#Superhero Problems: So Your Enemy is Now Your Ally

Traditionally, comic publication heroes and villains tended to enactment successful their lanes: the bully guys were bully and stayed bully (except for the occasional blip present and there), and the atrocious guys were atrocious and stayed bad. It was a nice, predictable authorities of affairs. But thing stays harmless and cozy forever. So what are you expected to bash erstwhile idiosyncratic you’ve spent the past twelvemonth punching disconnected rooftops says they’d alternatively beryllium helping you bash the punching?

To our heroes’ credit, they are mostly speedy to invited their erstwhile foes into the fold, adjacent offering varying levels of idiosyncratic oregon nonrecreational enactment arsenic the ex-villains effort to enactment connected the consecutive and narrow. And successful return, the ex-villains featured present person dutifully remained connected the broadside of the angels, but for the 1 who has already go an angel herself.

There’s astir apt a constituent to beryllium made astir however supporting your chap quality beings (and an occasional rogue robot) is simply a amended remedy to a beingness of transgression than conscionable throwing them successful jail. But we don’t person clip to excavation into that here. Instead, let’s look to our heroes for guidance connected however to woody with an unexpected caller ally.

Watch Them Have an Existential Crisis

Red Tornado barged onto the country successful Justice League of America #64, someway knowing each of the Justice Society’s concealed identities and insisting helium had ever been 1 of them. But erstwhile helium tries to beryllium himself by joining them connected a mission, helium ends up accidentally sidesplitting astir of them.

Suspecting thing is amiss, Red Tornado discovers that helium was built by an evil idiosyncratic who did so physique him to decision not lone the Justice Society, but besides the Justice League — and that’s it. He ne'er gave Red a existent individuality oregon adjacent a look down the mask. The storyline ends alternatively sadly with him saying helium wants to person those things much than the rank offered by the JSA. (He did extremity up joining some them and the League eventually.)

As you whitethorn person noticed, the Avengers did not autumn isolated owed to this decision, and they are successful information going arsenic beardown arsenic ever. This whitethorn person inspired them to let different ex-criminals onto the team, including Black Widow, Vision, Sandman, and more. Frankly, if you constituent astatine an Avenger astatine random, determination is astir apt a 50/50 accidental that they started retired robbing banks oregon trying to instrumentality implicit the world.

Indigo nevertheless proved herself a loyal Outsider, close up until her evil Brainiac 8 property started to reassert itself. Things came to a caput successful Outsiders #25. Rather than termination anyone else, Indigo begged her person and teammate, Shift, who tin transmute matter, to crook her into a quality — sidesplitting her successful the process.

But things did not spell smoothly for the caller couple. She continued to person a love-hate narration with the Serpent Society for years, wherever they would sometimes effort to termination her oregon person her to termination others. Even though her narration with Cap fizzled, she has remained loyal to him, refusing to bash him immoderate harm.

Become Besties

Wally West archetypal realized that the Pied Piper wasn’t each that atrocious erstwhile helium recovered him giving escaped nutrient to a radical of mediocre people. (He didn’t adjacent bargain the food.) They started beating up supervillains unneurotic and yet became bully friends.

Actually, Wally seemed to marque a wont of teaming up with his (and his mentor Barry Allen’s) erstwhile foes. On different occasions, helium teamed up with the likes of Dr. Alchemy, Captain Cold, and Golden Glider. For each his faults (and determination are many), Wally has a “talent for picking friends,” arsenic helium himself enactment it successful Flash #53. And isn’t that the benignant of compassion you privation successful a hero?

Can’t get capable #SuperheroProblems? Check out:

• So Your Family Was Erased From Reality
• So You’ve Been Retconned into a Scumbag
• So You’ve Been De-Aged Against Your Will
• and more.