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DEFINITE UNCERTAINTY 2021-10 (Oct)

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Liam writes...

Before I ask any questions, I just wanted to say I love Young Justice Phantoms so much so far and I can't wait to see the rest! I'm a big fan of you and Brandon's work on Young Justice and I just wanted to say thank you to both of you for it. It's such a fantastic show that has become such a big part of my life and I am forever thankful. 1) You've said before that important real life events have happened in the YJ universe. Are the people who acted in these events the same people or a fictional character who is not them? (So basically, if Person A carried out an event in our world, could it be assumed the character who did the same was an alternate version of Person A, or a different character who's only similarity to person A is carrying out the action?) 2) Was Hello Megan a popular earth show on Mars, or was it just popular amongst M'gann's family? If it was only popular amongst all martians, what about it made them so interested while earthlings didn't seem to like it all that much considering it was cancelled due to low ratings? 3) What were the cultures you pulled from in order to create martian culture? With mention of a caste system, I assume hinduism is one of them but I assume there are others 4) In season 3, Artemis had mentioned that they know the soul exists because of Secret, does this mean Artemis developed an interest/exploration of the concept of spirituality after meeting Spirit, or was it a belief she had prior? 5) This is an add on to the last question, but I assume it would count as a second question anyways. Does Artemis have any spiritual practices that she has developed or is it more of just a recognition? This last part isn't a question, but thank you, Brandon, and the entire YJ team again. I know some fans dislike it or even wish it wasn't part of the show, but personally I love the way the character's personal lives are incorporated into the show because it adds in a sense of realism that really helps build character

Greg responds...

1. If I understand your question correctly - and I'm not sure I do - then there is an Earth-16 version of real life people doing real life things.

2. It wasn't necessarily a huge M'arzz hit. But there's no Nielson ratings to confirm.

3. As you noted, the Indian caste system was an influence. Racism, in general, is an influence. But I don't want to imply any one to one relationship between Mars and any specific culture or nationality.

4. I don't think Artemis' knowing about the soul implies anything more than that, so your either/or question doesn't follow.

5. This, in essence, is a spoiler request.

Thanks for all your kinds words.

Response recorded on October 29, 2021

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Anonymous writes...

1 How long has baazovi been an agent of the light?
2 Was Baazovi a part of the light before he became an ambassador for markovia?

Greg responds...

1. Long enough.

2. No spoilers.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Claire writes...

Was M'gann close to any of her green martian siblings growing up? Obviously not close currently since none were going to her wedding.

Greg responds...

Not particularly - or consistently.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg !
What does Zatanna think about Dick and Barbara relationship ? I mean what was her reaction when she learned it?

Greg responds...

Zatanna and Dick broke up long before he started dating Barbara. Zatanna and Barbara are friends, and Dick's super-power is getting along with his exes. So everyone is good with everyone.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Emory writes...

a) What is Ollie’s relationship with Roy and Will like right now?

b) Did Roy join school after he left the team?

c) Is Roy Native American in YJ as well?

Greg responds...

a. Pretty solid.

b. You're the second person today to ask me that. I haven't thought about it, strangely.

c. He might have some Native American ancestry, but generally, he's a white guy.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Natalie writes...

I seen a lot of people react to Will/Artemis subplot in Outsiders with visceral disgust. I thought it was an interesting way to tackle the theme of loss, and I wanted to ask a few questions.

1. How did you come up with it- and why Will, of all people?
2. How much does Lynn Stewart-Pierce know about Jade? Is she aware that Lian's mother is Artemis' sister?

I have to say I found Paula's approach to the whole issue in-character- she 's very traditional in certain ways. Lynn is lesser-known, but from what little's been seen of her, she doesn't strike me as traditional in the slightest. I can't imagine her being OK with Will dating/marrying the sister of his kid's mother unless she didn't know about the relationship.

Greg responds...

1. They were housemates. Such things happen.

2. Enough.

2a. Yes.

3. I think Lynn was being sympathetic toward two - as she perceived them - lonely people. She was, frankly, also being a little gossipy.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Dean Paterson writes...

How Old is Harper Row In Young Justice: Phantoms

Greg responds...

By the END of Team Year Ten, Harper Row is 18.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Anonymous writes...

Is it a coincidence that Megan and Harper both have the exact same number of freckles? Is it a conspiracy?

Greg responds...

A freak of nature. Or, you know, an art conceit.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Paco Cruz writes...

