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starry-bi-sky · 4 months

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Ugh im writing this on mobile but i’ve been thinking about it nonstop for an hour and I’m just- mmmmm thinking about Clone Danny and his wardrobe choice as Phantom. Cuz like, he doesn’t have any powers, right? He has no built-in secret identity and suit that he can change into in a flash of blinding circular light. If a ghost shows up he’s just got what he’s got on, and whatever he has in his bag.

And I’m just. I have a lot of thoughts about him and his canon self, thoughts that i dont think i can all fit on my phone and im. Thinking about the dichotomy between him and his canon counterpart. From an in-universe perspective, the halfa Danny Phantom looks remarkably human-like. Especially compared to the ghosts he fights, all of whom are unnatural colors, shapes, and sizes. From flaming hair to glowing eyes and pointed claws, there’s nothing about them that doesn’t scream “ghost!” “Inhuman!” “Unnatural!”

And then you look at Danny Phantom, the ghost boy fighting them. And he just… looks like a glowing human boy. The only unnatural thing about him is his white hair and green eyes - and green eyes is a natural human color. Maybe not the shade it’s in, but it occurs in human genetics. He’s about as close to human as he can get.

Think about that from an in-universe perspective, and then think about it with the idea that ghosts take pride in their ‘ghostly’ look. They pride themselves on looking scary; unnatural; inhuman. It’s a showcase of being unique, of their own individuality, of their interests and wants. Looking ‘scary’ is part of ghost culture, and if not scary, then unique and ‘inhuman’. They don’t want to fit in, they want to stand out.

And you look at Danny Phantom, as his canon self without any of the fanon customizations, and he’s none of that. He’s about as human-looking as a ghost can get. He’s got human-like skin, hell he’s even tanner than he is as a human! His hair is normal, his eyes are green but normal, his hands? Soft and round, not a claw in sight, and his teeth are blunt and ears are round.

His suit is all black, it doesn’t even tell you anything about him other than he probably died in a lab accident, and he looks like he’s straight out of a b-rate comic book. There’s no story to tell about him, he’s a book with the pages all blacked out in ink.

His name, if you take it as him only calling himself “Phantom” isn’t even all that unique. It’s a generic ghost term that you can find by googling ‘ghost’ and looking at its synonyms.

And then look at his behavior: yeah he fights ghosts, and fighting is all about ghost behavior. Its one of their social activities- but its clear from Phantom that he’s not being social. He’s being aggressive, he’s doing it for the sake of the living (which while fair, doesn’t make him look good in the context of everything else). Then he comes into the ghost zone, he doesn’t do much to integrate himself into the culture, and yeah he makes allies but it still doesn’t feel enough. He’s not participating in anything, he’s alienating himself.

All in all, Phantom looks like a ghost trying to pretend he’s human, that he’s still alive. And for a ghost culture that prides itself on not being alive? It’s insulting.

And then let’s circle back around to that human thing, but from a different angle. Probably one that’s more mindset than outside looking in. But Danny’s alienated by the rest of the town for ages despite helping them. And while him looking human likely has to do with his own mindset of viewing himself as “living, but with ghost powers” and thus reflects back as a ghost, it also makes it look like he’s trying to fit in with the humans.

“I am not a ghost” he says, with his human skin and blunt teeth. “I am human like you, see? See? I look like you.”

He’s making himself look approachable, friendly. ‘You can trust me, I’m not a ghost. I’m not like them. I’m not scary. I look just like you. I’m different.’ He looks about as harmless as a human child could be. He’s trying to be relatable. And in turn he’s giving his fellow ghosts a cold shoulder - i’m not like you, i’m better. I’m different. I’m not ghost. I may be dead, but I’m no ghost.

Danny is trying to tie his ghost self in with the living as much as possible - he wants them to think he’s almost human. The same way he wants to think that himself. He’s distancing himself from his ghost half and the ghostly qualities the others have. Whether intentional or not, he’s doing it.

He shows his face and goes ‘see? See? I’m just like you.’

