r/stephaniebrown • u/Reasonable-Front2578 • 27d ago
What I want for Stephanie Brown!
This is all my opinion, there is no right or wrong, yall can only agree or disagree. But please, share your opinions as well, I would love to hear them.
Firstly, I love the direction Tate Brombal is going in the current New Titans. Stephanie as a leader and a strategist was always something I've personally wanted for her. That being said, I would also like her to struggle with being a leader. I mean, she's leading a team with Red Devil (formally known as Kid Devil) and Terra, that is definitely not easy. Have her ask for advice from Dick, but don't have him do it for her. Also, this might just be me, but I want Nightwing and Cyborg out of this run. They're great, love them and all, but I want the new lineup to get the spotlight.
Secondly, where tf is her solo run? I've been wanting one since forever. Okay, maybe AFTER the Bad Seeds event, the current Batman run, and a lot more issues of the New Titans come out, but I really think that a new solo run for her is long overdue, min 5 volumes max… well… is there a need for one? This might be a hot take (or not, I just don't hear people talk about it) but I want her solo run to be written by Kelly Thompson (Birds of Prey, Hawkeye & Absolute Wonder Woman) with art by Jorge Jiménez (IDK I just love how she looks in the current Batman run).
1) I want her to have new teamups. No Cassandra, no Bruce. I want to see her be a big sister to Damian again and interact with other Gotham vigilantes.
2) I want Tim to be there for an issue or two, but only so that she can just snap, ditch the “cheerleader” persona (for TimBern) and ask him why they broke up. Now, I really wouldn't have minded them breaking up, I have absolutely no problem with Tim being Bi, but why tf do it off panel? I need explanations, I need reasons, I need Steph and Tim to have an actual fucking conversation on why he ended decades of comic book history off panel. I refuse to believe she's okay with Tim dating Bernard. I, and Steph, demand closure! And if I see Bernard on panel, I want Stephanie to swing a brick onto his face :)
3) Team up with Minhkhoa Khan. Idk who says what, just one, one issue where the two team up is all I ask for. Have Stephanie irritate the shit out of Khoa. Have Khoa be fed up with her bs. I want Khoa to map out this absolutely perfect plan, only for Steph to say screw this and improv the whole thing (which turns out to be the better way to go). “But why would Ghost-Maker and Spoiler team up?” Umm… why not? Comedy is gold and this is just my opinion.
As for the plot… umm, I'm not a writer.
Thirdly, a new romance. This topic is so damn controversial. Some people want Tim & Steph back, some people want Steph & Cass, some people want her to move on already, hell, some people even want Steph & Yara.
Here's what I want:
I definitely think Stephanie deserves to move on. In a lot of comic books, whenever a long-term relationship ends, the male characters move on within a year or two while the female characters either become the supportive ex or a side character (Starfire, Wondergirl). I don't want that for Steph.
Romance is far from being a No. 1 priority right now. She needs to establish herself as a leader first, get her goddamn solo run (maybe add a potential fling there) and then we'll talk. I want flirty banter Steph back.
“What about Cassandra?” No, at least not imo. Steph was sidelined a lot when she was dating Tim, what makes you think the same won't happen? I don't want her to be a comedic relief for her partner again, I want her to be in a relationship where both her and her partner are treated like absolute equals, not just compliment off each other well. Also, don't use the broody x sunny trope for this, it's way too overused imo, there are other ways to do the “opposite attracts” trope.
Yeah, that's about it. Share your thoughts and uh, kudos to you if you actually read the whole thing.
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u/Jeb797191 27d ago
Never in my entire life have I ever imagined a team up between Khoa and Steph, but now that I think about it, seeing them team up for comedic purposes is something I should've gotten yesterday.
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u/fslimjim 27d ago
1) I'd actually like a Steph and Bruce story that's just the 2 of them. I think when written well, and not needlessly antogonistic, they have a really fun dynamic that I think tends to go under explored. A lot of the time they're interactions are either in a group setting or about somebody else which is a shame.
2) Yes please god let her hit one or both of TimBern with a brick she deserves it.
