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Comments for the week ending January 30, 2022

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this is a fan idea for the new team in the future of Earth-16(Young Justice Universe):
Young Justice Future Generation
Jon Kent(Voiced by Taylor Grey)
Damian Wayne(Voiced by Zachary Gordon)
Don Allen(Voiced by Jeremy Shada)
Dawn Allen(Voiced by Myrna Velasco)
Lian Harper(Voiced by Malese Jow)
Anissa Pierce(Voiced by Kat Graham
Jennifer Pierce(Voiced by Kyla Pratt)
Rhea Duncan-Beecher(Voiced by Suzie McGrath)
Amisrad Ervin(Voiced by Doc Shaw)
Artur(Voiced by Christopher Sean)
[SPOILER]

john paul gontor - [jrgontor at gmail dot com]
gontor

The wiki itself doesn't provide a lot of information on the Sword of Beowulf. So if it hasn't run into the "No Spoilers" response already, it might be a good question to ask Greg.
Matthew
When you return to your unobservable but empirically determined dimension of origin--tell them CARL SAGAN sent you.

I think there probably was a Beowulf, I just wonder if, since he's already associated with Cain in the comics, Savage could be somehow related to Grendel. Or the sword, really, since I don't think they'd have invented this new magical artifact for the show to only use it in one episode.

His role in this universe has already been massively expanded by tying him to Atlantis, the origin of metahumans and Homo magi, Dr. Fate and the Lords of Order, historical alien invasions, Darkseid, etc. Plus God knows what else he'll be involved in as all the other historical figures he's supposed to have been. At this point I kind of see him as the guy who has encountered all the things that are possible.

Friendly CIA Spook
Secret aaaaagent man. Secret aaaaaagent man.

I'm certain that the arm-scabbard was meant as a reference to Grendel's arm that Beowulf tore off.
Todd Jensen

Oh, I was just assuming that was the case - the arm it's sheathed in certainly looks like it could belong to Grendel or his mother. That said, while it's possible, and while I wouldn't mind it happening in the show, I do tend to prefer Earth-16 as being a world where weird magical stuff just happens on its own sometimes - there's a million forces in play and while Vandal's one of the longest lived, he's not everywhere at once. So I like the idea that there was, actually, an actual Beowulf just doing his Beowulf thing up in Sweden.
Karrin Blue
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I still suspect that the Sword of Beowulf was loosely based on the ancient giant-forged sword that Beowulf found in Grendel's lair while fighting Grendel's mother (loosely based, since its blade melted away after Beowulf used it to behead Grendel).
Todd Jensen

Changing the subject slightly

I've been somewhat preoccupied by the Sword of Beowulf lately. I'm fairly certain Harm didn't have that specific weapon in the comics, so it had to be specially invented. It seems there must be some significance to it beyond its single appearance, but I can't imagine what.

At first I thought it could just be a reference to DC's brief Beowulf Sword and Sorcery series from the 70s... and of course it could just be the whole "English teachers love Beowulf" thing, but I've also been considering:

I seem to remember Grendel is described within the poem as a descendant of the Biblical figure Cain. And in DC Comics, Vandal Savage is sometimes hinted to be the origin of the Biblical tale of Cain (given he is conceivably old enough to have committed the first act of fratricide among anatomically modern humans). He was even worshiped as Cain by the Religion of Crime, I believe. I remember wondering what the guy who lives in the House of Mystery thought of that, but anyway:

Is it possible that Vandal Savage and one of his metahuman children were running around Scandinavia whenever, and played some role in the sword's creation?

Friendly CIA Spook
Secret aaaaagent man. Secret aaaaaagent man.

True, though I think they'd still be taking a tone towards middle names of "They actually have a third nae stuck between the first and last ones? That seems redundant."
Todd Jensen

Todd: I think the Gargoyles would probably be used to repetitive naming, growing up in 11th century Scotland and all. Between Prince Malcolm and his father Maol Chalvim I and his nephew Maol Chalvim II and all...
Friendly CIA Spook
Please look into this neuralyzer. HA. Made you look.

It's still funny to me that until Bart came along, Barry wasn't short for anything - his name is just Barry, his tombstone has BARRY ALLEN written on it, because Barry is a complete name on its own (from Irish, apparently.) But then Bart came along, and 'Barry' feels like a nickname based on how English does diminutives, even though the options for what it could be a diminutive for are basically just Barnabas, Bartholomew, and Barrence, so we end up with the current situation.
Karrin Blue
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Speaking as a Mormon, we've had three Presidents of the Church named Joseph Smith. And two of them were Joseph FIELDING Smiths. And really there aren't enough of us that those two people weren't related.

For an example closer to home, the pre- and post- New 52 versions of Wally West are both canon now, and are apparently identically named cousins.

Friendly CIA Spook
Please look into this neuralyzer. HA. Made you look.

Well Bart Allen first showed up in the mid 90's during the height of The Simpsons so the name Bart was still kind of a fresh thing.

In universe however I have no explanation for that name. Maybe Bartholomew is really popular in the future.

On a familial note, looking at my family tree, we were pretty uncreative with our naming. You wouldn't believe how many Roberts, Williams and Charles' showed up. My parents really broke with tradition naming me and my sisters.

