What's your favorite headcanon?

[Aedilred]

Mmm... that seems rather tautological. A Batman story is definitionally about the guy in a mask circumventing the system to bring about reform through force. The West Wing was 90% concerned with budget allocations, spin doctoring, policy meetings, charity bashes and other forms of 'soft power', but had no particular difficulty keeping viewers hooked.

I can certainly imagine a certain wing of the fanbase being perturbed by such a direction, but it's hardly an independent argument against the concept. I'd certainly find it refreshing compared to the current fondness for palette-swapping.

To be honest, as I thought about it the more I came to like the idea. And I loved (most of) The West Wing, although the excellent writing helps with that. I think it would be possible to make such a story painfully dull, and I'm not wholly convinced that comics are the best medium for it.

But in any case I think the fundamental point is that it's not a Batman story. Not really. A Batman story is about Batman, which is why Batman gets a disproportionate amount of attention and page-time compared to Bruce. A story which reverses the perspective and shows Bruce solving problems as Bruce and Batman is relegated to the background is a Bruce Wayne story, not a Batman story.

And aside from the popularity argument, I don't really think it's fair to criticise Batman stories for being principally about Batman.

[Lacuna Caster]

It could be good, yes... Though it would alienate the people who come for the face-punching. Which is not as many as you'd think but is too many to ignore.

West Wing was great, but if it suddenly started focusing on, let's say, the Presidents body guard and there was a full season just of this secret service member doing advanced combat trying to rescue the President Bartlet from a kidnapping. Well, no matter how good the story of that might be, that isn't what a large portion of the audience expects to see when turning on West Wing.

But in any case I think the fundamental point is that it's not a Batman story. Not really. A Batman story is about Batman, which is why Batman gets a disproportionate amount of attention and page-time compared to Bruce. A story which reverses the perspective and shows Bruce solving problems as Bruce and Batman is relegated to the background is a Bruce Wayne story, not a Batman story.

I suppose the closest analogue I could offer might be Gotham Central, a GCPD-focused series which had difficulty pushing sales through conventional channels but sold well enough in paperback form. More generally, the bat-universe has at least a dozen ongoing series concerned with various sidekicks, love-interests, or alt-continuities, so having a title substantially concerned with his billionaire philanthropist identity doesn't seem untenable.

[Dienekes]

I suppose the closest analogue I could offer might be Gotham Central, a GCPD-focused series which had difficulty pushing sales through conventional channels but sold well enough in paperback form. More generally, the bat-universe has at least a dozen ongoing series concerned with various sidekicks, love-interests, or alt-continuities, so having a title substantially concerned with his billionaire philanthropist identity doesn't seem untenable.

And I thought GC was great. But I think it's important to note that it didn't ever replace a Batman story. It didn't even pretend to be a Batman story and was focused on catering to a different audience.

Now, having a different series focus on Bats being Bruce I think could work. I do not think the normal Batman line of comics is where that comic would shine.

[Sapphire Guard]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Enterprises

It's a wiki, so I can't stand over all of it, but there is a pretty long list of philanthropy based projects on that page. But Bruce does seem to so often get blamed for doing nothing like that with his money, much more so than pretty much anyone else, even though most other heroes do much less.

Honestly, I wished more superhero comics went in that direction for deconstruction/reconstruction: Superheros and Villains can fight endlessly, but they can never "win" the war.
Instead, they tend to mock the very idea of superheros, or the seedier underbelly of it: sometimes even deservedly.]

I have found, with superhero deconstructions, that they try to hate the idea of superhero fights while still wanting to have superhero fights in their stories, or else don't realise that the themes they're talking about have been extensively covered in the source material they're making fun of for not doing it.

I want to see one point out that even if a final victory is impossible, that doesn't mean that the 5,000 lives someone just saved was a waste of time.

Loved Gotham Central by the way.

[Aedilred]

I have found, with superhero deconstructions, that they try to hate the idea of superhero fights while still wanting to have superhero fights in their stories, or else don't realise that the themes they're talking about have been extensively covered in the source material they're making fun of for not doing it.