And then lets look at clone Danny, mister not-a-halfa. Who doesn’t have his canon offensive capabilities, who only has his ghost sense and the ability to hit ghosts without gear, his scary eyes and pointed ears, and the ability to see weaker ghosts not visible to the mortal eye.

He has no ghost form, no powers. And yet the first time he goes out as Phantom, he wears a mask that looks like a skull. Instead of distancing himself from ghosts, he’s distancing himself from humans. And at first it stems from the need to be unrecognizable, the last thing he wants is for his parents to find out that he’s ghost hunting. To do that, he needs to hide his face. That’s the first step.

The next step is to act in such a way that people couldn’t possibly tie him back to Danny Fenton. He’s not distancing himself from ghosts, he’s distancing himself from humans. To do that, he acts inhuman. He wears his mask and wears baggy, shapeless clothes - his hoodie and his pants - and he learns how to act unsettling. His eyes glow green, unnatural and shining through his sunken-in, skull-like mask. But it’s not enough on its own. He must do more.

He wants to be the thing someone sees at night and turns the other way. See me and run, he says, crouched on all fours and crawling across a beam like a monster you see in a movie. Twisting his body in unnatural, fluid ways, like he’s not quite sure how having only four limbs work.

Run. He says, dead green eyes glowing through his mask, piercing through black night from the rooftop. I am wild thing. Come no closer, look no closer. I am not like you. I am not your friend. I bite. Run.

You cannot see my face. This is my face, I am not alive. I am not like you. I am an animal about to pounce.

He doesn’t want people to think he’s human, he doesn’t want them to think he’s anywhere close to it. Anything to prevent his parents from figuring out its him.

And the thing is, he doesn’t have to. He doesn’t have to appear ghost-like or inhuman to keep his identity safe, wearing a mask and wearing unidentifiable clothes is enough. But he’s choosing to act ghost-like; unsettling; scary.

And in doing so, he unintentionally participates in ghost culture. And while his clothes are not anything unique, or outstanding, his mask is. His clothes don’t tell anything about him, but that’s okay.

Imagine meeting this boy from a ghost perspective. This annoying, fleshy human boy who jumps into fights to stop you and catch you. You’ve heard stories of human ghost hunters, you know there are hunters on the other side. You have heard the horror stories, you have seen the scars.

And then this boy catches you. This human, fleshy boy who yells quips at you, who puns and insults you, who wears an unsettling mask and acts ghosty. He catches you, and you think you will be the next one on the chopping board.

And then you end up in the ghost zone, untouched. Unharmed. And you tell someone about it. You were caught and released by a human child who feels touched by death. And then you hear that the ones who’d been caught were freed by a fleshy human boy who was touched by death, and a boy who they call “Phantom”.

And, isn’t that the name of the child you fought?

And he talks to you, but then he’s in the daytime. There are living around. He doesn’t speak to them - he ignores them outright. He keeps his distance, he stays away. If he talks, it’s with his hands. They will not hear his voice.

I may be alive but I am no human.

And its just — ????? So good to think about. I’ll reblog later with more thoughts when I have my laptop, but god i just needed to get that out there.

#dpxdc #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc crossover #dpdc #clone^2 #danny fenton is not the ghost king #danny fenton is a clone #like i wasnt thinking much about it when i made danny have no powers. like that was purely just for fun #and for a fun little parallel between him and bruce. and i thought the mask was cool #and now here we are doing a- what?? somewhat analysis of his outfit as phantom?#and his choice to appear as unhuman as possible?? as ghostly as possible???#its just so good. i love creepy phantom. he’s the thing you see crouched in the corner of the room #from the corner of your eye. you see him. and you jump but hes not there when you look #he’s the creature you see lurking in the alleyway. crouched like an animal about to jump.#‘come no closer. look no closer. i am not like you. i may be alive but i am no human’#i have teeth. and i will wrap them sround your throat and *pull*

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ravensroundofrobins · 5 years

