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DEFINITE UNCERTAINTY 2021-11 (Nov)
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Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Shirley Mason?
2. How old is Mr. Tawny?
3. How old is Kraig?
4. How old is Monkey?
5. How old is Wolf?
Greg responds...
1. Shirley Mason was born in 1935.
2. Mr. Tawney was born in 2006.
3. Kraig was hatched in 2009.
4. The Monkey God came into existence approximately 7 million years ago. Whether or not that answers your question, I'll leave to your interpretation.
5. Wolf was born in 2007.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Kirby Jacobs?
2. How old is Lenore Parris?
3. How old is Leroy?
4. How old is Ali?
5. How old is Maria Garcia?
Greg responds...
1. Kirby Jacobs was born in 1961.
2. Lenore Parris was born in 1995.
3. Leroy Bell was born in 1992.
4. Ali was born in 1986.
5. Maria Garcia was born in 1983.
Jan Rott writes...
How many seasons would you have planned for Gargoyles and its Spin-offs to realize your own vision?
1. Gargoyles
2. Bad Guys
3. Time Dancer
4. Dark Ages
5. Gargoyles 2198
6. Heroes of Ulster
7. New Olympians
8. Pendragon
Greg responds...
1. As many as possible until the series caught up to Gargoyles 2198.
2. As many as possible until the premise resolved or the series caught up to Gargoyles 2198, whichever came first.
3. As many as possible until Brooklyn's journey catches up to his return with his family to Gargoyles.
4. As many as possible until we catch up to the Wyvern Massacre in Gargoyles.
5. As many as possible.
6. As many as possible until the premise is resolved or until the series caught up to Gargoyles 2198.
7. As many as possible until the series caught up to Gargoyles 2198.
8. As many as possible until the series caught up to Gargoyles 2198.
Jan Rott writes...
Hi there,
Will there ever be a time that they'll reveal their full plans for Gargoyles? Or will they remain completely unsolved if the franchise is not continued?
Greg responds...
I'm not sure I understand the question. Who are the "they" that you refer to?
Clark Cradic writes...
Does Demona routinely ruin her outfits as a result of each transformation or does she try to limit that as much as possible? I ask cause her transformation to a Gargoyle tends to be the one that wrecks her close the most.
Greg responds...
I assume you're talking about Dominique's wardrobe, not Demona's. Sometimes, she ruins those clothes. Sometimes, she takes them off before the sun sets.
Jacob the Great writes...
Hey Greg, how are ya? First off, I wanna say that I'm a huge fan of your work, especially Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice. YJ is my favorite animated series. Thanks for being a big part of my childhood. Anyway, on to my questions:
1. If the opportunity ever presented itself, would you consider doing any Young Justice spin-offs, or would you just stick to Young Justice only?
2. At what age did Dick and Wally meet?
3. At what age did Dick and Barbara meet?
Thank you for your time and I'll be starting season 4 tonight! Stay safe!
Greg responds...
I'm good.
1. Brandon and I have pitched spin-offs. I'd be happy doing either or both.
2. They met shortly after Wally became Kid Flash. Wally was probably 14; Dick, twelve.
3. Dick was ten. Barbara was nine.
Anonymous writes...
Since hindsight is 20/20, if you could change ANYTHING about Young Justice, what would that be?
Greg responds...
Lots of little stuff, I suppose. The only big thing that I can think of (off the top of my head) is that I wish we had made the A'ashenn GRAY MARTIANS instead of WHITE MARTIANS. The use of the word "WHITE" with its connotations of so-called "Caucasians" is problematic and, frankly, messes with our metaphor. But we followed the comic books, when I wished we had followed alien mythology.
Jake writes...
I have a question about Martian eyes. In earlier seasons, Martians seemed to have blank red eyes, with no iris or pupils. M'gann's martian form had these in S1. In S4, however, they seem to have pupils and iris, and appear to be different colors based on race. M'gann's, for example, are now amber. Is this their natural form? If so, what prompted the change?
Greg responds...
The different light qualities from one planet to another.
Bob writes...
Has Conner considered changing his name to something other than Superboy? I understand he perpetually looks like a 16 year old, but now that he's about to be married and has established himself as his own hero, has he thought about taking on a new name?
Greg responds...
Generally, I think he was fine being Superboy in the Outsiders, with Superman in the Justice League.
Taylor writes...
You've said there is a character you in YJ you see as gay, but are not allowed to show as such by the powers that be. I think you know there are many people who are pretty sure of who this character is.
Why is it still so hard to get stuff like this approved? What is the reasoning behind not showing this in the year 2021? I don't get it.
Greg responds...
I don't either. Particularly since this is the only character that we're not allowed to be objective about. Obviously, we have no issue showing Kaldur and Wyynde in a relationship. And others, as well, met with no objection. But this one character became an issue. It's a mystery to me. But I don't own the character; it's not my call.
Josh writes...
1. Do you consider yourself a fan of the horror genre?
2. I read on here that you watched the pilot of Penny Dreadful. What did you think of the show in its entirety, assuming you continued to watch it? Personally I thought it was one of the best shows of the 2010's.
