Just like so many people have pointed out about Harley, a lot of the character is a direct result of the voice actor; in this case, Lori Petty. I totally love Petty and she just seems integral to the character.
I had this idea about Livewire, that she was originally Daily Planet radio DJ and was a big fan of Clark Kent's work and his stance againts corruption and injustice, and in the end it would turned out that Clark is the one who actually inspired Livewire to fight Superman in the first place.🤣
@@CasuallyComics I see Livewire as this kind of "Rebel without a direction" character, she wants to do good and fight againts injustice, but because of her temper she jumps to the conclusions really quick without thinking and that's what's getting her into troubles, i think her story should be about growth and learing from your mistakes, and Superman should play the role of her guide.
What i don't like is how media is trying to distance Livewire from Superman, and it's a shame cause he doesn't really have an intersting female villians except maybe Silver Banshee who's also underutilized in Superman stories. To me Livewire is still has an unlocked potential as a character and there is great story about her that is waiting to be told, with the right writer she can rival Harley Quinn imo.
I made a smiliar comment and had not read yours before. So we think the same way. Adding your female point you´re right. While, for the most part, every superhero/superheroine tends to have villains mostly from the same sex it´s refreshing to have some from the opposite sex. That´s why I said that Livewire should be mainly a Superman foe and ocasionally be able to fight Supergirl or Powergirl for instance.
Superman has plenty of interesting female villians aside from Silver Banshee, such as Maxima, Insect Queen, Faora, Blaze and etc. Issue is that they and plenty of conceptually interesting villians get forgotten or less utilised. My favourite female villian would be Maxima but its shame she hasn't had relevance since Post Crisis.
@@justicierodelaliga I tihink the problem comes from the fact that writers don't even know what to do with Superman most of the times, so it's no surprise that most his villians gets the shaft. They focusing too on how powerful villian should be and not what he is as the character and what his story, that's why i think they don't really use Livewire, they think she's not strong enough to take down Superman.
@@supervoss4321 There's also Volcana, Amazing Grace, Obsession and The Puzzler III, but maybe except from Maxima they lack in initial hook that could make them potentially intersting, i've read about them and they're all just there with nothing to offer, imo.
@@user-ManofStyle1 they shouldn't make villains who are stronger than sups, they should make ones that can counter him. What I mean is, superman should be stronger than like 99% of his villains in terms of power and speed, but they should have abilities that can counter him, like livewire electrocuting him.
I would definitely make her a Podcaster, a controversial one like Joe Rogan or Howard Stern in the extreme things she says. Focus on her undermining Superheroes and other powers like Argus. To keep her from becoming stale, make her focus less on revenge/petty things and instead keep her focused on social issues. She can be the blunt voice for the everyman who makes good points/isn't wrong about some things but then takes it the extreme in other areas/conspiracies. She can fluctuate between being a voice for the people and taking her activism too far. I think she has a lot of potential in that area as a recurring villain. Just don't make her issues she reports on one note.
Podcaster is definitely the way to go, especially if she's a podcaster who use to be a radio personality before being cancelled literally or figuratively.
Like what they did for Poison Ivy in the new 52 they ditch the seductress Angle and made her an environmental activist/eco-terrorist who takes things too far
Honestly if someone did the Podcaster route, I could actually see her doing two different Podcasts, one being relatively tame where she is a normal part of the cast with a stronger leaning towards certain opinions, and then her own Podcast as "Livewire" more in line with Alex Jones or TYT playing up her views to a more extreme degree for the shock value. This could lead to an interesting story progression with Sasha's idea of needing to reconstruct her personality, starting out more villainous from the Livewire podcast, but slowly becoming grounded back to who she is with her other podcast, partially redeeming her, but allowing her to be more an anti-hero or anti-villain afterwards.
@@truekurayami You could also go the other way at any time, such as the middle. Have her lose herself in the persona created by and for the second podcast. Make it clear she needs a redemption arc rather than a slap on the wrist.
I can easily picture a modern Livewire being an influencer or something criticizing Superman and repeating all those bad takes that people have towards the character, like "he's bad cuz he doesn't kill his villains" or that he has a secret agenda behind him cuz she can't believe someone can be a good person
You idea is very bad take, and would just make Livewire a pathetic mache man. You can make hear someone that instead of a petty fixation on super man, see him as a major symbol of the hero cultural phenomenon; and use radical sensationalism and populism to 'call out' heroes don't acting against the offical atrocities as long as they are legal. Why does Superman refuses killing, is really just his morals? He is alien, do we know how his race is wired? Would he be like a mad dog, and lose control if he tasted blood? Of couse there is varying degrees of nuance. You could point that heroes like Superman don't act becuase don't want to cause a radicalization of a already already authoritarians states, and drive other to militarism to counter superheroes outreach. Then she could counter that is vapid talk, as such extremely are incoming either way, and them standing around will not stop it. You can have a back a fourth, before settling who is right.
I really liked this character. She’s really the only character to connect to Superman’s role as a reporter and advocate for the truth, since she is technically in news media. And her job is so malleable to whatever time period you want to put her in, especially in today’s podcast climate. It would have been great to see her more often.
I feel like they've overcomplicated her too much. As far as I'm concerned she should still be a schock-jock type but with a podcast rather than a radio show. Everything else can stay the way it was in the STAS episode. Simple as that. Having her be an more impish Superman villain, yet different from Mr. Mxpltk, would be a good niche for her.
Hearing about that unexplained rivalry with Billy Batson made me realize that Livewire could actually make for an interesting Shazam villain. Play up a professional rivalry between Billy and Leslie as rival radio hosts with opposite approaches to the position, and their hero/villain rivalry with similar lightning bolt themes. Then add on the awkwardness of an adolescent or teenage Billy Batson having to fight a woman in a skin-tight outfit that shows off her... features. I feel like it could make for an interesting dynamic.
@Oswald Cobblepot not really that actually sound a like good idea except the last part that just no but the whole rivarly between the two has radio hosts and having power that derived from lighting is sound
Lol I could see livewrite pulling the "does my butt look big in this?" on billy and him having to focus his mind with thoughts about what superman would do.
I totally agree she could make for a really good cpt marvel villain. There’s also a nice parallel of two young adults trying to survive on their own, Billy being in a very real/literal way and Leslie in a more trying to make it big in the industry. It’s also a good way to explain her powers, maybe she got inadvertently hit with some of the “SHAZAM!!!” Mystic Lighting and that gave her the powers (and with her being magic lightning being that’s a good way to explain her still being in Superman level/able to hurt him).
I like the idea that she keeps -almost- getting a redemption arc, but that her narcissism prevents it. It would make sense that she would get backlash and offer non-apologies, or be shown to be wrong but make it someone else’s fault, etc. a big characteristic of narcissists is that they really think of themselves as always right and just can’t conceive of themselves as causing harm. Live wire as someone who causes harm, but believes that said harm is really someone else’s fault…that’s interesting
I like the concept Leslie is against all superheroes, voicing harsh opinions on them through social media. However her content slamming Superman gets the most views, since he's so seemingly perfect there's a larger audience drawn to content that doesn't glorify him. Keeping her set up as a Superman villain but giving her some leeway to easily fit as an antagonist elsewhere. Superman also simply being the topic that brings her the most attention also really works for the 'how much does she mean what she says' concept. Because she dislikes all heroes with the extreme dislike for Superman being easily read as an act.
Or maybe, and hear me out, she becomes Superman's equivalent to J. Jonah Jameson in that she bashes Superman but it comes from a place of genuine concern for the citizens of Metropolis, which could be fueled by the fact that personal tragedy made ger lose faith in vigilante heroes that hide behind a mask- worser yet when the vigilante hero doesn't have a mask and is an alien. Or maybe, given how punkish she is, she's just doing all the Super-bashing for the "LOLs" and for thr sake of being a "go against the flow" contrarian to keep people on their toes (like avoiding a live wire), and when she gets her powers she keeps switching sides from evil to good to back again cuz she still such a punk. All in all, Livewire is still MASSIVELY underrated.
@@cosmicghost811 Yeah, the problem is that the market is overly saturated. There's too many female and male redeemed villains. That would have to wait until there's less of that.
@@blackmage665 I more meant in general media. We've gotten a score of redeemed villains here in the past two or three decades. As far as comics go we've gotten Batman:The Animated Series sweetheart Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy. Mister Freeze, the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman in regards to being part of the Bat-Family, Talia al-Ghul, Clayface (somewhat more recent), Bronze Tiger, Deathstroke has had some reforms over the years, Deadshot, Jason Todd/Red Hood has fallen and been redeemed several times, Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael, Catman (as a member of the Secret Six which is a reform group for C-List villains), the Pied Piper of Flash's Rogues, the Trickster also gets reformed sometimes (with some relapses), Hal Jordan (he's become a villain by fusing with evil entities or being possessed by the and being saved), Black Adam has had a chance at redemption and appears to be a model hero, and even Lex Luthor here recently (who knows how well that'll go). There's a lot to go 'round. I actually like Livewire a lot, I think we just might need to wait on her a little. That said, if they go for that idea with her and pull it off then that's great.
You can never go wrong with the Lori Petty DCAU version. Just about every version after her can't capture that Tank Girl energy (DC Superhero Girls version actually does something interesting). Young Justice's version really put the Killer Frost comparisons to light, because as of the past few years they've both been given redemption arcs. (In YJ, she's voiced by Brit Baron, FFVII Remake's Tifa... And fortunately/unfortunately both are now famous for being in a certain position lol)
Yeah Lori Petty plays her so well, really makes her lovable even though she's a villain, it's similar to Arleen Sorkin and Harley Quinn, definitely a big reason they made it into comics.
considering she's made of energy, I'd say that a long term arch with her might be a tragic arc with her eventually going a little crazy as she begins to lose the ability to experience life as a human being... imagine the loss of being able to eat, smell things, taste things, and eventually hold physical objects or other people. She's somewhat self-absorbed but eventually realizing that her powers would result in making her loose physical cohesion and possibly dissapate into nothingness would be quite frightening and dark.
oooh, sort of like Doctor Manhattan in the Watchmen... after a while, it all just seems pointless to really care when it's so disconnected from where they are at that moment.
