kent's continued fight for truth and justice impressed the true Nightwing, a beast of Kryptonian legend that ultimately chose him for its avatar. Thus with his new power and a new partner, Chris found himself with both purpose and wife.
Commissioner Henderson remained head of the MPD and Superman's chief contact with the police though he played a relatively small role. Still, he made good friendships with the MPD mostly Jim "Guardian" Harper who, due to his life as both a police officer and a superhero was appointed as Field Commander of the Science Police, Henderson's anti-supervillian SWAT team. As revealed in other titles, the idea of the Science Police was copied by cities throughout the nation.
That was not to say that they alone kept Metropolis safe. Thorn, Gangbuster, and Black Lightning worked independently out of Suicide Slum fighting pimps and pushers. Pierce, not so much though as he had gone to the "big leagues" with Batman's Outsiders. Though mostly retired, Iron Munroe, one of the first metahumans, still helped out as did Livewire. She wore a modified version of the blue and white suit Superman wore during his electric powers phase. Mon-El traveled through time as needed to aid his brother. Power Girl has already been discussed. She proved much more than a clone and became a second sister to Superman in Supergirl's disappearance. It was underscored by modifying her cleavage window to an S-outline, an acknowledgement of her familial bonds. Those bonds didn't change even with what happened next.
Metropolis was quickly becoming much more than Superman's city and the clearest example of this was seen in the return of Supergirl. (The men at DC always did wonder why her backstory should have gotten so much work if she was just going to remain dead. They even timed her return issue to be hit the stands the day of Jenette Kahn's retirement.) It was revealed that she never actually died but woke up from a coma in another dimension thanks to unknown forces. She had been wandering the (restored) multiverse ever since, helping others along the way, and just trying to get home.
When she finally did come back, there were many happy returns as tears and hugs were shared, all around and the woman who saved the universe from the Anti-Monitor was given a hero's welcome. Due to how time had flowed differently for her, however, Kara Zor-El was now as old as her cousin Superman. She was Superwoman now, as tall as her cousin and nearly as muscular. Wonder Woman in particular nearly burst with pride on seeing that the little girl Kal had brought to Paradise Island had grown so strong.
Kal himself was no different though he knew that she was now much more than just his cousin. With how everyone had taken it for granted that "Linda Lee Kent" had died since her disappearance and how it had been more at Kal's urging so she could blend in with humanity than anything else, Kara moved into the Fortress. She still enjoyed visiting Ma Kent and prized the Kent name her foster mother had given her. The same was true for visiting Lois and Clark in civilian clothes. Otherwise, she was Superwoman all the time.
She embraced her new role well though as her cousin/brother's second-in-command and de facto leader of the Metropolis based Team Superman. The two siblings Superman and Superwoman, Power Girl, Superboy, Steel, Kelex and all the Superman robots playing backup… As the 90s progressed into the 2000s the Man of Steel found himself the general of an army of heroes… and with the finest aide-de-camp any general could want.
In her day job, Kara found herself the CEO of the Supermen of America NGO. Its day-to-day operations were as a non-profit organization that handled licensing of the shield, scheduled Superman's appearances, raised money for charity, and more. Kara Zor-El enjoyed her job and she actually did make a very good corporate executive but there were more than a few times when she attended board meetings in full costume in anticipation of being called in for a mission. Supermen of America's main purpose, of course, was coordinating the Team. She was still the sweetest, nicest friend you could ever have… but with how she had developed both the generalship of Captain America and the muscles of Thor, if she was nice it was because she could afford to be.
As revealed in the titular comic, Supermen of America was simply the recognition that not even Superman can be everywhere at once. Grant Morrison applied the same logic to his Batman Inc. though he stated that he had the idea long before the previous title came out. In the years after Knightfall, the Dark Knight faced one challenge after another but he never faced them alone, however. Thus while the journey was hard and tiresome, there were many shoulders on which he knew he could share the burden.