This got my goat about the Watchmen film. Sure, in the comic there are some moments where the heroes do cool, hero-y type things, but most of the time it's sporadic, disjointed instances of violence that subvert expectation. If you don't know what you're letting yourself in for, the story feels like it's building to a big awesome fight between the super-characters... which then doesn't really happen. The film tries much harder to give us what we're expecting: longer, bigger, more impressive fight scenes in which the characters get to show off their abilities to a much greater degree and in doing so opens itself to exactly the charges of cynicism you indicate above: no longer an honest deconstruction of a superhero story but rather a straight superhero story that occasionally takes time to sneer at the rest of the genre.

It's a pretty classic example, to my mind, of how excessive fandom can get in the way: it seems rather like Snyder was so in love with the source material that when adapting it he somehow managed to miss the point altogether.

[Lacuna Caster]

And I thought GC was great. But I think it's important to note that it didn't ever replace a Batman story. It didn't even pretend to be a Batman story and was focused on catering to a different audience.

*shrugs* I'm not fussy about the labelling. I just wanna see it happen.

By way of comparison: Superman fans seem to be relatively fond of Clark Kent, even though the latter's capacity for effecting positive outcomes is pretty feeble by comparison. Curious.

It's a pretty classic example, to my mind, of how excessive fandom can get in the way: it seems rather like Snyder was so in love with the source material that when adapting it he somehow managed to miss the point altogether.

I'm not sure it's even coming from love. Man of Steel and BvS both have a similar vibe: "Your unsolicited altruism is pyrrhic and destructive! Now for slow-motion close-ups of roundhouse kicks!"

[Hunter Noventa]

9) The midichlorian hypothesis was an attempt to scientifically explain the Force, that was briefly in vogue in the last years of the Republic, but which was abandoned when it was found to be unsupported by evidence and to have poor predictive power. Hence it not being mentioned before of since.

I've always been a fan of the thought that a high midichlorian count is a SYMPTOM of force sensitivity, but not the CAUSE of it.

[Keltest]

I've always been a fan of the thought that a high midichlorian count is a SYMPTOM of force sensitivity, but not the CAUSE of it.

Indeed. And remember that the Jedi are a religious order, so its not out of the question that their dogma isn't actually scientifically based, as much as you can do anything scientific with the Force.

[russdm]

Ross never says Rachel's name at the altar. He marries Emily like he should, Rachel ends up with someone else, they both are happily married, and we don't have another 5 seasons of Ross and Rachel relationship drama.

Or, if you want Ross and Rachel to end up together, they do in season 2, and we avoid EIGHT seasons of drama.

Friends is the main part of the crap-sack world made by the machines for the Matrix, with the rest being Buffy the Vampire Slayer... (It would explain so much)

Season 2 of Firefly opens with Mal calling everyone to the cargo hold in preparation for decanting Wash and Book from their cloning tanks.

You would need to recast Book, the actor playing him as passed away.

Ra's is weird. Depending on the origin you're picking he either only has his eyes on Gotham becaus Bruce is there and he really wants Bruce to bang his daughter To Hasten The End Of The World. Or he was planning to destroy Gotham anyway and just so happens to also want Bruce to bang his daughter To Hasten The End Of The World.

What exactly is gained by said banging? Beyond the Banging that is? Or is just for laughs? "An evil villain who just wants Bruce to shag his daughter." Okay, what's villainous here and doesn't the daughter want to jump Bruce's bones anyway? There, added in a truly villainous motive for him.

Buffy is really a story about a group of teenagers that have drugged by their guidance counselor (who is or was a serial killer) and is being tested to determine their worth.

The entire story of Voyager was the corrupted memories of the EMH after the ship either returned to/or was found drifting by the Federation. The crew may or may not be alive. Everything after the ship first arrives in the Delta quadrant is a corruption of the historical database files.

