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Verdragon writes...
1. How much (if any) variation in skin color is there within the Martian castes? Like, in the same way someone from Norway would likely have lighter skin than someone from Greece, are there Green Martians with skin that's closer to turquoise or lime than J'onn's?
2. Are there inter-caste Martians that, like mixed race humans, have a skin tone between their two parents (like in the case of the M'orzz family, could someone like Em'ree have skin that's a lighter shade of green)?
Greg responds...
1. I think you probably saw some slight variations on Mars this past season. B'arzz's skin-tone isn't exactly the same as J'onn's. But asking a red-green color deficient showrunner about subtleties between different shades of green isn't going to get you very far, I'm afraid.
2. We haven't played it that way at all. We haven't made any distinctions between shades of green or red or white or yellow. To be honest, the metaphor is fraught enough, as it is.
Paco writes...
First at all. Thank you and Brandi for making YJ. Loving the season 4 so much, looking forward for the second half.
Since we learned that Kent is closed to Zatara’s family…Why didn’t Zee attended to his funeral? but her dad did as we saw in YJ comic issue 11
Greg responds...
That's a really good question. The out-of-universe answer, of course, is that we hadn't yet (a) introduced Zatanna to the Team and (b) figured out how important Kent was to Zatanna's childhood years.
In universe... hmmm. Maybe she was TOO grief-stricken to attend? (Not sure I buy that myself.)
I'll leave it to our wonderful fans to come up with a crazy legit explanation, I guess.
Anonymous writes...
Mr. Weisman,
On Earth-16, Jason Todd was Bruce Wayne's second legal ward, am I correct?
Greg responds...
Um... yeah.
Anonymous writes...
Mr. Weisman,
Is the correct way to say the name of Superman's biological mother is "Lara El" (which you mentioned in a previous response) or "Lara-El" (which is how it is stated in the Smallville TV series by Kara to Clark in a Season 7 episode)? Also, please explain why whichever version of the name you choose here is the correct one in the Earth-16 continuity?
Greg responds...
I have nothing to do with the choices made on Smallville, and am largely unaware of them. They hold no relevance.
In the Earth-16 continuity, male names are hyphenated. Female names are not. So Jor-El and Lara El. Dru-Zod and Ursa Zod. Unmarried females use their father's full last name as a surname, e.g. Faora Hu-Ul.
These choices - while obviously (and perhaps unfortunately) paternalistic - had the virtue of clarity and consistency for us, on the show, while lining up with tradition from previous comics continuity.
Anonymous writes...
Mr. Weisman,
I might have made a mistake in a previous question in regards to Bruce Wayne and Kate Kane' relationship. So just for clarification:
1. From Bruce's point of view, Kate is his maternal cousin.
2. From Kate's point of view, Bruce is her paternal cousin.
3. Points #1 and 2 are stated in this manner because Bruce's mother (Martha Wayne) and Kate's father (Jacob Kane) are siblings.
As such, are these three facts correct in the Earth-16 animated universe?
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. Yes.
Kelly writes...
1. Does Jim Harper still work at Cadmus? If not, what does he do now?
2. How big is Will’s business
Greg responds...
1. No.
1a. He works for Bowhunter Security.
2. I'm not sure what you mean by "big". But I think of it currently as small but growing.
Chen Jining writes...
Why didn't Garfield call Perdita and apologize to her after he end his time taking drugs and ask her to resume their relationship?
Greg responds...
You wrote this question back in January before you could have seen how the whole plotline turned out, so I assume by now the answer is moot. But your question seems to assume he stopped taking drugs immediately after she discovered his pill-stash. That wasn't the case.
pal writes...
since technically humans are considered animals, and we saw Garfield in Season 2 living in a form that combines man and monkey elements Can he create other combinations of related species? or add to his human form elements from another animal, like wings?
on the same note why Garfield can not change to a Martian? if humans are part of the animal kingdom shouldn't martian be also a part of it?
sorry for the bad English, not my native language.... hope you still understood the questions
Greg responds...
1. In theory, I suppose, it's possible. But that's gotta be much harder. And a human with wings might not be able to fly. In a battle situation, trying something like that might not be smart.
2. It's not impossible, I suppose. But it doesn't come naturally to him.
Elisa&Goliath writes...
Hi Greg!
I am a lifelong fan of all of your work! Especially gargoyles and young justice. I wanted to ask 3 questions that I didn’t see waiting to be answered already.
1 did you intentionally include props from gargoyles in young justice season four at the Tower of fate? A.k.a. the Phoenix gate, The eye of Oden, grimorum arcanorum.
2 are there more gargoyles Easter eggs throughout YJ?
3 I have recognized the voices of many of the actors on young Justice, as actors who also voiced characters on gargoyles. Do you like to work a lot with the same people?
I think it’s pretty fantastic, but sometimes when I hear the voices I think of their character from gargoyles instead of who they are in young justice.
Greg responds...
1. If I said it was an accident or coincidence would you believe me?
2. Here and there.
3. I do. Very much.
Anonymous writes...
With all due respect, why do you keep dismissing the feedback that there are too many characters? it's probably the biggest criticism i see of the show, even among fans, but the cast has only gotten bigger since season two.
Greg responds...
What do you want or expect me to do with that criticism?
I think it's valid in and of itself.
But it assumes something about the show that just isn't true in our minds.
This is the show Brandon and I want to make. A big expansive view of the DC Universe from the point of view of its young - but maturing - heroes. One that moves forward through time and isn't stagnant, which by definition means we're always going to be introducing new young heroes as our original leads continue their growth and maturity.
That's the show. So, again, what would you have me do with this criticism?
Change the show to fit the critics?
I mean, frankly, anyone else could make the sort of small cast show that this critique suggests. And it's been done and will continue to be done over and over again. And that's great. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that approach.
But simply put, that's not OUR show. That's not Young Justice.
So I'm not "dismissing" it, as you say. I'm just shrugging and ignoring it. Cuz it's irrelevant to what we're trying to do.
I don't think there are too many characters per episode or per season. We never attempt to focus on EVERYONE every year.
The real underlying truth behind the criticism, I believe, is that for the critic, we're not focusing enough on the SPECIFIC characters they WANT us to focus on, because we've chosen to focus on other characters instead. So it's less about there even being too many characters than about the choices we make as producers/creators/writers.
I'd wager most everyone's good with us focusing on the original six, but most everyone has at least one or two favorites that they'd specifically like to see us add to that spotlighted group. And odds are good - because overall we indeed do have so many characters - that we're just not putting their specific picks under that spotlight.
Thus, if we just happen to focus on Joe's faves, that means we're not focused on Julie's faves. Etc.
So for Julie... the problem can't be that her favorite character doesn't merit the spotlight right now, doesn't fit with the goals of the season. It must be that all the other over-abundance of characters are forcing her favorite OUT of the spotlight. Then THAT must be the problem: Too many characters!
<shrug>
Meanwhile, the series may - quite legitimately - not be everyone's cup of tea. I can accept that. But for the most part, I think our fans like the show we're giving them - which NOT incidentally is the show we want to make.
We're passionate about it, and hopefully that passion shines through and makes the fandom passionate about it, too.
Even with 777 characters and counting...
Anonymous writes...
I have some Young justice questions for you Mr Weisman 1. Zatanna once told the team that ''All magic requires energy which usually comes from within'' Does this same principle apply with Martian magic as well? 2.Besides weddings, and entertainment purposes, What else does the yellow Martian order use there magic for? 3. Does Black canary ever wear a baseball cap or newsboy cap when not in costume ?
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
2. All sorts of stuff, I suppose.
3. EVER? Sure. I guess. Why not?
Mark writes...
Could you confirm the names of the two great leaders mentioned in Involuntary please?
The subtitles call them King Ma'arrun and Queen Sykara, but I'm sure I hear something more like King Ma'arell and Queen Jakara. I'm also suspicious about the lack of an apostrophe in Sykara.
Greg responds...
M'aarell and J'karaa.
Anonymous writes...
Hey Greg!, so i love kaldur, hands down my favorite character!
you have mentioned that kaldur dosent really idetify with surface sexuality tags, does atlantis have any sexuality tags that he does identify with??
Greg responds...
Kaldur believes in loving whomever he loves.
Matt Itelson writes...
How is Vandal keeping Leaguers busy on Appellaxia?
What happened to Bear and Dreamer's relationship?
Loved M'comm's view of the Greens as "a superstitious and cowardly lot," by the way.
Greg responds...
1. No spoilers.
2. It's progressing slowly.
Thanks. That was fun for us, too.
Mark writes...
In season four, Cheshire mentions that she has been on the League of Shadows's hitlist since betraying them to save Red Arrow. However in Young Justice: Legacy, we see her working with the Shadows in Greece after she helped Red Arrow.
Was the contract only taken out against her later, perhaps for another reason? Or was she able to come to some temporary arrangement with them around the time of Legacy?
Greg responds...
After Jade left Roy, she was able to briefly reconcile with the Shadows, who placed her under probation, temporarily suspending the contract on her life. Once she realized she was pregnant, she fled the Shadows again, and the contract was reinstated. But it was an open contract. Not considered a priority. And once she and Roy had reconciled, after she had given birth to Lian, it's unclear whether that now put Cheshire/Jade under the terms of the Light's Nuclear Option. Even Jade herself doesn't really know.
Mark writes...
1) Where did the Outsider's mission against Kobra seen in flashback in "Volatile" take place?
2) What date did the flashbacks to Joker's attack on the UN and Barbara's paralysis seen in "The Lady, Or The Tigress?" take place?
Greg responds...
1. Near a radio tower.
2. January of Team Year Eight.
Anonymous writes...
My question would be : does Child's pillars of fire have anything to do with the pillars of fire on Apokolips ? Wonderful work on YJ it's the best animated serie I've watched since 15 years ! Thank you Greg :)
Greg responds...
Nope.
Thanks!
Suzie writes...