That it would and it'd make her actions more desperate/unpredictable. Knowing she needs to become human as soon as possible, because she could dissipate at any moment. 😢
Imo, Superman revealing to the world he is Clark Kent would have been the best moment to reintroduce Livewire. You could work the angle of how Superman lied to everyone and wrote about himself and his great acts of heroism to get public opinion on his side. It would be believable and a natural consequence of the reveal for some people to feel cheated. Then, idk, get her to get into a electric accident while harassing Clark or something. How she gets her powers is probably less important than the fact Superman has to be close when she gets them.
That’s an incredible idea, and I love the angle of her being upset at Clark and Lois’ dishonest journalism. Its a topic comic writers tend to avoid with heroes who work in journalism and I wish we saw more stories these days on that topic.
@Oswald Cobblepot What MrDariox said and sometimes characters need a modern update so they fit with the times. Take Iron Man for example. Every 5-10 years his origin is updated so he can be an active participant in the most recent war.
@Oswald Cobblepot Yes, Clark Kent writing a story about Superman praising his actions when he really is Superman would be considered dishonest and deceptive journalism. Lois could be accused of this as well. It's a career destroying move. Spider-Man actually a story on exactly that premise after his identity was revealed in Civil War. The Daily Bugle sued him for essentially selling selfies of himself to the Bugle for over a decade.
People sleep on DC Superhero Girls, the show is actually pretty good and absolutely knows the characters they're working with. Zatanna for example is sometimes painted as petty and downright evil, which aligns with her comic book counterpart of using questionable abuse of magic all the time. Poison Ivy is my favorite, the way they characterize her and Pamela Isley is perfect, making her a social outcast that hates people and only finds comfort in plants, they make her dress in baggy and shapeless clothes, just so that she "blooms" once she transforms into Poison Ivy. The fact that she's a villain is also there, because she doesn't really want to save the environment as a whole, she only cares about plants and not the animals, and she hates Jessica Cruz for being a vegetarian
So glad someone is giving DC Super Hero Girls a shout out in a positive light. Feels like everything just immediately writes it off (or worse, they just agree with Mr. Enter when he put it on his worst of the 2010s. Granted, it was number 10 but his complaints were false).
Gotta say, with the little that Sasha showed in this video... I am impressed. They really do seem to be respecting the characters in a way that quite a lot of other shows do not!
I like the DCAU version of her story. It makes a lot of sense with the whole radio host thing. I think in modern day she would be like a podcaster or one of those "spill the tea" UA-camrs. I wonder how the Flash family would react to her? I would read that comic book.
I do remember that Livewire episode in Superman TAS. I like her, because she does represent a personality type that we deal with a lot nowadays. Back in the day it was shock jocks, nowadays its internet trolls or Twitter celebs. Livewire could easily by a podcast/Twitter celeb that might have a political angle against superheroes.
Honestly looking at the range she's gone into, I think for her to work she needs to fall into something like Dead Pool, Selfish, but not ultimately evil. But at the same time, I don't think she should be 'redeemed', especially in this current air where seemingly every single female villain with a tragic backstory is becoming an anti-hero in some way or form, redemption stories are too great, but if we just keep making more heroes then they'll just get less spotlight overall. But back to Livewire, I do agree her being a super-powered internet personality who is just trying to inflate her own ego makes for a much more compelling and interesting character, with more story potential than her being a hard core feminist, am I saying you can't tell feminist stories with her character or make her a strong female character because of them, no, but with a character like Livewire it might just muddy the water and be too much, time and place sort of thing.
lets run with this. lets make livewire more choatic neutral. somewhere between venom, deadpool and red hood (before he was found out to be jason todd. now hes kinda lame.) she could still see herself as more like anti-villain (like deadpool was when first introduced). more grounded (pun lol) in some ways more ruthless in others. give her some absolute things she will always do or not do(like killing someone on hers or theirs bday, kidnapping only on mondays, hero work second week of the month, 3rd weekend volunteers with kids) give her a roster of hero and villains after her for reasons. dash of comedy, smidge of dark humor, amazing art and writers and we have a new comic to obsess over. let me get my livewire story outline finished....
@@Modelcitizenmusic I want to streamline what you've put down so far. Have her approach redemption, but have it so that her attention-seeking always wins out over it. She wants clout; more clout than her male equivalents, and that'll always get in the way of her being a hero. She's a good person underneath all that (or at least has the potential to be) but the clout and prestige of being the first female to achieve more clout than men by a wide margin will always win out.
@@tivednagol9127 id read that book in a heartbeat. Done right she could be one of. DCs more complex and dynamic characters. God knows they need to up their game.
She did get reformed right before the beginning of the new 52 and then In the new 52 for no reason that was actually apparent to the readers they turned her into a villain again in much the same way that they turned the riddler back into a villain again in the new 52 even though he was reformed in the previous continuity as well ,but I digress!!!
I kinda like that idea you mentioned of her having to piece her life back together from information she finds online. I think I'd run with that idea and add a bit of a twist. She'd start out coming to consciousness inside a computer; her computer at Metropolis University. She struggles to remember who she is but her memory is fragmented. Looking around her files, she starts to piece together who she is from several videos she made (pranks and shock pieces) and she starts feeling emotions like joy and excitement rush over her. She figures out how to manifest outside of the machine and starts looking through her room with more bits and pieces coming together, but she assembles them into a cohesive narrative by what makes her feel good rather than what makes sense (chasing emotions, not truth). She gets more data from her phone, including her home address, and immediately leaves to see what she finds there. Upon arrival (with no one noticing), she overhears her mother spouting vitriol at a group of super heros in her home. Lacking context, she immediately assumes these heros have been bullying her mother and decides that maybe she can get some payback. As she follows them after they leave, she uses the internet to look up their bad deeds (confirmation bias) and eventually works herself up enough to start a fight that she eventually wins (especially since she can't be touched). Of course the truth is more complex: she was one of them once. She had these powers since she was young and was scouted by the League (or similar group) as a potential member. As an adult (mid to late twenties) she went on a mission where here powers and training were needed and things went wrong. Though she saved the day, her body was destroyed and the heros thought her dead. The heros had shown up at her mother's house to attend her wake and her mother's anger and grief unknowingly colored her daughter's opinion and twisted her world view. So the story would revolve around this broken mind falling into villainy due to a misguided sense of justice. She would always find some kind of truth that's gone unpunished or ignored and seek to not only expose the guilty but to seek retribution in ways that totally ignore details like collateral damage, ongoing events and general broader consequences. From a story perspective, her actions would be meant to shine a light on all kinds of topics: government corruption, hate speech, or other social matters that don't necessarily get enough discussion (just because she's wrong in her response does not always mean she's wrong about an issue, though she can be). She always is the villain as her actions are far too extreme and tend to leave a lot of openings for other villains to exploit (open computer pathways, disabled security systems, and otherwise distracting the heros). And there can be questions about identity, what we leave behind, and how we would judge ourselves in a vacuum. Just a thought.
I never knew that she was original to the DCAU like Harley, she kind of does have that "You already know who this is" presentation in a lot of modern outings. I do like her new 52 design, reminds me of Storm in the 90s with the mohawk. I think I should check out Super Hero Girls, I've never seen coverage of the show as in depth like this before and knowing that it's from the same creator as MLP defintely caught my attention. Thanks for the vid Sasha! Best to ya
@@unigenius Mercy Graves is another one, and you mean Roxy Rocket not Rita, I just rewatched her episode yesterday, but I've been rewatching Batman and Superman TAS and so I've just started realizing how many female characters they made, I wouldn't be surprised if they just made so many because Bruce Timm is horny lol, but the female characters they made were way cooler and interesting than any of the male ones they made and there's a reason they've stuck around.
She doesn't do a TON but she has more of an appearance in the "Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour" comic book limited series, which, is seemingly canon to the cartoon, bridging at least part of the gap between seasons 2 and 3. In that comic she shows up in issue 4 when Harley & Ivy (on the run from a still-crazed Jim Gordon while simultaneously trying to take a lovers' trip) hide out at her (ex-)girlfriend Nightfall's place. She shows up apparently crashing in the toaster when Harley goes to make some toast, makes Ivy feel like shit for dumping Kite-Man at the altar, and kicks them out of the place while crashing there herself. She reappears as an imagined cameo in issue 5, and has another full appearance in issue 6 (the final of the mini), helping Ivy and three superheroes (Vixen [also bi/lesbian in this universe], Zatanna and Cyborg) rescue Harley from and defeat Mephitic (a poison/pollution based villain created for the series). That implies more action taken on her part than actually occurs. She basically surprises Mephitic by appearing out of a machine and zaps her once and that's it. Her actual personality isn't shown off much at all still... or it's been changed and made SUPER generic so that basically ANY electric-based female villain could've been used in her place (I love the show, but it really is bad about giving side characters unique personalities), but at least it's more than she did in her two episode appearances.
I honestly loved her in the Superman the Animated Series!! One my favorite episodes in DCAU was her team up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn against Supergirl and Batgirl! I loved seeing the Younger World's Finest in action!!
Today she would be a conspiracy theorist i'm sure and thinking Superman is working for the man, but this could also work in well for her redemption because it could be revealed that she was getting misled by Lex Lurther or someone like that and join superman (or batmat) in defeating an actual plot to take over the world by lex and/or the court of owls
I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who thought Livewire looks like Killer Frost. I haven't seen the Superman Animated show. Your video made me want to watch it now.
I love the punk style. Especially with Live wire. I saw the Superman animated series episode of Livewire when first aired back in the 90s. I still remember the day!
Lori Petty really made Livewire her own! She's TANK GIRL! Anyway....I met her at a con! She's older but still got that wit, and sass we know her for. I was right next to her booth, and she noticed me. "What's up, babe?" She said. "Huh? Oh, Hey Lori. How's things?" "Eh. Can't complain, but I do sometimes." She said. I asked her how it felt to be a DC super bad guy who's now in the mainstream books? "Aaa....It feels nice." She said. "Hey, did you know you...I mean Livewire got beat up by Batman?" "NO...." She said. "YES....He knocked you..er...HER into a water tower, and took her out. Taken out by him? Real badge of honor." "Mind. Blown." She said. "Heeey...ya wanna autograph?" "Sure! how much.." "Naaaah!" She said. "IT's on me!"
