History TheArtifact / ComicBooks

** Reading Franchise/WonderWoman's early [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] stories, one gets the distinct impression the standard "secret identity protection" tropes are used mostly due to the [[FollowTheLeader "Superman does it"]] school of ExecutiveMeddling. The tropes are there, but usually dealt with in a perfunctory manner, and you can practically sense that writer William Moulton Marston is bored with them and eager to move on to the fun stuff. Notably, apart from sheer physical strength, Diana Prince is almost indistinguishable from Wonder Woman--extremely smart and capable, and recognized as a top counter-intelligence agent in her own right. Most recent incarnations of Wonder Woman have dispensed with Diana Prince altogether.
** In [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] ''ComicBook/IronMan'' stories, it often seems like keeping his identity a secret causes Tony Stark more problems than it solves. At the very least, it seems like letting his fanatically loyal employees Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts in on the secret would be a good idea. [[Film/IronMan The movies]] dispensed with any notion of a secret identity by the end of the first one.

* The idea that superheroes [[ThouShaltNotKill never kill their enemies]] is a carryover from UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode. During this time in UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, it was mandated that the heroes couldn't kill their enemies because they were supposed to be writing for children.[[note]]Even then, some heroes, most notably Franchise/{{Batman}}, were mandated to never kill their enemies ''before'' the Silver Age even began, with the Comics Code simply spreading it to the other heroes.[[/note]] As the years passed, when the code waned in effect before eventually being dropped entirely, there was no restriction against heroes killing. However, the idea that heroes don't kill was so ingrained in the public consciousness that it formed the idea of what a superhero is, and thus, it remained long after. Also, it's a convenient way to ensure a hero's RoguesGallery stays around. The full implications of this have been explored many, ''many'' times.

** Another artifact was the series' focus on the rebel war between the Freedom Fighters and Dr. Robotnik. Though Robotnik was defeated in issue #50, 25 issues later, the series hit its inevitable SnapBack with the good doctor's return. Over a hundred issues later? Robotnik's empire is in ruins after a series of numerous defeats. By then, he isn't even the master of it anymore, having gone insane and deposed by his nephew [[TheStarscream Snively]] and his new gal-pal, the Iron Queen.

* The idea that superheroes [[ThouShaltNotKill never kill their enemies]] is a carryover from UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode. During this time in UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, it was mandated that the heroes couldn't kill their enemies because they were supposed to be writing for children. As the years passed, where the code waned in effect before eventually being dropped entirely, there was no restriction against heroes killing. However, the idea that heroes don't kill was so ingrained in the public consciousness that it formed the idea of what a superhero is, and thus it remained long after. Also, it's a convenient way of making sure a hero's RoguesGallery actually stays around. The full implications of this have been explored many, ''many'' times.

** As a result of being a long-running title, many of its elements, characters and settings in are remnants of the American ''Sonic'' media and lore from back when the comic originated. For instance, being originally based on ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', the comic was said to take place on Mobius, just like the [=DiC=] ''Sonic'' cartoons from back then. And some elements and names come from the early American continuity from the games. These days the games follow the original Japanese continuity worldwide, which resulted in some of these elements being scrapped. Archie has generally tried to keep up with the games (ie: renaming Floating Island to Angel Island, making the characters closer the their game incarnations, etc.), but as they can't move the whole cast to another planet, the comics were (until a CosmicRetcon did away with it) the only adaptation that still used Mobius. Similarly, many characters that are still featured in the title (the aforementioned Freedom Fighters being the most notable and prominent ones) come from the [=DiC=] ''Sonic'' cartoons from back then and, as the comic became closer to the games, they felt increasingly out of place.

* Creator/ImageComics started off with a ClicheStorm of NinetiesAntiHero comics such as ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'', ''ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}'', and ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}''. Around the turn of the century, Image [[GrowingTheBeard decided to diversify its output]], and largely phased out such stories in favor of independent comics like ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'', with the comparatively light ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' being one of their few major superhero efforts. Nonetheless, many of the books created by founders who haven't left still stick around, despite being completely out of place on Image's current lineup; ''ComicBook/SavageDragon'' is even ''[[LongRunners still]]'' written and drawn by Erik Larsen. Image mostly keeps these books out of the public eye, only drawing attention to them for special issues like anniversaries.

* In IDW's 2005 ''[[ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse Transformers]]'' books, it was initially intended that Arcee was the only female Cybertronian, and was the result of a forcible MadScientist's experiment [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil that drove her violently insane]]. Fan reception to the idea was roundly negative, not only for [[MenAreGenericWomenAreSpecial its offensive connotations]] and [[VoodooShark not making much sense,]] but also because it seemingly made it impossible for female characters besides Arcee to exist (and if they would, they'd have to share Arcee's crappy origin and psychosis). Future writers decided to declare that female Cybertronians besides Arcee did indeed exist, with a variety of origins--some of whom were simply created as female due to their colonies progressing in a different fashion, others modified themselves in a manner approximating [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} human transgenderism]]. But Arcee kept her origin to the end, albeit with a few retcons to make it somewhat more palatable, and while her violent attitude was downplayed through CharacterDevelopment, it still made her stick out quite a bit compared to [[TheChick Arcee's standard take]].

** As a result of being a long-running title, many of its elements, characters and settings in are remnants of the American ''Sonic'' media and lore from back when the comic originated. For instance, being originally based on ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', the comic was said to take place on Mobius, just like the [=DiC=] ''Sonic'' cartoons from back then. And some elements and names come from the early American continuity from the games. These days the 's games follow the original Japanese continuity worldwide, which resulted in some of these elements being scrapped. Archie has generally tried to keep up with the games (ie: renaming Floating Island to Angel Island, making the characters closer the their game incarnations, etc.), but as they can't move the whole cast to another planet, the comics were (until a CosmicRetcon did away with it) the only adaptation that still used Mobius. Similarly, many characters that are still featured in the title (the aforementioned Freedom Fighters being the most notable and prominent ones) come from the [=DiC=] ''Sonic'' cartoons from back then and, as the comic became closer to the games, they felt increasingly out of place.