There was, of course, his "niece" from a (possible) future, Helena. As her father was a very different Batman from himself, he never considered her a daughter but he still loved her as an uncle might. She saw in her the promise that one day his war might end and he might find peace and often benefited from her words of wisdom. She also proved a good (if very occasional due to her infrequent visits) big sister to the Carrie Kelley Robin
Fans were at first puzzled by the introduction of a character from Dark Knight Returns as it was supposed to take place at the end of Batman's career. Miller, who consulted but didn't write her introduction into mainstream continuity, cleared it up by saying that he wrote DKR separate from the larger DCU and so this Kelley should not be confused with the real Kelley. Kelley was much the same as she was in DKR, however, a young, brash, hero worshiping girl who just decided one day to put on a store bought costume. She started out small by standing up to local bullies, helping lost kids find their moms, and calling the police when it got too hot. In short, she was Neighborhood Watch in a costume. It escalated dramatically when she tagged along behind Batman and helped distract a thug who had gotten lucky against him. The Dark Knight took advantage and won the fight.
She took advantage of the situation to ask to become Robin something her idol flatly rejected. He took her to her parents so they could deal with the foolish girl properly. He was shocked to find a pair of apathetic stoners who'd forgotten that they even had a kid. He hadn't taken in Drake because he had a family; he wouldn't risk the life of someone's son but this… The sheer level of neglect meant that Carrie might as well be an orphan.
Todd was adamant that the girl have a shot at a normal life, if not with her parents then at least in some kind of foster home. Dick Grayson however told his mentor that Batman needs Robin. Grayson knew what the Dark Knight was like before he became his squire and what he became when left without a little voice to be his conscience. If Kelley could in fact follow Batman undetected, that showed she has potential. Besides, said the circus brat, normality is overrated.
Kelley eventually did become Robin and was a very good one. No, she wasn't as strong as the boys had been and was not as good a fighter but the fan girl made good more than made up for it in sheer guts. She got stronger and after learning from Todd, she also made up for it in brains too. Besides, the trickster served well as Batman's "little monkey wrench."
Kelley ultimately found herself playing big sister to Cassandra Kane, the daughter of an infamous hitman who really had no kind of normal life. She (and Barbara Gordon) helped Kane not only be a good Batgirl but also to be human.
With these three forming the nucleus, a bemused Todd found himself playing Charlie's Angels. He still disapproved of kid sidekicks and put his charges through the most grueling training he could think of to discourage them. Still, he knew that if they could survive his training, they could survive Gotham. Preferably with proper mentor supervision and they would not under any circumstances run half cocked into danger, no, never!
Then there was Damian… oh but the little snot gave Todd nightmares. Damian was introduced in the 2000s as Bruce Wayne's bastard and the child lived up to the epithet. Deranged, raised by cultists, the child soldier was everything Todd had gone on to distrust of sidekicks. Bruce should have shipped the brat right back to its mother…
Yes, Batman's greatest challenge was being a husband and a father. By the mid 1980s, Selina Kyle, Catwoman, had reformed and had gone on to become an adventurer. She had an on again, off again, love/hate relationship with Bruce and entered the 90s as a thief for hire. Aside from working as a mercenary, she would also plague Gotham's various crime families as well as corrupt politicians and businessmen as only the world's greatest thief could. As she explained to her boyfriend, was it really stealing if she only robbed bad guys? Batman chose to turn a blind eye, claiming that he had bigger enemies to fight. While that was true, everyone knew better.
As she began making friends, all that began to change. At first playing hero was just a game to get Bruce's attention but with the horrors that plagued Gotham over the next decade, it was her basic humanity that forced her to do the right thing. Catwoman was there for the Contagion and the Cataclysm; with how she had always worked outside the law, she was especially useful during the lawlessness of No Man's Land. Once, after stealing literal truckloads of food and supplies from warlord Two-Face (and personally giving it away to the people under Batman's protection), she even sarcastically asked Bruce if it had all been some trick to turn her into a goody two shoes.
When it was all over, Batman and Catwoman were taken for granted as a couple by both the superhero community and even the DCU's civilian population at large. The two slept together, fought villains together, went on dates in their civilian identities together. More and more Gothamites began asking, who was the mystery woman hanging on to Bruce Wayne?
