Powerboy Supergirl's Abusive Boyfriend | Was He A Wasted Character?
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- čas přidán 19. 12. 2021
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Supergirl has had a variety of romantic interests pass through her world over at DC Comics. One such character was Power Boy. Power Boy was a blip in the DC Universe timeliness whose main contribution was as a horrible boyfriend for Kara. At the end of his storyline he was abruptly granted a complex backstory and interesting power set. Was his character a missed opportunity for other stories? Was the storyline as told handled well? Just why did he have a Power Girl chest window costume? We chat all that and more here on Casually Comics.
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Power Boy's name... should be Tim
On a serious note, I have no idea what to name him. Something beginning with a harsh consonant like D or K. Donald?
Kevin?
@@someoneimsure Kara "What's your name?"
Powerboy "Powerboy"
Kara "No your real name, like Kara or Kal-el"
Power Boy "Power Boy, I was an Apokalypse Orphan, wasn't ever given one, I was just guy who survived and Guy who hit harder"
Kara " Oh ... that's explains alot actually. Alright, how about Guy, Guy ... Powers, Guy Powers"
Power Boy "Guy Powers ... I love it, and You" Kara "Stop it"
Beau Zor and the power window
I'm just here for Sasha
Great to see you Sasha 😍 but is this connected to the other station or your own?? Happy holidays
Didn't realize Powerboy didn't have a actual name.
I shall dub him.. "Kyle", because he looks like he punches walls regularly.
I'll admit I was thinking Kyle too. But now I also wanna see Clark have a jerk of a cousin named Ky'el
@@charlottehelenschrockrober7082 I was going to call him "Ky-El", then thought "Wait, he's not Kryptonian, Daxamite or related to the House of El... Also he's from Apokolips, and names like "Scott" exist there lol
@@GenerationWest Ha! Had basically the same thought process when the name popped in my head too.
I say his name is Josh. There are not that many comic book characters named Josh. Unlike IRL where I know 6 Joshs. Josh Goodness? Josh Godfrey? To give him a connect to a Darkseid minion...
Came here to say this. Pleased to see someone else concurs.
Clearly Power Boy's name is "Chad."
... man, I can't argue with this.
I thought that was Nightwing's nickname.
@@dustinmaxwell259 Yeah, well, 63 people disagree with you (at the time of recording.)
Well you have a 4 day lead.
Chad Simper.
“Bold claim powerboy, you’re going up against the day her planet exploded”
That made me laugh so hard.
The easiest way to write around the "redeeming an abuser" storyline is have him try to get back together with supergirl while he is in the process of redeeming himself then have her reject him. You have to have her explicitly explain why them being together is not a good idea then have him respect that. You could even have him start to form a relationship with someone else but be afraid he will fall into the same habits. Also let Supergirl be angry with him; force him to live with her anger. His backstory is compelling and his powers somewhat unique I'd love to read more about him.
I like this idea. How does one go on living after doing awful things and _knowing_ that they were awful?
Thats not going to work. Nothing they did saved hank pym . Hes so associated with it that to be safe the mcu went with scot lang
@@BThings They get therapy sometimes
@@MM-hf6om Tbf, hank pym isn't as despised as he used to be. And it doesn't really help that he made Ultron too lol
Also helps that in the MCU, the abuser storyline was never touched upon.
If Power Boy can absorb emotion and then turn these emotions into constructs and blasts, and these emotions are colour coded, does that basically make him a human power ring?
Because then the implications would be huge. It would have been an incredibly interesting thing to have his creation linked to the Lantern Corps in some way. Imagine a story line where Powerboy is a the keystone to a complex secret history linking Apokalips, Krypton and Oa.
Or not, I'm just spit-balling here 🤷🏾♂️
Even more ways that he's wasted potential. A storyline like that sounds awesome.
That would be a great use for him. However, it would be a steep hill on which to carry his character for people to want him around. Everyone surrounding this story, from the writing to the art, just feels kinda gross.
Damn, that would be really cool. There are lot of possibilities for a character like that.
Facts g giving lil time
Would have been a far more interesting reveal to his absence to see him chained up a part of the Indigo Tribe, instead of , y'know, unceremoniously killed off by stupid Sons of Trigon. AKA make him a "Titans Red Shirt".
I was distraught by this character when he came out because my main character in the MMORPG I played/play in City of Heroes is PowerLad.
Yo you play City Of Heroes
I thought I was the only one… it was my first mmorpg
I love COH. Happiest thing this year is playing COH again.
@@briangressett902 where can I get “city of hero’s” and what is it?
A tiny sliver of hope has been glimpsed with the announcement of a possible Marvel MMO with some City of Heroes devs working on it.
If Powerboy can survive a giant pencil through his head, then he can probably survive being impaled on a tree.