3. Did you enjoy the FX show Legion?
Greg responds...
1. Not particularly.
2. I liked it quite a bit until the last season, where I felt they were working REALLY hard to tie it all up and finish it. I also watched Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and wasn't as thrilled.
3. Most of it.
Karrin Blue writes...
Did J'ann and M'aatt get married before or after J'onn got stranded on Earth?
Greg responds...
No spoilers.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is David Reid?
2. How old is Zucco?
3. How old is Eddie Corliss?
4. How old is Josephine Tarkov?
5. How old is Floyd?
Greg responds...
1. David Reid was born in 1991. (I think this was asked and answered already, but...)
2. Tony Zucco was born in 1960.
3. Eddie Corliss was born in 2002.
4. Josephine Tarkov was born in 1981.
5. Floyd Lawton was born in 1975. Floyd Bell was born in 1992. (Not sure which one you meant.)
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Burton Thompson?
2. How old is Carlo?
3. How old is Casey Klebba?
4. How old is Cooper?
5. How old is Dale Gunn?
Greg responds...
1. Burton Thomspon was born in 1978.
2. Carlo and his twin brother were born in 1984.
3. Casey Klebba was born in 1983.
4. Harold Cooper was born in 1974.
5. Dale Gunn was born in 1990.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Nnamdi?
2. How old is Nzame?
3. How old is Simeon?
4. How old is Toto?
5. How old is Ulgo?
Greg responds...
1. Nnamdi was born in Team Year Zero.
2. Nzame was born in Team Year Zero.
3. Simeon was born in Team Year Zero.
4. Toto was born in Team Year Zero.
5. Ulgo was born in Team Year Zero.
NoOneSpecial writes...
Hi Greg. Decided to watch Gargoyles now that it was on Disney+(or at least it was on at the time of posting this). Really enjoyed seeing again and I’m happy it’s now on a service that may give it more attention again in the future. Always hoping for more content someday.
I have a few episodes I really love (and some I really like and some I kinda don’t care much for. Can’t all be winners). One of my favorites is Future Tense. What I enjoy most is how you can re-watch, after knowing the reveal by the end and pick up so, so many details that make it so much more enjoyable, or at least for me.
Unlike the typical World Tour adventure, which usually open with us already inside the new local the group will be visiting, this one opens with the group sailing through the fog, Goliath lamenting how homesick he feels and wishing the journey will be over soon for them.
You wonder if Puck chose this moment to strike when Goliath was being particularly vulnerable emotionally or if he just got lucky. That also got me thinking, how exactly does Puck circumventing Oberon’s law to pull off his dream trick? The dream itself I can get since it’s ‘only a dream’ and not real interference. But that lightning bolt seemed pretty direct.
We arrive at the Future Tense Manhattan and there’s moment where you wonder if this is real or not. I can’t remember if kid me knew that this was all fake, but then again I was particularly genre savvy at that age. Normally when you see these kinds of horrible futures, there’s gonna be a reveal that it’s a dream or illusion.
I think one of the most underlying disturbing things about the Future Tense world is how well Puck seems to know Goliath (and the rest of the cast) to play out this dark fantasy. Subtle hints are everywhere
When they arrive, they are attacked so no time to ask questions. Both Elisa and Angela are captured. Now Elisa’s capture is important as she is always a good way to motivate Goliath into action, but Angela’s departure is crucial, because Puck doesn’t know anything about her. He can’t guess her character well enough to know how she would react. I could see Angela suddenly breaking down and begging Goliath to the Phoenix Gate to save them, except that is not the Angela we know. Like Goliath, she would rather take on problems in the present and not the past.
Next, we see Bluestone and Claw. A weird paring to say the least. I wonder what the significance of those two (if any) there was to Puck’s story? Claw can’t talk so I guess he’s an easy character to mimic, and Bluestone is an ally, but also not someone Goliath is emotionally attached to, so he works as good way of easing Goliath into the horrors to come.
Next, we meet the Manhattan Clan. Hudson is gone and we know this hits Goliath hard. I think a part of him has always still seen Hudson as the leader of the clan. Someone Goliath could always relay on for guidance and now he is gone.
Brooklyn is a harden and bitter leader, hating Goliath for putting him in his position. This also makes me wonder, how aware Goliath was of the fact Brooklyn was leading the clan in his absence. Maybe it did cross his mind, but I kinda like the idea that Golaiath didn’t fully realized that Brooklyn must have taken charge in his absence. And of course he is now with Demona, someone he once hated, which tells Goliath that Brooklyn must have gone through pretty messed up stuff to be with her.
Then we have Broadway, the heart and soul of the clan. Puck doesn’t kill him, but cripple him by making him blind, yet despite his suffering he didn’t lose hope that Goliath would come back.