First at all, I gotta say thank you for creating this show, it’s amazing. I discovered this show pretty recently. It help a lot, I was diagnostic with cancer and since I had extra time in my hands, I decide to watch it. And let me tell you it help a lot. Now I cancer free. So mostly it’s a thank you note. Although I just have a question (I’m pretty sure that I hasn’t been asked before, I read like 300 question in the search for Zatanna. But then again, it might slipped) Is there any chance for Dick and Zee get back together? I really love their chemistry. Currently I have watched the first 2 episode of season 4. Sorry for my bad English. And thanks again. Hope you doing great.

Greg responds...

I'm very glad you're cancer-free. But I can't answer your question. It easily qualifies as a spoiler request, and I don't give out spoilers.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Verdragon writes...

Two questions, both on the overly specific subject of Martians stealing Earth TV.
1: Is J'onn basically pirating Earth television to send back to Mars? Like, are the execs running Space Trek seeing a large spike in their ratings from no discernable source?
2: J'onn says he's been bringing Earth TV to Mars for 60 years, has he been active on Earth as a superhero for that long?

Greg responds...

1. Technically, I suppose Martians are pirating the signal.

2. Since 1960, yes.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Marvelman writes...

I was recently about real-life bio-weapons that are being developed to target specific ethnicities. It was news to me! Were you aware of this when you conceptualized Desaad's bio-weapon at the end of "Needful"?

Greg responds...

I've heard it's theoretically possible. But, no, I have no inside knowledge.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Verdragon writes...

Is Infinity Inc. an actual business venture or was the Inc. part of its name just for the sake of making the group sound catchy?

Greg responds...

Can't it be both?

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Nellie writes...

Hi Greg! So happy for season four!

A few questions:

You said here you didn't remember confirming if Bruce was Tim's legal guardian here (https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=24832). But you kinda did earlier in this reply (https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=17071). Any clarifications?

In reply to this question you state that Paula is half-Vietnamese, which would make Artemis and Jade a quarter Vietnamese (https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=21311). In pretty much every other questions, you've stated that Artemis and Jade are a half-Vietnamese, which would mean that Paula isn't mixed. Any clarifications on that front?

In True Heroes, it was stated that Tara was 15. In your reply in to this question (https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=24377), however, you stated that she was 16. Can we take we to mean she turned 16 sometime during the story?

Greg responds...

Nothing is canon, including what I write here, unless or until that it appears in canon media (episode, comics, video game, audio play). So, as for Tim: no spoilers. And as for Paula, at some point, I clearly had a reason to state that she was biracial. I honestly don't remember why, but I reserve the right to remember again at a later date.

Season Three began in Team Year Eight and ended in Team Year Nine. So, in True Heroes, she's 15. By the END of Team Year Nine, as clearly stated in the answer cited above, she's 16. But Season Three ended in February of Team Year Nine. All I'm saying is that she turned 16 by December of that year. I'm not saying which month her birthday is in.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Verdragon writes...

Do Markovia and Vlativa have parliaments and constitutions or are they actual monarchies where the royals are also heads of state?

Greg responds...

Both Markovia and Vlatava are constitutional monarchies.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Verdragon writes...

1. When exactly was Beast Boy's last trip to Mars, because he mentions having been there before at some point prior to M'comm taking on his Ma'alefa'ak persona, but it wasn't brought up previously.
2. Was the plot of "The Prize" based around who was available at the time to do the recording, or was it always planned to feature those characters specifically?
3. In-universe, why did Waller only send Tuppence on the mission to abduct Clayface rather than both her and Tommy?
4. Why are Martians shapeshifting into noted alien-hater G. Gordon Godfrey like they are the Outsiders? Do they just find his endless stream of hatred funny or is it to mock him?

Greg responds...

1. On screen, Aqualad assigned Beast Boy, Miss Martian and Superboy on a mission to Mars immediately after the end of Season Two.

2. Brandon and I came up with the basic story in advance. We asked a quantity of specific actors, and most - but not quite all - were available. So I cut those few unavailable actors' characters, which we had been planning to use, out of the script, as I was writing it. It was a very fast turnaround.

3. Reasons.

4. I'll leave that to your interpretation. But maybe different Martians have different reasons?

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Becca writes...

I'm curious why the time skip was only a year between S3 and S4? It's the shortest one yet and I honestly wasn't expecting it to start off so close to last season.

Greg responds...

It's what worked for us to tell the next important chunk of our story. Also, Superboy and Miss Martian wouldn't just stay engaged forever without actually starting to plan their wedding(s).

