Just don't. Unless its a D&D item in your table top session to have a bit of hilarity.
Or if its: Fanfiction, alternate reality, NON-PRIME universe stuff.
Mainline Canon must be preserved or honored (Imho.) Unless its Bendis. Throw all his trash out.
In media, at least to my reader sensibilities:
- Make new characters. Have the old ones be mentors.
- Don't steal another character's legacy to prop up the "new character."
- Its rather telling when creatives basically slap a male character's legacy and plot line onto a female avatar and call that empowering. If anything it tells me, in my pov, that they don't have enough faith for the female character to stand on its own. IE: Jane Foster Thor or any of the countless gender swapped heroes. Does owning a uterus and overies make my opinon more relevant for the woke scolds? Probably not. They probably consider me "Oh, its got internalized whatever."
- If you throw another character's id onto the newbie, how will that newbie really develop their own plot lines and character moments?
Case in Point: Phylla-vell
- Tried her brother's mantle, failed.
- Tried her father's mantle, failed.
- Tried Quasar's mantle, failed.
- Her whole story line revolved around getting out from X, Y or Z's shadow. The only thing that was really her own thing was her relationships to the rest of the Guardians. DnA are good writers, I have a feeling this was more of an editorial mandate then anything else. Phylla should have been her own hero without having to take over anyone else's legacy or cape. But Marvel and DC have a habit of "Oh, we will just give this character the mantle, FINISHED!"
Am I going to be called an -Ism for wanting new characters and settings without crapping over already established legacies? Just make new FRACKING characters. Sure, they can be inspired by their mentors but give them their own thing. Don't just expect people to roll over for this lazy way of establishing "new characters." Cause all you will do is make the old fans hate you, new fans left bewildered by the levels of vitriol, while the rest just say, "I'm not even gonna step into this hobby, everyone is a loon!"
Even though I hate Bendis, he did do this with lots of help with that Niomi stuff. I don't read it because I dislike the man immensely. But from the looks of it, she has found an audience.
Unless that character has a kid, like Supes did, don't expect people to warm up to someone taking an established mantle from a beloved character. It's gonna backfire 100%. Esp. if its for "diversity" points. Don't just give lip service to something, if you love it, actually build it up. Make that character worth while. Otherwise all you will have is another Carol Danvers or K. Khan flop. Stop trying to shove characters where they aren't wanted or needed. Make them stand on their own. If readers actually want something, they will support it. But not all audiences are Stephen King or Before She Went Really Social Media Nuts JK Potterworld level of populated.
IE: Some mediums cannot afford to loose fans in droves (IE SUPERMAN BENDIS CLUSTERDUCK!)
One comic setup that has done this correctly: The Bat Family, they are all influenced by the Batman himself but they all have their own very solid crime fighting identities. Although DC is pushing with the 5G stuff to swap out things the wrong way. Way to go. *facepalm* Either way, feels like most big companies never learn the real reasons why stuff fails: IE Nu52, Marvel Now, Bendis.
If you want these new characters to have an impact like the older established ones did: Make them stand on their own. As a character, concept and caped personality. Even those old legacies didn't start out as Icons. They had to be built over time.
