Billy & Teddy Conceptual Notes

[paddo]

Today I was re-reading the Young Avengers issues - and my love for that series grows every time I read it: I keep finding little details that I didn't notice in the previous readings, but that are able to give to the story and its characters new nuances that make everything deeper and more interesting

Comments

[iridania]

I actually have this theory in my head -- and it's probably really stupid, but -- that Wanda accidentally made Billy her son.
Oh, that would be in interesting development - I've never thought about it before.
With Wanda's powers at work we could easily forget about the timeline. House of M happened roughly around 5 years ago, in 2005 (which in the 616 universe could be something like 2 years?).
We know she somehow triggered Billy powers in that scene. Wanda's magic can work without her being aware of it (that's basically what triggered Disassembled) - and when she met Billy the events of Avengers: Disassembled were about to take place. I think that she could have made him his son when she reshaped reality after the end of House of M, creating Tommy in the process.
(She met Billy, her magic made an 'imprint' of him, and then recreated the twins when she lost the 'real' ones after HoM)
...Like I've said: magic. Everything is possible.

Also, I know nothing about the Grim Reaper except that he was FUGLY, so -- he wasn't straight?
The issue was never adressed directly, but I think he wasn't. He had a strange relationship with Oddball, and seemed to bail out on Ultron and Kang when he was killed. It's merely speculation, but I've always thought of the Grim Reaper as gay, mainly because I can easily see 'our' Billy in him - or better said, what 'our' Billy could have become. :-/

I think that in wanting Xavin to be a female in female form all the time, it helps her accept her own sexuality -- because when Xavin is a male in female form or a female in male form, you have to admit that it's hard to not get confused -- sexually or otherwise.
I agree with you on this. Like you've pointed out the problem it's entirely cultural.
Teddy and Billy have both grown up in human cultural environments, while Xavin and Karolina have different backgrounds. But it's actually the fact that Karolina does not question it that 'bothers' me - she accepts that Xavin can shapeshift, but they never had a serious discussion about it (that I'm aware of). Molly asked Xavin about her sexual identity (I loved that scene), but Kar never did. Maybe it's because Kar still needs to 'find herself' and needs something that she can take for granted (in this case, her sexuality), I don't know. XD Anyway, I'm curious to see how their relationship will develop from these premises (especially from Xavin's pov).

I'm not even sure if I really think that the two situations are comparable-- their circumstances are so different.
I don't think we can really draw a parallelism between two relationship, regardless of the people (err.. characters? XD) involved. But in this case it's really difficult for Xavin and Kar to not pop into mind when talking about Billy and Teddy. Stupid Skrulls *hugs them*.
It's always difficult to talk about sexuality when shapeshifters are involved - Mistique, for example - but with the Skrulls the problem gets worse because of gender identity never being relevant to them. It's interesting **

Wooh, so hit me with your rebuttal! =DD
/throws snowballs and misses.
d'oh. ><;

oh, btw, paddo made the transcripts from this hardcover edition :)

[paddo]

@ slanted_edges

First of all... ♥

I'd never seen them (where are they in the book? Is it only in the special hard-cover all-issue-collection version?) and I'd only heard/inferred snippets here and there.

I don't know if they are in other edition of the comics... I just have that hardcover collection, so I can't answer that. >.<
But I'm glad you appreciated the transcript! :D ♥

I'm half asleep so it's better if I avoid complicated comments (english wassat...? *giggle*) but... I'm sooo in love with your theory about Wanda accidentally making Billy her son.

And.. if you get a change, read the Grim Reaper two-issue miniseries - it's really an interesting What if and the Billy in there feels like an alternative-but-not-unbelievable version of our Billy (Heinberg read a lot of canon to create his own version of Billy, and that's fore sure one of the things he payed attention to).

@ iridania

Con-artist Teddy would have been fun ** Shapeshifting is underused with him><;

I'm hoping in the next future, that power will be used more - it would be an interesting thing to see. :)

/throws snowballs and misses.

... no snowballs around here, plz. I sorta had enough already. **

re: con-artist Teddy / shapeshifting to fit expectations

[hohaiyee]

Bunny: Teddy definitely shapeshifted himself, and acted in a way, that he thinks would appeal to Billy, and when he started doing it, he wasn't even in love with Billy yet, but then he found out that he does like him the way he is now (and maybe this is like him All Along, or who he is suppose to be, cause hey, teenagehood is coming into identity). After flirting with Billy, acting the way that someone who loves Billy would act, Teddy actually does fall in love with Billy.

It is totally my favourite head canon that lots of shapeshifters do this.