DC Movies - To Infinity and Beyond

[TREK_GOD_1]

Sure. I'll also be sure to tell that to the soldiers whose lives get threatened even when off duty and they cannot go back home or to work due to those threats.

With a number of relatives in the military, I can tell you there are situations where the nature of their service has the potential to threaten the lives of their families, whether they are stationed stateside, or in another country. It causes an enormous amount of stress with what they do and are allowed to share (and its not much). The same applies to people married to police officers; its not uncommon for high levels of stress, fear and anger from the spouse living with the uncertainty of their husband or wife's safety every day they are on the streets. Dangerous occupations are not a game, or party, and there's a great emotional price to be paid for those connected to those in dangerous occupations.
All the reason why in superhero fiction, its immature BS to think families need to be "in" on something that only causes great tension, fear and/or anguish & can pose a risk to their own lives.

That's why I've heard so much criticism of some of the CW-DC shows, because too many of the costumed characters' true identities are known by far too many civilians, as if they are just revealing they are a cosplayer. At best, only a handful of people should know, and even then, only if they have some connection to their "professional" life.

I'm not saying it always makes sense, but the emotional desire to protect one's loved ones leads to extremely odd and irrational behavior. It is all well and good to sit in judgement of them, but they often don't do it to be a jerk. They do it out of a (sometimes misguided) sense of protecting their loved ones.

Agreed. The idea that there's something wrong with protecting loved ones from their "professional" life's dangers (no matter how the hero's behavior comes off) is--as noted earlier--an immature belief. Danger is not a party or clubhouse meeting.

 

[Christopher]

I'm sure I'm not explaining it well. I just don't think it is always bad.

Sure, the point is that it depends on the execution, and some works take it too far or drag it out too long. Plus it's just such an overused trope by now that I'm glad it's not as common anymore. Supporting characters that are in the loop of secrecy tend to get more interesting stuff to do than characters who don't know.

 

[YLu]

With a number of relatives in the military, I can tell you there are situations where the nature of their service has the potential to threaten the lives of their families, whether they are stationed stateside, or in another country. It causes an enormous amount of stress with what they do and are allowed to share (and its not much). The same applies to people married to police officers; its not uncommon for high levels of stress, fear and anger from the spouse living with the uncertainty of their husband or wife's safety every day they are on the streets. Dangerous occupations are not a game, or party, and there's a great emotional price to be paid for those connected to those in dangerous occupations.

Yeah, but the solution isn't for the endangered person to lie and pretend to their family that they aren't even a police officer or soldier.

 

[Christopher]

Yeah, but the solution isn't for the endangered person to lie and pretend to their family that they aren't even a police officer or soldier.

Exactly. If your job potentially puts your family at risk, then you absolutely have to tell them that. Deliberately keeping people ignorant of a threat puts them in more danger, not less, because they can't take precautions or be alert to danger signs.

Plus, of course, they have a right to know. Not about the specifics of your classified missions, of course, but if the relationship they're involved in entails potential risk, then they have a right to be informed of the risk before they consent to it.

 

[suarezguy]

Nah, the times where Aunt May found out Peter was Spidey were some of the best moments in the comics.

A few people knowing (after 20-30 years) is very different from the whole public knowing and villains going after the hero's family, let alone because the hero willingly or recklessly endangered them.

The idea that keeping your loved ones ignorant of your heroic identity helps protect them is hypocritical, especially in the usual superhero context where the same people interact regularly with both the civilian and superhero identities.

Offhand I think Lois and Jimmy are the only ones who do regularly interact with both identities, the supporting characters of Batman, Spider-Man, most other Superman characters don't, that occurring isn't what typically happens.

 

[Christopher]

Offhand I think Lois and Jimmy are the only ones who do regularly interact with both identities, the supporting characters of Batman, Spider-Man, most other Superman characters don't, that occurring isn't what typically happens.

In most versions of Superman I've seen or heard on radio, both Clark and Superman interacted regularly with Lois, Jimmy, Perry White, and other supporting characters like Inspector Henderson or Emil Hamilton. Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne were good friends in the pre-Crisis comics, going back to literally the very first page of the first Batman story; and in the '60s, when Barbara Gordon was introduced, it was as a romantic interest for Bruce Wayne as well as a superhero rival.

In Spider-Man, many of Peter Parker's friends and loved ones get dragged into Spider-Man's fights; indeed, many of Spider-Man's worst enemies turn out to be Peter's friends or their family members, his teachers or professors, his employers or co-workers, etc. J. Jonah Jameson has had many direct clashes with Spidey as well as employing Peter, and even Aunt May has gotten dragged into Spidey's conflicts on numerous occasions; once she almost married Doc Ock! Spidey is one of the characters with the most overlap between the people he interacts with as Peter and as Spidey, because that's intrinsic to the soap-opera nature of the storytelling. Although that's pretty much true of all Marvel characters, just Stan Lee's basic writing style of having the action inform and advance the character drama.

 

[JD]

I don't really think a superhero should go announcing their real identity to the public, but I do think the people who they are closest to, and should hopefully be able to trust with it deserve to know.

 

[Christopher]

I don't really think a superhero should go announcing their real identity to the public, but I do think the people who they are closest to, and should hopefully be able to trust with it deserve to know.

Realistically, I'm not sure it's even possible to keep a secret identity these days, with all the facial recognition tech and ubiquitous surveillance and DNA analysis and so forth. I've read that in real life, all spies' identities are known to other countries' spies, so the spies don't actually do the spying themselves, they work out of offices and cultivate local assets to pass information to them.

 

[theenglish]

I was pretty surprised that Batwoman had such a clear photo including her eyes rather than the white lenses on the cover of the Catco magazine.