But the DC creative team just didn't know what to do with him so they killed him off.
Power boy was a character they used for a specific storyline and once his role was over they had nothing to do with a character that most people hated.
I do find that a character named "boomer jr." Is in fact, a millenial, really funny, probably more then it should
I like the idea of his empath powers along with essentially being tortured/alien as an orphan making him unbalanced and not truly knowing the right way to approach healthy relationships as we see it. It wouldn't excuse his full physical abuse, I think it would give him a more tragic and relatable backstory that could potentially be grown from. It would be a total angsty perhaps whump kind of path that he could have (perhaps ultimately having to sacrifice most, if not all, of himself to kind of find balance/peace/understanding,) but I think it could been interesting, instead just making him a flat character like they did...
P.S. I do like his costume, but I'm more so a sucker for his hair 😉.
I love that Sasha was able find a top with a chest window for this video.
WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT TYPE OF TOP?
@@fbafoundationalbuck-broken6011 Keyhole sweaters are one name I know of
Sounds like they missed out on turning him into a reoccuring villain for her full of "we aren't so different you and I" speaches and him doing heinous things to make her a better person.
This. Lean into the Nice Guy angle.
An empath who is also a villain or at least an antagonist is something pretty unique. It could have been interesting to see how that could potentially go. I think there are ways to redeem characters like this; allow Super Girl to be angry but also give Powerboy the opportunity to respect a choice she makes. Too bad they didn't do more with these ideas.
not gonna lie after doing a breif read up on him id say that adressing his upbringing and how his empathic powers plays into his mental start would be a great way to bring him back while also adressing the whole supergirl situation while playing with the idea of how he is an empathic withless control over how the emotions he absorb affects him making him sway from calm and cool headed to irrational and hot-headed make him be the example of the cost and consequences of having empathetic powers on a scale of his and how it can blur not only the emotional lines of him and other characters but also how it can blurr the mental lines of both parties
They’re doing things with kryptonians in current comics and the talk about adopted families and expanding the house of El…maybe power boy could get a redeeming with this great concept maybe being around good people could help him realize he messed up and make a change for the better
This was so hard to read. Ever heard of a run-on sentence?
@@CovenantD bruh i dont know what your reading this on by i typed this on my phone while shitting
Supergirl has a lot of abusive boyfriends including her horse. You'd have to be more specific.
All kidding aside it is a reccuring thing her writers love to play with like how all women associated with Logan eventually die.
At least she never dated Lex Luthor, unlike Matrix Supergirl.
@@BrandonVout Are we certain she never dated Lex? Lots of pretty wacky stuff happened in the silver age. See Horse.
In the Modern Era she has both became one of Darkseid's Furies and a Red Lantern. So who's to say what she did in her bad girl phase?
@@godemperorcarlo please don’t put that image in my head
@@painvillegaming4119 which one specifically are you referring to? Hey not my fault Supergirl writers are weird.
As an aside I thought she looked pretty hot as a Fury of Darkseid. Wasn't a big fan of her Infected Look but the story was sound.
@@godemperorcarlo the story was good
And I am talking with the dating lex thing
Like why is that a thing
Dang, after watching this video I see why you said he's waisted potential. He has a nice backstory and his powers could easily be used as a reason why he's mentally unstable. I personally think people can change and should be given a second chance depending on what they did. Powerboy seems to only have been abusive once so he deserves a second chance
I do think he had a lot of potential, but after this, if they DO bring him back, I would hate if they have him and Supergirl be a thing again…ever 😭
@@scarletscreamqueen284 He doesn't have to be with her. He could honestly go through struggle before becoming a good person and hero. After that he could date someone
That whole JSA secion of DC was more of a mural of caricatures, than a way to tell good stories. Power Girl is like an icon, of specifically becoming a different person in order to grow up, in relation to Supergirl. It kinda makes sense there would be this storyline of Powerboy as an external representation of that. The same story can, and has been, pretty much told with PG and Psycho-Pirate, but this is the same myth from the angle of keeping Supergirl as her more adolescent self.
Not that I want to read this teenage drama shlock. Especially from the angle of, hey, we have a SUPERHUMAN who we need to prop up as yet another poor innocent girl, so let's create this retelling of how the MANS always ruin things for women. It absolutely makes sense though, and I like that when they do it with Power Girl with the empathetic aspect being completely internalized.
In some way Powerboy is the human representation of the boob window, the attitude that PG is just a pair of tits, which IS the reason she has the boob window, canonically. Very poorly executed and explained but that's what it boils down to, not having a role as a hero because immediately in the absence of a male hero, and villain to fridge the damsel, any story jsut becomes about how the man is always the next worst thing that happens to a woman. It can adn WILL come down to a story where the man is bad for leaving the toilet seat up. Even these emotional fits need these male caricatures like Psycho-Pirate or Powerboy to drive the point home in a way that wouldn't turn the audience off compeltely, it can never be jsut about a woman simply ahving a problem and fixing that problem, in and of herself, let alone as a hero doing it for others.