1. Why did Jamie keep his Scarab talking to him a secret when he first joined the Team?
2. What kind of wedding were M’gann and Conner planning on Earth? A Church, Beach?
3. Did Adam Strange and Alanna become a couple at some point between seasons 2-3?
4. Does Wonder Girl know that Zeus is her father?
5. What year exactly did Jade leave Will and Lian?
Greg responds...
1. He was afraid of what people would think about it. Plus, he couldn't prove it was really happening.
2. Something along the lines of what they did in 426.
3. Yes.
4. No spoilers.
5. I haven't locked that in yet, but it's sometime between late 2016 and early 2018. So 2017 is probably the best bet.
have a nice day writes...
Hello Mr. Greg Weisman I'm a fan of Young Justice and I have a few questions about the series. First allow me to apologize for my bad English, although it is probably already understandable by the text here I live in a country that English isn't the native language. So I'm want to apologize if something that I'm writing her perceived as disrespectfully or as an unclear way that not the meaning of mine.
1. In season 4. when Lady Shiva (a real name by the Young Justice Wiki Fandom "Sandra Wu-San") said that she can order to kill Barbara Gordon (in Episode 8. of season 4. "I Know Why the Caged Cat Sings") is that was truly an empty threat? I mean Lady Shiva herself kill Ocean-Master (a real name by Young Justice Wiki Fandom Orm) because he tries to do something similar (at Episode 9. of season 3. "Home Fires") but there the people that he chose to target in that house was in most of them a group of a normal people (and kids) that not works as heroes, here Lady Shiva said that she order to kill Barbara Gordon that worked in her past as a hero under the codename Batgirl and still work as one under the codename Oracle is that case also considers as part of the "Nuclear option of the Light" or not? And who exactly the Nuclear option" included the "heroes" family, the "heroes" friends, "heroes that stop works as heroes"? After all the Light attacks and kill "heroes" in the past like Blue Beetle (a real name Ted Kord).
2. What happened to Captain Marvel when he returned to be Billy Batson at Episode 26. of Season 1. ("Auld Acquaintance") it seems like he was free from the "Brainwash" so why did he not say "Shazam" once more return to be Captain Marvel and help the members of the Team to free the others Justice League members from the "Brainwash"?
3. Is the race of the "Forever People" like Moonrider, Metron, and Darkseid are immortals to normal damage (damage that not created by a specific weakness of the race like Kryptonite is for Conner Kent/Superboy) and all the kind can be haled themself imitate like "Halo"/"Violet Harper"/Gabrielle Daou" does. I question that because the question that Forager asks "Halo"/"Violet Harper" after she healed herself from the damage that Sensei give to her in Episode 6. of season 3. "Rescue Op".
4. I see that question on the page of Young Justice Headscratchers in "TV Tropes" and I was wondering about it by myself why the Meta-Human Youth Center uses Inhibitor Collar could they not find something else more comfortable like a bracelet or at least change the design so it was not so big?
5. How many people in the Team/Bat Family/Justice League know about the identity of Orphan and the details about her like her past, being the daughter of Lady Shiva (Sandra Wu-San), that she can't talk, that she was involved to what happened to Barbara Gordon and the reason (if even have one) that even the leader of the Team Tigress (Artemis Lian Croc) don't know about of this.
Have a nice day. And my apologies again if something that I write here was unclear.
Greg responds...
1. It's iffy whether or not Barbara would fall under the Nuclear Option. That tends to be reserved for non-combatant relatives of the heroes. Oracle would be on the bubble. But it was - largely - an empty threat. Shiva would probably need approval up the ladder for that kind of assassination. It's considered "fair game" to kill the heroes in combat. But to assassinate them - even if they don't fall under the Nuclear Option restriction - is another ball of wax.
2. That's a good question. Maybe he did. But all those actions scenes were taking place simultaneously. By the time he got involved, it might have all been over. Or perhaps he didn't want to risk changing back and maybe still be under Klarion's control.
3. Forever People isn't the name of a race. They are a group - like the Team or the Outsiders - who have banded together for adventures. Moonrider is a member of the Forever People. But he's a New Genesian. Metron is a New Genesian, as well, but he's not a member of the Forever People. Darkseid is an Apokoliptan, and obviously isn't one of the Forever People team. All three are New Gods. Strictly speaking, New Gods are not immortal. They age - VERY SLOWLY - and will eventually die. They can also be killed. But that's not easy. They can take a lot of punishment. And they have Motherboxes or Fatherboxes, which can also heal them. I'm not sure if that answers your question. But I hope so.
4. No. Or at least not easily. The collar, in essence, interacts with the spine or the brain. And it has to work on all sorts of different powers. It's big and clumsy, and thems just the breaks.
5. They all know she can't speak. Most know she was involved in Barbara's injury. Most DON'T know she's the daughter of Lady Shiva. Although word of that is gonna spread now.
Suzie writes...
What does Dick for a living or does he need a job since he is Bruce Wayne's foster son? Also what does Kaldur do for a living or is his job as Aquaman his full time job?
Greg responds...
Dick sometimes works as Dan Danger at Haly Circus. Other times, well.... no spoilers.
Kaldur is the Atlantean Minister of Justice, when he's not being Aquaman.
Suzie writes...
In Volatile Miss Martian shifted to her natural Martian form while still wearing her engagement ring. Did Superboy get some kind of special material so the ring can be accustomed to her shape shifting to prevent it from being destroyed or falling off?
Greg responds...
No, it's normal ring material. She must have adjusted her shape-shifting enough so that it would all be copacetic. Typically, I don't think she'd wear it on most missions, from this point on.
jellyj'onn writes...
Hi Young Justice fan here
Just want to know that even though the Martian race survives in the cartoon is J'onn still a widower or was he never married?
thanks
Greg responds...
No spoilers.
Ben writes...
Thank you for Young Justice: Phantoms! I've been really enjoying this season! A couple questions I've come up with:
1. Not sure how much you've thought about this but what was the in-universe reason for the change in Wonder Woman's costume? (Or for that matter, any of the League's in between seasons 2 and 3 if you've thought about them.)
2. This is a logistics-y question. Was the fact that you had a character model of a (blue) Isis from 2.18 (Intervention) inform your decision to use a (living) version of her in 4.13?
Thank you! As ever, I appreciate this deeply nerdy place!
Greg responds...
1. Having gotten past fitting into the super-hero aesthetic, Diana decided to wear something that better reflected her roots.
2. It didn't hurt.
Paul writes...
A few questions about Mary Bromfield:
1) I know she was just an illusion in this scene, but what was the biological equivalent age of the little Mary that we saw in "Teg Ydaer!"?
2) I noticed that little Mary was wearing a white dress, and then when she transformed into Sergeant, she was also wearing white. This reminded me of how Billy wore red (with blue) and that his Captain Marvel colors are/were predominantly red. Are the Marvels' color schemes specifically based on what they like to wear when they first transform at a young age or is this just a co-incidence?
3) Obviously the marionettes we saw in Thirteen's scenes were exaggerated versions of those characters (Zatanna, Blue Beetle and Beast Boy) with all three of them sounding a bit different and far more chirpy (Beast Boy even sounded like he did in the original Teen Titans cartoon) so it's fair to say that those were NOT accurate depictions of those characters. They were exaggerations and reflections of how Thirteen viewed them. Therefore, is it fair to say that the very pushy little Mary Bromfield and the super angry Sergeant Marvel were NOT accurate depictions of how little Mary and Sergeant typically behaved? Would it be right, instead, to say that what we saw of little Mary and Sergeant was some sort of extreme exaggeration, based on how Mary of Team Year Ten thinks of those versions of herself when looking back?
4) Possible spoiler request here, but I would like to ask anyway while I'm here: has Mary Bromfield been raised by a wealthy family in Young Justice, like she was in the original comics?
Greg responds...
1. Eleven.
2. I tend to think it's not a coincidence, but I don't want to lock myself in to anything yet.
3. Yes, that's fair to say.
4. I guess it depends on how you define wealthy. The Bromfields aren't on the Wayne or Luthor level. But they are well off. Upper middle class, I'd say.
Lance Alvers writes...
Hey, love the show, here's hoping for season 5.
In Og Htrof Dna Reuqnoc!, Mary references the destruction Child could do to New York and El Paso to Khalid and Traci, supposedly referencing their homes.
My questions are:
1) Is Traci from/lives in El Paso?
2) Is Khalid from/lives in New York?
Greg responds...
1. Traci wasn't born in El Paso, but, yes, that's where she's lived for the last few years.
2. Yes. Khalid is a born and bred New Yorker and still lives there.
Ariel writes...
Why did you not let Perdita get Garfield to Liston to her to save their relationship ang help with his drug problem in the 13 episode of the four season of young justice? Because that is what most fans wanted to happen.
Greg responds...
Strangely, I'm not here to give fans what they (think they) want. I'm here to tell a good story that respects character. Hopefully, by now you've seen how the whole thing plays out.
Nores writes...
Hey Greg ! First, I wanted to thank you and Brandon for this show, its writing is a-m-a-z-i-n-g ! Hope you'll get season 5 !
Since Conner still had some powers left on Mars, why didn't his cut heal ? I mean, he still had some healing powers, right ? So a little cut wasn't a big deal...
Greg responds...
It would've healed over time.
Anonymous writes...
In the comics, Detective Chimp tries to put on the Helmet of Fate but it doesn't fit him. In Young Justice, it's said the Helmet needs a Human host. I have a few questions about how Nabu would vet the viability of a host.
1. Does this mean that a Martian or a Kryptonian could never become Doctor Fate?
2. What about a human/alien hybrid like Conner or Gar?
2.(b) If Beast Boy could put it on, could he shapeshift? The idea of an animal Fate is amusing though I imagine Nabu would not agree.
3. What if one of the Red Androids that attacked Mount Justice or Red Tornado had tried to put it on?
4. Would Violet or Vic's relationship with Father or Motherbox disqualify them from the Helmet?
Greg responds...