Lexington is a cyborg and the real villain of the piece. He always was a favorite of mine, mostly because I just liked how he had the most distinct design out of the Manhattan clan. And again, we see Puck’s understanding everyone’s character come into play. Lexington has more of an ambitious streak than the rest, a sense of drive. This fits well his intelligence, his thirst for knowledge. He doesn’t just want to protect; he wants to achieve. He wants to learn because he wants to do something with the knowledge he gains.
Brooklyn name drops Talon, Maggie and Coldstone as being dead, again to further disturb Goliath as much as possible. He doesn’t mention Thaliog, likely because Goliath wouldn’t be that upset over him.
Another character that is never mentioned in this story is Macbeth, which I can’t help but find to be odd. I always wondered why he is left out? I could see him becoming some kind of evil general serving Xanatos. But then again, how could you spin that to be Goliath’s fault specifically?
Fox is also absent. Maybe she gone to help further the idea of Xanatos’s apparent newfound loss of humanity. Owen is not around either. Puck obviously won’t screw with his magnum opus.
“I knew Xanatos was evil, but killing his own sonâ€
Maybe I’m reaching a little here, but I think it was at this moment that Puck realized he had made mistake with his portrayal of Xanatos and decided to make Lex the villain. In this story, he had built Xanatos (or the Xanatos Program) to be this big ultimate evil. But Goliath, both here and later, is able to unknowingly see through this ruse, because he knows Xanatos well enough to know that he isn’t this petty or destructive or power mad. This cannot be the real Xanatos, because the real one wouldn’t do these things, meaning it’s some kind of imposter, which of course it is, in more ways than one. Lies within lies.
And again, this is just an interpretation, but maybe Puck was underestimating Goliath’s opinion of Xanatos. Maybe he thought Goliath was readily and even happily believe Xanatos became this absolute monster? Maybe he thinks this fits Goliath’s sometimes strict black and white sense of morality. In the past I think it would, but Goliath has seen that the world isn’t that simple, and neither are people. Much like with the ad-libbed line about Thailog, I think maybe Puck re-worked the story a little to make Lexington the villain, since that is more plausible than what he was doing with Xanatos. But again, maybe that is just me reaching.
By the time we get to the final battle in Cyberspace all the rules seem to be getting broken and continuity goes out the door for once, which makes sense in this context. By now we know more or less that this isn’t real and something else is going on. It’s one of my favorite moments animated. There are admittedly some episodes with a little questionable animation, but this episode couldn’t have been done without such incredible sequences.
I imagine at the end, Goliath must be completely broken inside. He doesn’t have the will to go on anymore, which is saying something, because I only think of one other occasion this has happened to him, which would be after the Wyvern Massacre. But he quickly recovers once he sees through Puck’s ruse. Sure, it all ‘felt’ real as it happened, but that’s the way a dream can be. It feels so raw and powerful as it happens in the moment, but once you start to feel awake again, the effect wears off. It was after all, only a dream. In those brief moments when Goliaths struggles to accept the shock of what he is seeing, like the scene with Hudson’s statue, he must be telling himself that this has to some kind of nightmare.
Puck, of course, gets off scout free in this episode, which is why I help can’t but enjoy him getting some well-deserved comeuppance in the Gathering.
Anywho, that’s my ramble of one of favorite episodes. There are still many other episodes I love (Double Jeopardy, City of Stone, Awakening, the Mirror, Deadly Force, Kingdom), but Future Tense may be my absolute favorite for everything that it packs in, the striking animation and what I think makes it very scary in a real way; the future may actually be just as terrifying as you can imagine it to be.
Greg responds...
I'm glad you like it. Puck was definitely adjusting the scenario as it played out, as needed. I did think that he had always planned to reveal Lex as the villain, but I like your interpretation, as well. And I'm fine letting everyone decide for themselves...
Karren Toplik writes...
What criteria made you settle on Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl and Chameleon Boy as the three Legionnaires to follow Superboy and Miss Martian? Was it a coincidence that individually they had three of the Martians' stable powers (telepathy, intangibility, shape shifting)? Because I love that!
Greg responds...
We're a spy show, so we're always looking to reinforce that focus, and these seemed like three great spy-oriented Legionnaires. Plus, Phantom Girl got a free pass because of the subtitle of the show this season.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Major Force?
2. How old is Galet Dasim?
3. How old is Maxima?
4. How old is Vartox?
5. How old is Tribune?
Greg responds...
1. Clifford P. Zmeck was born in 1933.
2. Galet Dasim was born in 1958.
3. Maxima was born in 1993.
4. Vartox was born in 1963.
5. The lead Tribune was born in 1911.
Anonymous writes...
Can you explain the naming system of the Martians? What is considers a proper “Green Martian's Name†and so forth? Please and Thank you!
Greg responds...
We literally just extrapolated from J'onn J'onzz and M'gann M'orzz's names, with the former being a G'arrunn name, and the latter being an A'ashenn name. So you can see there isn't much to distinguish them in our canon that we, as humans, would notice.
Beyond that, we're adapting other DC Martian (and Saturnian) characters to that naming system, i.e. with only a few exceptions. So that's first letter + apostrophe + the rest of the name, with the last letter repeated. For animals, I tried to double vowels with an apostrophe between them, such as Ma'alefa'ak.