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Since most of y'all Don't seem to Know her.... Let’s DO THIS BRIEF HISTORY OF ROBIN!STEPH BUCKLE TF UP BITCHES

(Note: For the most part, Steph’s time as Robin is included in the War Games TPB, especially because it serves as a catalyst for said event. Highly recommended the read, but mind, like, everything about it) ((also also tumblr only allows 10 pics, so I'm cherry picking my fav panels/most important ones. + offering a bit of meta. take this with a grain of salt and Please read War Games and draw your own conclusions blah blah))

So to start with, a little Context to Steph’s Start as Robin:

Tim’s dad found out about his Robining & made him hang up the cape+mask. As any Concerned and Reasonable parent would. Steph is still operating as Spoiler at the time, despite many attempts by many members of the batfam (but especially Batman) to dissuade her from crime-fighting.

Due to a gross misunderstanding (as these things tend go in comics *sigh*) Steph, who is dating Tim at the time, sees a girl who was interested in him make a move & thinks that Tim is cheating on her. She channels this grief/mourning/anger into making her own homemade Robin costume and convinces Batman to take her under his wing (he sets the conditions that she must follow every order, with a ‘one strike, you’re out’ kind of policy). She undergoes an unspecified training period to get in Proper Shape For Crime Fighting and Batman starts taking her on various patrols and investigations.

During this time, she also teams up with Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) on more than one occasion (one of my fav panels below, just bc its so stylized lmao. its Cute)

During this time, in true Robin Tradition, Steph builds up quite the rapport with Batman, providing a lighter/comedic side and being a general breath of fresh air and foil to the Dark Knight. (just LOOK at this banter & Bargaining for the batmobile!!! a TRUE ROBIN)

There’s a couple cases that I won't get too far into (but one i want to briefly mention involves Zsasz and Steph going almost a bit too far when trying to subdue him. its a very clear parallel to Jason & serves as foreshadowing for how War Games will play out i.e., Steph’s fate)

Now during this time, there’s an assassin/merc who is killing off teens who were suspected to be Robin (Tim Drake), which Batman catches wind of and the Dynamic Duo moves in to put an End to. (look at this smug lil robin, catching the Bad Guy™ off guard. ADORABLE)

Another thing to note now, is how Eager Robin is to jump onto the case and into the fray. and how carefully she toes the line when following/questioning batman’s orders. this is touched on many times often either with her able to juuuuust reason with the caped crusader enough to Bend his own orders or even to change his mind on occasion.

(a thing i want to note here with this panel and with this particular time in Steph’s career as Robin is that the writer had her referring to Batman as ‘Boss’. whether this was intentional or not, it most closely resembles, to me, Carrie Kelley’s mannerisms as Robin. i.e. another Robin that the writers may have been using as inspo/to parallel. Carrie’s time as Robin is also defined by Batman’s grief from losing Jason, and is given a very similar probationary status that Steph is given during her time as Robin. coincidence? maybe. but i think not.)

While they lose track of the villain initially, Steph’s quick thinking to place trackers on her is what saves the mission. at the Moment at least. Batman makes a decision to bring Robin along when tracking their prey, but orders her to stay behind in the batplane & ‘not touch anything’ unless ordered to do so. which is where we get the Defining Moment:

When Steph, against orders, jumps into the fray. its something to be admired, and very Typical Robin Behavior (bc where would they be if they weren't impulsive and, well, KIDS, amirite?) but unfortunately, her decision costs them the chance of apprehending the villain, and Batman stays true to his word...

