Batgirl, Flash, Wonder Girl Missing: Dan DiDio Talks The New 52’s MIA Heroes

In a revealing video interview with Newsarama at New York Comic Con, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio has given the best, longest and most open answer to the nagging question that he and his cohorts have had at every comic book convention for the last year or more: What’s happening with some fan-favorite characters who simply vanished when the DC Universe was rebooted after Flashpoint?A number of creators have made attempts to resurrect either Stephanie Brown or Wally West since the New 52 began, and all of them have reportedly either had their pitches rejected or have been instructed before a pitch even formed to steer in another direction.His answer is not surprising–he and other DC editors have been saying for the better part of the last 18 months that some characters would be rolled out over time, as story dictated, rather than being brought into existence all at once. There’s more depth to it this time around, though, particularly as it regards Stephanie Brown, which DiDio has apparently regarded as an ongoing problem.In the video, DiDio says:

You know, me and Stephanie, we go way back. The story with Stephanie Brown goes, they came to me as Executive Editor with the War Games story, and said we’re going to kill Stephanie Brown. I knew Stephanie Brown for who she was, and said, “I don’t know, if this is going to be the big ending to your story it doesn’t feel big enough” at the time, because the character wasn’t strong enough yet. So I said, “Why don’t we make her Robin for a short period of time, build some interest in her, and then we kill her?”

That’s what they did, of course, and to the great consternation of many fans on the Internet–particularly when her costume didn’t get a place of honor in the Batcave like Jason Todd’s had after he died. Most fans figured this was just because editorial had no plans of leaving Stephanie dead,  but many of them felt the character (and by extension her fans) had been given the short shrift.It wouldn’t be the last time.

I say this for every character that’s missing, even including Wally West, including Donna Troy, all of them. The reason why we didn’t go out there and say ‘every character is dead’ or didn’t kill them off in front of people is because everyone has potential. And every character can come back if the story is right, or at the right time, with the right environment.Our main goal was never to introduce everyone all at the same time. We can’t do that. If we do that, then we’re right back where we started, that’s the last thing we want. Every character should be reintroduced with story.

He noted that Stephanie Brown’s return from the dead, pre-relaunch, remains a scene that convinces him he’s right in this. When she came back, and Batman famously just kind of shrugged and said, “I knew she wasn’t really dead,” it undermined even further the seriousness of her death and cast doubt on Batman’s motivation for keeping such a thing secret from those around him.”I said, ‘that didn’t feel right. If this was a big deal it should’ve felt bigger!’ If Batman knew that, then he seems negligent, because he didn’t do anything about it. And the levels of that. So I really want to make sure that when we go ahead and do things like that, the teams do it, that they craft it properly, that they take advantage of every emotional beat, they build it for everything it’s worth,” DiDio explained. “Because when you do that, people become more invested in the characters, not just about the conversation of them coming back, but actually going to read about them after they do come back. That’s the win. Not the fact you’re bringing them back, it’s actually making them stay, and making people care about them more than just the people asking right now.”Check out the full interview below.