I'd use him again, either either supergirl or just in general. He seems like a fun charcter whose potential was wasted.
Not everyone from Apokalypse can be Mister Miracle's, Big Barda's and Orion's. Mistakes happen.
@@WannabeWryter Orion wasn't raised on apocalypse though he was raised with the new gods on New Genesis with highfather after him and darkseid exchanged children
I feel like his empath powers gave him an out in a way, if they had him get help dealing with his powers and such you can weave a story of redemption that starts with him blaming his powers and his up bringing and ends with him realizing that while they were a factor they aren't an excuse
I would have liked to see a more subtle abusive relationship, where Kara is caught between his good points, her father’s poor parenting, and other people liking him. It would provide long term relationship drama, the learning Earth together thing, and could be really interesting to clock his reaction to her assassin mission. If he’s from Apocalypse, I can see him being supportive of the kill Kal El mission, because who doesn’t get the odd assassination mission? His emotion powers would have been interesting to play with too.
They kinda did that with Matrix Supergirl and their relationship with Lex Luthor.
Oddly this isn't even Supergirl's only abusive boyfriend. She had one in a similar spot in the New 52 debut of the character, though iirc he was more the manipulative kind of abusive boyfriend.
Good ol' H'el. Reducing Supergirl to a gullable patsy.
Another wasted character, given he's basically Superman's adoptive brother (and the New 52's first attempt at Bizarro). (And technically another Kara incest moment, albeit not by blood, now that I think about it)
@@BrandonVout fanfiction have better love stories then main comic dc
@@painvillegaming4119 No arguments, there. That's true for almost any fandom.
@@BrandonVout comics have been disappointing for the last few years (with the exception of the new spawn comics )
So fanfiction being holding my love for dc and marvel even giving crossover may never get
So I am surprised how much of a bad rep fanfiction get and why is it present
Dang, Sasha's analyses are always so complete. Right when I am ready to add my thoughts, she mentions exactly what I am thinkings and more.
I hope you read this Sasha because I just want to say that you are incredible. I listen to other comic channels, and you are by far my favorite! I wish you nothing but youtube success, your quality of videos has earned it
Yep
Me: *theorizes brings a cool idea*
Sasha: *does that and more*
Me: guess i didn't really need to do that...
Funny that Hank Pym was defined by the time that he hitted Janet, but nobody talks about the time that Spiderman hitted MJ when she was pregnant or about the time that Cyclops abandoned his wife and baby son. Some stories have more impact than others, I think.
"Darkseid's interpretation of an earth superhero" is actually a really great character concept.
Poor Powerboy, doesn't he know that the way to a woman's heart is through Fashion Manniquins and custom busts of your love interest.
I've waited ages for you to cover this story. I was beginning to worry it would never happen.
Personally, I'm a fan of not throwing away old characters unless they're out of potential stories or there are more stories to tell from their death than life.
I have a similar outlook on redemption arcs. Redeem them if you've exhausted every avenue as a villain, or if their redemption and face turn would lead to better stories.
In Power Boy's case, there wasn't much left to do with him as an abusive superhero other than more of the same, but there was a lot to explore on the front of his powers giving him emotional instability and how untreated mental illness (and an abusive upbringing) can lead to someone becoming abusive to those they care for.
Comic writers give up too easily. I want writers to take everyone hating a character as a challenge.
My immediate thought of a way to bring Power Boy back would be to have his empathic abilities cause similar symptoms to BPD where he he doesnt feel like a normal person, everything is heightened (e.g: somone with BPD wouldnt feel happy, theyd feel estatic, they wouldnt feel annoyed, theyd jump straight to anger, or thats how family members who have BPD have explained it to me) it would give context to his actions without having to justify it, though tbf the trauma that undoubtedly comes from growing up on Apokolips would give enough context itself. Dude clearly also suffers from attachment issues which is something else that would need to be addressed. To end things on a lighter note, we all know that his costume doesnt have the same implications as Power Girl's, but putting him in a crop top and some tight booty shorts would have done the trick, and it wouldve been more similar to Kara's costume at the time, adding to the creepy factor.... Also guys look hot in crop tops and booty shorts😅🤣
Yeah they really framed it that perhaps his powers and his upbringing on Apocalypse had something to do with how he behaved. But they never used him again though, except just to kill him off in that teen titans book. Not all new gods can be Mr. Miracles and Big Barda's.
Heck, maybe that's where he's been all this time hiding with them because they get it.