Thus when Grant Morrison began his seven year run on Batman in the 2000s he was thus stuck in the same quandary faced by Spider-Man writer Gerry Conway when he killed Gwen Stacy. The hero and his love are the perfect couple and there was no realistic way they could not get married by that point in their relationship. Yet at the same time, it would dilute the aspect of tragedy that was part of the hero's core being and, in Batman's case, "tame" him. Killing the love interest is the safest way out so of course the damn Scotsman went and married off Wayne.
The Dark Knight remained a workaholic but with how Selina had come to share his crusade, it worked out. As for the other half of the equation, she introduced herself to polite society under the alias Patience Phillips so that she could marry Bruce Wayne and go to live in her Prince's castle. Morrison even went so far as to have Selina being the hottest "MILF" seducing her husband at six months pregnant. It culminated with her birthing Helena Wayne, the future Huntress who still, incidentally visited the "present" from her alternate future. It was a jarring image for comic fans to see Huntress on a rescue mission only to find a maternal whip toting Catwoman tenderly breastfeeding her newborn daughter (and the elder Helena's younger self) atop the unconscious body of her would be kidnapper.
It was she who convinced her husband, over Todd's objections to take in Carrie Kelley and train her as Robin; after transfer of legal custody, she was glad to play mom. That was seconded when she took Damien Wayne under her wing without a second thought and embraced the boy as a stepson. (This was, of course, after beating her husband unconscious for sleeping with Damien's mother, Talia.) When Bruce "died" in the latest Crisis, it was Catwoman who persuaded Dick Grayson to take up the mantle of Batman.
For understandable reasons most writers let the Scotsman do the wife and children stories whilst they focused on Batman working alone. Some fans even asked if Morrison's stories were set in their own continuity with how little they were referenced in other stories. Part of solving this quandary DC launched the New 52 to showcase (among other things) a younger and unmarried Dark Knight. For his part Frank Miller said that this was the true version of the Masked Manhunter and "not Morrison's married pansy." Whilst Superman titles had become (and remain) the best selling in main stream continuity, Batman titles with their bachelor protagonist became the star of the New 52.
Of course, Morrison being Morrison, it ended with Catwoman dying in the latest Batfamily crossover saving a random civilian from the Joker. An enraged Batman would have murdered the captured clown then and there if Jim Gordon hadn't wrestled him to the ground. He roared that the clown had murdered his bride, that Gordon couldn't understand what had happened!
Wayne collapsed into utter despair, perhaps even worse that what he had faced when his parents died. First his son was killed by an adult clone sent by the boy's own mother, Talia, and now Selina on top of it!? It was Crime Alley all over again… Why did these things happen only to him? Why did he have to suffer more than anyone else!? He didn't want talk of her being a soldier in the cause or of her knowing the risks, she was his wife! His wife! Initial attempts to resurrect Damian—and Selina—with one of his grandfather's Lazarus Pits foiled, Wayne could do nothing but weep.
The elder Helena, Huntress, had been visiting the present from her alternate future when this all happened and had nearly gotten herself killed trying to save this version of her mother. She tried to keep history from repeating itself and she failed. She saw Uncle Bruce send little Helena away to be raised by Barbara Gordon and she could understand that. Her father was in no condition to do anything.
When he refused to even look at her for how she reminded him of Selina, however, big Helena knew the real reason he had sent little Helena away and knew she had to act. She knew Clark Kent was there for the funeral and contacted him. (It was the second funeral in as many months, comic book time.) She told him that Uncle Bruce had refused to listen to her and told the Man of Steel to talk to him instead. She told him that she had seen what happened to her version of Batman; the strongest man she ever knew just gave up and plunged into a cycle of self destructive behavior that ended with his death.
Kent agreed to help but on finding a broken Batman holed up in his cave, he knew he would have to use a different set of tactics. He insulted him and smacked him around. He even called Bruce a weakling for his reasons for becoming Batman. "You have it easy. You literally couldn't have done anything when your family died. I had all my power and I still couldn't save my father, but you don't see me whining the rest of my life about it!" Superman even went so far as to trick Bruce into believing little Helena had been kidnapped to force him to don the cape and cowl. While Bruce never forgave his "friend" for that, it did the trick.