** In [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] ''ComicBook/IronMan'' stories, it often seems like keeping his identity a secret causes Tony Stark more problems than it solves. At the very least, it seems like letting his fanatically loyal employees Happy Hogan and ComicBook/PepperPotts in on the secret would be a good idea. [[Film/IronMan The movies]] dispensed with any notion of a secret identity by the end of the first one.

* A few G1-based Franchise/{{Transformers}} comics series set in modern times still keep the classic alt modes of the Transformers. Iconic characters like Soundwave (other than maybe in a hipster's hand, where would you see a tape deck boombox anymore) and Optimus Prime (it's incredibly rare to see a 1980 Arcliner tractor trailer still on the road) particularly stand out.

* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'': Donald Duck's uncle Scrooge [=McDuck=] usually wears a top hat and spats that were considered a very elegant and high class accessory until about [=WW2=]. Even by the time Scrooge [=McDuck=] was created in 1947, they were already on their way out. Usually worn only by the very rich on gala occasions, spats and top hat signaled [=McDuck=]'s wealth and position in society (as well as his advanced age). Now neither accessory is used by practically anybody however dandy-ish, and they've been out of fashion for so long that younger readers might not get the original meaning. And yet the hat and spats are such an iconic part of Scrooge [=McDuck=]'s image. (Of course, a BornInTheWrongCentury look isn't out-of-character for Scrooge either.)

** Many modern writers have found [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor's]] "Dr. Donald Blake" secret identity to be dispensable (the only supporting cast member Blake had was ComicBook/JaneFoster, and she was considered a lot less interesting than the Asgardians; indeed, even Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby had her PutOnABus eventually), and it's only used in [[Film/{{Thor}} the 2011 movie]] as a brief ContinuityNod. The only use Blake has had in years is a weird, separate persona to Thor in JMS' run, and even there he was more of a plot device than anything else.

* In IDW's 2005 ''[[ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse Transformers]]'' books, it was initially intended that Arcee was the only female Cybertronian, and was the result of a forcible MadScientist's experiment [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil that drove her violently insane]]. Fan reception to the idea was roundly negative, not only for [[MenAreGenericWomenAreSpecial its offensive connotations]] and [[VoodooShark not making much sense,]] but also because it seemingly made it impossible for female characters besides Arcee to exist (and if they would, they'd have to share Arcee's crappy origin and psychosis). Future writers decided to declare that female Cybertronians besides Arcee did indeed exist, with a variety of origins--some of whom were simply created as female due to their colonies progressing in a different fashion, others modified themselves in a manner approximating [[{{Transgender}} human transgenderism]]. But Arcee kept her origin to the end, albeit with a few retcons to make it somewhat more palatable, and while her violent attitude was downplayed through CharacterDevelopment, it still made her stick out quite a bit compared to [[TheChick Arcee's standard take]].

* Franchise/{{Superman}}:
** In his earliest incarnation, Superman held a job at ''The Daily Planet'' so he would be the first to hear about misdeeds he could set right. As the character developed SuperSenses, the need for him to learn about such things from the ''Planet'' was obviated; however, the job is such a central part of the mythos that it has continued into every ContinuityReboot and adaptation to date. In 1971 story ''ComicBook/KryptoniteNevermore'', writer Denny O'Neil actually did do away with the job at the Planet, with Clark taking the more modern job as a news anchor on a national station, but it was eventually changed back Post-[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] to tie in with the Superman movies, which featured Clark at the Planet with his classic supporting cast. It's been justified as Clark having been interested in journalism even before he became Superman, or journalism being a career where he can succeed in a purely intellectual field where his powers give him no real advantage over ordinary people, and where he's justified in running off as soon as reports of some sort of emergency start coming in.
** In UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Superman had a lot of spin-off characters like ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and ComicBook/KryptoTheSuperdog, and odd powers like Super-ventriloquism. Throughout [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks the Bronze Age]] Superman's derivative characters, weird powers, and even aspects of the lore such like the PhantomZone, BizarroWorld and the different colors of Kryptonite became perceived as severely outdated, which led to their removal when Superman was rebooted in 1986. Nonetheless, DC spent [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the whole Dark Age]] trying and failing to replace them adequately, and after one decade and half they were again regarded as fresh and valuable additions, so they were reintroduced.
** Superman's superhero attire was inspired in TheThirties by the then-current suit of a circus strongman. The leotards, the trunks over them... even the cape, which the strongman would wear but remove right before performing his feats. With circuses fading increasingly into the past, the reference is not so clear.
** Similarly, Supergirl wears a skirt because the costumes of female heroes like [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Mary Marvel]] were inspired by female ice-skaters early on. As this influence began fading, skirt-wearing heroines became increasingly uncommon, but Supergirl goes on wearing one because it's become her iconic look.
** In the Bronze Age, ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}'s skull-shaped starship was modeled after Brainiac's head in his Skele-Bot phase. While Brainiac would go back to his older green-skinned appearance, the design of his ship stuck.
** Jonathan Carroll, ComicBook/LoisLane's boyfriend in the ''ComicBook/New52'' rarely had any bearing on the ''Superman'' stories and was only there to show that Lois already had a boyfriend, to the point he dissappeared for entire story arcs. By the end of the ''New 52'', it was clear the writers had no idea what to do with him, so they eventually wrote him off altogether.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
** ComicBook/{{Magneto}} is required to be a survivor of the Holocaust, even if that makes him ''really'' old as time passes ([[Film/XMenFilmSeries The movies]] even tried to lessen it by adding period pieces). The comics get around this by having him occasionally undergo regeneration processes that keep his body vaguely upper-middle-aged. As for Xavier being a veteran of the Korean War, we just don't talk about that.
** Happens to almost any major X-Men depending on the current writer. You can find runs where almost any character pretty much exists solely because the writer feels like they can't drop them, but gives them no actual relevance to the plot.
** Mr. Sinister was originally intended by Chris Claremont to be the creation and villainous persona of a powerful psychic who was actually an eleven-year-old boy. As a result, he was given a [[AtrociousAlias rather silly name]], [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands vaguely defined powers]] with no clear limits, incredibly nebulous motives that frequently came across as ForTheEvulz, and an incredibly ObviouslyEvil design. He was meant to be a child's idea of what a supervillain would be like. However, as the concept ended up getting away from Claremont, Sinister ended up as a serious villain who just looks like that and chose that name for no particular reason.
** ComicBook/JubileeMarvelComics was one of the depowered mutants after the 2005 ''House of M'' event, but still stuck around as a superhero, initially as the tech-based hero Wondra, and then in the 2010 story ''ComicBook/CurseOfTheMutants'' she became a vampire. While this did make her unique, the fact was that she really only became a vampire because Marvel wanted to appeal to fans of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', which was en vogue at the time. It didn't take long for ''Twilight'' to fall out of public consciousness, yet Jubilee remained a vampire for years afterwards, making it seem rather odd when she would show up in other books, such as in ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} or various X-related books, when she herself quite obviously stood out from the other mutants with her mystical-based powers, and seemed like a bit of a relic of yesterday's news. Eventually, Marvel caught on to this. In 2018, Quentin Quire both cured her of her vampirism and restored her mutant status at long last.