It's hard to find the Supergirl wall of photos creepy, when we've seen many past characters, Superman included, with whole rooms with manikins dressed as Lois. This seems like a social norm in the DC universe.
And I dub Powerboy, Bob Schwartz! Nobody would respect or fear Bob, so he vowed to never reveal his true identity.
I definitely agree that making Powerboy abusive and then trying to explore him later could come off as "apologetic"; while people can change, I don't think most readers could buy it; I'd rather they have retconned him into obsessive but not yet at the point of being abusive, rather insecure and uncertain rather than aggressive--or just retcon the whole abusive arc. And I'm also questioning on why he was invited to join Titans East...
For a very long time, "Love at First Fight" was one of the very, very few comics I had. As a result, I've read it a whole bunch of times, and I've always wanted to know more about Powerboy! I remember reading once that he'd been killed off in a Titans comic, but other than that, I knew nothing beyond that one single issue of Supergirl. I always thought he was an interesting character, and this was a great way to learn more about him!
I’ve never heard of this character but I too am surprised by how compelling he is.
Personally I’d to see him come back as a villain for supergirl/superwoman.
I like the idea of him basically being a loyal spy for Darkseid but is SLIGHTLY conflicted because he does love being a hero and his dark twisted obsession with Supergirl.
I understand characters portrayed as heroes being abusive is very difficult to do realistically and responsibly, so it makes sense that it’s an area of storytelling that creators and companies avoid all together (Kevin Feige talked about this with Hank Pym).
I’m thinking if DC where to plan this out and have the right creative team they could have a really good villain (or hero if they want to go down that route).
I admit it’s easy for me, as a reader,to ask this since I’m not the one taking on any risk.
As usual AMAZING video Sasha!
I always look forward to your funny commentary and insightful analysis on comic books.
Is there any proper way to handle a comic book superhero who's a victim of domestic abuse (including male characters who are victims)? And if a hero can be redeemed after being an abuser themselves but truly changed their ways?
I believe Hank Pym could be an interesting study on that.
@@bigevil1001 True.
Not real therapeutic experience here, just how people tend to do this on other media. He should first have to be broken emotionally to understand he needs help. After that he would go through a whole process of self loathing, feeling he doesn´t deserve to be redeemed. Finally he would confront his past, AND DIE SACRIFICING HIMSELF TO SAVE OTHERS. (yeah, this is usually how they do it)
@@bigevil1001 It would be cool if Sasha did a video on him just to see how people viewed him then and now.
I think a core problem with handling domestic abuse in a superhero story is that ... well, these characters get beaten up A LOT. Violence far more extreme than anything Powerboy did happens to them on a regular basis, with no apparent lasting consequences. And not just from villains they fight; superheroes get into fistfights with each other all the time, and go right back to being friends afterwards.
This is a world where people hitting each other just isn't as big a deal as it is in real life, which makes a realistic depiction of an abusive relationship feel off.
"I need a adult."
I am a adult.
Thwarting my plans?
I feel like a redemption for power boy could've been done given its even been done for joker and that redemptions for characters who've done all sorts of other worse things than power boy.
Indeed,Jason Todd Red Hood, Harley Quinn, Clayface and (if I even get to write for DC) SuperboyPrime. He never was evil, just crazy people have done worse and he's a cool design.
I love how you play both roles of being an ardent comic book fan, ready to go with the tidal pull of a story as well as able to step back and see this in context with the character and comics as a genre.
The only way I could see any redemption for him is therapy, staying abstinent and just being a team player. No leadership. And to get rid of his supergirl wall or whatever. Have him struggle with never recieving forgiveness. Honestly if Hercules in DC can be redeemed so can Power Boy
If I remember correctly, DC was in another one of their on again, off again legal battles with the Schuster family over ownership of superboy. Powerboy seemed like he was being prepped as a replacement in case they lost ownership of superboy.
Maybe when they decided they still had superboy, they could get rid of powerboy with the abuse storyline.
Clearly Sasha thinks about these characters more than their creators ever did.
I feel like Power Boy could be...well, not redeemed so much, but made better if they retroactively delved into his empathic abilities being hard to control and overwhelming him. Like not only his feelings but the feelings of those around him cause his emotions to run high. So he still abused Supergirl, he's still a guy who lusts after women, but it's tied to powers he can't control so it's at least slightly more tragic. Bring him back for a Teen Titans arc and have Raven begrudgingly say she can understand why he would be overwhelmed or something.
"Bold claim Power boy, you're going up against the day her planet exploded"
That one really got me 🤣
His story reminds me a little of the story arc of Dream Girl and Atmos of the Legion. Atmos was completely irredeemable after his manipulation of Nura.