and she's Fired (g o d I'm not the biggest fan of damion scott’s art but this look BROKE MY HEART. i can practically HEAR those choked back tears and see that quivering lip like... G O D BRUCE NO. GIVE HER ANOTHER CHANCE. ANYTHING ELSE THAN WHATS GONNA HAPPEN)

here’s where I'm gonna TL;DR War Games for y’all bc.... holy shit its a LOT. and Steph’s involvement really only begins it, and essentially ends it. (literally lmao. she's featured a little throughout but like. its a Crossover Event™ for a reason. everyone gets a little bit of the spotlight, which means a bit of shuffling around ofc) but Anyways

tl;dr - steph takes one of Batman’s contingency plans on her way out of the cave & implements it w/out being aware of a few Key Details. all out War breaks amongst the different gangs of gotham, with Batman & company trying to regain control of the city & maintain order. Black Mask resurfaces, catches and tortures Steph to learn details about the plan and makes his own grab for power (fun fact, for those of you paying attention to the Big Picture: this essentially sets up for his position later on in Under The (Red) Hood when Jason starts wrestling that control away from him) Steph manages to escape, Batman takes her to Dr. Thompkins clinic, and Leslie reveals that her condition is critical. bruce makes it back in time to be by steph’s side for this:

and then she dies ;-;

BUT THIS IS COMICS- so its revealed initially that Leslie withheld treatment to save Steph’s life to Make A Point and try to dissuade Gotham Youth from following Steph’s path. BUT-BUT WAIT THERES MORE BC THIS IS ~*C O M I C S*~ so its ALSO revealed later on that steph DIDNT die. Leslie helped fake her death and blah blah blah, Steph comes back, gets to be spoiler again, then batgirl and the rest as they say is history

anyways. STRAIGHT FROM THE BAT’S MOUTH THANKS. Steph WAS really™ a Robin™ and as much as DC wants to pry that from my gay goblin hands they WONT be able to. and anyways... She Earned It. okay. give this girl the Respect she deserves.

(now since I'm a Shipping Blog™, ima add some thoughts regarding her parallel to other robins and how Theoretically a relationship with raven might work out)

Again, the biggest parallel that DEFINES War Games and Steph’s time as Robin, is that to Jason Todd. (fun fact/sidenote: they’re both Leos, so like. Another Connection btwn the two lmao) They’re both impulsive and eager to prove themselves, and follow Batman with unwavering faith and loyalty (up to a Certain Breaking Point that is). They’ve got especially cheeky attitude and flair for drama, and hey. Narratively speaking, writers seem to have a penchant for drawing a few connecting lines between them (again, by starting the WG TPB off with Bruce mourning on Jason’s bday & setting a Tone for the overall event. and then again, by having a major character for UtRH be the very same villain that killed our former girl wonder)

Now with those lines drawn, and with an understanding of how Jason has interacted with Raven in-canon (with mostly cordial interactions and for the most part respectful analysis of each other’s abilities & strengths), & no known connection between Steph & Rae as of yet, we can really only assume a few things:

-like most of the batboys, Raven is very likely to get along with Steph and to respect her abilities given that Steph respects her in turn.

-Steph’s bright, extroverted personality could again work as a good foil/compliment to Raven’s more introverted/muted one.

-theyve got what i like to call the Bad Dad™ connection (with Steph’s being a former Gotham Rogue™, and Raven’s... well.. y'all Know) Steph’s already shown great Morbid Humor regarding this part of her life (shown in her interactions with Cass) and is very willing to bond with others over Sucky Parents

-while stephanie has a canonical Love™ of Waffles, and raven (at least in regards to her Most Popular fanon from the 03 cartoon) has a fanonical love of them as well. Hence, they ARE the Waffle Queens (embrace the ridiculousness, guys. DO IT)

-Since steph is not an Adopted member of Bruce’s family (& again, more often than not they have attempted to dissuade her from vigilantism) and similarly, due to Batmans Dislike of meta-humans/outsiders messing with Affairs in His City, as well as some of his canonical Distrust™ for Raven due to her mysterious background/nature. this could be another minor/potential bonding point between the two

-likely more??? its getting late, and not much else I can think of off the top of my head, but i might add more to this later.

as a ship StephRae has as much potential as any other, and since there’s not a lot of canon to really go off, fans can really take it.... wherever and i think thats beautiful