I'm not too big on hypotheticals. So I'm just going to say, NO SPOILERS, and - for now - leave this to your imagination.
Hari writes...
a) When did Arsenal (Roy Harper) know/heard about the Outsiders?
b) How come Arsenal never thought of joining the Outsiders? I bet Static (Virgil Hawkins) and El Dorado (Eduardo Dorado Jr.) would've loved to have him join.
c) Does Arrowette (Cissie King-Jones) dislike Arsenal for any reason?
Greg responds...
a. Shortly after it was announced. It was a pretty splashy announcement. Hard to miss.
b. Roy was kind of doing his own thing until Artemis asked him to rejoin the Team.
c. No. Why?
Anonymous writes...
Hello, Greg
I know Young Justice Phantoms focuses on the core characters of Season 1, but how come Roy isn't even a main character in Phantoms? He also played a significant role, just like the other characters (except Rocket).
Greg responds...
Ultimately, we only have so much screen time allotted to us. And Will (I assume you were referring to our current Will Harper when you said Roy) isn't really doing the super-hero thing right now. So if we had had, say four more episodes, I suppose we might have done an arc focusing on Bowhunter Security. But we didn't. Still, you got at least a bit of that in the first issue of Young Justice: Targets.
Anonymous writes...
why dont why see the mentors and protégés interact like we used to? that was one of the best things about the show imo, i know the second season took the seniors and freshman angle with the team but it wasnt explored with the same depth and then it was cast aside the next season.
Greg responds...
It wasn't really cast aside. You specifically saw Nightwing, Superboy and Tigress mentoring Geo-Force, Halo and Forager over and over, in Season Three. Then in Season Four, you saw Superboy and Miss Martian mentoring Beast Boy and J'emm; Tigress mentoring Orphan, Onyx and Cassandra Savage; Zatanna mentoring Thirteen, Khalid and Mary.
It's one of our themes, and we have been fairly darn consistent about it.
Family writes...
Is Steel a fan of Superman? It would seem so based on his red cape and S-shield.
Greg responds...
Agreed.
Nick writes...
Hi Greg! Sending all the good vibes I have to whenever you're reading this, hoping we have a Season 5. Young Justice absolutely deserves it and I dearly hope that the powers that be grant you, Brandon, and your whole crew and cast the chance to complete that original five-season outline... and hopefully more! #NeverTheEnd
Anyway, I have a few questions that pertain to Season 3. I don't think Season 4 will touch on them and I don't think they're particularly spoiler-y, but I understand if you can't answer them.
1. In "Rescue Op," M'gann makes a point of saying that no one is currently living on the Watchtower as part of the reason why she decides to have Forager bunk up with Brion in Bio-Ship. Two episodes later, we see Orphan in action alongside Robin's team. Given that the flashback in "The Lady, or the Tigress?" contains the Season 2 designs for the Bats, I'm interpreting that as to mean it happens before Season 3. So if Orphan wasn't living on the Watchtower (which makes sense since she wasn't a member of the Team) or in any of the hero teams' HQs, where was she living, considering she's a minor and all? Pretty confident it was Barbara or Bruce based on what we saw in S4, but if the answer is more spoiler-y than that, I understand. Really enjoyed seeing Cass so prevalent in Artemis's arc and I'm excited for whatever comes next!
2. On that note, were Dick and Barbara living together in Season 3? The only time we saw anything resembling 'home scenes' for Dick was at Barbara's apartment, but he certainly just have been stopping by. Still, I'm curious given their renewed relationship status in OUTSIDERS.
Very excited for Catwoman: Hunted and can't wait for Season 4B! Hope you're having a good day.
Greg responds...
Thanks, Nick!
1. Wayne Manor.
2. They weren't living together, but they did spend a lot of time together at her place.
Hope by now, you've seen and enjoyed both Catwoman: Hunted and the second half of Young Justice: Phantoms!
Suzie writes...
1. When did Karen and Mal learn the truth about M'gann and Conner?
2. When did Karen become BumbleBee and join the Team?
3. Who on the Team aside from Superboy was aware that Miss Martian was abusing her powers and if so why didn't they stop or confront her about it?
4. When did the original Team meet and learn about Lucas Carr?
5. Did Tim join the Outsiders to get close to Cassie in the hopes of reconciling their relationship? Also do you ever wish to get more focus/screentime for them since they have very little time or development compared to the other couples?
Greg responds...
1. I haven't nailed that down specifically, but it was in between S1 & S2.
2. Team Year Four. (And that helps narrow down your first question a bit more.)
3. No one.
4. Well, you saw when Megan and Conner met Lucas during Season One, on their first day at Happy Harbor High. Wally probably met him on Halloween of that year. Not exactly sure when the others met him, and I haven't nailed down when they learned about his connection to the Justice League.
5. No. He joined because he remembered that the original Robin had been a public hero and thought it would be a good idea for Robin to go public again.
5a. I ALWAYS wish for more screen time (or page count) for every character.
Anonymous writes...
Does being the host of Nabu and the Helmet of Fate prevent the need for bodily functions? Zatara was Doctor Fate for ten years, and I doubt he had any bathroom breaks. Will Zatanna, Khalid, and Traci not have any bodily functions for each month they don the helmet? Are menstrual cycles and periods still a concern? What about sweat? Hell, what about libido? If everything's magically frozen (even though the host still visibly ages for some reason...), can the host even bleed?
Greg responds...
The host can bleed, poop, pee, menstruate, sweat, etc. Nabu has some magical resources for dealing with what he would perceive as the unpleasantness of the human condition, but it's not like he's unaware of that condition. He was human once, too. As for libido, that's probably suppressed in Nabu. But as we've seen, the host's consciousness - while not in control of the body - is still quite present in Nabu's mind.
Ashton writes...
Blue Devil is the den parent of the Hub so why did Blue Devil not report to black canary abut beast boy's behavior after blue devil talk to him after Mist said she empty the refrigerator for beast boy?
Greg responds...
First off, what makes you think he didn't report back?
Secondly, for the sake of argument, let's say he didn't. What exactly did he have to report back at that stage? That Beast Boy was still tired and grieving after his trip to Mars? That he accepted Andi's offer to cover his chores? That when confronted he made it clear that he was basically all right - just a bit tired - and that he'd pick up the slack on his chores? Is any of that damning evidence of anything at all? Especially to an untrained non-professional when dealing with a legal adult?
Brie writes...
In Season 4 Episode 11 did the line "The only requirement was a human host body capable of channeling Nabus mystic power. Such hosts were not always easy to come by" mean that certain humans are not capable of channeling Nabus mystic power and because of that hosts are hard to come by or did it mean that all humans can channel Nabu's mystic power and that hosts were just hard to come by for other reasons?
Every host besides Wally had magic. So is this implying that there was a specific reason why he could wear it or is it implying that anyone could wear it?
Greg responds...
Kinda both. Anyone with a head, I guess, can put it on. And Nabu can take over. But Nabu's limited by the body he's occupying. Someone with low stamina - or someone ill - or someone with no affinity for magic would severely limit Doctor Fate's abilities.
Hafiz writes...
Hey Greg,
Hello Greg.
Trevor Doyle writes...
Hello Greg. Congrats on the success of Young Justice so far. I just have one question, but I've noticed it takes about a month to reply to a post. So my question might be answered simply by watching each week. None the less. I just wanted to know if in this Young Justice time line if Jonathan and Martha Kent are both dead, or is Martha still alive? Thank for taking the time to answer our questions.
You responded by saying that "They never existed in Earth-16 continuity. Instead, Jor-El and Lara came to Earth with Kal-El, were found by the U.S. Government and given witness relocation identities in Smallville as the Kents."
Doesn't this contradict what we saw in "I Know Why the Caged Cat Sings" or are both "Martha" and "Jonathan" are kryptonians in disguise?
Greg responds...
Take a look at the date of my response, specifically the month and day. (The year's not important.)
https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=13173
Marvelman writes...
To what extent does the League understand Vandal's true agenda? Do they understand Vandal has an agenda beyond forcing human evolution? Do they understand that Vandal is doing what he is doing to fight Apokolips & Darkseid?
Greg responds...
Up to a point, yes.
Anonymous writes...
When ocean master was a member of the light was he aware that klarion and vandal savage’s sunk Atlantis?
Greg responds...
Don't know. Probably not.
Anonymous writes...
How come Miss Martian and Superboy got an arc that was self-contained and completely focused on their story but Artemis and Zatanna's arcs shifted around? I get wanting to keep the stories connected but it felt kind of unfair that we got so many m'gann and beast boy scenes in the other arcs when they already had so much screentime, especially when some of them weren't necessary for the plot.
Greg responds...
I guess it depends on your definition of self-contained.
The first arc split its time between Miss Martian's story, Superboy's story, Beast Boy's story and J'emm's story. You could also probably throw in some Em'ree and S'yraa subplots. A little Perdita. Etc.
The second arc split its time between Tigress' story, Cheshire's story, Onyx's story, Orphan's story and Oracle's story. And throw in a little Beast Boy and Miss Martian.
The third arc split its time between Zatanna's story, Mary's story, Traci's story and Khalid's story. And throw in some Vandal, Zatara, Nabu, etc. Maybe a little more Beast Boy and Miss Martian.
But, honestly, I don't see a significant difference in "fairness" between these three arcs.
But mostly I don't understand the purpose behind your question. Why do we need to be "fair"? What's the point of being fair? I've got about 775 characters (and counting) in this world (so far). Is there some requirement that I fairly give the same amount of screen time to each and every one? Of course not. I doubt anyone would argue for that. Which means Brandon and I need to make choices about whose stories we're going to focus on. "Fairness" doesn't enter into it.
Mark writes...
Hello! I have a question about the Crock family's finances.
It's been shown that Artemis lived in the same rundown apartment not just after Paula got out of jail and Crusher left, but before that as well.