I remember when Supes lands on the stage to warn people against the storm, Leslie turns the crowd against him, and they start throwing stuff at him. What always seemed odd was that Superman, the guy that doesn't even feel bullets and could shrug off missiles, braced himself when people threw crumpled up paper and their (probably overpriced) cups of soda.
I don't know why but I feel like Livewire would've beem an interesting Season 1 CW Flash villain. If she still had the 'can't be touched because she's electricity' part, it would at least give a reason as to why Barry couldn't just run in and slap some cuffs on her or knock her out before she knew what hit her. I get why they wouldn't have used her that way, though.
Trouble is she's a being on the Superman level of things. Not to mention the icon level size of things with her. So Supergirl was ultimately the better choice.
Plus their tongue and cheek jabs at the comics while still keeping the dark aspects of the lore intact makes it more enjoyable along with alternating the lore of the comics to make it more modern at interesting.
@@HighKnight Babs and Kara go help Katana at her bordering school which is haunted by a ghost it later turns out the ghost (which is more of a fiery banshee) is the spirt of a Scottish woman who became the leader of her clan but her brother didn't like that so he chased her up a bell tower and killed her. She now haunts her brother's bloodline for vengeance.
Love Livewire, especially the original iteration. Her voice actress was just perfection. Love the DC Superhero Girls iteration as well. Love DCSHG in general
Wow, I'm legit blown away by the smart commentary of the DC Superhero Girls portrayal. Having written off the show for the reasons you mentioned, I might actually start watching it now!
Live wire is one of my favorite DC superman supervillains. One reason is definitely thanks to Lorie Petty voicing the animated version who definitely makes the character. And another is my general love for electric super powers in media and fantasy. I think another way they could have done Live-wire in a more modern day was to just make her a Podcaster. I think her shock jock origins could have translated well in that form. Maybe also add in the hole conflict of if superheroes are really doing good or just making more problems. And her transformation giving her the opportunity to be a real hero. But for less than noble reasons as she’s also using it to feed her ego. Though I do love you’re idea of her not even being able to tell the difference between her real personality and the one she makes up for her show. I feel like as people continue to progress more and more into a digital world a villain like live wire could be more relevant than ever. She could steal the entire worlds wealth in cryptocurrency. Or use her skills in the media to help spread disinformation about superheroes. Hell she could take over every social media outlet out there to make her the only name in town. They just need a good enough writer for the job.
Livewire is incredibly underrated, my first exposure to the character was through the video game, LEGO DC Super-Villains, but I came to quite find her interesting down the line especially when evaluating the bigger DCAU stories
Interesting how in the Action Comics version she mentioned being a rival of Billy Batson, then she gets struck by lightning to grant/augment her powers... Shazam!
What the DCU Needs, What Leslie’s Character Needs, & What We Need is for Sasha Wood to Write That LIVEWIRE AS A UA-camR ARC !!! From the POV of a 57yr Young Comic Geek/ Nerd I Luv DC Superhero Girls, They are Well Thought Out, Light Hearted Yet Heroic Stories , Unlike the silliness of Teen Titans Go IMO… Keep Up The Outstanding Work Sasha 🖖🏾
Just found this channel randomly, because UA-cam is weird. 1.) I like seeing Livewire covered. I remembered her from the Superman cartoon when I was a kid, and was sad I didn't see more of her. 2.) I appreciate your humor. 3.) Your hair is fucking wild, and I love it.
Livewire for me always seemed one step away to having a redemtion arc and joining a team like the outsiders or even the Titans. Also nice to mention DC Super Hero Girls. I Love the show. My 6 six year old really got into it. Its fun for Kids and has enough Comic easter eggs and cameos to entertain a Comic Nerd like myself. Somehow giving the Heroes steriotypical Highschool Trope characters just seems to work. Also any Show the brings my daughter to pester me with questions about the different Lantern Corps and how fast Cheetah is and lots more at the breakfast table is a Good Show imo
Loved Lori Petty’s Voice origination! That’s right, gang! Tank Girl herself! Too bad Superman TAS didn’t continue further, “cos Live Wire would’ve LOVED Blue & White Electric Superman! Happened only a few years away. Now THAT would be a ship. At the core of Leslie’s character, regardless of the subject matter, is that she jumps to conclusions quickly. Weather right or wrong, it highlights her character & motivation immediately. It’s part of what makes her fun, and part of why she’s best as a recurring cameo character, rather than long term. But still, a standout one. Also, I have questions about the Blue Beetle story. Wasn’t Jamie Reyes still a teenager? Another thing not helping!
I honestly would've retconned Livewire to be involved during the events of The Death of Superman. Where she witnesses Superman's sacrifice and he gives her the parting advice to becoming a better person. And that sacrifice drives her to becoming a reformed hero. Put her in any team and how she interacts with others. I could do the same with Volcana
Damn! I really like your take here 24:30, specifically just the part where she had complete amnesia so she uses her videos to “reconstruct” herself but because they’re just an online persona/a shock jock personality she’s remembering a false version of who she really was thus creating “livewire” and not Leslie. It would have been an amazing cautionary tale about online persona/presence, “if this person was you, would you be ok with that?”
I love that livewire just has a fun, in your face personality, kinda like superboy. Also I'm very confused by the line "Does this homicide make my butt look big", like does she want a big butt or does she not like that?
I like the Superhero Girls version of her being a troll; someone to just make the lives of the heroes miserable. It doesn't have to be a "one and done" story, in that it can be the B-story multiple times to show the long-term effects of online bullying. As long as she's not breaking any laws, it becomes a free-speech issue too and not a problem that can be solved by punching. I remember in her first appearance in Supergirl I remember her making an off-hand comment about her genitals. Kora made such a face...
now I really want a Livewire solo mini series!!! maybe Livewire's snarky podcast gets picked up by the Daily Planet as part of its pivot to digital media. then you can have Leslie interact with Jimmy, Perry, and Lois too as a coworker. there's definitely lots of interesting ground to cover about the weird nature of journalism in a world where the fantastical is real, and I think Livewire's brashness could be a good way into that stuff. I think it's also really important to make her funny and interesting! show why people like her work!
You missed her in "Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour" ( or not, but she's not listed here ), as she has kind of an arc and does more than stand in the background, gets a girlfriend and a loving joke that their home has a plentiful supply of lightbulbs, a joke about orgasms I only got down that issue, and I loved how she was portrayed. The whole Harley animated show and the comics would make a great episode :D
@@MrSafior I strongly disagree, when you point to the show getting on a downfall is for me the precise moment where it found its voice and its tune and started coming together in a deeper way. But each to their own I guess, if we all liked the same thing it would be an incredibly boring world.
@@jessicaluchesi Or a better world, but no Harley become super toxic when she force Ivy to break up with Kiteman, even tought she was in love with him and he treat her well. And since the comics follow the same direction it's continue the dowfall.
@@ExeErdna I do like the aspect as how they manage to develop many of the characters in a way it's not really her show but a show about a group of people. I'd love to see many of those characters get a front seat in some episodes, a Catwoman X Batman one would be amazing!
I love the original version of her. however, Faust's interpretation is interesting. I would expand her hate to all heroes. Definitely have her take on the Big Red Cheese, I like the origin of her getting 2nd hand shock from a Kryptonian. (Gives a little wariness for them) I would also have her be the sister of someone Superman/Supergirl (whomever) failed to save. Give her a slow build up. Start with the failure, have her program on in the background in Lex's lair/office/prison cell, after a few more issues have the accident. Also I love your tiktok idea.
@@totz_the_plaid9625 That's true. But it's a cliché for good reason - it's an understandable strong motivation that *would* be reasonably common in a world full of superheroes and supervillains.
I had totally forgot she was voiced by Lori Petty. That was such a good animated series. It doesn't get the love of BTAS, but I always felt it was a good representation of at least a time in Clark's existence.
in terms of the "ive had to work harder and be more shoking than my male contemporaries" I think this is true (more so at time of her debut) and its part of why she's so loud, anti authority and stubborn. Only one of many the reasons that is. Overall she results in a compelling radio personality, but like all interesting traits its disadvantages her as well. In that she wont give Superman a fair shake and becomes quite the stanky lil hater
I love these character retrospectives. They have allowed for me to learn more about new characters and/or start getting more into ones that I had no prior interest in. Thank u for the videos and keep up the great work. ❤
Thank you! Always liked the character. As you said, her personality portrayed by Lori Petty made her enjoyable. Kind of like Harley Quinn. And I did notice she isn´t used as much in the media in general. Personally, I´d keep trying and have her be mainly a Superman villain (as he doesn´t have that many and/or memorable) while ocasionally have her fight other characters from the Superman family. In my case I ADORE Giganta yet DC doesn´t know what to do with her either. Not even knowing full well that Wonder Woman is the main JL member with the least amount of villains and popular ones at that. So, for one that´s well known you´d thing they´d found a way to make use of her. ...I´m hoping beyond hope that she appears in the third Wonder Woman movie. PS Could you do a similar video but about Silver Banshee? That´s another character that I like but barely know anything about.
I think they will put Giganta in the third Wonder Woman movie or in the video game she's getting so it could get the attention Resident Evil 8 had with Dimitrescu.
I haven't seen a lot of Livewire stories but after seeing the episode from Superman the animated series where she's introduced (in that animated universe), it really irks me how she comes across as just a bratty person who happened to get superpowers. Really radiated a whole vibe of "I'm more correct because I'm yelling louder than you" sort of thing.
Another Superman villain I think deserves more attention is Silver Banshee. Extremely underrated character, and an absolute icon. She's got a very fun powerset, a unique backstory and amazing story potential. Also another character that DC Superhero Girls adapted successfully, better than any other medium.
When you think about it, Marc Webb's Electro and LiveWire have a lot in common. Like... they've both been electrified and go into a "coma" state only to wake up and find they have control over the electricity. The two also have strong feelings towards a specific hero. Max has an admiration for Spider-Man which later turns to hatred as he feels betrayed by his idol, while LiveWire dislikes Superman and after the incident she hates him. Imagine if in the next version of LiveWire the reason she hated Superman was because he forgot her birthday party! That would be HILARIOUS!
This was a very entertaining and insightful look into this character, and I like the acknowledgement of all the layers of her character, very thorough work! Great video!
When I was younger, Superman the animated series was my favorite show. It was/is better than Batman. Livewire was one of my favorite villains. She was just so powerful and fun to watch. I’m sad that she isn’t a major part of the Superman rouges gallery, and that she isn’t that beloved. I always thought she’d make a great Flash villain though. Or a Captain Marvel (I refuse to call him Shazam) villain.