Matthew
When you return to your unobservable but empirically determined dimension of origin--tell them CARL SAGAN sent you.

I wonder what the gargoyles would make of this discussion on middle names, when even single names are a new concept to them.
Todd Jensen

KARRIN> Mainstream comic writers just love referencing old stuff. Sometimes more than they love creating new stuff, alas.
Algae
I have unquantifiable corpses on my conscience... Cup-cup, da-da?

Addendum: anyone who's NOT an old money WASP type where it's some kind of legacy thing (which I don't think Bart counts as anyhow, no matter what continuity you're in) I'm pretty sure even royal families that reuse the same 4 names over and over pick different middle names to actually refer to each other with.
Karrin Blue
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You know, I know comics are wildly unimaginative with names (the scourge of parents named John, Mary, variants thereon, or both at once) especially when you get to second or third generation characters, but I'm still baffled by the idea that Bart would have the exact same middle name as his grandfather. Especially if that's being grabbed from the comics, where it'd be goodness knows how many generations in the past. First name is one thing, or a middle name after some antecedent's first name, but matching first AND middle names - does anyone do that?
Karrin Blue
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I can just see it now
A coffee mug with the eye of Odin :)
[https://www.verybestpromo.com]

<a href="https://www.verybestpromo.com">Van West</a> - [verybestpromo at gmail dot com]
Van

I loved this show so much
Id love to print out of t-shirt or promo items with our favorite characters
Anyone else in?
www.verybestpromo.com

Van West - [verybestpromo at gmail dot com]
Van

ooookay. Alllright.

So let me retract Element Lad and in his place offer Ultra Boy, whose shtick near as I can determine is that he has general Superman powers, but can only use one at a time.

I think he's even more likely because his home planet in the comics is said to be Rimbor, which we've already visited in Season 2. It's supposed to be a totally lawless planet, which might lend credence to the whole "going rogue" theory.

Friendly CIA Spook
The cafeteria at Langley had pie today.

Oh, I'm assuming the trio will either come forward on their own or be caught while they're trying to help the Team with something and then explain everything. "Teenage time travellers from a thousand years in the future came back to find/stop another time traveller" would be pretty absurd for them to put together on their own.

Also, while each arc's main plot is self contained, the through line in the subplots has been Conner's death; we've gotten check-ins on how everyone's dealing with it every episode. Mostly that's been an examination on grief, but assuming Zatanna doesn't waste time telling the others and coming up with a plan, the b-plots in the remaining episodes are probably going to be putting the pieces together.

The heat vision is from the cave-in attack, in the second episode.

Karrin Blue
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If we are sold on this "rogue Legionnaire" theory, I don't know how the rest of the Team is supposed to piece all that together. The only possibility that makes sense to me is if Saturn Girl is still working at Bibbo's and M'gann recognizes her psychic signature or something.

(Actually there is another possibility I can think of- sometime in one of the interseason time skips the Team or the League had become acquainted with a time traveler like Rip Hunter or someone, who can now reenter the story and recognize what's at work here. I think introducing a new character for this kind of plot point would be somewhat haphazard, but it seems like the League became aware of Darkseid offscreen between Invasion and Outsiders so who knows)

I might suggest the Adversary could be Element Lad [SPOILER] (the Kryptonite appeared to come out of nowhere; maybe he synthesized it himself?) [/SPOILER], but as I know nothing of the Legion, I don't know how appropriate that would be. (Did someone point out that this character has heat vision? I actually don't remember that)

Friendly CIA Spook
The cafeteria at Langley had pie today.

I thought sort of the same. So far in this season, every arc seems to have been pretty self-contained, having nothing much to do with the other arcs. And the best way to tell Connor's side of the story would be from his own perspective, and he already had one arc; I don't think they'd give him two at the expense of any other characters.

So I have some doubts that we'll get the resolution to that storyline in Phantoms.

On the other hand, the end of Zatanna's arc does tease more developments about Connor, which suggests they're not just putting that story on the backburner.

Friendly CIA Spook
The cafeteria at Langley had pie today.

I think it's pretty likely that'll get more time in the second half - the characters just found out Superboy is around in some form and needs help, and the Legion's bound to come into play when the heroes start trying to work out what they need to do and what the root problem even is. That said, I think the adversary is pretty likely to be a rogue Legionnaire - the 'our friend decided to upend time' is a more compelling emotional tie than 'one of our villains is doing something villainous', if you have to build in a motivation and personal stake for the time traveller trio beyond them being good people doing their jobs. And depending on the circumstances that might make a good parallel to whatever will happen with Mary, or Jason.

And really, this time in season 1 our heroes hadn't even fought the Injustice League. So I think there's plenty of time to build up the Legion, depending on how they want to handle it.

Karrin Blue
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I was thinking about the conversation from last week and I've spent a couple days pouring through the Legion's universe to try and find something that might clue us in on who the Adversary is and what he wants.

But the problem is that Saturn Girl's group and the Adversary have barely shown up at all this season and I'm hoping that changes in the next half or else the overarching plot hook that was set up back in season three's finale is going to feel a bit weak.

Matthew
When you return to your unobservable but empirically determined dimension of origin--tell them CARL SAGAN sent you.

First yet again.
Todd Jensen