* A lot of things in the Franchise/WonderWoman mythos probably count as this at one point or another:
** ComicBook/SteveTrevor was, notionally, Diana's love interest, but from the 50s onward nobody could really get much of a read on him; he was killed off at least twice in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze]] ages, and revived both times largely because writers assumed he must have some kind of role in the comics. The 1987 reboot aged him and did away with him as Diana's love interest, marrying him to another character; subsequent debate about the character has revolved around whether or not his old position should be restored, but quite a few fans see no reason to. Completely averted as of the ''Comicbook/{{New 52}}'' and ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'', however, where Trevor has been upgraded to being the DCU's version of ComicBook/NickFury.
** The '87 reboot itself had its decision to set Wonder Woman's debut in the "current" day, rather than some time in the past. It made sense then; it was meant to be a lengthy ongoing and reinvention that interacted with the other books in the lineup. As time went on, though, it became more troublesome--Wonder Woman is, after all, supposed to be one of the more iconic characters in the DCU, but it's a fair bit harder to sell her as that when she debuted after most of the Teen Titans (hell, by the time she showed up, Batman was on his second Robin), and you couldn't really sell her as a newcomer, either, because the '87 run only became more distant with time. It also ended up creating further problems down the line, because it made Donna Troy's existence impossible, necessitating multiple waves of retcons. Doing away with the idea and just declaring she showed up at around the same time as Superman and Batman was one of the few changes of ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' that didn't create much controversy.
** Wonder Woman's invisible jet. Contrary to the visual depiction, it does make Wonder Woman invisible as well, but in the modern era, where Wonder Woman can fly on her own like Franchise/{{Superman}}[[note]]In the Golden Age, she could only [[Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella jump hella high]]. In the Silver Age, she developed an ability to [[NotQuiteFlight "glide on air currents"]].[[/note]], it can seem kind of pointless. Occasionally justified - e.g., for sneaking up on, and landing on a possessed ComicBook/PowerGirl in ''ComicBook/TheBookOfDestiny'', or for carrying passengers. (ComicBook/BlackCanary once remarked that being carried across an ocean by a flying hero could be really annoying, because your underwear rides up and you can't adjust....)
** Her armored corset's iconic [[CaptainPatriotic stars-and-stripes motif]] made a lot more sense in the Golden Age comics, when she was persuaded to enter "Man's World" for the first time by an Army officer, she was an Army nurse in her civilian identity, and every other issue involved her fighting the Nazis. [[note]]Understandable, considering the series began in December 1941, around the same time that the United States entered UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.[[/note]] Now that Myth/GreekMythology has become such a central part of the series' lore (with her powers now said to be gifts from the Gods of Olympus) and more time has passed from her World War II incarnation, her decision to wear the American flag on her costume seemed a bit baffling, but her costume's design was far too well-known to change. Some writers gave a halfhearted explanation that she saw herself as an ambassador to the US, and wears their colors as a somewhat odd act of patriotism, though others don't even give her that. At least the eagle was Zeus's symbol, so that motif still fit. However, her original costume was phased out throughout the second half of the 2010s in favor of a more Greek-inspired one that was originally designed by Michael Wilkinson for the [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse film franchise]] with the stars-and-stripes downplayed heavily and a dark red, blue, and gold color palette rather than flag colors.
* ComicBook/FantasticFour:
** Reed Richards has the ability to [[RubberMan stretch his limbs]]. However, as time goes on he used this power for actual combat less and less. Why? Because he's TheSmartGuy of the Marvel universe, and that's dominated his characterization. If he shows up outside of the book, expect little use of the stretching, and inside the book only occasionally. Often he'll just be randomly stretched for no important reason, just for the purpose of them acknowledging that's his power or else he uses it to [[MundaneUtility grab an item on a counter far away or something]]. Pretty much never for combat. Some more recent comics, such as ''4'', bring his elastic body back into the foreground by showing how useful such a power is when in the hands of the smartest man on the planet. His secondary powers from his plastine skin (such as not needing to sweat, or enhanced heat resistance) come up often too.
** In the same vein, there's his wife Sue Richards' codename, "Invisible Woman", which seems somewhat ridiculous now that she uses [[BarrierWarrior her forcefield powers]] ''far'' more often than she uses her powers of {{invisibility}}. Her powers of {{invisibility}} are derived from her force fields, of course, but the writers have long since figured out that forcefields (which can also be used as force beams, and as HardLight constructs) are far more useful in a fight than becoming invisible. This is at least partly due to CharacterDevelopment: in the early days of the comic, Sue was much less of an ActionGirl, and [[NonActionGuy preferred to avoid the Four's battles]].
* The ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' has a group called the Legion of Super-Villains. This sort of [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] name would never be used nowadays (since nobody thinks of themselves as villains), but is so closely associated with the group that it can't be changed in the comic. (The [[WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes cartoon]] used '''L'''ight '''S'''peed '''V'''anguard.)
* In a similar vein, Magneto seldom uses the name ''Brotherhood of Evil Mutants'', but occasionally it's justified - if you see mutants as evil, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil we'll give you evil mutants]].