Big Helena, along with Dick and the rest of the network, had been patrolling Gotham in Batman's absence. It was on a routine stakeout when a shadow covered her. Trembling Huntress turned around and saw the Dark Knight standing before her. She ran crying to him and collapsed in his arms. Yes, she was a strong, proud woman but that night she cried like a little girl, not caring in the least who saw her. Though he had suffered and wept as well, Batman would live. He had to. His daughter at least was one Wayne who would not be an orphan. On that rooftop, he smiled and told the heroine he knew his baby girl would one day become if she'd mind some help busting those crooks down there. Huntress didn't mind in the least.
As Helena swung down with her Uncle Bruce, her head told her they were alone. But her heart knew better.
Paul Levitz co-wrote this story with Morrison. He'd been asked by the Scotsman himself on the logic that who'd be better to tell the story than the man who came up with it the first time. It won an Eisner Award and was widely lauded.
Then, of course, there was the other marriage, one that was better received and had a happier ending. It all started when Lois died the way everyone said she would; she got in over her head whilst covering a story and Superman just had to be on a mission on the other side of the universe. By then, she and Clark had been married for nearly twenty years, ten years in comic book time, and when he returned it nearly destroyed him. He had steeled himself for it, knowing that he would outlive her no matter what but that didn't make it hurt any less.
For a time he was tempted to use his powers to resurrect the one he loved as Bruce had tried to before he stopped him, hypocrisy be damned. After he saw his parent's graves, however (his mother had died by that time as well), he knew he couldn't. Using his power for such personal goals, even laudable ones, would be wrong. He remembered something Lois had told him about just this eventuality. He wasn't God; it wasn't up to him to decide who lived or died or would come back to life. He was just a man and if he living only to see those he loved die was his cross to bear, so be it.
For awhile widower Superman, bore his grief in silence but Pete Ross told his friend that it wasn't good to be alone. Himself a widower, he said that marrying Lana made his life worth living again. He told Clark that he had to find love again. It was no mean feat. True, he had had many romances over the years but by then Lori Lemaris and Lana Lang had both married, super heroine Luma Lynai was still unable to survive Earth's atmosphere, and Kryptonian Lyla Lerrol was still dead.
Things were hard for our hero, both of him. Clark dated the human women that Pete and Lana picked for him; some of them could have been keepers but the fact that he had to run off every other moment meant that none of them went past the third date. (That, of course, was why it took him years to marry Lois.) On her end, Kara introduced her cousin to various superheroines and female metahumans. The dates failed for the obvious reason; they didn't love him, they lusted for him and Superman had no desire to be some woman's beefsteak.
It was on Monitor Duty with Diana that Kal talked to her about his predicament. He still missed Lois but she had made him promise that if she were to die first that he wouldn't mourn her forever. He wanted to feel love again and Diana admitted that so did she, she hadn't seriously dated since breaking up with Steve. That was partly because she was so busy… and partly because she didn't want to be some lovesick puppy, not ever again.
At first it was purely platonic but as Kara saw them together, she knew it could be more. She asked him about Diana and Kal admitted that he'd always known that they would make a good pair. She had a good heart and, as a superhero, understood his. She was also his physical equal in every way. Clark knew that if his enemies ever found out that there was a Mrs. Superman, they wouldn't hesitate for a second to get revenge on him by killing her. Her not having superpowers was, in part, why he put off marrying Lois for years.
As for the way things were now… it was too obvious. They had always liked each other but such a romance would be too contrived. With that Kara smacked him upside the head and berated him for rejecting a woman because he knew she would be his soulmate. Superman pondered that and reasoned, why the heck not. The next thing fans saw was Agent Diana Prince opening the door of her Washington DC apartment and seeing Clark Kent holding a bouquet of flowers.
Their respective titles and especially the new Superman/Wonder Woman soon saw the two heroes making a fuss by going to the fanciest restaurants in their heroic identities and enjoying local burger joints in their spectacled ones. The two initially just courted to see if they could actually make each other happy. After a few tentative dates, it became very clear to them that yes they could make each other very happy.