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Tara writes...

I've been wondering this for a while. You seem to take a lot of minor characters, or those not as frequently use in various DC projects, and put the focus on them, as opposed to those that usually do. For instance, Geoforce and Halo are more main characters, as opposed to Metamorpho and Katana, who are more usually used.

Is this purposeful? Or is it just a matter of the characters working better with the story? Either way I love it.

Greg responds...

A little from Column A. A little from Column B. Minor characters sometimes seem to give us more freedom, with fewer preconceptions attached. But we still emphasize what works with our stories. In the specific case you cite, it's also significant that Geo-Force and Halo were younger characters, and the show is called YOUNG Justice.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Zman writes...

In Bloodlines, Bart and Jay ended up in the cave at the end of the episode. Bart escaped the cave earlier on because Mal opened the hatch. And we know Jay received an A designation at some point between then and when he helped in Endgame. My question is did Bart and Jay receives A designations in that episode to get into the cave. Or did someone just open the hatch again?

Greg responds...

They were granted A-Designations.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Brent writes...

First, let me say I think its just really cool that you continue to do this. I'm sure it can seem like a hassle but it really shows the love you have for people who love your show. I really appreciate it and I know others do too, even if some of the questions seem obvious or minuscule in importance.

I will ask an actual question, though. Just finished ep 4x02. Jemm is typically from Saturn, but here he is a Martian Prince. 1. Do Saturanians exist in this universe? 2. What prompted you to use Jemm, instead of an original character, like Em'ree J'onzz?

Greg responds...

1. J'emm is still a son of S'turnn. It's just that S'turnn is a king, not a planet. The original development of the Jemm, Son of Saturn comic book series had Jemm as a green Martian. It was later changed to make him a red Saturnian. We chose to merge the two concepts.

2. I always thought Jemm was a cool young hero. Plus, we try, whenever possible, to use existing characters, creating new ones only when it's necessary.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Todd Jensen writes...

In your "big round of question-answering" earlier this year, someone asked you about why there was never a Christmas episode of "Gargoyles", and you mentioned that it was never a big enough priority, though there'd been some ideas for it.

This reminded me that Halloween was the only holiday to feature in "Gargoyles" (unless you count New Year's Eve in the "Bad Guys" spin-off) - it got in twice, in fact, once in "Eye of the Beholder" and once in "Clan-Building", and from there, a thought I'd had about "Gargoyles", "The Spectacular Spider-Man", and "Young Justice".

Now, though I think that both "The Spectacular Spider-Man" and "Young Justice" were both well done, they never grabbed me as much as "Gargoyles" did. (I suspect that this comes from my having grown up on medieval legends and history far more than on DC and Marvel super-heroes, so that "Gargoyles" war far more a "first language" for me than the other two series were.) But one feature of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" and "Young Justice" that didn't appear in "Gargoyles", a feature that really delighted me, was that sense of the year's cycle, traveling through various holidays, in particular (I recall that "The Spectacular Spider-Man" incorporated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's , and Valentine's Day, and the first two seasons of "Young Justice" - I haven't gotten around to seeing Season Three, so can't comment on it - covered the year's cycle - if a different year's cycle from New Year's to Independence Day than from Independence Day to New Year's, thanks to the time skip). Of course, I think it makes sense that those series would focus more on that cycle, since their leads were human (with a few alien leads in "Young Justice", of course, but who were interested in Earth customs), while the gargoyles would have less interest in human holidays (apart from Halloween,for obvious reasons).

More musings than an actual question, but it was an observation that I wanted to share with you.

Greg responds...

I think you're right. But I also think it had a lot to do with an evolution in my sensibilities. Keeping track of time for me started to become a priority for me later in my work.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Marvelman writes...

Hi, Greg. I just finished watching the first two episodes of season 4. You seem to be off to a great start, and I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it. You seem to be focusing more on the original cast. I think that's a good move given how many new characters you introduced in season 3. BTW, I'm not opposed to you and Brandon introducing new characters to the main cast, but I would like to point that you too great time and care in establishing your cast in season one. (I don't think this rises to the level of a suggestion.) There weren't any superhero battles in the episodes, but that didn't matter to me. These were characters I loved, even Beast Boy, and the story kept me involved throughout.

I was surprised that the Legion appeared so early. I had imagined you would tease out that story throughout the season. So, I only have a few questions...

1) Why did you choose to feature these three particular Legionnaires when there are so many others you could have chosen?