Further intricacies, such as why Em'ree J'onzz is considered a G'arrunn name while M'ree M'orzz is considered an A'ashenn name, we're kinda taking on faith. Miss Martian tells us that's the case, and no one - including Em'ree denies it - so we're just going to buy it. M'arzz is a big planet. It's a very intricate system. There would be hundreds of subtleties in naming that we just didn't have the bandwidth to break down any further.
I do wish I had a better answer, but I don't.
Anderson writes...
Hi, Greg. I'm really loving Phantoms so far.
I had a question about the Team's B-designations.
Obviously, the Zeta-Tubes and designations are a very integral part of the show. Prior to Season 1, Dick, Will, Kaldur, and Wally all knew and have fought beside each other.
I find it difficult to imagine they didn't use Zeta-Tubes during that time period, since even Roy knew how to use one (which would seem odd otherwise, considering his brief time as Speedy).
But the B-series was clearly created following the founding of the Team, considering Will's designation is B06, despite him/Roy becoming a hero before Kaldur and Wally.
Since none of them have A-designations, how did the four proteges utilize the tubes during that time, if at all?
Greg responds...
They didn't.
Todd Jensen writes...
A couple of weeks ago or so, the comic strip "Sally Forth" had a scene where the family was discussing Halloween decorations for their house - and suggested gargoyles, but wanted to make them the ones from the "Disney nineties series". I thought it was a pleasant surprise for the show to get a casual allusion like that (and in the Comics Kingdom discussion section, a few posters had fond memories of the series; one particularly praised the voice actors).
Greg responds...
That's nice. Sally Forth isn't in the Los Angeles Times anymore, so I missed that. Too bad.
Anonymous writes...
Young Justice Questions for Greg Weisman:
1. Are Superman and Lois Lane currently married, and if so, for how long?
2. When Orm's identity as Ocean-Master, how did Arthur Curry and Mera react to this revelation?
3. After Lady Shiva killed Ocean-Master, where was his body taken to after she quickly cleaned out the house?
4. As of Young Justice Season 4, who is the current leader of the Justice League?
5. Within The Light, what are the designation numbers for Ultra-Humanite and Zviad Baazovi?
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
1a. No spoilers.
2. How do you think?
3. No spoilers.
4. It's still Black Lightning. He offered to continue on to follow through on some initiatives he had started. And the membership of the League voted him a second term.
5. The Light doesn't really have in-universe designation numbers. But I guess their out of universe designations are L-11 and L-12, respectively.
Verdragon writes...
Is there a particular reason that Atlantean and Martian magic look more similar to one another than to most of the magic we've seen being used by humans?
Greg responds...
Do they? I hadn't noticed that.
Anonymous writes...
1. When was Red Inferno created?
2. When was Red Volcano created?
3. When was the T. O. Morrow android created?
4. When was Mister Twister created?
5. When was Amazo created?
Greg responds...
1. Firebrand (II) was constructed in 1942.
2. Red Volcano was constructed in Team Year Zero.
3. There have probably been dozen over the years.
4. Mister Twister was constructed in Team Year Zero.
5. Amazo was constructed in Team Year Zero.
Anonymous writes...
1. When was Thomas Wayne born?
2. When was Martha Wayne born?
3. How old is Magog?
4. How old is Git N Payd?
5. How old is Red Hooded Ninja?
Greg responds...
1. Thomas Wayne was born in 1939.
2. Martha Kane was born in 1952.
3. David Reid was born in 1991.
4. Git N. Payd was born in 1993.
5. The Red-Hooded Ninja was born in 1999.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Marv Evers?
2. How old is Pete Danbury?
3. How old is Jason Bard?
4. How old is Ishtar?
5. How old is Nikolas Stofka?
Greg responds...
1. Marv Evers was born in 1981.
2. Pete Danbury was born in 1987.
3. Jason Bard was born in 1989.
4. Ishtar was born around 1,816 B.C.E.
5. Nikolas Stofka was born in 1970.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Wilhelm Vittings?
2. How old is Psycho-Pirate?
3. How old is Angela Eiling?
4. How old is Beluga Boy?
5. How old is Biggitz?
Greg responds...
1. Wilhelm Vittings was born in 1997.
2. Psycho-Pirate was born in 1960.
3. Angela Randall was born in 1939.
4. Beluga Boy was born in 1998.
5. Biggitz was born in 1986.
Anonymous writes...
Hello Mr. Weisman,
I was shocked by the third episode of "Young Justice: Phantoms" because the Bio-Ship is retiring so that it can live out its final years on Mars, and that was truly heart-breaking. Just exactly how old is the Bio-Ship anyway and what will happen to it once it dies?
Greg responds...
Bio-Ship was "born" in Team Year Zero, so she's about ten years old. I think you can imagine what happens when she dies, and if you can't... no spoilers. But to be clear, no one said she was dying. Just retiring.
Anonymous writes...