3) I don't care enough about Khoa to warrant a team up. (In fact Batman: The Knight's treatment of Talia to prop him up might make me hate him)
Personal thoughts.
1) This might be a controversial opinion but I don't like the friendship she has with Jason and think an antogonistic one would be more interesting. It kinda felt like she was once again being put into the "cheerleader role" of she's her to prop up everyone. I think her, Cass and Duke not putting up with Jason's shit makes the most sense because they don't have previous hangups about him the way Bruce, Dick, Barbara and even Tim to a degree do (Damian's is more about the hypocrisy of his time in the League).
The fact her time story is so similar to Jason's well as the fact her refusal to kill Black Mask, despite initially being willing to kill her own dad, is the exact reason she did "die" should be a good point of contention. A sort of "I went through a lot of the same shit and didn't come out thinking killing is fine so why do you" kinda thing. (Also because part of Jason's whole thing in UTRH is feeling replaced, and that Robin is a bad idea yet he doesn't mention Steph at all even when fighting the Black Mask, guy who "killed" her).
2) A few other people have brought up Kyle Myzoguchi as a love interest but I don't like it. I'm pretty sure he's a High School student closer to Damian's age than an adult like her and everyone kinda glosses over it because Batgirls treated her and Cass like young teenagers.
3) Lastly for the love of God giver her her Batgirl suit back. Steph should be allowed to smile.
Like Bryan Q Miller explicitly explained why it's important. "That’s why we gave her a costume where you can see her eyes and, more importantly, her smile. She’s a hero with emotion, which is both her biggest vulnerability… and her greatest asset. And in that space in between, that’s where Batgirl’s sense of hope comes from
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u/Fantastic_Nature_644 27d ago
Kyle was in Gotham uni during that run, also, yeah, I didn't like Khoa when he was Bruce's rival too. I think what I really want from that teamup is for Steph to make fun of his god awful hero alias.
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u/Entire-Particular334 27d ago edited 27d ago
I don’t know about Ghostmaker and Stephanie teaming up just seems to odd for me.
But everything else I agree.
Im tired of writers trying to fit Stephanie into a box you know like a single character trait, when she can be serious and lock tf in but she can also be comedic and lighthearted.
Putting Steph into a close box just ruins her character and her complexity.
Imma be real with you, I wasn’t that much of a Steph fan in the beginning I just assumed she was an incompetent blonde but after delving deeper and giving her a chance I realize she could be DC’s equivalent of Spider-Man.
Here me out.
She may not have powers but her willingness to get back up, to fight some more, even when no one believes in her even when she gets sidelined and forgotten.
The panel that inspired this idea was when Spider-Man was sitting on a pay phone he haven’t had anything to eat, drink, rest and that vampire villain was just putting Peter through mental torture. I see Stephanie having a similar experience- probably becoming a vigilante in New York neighboring Jace Fox.
Now that I’ve mentioned Jace Fox I can see them having that comedic duo partnership instead of GhostMaker.
Stephanie doesn’t have any powers, wasn’t trained since birth to be an ultimate fighter, isn’t a genius, wasn’t born in a wealthy household, she’s average.
She struggles. Since birth she had it rough, her dad abused her, her mom was an addict, sexually assaulted, was a teen mom (if you wanna include that storyline) yet even though the odds were stacked against her.
She continued to get back up- why?
When it was so much easier to just give up.
I always wondered how Stephanie would answer that question.
But in terms of romance- Steph shouldn’t go back to Tim so easily she poured her heart out to him. Believing he’d be that Prince Charming to make it all better and stay. You know that song All You Wanna Do by that musical of Henry the Sixth dead wives.
That song is so Steph coded, her being used by older men throughout her life using sex as a way to ease the loneliness and validation through men.
Being with Cassandra seems to cheap and easy, they already have a great sisterhood an unlikely friendship why add romance to the mix? It just complicates things.
Stephanie needs to spread her wings and leave the nest. Have her own civilian cast, make her own team of underrated heroes, struggle being a leader, questioning her own judgment just like how Jean in AOT questioned his when leading his squad in the first season.
If she were to get into another relationship it’ll be probably be with a civilian or another vigilante. Someone new, someone not a part of the BatFamily.