But it appears Sportsmaster was a high level assassin and mercenary employed/contracted by very powerful and wealthy organisations, not least the Light and League of Shadows. And Huntress too, pre-injury/capture. I'd assume that would pay pretty well, so why do they live in such poor conditions? I wouldn't expect Wayne Manor levels of opulence, but they surely could have afforded much better than that apartment.
Could you shed any light on their financial situation please? Or am I just overestimating how much assassins get paid? I have my own theory for why, but that might constitute an original idea, so I won't mention it here.
Greg responds...
No one ever accused Crusher of being a genius with money.
Anonymous writes...
Hi Greg! Great work on Phantoms so far; the mid-season finale was incredible and I'm excited to see how the rest of the season turns out!
I have a bit of an obscure question, but I was wondering if you and the Young Justice team had discussed how Mount Justice was formed? I understand that the mountain itself has been used in other DC media before YJ, and it's mentioned in the first season of YJ that Superman and Green Lantern had hollowed out this universe's mountain and reinforced it, but I was wondering if you had a general idea about how the mountain itself was formed? I'm not familiar with Rhode Island geography, but a singular mountain of that size on the coast seems like a super unique occurrence!
If you guys hadn't discussed this weird little tidbit, no worries at all. Thanks!
Greg responds...
Yeah, sorry. It's never come up before now.
FictionalCountryGuru writes...
1. Did you and Brandon ever bother coming up with Queen Bee's actual name?
2. Were Troia and Garth's relations to Man's World and the Surface World respectively what gave them an edge in beating out other candidates for becoming the ambassadors for Themyscira and Atlantis? If not, were their relatively young ages (physically in Troia's case) and, as such, lack of experience in intergovernmental and foreign relations seen as a problem by some?
3. Are Themysicra and Atlantis the most recent additions to the United Nations, or did Greater Bialya join after them?
4. Troia is the current Secretary General of the UN. How is this possible given her young age (again, physically) and what is surely only a handful (if that) of years worth of experience, not to mention the country she represents being one of the newest additions to the UN as well?
5. Is Vlatava a member of the United Nations?
Greg responds...
1. Is it me, or is that question just LACED with attitude? Did we bother? Did DC Comics bother? Maybe we CHOSE not to reveal any prior identity.
2. Their experience with the "outside world" was a determining factor.
3. I haven't tracked that, but Greater Bialya is just the successor to Bialya. So it's been with the U.N. longer.
4. Politics.
5. Yes.
Kevin writes...
1. What does Vandal Savage in general think of religion? Not asking a specific one just what are his thoughts on spirituality since he was born before organized religion.
2. Why doesn't Vandal Savage want his story to be told wouldn't he want to be known/remembered as a hero/leader of humanity?
3. Does Vandal Savage have an enhanced memory along with enhanced strength and healing? Does he have a better grasp of recollections of past events or is he closer to what regular humans have?
4. What made Vandal Savage choose his current name "Vandal Savage"? I am guessing Savage is for what is needed to survive but why did he choose Vandal?
5. Does he know the difference between Survivor of the Fittest and Social Darwinism? As in one who adapts to environment and not the ones with the best physical/intellectual traits that Social Darwinists think they have.
Greg responds...
1. It's useful.
2. No. He prioritizes his plans for the future over any fame regarding his past.
3. Better than normal.
4. I don't know at this time. Obviously, we kinda inherited the name on YJ.
5. He believes in both, I think. I'm sure he knows the difference.
Matt Itelson writes...
If Tora Olafsdotter was 15 when she became Ice, how old was she when she joined the Justice League?
Greg responds...
Tora, formerly known as Ispike and Icemaiden, joined the Justice League in Team Year Seven, as Ice. She was twenty.
Mark writes...
I also had a couple of clarification/confirmation questions for the wiki:
1) Is Sensei's sword from "Rescue Op" the same one Rako used, or is it a different sword forged with the X-ionizer?
2) Is the Vault from Artemis's arc in season four the equipment locker Roy accesses in "Satisfaction" or a different one? There are some differences, but there could have been some remodelling after the explosion.
Thanks so much!
Greg responds...
1. No spoilers.
2. It's the same.
Mark writes...
Hi, I had a few questions regarding the Javelin and space travel in YJ.
You recently confirmed that all of YJ takes place within the Milky Way galaxy. Episode 402 tells us that the Javelin can get from the other side of the galaxy to Earth in just two days. That seems like an incredibly fast speed for a setting where everything takes place within a single galaxy.
1) Is this kind of speed typical of interstellar ships in Earth-16, or is the Javelin an uncommonly fast vessel (like the Interceptor in Green Lantern TAS)?
2) Is the Javelin purely Earth-designed and built, borrowed tech (like the Watchtower), or an Earth design built upon alien technologies (like the Earth ships in Stargate)?
3) How fast is the Warworld? (Not asking for a numerical speed, just similar to or signifcantly slower/faster than the Javelin)
4) Similarly, how fast are Green Lanterns using just their rings?
Greg responds...
1. It's pretty fast.
2. It's not Earth-tech at all. It belongs to the Hawks.
3. Slower than the Javelin on shorter distances. Close to the same for long hauls. But the Warworld has to be way more careful about where it exits subspace into the three-dimensional universe. It's big enough that it can create quite a mess. So it may not be able to get quite as close as quickly.
4. They're comparable.
Anonymous writes...
Is teekl 1 monster transformation something teekl 1 is capable of herself or can she only take on that form with klarion’s magic?
Greg responds...
Both.
Anonymous writes...
Did klarion and the child always have a bad relationship?
Greg responds...
Like were they born that way? Probably not. But for some (very) long time, yes.
Ash writes...
So this is an analysis on gender as I gathered from the Marzz arc, there are some questions at the end though.
The first notable element of gender roles within Marzz society is how for the Orthodox Martian Wedding, it is the blessing of the man's parents rather than the woman's, as is standard custom on Earth. From this flipping of roles, the basic assumption would be a relatively Matriarchal Society.
This idea in human culture at least, stemmed from the idea of the woman being given to the man's family. Which ties in nicely with the next point. This may be coincidental, but the only instances we had where a Martian's given and surnames did not match were older males (Ress Edda, Rohh Karr, Karr Mangg, Sternn Jaxx) who would likely or definitively been married, or an instance where the woman's family had disowned her (Jann Morzz). This takes the original name for Emree into account, rather than her changed name. This pattern would appear to indicate that it is customary for males to take the woman's family name when marrying.
Then we have the Altar and Canopy building ceremony, and it shows that it wasn't a simple flipping of Gender Norms for a Matriarchal Society. The Male Ceremony, the Altar Building, requires Strength and Physicality, endurance to withstand the heat of the Lava and providing hard Structure to the Altar. It is the foundation for the marriage. While the Female Ceremony, with the Canopy, is a mental task, with the challenge coming from synchronicity with family, overcoming the baggage of previous relationships to move forward and the Canopy providing shelter. This association of Male=Structure/Strength, Female=Shelter/Emotion, is a fairly standard human perception of gender.
Or so it seems, but when one considers that M'arzz is a highly Mental based society, we would assume that the mental challenge is considered more significant, fitting for that initial assumption of a matriarchy.
Now, in saying that the elephant in the room to the Matriarchal Assumption is that Sternn was the ruler of Marzz prior to his death, at which point Jarlia took over. There are two solutions that I see here; the first is that much like Earth, while Marzz developed from a matriarchy, it now doesnt possess that clear delineation and permits male rulers. The second, ties into the ideas presented in the Altar ceremony. Structure, is perceived as a masculine trait by the religious orthodoxy, and structure is rather necessary for a society. So it stands to reason that the leader is seen as one who provides Structure; the male leader, while still having that perception of women as more responsible for other facets of Shelter within a society.
This leads to some more speculative interpretation of the Yellonn. Ceridyall, a Goddess, appears to be most significant - or at least most significant for the elements of Marzz society which we see. The most prominent Yellonn we see is a woman, while there are certainly Priests as well, it would make some sense if the "pope" of the Yellonn, as a key representative of Ceridyall, were a woman in turn. So this leads to the idea that the Matriarchy comes from the Theology.
With how the Yellonn perform that birthday inaugeration ceremony (which features Life in the form of animals, life being an aspect of Ceridyall), and how they present Jemm into a lineage of great rulers, it appears that the Yellonn are essentially recognised as giving authority to the crown - the Male Government is given its power by the Female Faith.
With that, I turn to questions.
1) You had recently (as of writing) said that the Yellonn were supposed to remain apolitical. This would seem to go against the interpretation that the Yellonn are the power that grants the Blahdenn authority; but given that the Yellonn are involved in the coronation for Jemm, this seemed to be a political matter, rather than apolitical involvement. So I'm curious towards how you resolve their apoliticalness with their involvement in seemingly poltical events.
2) "His, her or their", simple but effective in conveying that the Orthodoxy is at least partially supportive of a nonbinary view of gender. However, given the seeming gender segregated roles of the Altar and Canopy building, I was curious to how "they"s fit into the wedding schema. If there were a nonbinary facet akin to the Altar/Canopy which represents ideals that the Orthodoxy holds towards nonbinary individuals, a component which is left out of weddings not featuring a nonbinary individual (just as the component of the gendered individual is left out accordingly in the enby wedding presumably) or must they decide on a gendered role to perform?
3) Similarly, with the gendered Altar and Canopy, how would same-sex marriages (if they are permitted), function? Would a wedding have two Canopies or are there different traditions to accommodate (assuming they are accommodated at all)?
Greg responds...
1. Think of it this way: if, say, a Catholic priest, here on Earth, spoke the invocation for a Republican president's inauguration one year, and four years later did the same for a Democrat, then that priest is still officiating at a political ceremony, but isn't choosing sides.
2. Even on M'arzz, things are in flux these days. S'yraa was clearly more open-minded than many or her older counterparts. She was atypical as a priestess, as was noted. Her language choices may not yet be the norm.
