Given that DC Comics has been producing superheroes for almost a century, it’s not all that unexpected that many of its heroes’ names haven’t held up well. Names that seemed intriguing in 1938 may today appear absurd or even harmful due to cultural mores and trends that change over time. Some heroic characters are burdened with too much baggage, some are simply outmoded, and still others were just unlucky.
Cultural insensitivity is one of the major issues that keeps coming up when looking at the history of comics. It is possible for characters made just ten years ago to appear problematic. The greatest parts of characters can often be separated from their troublesome pasts, allowing authors to rebrand them. That’s a really challenging task, though, when the worst issues are associated with a hero.
Even Named “Aztek” Coopts An Imperialist-Destroyed Civilization
Spanish conquistadors destroyed the Aztec Empire in 1521 after it had flourished for more than 200 years. It seems wilfully ignorant of Europe’s horrific history of colonisation when a group of Scottish comic book authors creates a superhero based on Mesoamerican indigenous mythology without receiving meaningful input from any indigenous people of Central America.Uno, a representative of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, had blonde hair and blue eyes despite not being human. At least one Aztek, Nayeli Constant, is descended from native people of Central America. But even without the rest of the codename, the way the “k” at the end co – constructed a colonial civilisation makes it repulsive.
There Are Too Many Other Characters Competing for Captain Marvel’s Codename
Before Marvel had established itself or even lost its former moniker, Timely Comics, Captain Marvel was Billy Batson’s first superhero name when he first appeared in Whiz Comics in 1941. The less ambiguous magic phrase “Shazam!” is now used to refer to Earth’s Mightiest Mortal, though, as a result of Marvel’s expansion into a significant power in the entertainment sector.”Avoiding delving into the legal ramifications of the term, Carol Danvers, the Kree Mar-Vell, Monica Rambeau, and other heroes from Marvel Comics have all been given the title Captain Marvel. Carol Danvers is also the main character in the 2019 film Captain Marvel. Even though it’s a sad to lose some of the history associated with this iconic moniker, changing the original Captain’s name in the same year that DC released a movie about Billy Batson makes sense on many ways.
What Plastic Used to Mean Has Changed
Communication, along with its meanings and grammatical components, evolves with time. Even individual word meanings can change suddenly. As a result, certain characters’ names—which once accurately described their abilities—no longer do so.
One illustration of this phenomenon is Plastic Man. In the past, the adjective “plastic” was frequently used to refer to something elastic or stretchy. Today, it is significantly more likely to be utilized as a word and frequently relates to things made of petroleum. Although “Eel” O’Brian is still a fantastic character, modern readers sometimes assume that he is made of plastic.
Crazy Jane Supports Negative Mental Illness Stereotypes
One of the handful of DC Comics heroes with dissociative identity disorder, or DID, which causes many personality states, or “alters,” to exist within a person. This character is Kay Challis. However, Kay’s pseudonym is just as much a representation of self-hatred as it is a title. A cartoonish version of the condition frequently appears in Batman’s rogue’s gallery, where it has similarly aged poorly.Crazy Jane, also known as Jane Morris, is Kay. Since the word “crazy” has been used as a weapon against people with mental illnesses for many years, it is possible to see this as Kay reclaiming the term. However, this interpretation is messy and necessitates frequent awkward exposition because the word is still used as a euphemism for a variety of things, including bad behaviour and heightened emotions. Sadly, Jane’s personality is also a mess and is predicated mostly on spectacular books like Cybil than on actual medical knowledge. Maintaining this name will only make these issues worse.
For good reason, Creeper was made into a villain.
The word “Creeper” just seems to get worse over time. Instead of highlighting the wonderful deeds of the hero, Jack Ryder’s alter ego keeps casting a negative light on him. While The Creeper is typically an eccentric ally of Batman’s, his popularity has recently plummeted to the point where he now appears as a villain in numerous DC continuity.
Creeper’s resemblance to the Joker doesn’t help his cause, but his moniker is the main reason why authors and readers perceive him as a villain. The name “creeper” has negative implications that have only grown over the years, in contrast to names like “Superman” and “Hawkgirl,” which have very positive meanings.