Mr. Weisman,
In the third season of Young Justice, the first letters of each episode title ended up spelling out the message, "Prepare the Anti-Life Equation." For the current fourth season, is it safe to assume that you've come up with something similar and you expect us to figure out what the message is?
Greg responds...
It's not UN-safe to assume that.
Jesse writes...
I know YJ is available in the US via hbo max. I would like to know how on earth are we going to watch it in the gloomy UK? I’ll really appreciate an answer because you guys have fans worldwide who are missing out.
Greg responds...
Again, I simply don't know. I truly, sincerely wish I had that information. But TPTB do not keep us folks in the trenches informed on international viewing options. I'm really sorry. It's just way above my pay grade.
Tim Mischka writes...
Hey Greg, I was wondering if you'd taken the time to watch the new DuckTales show Disney's been doing? I know you only worked on a little bit of the old one, but it's fun and it's stuffed with Disney references, including the revelation that Manny the Headless Man-Horse (it makes more sense when you watch it) is basically their equivalent to Goliath (complete with Keith David voice and Gargoyles theme playing). Were you amused by them doing that? It was certainly unexpected (given that it happened in the series finale, and they'd covered basically every other Disney show from the 80s and early-to-mid 90s).
Greg responds...
I'd heard about it, and I think it's great that they did that, but no, I haven't seen the new DuckTales. That's not meant to be any kind of comment on its quality. I just haven't gotten around to it.
Yjaddict writes...
There is something that I find interesting at the end of season 2 Aqualad and the team derailed Vandal's plan or rather it went slightly of course now reach had hidden bombs on earth, Now while Light and Lex had the foresight to develop anti reach software was the light aware of the final disruptor in the top North Magnetic Pole, cause it seems just too big of a gamble to rely on 3 flashes one of them who is from the future to stop this disruptor. Does that mean if the Flashes hadn't stopped the disruptor the earth would have been destroyed and Light would have failed or did they have a backup plan in case of heroes failing too. So basically what I am asking light does not have backup plans for every scenario or not. Cause if this is so then Vandal and the Light nearly lost because of their overconfidence in not estimating the threat that the heroes pose.
Greg responds...
The Light was not aware of it, no. And, no, the Light can't possibly anticipate EVERY possible contingency. I'm sure they had some kind of emergency procedure if they believed Earth flat out couldn't be saved, but that's a last resort of course.
Zman writes...
Hope you've been well and I'm really enjoying S4 so far. I've watched the first two episodes like 8 times. So I know La'gaan left the team at some point in between seasons. But we know he's still helping when needed. So I'm wondering if you feel like Conner and La'gaan's relationship improved at all before he decided to head out?
Greg responds...
No spoilers.
Verdragon writes...
Were there any episodes of Young Justice that you wanted to make but couldn't?
Greg responds...
It depends what you mean. We didn't break any episodes that didn't get made. But we'd always like to make more. And we have ideas for multiple seasons, movies, spin-offs, comic books, etc. So #SpreadTheWord and help us #SaveEarth16 by encouraging everyone to #KeepBingingYJ!
Anonymous writes...
1. When was Blister born?
2. When was Giant born?
3. How old is Lynn Stewart-Pierce?
4. How old is Collector of Worlds?
5. When was Match born?
Greg responds...
1. Blister was born in 2000.
2. Giant was born in 2000.
3. Lynn Stewart was born in 1988.
4. The Collector of Worlds is about 16,000 years old, give or take.
5. Match was cloned in 2009.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Tod Donner?
2. How old is Fire?
3. How old is Don Allen?
4. How old is Dawn Allen?
5. How old is Elongated Man?
Greg responds...
1. Tod Donner was born in 1972.
2. Fire was born in 1996.
3. Don Allen was born in Team Year Six.
4. Dawn Allen was born in Team Year Six.
5. Elongated Man was born in 1995.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is S'yraa S'mitt?
2. How old is Bio-Ship?
3. How old is Fury?
4. How old is Everyman?
5. How old is Chameleon Boy?
Greg responds...
1. S'yraa was born in 1972.
2. Bio-Ship was, um, "born" in 2010.
3. Fury was born in 2003.
4. Everyman was born in 2000.
5. Chameleon Boy is fifteen by the end of Team Year Nine.
Anonymous writes...
1. Green Martian are the majority and Whites are the minority. How many Red Martian exist among the population?
2. What makes the Red Martian the ruling class exactly? Or is it one of those “that’s how it always been†type of situation?
Greg responds...
1. There are fewer B'lahdenns than A'ashenns.
2. Historically, the B'lahdenn conquered to rule. (Centuries ago.)
Verdragon writes...
I have a few questions about Bwunda:
1. What exactly happened with M'barra and his taking power?
2. If the nation has been in a state of general unrest in recent history, when exactly did Luthor build his hotel (if he even built it to begin with)?
3. Where exactly is Bwunda in relation to other countries in Africa?
Greg responds...
1. I'm not going to tell an entire story here at ASK GREG.
2. No one said it was in unrest. It's run by a dictator that Lex does business with.
3. For the time being, I'll leave that to your imagination.
Jurgan writes...
