Comic book characters are known for plenty of incredible things. They are some of the most enduring and adaptable characters in existence, growing with the genre and finding creative ways to explore the same basic story ideas with new twists and turns. This adaptability and replayability of comic book characters come from their firmly established status quo, a standard portrayal they can reset to and fall back on, ensuring they are always recognizable. However, while the status quo provides a perfect baseline to keep characters telling stories until the sun explodes, it creates endless frustration when a character attempts to grow out of it.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Character arcs and the status quo go together like oil and water, and it becomes even worse when returning to the status quo forces characters to go through the same growth arcs again and again. Every comic book character is a victim of this to some degree, but some are far worse off than others. Today, we’re going to take a look at three DC characters who suffer from this more than almost anyone else in comics. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
3) Green Arrow
Oliver Queen is DC’s de facto social justice hero. Originally, he was nothing more than a Batman-alike, but he evolved to focus more on systemic issues and social commentary after Dennis O’Neil reworked his character in Justice League of America #75. This, however, involved Ollie losing his fortune, which is where this problem all started. Ollie developed a conflicting status quo. One where he was a rich man who fought to reform the system, and one where he was learning to adjust to losing his money.
While Oliver is best known for having money, some of his best stories, such as his return from the dead and Green Lantern/Green Arrow, feature him without it. These conflicting status quos always push and pull at each other, leaving Ollie in this awkward position where he’s always gaining and losing millions. Ollie might be a fantastic archer, but he’s terrible at managing his money.
2) Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is one of comics’ most enduring characters, having battled Superman since the 1940s. However, while he’s always been an evil genius bent on bringing down the Man of Tomorrow, there have been no shortages of sympathetic Lex-focused stories. Some of Lex’s most beloved stories, like Superman (1939) #164 and Superman #416, highlight his humanity and how close he is to being a better man if he could only let go of his hatred and ego. Considering he battles the most inspirational man in comics, it’s always just a matter of time until Superman inspires good in even Lex Luthor.
The natural end to Lex’s character is either remaining a sad, lonely villain or being redeemed by Superman’s heroism. Thus, given how inspirational Superman is, Lex has become a hero more than a few times over the decades. The most recent, as of the time of writing, is Joshua Williamson’s run on Superman (2023). Of course, given that he’s Superman’s most prolific and best-known enemy, Lex eventually goes back to villainy, restarting the cycle yet again. He’s become a hero three times since the New 52 alone, so who knows how many more times he’ll strive to be better in the next decade.
1) Damian Wayne
Damian Wayne is the poster child for this repeating arc problem. When he was introduced, Damian was an arrogant and petulant child who demanded to be treated like an adult despite being the least mature person in the room. He was abrasive and didn’t have any care for the sanctity of life, which was by design, given that these traits go against everything Batman is. Naturally, Damian was made with a character arc in mind, becoming a better person after working with Dick and Bruce. By the end of his arc, Damian was as heroic as any other member of his family, preserving life and saving others at any cost.
Of course, given that Damian’s character originally made such an impact being a petulant brat, that is where he naturally resets. It really seems like every new writer who picks up the character writes him like their comic were released ten years ago. Damian starts being immature and irresponsible, only to learn to be a better man and connect with his father and family. Batman and Robin (2023) is the perfect example, as Joshua Williamson’s run saw Damian and Bruce learn to be father and son and have Damian adjust to being a normal teenager, and then Phillip Kennedy Johnson took over and themed his run about Damian and Bruce learning to be father and son and Damian adjusting to being a normal teenager.
These comic book characters go to show that while character arcs can be incredible ways to advance characters and get readers invested in them, repeating them too often can just drive that same audience away. Status quos are an important part of comics, but they can stand to adjust to character arcs more often than they do.
Which character do you think suffers from repeating the same arcs the most? What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures. -
Image Courtesy of ABC