3. Different clergy have different standards of Orthodoxy. So same-sex marriages are permitted by some priest/priestesses but not all. For those that permit them, I would think that both brides or both grooms would work on both builds.
Quinn writes...
1. How old is Jane Nassour?
2. How old is Muhammed Nassour?
3. What field of medicine was Khalid pursuing?
4. How physically old was Arion when he died?
5. Was Arion the maternal or paternal grandson of Vandal Savage?
Greg responds...
1. Jane Nelson Nassour was born in 1973.
2. Muhammed Nassour was born in 1970.
3. I don't know enough about studying medicine to be confident in this answer, but he's only recently started Medical School. I don't know that he's picked a specialty yet. I'd lean toward Emergency Medicine for him... assuming that's still a thing - or assuming that's still what it's called.
4. He was biologically 34, chronologically about 900.
5. I don't remember.
Anonymous writes...
Are Kent Nelson, Madame Xanadu, Zatanna and Zatara Homo Magi?
Greg responds...
Zatanna and Zatara are.
Kent and Nimue may be, but until we tell more of each one's story, the answer for them is NO SPOILERS.
Anonymous writes...
If you were to guess, what is the minimum number of episodes or tie-in comic issues you would need to tell the story of the Earth-17 fiasco?
Greg responds...
I dunno. At least two or three, probably more.
Anonymous writes...
after watching zee's arc im confused on what young justice is supposed to be about at this point? its no longer about the team its not about the teenage heroes and its not really about the original cast either, it kinda feels like its trying to cover the entire dc universe but its stretched too thin
Greg responds...
In my mind, I agree it's no longer about the Team, per se. It's still about the original cast and how they grow, mature and change, which I believe Phantoms demonstrated to an amazing degree. It's ALWAYS been about the entire DC Universe, but I don't agree that we're stretched too thin. I think we show the bits of the DCU that we want to show, that are relevant to the specific arc, with an understanding that the rest of the DCU moves on without us. That's life.
But you are, of course, entitled to your opinion.
Matheus Heibel Feitosa writes...
Hi Mr. Greg!
I am a huge fan of your work! And i wanted to ask you something. Well, i'm from Brazil, and in the 3rd season you mentioned Fire, she is a Brazilian hero, so my question is she will appear in the show?
And i have one more question... Can you release the Designation numbers from 27-36?
Thanks for your work creating the BEST super-hero/spy drama ever!
~Matheus Heibel
Greg responds...
1. I hope so, eventually.
2. I could. But Brandon and I decided that Designation numbers are more fun when they are revealed organically in the show, as needed.
Thanks for your kind words and support.
Spectacular Spider-Geek writes...
Hi Greg,
Hope you and your family are staying healthy. I’ve been introducing Spectacular to a lot of my friends and had a couple of questions since rewatching it.
1. What did Ock do to mitigate his powerpack from losing power after his debut episode?
2. In Final Curtain, why does “Chameleon-Norman†need to hire Gargan to find Menken? In the episode, “Chameleon-Norman†is told by the Oscorp employee that the only people that can remove Menken’s address from the Oscorp database would be Norman or Menken. I thought that the real Norman would know where Menken would be since Menken says that Oscorp rented the apartment for him? I’m just confused on why the real Norman wouldn’t know and tell “Chameleon-Norman†where Menken’s location would be in order to lure Spider-Man to Menken.
3. Who came up with the idea to frame Menken? Was it Chameleon or Norman?
My friends are enjoying the show and it’s been a joy to rewatch the show. It still holds up. I’ve been enjoying YJ: Phantoms as well. Finally, I wanted to send my condolences to you for the loss of Dave Schwartz. Hope you are well and stay safe.
Greg responds...
1. Something very smart and clever, I'm sure.
2. It's been a while, but I think the point was to maintain the illusion that Menken was missing and that Norman didn't know where to find him. The real Norman did, of course, know where Menken was.
3. Norman. But it was less a frame than misdirection to lure Spidey into a trap.
Thanks for your kind words. Dave is missed.
Galvino writes...
In episode 9 of YJ Phantoms, when the new chaos lord (child) is coming to Earth, on screen there are 10 Lords of Chaos and 11 Lords of Order but then after this point, both Chaos and Order respectively only have 8 Lords shown on screen. Was the time the screen showed more than 8 Lords from each side an animation error or are there actually more than 8 Lords from each side?
Greg responds...
There are probably thousands of Chaos Lords and thousands of Lords of Order. How many are gathered at any given moment is variable.
Anonymous writes...
why don't we see more about the outsiders as a team and learn more about the members? it's a bit hard to connect to them..it's odd how they're made to be such a big deal in the show when we really only get beast boy's perspective
Greg responds...
Are you talking about Season Four?
They weren't the focus of the season, obviously. Instead we focused on two specific Outsiders (Superboy & Beast Boy), three members of the Team (Nightwing, Tigress and Miss Martian) and three members of the League (Aquaman, Rocket and Zatanna).
I mean the Justice League is also made out "to be such a big deal in the show" and we rarely give them time at all.
It's a show about characters. And different characters get the spotlight in different seasons. It's been that way from the beginning.
Kiba writes...
Why did you make the decision that Garfield and Queen Perdita breakup despite most young justice fans like Garfield and Perdita as a couple together?
Greg responds...
We follow where the characters lead us.
Troy writes...
What did people of Queen Perdita's country think of Peridia dating a meta human Garfield before the breakup?
Greg responds...
The response was hardly monolithic. Some thought it was cool. Others thought it was an embarrassment to the Crown. And every reaction in between and more.
YJ Love Nut writes...
Dear Greg, my friend seems to think Vandal is "white" while I'm under the impression that his race is ambiguous or the application of race is beyond such a primordial being. What are your thoughts on the matter?
Greg responds...
He's not white. Not in the sense we understand it today. He was born in the region we currently call Mongolia.
Anonymous writes...
Were Ishtar and Nabu meta-human?
What year did the Starro invasion take place in Babylon?
Greg responds...
1. Yep.
2. @1,800 B.C.E.
Anonymous writes...
Mr. Weisman,
How exactly does the chain of command works for the Outsiders? For example, if and when Beast Boy is unable to lead the Outsiders, who is usually the one to step up as the leader of the Outsiders during that time until Beast Boy resumes his leadership duties?
Greg responds...
Wonder Girl. But I'm pretty sure that was made clear in episode 401.
Anonymous writes...
Can anyone practice magic or they have to be a Homo Magi?
Greg responds...
I don't know that you have to be, but it certainly helps, especially if you want to get VERY good at it.
Anonymous writes...
Is Atlantis the largest nation on the planet?
Greg responds...
It depends on what you mean. If you go by claimed territory, then yes. If you go by the acreage of the eight city-states themselves, then no.
silversam writes...
Hi Greg, appreciate all the work you’ve done for the show, I’m loving this season. Something I’ve always been obsessed with is the designations. I know you won’t reveal them, but I’d like to ask:
1. Will all of the designations for justice league members who have joined since 3 began (Batwoman, blue devil, hardware, etc) be revealed at some point?
2. Do characters who have joined the outsiders (stargirl, livewire, looker, etc) join the team and/or get B-Designstions before getting D designations?
Thanks again for making this show! Looking forward to the next 13 episodes and hopefully a fifth season.
Greg responds...
1. They'll be revealed organically, I would think. Eventually, I would hope.
2. Any hero who joins the Outsiders at this point, gets a D-designation out of the gate. There's no requirement to join the Team first anymore. It's a choice.
Anonymous writes...
Does Atlantis cover two-thirds of the planet?
Greg responds...
It depends what you mean.
There are eight Atlantean city-states in the modern era. Each city-state claims territory, which when added together, encompasses the entire world ocean, which covers about 70 percent of the planet.
Ash writes...
Hi Greg, Excellent finish to the Zatanna arc. I appreciate it a lot as someone who understands the magic principles that I feel shaped the arc ("A Magician performs the real trick while their Assistants occupy the minds of the audience").
There was a few minor things that I was hoping you could provide some clarity on, not necessarily giving spoilers - more a curiousity if some seeming inconsistencies are thought out and intentional.
1) I enjoyed that the sinking of Atlantis lined up to ~9000 BC, as stated by Plato when he first described Atlantis. But, Plato also alleged Atlantis to be at war with Athens (despite us knowing historically that Athens as it was wouldn't have existed then, nor Minoan or Mycenaean Greece). I was curious if some Proto-Minoan state which would eventually become Greece may have existed in that era to survive with the stories of Atlantis?
2) On that train of thought; was curious if this potential society, may have contributed to the Atlantean Language origins?, since Modern Atlantean is based off of Ancient Greek, but Atlantis' sinking and presumably its linguistic drift would have occured long before Ancient Greece became a language.
3) So obviously the 12 000 Years aren't necessarily precise, but taking them as being such, we get the Babylon Events (or rather Vandal's Babylon's rise) as being 7586 years post Atlantis. Assuming it was 9000 BC exactly; that gives us a date of 1414 BC.
You've previously given Ishtar's birth as 1816 BC, indicating a rather long lifespan - presumably immortality. But, Ishtar was first known by history as of around 2400 BC - to be syncretised with Inanna in the Akkadian Empire.
1414 BC is also within the Kassite era of Babylon, far from the most prominent or first Babylon - With Hammurambi's Code (which seems like a good thing for the Lords of Order to lay witness to) being in around 1700s BC.
Question is basically if you had considered these dates and elements, and if you had a reason for the inconsistencies (would love if you'd lay out the reasons, but understand if that would qualify as spoiler, so would be satisfied in knowing if it had been considered or not previously)?