* The same could be said for ComicBook/TheAvengers' nemesis team, the Masters of Evil, though they're at least generally less sympathetic.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** Spider-Man is fundamentally a street-level superhero like Daredevil and originally his adventures had a realism because TheSixties to TheNineties was TheBigRottenApple era of New York City (where real events like the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_blackout_of_1977 1977 blackout]] occurred in the page), a time of high crime statistics where the idea of multiple street-level superheroes in a single city had a little verisimilitude. Since the era of Giuliani and gentrification however, street crime level has dropped down while highly restrictive gun laws have been put into effect. Now of course the presence and activity of supervillains does not depend on that for explanations, but fundamentally the reduction of crime should mean that Spider-Man's status as a street-level hero being so important as to make demands on his personal and professional life need more justification than "[[BrooklynRage it's New York]]".
** The issue of gentrification and high costs in New York, and the challenge to the print media by online and the rise of cellphones and the internet, has also meant that Peter's old job as a photographer for a newspaper and being the guy who "takes pictures of Spider-Man" and making a sufficient living off of that (despite being paid low by JJJ) and still living in New York, makes it harder to accept. It was already dated in TheOughties, when Creator/SamRaimi's adoption of the same came off to more than a few observers as AnachronismStew (and Raimi made it work by artificially mixing different aspects of New York history in his film). In the ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' series, Peter becomes a web designer (albeit initially entering the Daily Bugle with the photographs) and part of the plot had the Daily Bugle transition from a print to an online magazine. The ''ComicBook/DanSlottSpiderMan'' run had Jameson become the Mayor of New York which essentially updated their dynamic.
** Aunt May's original purpose was to be an unwitting obstruction in Peter's life for drama's sake: She was very frail so illness could strike at any moment, she didn't have much money so Peter had to get a job to support the family and her constant worrying about Peter didn't mean sneaking out to be Spider-Man was tricky but kept Peter from telling her his secret (out of fear she'd die of shock). When Peter finally moved out of the house and was on his own he was free from her smothering while May herself was able to sell her house and move in with her friend, meaning she had a nest egg to live off of and had someone to take care of her. Later writers [[ReimaginingTheArtifact redefined her as a character]]. For example, J. Michael Straczynski had her learn Peter's identity and provide him with much-needed advice and moral support throughout his run.
** Gwen Stacy being StuffedIntoTheFridge is treated by comics fans and other creators as a bold gutsy move to really drive home personal stakes and shake up the status quo by getting rid of a prominent supporting character and LoveInterest. The reality is that Gwen Stacy was killed off in an iconic story, ''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'', because the writer and many of its fans saw her as a bland LoveInterest, a [[WetBlanketWife wet blanket girlfriend]], and as such someone who was disposable and fair-game (the original plan to kill off Aunt May was vetoed), who liked Peter but hated Spider-Man and who the writer Creator/GerryConway thought would be more interesting as TheLostLenore than if she was alive, while the more developed and interesting ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson was established as Peter's real love. The problem starts when other versions, such as ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' and ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'' decide to adapt the same story and situation, but depart from the original context (i.e. she was a bland character whose dynamic was more informed than visible on page) and make Gwen into a fleshed out and interesting supporting character, too valuable and attracting too much investment from the audience for her to be disposed off in a low-stakes story[[note]]i.e. a story which is not intended to be Spider-Man's last adventure or major turning point a la ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' or ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow''[[/note]]. In the Ultimate comics, they killed her off gratuitously and then brought her back again much later as a clone-but-not-clone-as-good-as-the-real-thing, while the decision to kill off the highly popular and beloved version played by Creator/EmmaStone was seen as a stupid move, since it removed by far the most beloved and liked character in the film (and plans for the aborted third film reveal they were going to bring her back as ComicBook/SpiderGwen anyway).
** Almost all versions of ComicBook/{{Venom}} tend to give the character a [[AnimalMotifs white spider emblem]] on his chest, even though it's been ''decades'' since the Venom symbiote got expelled from Peter Parker's body and chose Eddie Brock (and later [[LegacyCharacter Mac Gargan and Flash Thompson]]) as its host instead. In its initial appearance, the symbiote had the chest emblem because it bonded with Peter shortly after his costume was severely damaged, and it took on the appearance of his Spider-Man threads because it (mostly) responded to Peter's mental commands at the time. Nowadays, the design thematically fits with the idea of Venom being a ShadowArchetype[=/=]EvilCounterpart of Spider-Man, but he had no real in-universe reason to look like that until the 2018 retcon that it actually represented [[spoiler: the symbiotic dragons used by the eldritch god Knull that created the symbiotes]], only resembling a spider coincidentally.
* ComicBook/PoisonIvy falls into this from two angles. When she was introduced, she was a fairly classical FemmeFatale archetype with a mild plant theme and a fondness for poison. The idea of Batman falling for her wiles made some sense when he'd spent the last decade [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday desperately trying to prove his heterosexuality]] and getting into ShipTease situations with Batwoman, so she slotted in pretty easily. She got a ReTool by Creator/NeilGaiman in the 80s, adding explicit superpowers and plant-based abilities to her repertoire, meant at the time to utilize the lore of the popular ComicBook/SwampThing and make her a bit more interesting (especially in an era where Batman villains with strange supernatural powers were quite common). But in the years to follow, Batman villains overwhelmingly shifted in the direction of being more low-key and "realistic", and Batman himself developed into an increasingly stoic and sexless sort outside of maybe Catwoman. This led to Ivy feeling very out-of-place, with her overt supernatural powers that are miles away from any kind of realistic science and focus on trying to seduce and manipulate a guy defined in part by absurd mental fortitude and no interest in romance (aside from the datedness of a femme fatale in general). It's likely for this reason that you're much more likely to find her with Harley Quinn than with Batman in a modern comic.
* ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon'' were originally a pair of detectives, with Filemón being the self-important boss and Mortadelo being the incompetent subordinate who would mess things up in every strip. Two decades later, they moved to an agency working as regular employees with the same responsibilities. Despite this, Mortadelo keeps calling Filemón "Boss", because it had already become his second name.
* Creator/ImageComics started off with a ClicheStorm of NinetiesAntiHero comics such as ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'', ''ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}'', and ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}''. Around the turn of the century, Image [[GrowingTheBeard decided to diversify its output]], and largely phased out such stories in favor of independent comics like ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'', with the comparatively light ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' being one of their few major superhero efforts. Nonetheless, many of the books created by founders who haven't left still stick around, despite being completely out of place on Image's current lineup; ''ComicBook/SavageDragon'' is even ''[[LongRunners still]]'' written and drawn by Erik Larsen. Image mostly keeps these books out of the public eye, only drawing attention to them for special issues like anniversaries.
* A few G1-based Franchise/{{Transformers}} comics series set in modern times still keep the classic alt modes of the Transformers. Iconic characters like Soundwave (other than maybe in a hipster's hand, where would you see a tape deck boombox anymore) and Optimus Prime (it's incredibly rare to see a 1980 Arcliner tractor trailer still on the road) particularly stand out.
** For some Transformers series, having alternate modes (cars, jets, etc) as a means of disguise is treated as an artifact. In ''Anime/TransformersEnergon'' transforming into alt mode is used almost exclusively for driving (yes, driving) through outer space. The [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW IDW comics]] have varied, depending on if the stories were set on Earth or set in space. [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye More recent comics]] set in space even lampshade the pointlessness of alt modes- some of the main characters go through the entire series wihout ever transforming on-panel, and more only do so once or twice. Of course, alt modes will always remain, [[MerchandiseDriven for obvious reasons]].
** It's especially strange in the 2010s ''Robots in Disguise'' series. As it's a sequel to ''Prime,'' the world has long known who and what the Transformers are and treating their existence as this big secret makes ''no'' sense.
* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'': Donald Duck's uncle Scrooge [=McDuck=] usually wears a top hat and spats that were considered a very elegant and high class accessory until about [=WW2=]. Even by the time Scrooge [=McDuck=] was created in 1947, they were already on their way out. Usually worn only by the very rich on gala occasions, spats and top hat signaled [=McDuck=]'s wealth and position in society (as well as his advanced age). Now neither accessory is used by practically anybody however dandy-ish, and they've been out of fashion for so long that younger readers might not get the original meaning. And yet the hat and spats are such an iconic part of Scrooge [=McDuck=]'s image. (Of course, a BornInTheWrongCentury look isn't out-of-character for Scrooge either.)
** His pince-nez glasses may be also included in this trope.
** Creator/DonRosa eventually provided a HandWave in ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcduck'', where Scrooge initially buys a fairly spiffy and modern(ish) suit after cementing his status as a millionaire, only to get pelted by tomatoes on returning to his native Scotland. Realizing there's not much point to ''trying'' to look rich, he gets the "classic" suit at a local bric-and-brac.
** And while we're on the subject, how about that money bin? Back in the 40s and 50s, the U.S. dollar was still attached to the gold standard. This meant that physically holding on to vast amounts of gold and paper currency made at least some sense. But in the early 70s, the U.S. dropped the gold standard and also, nowadays, with the widespread use of [[TechnologyMarchesOn fiat money, electronic money and credit]], hoarding all that humongous tangible wealth in one vault practically makes no financial sense. Again, [[JustifiedTrope justified]] at the end of ''The Life and Times of Scrooge [=McDuck=]'', where Scrooge explains to his nephews that the vast majority of his wealth is tied up in business across the world; the physical money in the bin is merely what he's earned through his own hard work and adventures.
* ComicBook/IronMan's enemies can seem rather dated, specifically his ArchEnemy the Mandarin as well as Crimson Dynamo, Unicorn, and Titanium Man, as his stories were originally heavily influenced by the Cold War when they were written. Since it ended, his foes have been more along the lines of the kind an industrial billionaire like Tony Stark would have, such as Iron Monger, Justin Hammer, Sunset Bain, Ghost, Whiplash, Blizzard and more. However, these old villains still stuck around, forcing Marvel to try to write them to fit current times even though they made little sense. Notably, ''Film/IronMan3'' completely reimagined the Mandarin as a front for the movie's ''real'' BigBad Aldrich Killian. However, this was... controversial, to say the least.
* For decades ComicBook/SwampThing's quest to become human again was this. It was a SeriesGoal that couldn't be resolved without ending the series, so Swamp Thing always spent at least part of his time trying and failing to find a cure simply because that was part of his gimmick. Part of the reason Alan Moore's run is so acclaimed is that he saw how much of a useless load the "search for a cure" idea had become and retconned it away with a vengeance by having Swamp Thing discover that he was never actually Alec Holland to begin with, finally ending its Artifact status.
* ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} is one of the [[GrandfatherClause few characters]] in fiction who is still allowed to be called "[[OutdatedName Dick]]" unironically. It was a perfectly normal shortening for "Richard" in the 1940s but with time [[HaveAGayOldTime the meaning has evolved]]. In modern times you're more likely to hear a Richard be called "Rick/Ricky", "Rich/Richie", or just "Richard" than "Dick". Even Nightwing has had a few jokes poked at his name, such as Beast Boy (whose name "Garfield" is treated like an EmbarrassingFirstName due to [[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} a certain cat]]) finding it weird in the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' cartoon.