Warning: This is going to deal with some heavy topics (specifically antisemitism), but I was encouraged to ask for your opinions. Please do not take this as accusatory, I'm just a long-time fan who's been thinking about some serious issues over the last few years.
When I watched Gargoyles as a kid, there was a villainous organization called the “Alu Minadi.†I later learned it was correctly spelled “Illuminati,†and that it was a staple of all sorts of genre fiction about secret societies, where it was largely interchangeable with the Freemasons. It was also commonly used as a metonym for any sort of behind the scenes string-pullers, what Angel would call “The Powers that Be.†All well and good, until I was reading an article about Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind series. I found out he believed the Illuminati was a real, very dangerous thing. I learned that they were sort of a real group that disbanded centuries ago, but many people believe they still operate in secret. Worst of all, they are almost always at least implied to be Jewish.
I was horrified to realize that Nazi rhetoric about an international conspiracy of Jewish puppetmasters was so prevalent in popular discourse. Over the last few years I've seen more and more conspiracy theories enter the mainstream, and if you scratch the surface of any of them, there's almost always antisemitism underneath. Even truly absurd ideas like “the lizard people†are often just “wink and nod†references to supposed Jewish conspiracies. The biggest right now is Qanon, which claims powerful people do all sorts of depraved things with kidnapped children. This is, of course, just a modern reworking of the ancient “blood libel.†Many of its adherents go beyond coded messages and outright say Jews (or possibly “Zionistsâ€) are behind it all. So now whenever I hear anyone talking about “the Illuminati,†even as a joke, my antisemitism radar pops up. Sadly, it's usually right.
All that said, what am I to do with shows I love that rely on such conspiracies? Of course, I'm not accusing you of antisemitism (I can think of several reasons that'd be ridiculous, starting with your own ethnoreligious identity), but I didn't know anything about you or any of the other creators when I first saw the show. There is some irony that the character obsessed with the Illuminati is himself Jewish, though I didn't know “Bluestone†was a Jewish name at the time. Where I eventually came down is that Gargoyles has such clear anti-racist themes that it's hard to imagine anyone taking an antisemitic message from it. On my recent rewatch, I noticed the punks in M.I.A. were basically reciting Brexit talking points about immigrants ruining England, 20 years before Brexit was a thing. “Golem†puts Jewish characters in the heroic roles and opens with what I now recognize as a pogrom. Also, the characters we see involved with the Illuminati do not appear to be Jewish. Malone is presumably Italian (though I suspect his wife was Jewish), the upper leadership in the comics are mostly from Arthurian legend so probably a mix of Christianity and paganism, Shari is Arabic, and Thailog is... Thailog. And they partner with a clear KKK analog, which I doubt any Jewish organization would do. Still, people do often take perverse readings of shows. I've seen people read white supremacist messages into My Little Pony of all things. And on rare occasions I've even seen people say that Gargoyles was trying to tell the truth about the “real Illuminati.â€
This all ties in to a bigger question of how much responsibility creators and artists have for the audience's interpretation. There are shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad that clearly condemn their villain protagonists, yet some fans still admire these “antiheroes.†Alan Moore has said fans tell him they identify with Rorschach, at which point he wishes he were somewhere else. I myself am worried the “sex trafficking†plotline in my unpublished novel might contribute to harmful ideas. Sex trafficking is real, to an extent, but its reality is nothing like popular beliefs, and those beliefs were part of both the 80's Satanic Panic and its modern iteration, Qanon. These questions are enough to make me (more) neurotic.
I don't exactly know what I'm asking here, just getting out some thoughts I've been kicking around. I guess the question is: what do you think your responsibility is when making a show that mostly children watch? I know you were very concerned with your portrayal of gun safety in “Deadly Force†and managed to do it in a way that “concerned parents†groups praised. There was also the need to avoid “imitable†violence, hence Duncan getting killed by a magic glowing electricity bomb. Are there any similar conversations that take place around how conspiracy theories are presented? In the 90's, conspiracy theories existed, but they were more fringe. Today, they are much more mainstream, and you're making a show whose villains are “The Light,†which is just an English translation of “Illuminati.†Even without the antisemitic baggage the name “Illuminati†has, I still worry about giving people more reason to be paranoid. I don't know how I would approach something like that, so I guess I'm tossing the question to you. Thank you for reading and for whatever response you have.
Greg responds...
Let me start with one quibble: Angel used the term "The Powers that Be" as some equivalent to the Heavenly Hosts, not as an equivalent to a very earthly - if magically infused - Illuminati, as we had in Gargoyles.
Beyond that, I think you raise a number of good - or at least interesting - points.