4) These next two are slightly different, but similar wheelhouse in dates and ages. First, Carol Ferris. You've said for her to have been born in 1986 (so 24 for S1 in TY0), while Hal became a Lantern in 2000 - where she'd have been 14. While obviously Hal and Carol aren't necessarily connected in YJ, I was curious if you had been considering these elements when assigning her age? (And ofc, knowing that since its CIT, that you could just as easily change it if it didn't line up to your intents)
5) Similarly, we have Superman and Lois, who are romantically entangled. You've said that Superman joined the Daily Planet when he was 21, so either 1998 or 1999. At this point in time, Lois would have been around 16. Is this something that you'd considered when assigning their ages? (again, knowing full well that you're able to change the ages to suit further elements as desired since they're not established in the show material).
Greg responds...
1. Probably, given the linguistic connections between Ancient Greek and Modern Atlantean.
2. See, you made my case for me.
3. I'm not sure where you're getting your numbers. But they don't match up with my timeline at all.
4. I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you saying Hal's too old for Carol? I mean, obviously, he is in 2000, but not by Team Year Zero.
5. All ages were considered relative to the relevant characters in their lives.
Rove Taylor writes...
Hi Greg, how you feel about people who are fans of young justice not liking Garfield's personality change during the episodes of Phantoms showing Garfield on earth up to episode 13 after Conner sacrifice on mar in episode 4?
Greg responds...
I don't think it's in the show for people to "like" it. We were trying to get an honest depiction of his challenges and how those challenges would play to those around him.
NoOneSpecial writes...
Some questions regarding Chaos Lords and their familiars
1. Can a Chaos Lord, in theory make anything in the material world as their familiars? Or does the object and or creature they use need to be special in order to compatible with them? Like was the crystal that became Flaw some way magical itself or was it just a regular piece of crystal? And was the cat that became Teekl something special or was it really just an ordinary cat?
2. Are familiars limited by whatever forms they have or are they generally equally powerful in most cases? Could Teekl say, take the same level of punishment that Flaw could, or is Flaw more durable because he is made of a crystal substance? Seemed like Flaw was impervious to most attacks, whereas Teekl could get knocked around much more easily. Likewise Teekl was killed by Flaw breaking her neck whereas Flaw was much harder for the heroes to put down.
3. When Klarion was using the bus as his anchor, does mean the bus was his familiar at that time? If not, then how was the bus distinct from Teekl?
4. Nabu referred to Klarion and Teekl sharing the 'bond of naming', making Teekl his anchor, but Child only named Flaw after she chose him as his familiar and gave him a name as a 'gift'. So, do Chaos Lords have to name their familiars to make them good anchors?
5. Klarion said that the 'cat', has to look for him. Now Klarion’s inability to explain things clearly in general notwithstanding, what does this mean? Was Flaw looking for Child when they bonded? Or is this more a case of every Chaos Lord is unique in how they chose familiars?
Greg responds...
1. It wasn't a crystal. It was a diamond. And, yes, both the diamond and the two cats were special. They were also ordinary.
2. Flaw is more durable because he wasn't a crystal, he was a diamond, the hardest substance, etc.
3. No. An anchor and a familiar are not equivalent. Nabu's helmet is his anchor. It doesn't have a personality or independent life. A familiar can anchor you to the plane, but it is not merely an anchor.
4. Teekl Two anchored Klarion, but was not merely an anchor. And, yes, naming a familiar has power.
5. More the latter.
Rick writes...
How was the superheroes able to save everybody from getting kill by Child's rampage on earth in young justice phantoms?
Greg responds...
Everybody? Not sure they could or did save EVERYBODY. But they saved many - even most - bodies.
CM3 writes...
1. When Mary faced her demons in the form of Sergeant in Nabu's test, Mary said she could still be a better Hero than Sergeant that she could be just as important and just as powerful, I found this line very ominous, because even while she subdues her demon in that test she's still fixated on being powerful and important to prove that she is someone of value not on being a better person or someone who can help more people. Is this something you have done on purpose to show that she has not yet dealt with her power addiction issues or am I reading too much into it.
2. Also isn't Sergeant and the powers that come with it in a way a part of Mary, trying to renounce it and going cold turkey seems to me not quite the same as say trying to go sober or overcoming a drug addiction, it seems an issue quite similar to dysmorphia. Shouldn't the solution to helping her be confronting and being able to embrace Sergeant and finding a balance instead of while avoiding the issue altogether out of fear. And didn't Black Canary say that if she stopped talking out of fear of making everyone around her go deaf, that wouldn't be a solution. I just can't understand when people like Black Canary and Miss Martian who knows what it's like to do things out of fear, how can they all and much less Zatanna endorse such a solution especially when they already know that is not a solution to begin with. Ofcourse you do deserve the benefit of the doubt since there might have been things that happened offscreen that led to such results being taken. But for me based on that I have seen about Mary and her battle and all the other characters that had to face this same battle it seems too impossible that they will let Mary go forward with her issues with this path especially with Zatanna for example why isn't Mary working with Dinah. I don't mind seeing Mary have this sort of issue but others being okay with Mary taking such an outcome doesn't seem right to me.
I can't thank you enough though for doing such a storyline and clearly you are victorious in getting me to care a lot for a character that I have known for five episodes juggled along with multiple characters, but I am gonna find it a lot harder to comprehend heroes especially those have been under training as part of the Team to end up at this low note in this manner, once again no problem with characters reaching a low point but in this particular manner seems difficult to digest. Also really hoping for a season 5 can't get enough of the show.
Greg responds...
1. I don't think you're reading too much into it.
2. I don't think your parallel quite works. Mary Bromfield wasn't born with the powers of Shazam, not did they come to her naturally. They were gifted to her. A gift very much like a sword with a double edge. Sometimes, you just have to put the sword down to prevent injury. And, yes, there were events and incidents you don't know about - though they are things one might easily imagine - that took place that led to this decision.
Mr. Yeon writes...
Mr. Weisman If nothing went wrong on the trip on Mars and Miss Martian and Superboy got married on Mars and return to Earth safely would have Garfield still breakup with Perdita and if so, why?
Greg responds...
I'm not interested in hypotheticals. If this interests you, more power to you: use your imagination!
Anonymous writes...
In season 4 episode 13 of young justice both Khalid and Traci said Wow in reaction as Zatanna went to talk to Mary. Were they reacting to Zatanna's plan of alternating host bodies since they didnt act surprised when Zatanna put forward the idea to Fate about multiple hosts for Nabu or was the reaction of Wow simply about how Zatanna was dealing with Mary and power stealing habit and how Mary won't be a host for Nabu.
Greg responds...
The former.
Anonymous writes...
1 Is the reason child has such a powerful familiar because she had the support of the other chaos lords?
2 Why did the chaos lords send klarion as their agent of chaos for earth?
3 Can flaw communicate with the child similair to how only klarion is able to understand teekl 1 & 2?
4 In the comics child was a boy. So why did you choose to make them Into a girl for young justice?(I like the change just want to understand)
Greg responds...
1. Didn't hurt. But she also chose something powerful as its base.
2. Their reasoning was... chaotic.
3. Flaw was more primitive, but, yes.
4. We felt Klarion covered a "boy" version. We wanted contrast.
ThunderCrash writes...
After the scouring the archives and re-watching episode s there is still something I am not very clear about,
1. When Billy or Mary or Freddy say Shazam, then is it like they are augmented and via magic become older and their bodies become adult like, or is it like something similar to how it's depicted in Miracle Man where there are separate bodies stored in a different plane of existence and they switch bodies , i.e the 18 yr old Billy body is in a separate place(which lets say is some sort of magical dimension) while he becomes Captain Marvel/Shazam.
2. I ask this because of the test of Mary by Dr Fate where she has to fight Sergeant, was the difference between the two(Mary and Sarge) was just a psychological thing and simply a manifestation of Mary's anxieties and fears. Or is that when Mary or Billy actually transform their superpowered selves are slightly different people with slightly different personalities.
Greg responds...
1. No, there aren't two bodies per character, with one in storage, as in Miracleman. Their bodies are transformed magically when they say, "Shazam!"
2. Billy wasn't actually there. Neither was little Mary. Neither was Sergeant. It was all a manifestation of her mind, but in the Tower of Fate, those manifestations were real - and really dangerous. But it has nothing to do with how her powers normally work.
Fallenlegend writes...
Here are some Shazam/ Marvel family questions now that the we know more about them.
1.- Did Billy Batson became weaker, as in 1/3 weaker, by sharing the power with Mary and Fredy? Or was he given 1/3 of the power from the start?
2-. When you said Captain’s marvel’s speed depended on which season we were talking about, does that mean Captain Marvel became weaker due to sharing the power?
3.- When Billy fought Despero as Captain Marvel, was him losing so easily to Despero in part caused because he had already shared the power of SHAZAM and therefor was weaker at that one? If so I assume Superman would have fared better than him, wouldn’t he? Not an hypotethical, just Here are some Shazam/ Marvel family questions now that the we know more about them.
4.-Assuming he became weaker by sharing the power of Shazam does that mean Captain Marvel is not close to Superman’s or Icon’s power levels anymore?
Greg responds...
1. The former.
2. Yes. Season One, he was at full power. In between S1 and Season Two, he shared his power, permanently. Can't get it back. So from S2 on, he's at 1/3 power.
3. Yes, that's true.
4. Correct.
FallenLegend writes...
Hey GregI’m one of the fans that’s been bugging you about seeing Mary Marvel…I saw the mid season finale of phantoms and just wanted to give you my thoughts on Mary marvel so far.
One one hand, I’m happy you finally got to write her, as she is very under appreciated. And you are a writer I admire, so if anyone is going to give her Justice that’s you.
But still gotta admit, I’m a little nervous about the whole evil Mary marvel arch.
Don’t get me wrong. I am in the minority of fans, but I agree with you that being power hungry it is flaw of hers that goes as early as Fawcett’s Mary Marvel issue #4. A powerless Billy sees losing the power as losing a weight over his shoulders during the fawcett run (other issues) , but Mary, in that issue, just breaks. During new 52 she is the one that gets the more attached to that power too.