That was the DC era of creating new characters (many of them teens) then using them for canon fodder. Killing them off (many Titans and infinity Inc), making the them a heel (Bombshell) or letting them simply fade away and never be spoken of again (Talon the Anti-Robin). Heck, Lex created a slew of new heroes simply to kill them all in the next panel.
powerboy is basically a creepy superboy, that was made to replace conner after he died. Now that I think about it, It would be cool to have superboy and powerboy meet, and have them become friends, without superboy knowing he was stalking supergirl, and build up tension that way. Maybe superboy could help redeem him, and find his place in the world.
The thing is I think it is possible to write compelling and well done abuser redemption stories see what they did with the character of Endeavor in the anime/manga My hero Academia, however the issue with doing this in serialized comics is that with different writer and artist taking over many of the themes and they way the character was presented in said redemption arcs can be ignored, retconned or abandoned which makes it difficult for a character to ever escape that stigma..which for the most part is what has happened with Hank Pym
Endeavor was a terrible redemption though
Thank you for the video.
I´ve always wondered about the character. As for the chest window on him it works. Precisely because of the chest hair. The chest window in Power Girl is unique for obvious reasons and will always make her stand out. If they were going to do the same thing with a man if he didn´t have chest hair there wasn´t any point to it.
I also like the idea of him being from Apokolips and how his powers weren´t a copy of Power Girl´s.
As for the character itself I agree that he had potential any way they´d wanted him to go: a true superhero, a villain, an actual abuser that has to live with that struggle, that the emotions/powers are what make him behave the way he does... Now I´m also wondering why the sudden change and death of the character.
PS
So, Geoff Johns created the character just because for that panel or did he have any say on how he was developed?
PS1
If there´s Supermam Superboy, Supergirl and Power Girl I´m sure DC can use Power Boy. And I bet he´d return at some point. However, because of the way it was handled I´m willing to bet that he´d be a villain.
Honestly, as far as handling the aftermath, I dislike that in certain cases there are irredeemable lines that can't be crossed for "some" things. So long as after his whupping he was shown as wanting to change, and maintaining distance before only coming back to be just a friend, I think it could have been done. Do it tasteful, don't go for the goal of "the way things were" because he should know he doesn't get to choose that, and then I think a character like that could be savable. Obviously that's not the way they went, and for people that have experienced abuse, they likely don't want to see it, but I come from a place not having experienced that, but knowing that people that realize and accept that they have done wrong can want to change. I dunno, it's a fine line to walk that kind of arc, and I'm not sure that there's a writer at that time or current that has the chops to do it right, and the social climate right now I doubt would ever be accepting of it.
Why would Kara want to be friends with her abuser? He physically assaulted her! She doesn't need to have her violation fridged to further the storyline of yet another male character. If his path is redemption he can do it without her.
I definitely agree that this character is full of untapped potential, his powers and upbringing could easily explain why he is how he is. They could’ve let Supergirl have her power moment, then give Powerboy some time away and possibly use it to cover depression and redemption
As I said before, I feel like this character deserves a rebooting and/or a come back. 1. He's cool looking 😎 and attractive. 2. Despite being abusive, he was still doing the superhero thing before and after the Supergirl situation so he was less "evil" more "crazy" 3. Considering he was an Orphan raised on Apokalypse (Darksied's Hellworld) who didn't even have a real name, aside from Power Boy, he could have turned out worse (they can't all be Mister Miracle's and Big Barda's) 4. He was really just swept under the rug after this. 5. I either want a retcon or a scene where either Clark, Diana or Connor find out about their "relationship" or atleast he's threatened with that as a "If you ever do that again, it won't just be me you have to deal with". What do you think?
Why are the hot ones always crazy 🤪? Bring him back just for more art I say, even if it's as a villain.
Superman would turn him into a Red and Black stain on the moon.
@@amaristudent9456 connor would donut him.
@@projekttaku1 never heard that saying before but I assume it's means, put a hole through?
@@amaristudent9456 its when you punch a hole through somebody.
The crack about Batman’s privacy levels is both side split-tingly funny and story level accurate. I imagine he was around the corner before she flew him into space….
So about this Powerboy arc. I think something occurred behind the scenes. Because #14 (i.e. the one that has Kara take on EVIL Cass) was supposed to occur an issue or two prior (hence the fill-in artist), but it was resolicited to #14.
I remember this due to the fact we had so much evil Cass in early 2007 due to DC rushing to fully explain the "evil turn" while also putting any lingering appearances there.
It's an interesting conundrum; how to recognize that you are in the throes of an abuser and how you get out of it is a storyline that needs to be told. I am not sure Supergirl is the hero that needs to deal with that; either because of her alien viewpoint or because Kara is so powerful that it might seem less plausible (or the idea that someone so powerful is also ...vulnerable to gaslighting could be depressing to some). Not everyone has physical invulnerability or super strength to deal with an abuser. Is there a run of comics somewhere that I missed that detail how Harley Quinn actually gets away from the Joker, or is it more of a matter of him not really wanting to be with her all along?