Ultimately, I go back to something my former boss Gary Krisel once said to me. We had received one letter on DuckTales protesting an episode where Magica DeSpell used a magical circle, claiming we were promoting Satanism - that any use of magic in the show would be promoting Satanism. (The letter literally said, "Walt Disney would be rolling over in his grave if he saw what you were doing in his name." To which I wanted to reply, "Have you SEEN Snow White?") Gary said something like, "We're not going to give magic to the Satanists." Meaning, it's part of storytelling and fantasy and myth, etc. It's one of OUR tools as storytellers. And we won't give it up, neither to any one who wants to use those trappings to promote evil nor to anyone who wants to inhibit our creativity.
So along those lines, I come down on the side of "I'm not going to give Conspiratorial Villain Organizations to the Anti-Semites." And, as you noted, I hope it's obvious that I'm not an anti-semite and that neither is Gargoyles' Illuminati nor Young Justice's Light. (Q-Anon clearly is, though I know of plenty of Jews who believe in Q-Anon and don't see it (or only see a few bad apples using it for anti-semitic purposes). Go figure.)
Note: Most of what you're describing goes back to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a false text, blatantly anti-semitic, that has been used for over a hundred years to persecute Jews. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion).
So, to your main question, what is my responsibility as a creator? I think it has to be the responsibility to, in part, reclaim the tools of storytelling and fiction from fascists and hate groups of all stripes - including but not limited to the anti-semites. I don't think it's always possible. You can't reclaim the swastika, for example, even though that predates Naziism. But I think magic circles and fictional villain groups still have hope. Of course, if you are going to use these things that have been, shall we say, compromised, you need to make it clear that you aren't feeding into the negative stereotype associated with the trope. Hence, Gargoyles' Illuminati is being investigated by a Jew and is comprised of mostly non-Jews, including many characters from Arthurian Legend.
I also personally believe it's patently obvious that there is no real world equivalent to the Light or the Illuminati. The world is too damn disorganized for me to believe that ANY one organization is secretly running things. Or if they are, they're doing no better a job than the actual governments they are theoretically trying to supplant. I mean, what's their goal? Just to make everyone miserable? If so, then maybe they're doing just great.
B writes...
Em'ree's last name being spelled J'onnz instead of J'onzz in the credits is a typo, right? In the captions, it's spelled correctly as J'onzz, like her uncle.
Greg responds...
Yes. I'm embarrassed that got by me. It's J'onzz. Definitely J'onzz.
Hana writes...
Hello, Mr. Greg! So happy that Young Justice Season finally is airing! So exciting to see what’s in store! I love the YJ’s take on Martian society! I have some questions as well.
1. Is there any real distinction that set Red Martian apart from the Green and Whites? Like being stronger or having certain powers?
2. Will we see M’gann’s other siblings in upcoming episodes?
3. Although he only appeared in a few scenes so far, I deeply intrigued by Red Martian Prince J’emm! I think he’s beautiful and his blue eyes piercing! He’s seems like good soul too and displays having a good wit! I have few questions concerning him!
3A. How many siblings does J’emm has?
3B. How old is J’emm, in Martian years and the human equivalent of it? R’ess called him a “boy†and belittles him his youth, so he must be young.
3C. Martian Manhunter is well-trusted by Mars, including J’emm? Does J’emm look up to him?
3E. R’ess mentioned in “Needful†that J’emm was almost married at one point. Will we learn more about that?
Thank you for your time!
Greg responds...
1. Nope. Just pigmentation.
2. No spoilers.
3A. No spoilers.
3B. See my recent answer, and then divide by three to get his human equivalent age.
3C. It seems so.
3D. There was no question 3D.
3E. By now, I would think you have.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is M'aatt M'orzz?
2. How old is M'comm M'orzz?
3. How old is R'ess E'dda?
4. How old is R'ohh K'arr?
5. How old is S'turnn J'axx?
Greg responds...
1. M'aatt M'orzz was born in 1885.
2. M'comm M'orzz was born in 1968.
3. R'ess E'dda was born in 1935.
4. R'ohh K'arr was born in 1896.
5. S'turnn J'axx was born in 1858.
Anonymous writes...
1. How old is Em'ree J'onnz?
2. How old is J'ann M'orzz?
3. How old is J'arlia J'axx?
4. How old is J'emm J'axx?
5. How old is K'omm B'lanxx?
Greg responds...
1. M'ree M'orzz was born in 1956.
2. J'ann J'onzz was born in 1885.
3. J'arlia was born in 1885.
4. J'emm J'axx was born in 1972.
5. K'omm B'lanxx was born in 1963.
Sara writes...
Hey Greg I was wondering in Spectacular Spider Man why was Eddie Brock when he bonded with the Symbiote so much stronger than Peter was when he was using it?
Greg responds...
He fed her more hate.
NoOneSpecial writes...
So, I’m trying to understand something about Batman Incorporated. The League is sanctioned under the UN, so they operate, more or less, within the law, but the UN can limit what they do publicly.
The Team is not something the public or the UN is aware of, so they are off the books. I’m guessing the League consider the Team to be largely an internal matter amongst themselves and don’t want to drag the UN into it, since most of them as their own protégé they are training, and others are young heroes they want to help mentor. But by the end of Season 2, the League recognize the Team as equals and allow them to plan their own missions. Of course, they still work together, but the League no longer claims to be an authority figure over the Team. But does that mean the Team is no longer monitored by the League? And if so, that means they are not bound by the UN and they don’t seem to be during Season 3.
