I know many might expect GGE to be thrilled that Cap is back in action, but instead, his return is greeted with a resounded sense of...ho hum.
Why?
First, did anyone know he died?
Well, the comic book community knew. It made some headlines even. Of course, a few years back Superman died. Batman got his back broken. Heck, Spock died in Wrath of Khan and it was all very poignant. Heck, even Captain Picard was "recovered" from the Borg and it is now official canon that Commander Data, who died in Nemesis, has been uploaded into the body of his idiot-savant "brother" B-4. Of course of all of these, Data is the only one I "buy" very well. He is a robot. I have resurrected my own computer a few times.
The problem? They are all back! It is a falacy of modern sci-fi and fantasy storytelling. Heroes fall, but they come right back in a few episodes. It's a time warp or a clone or an evil twin or something.
It has become a pattern and one that is just...well...boring and predictable.
I can speak for all writers when I say that no one wants their storytelling to be mentioned in the same sentence with boring and predictable!
If characters are always inherently "safe" then where is the drama?
- GGE promises that our characters are NEVER safe
- We will not keep a character around to make a buck if the storyline demands their untimely demise
- Once they are gone, they are gone. The barrior of death should be a bit nmore difficult to overcome than our colleagues in other studios have made it out to be.
Okay...enough griping. Cap is back! Big deal.