2)Will other Legionnaires appear this season? (Yeah, I know what you're going to say, but it's on my mind.)

3)Was that the bio-ship... mating?

Wishing you well

Greg responds...

1. It felt right to feature these three.

2. <sigh> No spoilers.

3. In a sense.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Karrin Blue writes...

Hello! I just saw the premiere - well, the first two thirds of it? - and it's gotten me so excited for the next episodes I can't begin to describe it. Everything looks gorgeous, and I'm very excited to check in with everyone - all the tidbits of what's changed (and what hasn't) are really intriguing. Even the post credits scenes - I'm so glad to see the quiet restful moments from s3 evolve into these little talks.

Ok so, actual questions!

1. Are Harper and Cullen being fostered by the Carrs?
2. So in the explanation of the Martian castes, they said that the priestly caste permanently take on y'alen form - does this mean that they don't shape change ever, or lose that ability?
3. How small is the red royal caste? If every ruler and every ruler's spouse has been red, then do they have to arrange marriages to keep the family lines from getting too tangled?
4. Is the Vlatavan language we hear Perdita speaking based on an existing language, or is it a constructed language?
5. What are the words she says at the beginning and end of her voicemail?

Greg responds...

1. Yep.

2. The Y'ellonn don't change their skin color ever.

3. The B'lahdenn - as Beast Boy said - are the Royalty AND Nobility. It's not as big as either the G'arrunn or A'ashenn castes, but it's a lot of folks.

4. It's a sister tongue to Markovian and Latvian.

5. Labdien = Hello. Es milu teki = I love you.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Elliot writes...

Hello Greg! After just watching the first two episodes of YJ Phantoms on HBO Max, I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm so excited to see where the Mars storyline takes us, and meeting M'gann's family has been quite the surreal experience. M'gann's attitude and confidence was a sight to behold whenever she (unfortunately) had to deal with the Green Martians' prejudice and outright assault. I love to see it! Anyways, here are some questions:

01 | Did Roy go back to school after being rescued from the Light? It's assumed that Will was the one that finished his education in Roy's place, so was Roy homeschooled after the fact or did he go back to attending public/private school? Was he not schooled at all? Or was Roy (pre-frozen) homeschooled from the get-go and, as such, so was Will?
02 | In the tie-in comics, it's apparent that Dick and Bette hooked up on the eve of his birthday. Given the retcon (if that's the appropriate word) of the Wayne/Kane family relations in the comics, as well as on the show (with the addition of Batwoman and your confirmation that Bette and Martha Wayne are related), would it be safe to say that neither Dick nor Bette knew that they were distant cousins to some degree?
03 | While I assume it was for budgetary reasons, was there a specific reason you guys chose to use Talia's whitewashed design with the same overtly sensualized/sexualized outfit from the recent DC Animated Movies instead of the more appropriately Arabic and regal design Christopher Jones gave her in the tie-in comics?
04 | A lot of stuff has changed very recently in the comics regarding character sexuality, what with Tim Drake and Jon Kent both being confirmed bisexual (though, as of this writing, I don't think Tim's put a label on it one way or another). Whether or not you were privy to such a development isn't what I'm asking about, per say, but you've stated in earlier posts that you'd never take away an LGBTQ+ character's sexuality away (the question was in reference to Renee Montoya's sexuality in the show), so even though I highly doubt it would effect S4 at all, would the change be taken into consideration in later seasons? I'm not asking about Tim and/or Jon specifically, by the way, just the notion itself. Would a previously perceived straight character getting recently confirmed/retconned as another sexuality impact your interpretation of that character? Just for example, Alan Scott has been gay in the comics for quite a few years now, same with Wonder Woman and her bisexuality. Given that you make histories and timelines regarding most of the characters on your shows, I assume you've done the same with these two back in S1 when they were first introduced, but back when in the comics they were straight. Has the retcon changed things for you guys, or is it largely a non-issue?
05 | Not really a question, just more love for Phantoms! The poster alone was phenomenal, and I'm so stoked for what's to come, especially given the trailer, the first two episodes, and the new opening! I'm so glad Raquel is (seemingly) taking a bigger spotlight this season, hopefully we can finally find out who she married!

Greg responds...