I loved Livewire in her first appearance but I have to agree that as time went on it felt more and more like they didn't know what to do with her. Which is a shame because I feel like she has such potential to be a really interesting character, as Sasha does a great job of laying out here.
Firstly, your Carnival Time eye shadow and wig are the BOMB!!!! MAGNIFICENT job you are ready for an all day excursion on the streets of New Orleans; hittin' as many parades as your stamina can withstand!!!! Livewire is one of those characters that is so good that the typical time period de-aging story updating thingy just weakens the initial impact. Oh well comics. Thank you for the time and effort that you put into each subject. PEACE and God bless. ....oh and Happy Mardi Gras!!!!
Being a fan of the DCAU, I've always loved Livewire and wish they'd use her more in other media. Her DCAU origin is perfect and in some ways would work even better today, with some minor updates to incorporate a podcast/social media rather than traditional radio. I think she'd work well in a movie or TV series if she were kept in her regular human form for a while, just as a popular online critic of Superman (with perhaps Bibo Bibowski also appearing, representing the opposite point of view), then in the second movie/season, have her become Livewire. I think your analysis is spot-on as usual, and with your understanding of online culture and the UA-camr lifestyle, you've figured out how to make her a really relevant modern villain. Also, between this and the Batman Beyond video, I'm loving the DCAU kick you've been on.
DCAU's Livewire is the best one due to how fun and cool her powers are also Lori Petty's performance gave the character so much life. Nowadays I think the problem with Livewire is she doesn't stand out in the Superman's rogue gallery as she's often treated as a nuisance than a credible threat to Superman.
Man, this is my first video of yours and it is EXCELLENT. Insightful commentary, in-depth analyses, great use of clips from all the different media, humor, and experience all shining through! I can’t wait to have more time to look at what else is on your channel!
I really like Livewire as an antagonist that's very much in the "redeemable" range, that allows for stories of her either going full evil or hesitating about her real goals. There's a lot of space to make stories with characters like her.
Livewire is one of those weird characters where I actually think it's BETTER that they keep retooling her. The core of her character--an attention-seeking shock artist--has never gone away, but even just in the relatively short time she's been relevant, it's changed form. Shock jock, outrage commentator, prank artist, they all work perfectly for the character in the time where they're relevant, but that sort of person gets popular in very ephemeral fields, and very rarely is that sort of person actually one destined for long-term success. I don't think you can pick a singular specific form of her that isn't going to somehow become dated, but that doesn't make those forms less valid in the moment. Perhaps, though, that's actually something that can make for more of a 'One True Livewire'. Consider Joe Rogan; he's filled that role in different forms over the years, but he's still the same person, appealing to similar audiences every time. A smart shock artist doesn't stay doing one thing forever or it stops being shocking, so in a sense it would be right to, even in a singular constant continuity, have Livewire keep chasing the grift and keep reinventing her appeal.
She got her powers from a "social experiment" backfiring? Now that I think about it, I could see her running with the likes of Filthy Frank about 10 years ago.
I was rewatching the Superman cartoon with Livewire's first appearance and then I remembered that you made a WHOLE video on her!!! Love your channel :)
I would like to see a younger person take the name Livewire with the same prank channel (al la the Paul Brothers) but instead of taking on Superman, have her face the Teen Titans or Blue Beetle specifically (just tone down the 'stimulation' from the scarab). But I think Livewire started very much as a 'villain of her time' but updating her should be easy because this villain is actually furn.
27:55 - Also it was the glorious return and full realization of Nicole Sullivan Supergirl, best version of the character fight me! 33:29 - Hmmm....Maybe have her lead a team of trollish supervillains _(who are nowhere near as powerful as her but still "useful" to her)_ who go after not just heroes but other villains? And in so doing they end up crossing the wrong target and along the way of trying to save her team's butts she has to reevaluate how much she values other people? Would be a neat starting point....
I know they didn't handle Livewire especially well in the Batgirl continuity you mentioned, but gosh, I love the art style. I've never really seen this iteration of Batgirl before, and the comic art is like... super cute, but with just enough edge to it to not feel like it defangs the characters. I might see if I can track it down to read, or at least find more work by the illustrator just for that.
I definitely do believe in the intention of the pun of her being a “shock jock “ who becomes a super villain with the power to “shock” with electricity 🤔✌️
Superman cartoon was my first introduction to her. I had no idea she was a show original. I always found it funny how they played some generic rock music when she came on. Like they still had that mindset that rock music was evil. And since you brought it up, I do hope you get a chance to talk about the weirdness of Superman walking one day.
Honestly it sounds like Livewire is a character could be one that if handled right can fit in any age. Heck having her be more of a Vigilante in the right story than a straight up villain and I don't mean as just a suicide squad member.
I really liked her in Superman TAS, though as a kid I did wonder why Superman was fighting a Flash villain, probably because she does look similar to Killer Frost so I must've got them mixed up. That Internet Troll seems like an interesting updated take that sounds really fitting with her character.
1st off, OMG! Awesome video! All the production was top tier and you brought up a lot of talking points that I had not considered!! I'm subed now!! 2ndly: I really truly hate how good you look with that hair..... I tried that look, it did not turn out well, so now I'm just jealous.... Thank you and keep being awesome!
OMG, when started on ur own version of hw to write her my brain jumped to the idea of her consciousness getting sucked into her phone n not remembering who she is n using her online persona to figure it out but not realizing she was just putting on an act n then u went exactly there in ur idea so I'm glad we r on the same page :3 Another fabulous wig btw 👍👍 I mean they r all great but today it's S tier
Awesome livewire is a fascinating character. Her episode with that purple guy was kinda rape-y. Touching her after repeated statements not too with out her consent
Good video, loved your presentation of these topics. Didn't expect them to come up through a video about a superman villain I only saw through the CW animated series once as a kid.
If I were to bring her back I would make her younger (so the same age she is in young justice and dc superhero girls) and have her be a representation of modern day social media. I’d have her be a pea king UA-cam channel who’s specialty is pranking superheroes, she travels around the world until her last stop point before her turn to supervillainy (I don’t know who she’d be an enemy of but maybe one of the younger characters like Blue Beetle or even Wonder Girl.) she gets in an accident and her story pretty much is just the same as it’s always be. And maybe later down the rode she has a redemption arc
Pranks, and Podcasts is where I would see her media personality fits best. It keeps her shockjock origin alive where the Prank videos would be more her short form video content and the podcasts her long form content that would fill out a video showing some of the prep for a prank or other such busy work that normally would get timelapsed when shown by other channels.
I know Livewire's in dc superhero girls (She has a cameo in Harley Quinn a non speaking role) but I hope they can get Lori Peti back if they bring the character into fighting games like Injustice or in Harley Quinn's new season or other animations. You know for me a good replacement for Lori Peti to me if she's unavailable is Kat Dennings because her voice reminds me of Livewire.
Just like so many people have pointed out about Harley, a lot of the character is a direct result of the voice actor; in this case, Lori Petty. I totally love Petty and she just seems integral to the character.
If they decide to give her lines in the Harley show, maybe they'll look her up
Yeah, definitely a big reason why they made it into the comics, hopefully Livewire gets suitable voice actor replacement like Harley did.
yup
@Daniel Maldonado cuz she's a cool voice actress
@nemo pouncey Black Lightning faught her in Young Justice.
I had this idea about Livewire, that she was originally Daily Planet radio DJ and was a big fan of Clark Kent's work and his stance againts corruption and injustice, and in the end it would turned out that Clark is the one who actually inspired Livewire to fight Superman in the first place.🤣
Lol that would be Clark's luck
@@CasuallyComics I see Livewire as this kind of "Rebel without a direction" character, she wants to do good and fight againts injustice, but because of her temper she jumps to the conclusions really quick without thinking and that's what's getting her into troubles, i think her story should be about growth and learing from your mistakes, and Superman should play the role of her guide.
this reminds me in all star superman, where lex likes clark but hates superman.
Flash Thompson's favorite superhero is Spider-Man.
I love this idea
What i don't like is how media is trying to distance Livewire from Superman, and it's a shame cause he doesn't really have an intersting female villians except maybe Silver Banshee who's also underutilized in Superman stories. To me Livewire is still has an unlocked potential as a character and there is great story about her that is waiting to be told, with the right writer she can rival Harley Quinn imo.
I made a smiliar comment and had not read yours before. So we think the same way.
Adding your female point you´re right. While, for the most part, every superhero/superheroine tends to have villains mostly from the same sex it´s refreshing to have some from the opposite sex. That´s why I said that Livewire should be mainly a Superman foe and ocasionally be able to fight Supergirl or Powergirl for instance.
Superman has plenty of interesting female villians aside from Silver Banshee, such as Maxima, Insect Queen, Faora, Blaze and etc. Issue is that they and plenty of conceptually interesting villians get forgotten or less utilised. My favourite female villian would be Maxima but its shame she hasn't had relevance since Post Crisis.
@@justicierodelaliga I tihink the problem comes from the fact that writers don't even know what to do with Superman most of the times, so it's no surprise that most his villians gets the shaft.
They focusing too on how powerful villian should be and not what he is as the character and what his story, that's why i think they don't really use Livewire, they think she's not strong enough to take down Superman.
@@supervoss4321 There's also Volcana, Amazing Grace, Obsession and The Puzzler III, but maybe except from Maxima they lack in initial hook that could make them potentially intersting, i've read about them and they're all just there with nothing to offer, imo.
@@user-ManofStyle1 they shouldn't make villains who are stronger than sups, they should make ones that can counter him. What I mean is, superman should be stronger than like 99% of his villains in terms of power and speed, but they should have abilities that can counter him, like livewire electrocuting him.
I would definitely make her a Podcaster, a controversial one like Joe Rogan or Howard Stern in the extreme things she says. Focus on her undermining Superheroes and other powers like Argus. To keep her from becoming stale, make her focus less on revenge/petty things and instead keep her focused on social issues. She can be the blunt voice for the everyman who makes good points/isn't wrong about some things but then takes it the extreme in other areas/conspiracies. She can fluctuate between being a voice for the people and taking her activism too far. I think she has a lot of potential in that area as a recurring villain. Just don't make her issues she reports on one note.