In 2010 Superman and Wonder Woman ultimately did marry and it was an event celebrated across the DCU. The ceremony was held in the skies above the Vatican with the Spectre presiding; he claimed to be on orders from "the Master." There was Kal-El in a caped tuxedo with an S-shield sash whilst Diana wore a white silk wedding dress accentuated by her tiara, bracelets, and a golden WW on her mighty breasts. There were the Atlanteans, time travelers, and the aliens from a thousand worlds those who came to Superman's funeral and more though now for a far more joyous occasion. Grateful for aid in the War of the Gods, the respective pantheons of Earth came to celebrate their champion's wedding. Queen Atalanta's man loving non-Theymsciran Amazons also attended. Batman was the Best Man, Donna Troy was the Maid of Honor, and the virtually the entire heroic community was there. The world saw them literally dancing on air at their reception. It was all so… perfect! The princess and her hero got married and lived happily ever after… just like a fairy tale!
Well, as happily ever after as could realistically be expected. Diana confided in her husband a nightmare she once had, before the Crisis; they'd married but their mutual heroism kept them apart. It was mostly workaholic Kal-El's fault and the real Kal knew it. Maybe he'd no longer "kill" Clark Kent in order to be Superman all the time like he once had in the old days but he knew that while saving lives and helping others would have to come first every time, his wife and any future children would have to be first in everything else.
That was no mean feat for either hero as by that time Clark was editor of the Daily Planet and Diana was a top agent for the Department of Extranormal Affairs. (There was also her daily commute from her new home in Metropolis to Washington DC!) They'd have lived up to their hyperbolic names even without being superheroes on top of it all. Still, thanks to each other more than anything else, they managed. They worked well together and not just in the most obvious role as crime fighters.
By that time, writers had begun to emphasize Clark Kent over Kal-El and to that end, he was overwhelmed at being worshiped as a god in the wake of his post-Doomsday "resurrection." He had already met the God in one of Maggin's novels and had accepted his destiny as the world's greatest hero so it wasn't too jarring. Still, Diana, an actual goddess by that point, was a huge help and co-founded Miracle Monday, a holiday first mentioned in the novels as a day whereon the future peoples of Earth honored the Man of Steel. As first instituted, it was meant to commemorate heroes and for people to engage in acts of charity. The super-cultists, however, took it to the extreme doing good deeds in Superman's name whilst wearing S-shield robes. They often collaborated with his wife's worshipers.
Though he indeed hoped to inspire men to acts of righteousness, Superman found it all rather embarrassing.
The marriage proved good for Diana as well, though in her case it was in the opposite direction. Wonder Woman had grown up on Paradise Island as Princess of the Amazons and had since gone on to become a goddess. During her career as an ambassador she had had no name other than Wonder Woman and Diana Prince was completely artificial. This stood in stark contrast to Bruce and Clark who had grown up as ordinary people before becoming superheroes. Heck, she just made the original Diana Prince up to stalk Steve Trevor and had gone through three other Prince identities since!
More than any other superhero, a secret identity was something that truly mattered to Superman. Not only did it give the chance to relax but it also kept him human and being human was something that Wonder Woman had forgotten. Clark loved Diana Prince every bit as much as he loved Princess Diana and in some cases even more. He helped her to love her to. Honestly, though, what wasn't there to love? The DEO agent was a smart, witty woman with a golden personality and that always had your back and more than once had to tell overeager men that she was married. She was still a no-nonsense, all business glasses wearing plain-Jane but now she wore much more stylish glasses.
In time, she was surprised to find herself looking at Diana Prince as more than a way to marry Clark without revealing his secret identity or as a chance to find and use classified information. She even started looking forward to going to work and getting the latest case form Director Etta Candy. The friends and experiences she could only have as Mrs. Kent were truly worthwhile. In a strange way, all this made her an even better, more proactive Wonder Woman as she learned what it meant to be human.
And she started wearing a cape to match her husband and their best friend. It looks good in group shots don'cha know.