1. I honestly haven't thought about these issues.

2. Dick's not blood-related to Bette, either way.

3. She's still Arabic in my mind. Phil chose which design to use, but I don't believe we colored her white.

4. As a rule, I wouldn't change an LGBTQ+ character into a heteronormative character. But being with a partner of one sex doesn't preclude someone being bi, obviously. And even, say, with a character like Alan Scott, given the environment and era he grew up in, he could be gay - not bi - and still have been with women in his past. I have contemporaries much younger than Alan who didn't self-acknowledge their sexuality until long after they were adults in adult relationships with members of the opposite sex.

5. I LOVE those posters! All props to Brandon, Chris and Jason for their work on them.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Michael Morningstar writes...

Hey Greg!

Today, I just saw the first two episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms on HBO Max and I have to say, I am completely blown away by the animation quality of this season! Studio Mir really nailed it with this season and the animation is on par with the first two seasons (not to say the animation companies who did Outsiders was bad but still could've been better) and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and pray that Warner Bros. Animation or HBO Max renews the show for a fifth season.

Now, when I was rewatching the show a few weeks ago in preparations for its fourth season's debut this year, something interesting popped up in my mind while I was watching the first three seasons:

1. In the first episode of Season 2, John Stewart/Green Lantern explained to the Justice League and The Team that Kroloteans's culture revolves around stolen alien tech. If this species is so involved in stealing technology from other alien races, how were they even able to travel outside their home planet in the first place? Were they originally an intelligent race like the Rannians and the Kryptonians that successfully managed to travel outside their homeworld and establish first contact but eventually became jealous of other alien species advanced technology so much so that eventually caused them to cease all homemade Krolotean tech and resorted to stealing alien technology for themselves?

2. A decade ago when the first season of Young Justice was going strong on Cartoon Network, you responded to a question stating that New Gods are ageless beings. What does this mean exactly? Are they immune to the effects of aging and disease and can potentially live forever? The reason I'm asking is because Dreamer stated to Superboy that fellow New God Serifan grew up watching Earth Western movies on New Genesis. Does this mean that New Gods like Serifan are born similar to Humans and age like them but at some point in their lives, they hit a certain milestone and effectively stopped aging like regular Humans and become Ageless beings?

3. Regarding Lords of Order and Chaos. In Season 3's episode Evolution, it showed that Nabu/Doctor Fate was originally a human but after he died, he somehow ascended to become a Lord of Order. How is it possible that Nabu became a Lord of Order in the first place? Are certain humans capable of becoming a Lord of Order after death? Can this also apply to Lords of Chaos like Klarion? Was Klarion originally born a human like Nabu but became a Lord of Chaos after his death?

4. You mention that everything that has happened in real life has also happened in Young Justice like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the 2008 Financial Crisis, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. I guess this means that certain Islamic terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, and Hezbollah also exist in Young Justice? How do these groups react to groups like the Justice League and certain events on Earth like the Reach Invasion and Meta-Human Trafficking? Do they believe these events shook their faith in their religion and their supporters in the Middle East? Or do they use them to their advantage to bolster their plans against the West and the rest of the world?

5. How does a Lord of Chaos like Klarion view the state of Earth it is in? I can imagine that he must be thrilled with events like the Syrian Civil War and the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2021 since they bring Chaos to the world. Has he secretly pulled strings behind the scenes to bring Chaos to Earth or does he let events transpire on its own without getting involved?

Greg responds...

1. I can think of a couple of possible scenarios, but I'm not going to tell a story here at ASK GREG. As always, NO SPOILERS.

2. Did I really say "Ageless beings"? Well, that doesn't make much sense to me now, assuming it ever did. Some New Gods are clearly older than others. Relative to Earthlings, they may SEEM ageless, though.

3. No spoilers.

4. I'll leave that to your interpretation. As for Covid, our show was too far into production to be able to incorporate Covid into our storytelling. So maybe on Earth-16, the pandemic hit a year later. Maybe.

5. Again, I'm not telling stories here. I'll leave that to your interpretation.

Response recorded on October 28, 2021

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Jim writes...

Continuing on from my previous post:

1) When (in terms of which Team Year) did Freddy Freeman debut as Lieutenant Marvel?

2) When (in terms of which Team Year) did Mary Bromfield debut as Sergeant Marvel?

3) When (in terms of which Team Year) did Lieutenant Marvel join the Team?

4) When (in terms of which Team Year) did Sergeant Marvel join the Team?

5) When (in terms of which Team Year) did Troia leave the Team?

Greg responds...

1. No spoilers.

2. No spoilers.

3. Team Year Three.

4. Team Year Three.

5. Team Year Five.

Response recorded on October 25, 2021


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