Podcaster is definitely the way to go, especially if she's a podcaster who use to be a radio personality before being cancelled literally or figuratively.
Like what they did for Poison Ivy in the new 52 they ditch the seductress Angle and made her an environmental activist/eco-terrorist who takes things too far
Just make her a Alex jones
Honestly if someone did the Podcaster route, I could actually see her doing two different Podcasts, one being relatively tame where she is a normal part of the cast with a stronger leaning towards certain opinions, and then her own Podcast as "Livewire" more in line with Alex Jones or TYT playing up her views to a more extreme degree for the shock value. This could lead to an interesting story progression with Sasha's idea of needing to reconstruct her personality, starting out more villainous from the Livewire podcast, but slowly becoming grounded back to who she is with her other podcast, partially redeeming her, but allowing her to be more an anti-hero or anti-villain afterwards.
@@truekurayami You could also go the other way at any time, such as the middle. Have her lose herself in the persona created by and for the second podcast. Make it clear she needs a redemption arc rather than a slap on the wrist.
I can easily picture a modern Livewire being an influencer or something criticizing Superman and repeating all those bad takes that people have towards the character, like "he's bad cuz he doesn't kill his villains" or that he has a secret agenda behind him cuz she can't believe someone can be a good person
You idea is very bad take, and would just make Livewire a pathetic mache man.
You can make hear someone that instead of a petty fixation on super man, see him as a major symbol of the hero cultural phenomenon; and use radical sensationalism and populism to 'call out' heroes don't acting against the offical atrocities as long as they are legal.
Why does Superman refuses killing, is really just his morals? He is alien, do we know how his race is wired? Would he be like a mad dog, and lose control if he tasted blood?
Of couse there is varying degrees of nuance. You could point that heroes like Superman don't act becuase don't want to cause a radicalization of a already already authoritarians states, and drive other to militarism to counter superheroes outreach. Then she could counter that is vapid talk, as such extremely are incoming either way, and them standing around will not stop it. You can have a back a fourth, before settling who is right.
@@indulgencerofindulgence5970 honestly, I think both of your ideas can work
@@indulgencerofindulgence5970This text is a big pile of shit, you probably love Superman from Injustice 😂
Influencer might be too heavy-handed. Alot of times they come off a vacuous and I don't think that's Leslie.
Modern UA-cam grifters in a nutshell
I really liked this character. She’s really the only character to connect to Superman’s role as a reporter and advocate for the truth, since she is technically in news media. And her job is so malleable to whatever time period you want to put her in, especially in today’s podcast climate. It would have been great to see her more often.
I feel like they've overcomplicated her too much. As far as I'm concerned she should still be a schock-jock type but with a podcast rather than a radio show. Everything else can stay the way it was in the STAS episode. Simple as that.
Having her be an more impish Superman villain, yet different from Mr. Mxpltk, would be a good niche for her.
have her not like them putting chemicals in the water that turn the freaking frogs... into supervillians?
@@coolgreenbug7551 I'm thinking more like Joe Rogan on electricity instead of horse dewormer.
Wait, Mr. Mxpltk is real?
@@olympiareid1494 well, real in the sense that he's part of the comics. He's existed since 1944.
That’s basically what they’ve done in the recent series! You were right on the money with podcasts.😉
Hearing about that unexplained rivalry with Billy Batson made me realize that Livewire could actually make for an interesting Shazam villain. Play up a professional rivalry between Billy and Leslie as rival radio hosts with opposite approaches to the position, and their hero/villain rivalry with similar lightning bolt themes. Then add on the awkwardness of an adolescent or teenage Billy Batson having to fight a woman in a skin-tight outfit that shows off her... features. I feel like it could make for an interesting dynamic.
@Oswald Cobblepot not really that actually sound a like good idea except the last part that just no but the whole rivarly between the two has radio hosts and having power that derived from lighting is sound
Lol I could see livewrite pulling the "does my butt look big in this?" on billy and him having to focus his mind with thoughts about what superman would do.
Livewire being a foil to Shazam would work great actually.
I totally agree she could make for a really good cpt marvel villain. There’s also a nice parallel of two young adults trying to survive on their own, Billy being in a very real/literal way and Leslie in a more trying to make it big in the industry. It’s also a good way to explain her powers, maybe she got inadvertently hit with some of the “SHAZAM!!!” Mystic Lighting and that gave her the powers (and with her being magic lightning being that’s a good way to explain her still being in Superman level/able to hurt him).
I like the idea that she keeps -almost- getting a redemption arc, but that her narcissism prevents it. It would make sense that she would get backlash and offer non-apologies, or be shown to be wrong but make it someone else’s fault, etc. a big characteristic of narcissists is that they really think of themselves as always right and just can’t conceive of themselves as causing harm. Live wire as someone who causes harm, but believes that said harm is really someone else’s fault…that’s interesting
That makes her a Narcissist with a childish personality.
@@timothyharris1125 Yeah and?
I like the concept Leslie is against all superheroes, voicing harsh opinions on them through social media. However her content slamming Superman gets the most views, since he's so seemingly perfect there's a larger audience drawn to content that doesn't glorify him. Keeping her set up as a Superman villain but giving her some leeway to easily fit as an antagonist elsewhere.
Superman also simply being the topic that brings her the most attention also really works for the 'how much does she mean what she says' concept. Because she dislikes all heroes with the extreme dislike for Superman being easily read as an act.
Ooooooo good one
Or maybe, and hear me out, she becomes Superman's equivalent to J. Jonah Jameson in that she bashes Superman but it comes from a place of genuine concern for the citizens of Metropolis, which could be fueled by the fact that personal tragedy made ger lose faith in vigilante heroes that hide behind a mask- worser yet when the vigilante hero doesn't have a mask and is an alien.
Or maybe, given how punkish she is, she's just doing all the Super-bashing for the "LOLs" and for thr sake of being a "go against the flow" contrarian to keep people on their toes (like avoiding a live wire), and when she gets her powers she keeps switching sides from evil to good to back again cuz she still such a punk.
All in all, Livewire is still MASSIVELY underrated.
She seems like a hard character to keep a villain forever. Her character development would have to be stagnated.
Yeah her original character felt set up to be redeemed. So the real question js what to do with her after the redemption.
@@oliveragag8576 Make her a villain-turned-anti-hero, like Harley.
@@cosmicghost811 Yeah, the problem is that the market is overly saturated. There's too many female and male redeemed villains. That would have to wait until there's less of that.
@@austinkersey2445 i don't follow comics, but give me...10? seems like a fair number for oversaturation.
@@blackmage665 I more meant in general media. We've gotten a score of redeemed villains here in the past two or three decades. As far as comics go we've gotten Batman:The Animated Series sweetheart Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy. Mister Freeze, the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman in regards to being part of the Bat-Family, Talia al-Ghul, Clayface (somewhat more recent), Bronze Tiger, Deathstroke has had some reforms over the years, Deadshot, Jason Todd/Red Hood has fallen and been redeemed several times, Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael, Catman (as a member of the Secret Six which is a reform group for C-List villains), the Pied Piper of Flash's Rogues, the Trickster also gets reformed sometimes (with some relapses), Hal Jordan (he's become a villain by fusing with evil entities or being possessed by the and being saved), Black Adam has had a chance at redemption and appears to be a model hero, and even Lex Luthor here recently (who knows how well that'll go). There's a lot to go 'round. I actually like Livewire a lot, I think we just might need to wait on her a little. That said, if they go for that idea with her and pull it off then that's great.
You can never go wrong with the Lori Petty DCAU version. Just about every version after her can't capture that Tank Girl energy (DC Superhero Girls version actually does something interesting).
Young Justice's version really put the Killer Frost comparisons to light, because as of the past few years they've both been given redemption arcs.
(In YJ, she's voiced by Brit Baron, FFVII Remake's Tifa... And fortunately/unfortunately both are now famous for being in a certain position lol)
You Never Had Black Lightning,Before 😆😆😆😆
Yeah Lori Petty plays her so well, really makes her lovable even though she's a villain, it's similar to Arleen Sorkin and Harley Quinn, definitely a big reason they made it into comics.
@@dajuanpowers5347 And then she became a good guy, once u go black...
What happened to her?
what's this about brit baron and tifa??
considering she's made of energy, I'd say that a long term arch with her might be a tragic arc with her eventually going a little crazy as she begins to lose the ability to experience life as a human being... imagine the loss of being able to eat, smell things, taste things, and eventually hold physical objects or other people. She's somewhat self-absorbed but eventually realizing that her powers would result in making her loose physical cohesion and possibly dissapate into nothingness would be quite frightening and dark.
oooh, sort of like Doctor Manhattan in the Watchmen... after a while, it all just seems pointless to really care when it's so disconnected from where they are at that moment.
Ohhhh that's a really cool take
That it would and it'd make her actions more desperate/unpredictable. Knowing she needs to become human as soon as possible, because she could dissipate at any moment. 😢
Imo, Superman revealing to the world he is Clark Kent would have been the best moment to reintroduce Livewire. You could work the angle of how Superman lied to everyone and wrote about himself and his great acts of heroism to get public opinion on his side. It would be believable and a natural consequence of the reveal for some people to feel cheated.
Then, idk, get her to get into a electric accident while harassing Clark or something. How she gets her powers is probably less important than the fact Superman has to be close when she gets them.
That’s an incredible idea, and I love the angle of her being upset at Clark and Lois’ dishonest journalism. Its a topic comic writers tend to avoid with heroes who work in journalism and I wish we saw more stories these days on that topic.
@The Great Awakening!!! It doesn’t have to happen the same way it did in Smallville.
@Oswald Cobblepot because it's fun! No other reason, really
@Oswald Cobblepot What MrDariox said and sometimes characters need a modern update so they fit with the times. Take Iron Man for example. Every 5-10 years his origin is updated so he can be an active participant in the most recent war.
@Oswald Cobblepot Yes, Clark Kent writing a story about Superman praising his actions when he really is Superman would be considered dishonest and deceptive journalism. Lois could be accused of this as well. It's a career destroying move. Spider-Man actually a story on exactly that premise after his identity was revealed in Civil War. The Daily Bugle sued him for essentially selling selfies of himself to the Bugle for over a decade.