There were never any stories written called Aftermath, in Star Wars, and no such events actually ever occurred. Nor did any of the characters from the movies actually appear. The whole story is nothing more than made up garbage. It is not canon. The rest of the new EU is still canon mostly, because it is actually good, including the books for children, but not this SJW (doesn't this mean defiling any story until it fits your required end?) destruction of Star Wars. However lousy you may call TFU, it was still better than anything written in the Aftermath novels. In fact, even Dark Empire and the worst Legends EU (Especially FOTJ), lousy as it is, is better than the Aftermath stuff which is just downright horrible.

All of Enterprise dealing with the Time Travel Arc or the Xindi was a corruption of records. In fact, nearly everything is based around the deranged mind of Troi, or Lore. Maybe the entire show is nothing but lies.

[Dragonexx]

Friends is the main part of the crap-sack world made by the machines for the Matrix, with the rest being Buffy the Vampire Slayer... (It would explain so much)




You would need to recast Book, the actor playing him as passed away.



What exactly is gained by said banging? Beyond the Banging that is? Or is just for laughs? "An evil villain who just wants Bruce to shag his daughter." Okay, what's villainous here and doesn't the daughter want to jump Bruce's bones anyway? There, added in a truly villainous motive for him.

Buffy is really a story about a group of teenagers that have drugged by their guidance counselor (who is or was a serial killer) and is being tested to determine their worth.

The entire story of Voyager was the corrupted memories of the EMH after the ship either returned to/or was found drifting by the Federation. The crew may or may not be alive. Everything after the ship first arrives in the Delta quadrant is a corruption of the historical database files.

There were never any stories written called Aftermath, in Star Wars, and no such events actually ever occurred. Nor did any of the characters from the movies actually appear. The whole story is nothing more than made up garbage. It is not canon. The rest of the new EU is still canon mostly, because it is actually good, including the books for children, but not this SJW (doesn't this mean defiling any story until it fits your required end?) destruction of Star Wars. However lousy you may call TFU, it was still better than anything written in the Aftermath novels. In fact, even Dark Empire and the worst Legends EU (Especially FOTJ), lousy as it is, is better than the Aftermath stuff which is just downright horrible.

All of Enterprise dealing with the Time Travel Arc or the Xindi was a corruption of records. In fact, nearly everything is based around the deranged mind of Troi, or Lore. Maybe the entire show is nothing but lies.

All this sounds like more fanon discontinuity or denial than actual headcanon.

[The Glyphstone]

Friends is the main part of the crap-sack world made by the machines for the Matrix, with the rest being Buffy the Vampire Slayer... (It would explain so much)




You would need to recast Book, the actor playing him as passed away.



What exactly is gained by said banging? Beyond the Banging that is? Or is just for laughs? "An evil villain who just wants Bruce to shag his daughter." Okay, what's villainous here and doesn't the daughter want to jump Bruce's bones anyway? There, added in a truly villainous motive for him.

If I remember right, Ra's is a sort of ubermensch type. He wants Bruce not simply to sleep with his daughter, but to give her a child that will then carry both Ra's genes and Bruce's. It makes about as much sense as anything else genetics-related in comic books.

[Dienekes]

What exactly is gained by said banging? Beyond the Banging that is? Or is just for laughs? "An evil villain who just wants Bruce to shag his daughter." Okay, what's villainous here and doesn't the daughter want to jump Bruce's bones anyway? There, added in a truly villainous motive for him.
]

Oh that one is easy. He believes that Bruce would be a worthy successor to him as leader of the League of Assassins, but he also ultimately wants the position to be his dynasty. And since he doesn't have a male heir (either none surviving or the surviving son being seen as weak for whatever reason, depending on continuity), he figures get Bruce to lead, bang Talia, and then next generation goes back to being Ra's legacy.

Talia's relationship to Bruce is a bit complicated. She was sort of raised to be her father's puppet, so, originally it was left for the reader to interpret whether or not she actually wants Bruce or if she wants to please her father and create an heir with Bruce, and those feelings she expresses with her own screwed up view of what love is.