I BURST OUT laughing at “Batman’s idea of ‘space’ is moving the secret camera in your house to another room” 😭👌🏽😂✨
I vaguely recall these issues and I think my biggest thoughts at the time was 'well, that pivoted quickly.' Its part of why I ended up dropping Supergirl. The art was good but even with good writers, it was like they didn't know what to do with her and kept throwing darts at the wall to see what could work and not really giving them a chance to grow past an issue or three.
Good news he is back again as a picture on a superhero dating site in a Fire and Ice story I think.
First off...Sasha, I love your hair. (Just had to put that out there.)
Secondly, Powerboy was an amazing wasted character. His origin was very interesting with lots of room for growth. A slave of Apocalypse, altered and trained for power and infiltration. His abusive nature was awful but understandable because of his upbringing. DC could have used him for years. A pretend hero who turns into a villian and maybe leads an army from Apocalypse only to later redeem himself.
They could have gone the route of being a full villain that blames Kara for the things he does and how he feels. You know, like abusers do. There was a time when Supergirl was filled with rage, he could claim that it was her rage that made him mad instead of accepting that he's the one in control of his emotions.
I would love for him to return and for him to be fleshed out into a more complex character besides it'd be interesting if Kara was in a toxic relationship with many gray layers to it.
I appreciate the window in YOUR attire for this video. really nice little tidbit.
Yes, a huge opportunity. The restraining order nemesis. Appears out of nowhere to help her, but Kara has to worry he'll kill whoever she's fighting to end the conflict, and it's a matter of time before he wants to "fix" Kara.
Really love how you coordinated your top with the topic at hand.
Going to watch this soon....I love the videos you make of Supergirl. There is so much more that can be done with her character! Merry Christmas Sasha.
I would've expected him to just be Superboy from Power Girl's universe; a Kryptonian.
"I'm an empath"...no one who has ever said this sincerely has ever had good intentions
Honestly, the most I remembered powerboy is as a potential name for Conner kent Superboy to take over and redeem should he want to graduate to the mantle. Mirroring Powergirl's journey out of the shadow of superman.
Though now that I've seen this I think the character maybe should have some space to return to, rather than just being a creepy abusive ass.
Great breakdown. Personally, I think this comic breaks apart at the end of the run, where the author LITERALLY WRITES A JUSTIFICATION for why Supergirl was depicted this way. (By the way it you have to explain a joke, it's not funny).
So, I think Powerboy would be an intersection foil for Kara in future comics.
What about his dog? What of Kirby?
As for fixing him, aside from a full retcon where this story never happened, there are options.
One would be something where he was programmed by Darkseid to self sabotage any deep relationships that might interfere with his loyalty If he formed any deep connections beyond friendship.
Or, make it a dangerous side effect of his empathy - his level of control was inadequate for dealing with Kara - they're emotional states feeding on each other and triggering his obsessive behavior for someone that runs on emotion, the lust, love, and protective reactions could well be addictive to someone that grew up on Apokolips and likely never experienced it.
It doesn't excuse his actions, but, unlike most stories where there's an abuser, it does provide a reason for it and a path to dealing with it besides jailing, killing or beating the crap out of the abuser. You can do (well two) of those things AND do something where you pair him up with someone with (comparatively) excellent emotional control, like Martian Manhunter. You also make sure both Powerboy and Supergirl are fully aware of the problem. They can be uneasy about it, know that they can't be a thing, but deal with it in a way that doesn't make him disposable. I'm sure that can be done in a way that doesn't turn out to be Hancock.
Perhaps exploring cycles of abuse and how they make interpersonal relationships toxic and complicated is not well-suited to universes where you are either Good *or* Evil and all problems can and must be solved with violence.
He could be turned into such a cool anti hero or something, he has a lot of potential. Those powers are cool asf and could make for a lot of interesting conversation about him and his actions. Like whether or not they are truly his own, or if his insane upbringing combined with unstable-chaotic powers, and being basically still a kid are more to blame. THE POSSIBILITIES! 😩😩😩
Love this vid, but I have to admit, the more stuff I see and read about this era (the Loeb/Kelly Superman era), the more I have little to no desire to experience it more fully firsthand. There's some wonderful stories from the era, particularly things like What's so Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way, but there was also a lot of really slapped together things - the extreme edginess and horniness/frat boy mentality that so many creators (from Bendis to Millar) felt they needed to emulate to be "cool", the attempts to put in older era (pre-Crisis) powers and backstories and elements that Crisis had erased for a more serious and streamlined worldbuilding - that just make it not fit in my head or heart.
This is just a good breakdown. You just do such a good job. This has quickly become the best comic channel on CZcams.