#randywrites #steph meta #long post #<- for mobile users in case that cut doesnt work bc OMG THIS DID GET LONG IM SO SORRY #I'm still So upset abt war games and i could probably move on & start reading her 09batgirl run but like.... I'm not Emotionally ready yet #she's FUN and she's GREAT and there's a very Obvious Reason why the fandom ignores her as a Robin and i WILL be bitter until they start #giving her the respect she DESERVES DAMMIT #its a Read so be sure to grab some popcorn kids

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daresplaining · 7 years

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I loved the recent ask you guys answered about Matt as a lawyer and ethics. I'm a recent law school graduate and big DD fan, so my question is: What are some of your guys' favorite moments from Matt in the courtroom in the comics? They could be ones you think are his best work, silly, dramatic, insightful, made an impact, etc. I'd just love to hear some more about his legal work and find some future issues to read. Thanks! :)

Thank you, and congratulations on your graduation! Neither of us have law degrees, so we can’t actually vouch for the accuracy of the legal antics portrayed in DD, but here are a few of our favorite law-centered stories.

Matt on the Legal Rights of Aliens (Daredevil vol. 1 #28)

Matt: “Only the law stands between justice and total anarchy–! And that law must offer equitable protection to all– regardless of race, creed, or color… Now, in this age of space exploration, we may need a fourth qualification… with regard to planet of origin, as well!”

Not a whole trial, but this is a funny early issue detailing Matt’s thoughts concerning the legal rights of extraterrestrials. In his defense… that’s actually a legitimate topic of conversation in the Marvel Universe. This scene was gently mocked fifty years later, in Daredevil vol. 3 #30:

Matt: “It… wasn’t completely serious.”

Ru’Ach: “It seemed heartfelt.”

Matt: “I can’t swear I was entirely sober, even.”

Matt Defends the Black Widow (Daredevil vol. 1 #83)

Natasha: “Once I was a spy– they’ll use that against me, too. All my life I’ve been afraid, Mr. Murdock– first of my Soviet masters– then of a strange curse– and now, when it seemed I’d found a country at last– where I could feel safe– everything’s come crumbling down!”

Matt: “Believe me, Natasha. I understand your fear– and I won’t let it happen– I promise you.”

This is one of a series of issues from around the same time, which all strike at similar themes: Matt defending those neglected by the system. This could describe most of his career, but the similarity of these early cases is what has led us to group them together. The above example comes from Matt’s earliest interactions with Natasha Romanov, who later becomes his partner/girlfriend, and remains one of his closest superhero friends. The Scorpion is seemingly killed while fighting Natasha, and bystanders claim that she was responsible. As a Soviet emigre and reformed spy, Natasha is so sure she will be convicted based on her background and cultural biases that she tries to run. But Matt convinces her to go to court and trust in the system, and manages to prove her innocence.

The other, similar stories from this era that we’ll point you toward are Matt’s defense of blind war veteran Willie Lincoln in Daredevil vol. 1 #47, and his defense of Bruce Banner/Hulk in Incredible Hulk vol. 1 #152-153. They explore many of the same themes, and are equally good.

Matt v. His Childhood (Daredevil vol. 1 #203. Not digitized)

Foggy: “Tell me what’s going on here! Stymie Schmidt is guilty as sin and you know it!”

Matt: “He still deserves a decent defense. A lot of what I am today is due to that man. I own him more than you’ll ever know. This may be my one chance to pay him back.”

This isn’t a full-on legal story, but it’s a fascinating character study and another look how Matt’s emotions can interfere with his ethics. When one of his childhood bullies comes to Nelson and Murdock for legal help, Matt agrees to take the case himself… but Foggy soon realizes that his friend is planning to lose on purpose, for revenge. This is not the only time Matt’s past trauma comes back to haunt him in this way, but it is by far his worst reaction to it.

Karen Page v. Mr. Fear (Daredevil vol. 1 #375)

Matt: “Let’s get some reasonable doubt in this joint.”

Karen: “Matt? Matt? What happened to your face?”