* While not quite as silly as Nightwing, the real name of ''Batman'' villain Clayface is Basil Karlo. In the 1940s, the name was already a bit dated, and this was likely by design, as his origin depicted him as a somewhat older man. Nowadays, the name has only gotten less popular, and the gap between now and its peak has grown many times over.
* ComicBook/StarLord from ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' fame originally appeared in much older comics where he had, among other weapons and superpowers, a very special weapon called the Elemental Gun that could shoot one of the four elements from it. After the character was reintroduced in the ''ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}'' event and later the new ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' series, all the powers and weapons disappeared in order to turn Quill into a really experienced but otherwise normal human. However, for the next volume of the franchise, the decision was made to bring back the Elemental Gun and even have its lore expanded with more details about its origin and properties (and introducing two new elemental guns later). However, most writers missed the memo on this and continued having Quill using the guns as regular laser guns instead of his classic elemental function (The famous live action movie giving Quill a pair of regular space laser guns didn't help matters at all). Nowadays, the Elemental Guns are still there and Quill still has them. Despite them being used as regular laser guns most of the time, every now and then a writer makes a reference to how the weapons are actually able to shoot more useful and dangerous elements than regular lasers.
* Though he's still quite popular, this has increasingly come to apply to [[ComicBook/{{Robin}} Tim Drake.]] He was introduced in the wake of [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason Todd]]'s death as a {{Reconstruction}} of the Robin concept, and immediately became easily the second most important character in the franchise, filling the role of the baseline Robin perfectly. He had a large supporting cast, a book to himself, and starred as the leader of ComicBook/YoungJustice, all with the wide impression that he was the first pick to be the future Batman.\\
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However, during Creator/GrantMorrison's run, Damian Wayne was introduced to fill the Robin role and put a new spin on the idea (booting Tim out in the process), while Dick Grayson (who had been largely off to the side as a character more associated with the Teen Titans, before becoming a solo hero) had since been given a massive amount of CharacterDevelopment since becoming Nightwing and was moved to the forefront of the family in the wake of Bruce Wayne's death as the new Batman. In addition, "Under the Hood" brought back Jason Todd, while Comicbook/TheNew52 controversially returned Barbara Gordon to the role of ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}. This meant that pretty much all his potential roles were filled by someone else -- he couldn't be Robin anymore, despite being designed as the baseline Robin, Dick Grayson better filled the role of a former Robin turned classic solo hero and Bruce's Batman successor (even in-universe, once he was [[StatusQuoIsGod knocked back to being Nightwing,]] everyone considers him the one to be Batman when Bruce can't), Jason Todd filled the role of a former Robin who [[FallenHero went bad]], and Barbara Gordon filled the role of a self-made BadassBookworm who fought of her own initiative. An attempt was made to paint him as one of Batman's "equals" in terms of partnerships, but even then this role is more frequently given to Dick Grayson, and even later, somewhat to Duke Thomas.\\
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Even his supporting cast was largely culled after ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', removing most of his few remaining unique points (having a non-adopted family and a genuine longstanding romance) and turning him from the iconic Robin to the generic Robin in a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters now-much-larger cast]]. Consequently, though he remains a central member of the Bat-family, more than a few readers have pointed to him as having no clear purpose anymore -- indeed, post-New 52, nearly all his appearances were in ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' books, and in the wake of ComicBook/DCRebirth, he was PutOnABus. There have been attempts to fix this somewhat, such as having him as part of ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth'' as a member of the Gotham Knights, and having Stephanie [[TheBusCameBack return]] with the relationship restored at long last. Still, this is only a marginal improvement as he's nonetheless lost much of his purpose. When it comes to stories that have all the Robins in them, he's mostly just relegated to being TheGenericGuy or TheSmartGuy, but even the latter is difficult since ''all'' the Robins are supposed to be TheSmartGuy in terms of the DCU, so there's not much that can be done there.
* Speaking of ComicBook/{{Robin}}, he's the only {{Sidekick}} left in the DCU. While the concept was popular back then, the idea has become less-so over time as a negative stigma of the title grew from both readers and subsequently in-universe. Many other sidekicks such as Speedy and Wonder Girl have become independent heroes or team members (often with a [[MeaningfulRename new accompanying name]]). Even the identity's DistaffCounterpart ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} has operated independently for a very long time, and the title is no longer a "sidekick" to Batman. It's also admittedly out of character for someone like ComicBook/{{Batman}}, known as The Dark Knight, who explicitly [[IWorkAlone works alone]] in many cases, to take in a teenager, dress them up in a bright red costume, and have them fight crime alongside him. But Robin is such a core part of the Batman mythos that it's ''impossible'' to imagine Batman without him. There have been attempts to justify it, by having him balance out Batman's inner darkness or by having Batman take in a troubled child, but it still looks rather out-of-place in the overall mythos of both Batman and the large scale DCU.
* The Didio era infamously did this to a ''lot'' of {{Legacy Character}}s active in DC, especially those introduced in the 90s: reintroducing their old mentors and handing the mantle back up, introducing a new character and having the mantle passed down to them, or both. This left characters like Connor Kent, Cassandra Cain, Wally West, Kyle Rayner, and, as mentioned above, Tim Drake, without any clear purpose: still popular and beloved, but unable to fill the big-ticket starring roles they were designed to carry. A lot of them putter around B-tier books trying to get a new identity to stick.

* ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' had Mobius as an artifact in the final arc, based off of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''. ''Adventure'' takes place on Earth alongside humans, however the comic explicitly took place on an alien planet called "Mobius" where humans weren't native. As a result, ''Adventure'' is ''very loosely'' adapted in ''Sonic the Comic'' and many elements were AdaptedOut.
* ComicBook/BlackCanary's famous costume with the fishnets is an artifact from her original role. The first Black Canary started out as a FemmeFatale-esque thief in a detective comic. When she became a less villainous character and became a superhero, the costume stuck. While there have been attempts to change it, the fishnet costume is the most popular and is always eventually brought back in some form.
* ''Franchise/TheFlash'':
** Barry Allen's costume ring. At the time, it was a cool and convenient way for Barry to store his costume out of sight. However, his successor, Wally West, eventually just started to manifest a costume using the Speed Force. In-universe, Barry himself eventually learned this trick from Wally off-screen, but still uses the ring, which Wally laments. In the New 52, Barry's suit is segmented armour, which ''might'' explain things... but that's DependingOnTheArtist (many artists draw it without it being metal) and the armour itself is no more durable than any other superhero costume -- in fact, it's shredded more often than any other Flash's suit.
** The Flashes having secret identities. Originally, it was because it was standard superhero stuff at the time. However, after Barry Allen's (Flash II) death, Wally West (Flash III) operated as the Flash alongside Jay Garrick (Flash I), and neither had a secret identity. This was the case for almost all of Wally's career as the Flash, until an attack on his wife Linda by Hunter Zolomon (Reverse-Flash II) caused him to accidentally request that Hal Jordan (then the Spectre) to erase knowledge of the Flashes' identities from the world, and when he discovers this, Wally decides to keep his and Barry's identities secret... except Hunter ''retained'' this knowledge. As did the previous Reverse-Flash, Eobard Thawne, who killed Iris West, Barry's wife. And every other Flash villain who would go after the Flashes' loved ones either regained this knowledge (Abra Kadabra) or already knows (Hot Pursuit, Future Flash, Grodd, Negative Flash), while the Rogues actively ''don't'' go after the Flashes' loves ones, even when they did know. So the few people they need to keep their identities from already know, and those who don't anymore never used this knowledge anyway.
* Franchise/{{Batman}} is required to be considered a [[IWorkAlone loner]] and a dark brooding and shadowy figure in the DC world who some aren't even sure if he actually exists, because that's a core part of his character. Except, he's very much not a loner when you look at it. Not only does he have his butler and SecretKeeper Alfred, but he also has the [[LegacyCharacter Robins]], the Batfamily, the ''extended'' Batfamily, his supporting cast that aren't officially part of the Batfamily (such as TheCommissionerGordon), and let's not forget the fact that he's been not just a member of the Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}, but he's also been a part of the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational and in ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'', he was made the leader of the new ComicBook/{{Justice League of America|Rebirth}} while he was still a member of the ''actual'' League, because it served as a way to gather a bunch of [[RagTagBunchOfMisfits mismatched characters together]] under Batman's leadership. Oh, and finally he's basically supplanted Franchise/{{Superman}} as the BigGood in the community -- when Batman calls for you, in almost every case you'll have the lesser-heroes all rallying behind him (Granted, that's an example of PopularityPower seeping into the narrative there). And all of this goes back to [[ComicBook/New52 2011]] at the latest. You could probably make a whole comic book world out of just [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters everyone who's been involved with Batman]] at this point. His whole "loner" schtick is still written like it's actually true, even though it's beginning to look like an InformedAttribute.
** You could call it an InformedAttribute a lot earlier than that, considering the existence and near-omnipresence of Robin past Batman's first eleven months of existence. The idea of Batman as a loner is comparatively NewerThanTheyThink, likely originating from the mid-80s.
* The ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'':
** Tommy Shepard / Speed is an interesting case of an individual character actually becoming the artifact to a whole team. During the original Heinburg/Cheung run, Speed had some importance as a member of the team that was recruited from a high-tech security facility to rescue Teddy / Hulkling. Other than that, he was noted to have a strong resemblance to member Wiccan, who would later turn out to in fact be his twin brother in ''ComicBook/TheChildrensCrusade''. Much of his appeal came from being the TokenEvilTeammate, as while technically a "hero" he often acted like a sociopath. However, once the original run ended, Speed was given practically nothing to do. He'd show up alongside the other Young Avengers, say little, contribute to fight scenes without doing much, but narrative-wise he had very little reason to be there other than to round out the team. Even in ''The Children's Crusade'', it was largely about Wiccan, while the revelation that they were indeed twins played more into Wiccan's story than his own. Ever since the second Volume to this day, he stopped being a main character of the team. However, he's still considered part of the team by every writer who used the Young Avengers. There will always be a passing mention about how he couldn't make it to a team's reunion for various reasons or he will simply be there with the team but have no scenes or dialogue. He's easily the least developed and focused on of the original Young Avengers, something that quite a few fans took issue with.
** Also, the name Young ''Avengers'' became a case of this ever since Creator/KieronGillen worked on it. The original name wasn't just to denote that they were young superheroes, but actually a take after the original Avengers with costumes, codenames and themes inspired by them [[note]]Iron Lad = Iron Man, Patriot = Captain America, Wiccan = originally Thor but later changed to Scarlet Witch, Hulkling = Hulk, Stature = Ant-Man, Speed = Quicksilver. Hawkeye and Vision directly took their names from their inspiration[[/note]]. When Gillen worked on them however, more than half the team were removed and replaced with ComicBook/AmericaChavez, Noh-Varr, Kid Loki, and Prodigy -- none of them inspired by any members of the Avengers[[note]]Although it could be argued that America became the new member inspired by Captain America after Patriot retired for good, Loki became the new member inspired by Thor, and Noh-Varr is part of the 'Captain Marvel' legacy.[[/note]]. Not a complete ArtifactTitle, but still lost much of its meaning nonetheless.
* In the 1980s, Marvel decided to try codifying how strong various characters were in relation to each other, with a "Strength Class" system that topped out at 100 tons. It was very quickly apparent, however, that [[SciFiWritersHave/NoSenseOfMass the system didn't match the actual events of the books]]; characters would routinely lift things weighing far more than a hundred tons, even ones explicitly supposed to be more in the 50-70 range. That said, while the tracking method turned out to be horribly off, the system did work as a way to establish who was stronger than who (characters who could lift 50 tons were almost always shown as weaker than characters who could lift 80, and those were weaker than characters who could lift 100), so the system stayed in place. Consequently, many sources use terms like "Class 50 super strength", without being all that clear on what Class 50 actually represents other than "more than Class 40."