Lovely video, but don't think i didn't see you rocking your own little chest window. I appreciate your commitment to the bit. Love your content and I'm always excited to see another of your videos pop up :)
When stressed with finals I was just rewatching your videos on Powergirl and Jessica Drew
I mentioned this in the community teaser but as a teen I created a superhero called Powerboy, my first original superhero. (Though his power set changed over time to what it is in my head today, evolving out of typical Superman set to more gravitational powers. Naturally he was, and still is in my head, a teenage superhero.) It wouldn't be the first time the name of a character or team I came up with would get snagged. However, given that Supergirl was my first superheroine crush (sorry, Diana, but you have plenty) and seeing that they used the name of my first superhero (not that they knew) into Kara's abuse boyfriend/stalker made me mad. Even now I'm still disappointed.
Short and sweet,,,,,, good job,,, 👍
"Batman's idea of space is moving the secret camera in your house to another room but still leaving the microphone in the first room." LMAO *Flawless*
Powerboy had a Supergirl shrine room the same way Lex Luthor used to have them for Louis!
I love that you've covered this story. I love this Supergirl arch
Well, when he first showed up in Supergirl, he acted like a nicer version of Kon-El in Reign of the Supermen. He had the cockiness, the show boaty attention addict style but it was colored in a happy tone. Unlike Kon-El's early arrogance and entitlement which began to change with the return of the real Superman(when he called himself Superboy for the first time).
I would like to see a different take on Powerboy if they do a reboot on him. Literally make him the PowerBoy to an AU PowerWoman. E.g: what if Kara Zor-El was the parental figure for Kal-El like she was supposed to be in the last two reboots?
We could see a rebellious PowerBoy coming to the mainstream DCU just to get away from his authoritarean elder cousin, corporate mogul & iconic superhero PowerWoman. There wouldn't be an icky, incestous romance between him & Supergirl. Just a friendship born of their similiar life circumstances(assuming that this is a teenage Supergirl).
Poor Kara! Her love life track record is abysmal! Power Boy is making Kara's relationship with Comet The Superhorse look really good right now.
What a waste of a character. Hopefully they can reboot him and start again.
That Batman "space" joke had me laughing for a minute straight 😂
How to bring back Powerboy: There's another one on an alternate Earth who's looks the same and has the same powers and same costume and everything, but is the opposite personality of this Powerboy. Whereas this Powerboy was abusive, the alternate Earth Powerboy is nurturing. Whereas this Powerboy is obsessive and controlling, the alternate Earth Powerboy is real "chill" and easygoing, who values the freedom and respects the personal space of those whom he dates. Whereas this Powerboy is inclined towards fits of rage, alternate Earth Powerboy is so cool, next-to-nothing upsets him, he just smiles and looks on the bright side. Whereas this Powerboy is arrogant, alternate Earth Powerboy is very humble and kind. Then, when he comes to reside on Supergirl's Earth, the story can be about how she struggles with her past feelings regarding the original Powerboy, since he looks identical to the one who abused her. How will she be able to separate her feelings, knowing, intellectually, that 'this' alternate Powerboy is not "that" Powerboy who stalked and abused her, and yet, being unable to stop experiencing those same emotions of betrayal and mistrust every time she sees him? How can she learn to "trust" the alternate Powerboy, when the first Powerboy seemed like a cool dude too, and yet look how that ended up? [The reason I propose this, is because the one aspect of him everyone seems to agree that they LIKE about Powerboy is how he looks. It's just HIM they don't like, even as they concede that he looks really great. So, let's just create a new Powerboy who looks totally identical but who has none of the repellent attributes that people detest about him.]
I don't think the arrogance is that bad and so the alternate still could have it. True, there's a lot of cocky, arrogant heroes, but it's an understandable flaw to have and one that would make sense for Darkseid to want instilled in him.
The overall concept is good though, allowing us to still have the design, the powers, and the backstory. I would though instead have his personality be like how he first presented himself: a bit cocky, little self-conceited, and enjoying using his powers, but caring, a bit dorky, and heroic. That would give Supergirl even more reason to distrust this alternate Powerboy and perhaps wonder if he's actually from a different universe.
Where he acts different though is how he reacts to her anger and mistrust, and to anyone else in the know. Certainly with his training regiment under Darkseid, Darkseid wouldn't want Powerboy to lash back at him and so would punish him, leading potentially to Powerboy becoming fearful anytime he realizes he or anyone else nearby is feeling angry and so panicking, showing he's ultimately different through a different reaction to the trauma he underwent under Darkseid. Might not be helped if he was actually saved by Supergirl in the other universe and so fell in love, but that Supergirl died and he's been thrown into this new universe where the woman he loved now hates the very sight of him. That I believe could lead to some interesting avenues, especially since he doesn't want to be thrown out of the superhero community because it's still the kindest he's ever been treated.