People sleep on DC Superhero Girls, the show is actually pretty good and absolutely knows the characters they're working with. Zatanna for example is sometimes painted as petty and downright evil, which aligns with her comic book counterpart of using questionable abuse of magic all the time. Poison Ivy is my favorite, the way they characterize her and Pamela Isley is perfect, making her a social outcast that hates people and only finds comfort in plants, they make her dress in baggy and shapeless clothes, just so that she "blooms" once she transforms into Poison Ivy. The fact that she's a villain is also there, because she doesn't really want to save the environment as a whole, she only cares about plants and not the animals, and she hates Jessica Cruz for being a vegetarian
So glad someone is giving DC Super Hero Girls a shout out in a positive light. Feels like everything just immediately writes it off (or worse, they just agree with Mr. Enter when he put it on his worst of the 2010s. Granted, it was number 10 but his complaints were false).
Always decent, often excellent.
Gotta say, with the little that Sasha showed in this video... I am impressed. They really do seem to be respecting the characters in a way that quite a lot of other shows do not!
Yup that show is great. I found out about it on 4chan of all places, was pleasantly surprised.
I can safely say that its better than the lifeless cashgrab web series of the same name in almost if not everyway possible, that's for sure.
Another case of the DCAU working so well the comics felt compelled to bring its characters into continuity.
This happens so much lol. I didn’t know that Nora (freeze) was actually one these!
@@pqcowboychanel Yeah entire Freeze backstory is courtesy of Batman TAS
I like the DCAU version of her story. It makes a lot of sense with the whole radio host thing. I think in modern day she would be like a podcaster or one of those "spill the tea" UA-camrs. I wonder how the Flash family would react to her? I would read that comic book.
I do remember that Livewire episode in Superman TAS. I like her, because she does represent a personality type that we deal with a lot nowadays. Back in the day it was shock jocks, nowadays its internet trolls or Twitter celebs. Livewire could easily by a podcast/Twitter celeb that might have a political angle against superheroes.
Honestly looking at the range she's gone into, I think for her to work she needs to fall into something like Dead Pool, Selfish, but not ultimately evil. But at the same time, I don't think she should be 'redeemed', especially in this current air where seemingly every single female villain with a tragic backstory is becoming an anti-hero in some way or form, redemption stories are too great, but if we just keep making more heroes then they'll just get less spotlight overall.
But back to Livewire, I do agree her being a super-powered internet personality who is just trying to inflate her own ego makes for a much more compelling and interesting character, with more story potential than her being a hard core feminist, am I saying you can't tell feminist stories with her character or make her a strong female character because of them, no, but with a character like Livewire it might just muddy the water and be too much, time and place sort of thing.
lets run with this. lets make livewire more choatic neutral. somewhere between venom, deadpool and red hood (before he was found out to be jason todd. now hes kinda lame.) she could still see herself as more like anti-villain (like deadpool was when first introduced). more grounded (pun lol) in some ways more ruthless in others. give her some absolute things she will always do or not do(like killing someone on hers or theirs bday, kidnapping only on mondays, hero work second week of the month, 3rd weekend volunteers with kids) give her a roster of hero and villains after her for reasons. dash of comedy, smidge of dark humor, amazing art and writers and we have a new comic to obsess over.
let me get my livewire story outline finished....
@@Modelcitizenmusic I want to streamline what you've put down so far. Have her approach redemption, but have it so that her attention-seeking always wins out over it. She wants clout; more clout than her male equivalents, and that'll always get in the way of her being a hero. She's a good person underneath all that (or at least has the potential to be) but the clout and prestige of being the first female to achieve more clout than men by a wide margin will always win out.
@@tivednagol9127 id read that book in a heartbeat. Done right she could be one of. DCs more complex and dynamic characters. God knows they need to up their game.
She did get reformed right before the beginning of the new 52 and then In the new 52 for no reason that was actually apparent to the readers they turned her into a villain again in much the same way that they turned the riddler back into a villain again in the new 52 even though he was reformed in the previous continuity as well ,but I digress!!!
I kinda like that idea you mentioned of her having to piece her life back together from information she finds online. I think I'd run with that idea and add a bit of a twist.
She'd start out coming to consciousness inside a computer; her computer at Metropolis University. She struggles to remember who she is but her memory is fragmented. Looking around her files, she starts to piece together who she is from several videos she made (pranks and shock pieces) and she starts feeling emotions like joy and excitement rush over her. She figures out how to manifest outside of the machine and starts looking through her room with more bits and pieces coming together, but she assembles them into a cohesive narrative by what makes her feel good rather than what makes sense (chasing emotions, not truth).
She gets more data from her phone, including her home address, and immediately leaves to see what she finds there. Upon arrival (with no one noticing), she overhears her mother spouting vitriol at a group of super heros in her home. Lacking context, she immediately assumes these heros have been bullying her mother and decides that maybe she can get some payback.
As she follows them after they leave, she uses the internet to look up their bad deeds (confirmation bias) and eventually works herself up enough to start a fight that she eventually wins (especially since she can't be touched).
Of course the truth is more complex: she was one of them once. She had these powers since she was young and was scouted by the League (or similar group) as a potential member. As an adult (mid to late twenties) she went on a mission where here powers and training were needed and things went wrong. Though she saved the day, her body was destroyed and the heros thought her dead. The heros had shown up at her mother's house to attend her wake and her mother's anger and grief unknowingly colored her daughter's opinion and twisted her world view.
So the story would revolve around this broken mind falling into villainy due to a misguided sense of justice. She would always find some kind of truth that's gone unpunished or ignored and seek to not only expose the guilty but to seek retribution in ways that totally ignore details like collateral damage, ongoing events and general broader consequences.
From a story perspective, her actions would be meant to shine a light on all kinds of topics: government corruption, hate speech, or other social matters that don't necessarily get enough discussion (just because she's wrong in her response does not always mean she's wrong about an issue, though she can be). She always is the villain as her actions are far too extreme and tend to leave a lot of openings for other villains to exploit (open computer pathways, disabled security systems, and otherwise distracting the heros). And there can be questions about identity, what we leave behind, and how we would judge ourselves in a vacuum.
Just a thought.
This needs to an official Elseworlds story.
I never knew that she was original to the DCAU like Harley, she kind of does have that "You already know who this is" presentation in a lot of modern outings.
I do like her new 52 design, reminds me of Storm in the 90s with the mohawk.
I think I should check out Super Hero Girls, I've never seen coverage of the show as in depth like this before and knowing that it's from the same creator as MLP defintely caught my attention.
Thanks for the vid Sasha! Best to ya
The 90s DCAU did a lot of original female characters! Harley Quinn, Red Claw, Livewire, Rita Rocket and Volcana.
@@unigenius hell yeah!
@@unigenius Mercy Graves is another one, and you mean Roxy Rocket not Rita, I just rewatched her episode yesterday, but I've been rewatching Batman and Superman TAS and so I've just started realizing how many female characters they made, I wouldn't be surprised if they just made so many because Bruce Timm is horny lol, but the female characters they made were way cooler and interesting than any of the male ones they made and there's a reason they've stuck around.
It's very good definitely up there with barbie life in the dream house in terms of unexpected kids TV shows that I unironically watch
She doesn't do a TON but she has more of an appearance in the "Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour" comic book limited series, which, is seemingly canon to the cartoon, bridging at least part of the gap between seasons 2 and 3.
In that comic she shows up in issue 4 when Harley & Ivy (on the run from a still-crazed Jim Gordon while simultaneously trying to take a lovers' trip) hide out at her (ex-)girlfriend Nightfall's place. She shows up apparently crashing in the toaster when Harley goes to make some toast, makes Ivy feel like shit for dumping Kite-Man at the altar, and kicks them out of the place while crashing there herself. She reappears as an imagined cameo in issue 5, and has another full appearance in issue 6 (the final of the mini), helping Ivy and three superheroes (Vixen [also bi/lesbian in this universe], Zatanna and Cyborg) rescue Harley from and defeat Mephitic (a poison/pollution based villain created for the series). That implies more action taken on her part than actually occurs. She basically surprises Mephitic by appearing out of a machine and zaps her once and that's it.
Her actual personality isn't shown off much at all still... or it's been changed and made SUPER generic so that basically ANY electric-based female villain could've been used in her place (I love the show, but it really is bad about giving side characters unique personalities), but at least it's more than she did in her two episode appearances.
Livewire was so weird there. Did Knightfall even show up in the cartoon? She certainly wasn't in the comic.
I honestly loved her in the Superman the Animated Series!! One my favorite episodes in DCAU was her team up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn against Supergirl and Batgirl! I loved seeing the Younger World's Finest in action!!
I love that episode too!
@@readingking1421 👍🏾🔥🔥🔥
Today she would be a conspiracy theorist i'm sure and thinking Superman is working for the man, but this could also work in well for her redemption because it could be revealed that she was getting misled by Lex Lurther or someone like that and join superman (or batmat) in defeating an actual plot to take over the world by lex and/or the court of owls
I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who thought Livewire looks like Killer Frost. I haven't seen the Superman Animated show. Your video made me want to watch it now.
I love the punk style. Especially with Live wire. I saw the Superman animated series episode of Livewire when first aired back in the 90s. I still remember the day!
Lori Petty really made Livewire her own! She's TANK GIRL! Anyway....I met her at a con! She's older but still got that wit, and sass we know her for. I was right next to her booth, and she noticed me. "What's up, babe?" She said. "Huh? Oh, Hey Lori. How's things?" "Eh. Can't complain, but I do sometimes." She said. I asked her how it felt to be a DC super bad guy who's now in the mainstream books? "Aaa....It feels nice." She said. "Hey, did you know you...I mean Livewire got beat up by Batman?" "NO...." She said. "YES....He knocked you..er...HER into a water tower, and took her out. Taken out by him? Real badge of honor." "Mind. Blown." She said. "Heeey...ya wanna autograph?" "Sure! how much.." "Naaaah!" She said. "IT's on me!"
cool
That's an awesome experience. I'm surprised she hasn't reprised the role in the last 21 years. Damnit DC.
I remember when Supes lands on the stage to warn people against the storm, Leslie turns the crowd against him, and they start throwing stuff at him. What always seemed odd was that Superman, the guy that doesn't even feel bullets and could shrug off missiles, braced himself when people threw crumpled up paper and their (probably overpriced) cups of soda.