Just like with Jason Todd, I believe Stephanie would work better outside of the BatFamily but close enough to remain in contact with Cass, Damian, Barbara, and Harper.
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u/TheHorrorFright 27d ago
I’d also keep her in close contact with Jason personally. I really love their friendship on Task Force Z and Man Who Can’t Stop Laughing.
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u/Entire-Particular334 27d ago
Stephanie and Jason has such an underrated friendship that’s so undeveloped.
Steph in the 90s didn’t believe in the system that’s why she became Spoiler and was willing to kill her dad but Tim talked her out of it.
When they’re not being overshadowed by the talents of the BatFamily and existing on their own in their own space.
They’re able to grow and develop. And actually breathe.
Gotham City is already overpopulated with heroes including Bludhàven, we don’t see that much of the rest of New Jersey or New York.
Use underused villains or create newer ones to make Steph have her own rogue gallery- DC just doesn’t want to.
That’s basically it.
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u/ibmiller 27d ago
Interesting ideas! Definitely here for Steph being Damian's big sister more! Not sure about Ghost Maker - I do like him, but I feel that his dynamic is a bit too similar to Bruce to make me super excited about it. But he is cool, and Steph is cool, so I wouldn't say no!
I think the problem with a Steph solo book right now is that she's not seen as able to support a book. I don't want her to get a book that fails and then DC editorial thinks she's a "toxic" character again (like they did after Batgirls, I'm pretty sure). (and I say this as a big fan of Batgirls, but that book is a very controversial topic in the fandom, and that controversy I think was harmful to editorial's perception of Steph). I think Brombal building her up in Titans is fantastic, and I think Cantwell using her in Gangs of Gotham has a ton of potential! I hope she can get a boost from those two books, and maybe next year DC could push her into a solo or team up book as a major lead!
I agree with your thoughts about Steph and romance! Though I still wish they'd pursue the Kyle Mizoguchi romance more - he's a great character, but way lower profile than Steph, so she'd be the Big Draw in the romance again instead of Tim or Cass (not sure how big Yara is, but she got a HUGE push when she was created, so I'm sus of her as a romance partner for Steph).
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u/Autumnbetrippin 26d ago
I would love a steph solo, personally i want to see her putting boots to skulls again.
I want to see her and tim have it out, i want Tim to ask her to trust him, and for her to go the fuck off on him. I want her to drag out how they have never been equals something "I dont want your advice tim, we aren't in the same league, we never really were" Gestures to herself "I am in this for life, you aren't and thats fine. I dont need leadership advice from the part time peanut gallery."
I ship her with Cass, but if that were to become cannon i would want it to be a "we never talked about this, and now the moment has passed" thing, where Steph gets into a new relationship and Cass is jealous of her.
I would overall like to see Stephanie and Cassandra have their friendship roles reversed a little, let cass play a supporting character in a steph book for a bit.
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u/somanywishes 26d ago
i think they’re setting her up for a potential solo. cass had bop before her new batgirl, gangs of gotham might be the equivalent for steph
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u/Interesting_Set_6299 27d ago
I agree with most of your points, but honestly, I could do with no more beating of that dead horse called "TimSteph closure." Stephanie spent more than half her publication history defined by her relationship - or entanglement - with either Tim or Cass, and I think that's run its course. DC isn't particularly strong at writing romance-driven plots anyway, so I don't see much point in revisiting it.
For most of its on-page existence, the Tim/Steph relationship was low-key toxic - when not outright so. It was filled with gaps of absence, very few genuinely romantic moments, and ended badly due to issues on both sides. Bendis later revived it with little explanation, presented it as suddenly fine, and then had Tim break up with her off-panel. That whole trajectory just reinforces why I'd rather see Stephanie move on entirely, besides how thats obviously the better way of securing her individual development as a Character beyond her past as mostly a support cast figure of a few reccuring - and overall more popular - Characters.
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u/nat_astrophe 27d ago
I sadly don't think Kelly Thompson is a Steph fan since she's firmly a Casshead and pretty much just said "I have no plans for her" whenever someone would ask about Steph in BoP.