discowing stan account

When they hinged Jessica's scene on why Supergirl is necessary, I cringed inside, fearing it was just going to be a 'because representation' answer but I not for the first time underestimated MAWS's writing. Not to discount representation reasons because obviously that matters and I'm sure that's a part of why girls look up to Supergirl but if the answer was 'she does everything Superman does but is a guuuurl' that would feel kind of hollow and wouldn't really answer the problem of why we need multiple kryptonians at the risk of redundancy (aside from the fact that there's lotsa fuckin' crime and shit).

No but what I love about Jessica's answer that I didn't fully unravel in my head at first is that in MAWS specifically, Supergirl is brave in a way Superman is not, not to say Clark isn't obviously brave, but to Clark, being Superman is second nature, once he realized his powers there was nothing else he could do, it was how he was raised, that's what makes Superman special, he's just a naturally unfailingly kind person that chooses to do good, it's a choice but it's probably not even one he's conscious of making, Supergirl isn't like that. To Kara, being Supergirl isn't second nature, it isn't the first thought she had about her powers, it's a rejection, an antithesis to everything she ever believed but she still has enough innate goodness that Brainiac wasn't able to drill out of her to still very consciously make that choice despite having every reason not to. Supergirl is brave for making that choice when there were other options more tailored to how she was brought up, it shapes the way she views herself differently from how Clark's story of isolation went.

1) Superman is obviously Goku. Clark’s always been mild-mannered, but the series also gave him some of Goku’s goofy wholesomeness like when he stopped to buy the miniature farm during Lois’ investigation. But MAWS Superman is still clearly Superman. He’s not going around wanting to pick fights with villains just to test his own strength. You can especially see this in season 3 since Superman is getting more annoyed with being a superhero.

2) Supergirl is obviously designed after Android 18 but with the personality of Vegeta. I’ll concede that this is more the DBZ influence leaking out here. However, the show made it work for their version of Supergirl. This Kara was raised by Brainiac and never had a chance to be a regular person, so of course she’s gonna be walking around and talking like a Kryptonian warrior all the time.

3) The storylines definitely have the vibe of classic DBZ storylines but not to the point where it feels out of place with DC. I mean, the current season has Superboy with a sword going to the past because Cyborg Superman destroyed the world. On one hand, that’s obviously the Android 17 and 18 arc. On the other hand, DC would 100% do this kind of storyline on their own. I mean, that’s basically a Flash arc.

4) In general, everyone still reads like their DC counterparts. Superman is still Superman, but with a bit of Goku’s wholesomeness sprinkled in. Lois Lane is still Lois Lane, but with Chi Chi and Bulma characteristics. Jimmy Olsen is still Jimmy Olsen, but with Krillin.

If I had to summarize, MAWS feels like it’s being made by people who grew up with Toonami and DC Comics. Then when it came time to make the show, they noticed a lot of similarities with Superman and DBZ that it felt appropriate to implement the DBZ influences into the show. And then when it came to extending the universe like with the upcoming Green Lantern spin-off, they kept the same approach since they realized Green Lantern shares a lot of similarities with Sailor Moon/the magical girl genre (DON’T DENY IT DC FANBASE, YOU KNOW I’M RIGHT WITH MAGICAL GIRL GREEN LANTERN).

"My mode of life in my hovel was uniform. During the morning I attended the motions of the cottagers; and when they were dispersed in various occupations, I slept: the remainder of the day was spent in observing my friends."

"The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me: when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys."

"I saw no cause for their unhappiness; but I was deeply affected by it. If such lovely creatures were miserable, it was less strange that I, an imperfect and solitary being, should be wretched. Yet why were these gentle beings unhappy?"

“I discovered also another means through which I was enabled to assist their labours. I found that the youth spent a great part of each day in collecting wood for the family fire; and, during the night, I often took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days."

“I remember, the first time that I did this, the young woman, when she opened the door in the morning, appeared greatly astonished on seeing a great pile of wood on the outside."

"I afterwards found that these labours, performed by an invisible hand, greatly astonished them; and once or twice I heard them, on these occasions, utter the words good spirit, wonderful; but I did not then understand the signification of these terms."

"My thoughts now became more active, and I longed to discover the motives and feelings of these lovely creatures"

"I looked upon them as superior beings, who would be the arbiters of my future destiny. I formed in my imagination a thousand pictures of presenting myself to them, and their reception of me. I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanour and conciliating words, I should first win their favour, and afterwards their love."

Rolling up a character on a slow night.