Wasn’t a fan of the whole leyline sorcerer thing as sure, the overcoming addiction metaphor is great, but her transforming is kind the point of her character. Just like seeing Sailor moon transform or seeing the witch girls also transform. Just like mAry They are magical girls, so I feel we miss a lot by her abandoning that side
Also I have to say that the whole of her being addicted doesn’t have the same punch as we were told about it’s instead of shown because the time skip. Would have been best seeing her lose herself when she was in the team,
Also With granny being the one that corrupts her in the stingers…makes me ver pay very worried this will be an adaptation of the whole countdown fiasco were she had ugly pink hair, and acted completely out of character.
By the time you red this, Mary might show up again during phantoms, And if she did hope you guys went for the black suit, instead of the ugly pink hair one from apokolips,
Still ! i hope this doesn’t come the wrong way. This wasn’t how I expected to see Mary, but I am a big fans of your writting, so I’ve faith you will avoid the pitfalls of the whole Coundtdpwn Mary Marvel fiasco. Just like you did by adapting the Judas Contract.
Keep the awesome work.
So my question is
What are your thoughts about that ?
Greg responds...
Well, by now, I hope, you've seen the black costume. I'm pretty fond of our version of Mary Bromfield and Sergeant (ahem) Marvel. I haven't read Countdown, so we're not attempting to do a direct adaptation of that. I would've liked to have done more comics that told Mary's story - and that of the rest of the Shazam Family, but it was not to be. Maybe someday in flashbacks.
As to what's next for Mary... well, we'll need to #SaveEarth16 to find out.
Michael Broder writes...
What month in 2008 did Zatara, Captain Atom, Black Canary, John Stewart, Captain Marvel, and Red Tornado join the Justice League?
Greg responds...
I have that down for August, 2008.
Keth writes...
After Beast Boy return to earth from mars but before Perdita came to see Garfield at the Hub why did no one on the Outsiders team tell Black Canary about Garfield having problems so she could do therapy sessions with Garfield?
Greg responds...
That's a fair question, but you need to look at it realistically. In point of fact, the changes that came over Garfield were both gradual and easily explained - by him - and easily rationalized by others, even if deep down everyone knew something was really wrong. But he wasn't going on missions, so he wasn't endangering anyone. It was easier - as it is in real life - to NOT deal with such topics if one doesn't have to. This, we learned while making the season, is a very common real world response to psychological trauma. That's why it was so important for Garfield to - by the end of the season - be very public and open about seeking help for his condition. Mental illness is still stigmatized, and that needs to stop.
Anonymous writes...
Mr. Weisman,
In the mid-season finale of "Young Justice: Phantoms," Connor's ghost/phantom is shown to have three parallel gashes of various sizes on his chest. Assuming he is in the Phantom Zone, is his position and condition meant to be an indirect nod to the "Injustice 2" tie-in comics; in which Superboy had to stay in the Phantom Zone in order to stay alive after being critically injured by Superman and Superboy would need immediate medical attention the minute he gets out of the Phantom Zone?
Greg responds...
I'm completely unfamiliar with Injustice 2, so it has no connection to that. And by now, I would think, you've seen both what caused those gashes and what happened to Conner once he exited the Zone.
Karrin Blue writes...
Happy New Year! Some odds and ends I was wondering about:
1) Since Perdita now has a scar that goes up to her collarbone, where she didn't before, does that mean she's had another heart transplant since we last saw her in season 3?
2) Would Terra's earth powers be able to affect the crystal Flaw is made out of, like Khalid's life powers affected Teekl?
3) How much do Terra's powers work on? That is, we know they work on rock and soil, but what about sand, or natural glasses like obsidian, or materials like jet or coal that started as organic matter? Sorry if this is getting too granular, it's just always something I wonder about when a character has 'earth powers,' since the earth is made up of so much different stuff compared to the other classic elements.
4) Given that the Markovs are very definitely saying Mother of Goat and not Mother of God, does that mean that the Markovs aren't Christian? If so, is whatever religion they follow the dominant one in Markovia?
5) Does the Red Hooded Ninja actually wear that mask and goggles all the time on Infinity Island? What about when he sleeps?
Greg responds...
1. No. She stopped using make-up to cover up the already existing scar, which was from her heart surgery back in S1. She decided, in essence, to represent.
2. That's a good question. I haven't considered it. And it's largely moot now. If it wasn't, I guess I'd discuss that with Brandon.
3. Yeah, another good question. And something else that I'd want to discuss with Brandon before answering definitively.
4. They are Christians. I'm not 100% sure of the denomination. But it's Christian. Mother of Goat seems to be a common Markovian expression, so that one doesn't take the name of the Virgin Mother in vain. It's the equivalent of saying "H-E-Double Hockey-Sticks" or "Gosh darn it!"
5. Only when he's suited up. It's a uniform. It's not glued on.
Anonymous writes...
What's the name and age of Perdita's security guard from "Break my Heart"?
Greg responds...
His name is Denny Nielson, and he was born in 1981.
Keaton writes...
Why did Beast Boy make the choice to breakup with Perdita when she offer help in young justice phantoms episode 13?
Greg responds...
I don't think he made that choice. He just didn't chose to do what he needed to do to stay together with her. It has the same result but isn't quite the same thing.
As for the why, I'll leave that to your interpretation.
Bri writes...
1. Can Orphan read and write?
2. Since Orphan can’t physically speak as her vocal cords are damaged, would she be able to “speak†on a psychic link? Or she won’t be able to since she never learned how to speak?
Greg responds...
1. She's learning. So, yes, basically. Playing a bit of catch-up, but yes.
2. She could speak psychically. She's also learning ASL.
B writes...
Several fans on Youtube got the impression that New Teekl was the same cat as Old Teekl in a time loop. Is that true?
Greg responds...
That's a fascinating idea. But nope.
Claire writes...
1. So...Dr. Fate can send people through time?
2. Why is this not used more often?
3. Has Bart ever asked to be sent back into the future?
Greg responds...
1. That's unclear. He can clearly send people back to their correct time.
2. See above. But also, why would he want to mess with the time stream. That carries all sorts of risks. Leads to Chaos. Etc. And he's not about chaos.
3. To what future?
Anonymous writes...
1 Since nabu is a special case as he was originaly human. In a unlikely event another lord of order wanted to enter the mortal plane would they also require a human host like nabu does?
2 Why do the other lords of chaos not take on mortal forms to cause more chaos?
Greg responds...
1. They would need some method of anchoring. We've seen Klarion use a familiar and (briefly) a school bus. We've seen Nabu use a helmet and a host. We've seen Child use a familiar.
2. Who says they're not? It's a big universe.
Anonymous writes...
Is the hero that accompanies Ice in episode 413 Isis?
What's her real name?
How old is she?
Is she THE Isis from "Intervention"?
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
2. Isis. Beyond that, no spoilers.
3. No spoilers.
4. In a sense.
Crossoverparinglover writes...
So how does Vandal Savage leave all his descendants around? Does he have a killer set of bar lines he uses to seduce the ladies? Does he frequently donate his genetic material to banks? Does he marry? Something more...er.....bad....
Or is it a mix of things? As an example of what I mean did he meet Cassandra's mom at a bar and seduced her but married Olympia's mother?
Greg responds...
Vandal has his charms. But keep in mind, he doesn't need to father a ton of first generation children all at once. Even one child every few decades will - over 50,000 years - give him hundreds and hundreds of descendants.
And, while intentionally NOT commenting on your examples, I'm sure it's a mix. But I'm sure it's all consensual.
Jacob Kusnerik writes...
Hey Greg,
LOVING the new Young Justice season! Can't wait to see how it all ends! Episode 13 (most recent as of this writing) was full of twists I didn't expect. Yikes! A little frightened by that stinger though, especially if that's who I think it was. Plus, with you-know-who? Dang! Right in the feels! This will undoubtedly get worse before it gets better, if at all totally. And that ending BEFORE the stinger! MAN!
A few questions I have about Mary though. I know she was Sargent Marvel on the Team for a while before being forced to give it up due to becoming drunk on power. As we've seen, Sargent Marvel is essentially Mary's evil side (like Jekyll and Hyde) that acts like a jerk and thinks she's better than everyone else, perhaps even Billy and Freddy (who I think was also a member for a while too.) Did Mary often times not change back from her other form, perhaps trying to stay Sargent Marvel 24/7, or at least as often as possible, which may have caused others to question? Also, did Mary/Sargeant's attitude cause problems on the Team for a while and rub others (like Conner, Artemis or Kaldur) the wrong way? Perhaps even getting into a fight with the Team before being stopped and Mary going cold turkey? Finally, I have to ask, WHAT caused a girl who's a sister to Billy Batson-one of THE nicest guys in DC and who never had much of a problem- to become so obsessed with power and seemingly being better than everyone through Sargent Marvel? In the comics, her attitude change was largely because she was corrupted by Black Adam's powers, but what about here? Was it being an orphan for perhaps longer than Billy was and not getting what he got sooner? Perhaps she was always secretly jealous he'd gotten a guardian (Dudley) and power by the Wizard before her while she had to scrounge around for so long.
Answer whenever you're able and keep up the good work.
Greg responds...
I'm not going to answer all your questions, because many are spoilers. But I'm happy to clarify ground that I believe has already been covered.
I wouldn't call Sergeant Marvel evil.
But things did get problematic, and she was beginning to spend less and less time in her Mary Bromfield form. And even as an eleven year old, she was starting to do things more appropriate to Sergeant's 18-year-old body. The feeling among her friends and family was that it had to stop. This didn't happen over night. She promised to cut back - and meant it - but kept backsliding. Eventually, she was convinced to give up being Sergeant cold turkey.
Mary is the one who was adopted right away, as a baby by the Bromfields. It's Billy who was in the orphanage for years before becoming Captain Marvel (now Shazam) and finally being fostered by Uncle Dudley (who is not his actual uncle).