I guess public opinion can be more painful than Kryptonite poisoning.
@@ashleytuchin7693 one you wish you were unborn, the other wish not being unliving
Sticks and stones won't break his bones but words will forever haunt him.
he's used to that happening as clark kent so maybe it was his reflexes acting up.
Bullets don't make a mess like soda does
I don't know why but I feel like Livewire would've beem an interesting Season 1 CW Flash villain. If she still had the 'can't be touched because she's electricity' part, it would at least give a reason as to why Barry couldn't just run in and slap some cuffs on her or knock her out before she knew what hit her. I get why they wouldn't have used her that way, though.
Trouble is she's a being on the Superman level of things. Not to mention the icon level size of things with her. So Supergirl was ultimately the better choice.
You have to give Lori Petty praise for her work as Livewire she was so fantastic
_DC Superhero Girls_ does such a great job reinventing villains. Toyman being a fanboy who took games way too seriously feels way too topical.
Plus their tongue and cheek jabs at the comics while still keeping the dark aspects of the lore intact makes it more enjoyable along with alternating the lore of the comics to make it more modern at interesting.
@@kwayneboy1524 I loved how what they did with Ra's. Absolutely not grounded in the media and lore. But was oddly entertaining.
@@HighKnight my favorite is what they did with Silver Banshee both in origin and design.
@@kwayneboy1524 I dont think I remember that episode. What was it about?
@@HighKnight Babs and Kara go help Katana at her bordering school which is haunted by a ghost it later turns out the ghost (which is more of a fiery banshee) is the spirt of a Scottish woman who became the leader of her clan but her brother didn't like that so he chased her up a bell tower and killed her. She now haunts her brother's bloodline for vengeance.
Quite the **shocking** character
Indeed. A shame they can't keep a steady current on appearances...
I always liked her. She was just the right kind of goofy.
If SuperMan is so weak to everyone’s electrical abilities it brings me to wonder if Thor really could defeat him.
I even wonder if Electro could beat him (though people say Electro is dumb).
Love Livewire, especially the original iteration. Her voice actress was just perfection. Love the DC Superhero Girls iteration as well. Love DCSHG in general
Wow, I'm legit blown away by the smart commentary of the DC Superhero Girls portrayal. Having written off the show for the reasons you mentioned, I might actually start watching it now!
Live wire is one of my favorite DC superman supervillains. One reason is definitely thanks to Lorie Petty voicing the animated version who definitely makes the character. And another is my general love for electric super powers in media and fantasy.
I think another way they could have done Live-wire in a more modern day was to just make her a Podcaster. I think her shock jock origins could have translated well in that form. Maybe also add in the hole conflict of if superheroes are really doing good or just making more problems. And her transformation giving her the opportunity to be a real hero. But for less than noble reasons as she’s also using it to feed her ego. Though I do love you’re idea of her not even being able to tell the difference between her real personality and the one she makes up for her show.
I feel like as people continue to progress more and more into a digital world a villain like live wire could be more relevant than ever. She could steal the entire worlds wealth in cryptocurrency. Or use her skills in the media to help spread disinformation about superheroes. Hell she could take over every social media outlet out there to make her the only name in town. They just need a good enough writer for the job.
Livewire is incredibly underrated, my first exposure to the character was through the video game, LEGO DC Super-Villains, but I came to quite find her interesting down the line especially when evaluating the bigger DCAU stories
Oh my God it’s Lori Petty, it was driving me nuts trying to think of her name, I always loved her voice.
Interesting how in the Action Comics version she mentioned being a rival of Billy Batson, then she gets struck by lightning to grant/augment her powers... Shazam!
Hahah it’s hilarious that Lex loves her show, of course he does.
What the DCU Needs, What Leslie’s Character Needs, & What We Need is for Sasha Wood to Write That LIVEWIRE AS A UA-camR ARC !!! From the POV of a 57yr Young Comic Geek/ Nerd I Luv DC Superhero Girls, They are Well Thought Out, Light Hearted Yet Heroic Stories , Unlike the silliness of Teen Titans Go IMO… Keep Up The Outstanding Work Sasha 🖖🏾
Just found this channel randomly, because UA-cam is weird.
1.) I like seeing Livewire covered. I remembered her from the Superman cartoon when I was a kid, and was sad I didn't see more of her.
2.) I appreciate your humor.
3.) Your hair is fucking wild, and I love it.
"She changes the S to an L"
I wonder if Superman had a little Kryptonian chuckle over his El becoming an L.
Livewire for me always seemed one step away to having a redemtion arc and joining a team like the outsiders or even the Titans.
Also nice to mention DC Super Hero Girls. I Love the show. My 6 six year old really got into it. Its fun for Kids and has enough Comic easter eggs and cameos to entertain a Comic Nerd like myself. Somehow giving the Heroes steriotypical Highschool Trope characters just seems to work. Also any Show the brings my daughter to pester me with questions about the different Lantern Corps and how fast Cheetah is and lots more at the breakfast table is a Good Show imo
DC SuperHero Girls is really great - it has nuance, humour, heart and enough in-jokes that we love watching it as a family.
Loved Lori Petty’s Voice origination! That’s right, gang! Tank Girl herself! Too bad Superman TAS didn’t continue further, “cos Live Wire would’ve LOVED Blue & White Electric Superman! Happened only a few years away. Now THAT would be a ship.
At the core of Leslie’s character, regardless of the subject matter, is that she jumps to conclusions quickly. Weather right or wrong, it highlights her character & motivation immediately. It’s part of what makes her fun, and part of why she’s best as a recurring cameo character, rather than long term.
But still, a standout one.
Also, I have questions about the Blue Beetle story. Wasn’t Jamie Reyes still a teenager? Another thing not helping!
Man, the wasted potential of Livewire is such a shame...
(BTW, love the hair this time around)
I honestly would've retconned Livewire to be involved during the events of The Death of Superman. Where she witnesses Superman's sacrifice and he gives her the parting advice to becoming a better person. And that sacrifice drives her to becoming a reformed hero. Put her in any team and how she interacts with others. I could do the same with Volcana
Damn! I really like your take here 24:30, specifically just the part where she had complete amnesia so she uses her videos to “reconstruct” herself but because they’re just an online persona/a shock jock personality she’s remembering a false version of who she really was thus creating “livewire” and not Leslie. It would have been an amazing cautionary tale about online persona/presence, “if this person was you, would you be ok with that?”
I love that livewire just has a fun, in your face personality, kinda like superboy. Also I'm very confused by the line "Does this homicide make my butt look big", like does she want a big butt or does she not like that?
I like the Superhero Girls version of her being a troll; someone to just make the lives of the heroes miserable. It doesn't have to be a "one and done" story, in that it can be the B-story multiple times to show the long-term effects of online bullying. As long as she's not breaking any laws, it becomes a free-speech issue too and not a problem that can be solved by punching.
I remember in her first appearance in Supergirl I remember her making an off-hand comment about her genitals. Kora made such a face...
now I really want a Livewire solo mini series!!! maybe Livewire's snarky podcast gets picked up by the Daily Planet as part of its pivot to digital media. then you can have Leslie interact with Jimmy, Perry, and Lois too as a coworker. there's definitely lots of interesting ground to cover about the weird nature of journalism in a world where the fantastical is real, and I think Livewire's brashness could be a good way into that stuff. I think it's also really important to make her funny and interesting! show why people like her work!
A Livewire Mini Series is longer overrdue.
You missed her in "Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour" ( or not, but she's not listed here ), as she has kind of an arc and does more than stand in the background, gets a girlfriend and a loving joke that their home has a plentiful supply of lightbulbs, a joke about orgasms I only got down that issue, and I loved how she was portrayed. The whole Harley animated show and the comics would make a great episode :D
This show go on a downfall after the late half of the second season, and this comics seems to follow the same path.
@@MrSafior I strongly disagree, when you point to the show getting on a downfall is for me the precise moment where it found its voice and its tune and started coming together in a deeper way. But each to their own I guess, if we all liked the same thing it would be an incredibly boring world.
To me the best thing about the Harley show is that everybody is more interesting. Like how at times it felt like Ivy's show overall.
@@jessicaluchesi Or a better world, but no Harley become super toxic when she force Ivy to break up with Kiteman, even tought she was in love with him and he treat her well.
And since the comics follow the same direction it's continue the dowfall.
@@ExeErdna I do like the aspect as how they manage to develop many of the characters in a way it's not really her show but a show about a group of people. I'd love to see many of those characters get a front seat in some episodes, a Catwoman X Batman one would be amazing!
I love the original version of her. however, Faust's interpretation is interesting. I would expand her hate to all heroes. Definitely have her take on the Big Red Cheese, I like the origin of her getting 2nd hand shock from a Kryptonian. (Gives a little wariness for them) I would also have her be the sister of someone Superman/Supergirl (whomever) failed to save. Give her a slow build up. Start with the failure, have her program on in the background in Lex's lair/office/prison cell, after a few more issues have the accident. Also I love your tiktok idea.
The "relative of someone a hero failed to save" thing is a cliche at this point.
@@totz_the_plaid9625 Perhaps
@@totz_the_plaid9625 That's true. But it's a cliché for good reason - it's an understandable strong motivation that *would* be reasonably common in a world full of superheroes and supervillains.
I had totally forgot she was voiced by Lori Petty. That was such a good animated series. It doesn't get the love of BTAS, but I always felt it was a good representation of at least a time in Clark's existence.
And it had lasting repercussions on the DCAU.
in terms of the "ive had to work harder and be more shoking than my male contemporaries" I think this is true (more so at time of her debut) and its part of why she's so loud, anti authority and stubborn. Only one of many the reasons that is. Overall she results in a compelling radio personality, but like all interesting traits its disadvantages her as well. In that she wont give Superman a fair shake and becomes quite the stanky lil hater
I love these character retrospectives. They have allowed for me to learn more about new characters and/or start getting more into ones that I had no prior interest in.
Thank u for the videos and keep up the great work. ❤
I've always felt like Livewire looked like rule 34 Freakazoid
Can't unsee that now.
Rule 63*
Thank you!
Always liked the character. As you said, her personality portrayed by Lori Petty made her enjoyable. Kind of like Harley Quinn. And I did notice she isn´t used as much in the media in general.
Personally, I´d keep trying and have her be mainly a Superman villain (as he doesn´t have that many and/or memorable) while ocasionally have her fight other characters from the Superman family.