When a less competent author takes over, however, she just becomes plain old in love with Bruce. Though even then she's creepy about it, since she ends up raping him and all that.

[Lacuna Caster]

On a similar note, if you make Harley Quinn into a random psychopath when detached from Mr. J, you deflate the entire point of the character: That relatively benign individuals can be trapped by emotional bonds.

[Dienekes]

On a similar note, if you make Harley Quinn into a random psychopath when detached from Mr. J, you deflate the entire point of the character: That relatively benign individuals can be trapped by emotional bonds.

While I don't disagree, exactly. I will say the opposite can go too far the other direction. Portraying her as a good happy go lucky person even a hero, without even having the need to examine what she's done or atone. She's just suddenly a good girl.

Which is irksome to me, since she is a mass murderer, who has on several occasions tried to destroy Gotham completely. If any character suddenly did that reversal it'd be bad writing. But Harley gets away with it... because? The only answer I have is that people are weird and have a weakness for a girl in pig tails and over revealing tights.

[Traab]

Oh that one is easy. He believes that Bruce would be a worthy successor to him as leader of the League of Assassins, but he also ultimately wants the position to be his dynasty. And since he doesn't have a male heir (either none surviving or the surviving son being seen as weak for whatever reason, depending on continuity), he figures get Bruce to lead, bang Talia, and then next generation goes back to being Ra's legacy.

Talia's relationship to Bruce is a bit complicated. She was sort of raised to be her father's puppet, so, originally it was left for the reader to interpret whether or not she actually wants Bruce or if she wants to please her father and create an heir with Bruce, and those feelings she expresses with her own screwed up view of what love is.

When a less competent author takes over, however, she just becomes plain old in love with Bruce. Though even then she's creepy about it, since she ends up raping him and all that.

This, basically. He thinks the detective is the best option, though he is not happy with the refusal to kill iirc. As for talia, I get the feeling that its part being a puppet, part attraction to bruce, and a lot of creepy electra complex as she is finding someone who is a lot like her dad, just less ruthless. But im not sure how the dynasty thing goes, considering dude is functionally immortal with his lazarus pit. Is he just holding on till he has a male heir? Does he intend to keep going with his daughter and her husband waiting in the wings just in case? Not sure.

[Dienekes]

This, basically. He thinks the detective is the best option, though he is not happy with the refusal to kill iirc. As for talia, I get the feeling that its part being a puppet, part attraction to bruce, and a lot of creepy electra complex as she is finding someone who is a lot like her dad, just less ruthless. But im not sure how the dynasty thing goes, considering dude is functionally immortal with his lazarus pit. Is he just holding on till he has a male heir? Does he intend to keep going with his daughter and her husband waiting in the wings just in case? Not sure.

Ra's' immortality is waning. Basically, every time he uses the Lazarus pit it, it either stops functioning or takes something out of him. He does not expect to have much time left in the world. Of course, this is only ever actually realized to the full extent in the old cartoon Batman Beyond.

Usually there's a lot of hullabaloo that Ra's time is ending only for him to just keep finding another pit, or the vague decay he gets from using it doesn't actually seem to do anything worse each time he uses it that the audience can see. Making it all a bit of an informed weakness really.

[comicshorse]

This, basically. He thinks the detective is the best option, though he is not happy with the refusal to kill iirc. As for talia, I get the feeling that its part being a puppet, part attraction to bruce, and a lot of creepy electra complex as she is finding someone who is a lot like her dad, just less ruthless. But im not sure how the dynasty thing goes, considering dude is functionally immortal with his lazarus pit. Is he just holding on till he has a male heir? Does he intend to keep going with his daughter and her husband waiting in the wings just in case? Not sure.

I always got the impression it was 'just in case'. Ra's doesn't seem the type to give up power while he's breathing

[Lacuna Caster]

While I don't disagree, exactly. I will say the opposite can go too far the other direction. Portraying her as a good happy go lucky person even a hero, without even having the need to examine what she's done or atone. She's just suddenly a good girl.