Anonymous writes...
1 The heroes have a strict no kill rule so I am a bit confused by how thirteen just killed flaw with no issue.
2 Why did child spend so much effort killing teekl 1 since she knows that klarion can just choose a new familiar. Making her efforts ultimately pointless
3 Did teekl 1 genuinly see klarion as her friend
4 Does every chaos lord take the form of a child
5 Do the other chaos lords have a bad relationship with klarion like the child
Greg responds...
1. There's some question as to whether Flaw was truly alive. And then there's the self-defense rationale.
2. I just answered this. (Everyone, please try to avoid repeating questions.) Getting a new familiar isn't easy.
3. Yes.
4. Every one we've seen so far, I believe.
5. I think every Chaos Lord has a fraught relationship with every other Chaos Lord.
Captain Thunder writes...
Episode 13 wow what a way to kick of the Hiatus, Zatanna is a morally gray character instead of being completely white I like it.
1) So was the inciting incident was Zatanna thinking about Dr.Fate having four hosts instead of one?
2) So Is Granny just waiting for dejected super powered people waiting to temp them to their darker sides acting as a devil on the shoulder, I found this odd.
3) There seems to be a theme of addiction and unhealthy dependence to things, We have seen this theme somewhat hinted with Superboy in season 1.
3.1 And would I be right when talking about Red Arrow at the beginning of Season two was he having a substance abuse problem too?
3.2 Beast Boy coping with depression and sleeping pills.
3.3 Finally Mary who is actively atleast as of episode 13 relapsing, was all this intentional or am I reading too much into this.
4) Now if I recall correctly the Shazam Family was supposed to have an arc in season 2 so my question is was your plan for Mary always to have her be a presence like this in season four or did things change because of season 2. If I were to guess for the last thing and I don't know how right I am was the plan to have her be an active member of team and show her dependence on the power as she was initially part of the team in year 6 but this was later relegated to offscreen development between the 5 year timeskip.
5) Last question which has whatsoever absolutely no relation to the above questions, have you read Multiversity Thunderworld and did you like it, If not I really think you should read it and the rest of Multiversity especially Pax Americana, SOS issues. I think they should be right up your alley. Have a great day.
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
2. I didn't find it odd.
3.1. I think so.
3.2. Is there a question here?
3.3. I don't think you're reading too much in.
4. Actually, the Shazam Family was supposed to have an arc in our companion comic. Not Season Two. She was never supposed to be on the Team in S2. She was supposed to be at the wedding shower and in the group of heroes who go after the Reach devices at the end of the season. But in any case, the Comic was cancelled, so we never got back to it, and our timeline moved forward. And we couldn't spare the man-hours to design her for two cameos in S2. But the basics of Mary's predicament in S4 and forward were always part of the overall plan.
5. I have not read any of that.
Anonymous writes...
1 Did klarion genuinely care for teekl 1
2 Since klarion is capable of choosing a New familiar when his old one perishes anyway. Why was klarion so scared fighting child if she could do no permenant damage to him
3 Are there lords of chaos/order on other planets
4 Why can’t child just choose another familiar to return to the mortal plane
5 Does klarion’s familiar have to be a specific cat or was he just being picky when choosing teekl 2
Greg responds...
1. Of course.
2. As I'm sure you've seen by now, finding a new familiar isn't easy. And he was only sometimes scared, anyway.
3. Oh, sure.
4. It's not that easy - and it certainly isn't instantaneous. And now that she's lost, the other Chaos Lords might have something to say about it.
5. Both.
Allen writes...
So...time travel.
It appeared that time travel on Earth-16 operated on the ability to change the past and create a new timeline. We've seen that with Bart, where the timeline changed as a result.
However, with Klarion, we see that his shenanigans throughout the timeline have always been a part of it. The bus was always seen throughout the years and didn't change anything (we know this because we saw the bus all the way in season 1).
This seems to create two types of time travel that cannot co-exist: a) you can change the past and create a whole new timeline and b) you can't change the past and any time travel you do is already part of the timeline.
So my question is, which is it? Can you change the past with time travel or not?
Greg responds...
I don't see these as mutually exclusive at all.
As I've stated before, my preferred style of writing time travel is - as with Gargoyles - to go with the type where TRUE history cannot be changed. But the DC Multiverse just wasn't built that way. So we had to allow for the possibility of new timelines being created. But that's just it. It's a possibility. Not a certainty.
Think of it this way. Anytime you step outside you might accidentally step on a butterfly. But then again, sometimes you might not.
Matt Zimmer writes...
I loved the bit with Klarion as the Catbus. I thought it was funny and creative. And yet I confess to being a little disappointed in learning it was planned out seasons ahead of time. Aside from the fact that perhaps the saga's resident Lord of Chaos should not have his backstory or arc so meticulously planned out ahead of time I was kind of hoping it had been a happy accident.
My question is, when you were writing or planning this show (or any previous show) have you ever come up with a neat script idea on the spot and put it in a current season, and been amazed and pleased to see how well it fits in with everything else? Has there ever been a little bit of Puck or Klarion's unpredictability in writing current scripts or has all of the stuff we've seen since the first season already been decided? I think either way of writing is fine, but I would love to see a script where Greg said "This is awesome and I want to share this as soon as possible." I guess my question is if this has ever happened, and if it has, could you name-drop an example or two?
Greg responds...
It has. Often. We plan a lot, but we always leave ourselves open to ideas that hit us along the way.
The example that immediately comes to mind is (SPOILERS) the revelation that Owen is Puck. We knew there was an interesting backstory to Owen, but didn't know what it was. Then when we were working on "The Mirror" - i.e. the episode that introduced Puck - Lydia Marano, Brynne Chandler Reaves and I separately realized that Owen and Puck were one and the same.
Mali writes...
Hi! My names Mali and I’m a HUGE
fan of young justice! The issue is I’m Canadian and can’t get HBO max. I want with all my heart to watch season 4 and I just want to know how I can steam/watch it. I would love to even buy it on dvd
Greg responds...
I don't know the answer to that. But I'm hoping you can find a way.
Paul writes...
When Troia is helping Diana and Cassie in "Og Htrof Dna Rueqnoc!", she's wearing her Ambassador outfit. Then, in the credits scene, Tempest is wearing his Ambassador outfit. I believe you've previously said that Garth and Tula wore their Atlantean clothes as their outfits when they were on the Team, and this is backed up by Garth wearing his regular outfit when he's standing with Dick, Jeff and Clark (who are all in costume here). So my question is: since Troia wore her normal outfit when she responded to the crisis with Diana and Cassie, then does this mean that she also wore clothing that was reflective of her heritage when she was on the Team? Garth and Tula wore Atlantan garb and I guess Troia wore her Themiscyran garb?
Greg responds...
I'm going to defer answering that until we have a flashback with Troia from that era.
Anonymous writes...
Greg, are you aware that you can have a Muslim character without making their entire identity about being Muslim? You realize we’re regular people, right? Most of us aren’t religious zealots. We don’t think about being Muslim 24/7. It’s just part of our identity. You don’t really need to mention it, just like you have never mentioned the religion of any of the main white characters. Or is it more that you feel the need to remind the audience that you’re so inclusive for including Muslims? Whatever it is, you need to stop. This is clearly a blind spot of yours. And don’t reply that some org you’re working with says you’re fine - they don’t speak for all of us and you can’t hide behind that to dismiss criticism.
Greg responds...
I'm not hiding behind anyone. But I also feel just fine saying that an organization like MPAC likes what we're doing and encouraged same. As did the Muslim writer who wrote the episode and the Muslim actor who performed the role. My point is - and always has been - simply this: JUST BECAUSE YOU PERSONALLY THINK SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK, DOESN'T MEAN THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AGREES WITH YOU. PERIOD. You don't get to decide for all Muslims what does or doesn't play. I had plenty of Muslim fans thrilled over our depiction of Khalid. Doesn't mean you have to be, but stop trying to tell me that you personally represent an entire religion, when I have a list of people who are also of that faith disagreeing with you.
And, yes, of course, Muslims are regular people. Just like Khalid, for example, who didn't talk about his Muslim identity at all in five out of the six episodes he appeared in this season. So he did talk about it in one episode. One episode that happened to specifically be about a crisis in faith. That doesn't make him a zealot, as you so kindly labeled him. His faith is part of his identity, just as Zatara's Catholic faith is part of his - putting the lie to the notion that we've never addressed the faith of any "white" characters. (Or do you think Zatara is a zealot, as well? Or does he not count because he's not YOUNG?)
In any case, Khalid's faith matters to him. And we're just fine depicting that. For some characters, their faith (whatever it may be) is a big part of their lives. For others, it isn't. That's the way the world works. Why wouldn't our show reflect the world?
Take the excellent ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, for example, where the character played by Sheryl Lee Ralph (our Amanda Waller) is constantly expressing her faith and her belief in God, even though none of the other characters do. (At least not that I've seen so far.) This is life.
The funny thing is, I had other Muslim viewers tell me I couldn't hide behind MPAC to justify Khalid being a practicing sorcerer. To which my answer was much the same.
And on the other hand, I had some fan write me asking why I had gone into depth on the faith of a Muslim and a Christian and hadn't done the same for a Jew. If I did a Jew next season, I'd have someone else ask me why I hadn't done X religion or Y.
So, yes, for these reasons, I am dismissing your criticism. Not because I'm "hiding" or "blind" but because it is LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE for me to please everyone. So whom should I listen to? One "Anonymous" fan? Or an organization of human beings who are standing up to see that their people are treated well in Hollywood media. What makes you an expert over them? Why would I do what you want? So that I can "hide" behind you instead?
Basically, Brandon and I go with our gut while following the advise of people who work hard to see representation flourish in this industry, which in and of itself we see as important and necessary and as better storytelling. This isn't new territory for me either. I've been doing this kind of thing since Gargoyles.
There's no blind spot. I'm doing this on purpose. And I like it.
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