Legacy Characters

>>89003525
The ones which work are usually the legacy of non-A-list heroes and who are their own personalities.

Changing A-list heroes destroys the fundamental attraction of the character while creating a legacy solely for diversity points creates a flat character who's personality can be summed up by their superficial features.

>>89003664
In that respect would you say that is the defining aspect that separates the ones with lasting influence which is why DC has longer established LH's whereas Marvel has been relatively unsuccessful in the last few years with their attempts?

Which do you feel are particularly enjoyable or not enjoyable to read?

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I fell that what people likes a legacy character when it revives an old character for a new audience without throwing away the history of the original
When beloved character get rebooted to follow a fad, boost sale or when they irrespect the original character people dislikes it, that is what Marvel is doing now.

>>89003820
I agree, I think that's a very apt way to put it.

>>89003664
>Changing A-list heroes destroys the fundamental attraction of the character while creating a legacy solely for diversity points

But A-list heroes have been replaced long before this diversity push that people complain about now even happened and some of them have even gone on to be incredibly successful.

On OPs question I think the way to make a successful legacy character is really just make good stories with the characters without rehashing the same stories, don't shit on the previous hero while trying to make the new guy look good, and give them a personality that's entertaining in and out of suit.
Miles is the perfect example on how to do a legacy character wrong.


I think Dick and Jaime are good examples of how to do a legacy character right for different reasons.
For me the draw of Dick as Batman was really cool to see because it felt like something he earned. We saw him work with Bruce for years, even had his own career away from Bruce, and eventually became Batman himself.

Jaime was kinda of forced into the role if I remember right, but he still interacted with other heroes. People that knew Ted. It's not like Ted was completely forgotten to build up this new guy.

>>89003525
In my opinion Legacy characters work well when the following is done:

-Original character is given a dignified death or retirement, don't have them around sharing names, that's stupid.
-Character may have established history with the original, long enough that him taking the mantle means something (they can keep the costume, and maybe make a few minor variations in this case)
-He cannot do the exact same thing the original did like same personality, exact same supporting cast (unless he's been around long enough and knows that cast)
-They don't shit on the original, but they don't have to glorify them
-They can't just shove the character out of nowhere, and just hand the title to them (it's happened to a few, but it doesn't always work well, but if this is the case, give them a visually distinctive costume with some hints of the original hero in there)
-He can retain some villains, but make new one's along the way and establish his own rogues gallery.
-Have him rise in importance gradually, don't shove him everywhere before he's had a chance to grow.
-Don't make him perfect or nearly flawless, and don't make him too powerful (if he's stronger than the original, retool or make new villains that can take him on).

There, its not perfect, but it's a start.

>>89004051
You make very strong points about Dick.
>But A-list heroes have been replaced long before this diversity push that people complain about now even happened and some of them have even gone on to be incredibly successful.

I've only been reading comics for 15 or so years and events that happened prior to that I have spotty knowledge of, any in particular that stand out to you that were met with resistance that have since gone on to be accepted? Flash as Venom comes to mind and more recently Sam as Nova has started to grow on people and lose some of the "not muh" factor.

What's most important to me for a legacy character is that the new character taking on the legacy absolutely must feel like they earned that legacy. My favorite legacy character ever is Renee Montoya as The Question because when she put on that mask I felt like she earned it. Like she deserved it.

>>89004370
I'll have to take a peek at the run she was featured in.

The only one I really feel strongly about is Wolverine (Laura)

I'm not a big fan of Laura as Wolverine. Thematically speaking, what makes Logan Wolverine? What IS a wolverine? It's a small mammal in the weasel family that smells bad, is very defensive of its territory, and is much more aggressive than a creature of its size has any right to be. It will pretty much fight anything. It'll even chase wolves and bears off their kills. This basically describes Logan. He's short, he's hairy, he's ornery, he smells like piss and beer, and he'll fight you on general principle. If you try to trap him or take him somewhere against his will, he'll rip your goddamn head off. He's Wolverine.

Laura on the other hand is a self-destructive emo autist goth chick with aspirations to noble suicide. She's brutality itself in a fight, sure, but she doesn't have Logan's orneriness, and she's more likely to submit to authority than to resist on general principle. Case in point in the recent chapter of All New Wolverine where when SHIELD came to arrest her, she immediately got into the party escort submission position and blubbered on the ground about how sorry she was, and when she got a rifle butt to the face she cried out that she wasn't resisting.

Had it been Logan in this situation he likely would have cut a few guns in half, maybe broken a few ribs, cracked a few heads. I mean, it's SHIELD, he's not gonna kill SHIELD soldiers, but he certainly would have made them work for it.

Now, I'm not saying that Laura is a bad character. She's trying to come to terms with who she is after her incredibly shitty childhood. But that makes her Talon. It does not make her well-suited at all for the title of Wolverine.

>>89004223
Wally as Flash

>>89004223
Any of the Green Lanterns after Hal