Regarding the secret identity, of course the modern idea of telling close friends and family works better. It vastly improved Superman and I am a little surprised Bendis is writing the series as if Jimmy doesnt know the secret. I thought he has known since the 52 reboot but I cant remember if that was actually the case.

 

[Christopher]

I was pretty surprised that Batwoman had such a clear photo including her eyes rather than the white lenses on the cover of the Catco magazine.

In the show, her eyes only appear pure white when she has night vision activated. (Which implies that the black makeup around her eyes that magically disappears when she takes the cowl off is meant to be part of the cowl somehow, some thin, skintight layer that extends right up to the eye and covers it when needed. It's a weird effect.)

 

[theenglish]

In the show, her eyes only appear pure white when she has night vision activated. (Which implies that the black makeup around her eyes that magically disappears when she takes the cowl off is meant to be part of the cowl somehow, some thin, skintight layer that extends right up to the eye and covers it when needed. It's a weird effect.)

But you would think that she would have thought using the lenses for the photo would be important considering one of the plot points in the early episodes was that people recognized her eyes.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

A few people knowing (after 20-30 years) is very different from the whole public knowing and villains going after the hero's family, let alone because the hero willingly or recklessly endangered them.

Well said. Some seem to fail to understand how exposing loved ones to a dangerous life and/or information they should--under no circumstances--ever know, is the height of childish, irresponsible behavior. The civilian / loved ones will never be psychologically or physically equipped to deal with the gravity of those dangers (especially the kind fictional superheroes face every day) should they come to their doorstep. The same most certainly applies to the real world.

The idea that the hero is--in some ridiculous accusation--mistreating the loved one by not exposing them to their dangerous "professional" life is--again--childish behavior.

 

[YLu]

You're not "exposing" someone to dangers just by telling them what your job is. I'm sure there are plenty of police officers and what not that don't tell their spouses the details of their work. But they don't create elaborate sustained fabrications to convince their husbands and wives they aren't cops in the first place.

 

[Anwar]

Well said. Some seem to fail to understand how exposing loved ones to a dangerous life and/or information they should--under no circumstances--ever know, is the height of childish, irresponsible behavior.

Telling them means the loved ones would be more likely to AVOID doing stuff that would put them in further danger. Like Aunt May nearly marrying Doc Ock or being friendly with Venom.

The civilian / loved ones will never be psychologically or physically equipped to deal with the gravity of those dangers (especially the kind fictional superheroes face every day) should they come to their doorstep.

Utter BS.

 

[Christopher]

But you would think that she would have thought using the lenses for the photo would be important considering one of the plot points in the early episodes was that people recognized her eyes.

"People" didn't recognize her eyes. Her fraternal-twin sister who'd grown up alongside her recognized her eyes.

 

[suarezguy]

Amy Adams' knowing Clark was Superman and being his confidant from Day One was a great idea too.

That was good because both her knowing and emphasizing why it's important that the general public doesn't know were both pretty new and fresh approaches/ideas, after yes we had seen the previous dynamic for long enough, the two new aspects also fit the (new versions of) the characters well and the combination complemented each other well.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Utter BS.

The subtitle to your every thought and post on this board, and you continue to prove that all to protect weak, immature plot devices.

 

[Anwar]

That was good because both her knowing and emphasizing why it's important that the general public doesn't know were both pretty new and fresh approaches/ideas, after yes we had seen the previous dynamic for long enough, the two new aspects also fit the (new versions of) the characters well and the combination complemented each other well.

Which shows it can work.

The subtitle to your every thought and post on this board, and you continue to prove that all to protect weak, immature plot devices.

Oh grow up. Settings have to develop to keep from getting stagnant.

 

[JD]

In the show, her eyes only appear pure white when she has night vision activated. (Which implies that the black makeup around her eyes that magically disappears when she takes the cowl off is meant to be part of the cowl somehow, some thin, skintight layer that extends right up to the eye and covers it when needed. It's a weird effect.)

A lot of the shows were the hero wears a mask do that, and I've always wondered ifwhat exactly it's supposed to be. Most of the time it disappears when they take the mask off, and then reappears when they put the mask back on, so I assume it's supposed to be part of the mask. The only thing I can think of is that the mask is supposed to go all the way to the eyes, but they don't want to have the have the mask go that far, to either avoid claustrophobia or so they're peripheral vision isn't effected to much.

Well said. Some seem to fail to understand how exposing loved ones to a dangerous life and/or information they should--under no circumstances--ever know, is the height of childish, irresponsible behavior. The civilian / loved ones will never be psychologically or physically equipped to deal with the gravity of those dangers (especially the kind fictional superheroes face every day) should they come to their doorstep. The same most certainly applies to the real world.

They are exposed to that danger the moment the person becomes a superhero, at least by telling them they are aware of the danger.

 

[Christopher]

A lot of the shows were the hero wears a mask do that, and I've always wondered ifwhat exactly it's supposed to be. Most of the time it disappears when they take the mask off, and then reappears when they put the mask back on, so I assume it's supposed to be part of the mask. The only thing I can think of is that the mask is supposed to go all the way to the eyes, but they don't want to have the have the mask go that far, to either avoid claustrophobia or so they're peripheral vision isn't effected to much.

Yeah, presumably that's the intent, that it's some kind of extension of the mask, but Batwoman is the first time I've seen it shown to have any useful purpose. I don't get why they don't just let the actor's skin show under the eye holes, like the way it was always done before the '89 Batman started the eye-shadow-under-the-mask trend. What's so horrible about that? Or is it just that they're trying to mimic the look of comics costumes where the mask goes all the way to the eyes?