Matt: “Cut myself shaving, of course… That’s what the invincible, cocksure hero is supposed to say, isn’t it?”

DD vol. 1 #375 is the final issue of Joe Kelly’s phenomenal run, and is one of our absolute favorite issues of Daredevil. The story arc leading up to it details Karen’s attempts to deal with an increasingly violent stalker. When he ends up dead thanks to some supervillain meddling, she becomes the prime suspect and is put on trial for murder. Way too emotionally close to the situation for obvious reasons, the issue follows Matt’s frantic attempts to win a case that seems more and more unwinnable the harder he fights, all while attempting to take down the supervillain responsible. It’s a powerful story, and a great look at the point of contact between Matt’s legal and extralegal careers.

Playing to the Camera (Daredevil vol. 2 #20-25)

Matt: “Foggy, meet Samuel Griggs. Mr. Griggs wants to sue Daredevil.”

We mentioned this magical arc in the other post, but it always merits more attention. Matt and Foggy are hired to sue Daredevil for some property damage that Matt knows he didn’t cause. He accepts the case (against Foggy’s wishes) in order to keep the situation under control. Chaos, ethics violations, and a massive superhero law-based comedy of errors ensue. This arc isn’t afraid to take itself less than seriously, which makes it a hilarious read and by far the most lighthearted part of volume 2.

The Trial of the White Tiger (Daredevil vol. 2 #38-40)

Matt: “Sitting in judgment over a total stranger. There is no larger burden that we as a society will put on ourselves. But I can ease that burden for you… because Hector is innocent of the crime he is accused of.”

Luke and Danny talk Matt into helping one of their close friends– Hector Ayala, the original White Tiger– who has been charged with murder. Knowing Hector is innocent, Matt agrees to represent him, despite the danger this association will present to his already vulnerable secret identity. This is a courtroom drama, pure and simple, in which all of Matt’s skill as a lawyer can’t prevent his case from imploding.

(Flash Fact!: Barry Allen (the Flash) has a cameo in this story. Don’t tell DC.)

The Spartacus Gambit (Amazing Spider-Man: Extra!)

Matt: “I’m trying to keep your mask on and get you out of the civil suit. It’s going to take a little more than what I’ve got planned to get the criminal charges against you dropped.”

Peter: “What do you have planned?”

Matt: “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

This is a great little story, in which Matt defends his buddy Peter Parker in court. He is his typical smug self, which we always enjoy, and he comes up with a creative argument to reduce Peter’s charges. It hits a lot of the same superhero legal issues covered in “Playing to the Camera”, but it’s still a fun read. This issue runs parallel to Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #587, so we recommend reading that as well, for context.

Leopold York v. Foggy Nelson (Daredevil vol. 3 #12)

Matt: “Welcome to the mock trial in the case of Leopold York v. Foggy Nelson. […] Professor, will you be defending yourself?”

It isn’t an actual trial, but this flashback to the origins of Matt and Foggy’s partnership is too fantastic not to mention. Foggy is accused of plagiarism by a spiteful professor attempting to get him kicked out of law school. Knowing it’s a frame-up, Matt insists on fighting back, and forces the professor into a trial-like situation in order to argue the truth out of him. It’s a nice glimpse at Matt and Foggy’s early friendship, and a testament to why they make such a good legal team.

Supreme (Daredevil vol. 5 #21-25)

The arc that just ended was a great law-based story, enhanced by the fact that the current writer, Charles Soule, is also a lawyer. Matt attempts to craft a new law that would allow masked superheroes to testify in court without revealing their identities. Wilson Fisk and the supervillain community at large take issue with this. Soule mixes legalese with physical action in clever ways (e.g. Matt’s metaphorical brawl with the Supreme Court, shown above), brings in Jen Walters and Fisk’s badass lawyer Mr. Legal, and generally celebrates the heck out of the intersection between superheroics and legal work. This may be our favorite law-based DD story yet.

#madqueenofhellskitchen #Daredevil #Matt Murdock #Asks #Recommendations list

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