Which is irksome to me, since she is a mass murderer, who has on several occasions tried to destroy Gotham completely. If any character suddenly did that reversal it'd be bad writing. But Harley gets away with it... because? The only answer I have is that people are weird and have a weakness for a girl in pig tails and over revealing tights.

I will never accept the heresy of her Nu52/Arkham-series costume.

But the question of what Harley does in the absence of Mr. J is very simple: She strains every nerve and sinew to get him back, going to whatever lunatic extreme is necessary to accomplish that goal. Failing that, probably catatonia.

[lt_murgen]

My personal favorite headcanon is that Clone Captain Rex was the bearded, older man that was part of the Rebel Strikforce on Endor. The rebels gave him a false identity to hide his clone nature.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/CT-7567
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nik_Sant

[digiman619]

I've always been a fan of the thought that a high midichlorian count is a SYMPTOM of force sensitivity, but not the CAUSE of it.

I've gotta agree with you there. Like how some bacteria can only live in really clean water, medichlorian thrive in beings with great connections to the Force.

[Dragonexx]

I thought that was canon too? Midi-Chlorians are partially a by product. The force speaks through them but they aren't the source of force sensitivity. They exist in all life, and in greater numbers in force sensitives.

[oudeis]

This is probably Fanon Discontinuity, but since I've long since lost any fan loyalty to to the Trek universe I'm going to post it anyway. Why am I no longer a fan? Read and find out...

• Picard sends HughBorg back to the Collective with the logic bomb... thing in his head. The Borg die out and billions are saved. The needs of the many sure as hell outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one/Third of Five.
  
  Spoiler

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  "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the Hugh" (Had to come back and post this. Sorry).
• Riker does NOT tell the Romulans about the phasing cloak the Federation developed, because that would have been a moronic act based on some simplistic conceit that the terms of the treaty with the Romulans were inviolable moral principles instead of wholly pragmatic concessions dictated by realpolitik.
• The Federation allows the female changeling to die of the virus Section 31 created. That, or they turn her genocidal ass over to the Cardassians for them to do with as they please, preferably over a long, long period of time. The Jem'Hadar are quietly euthanized as inalienably aggressive, instinct-driven nonsapient biological constructs that are too dangerous to let live. The Founders' planet- no, their solar system- is surrounded by an automated defense system that will eradicate every living thing if there is even a single attempt to escape.
• Sisko and the other DS9 officers don't respect or ally with the Jem'Hadar, whom they regard as inalienably aggressive, instinct-driven nonsapient biological constructs that are too dangerous to let live. I mean, c'mon: they are conscienceless, genetically warped living weapons made to suit the will and purposes of a species every bit as evil as the Borg.
• Weyoun lives and becomes the progenitor of a line of the greatest real-estate salesmen the galaxy has ever seen.
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  (Well, not really, but I loved Jeffrey Combs and since the rest of my points were rather harsh I figured I'd end on a somewhat cheerful note).

[Ebon_Drake]

On that note: Captain Jellico was specifically ordered to be as hard as possible on the Enterprise crew. It was a way of keeping them so distracted with petty ship politics that they wouldn't go foul everything up by trying to help Picard. Jellico's regular crew think he's awesome and were glad to get him back when his assignment ended.

[Millstone85]

Eventually, the Borg come across one of the Dominion's cloning facilities, and every single drone in the whole galaxy does a facepalm.

Like this

but multiplied a bajillion times.

The Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma Quadrants are overwhelmed within the following century.

Except not, because, about 30 years in, Species 8472 unleashes a swarm of warping rust locusts or something, sending everyone else back to the stone age.

[lt_murgen]

Married with Children - Modern Family - Sons of Anarchy headcanon:

Peg got fed up with Al, and ran off with the leader of a biker gang. She found happiness with him, to a point.

The rest of the family turned States Evidence against the gang. They were relocated to the west coast.

