I think the reason the Justice League members feel flat to you is primarily because the show is supposed to be about the Team. The adults have had their limelight in the other series you've mentioned. Now it's the not-sidekicks time to shine. As for Rocket, I have the same vibe toward her you do on just first impressions alone but she hasn't been in enough episodes for me to write her off as just a source of a Token Minority Couple (a trope I loathe) and nothing else. I agree about Zatanna. Her impromptu hookup with Robin had even less convincing buildup than Superboy x Miss Martian.
"I think the reason the Justice League members feel flat to you is primarily because the show is supposed to be about the Team."
To an extent, though with that much back story and animated history during the past 10-20ish years (factoring the beginning of the justice league) it's almost an insult to the legacy of the "not-sidekicks". Teen Titans, for example, at least depicted the Doom Patrol as a conflicted fleshed out team despite only a appearing in two episodes in the last season. The Justice League could've been the same, but the show's still young.
"Her impromptu hookup with Robin had even less convincing buildup than Superboy x Miss Martian."
I stand by my WMG that she influenced Conner to like her.
Giving someone a kiss on the cheek for New Year's = COUPLE!!!!!!
And how did Zatanna's hook up had little build-up. The guy flirted with her, she flirted back, he was there to console her about her dad, she tried to console him when he thought Roy was dead. They obviously cared for each other, they just didn't throw it in the viewer's face like SB/MM
Speaking of SB/MM, Conner said he knew about her since "Bereft" and that was before they started dating. That theory that "she influenced" him makes absolutely no sense.
Latest blog update (November 5th, 2022).
"That theory that "she influenced" him makes absolutely no sense."
She liked Conner (who was otherwise stoic and disconnected from everyone bar Aqualad), she didn't like Kid Flash (in that way), and she saw Artemis as competition. To say that MM could have influenced the couples is extremely likely. Especially judging by the episode "Bereft" where her Telepathy allowed her to remember things the others couldn't in conjunction with the fact that the amnesiac Artemis and KF were affectionate toward each other).
"Giving someone a kiss on the cheek for New Year's = COUPLE!!!!!!"
Looking at a boy (of the same race, no less) the day you join the team and saying "I think I'm going to like it here!" THEN kissing him on new years..... I doubt we're going to see any subtlety in that relationship.
"And how did Zatanna's hook up had little build-up. The guy flirted with her, she flirted back, he was there to console her about her dad, she tried to console him when he thought Roy was dead. They obviously cared for each other, they just didn't throw it in the viewer's face like SB/MM"
That was arguably a token relationship from the start as well. Considering Robin didn't show much romantic feelings, nervousness, or flirtiness toward MM or Artemis yet all of a sudden he's crushing on Zatanna.... yeah.
"Giving someone a kiss on the cheek for New Year's = COUPLE!!!!!!"
We're talking Zatanna and Robin, not Rocket and Aqualad. Zatanna and Robin had a full blown kiss.
"That was arguably a token relationship from the start as well. Considering Robin didn't show much romantic feelings, nervousness, or flirtiness toward MM or Artemis yet all of a sudden he's crushing on Zatanna.... yeah. "
To be fair, he just likes her romantically but has only platonic affection for the other girls. It makes sense that he reacts differently to Zatanna.
"It makes sense that he reacts differently to Zatanna."
It doesn't negate my point that Zatanna's presence on the show is an example of the Pair The Spares trope.
Zatanna was an expy relationship for the classic Batanna ship from the books. She also had a very strong bout of episodes. Secrets being a great one.
My PM System is turned off so please dont send any to me.
Okay but how does that hilight or bring importance to her role as a character on this show?
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I love watching young justice and I don't miss an episode, however I doubt I'd watch the show if the cast didn't consist of DC comics characters. The characterizations are either flat or cliche (except a few exceptions) and are generally a waste of space. Most of the kids, to be fair, have "grown the beard" in recent episodes and the characterizations have grown on me. Rocket and Zatanna are basically there to fill in space for romantic purposes for the left over team members. Even though Zatanna has some angst with her father being possessed she doesn't seem to contribute much beyond that. Especially Rocket, while I'm glad that a lesser known Milestone character gets some screen time, she seems to be there so Aqualad can have a token "black with black" relationship seen so often in cartoons. The Adults are the worst offenders of general flatness with a few exceptions and justifications (Captain Marvel being an exception and Red Tornado a justification). After watching shows like Justice League/Unlimited (really the DCAU as a whole) to think they don't even try to flesh out the adults is beyond me. Even "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" and "The Batman" depicted the Justice League in a more diverse and colorful fashion. I watch the show to get my weekly DC comics fix, and that's about it. Although I dislike this formula, I can't wait to see who will appear next.