Authors Notes: Note to everyone, never trust me when I say it will take just a few days... :-(
However, the tales of the Trinity are complete! Its worth saying that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were supposed to have had just one chapter each but such was not the case! Its eleven chapters split into thirteen parts. I was also thinking of adding a third part, one fitting Mark Waid's Superman: Birthright into this but I said to myself enough is in turn, however, leads to something else.
In finishing the tales of the Trinity, I-we-have reached a milestone but that means where do we go next. I do admit that I have two chapters for the Justice League and the larger DCU. Looking back, however, I seriously doubt that it would stay just one chapter for the entire Justice League and one for the entire DCU. In the intro I said one part for Superman, one for Batman, etc., and I was serious. When I started my story over two years ago it was complete and all I thought I would do was just edit and upload. I realize that will not likely be the case so that means there is pretty much a blank slate ahead.
Sooo any takers!? What do you want to see next? Flash? Green Lantern? Aquaman? Hawkman? Captain Marvel? Perhaps the Justice League-its formation and relation to the JSA? Individual heroes first and then the JLA or JLA and then heroes? In the time I've spent on the Trinity, I've come up with ideas for all of them.
On a slight tangent, I'm also considering re-releasing my Godzilla fanfic Monster Wars complete with chapter by chapter commentary/reader feedback and previously unreleased chapters. If you're interested, click my profile. Its my "baby" and it made it to TV Tropes due to its original posting on . I think its due for a special edition. This time hopefully, it won't just be a recommendation but a trope list...
The reason I'm saying this is that I at first thought of waiting until I'm done with this story but I now realize that I have no idea how long this thing is going to take Since I'm primarily a fan of the Trinity, I'm hopefully half way to finishing but that's no guarantee. If I re-release Monster Wars right now, I will take some time off from this story. However, MW actually is complete and I plan on re-releasing it as is so, after writing a new intro for it, things would be back to normal.
Its also worth saying that there will be a slight delay no matter what as I'll be uploading this story (and perhaps MW) to my Deviant art account
So guys, aside from commenting on this chapter, please answer these two questions.
1) What team or hero should go next here?
2) Should Monster Wars be re-released right now or should it wait until this is finished?
I appreciate any words you might have but for now let's check the mailbag!
Dryad Princess: ...Well... you can't win'em all. :-( The "other" Nightwing is discussed here. On the bright side, welcome to the story m'lady!
Sir Thames: Same words, same response. Thank you sir!
Wolvmbm: I have heard of Marvel's MC2 but I have read it. Guess I just got lucky! As for Clark Kent becoming editor, Elliot S! Maggin made Perry White extremely "forgetful" in the last Superman stories he wrote for DC. It was implied but never confirmed to be Alzheimers. We all know that if White ever had to give up being editor that Kent (or maybe Lois) would be the next in line. I admit that it might put a dent on his schedule-and that I never thought about that! (-_-;) Well as Superman said when he got a job as a TV news anchorman back in 1970s it would make his heroics a little harder but "I'll find a way. I always do."
Oh, and thanks for your kind words good sir. :-)
"Anon": At this point its more of a philosophical question. If I, as a private citizen, were to arm myself and go capture or kill suspected criminals I myself would be quickly arrested. If I were to become a police officer and do the same, I would be rewarded. The same analogy can be had for soldiers in how they are routinely hailed as heroes when their purpose as soldiers is killing perfect strangers for no reason other than that somebody told them to, even if said stranger never did anything to them. That would be murder if anyone else did it.
In his 1919 essay, Politics as a Vocation, sociologist Max Weber discusses "the monopoly of force." He states that lawful authorities (The Authority's writer probably heard this) have the power of lethal force as it is their responsibility to protect those whose obedience they command. The idea of "I obey you, you protect me" is at the root of civilization and forms a major plot point of a My Little Pony fanfic I'm writing. There, Father Crucifix Rosary (a priest pony and my OC) goes to Hell and plays poker with Tirek (pony Satan and cannon character). Hoping to corrupt him, Tirek discusses the morality of killing and Crucifix brings up these very points.