Al got remarried to the hot latina of his dreams.
Kelly abandoned her wild ways and married a stable, if boring man. She realized that being clever was a good replacement for being smart.
Bud realized that his continuing failures with women were largely due to self-sabotage. He embraced it and fell in love with a football hero.
The woman who claimed to be Al's ex-wife is really their Justice department contact, checking up on them from time to time.

[Frozen_Feet]

In Logan:

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Laura never really speaks. All her dialogue to Logan near the end is a guilt-triggered hallucination of his, caused by his miserable physical and mental state; a manifestation of his last lingering sense of heroism, forcing him to do the right thing for the last time.

[Bohandas]

Alpha Complex is in the Demiplane of Dread

[oudeis]

Snape is as hard as he is on Neville because he was genuinely friends with Frank and Alice Longbottom (as friendly as someone like him could ever be with someone) and the grief and guilt he feels over what happened to them is almost as strong as his remorse over Lily. In his damaged, dysfunctional way he is trying to drive Neville to excel, both out of the affection he has for the only members of the Order of the Phoenix who honestly accepted him and anguish over his affiliation with the Death Eaters who destroyed their minds. For Neville's part, his poor memory is a subconscious act of loyalty and love to his parents. If his mother and father are scarcely able to remember anything, what kind of son would he be if he didn't act likewise? It also allowed his grandmother a means and an excuse to express the terrible heartbreak that she feels she must keep bottled up. This psychological block was so strong it took the escape of the monsters that maimed his parents to get him to shake off this self-imposed limitation and become the ass-kicker he truly was born to be. It is he, not Harry, who becomes an Auror, and by the time he retires as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement his reputation exceeds even that of the legendary Alistair Moody. 'Longarm', 'Ironbottom', and 'Neville the Devil' are among the few printable names he is called by lawbreakers and dark wizards.

Harry never becomes involved with Ginny because the Freudian ick factor is far too strong (both beautiful long-haired redheads). As a result of his increasing isolation from the world, he finds himself drawn to Luna, whose off-kilter perspective is strangely comforting to him. After the death of Voldemort, the strain of the long ordeal he suffered and the terrible toll it took on him and his friends drives him to a long period of solitude and reflection. He sets off by himself and devotes himself to learning more about his past and his connection to a magical society that has always seemed so distant to him. He travels to wizarding communities throughout Britain, exploring his heritage, and looking up distant relatives. After some years of this, he returns to the Quidditch field and has a long and impressive professional career. Upon his retirement, he is content to be a stay-at home husband (not to Luna) and father and live in peace.

[Bohandas]

Gordon Freeman is an aphasic like Chell

[Doorhandle]

I have one I put in another thread:

Spoiler: Samurai jack (2017) spoilers!

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The rider in Jack's hallucinations is him: it's symbolic of what he's become, or at least fears he will become. The rider is always staring dispassionately over fields of carnage, but there's no evidence the rider caused said carnage; It just observes, taking no action... and remember Jack spend most of the first (new) episode screaming at his delusions rather than riding to a village's aid, to the point they got killed without him.

The figure is Jack without compassion, without righteousness; not evil, just completely uncaring, apathetic. It is letting evil win because it is doing nothing, despite being able to: it's willing only to survive for survival's sake, not to fight against the evil that is Aku. It's a representation of what Jack fears the most about his current situation.

Even if it turns out I'm wrong about this one, I'm keeping it because didactically it just makes so much sense. Hence headcanon.

Also, a sillier one for Tiger Mask W:

Tiger Mask hates Tiger the Dark not for any moral reason, but because he thinks the latter is making the moves on his girl... despite the fact said girl doesn't know who either of them are in costume.
Likewise, Tiger the Dark does not believe in the "Might makes Right" ethos of Tiger's Den, but is just saying that to keep his cover as one of it's most skilled and loyal wrestlers: in truth he has doubts about their methods.

Again, I'll see if i'm right in a future episode.

And finally: While Batman has many reasons not to kill in general, the reason he doesn't kill The Joker specifically is because he doesn't think it'll actually stick on the ludicrous bastard. I mean, really.