Also, he has to gain a name. Darkseid never gave him a name other than Powerboy.
Okay, I subscribed. I’m very hesitant with comic book CZcamsrs because I feel too many of them sort of fall down the “doing this because movies” demographic. But I’ve seen enough of your videos to really enjoy your perspective and hear about stuff I haven’t even heard about in the realm of comics. Looking forward to more videos!
Somehow Powerboy's wall is less creepy than all of the Lois shrine rooms.
poor Owen... and Geoff Johns will character assassinate him just to justify bringing Digger back when DC decides to revive Barry and completely break the Flash family... #JusticeForOwen what were we talking about
Thanks!!
Your content on supergirl is always the most entertaining stuff on this Plattform!
I even got this run but haven't read it already, but watching the video was worth the spoilers!
I also would love to see a video about cyclops from you, since you mentioned some crazy things about him in stream xD
Theese weird storys or silver age goofiness mixed with your great passion and humor makes for super entertaining content! So thanks!
PS. Not my native language so hope my grammar doesn't suck to much😅
Cheers
Truly epic comic-book crack. A very fun breakdown...I'd missed this run. Love what you do and the way you do it :)
When I was into the Titans and LOSH, itspeedy. bugged me that all these "teenagers" look so embarrassingly overdeveloped. It Gar and Terra in Perez' Titans run were close, till her heel turn with Deathstroke turned it so skeevy.
That said, you're absolutely right...there were great possibilities in exploring Kara being truly in love with Power Boy framed as an someone raised on Apocalypse in a culture where abuse is a cultural norm. I think maybe you should be writing this stuff.
LOL at the bit about Batman's idea of giving you space being to move the cc camera in your place to another room, but keep the microphone on
Zayin the Passionate. You could have make his powers cause him to isolate himself for the sake of others but it be a double-edged sword because he craves connections and is fierce his defense of those who he cares about. He meditates to control his powers balance his mind they are more of a curse. It could also lead to an eventual and potentially powerful (if handled tactfully) self-destruction storyline where he may or may not end himself. Heck, you could have him encounter multiverse versions of him that can help or (more likely) hurt his mental health.
He was a sacrifice upon the altar of character building, unlike writers of today, writers in the 2000s actually introduced elements that lead to characters developing the inner strength needed to overcome bad situations. Nobody just wakes up woke unless they are trend-chasing. Kara eventually realized that her hot stud boyfriend was a Grade A sociopath and a controlling jerk, and kicked the shit out of him. Girl Power done right in my honest opinion.
4:02 i can not be the only one who is like "who the are half of these guys"
All my questions have been answered by this video.
I had the 13th issue when I was a kid and thought that they were cute, so when I started reading this Supergirl run last year I was pleasantly surprised to see this is where is happened and then was highly disappointed when I saw that he was going to be an abusive bf
I just kept reading uncomfortably and then his Apokolips backstory came in and it just… had something that appealed to me and I just wanted to see more of him explored, but when I did a little digging and saw that he was killed I felt that it was a shame
On another hand, when reading I did feel like the pacing was odd and it was going way too fast but was relieved to see that they were getting over it quickly because of the alarm bells that it made me ring
Still, if they had gone the “sometimes people get together and make for a bad environment” I would have loved to see that
Excellent analysis, you should totally write your own comic someday. I like the Supergirl videos (preferably when she is the main focus of the video). Thank you for the video.
as a teen, for some reason that page where Powerboy is impaled on the tree really stuck with me, that whole Titans East issue really threw me for a loop, it was such a good one off, didn't see it coming
Oh man this is bringing back memories of early adulthood loved this run for the art and just the whole post infinite crisis vibe of heroes.
Are you going to do the New 52 Supergirl? I was resistant to liking it but I ended up really enjoying the run. It ultimately had the same problem this one did though, the writers never figured out how Supergirl fit in.
Is there a animated movie or show?
A better follow up would be that he realises he can't be around other people because it's their emotions that drive him crazy so he tries to isolate himself so he can insulate from other people's emotions but people keep coming after him. His power being a curse.
I was recently reading a fanfic that referenced this exact story arc. Nice to see where it came from.
1. I found the abuse scenario interesting, but 2. I would've been intrigued to see where things went with him without it, 3. I 'm happy that we still have Jed Rikane
I don’t remember Power Boy , but I remember Boomer Jr. I recall liking him and his ambiguous thing with Kara. Didn’t they kill him off? Is he still canon?
Considering his father is currently captain boomerang probably not
He is apparently still Canon in that he exists but He was killed off in Blackest night in one of the most blatant Character assassinations by Geoff Johns
I don't like him either he killed a three year old for no good reason.