In my case I ADORE Giganta yet DC doesn´t know what to do with her either. Not even knowing full well that Wonder Woman is the main JL member with the least amount of villains and popular ones at that. So, for one that´s well known you´d thing they´d found a way to make use of her.
...I´m hoping beyond hope that she appears in the third Wonder Woman movie.
PS
Could you do a similar video but about Silver Banshee? That´s another character that I like but barely know anything about.
I think they will put Giganta in the third Wonder Woman movie or in the video game she's getting so it could get the attention Resident Evil 8 had with Dimitrescu.
You missed your calling as a comic book editor. I'm always impressed by what you know about plot structure and character development.
I haven't seen a lot of Livewire stories but after seeing the episode from Superman the animated series where she's introduced (in that animated universe), it really irks me how she comes across as just a bratty person who happened to get superpowers. Really radiated a whole vibe of "I'm more correct because I'm yelling louder than you" sort of thing.
Another Superman villain I think deserves more attention is Silver Banshee. Extremely underrated character, and an absolute icon. She's got a very fun powerset, a unique backstory and amazing story potential. Also another character that DC Superhero Girls adapted successfully, better than any other medium.
When you think about it, Marc Webb's Electro and LiveWire have a lot in common.
Like... they've both been electrified and go into a "coma" state only to wake up and find they have control over the electricity.
The two also have strong feelings towards a specific hero. Max has an admiration for Spider-Man which later turns to hatred as he feels betrayed by his idol, while LiveWire dislikes Superman and after the incident she hates him.
Imagine if in the next version of LiveWire the reason she hated Superman was because he forgot her birthday party! That would be HILARIOUS!
This is the most in-depth look at Livewire I’ve ever seen and I really enjoyed it.
This was a very entertaining and insightful look into this character, and I like the acknowledgement of all the layers of her character, very thorough work!
Great video!
When I was younger, Superman the animated series was my favorite show. It was/is better than Batman. Livewire was one of my favorite villains. She was just so powerful and fun to watch. I’m sad that she isn’t a major part of the Superman rouges gallery, and that she isn’t that beloved. I always thought she’d make a great Flash villain though. Or a Captain Marvel (I refuse to call him Shazam) villain.
I loved Livewire in her first appearance but I have to agree that as time went on it felt more and more like they didn't know what to do with her. Which is a shame because I feel like she has such potential to be a really interesting character, as Sasha does a great job of laying out here.
Firstly, your Carnival Time eye shadow and wig are the BOMB!!!! MAGNIFICENT job you are ready for an all day excursion on the streets of New Orleans; hittin' as many parades as your stamina can withstand!!!! Livewire is one of those characters that is so good that the typical time period de-aging story updating thingy just weakens the initial impact. Oh well comics. Thank you for the time and effort that you put into each subject. PEACE and God bless. ....oh and Happy Mardi Gras!!!!
Being a fan of the DCAU, I've always loved Livewire and wish they'd use her more in other media. Her DCAU origin is perfect and in some ways would work even better today, with some minor updates to incorporate a podcast/social media rather than traditional radio. I think she'd work well in a movie or TV series if she were kept in her regular human form for a while, just as a popular online critic of Superman (with perhaps Bibo Bibowski also appearing, representing the opposite point of view), then in the second movie/season, have her become Livewire.
I think your analysis is spot-on as usual, and with your understanding of online culture and the UA-camr lifestyle, you've figured out how to make her a really relevant modern villain.
Also, between this and the Batman Beyond video, I'm loving the DCAU kick you've been on.
“Lois is freed to marry Bruce just like how Zack Snyder wanted”
Got me wheezing
DCAU's Livewire is the best one due to how fun and cool her powers are also Lori Petty's performance gave the character so much life. Nowadays I think the problem with Livewire is she doesn't stand out in the Superman's rogue gallery as she's often treated as a nuisance than a credible threat to Superman.
Man, this is my first video of yours and it is EXCELLENT. Insightful commentary, in-depth analyses, great use of clips from all the different media, humor, and experience all shining through! I can’t wait to have more time to look at what else is on your channel!
I really like Livewire as an antagonist that's very much in the "redeemable" range, that allows for stories of her either going full evil or hesitating about her real goals. There's a lot of space to make stories with characters like her.
Livewire is one of those weird characters where I actually think it's BETTER that they keep retooling her. The core of her character--an attention-seeking shock artist--has never gone away, but even just in the relatively short time she's been relevant, it's changed form. Shock jock, outrage commentator, prank artist, they all work perfectly for the character in the time where they're relevant, but that sort of person gets popular in very ephemeral fields, and very rarely is that sort of person actually one destined for long-term success. I don't think you can pick a singular specific form of her that isn't going to somehow become dated, but that doesn't make those forms less valid in the moment.
Perhaps, though, that's actually something that can make for more of a 'One True Livewire'. Consider Joe Rogan; he's filled that role in different forms over the years, but he's still the same person, appealing to similar audiences every time. A smart shock artist doesn't stay doing one thing forever or it stops being shocking, so in a sense it would be right to, even in a singular constant continuity, have Livewire keep chasing the grift and keep reinventing her appeal.
She got her powers from a "social experiment" backfiring? Now that I think about it, I could see her running with the likes of Filthy Frank about 10 years ago.
Wait Livewire before she transformed dressed like a goth? Nice lol
Really cool retrospective, i always liked her design.
Also i adore your hairs!
I was rewatching the Superman cartoon with Livewire's first appearance and then I remembered that you made a WHOLE video on her!!! Love your channel :)
I would like to see a younger person take the name Livewire with the same prank channel (al la the Paul Brothers) but instead of taking on Superman, have her face the Teen Titans or Blue Beetle specifically (just tone down the 'stimulation' from the scarab). But I think Livewire started very much as a 'villain of her time' but updating her should be easy because this villain is actually furn.
27:55 - Also it was the glorious return and full realization of Nicole Sullivan Supergirl, best version of the character fight me!
33:29 - Hmmm....Maybe have her lead a team of trollish supervillains _(who are nowhere near as powerful as her but still "useful" to her)_ who go after not just heroes but other villains? And in so doing they end up crossing the wrong target and along the way of trying to save her team's butts she has to reevaluate how much she values other people? Would be a neat starting point....
I know they didn't handle Livewire especially well in the Batgirl continuity you mentioned, but gosh, I love the art style. I've never really seen this iteration of Batgirl before, and the comic art is like... super cute, but with just enough edge to it to not feel like it defangs the characters. I might see if I can track it down to read, or at least find more work by the illustrator just for that.
I love live wire and this video. But I kept getting distracted by how awesome your hair looks in this video!!! This was fun!
I think her doing podcasts is a good idea
I definitely do believe in the intention of the pun of her being a “shock jock “ who becomes a super villain with the power to “shock”
with electricity 🤔✌️
Superman cartoon was my first introduction to her. I had no idea she was a show original. I always found it funny how they played some generic rock music when she came on. Like they still had that mindset that rock music was evil. And since you brought it up, I do hope you get a chance to talk about the weirdness of Superman walking one day.
Honestly it sounds like Livewire is a character could be one that if handled right can fit in any age. Heck having her be more of a Vigilante in the right story than a straight up villain and I don't mean as just a suicide squad member.
Yeesss, the artsy painted wall outlet has finally made another appearance! It's been a while. Good to see it back! #CasuallyPaintedWallOutlet
It's the protagonist we deserve
I really liked her in Superman TAS, though as a kid I did wonder why Superman was fighting a Flash villain, probably because she does look similar to Killer Frost so I must've got them mixed up. That Internet Troll seems like an interesting updated take that sounds really fitting with her character.
What great great analysis!
As always! You really are the best out here. 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
1st off, OMG! Awesome video! All the production was top tier and you brought up a lot of talking points that I had not considered!! I'm subed now!!
2ndly: I really truly hate how good you look with that hair..... I tried that look, it did not turn out well, so now I'm just jealous....
Thank you and keep being awesome!
As the Grand Archpriest of the Church of the Algorithm, I comment you to engage with this video.
I love Babs Tarr's art. Really, that was the key reason I did like the Burnside run. Babs just going crazy with the designs. The writing? Not so much.
This is fun! Usually you talk about things I've never seen, but I've actually seen this one :)
OMG, when started on ur own version of hw to write her my brain jumped to the idea of her consciousness getting sucked into her phone n not remembering who she is n using her online persona to figure it out but not realizing she was just putting on an act n then u went exactly there in ur idea so I'm glad we r on the same page :3
Another fabulous wig btw 👍👍 I mean they r all great but today it's S tier
She was considered for the ss but hopefully she'll be in the next one
Awesome livewire is a fascinating character. Her episode with that purple guy was kinda rape-y. Touching her after repeated statements not too with out her consent
Well he is a villain...
@@calumhouston3308 lol true, it just took me by surprise when I watched it again.
His power is to absorb other peoples powers by touch.
@@ItsDaJax right there was a story based reason for it, but the inference was pretty clear
Watching this video really brought me back to 2011 where middle-school would watch AtomicMari Smosh weekly vids. You've earned a new sub.
Good video, loved your presentation of these topics. Didn't expect them to come up through a video about a superman villain I only saw through the CW animated series once as a kid.
If I were to bring her back I would make her younger (so the same age she is in young justice and dc superhero girls) and have her be a representation of modern day social media. I’d have her be a pea king UA-cam channel who’s specialty is pranking superheroes, she travels around the world until her last stop point before her turn to supervillainy (I don’t know who she’d be an enemy of but maybe one of the younger characters like Blue Beetle or even Wonder Girl.) she gets in an accident and her story pretty much is just the same as it’s always be. And maybe later down the rode she has a redemption arc
Pranks, and Podcasts is where I would see her media personality fits best. It keeps her shockjock origin alive where the Prank videos would be more her short form video content and the podcasts her long form content that would fill out a video showing some of the prep for a prank or other such busy work that normally would get timelapsed when shown by other channels.
I know Livewire's in dc superhero girls (She has a cameo in Harley Quinn a non speaking role) but I hope they can get Lori Peti back if they bring the character into fighting games like Injustice or in Harley Quinn's new season or other animations. You know for me a good replacement for Lori Peti to me if she's unavailable is Kat Dennings because her voice reminds me of Livewire.