If a soldier or a police officer sees civilians being killed left and right and killing is the only way to stop the aggressor, what does the pony do? He needs to go to church if he doesn't feel at least some sympathy for the person in the sights of his gun yoke but, however horrible the execution of his duty might be, killing the other pony is not a sin in that context. If you would rather let innocent lives, lives that you have sworn to protect, be lost just so that you can keep your hooves "clean", that is the real sin.
Superheroes are different with how they are just private citizens and thus lack the moral authority to kill in any but the most dire of circumstances. Captain America Vol 4 #3, for example, kills a terrorist to save some hostages. Even ignoring that he did initially try to use nonlethal methods, he was a soldier and he is entrusted with power and authority by the US government so it doesn't break the character. On the other hand, Superman's killing of General Zod in the most recent movie has rightly led to some criticism. Yes, it was to save innocent people whom Zod was trying to kill by means of his heat vision and even there it could be argued that Superman didn't deliberately kill the man. Perhaps as he was pulling Zod's head back he didn't know he would snap his neck. Still, the fact is Superman is just a private citizen so this is the one and only time such action could be justified. Anything else and you have to ask, if someone with that much power is willing to kill us whenever he deems it "necessary" who could stop him from doing whatever else he feels is "necessary"?
I have yet to read more than one or two issues of Authority but if they are anything like Manchester Black's (cannon) Elites who they inspired their actions speak for themselves. If the Authority is a government sanctioned special ops team in the vein of Ultimate Marvel's Ultimates/Avengers that's one thing. Protecting its people from outside threat is the most basic responsibility any government can have and if metahuman X is in the service of that government then that means that he is the means through which said government will exercise that responsibility. Its may be a dirty job but the Authority are the poor slobs who have to do it.
If, on the other hand, they're taking such proactive steps on their own authority, they have effectively staged a coup against everyone in which case they are an unlawful authority. They are either villains who've taken over the world for its own good (with the Authority deciding what is "good") or the civilians of that universe are dirt dumb clods who deserve to be bossed around by the dictators for whom they rolled over and gave rule over their world.
An example of what I'm saying can be found in Alex Ross and Mark Waid's Kingdom Come. There, two intertwined themes are the fact that "human initiative began to erode the day people asked a new breed to face the future for them" and that that new breed is the one who took it upon itself to decide what was right and wrong. When it was all over, Superman was told that "we saw you as gods..." to which he replied, "as we saw ourselves and we were both wrong."
"Anon," I have to thank you. Other people might call you a troll for hiding behind anonymous comments but not me. You're the lemons I've been using to make lemonade because if not for answering your comments, I'd have never given these little lectures! Keep it up. ;-)
PS. Troll or not, I'll be moderating guest comments from now on. Remember what I said "anon," one more bit of nonsensical shenanigans? I don't know who you are or if you're even the same guy. For all I know, you're a group of guys that takes turns.) I do know, however, that your writing is such that I don't know if you're that bad a writer or a troll. (Nameless as you are I am inclined to the latter.) I teach a writing class in an after school program and something I tell my students is that it doesn't matter how good your ideas are if you don't know how to express them.
If you wish to improve your writing, I will say this.
Be Concise: Keep short and to to the point. Look at the other and you'll see what I mean.
Stay on topic: "Reviews" are meant to review the chapter so when using it, write only about what's in the chapter. You, on the other hand, have been habitually using the comments section to air your own views. If you want to have a good discussion, you can always register and write a private message. Other readers have written me such messages and we've had fine conversations.
Grammar: Its a good idea to check your spelling and punctuation lest people think you're not smart enough to write properly.
Organization: You have good ideas but they are so randomly strewn through your reviews that I'm not sure what to make of it.
Have guts: Privacy is one thing. I too am "anonymous." Not having the courage to show your face, even of that "face" is a registered screen name, is quite another. If you expect someone to take you and the points you bring in seriously, man-up.
Don't worry "anon" I will remember you. You did bring up interesting points and I do plan on answering all the questions you've asked in the conclusion. Having enabled moderation, if you keep posting and show me that you are not a troll, those posts will be put up. If not they will never see the light of day. Until then my dear lemon tree, vaya con Dios.