This brings up the issue with Batman Incorporated. Batman and other Leaguers decide to quit and continue to work together in secret since the UN is blocking them thanks to Luthor. Jefferson is not pleased by this or the fact they were still working with the League behind the scenes. But how is this any different than what the Team was doing? They go on covert missions and help the League behind the scenes, while the public is unaware of what they do, and they don’t have permission from the UN. A good example would be in Season 1, when they go on a mission to Bialya, where the League is not allowed to go. So, the League were already working around the UN by using the Team. So, why would it be an issue for the League to use Batman Incorporated in what is largely the same manner? What was the difference in Batman, Katana and Metamorpho infiltrating Santa Prisca for intel, when the Team did that very same thing as well?
Yes, there is the argument that they are being no better than the Light be adopting their methods, but wasn’t this part of the reason the Team was created in the first place? After Cadmus, they realized the bad guys are getting smarter on how they operate, so the Team would help level that playing field. And yes, Jefferson has a point when he says they shouldn’t be keeping secrets. But the League was also doing this when it kept the Watchtower hidden.
And minor thing, but didn’t the Reach Ambassador expose the Team to Secretary Tseng during the conversation with Captain Atom? And if he didn’t, why didn’t Lex expose them to further his antihero campaign?
Also, are the Team, well-known among, I guess I would say, the villain community? Black Manta obviously knows them and told Captain Boomerang. But the Team has been going nearly 10 years now. Wouldn’t some word of mouth have gotten around about their exploits?
Greg responds...
1. The Team is still monitored by the League. But they leave much of the running of it to the Team's older members. They aren't bound by U.N. restrictions but should be. It's a cheat because the U.N. as an organization is not officially aware of the Team's existence. The members of the U.N. who are, keep the secret for their own reasons.
2. In a way, it's not. One of the things that upsets Jeff is that nearly everyone was in the dark. Another is that Batman Inc. (which was never really their name - though Jeff's repetition of it started to stick) wasn't simply going on covert missions but was manipulating people and events. It's not the Santa Prisca mission that upsets Jeff. But the Brooklyn manipulations are an entire other story.
As Jeff stated, he sees a value in the Team's covert existence and missions - not for the sake of them being covert - but because it allowed the young heroes to learn and grow outside the spotlight.
As for how prominent the Team is within the super-villain community, it's a mixed bag.
Antiyonder writes...
Providing there was a sizable amount of the population who didn't care for mango (and strawberry) and peach flavored Reach, did the Reach and Lexcorp plan to make other flavors of the drink?
I know that I would be subjugated if they had say blue raspberry.
Greg responds...
The rollout of blue raspberry is on its way...
Anonymous writes...
This is a question about the writer's room and your relationship with the writers.
Do you and Brandon develop all of the premises for the episodes yourselves? What if a writer comes to you and says: "I have my own really cool idea for an episode. Can I pitch it to you?" or "I don't know if you guys are planning to bring back Wally or not, but, if you are, I have a really cool scene in mind for Wally's return."
Would this be inappropriate? Is he or she crossing some kind of line? Is he in danger of being fired? Is a writer's job strictly to develop the premises you give her? Or, is there some flexibility to parameters of his job description?
Greg responds...
For the last two seasons, Brandon and I skipped the premise stage entirely, and we broke every episode together on index cards, and I took those cards to outline. Then Brandon, myself and the freelance writers are handed a completed outline. (We have no staff writers on the show, and haven't after season one, for budgetary reasons.) So, no, a writer can't come in and say "I have my own really cool idea for an episode." Freelancers are not in danger of being fired; they simply don't have that opportunity on this series. It's too intricately plotted. They do come on at the outline stage, and we talk through everything and try to stay very open to their ideas for the episode they've been assigned and to the other episodes in the writers room that day. But the story is the story. If they decide to bring Wally back in an episode where we didn't previously plan to bring Wally back, it's simply not going to happen.
But no one ever suggests going that far off book, anyway. That's just not this gig, and that's made clear up front.
Marvelman writes...
Young Justice: Phantoms didn't seem prominent to me at Fandome. In fact, I haven't seen much marketing for the show. I get the impression that the show isn't that important for the folks at DC or HBO. Am I wrong? Am I jumping to conclusions?
Greg responds...
They'd say otherwise.
Kyr writes...
Hi Greg, loving Phantoms so far.
I was hoping you could provide a little elaboration for the warehouse fight scene from the tie-in comics issue 10: Hot Case.
At the end of the fight, Yarrow tries to shoot Robin but Superboy swoops in and takes the bullet himself.
1.) Is Superboy traveling faster than the bullet or did he jump before the bullet was fired and just got lucky?
Here's the scene https://imgur.com/a/UQ2wula
Greg responds...
I guess it's open to interpretation, but I'd say he leaped in AND was moving very fast.
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