* The Creator/DCComics CrisisCrossover event ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' has one from a development and story perspective. Originally, of the many characters who died in the event, the biggest name would've been certified A-lister ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}. To set up Nightwing's death, the city of Bludhaven that he adopted was destroyed, with the reason being that if they were going to kill Nightwing, they were also going to kill his home. Except, he was beloved to the point that the writers threatened to ''leave the company'' if the editors went through with it. Ultimately they won out, and it was ComicBook/{{Superboy|1994}} who died in his place. However, by then it was too late as far as Bludhaven was concerned, and in the actual event it still gets destroyed despite contributing nothing to the story (other than more destruction, of course). In fact, this created problems later on, as it forced the writers to move Nightwing to New York City (which didn't take) and yet they couldn't bring Bludhaven back because they needed ''Infinite Crisis'' to have lasting effects. Overall, it's unlikely this would've happened at all had these real life events not transpired.
* In-universe, this happened to the Comedian in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}.'' In his early career, his gimmick was that he was a wisecracking daredevil who wore a canary-yellow clown suit. Some years later, he revamped himself as a CaptainPatriotic government agent, and the only remaining vestige of his old costume and theme became a small smiley-face pin in a sea of black leather and body armor. He still calls himself the Comedian, though - according to him, it's because his philosophy changed to be less about telling jokes and more that [[StrawNihilist life is a joke and he's the only one who finds it funny.]]
* During the mid-'10s, Creator/MarvelComics had been pushing heavily for ''ComicBook/TheInhumans'' as the SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for the mutants of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' brand as the RandomlyGifted outcasts of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, under the order of Ike Perlmutter to give the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse their own equivalent down the line, as Marvel did not possess the film rights to the ''X-Men'' at the time. This was seen as a ''massive'' DorkAge for Marvel, as the Inhumans were shoehorned whenever possible and the comics took every chance they could in downplaying the presence of the mutants. This culminated in universally-reviled stories like ''ComicBook/DeathOfX'' and ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXMen'', and not to mention the ''ComicBook/{{Resurrxion}}'' relaunch where they were shoehorned into sharing space as if the two were equals. All of this changed in 2019, when parent company Creator/{{Disney}} purchased Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox in a historic $71.3 billion buyout, thus the film rights to the ''X-Men'' were returned to Marvel, and the ''X-Men'' were immediately treated as an A-list property complete with their very own [[ComicBook/DawnOfX relaunch]]. During this time, the Inhumans only got one miniseries called ''Death of the Inhumans'', which ended with many of the new Inhumans KilledOffForReal and the classic Inhumans being PutOnABus. However, DorkAge as it was, this era introduced a number of Inhumans that are still around, such as [[ComicBook/MonstersUnleashed Kid Kaiju]], [[ComicBook/MoonGirlAndDevilDinosaur Moon Girl]], Inferno, Lash, Synapse, ComicBook/DaisyJohnson (retconned into being an Inhuman), Blizzard (likewise), Toro (again), and biggest of all, BreakoutCharacter [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]] (Kamala Khan) who has become ''the'' most successful new hero in the '10s. Their origins are heavily tied to the Inhumans, and it's unlikely to be changed for that reason, and it looks rather awkward now that the Inhumans aren't being pushed in the slightest. They're a weird deal not being mutants, mutates, or any other origin, but rather a now-forgotten relic of time many fans prefer to forget, and yet there's no way it could possibly be retconned becaused it's hard-written into their origin stories (at least, not without some major and widespread finagling). Had these characters been introduced in any other time, they likely would've been mutants, if not something else.
* ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'s archenemy ComicBook/BlackAdam inexplicably pointed ears were probably meant to give him a demonic appearance, but then it became silly (and made him look like the Sub-Mariner's long-lost twin). Post-Flashpoint, it's been dropped, and he now has normal human ears.
* ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'': In Clerville, death sentences are executed via guillotine the early issues, when the story was supposed to be set in France). Every time Diabolik is arrested, the police needs only to file the paperwork to try and behead him, as when he was sentenced to death, and not even an abolitionist lawyer appealing on his behalf could change it. Actually beheading him, on the other hand, is quite complicated...
* ComicBook/ThePunisher's status as [[TheVietnamVet a veteran]] of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar fell into this over time--made sense in 1974, two years after the US started pulling out, not so much decades after, when Frank would have to be in his 60s or 70s at the bare minimum. Modern comics tend to either try to retcon it out, or merely refer to a nonspecific "war" he was involved in, but it never really sticks because so much of Frank's characterization is wrapped up in his history with Vietnam specifically. ''Punisher MAX'' is one of the more significant exceptions, as it goes so far as to actually portray Frank as an OldSoldier who's heavily greying and wrinkled. The [[Series/ThePunisher2017 Netflix series]] changed his background to the war in Afghanistan to be more contemporary.
* In IDW's 2005 ''[[ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse Transformers]]'' books, it was initially intended that Arcee was the only female Cybertronian, and was the result of a forcible MadScientist's experiment [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil that drove her violently insane]]. Fan reception to the idea was roundly negative, not only for [[MenAreGenericWomenAreSpecial its offensive connotations]] and [[VoodooShark not making much sense,]] but also because it seemingly made it impossible for female characters besides Arcee to exist (and if they would, they'd have to share Arcee's crappy origin and psychosis). Future writers decided to declare that female Cybertronians besides Arcee did indeed exist, with a variety of origins--some of whom were simply created as female due to their colonies progressing in a different fashion, others modified themselves in a manner approximating [[{{Transgender}} human transgenderism]]. But Arcee kept her origin to the end, albeit with a few retcons to make it somewhat more palatable, and while her violent attitude was downplayed through CharacterDevelopment, it still made her stick out quite a bit compared to [[TheChick Arcee's standard take]].

** And while we're on the subject, how about that money bin? Back in the 40s and 50s, the U.S. dollar was still attached to the gold standard. This meant that physically holding on to vast amounts of gold and paper currency made at least some sense. But in the early 70s, the U.S. dropped the gold standard and also, nowadays, with the widespread use of [[TechnologyMarchesOn fiat money, electronic money and credit]], hoarding all that humongous tangible wealth in one vault practically makes no financial sense.

** ComicBook/{{Jubilee}} was one of the depowered mutants after the 2005 ''House of M'' event, but still stuck around as a superhero, initially as the tech-based hero Wondra, and then in the 2010 story ''ComicBook/CurseOfTheMutants'' she became a vampire. While this did make her unique, the fact was that she really only became a vampire because Marvel wanted to appeal to fans of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', which was en vogue at the time. It didn't take long for ''Twilight'' to fall out of public consciousness, yet Jubilee remained a vampire for years afterwards, making it seem rather odd when she would show up in other books, such as in ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} or various X-related books, when she herself quite obviously stood out from the other mutants with her mystical-based powers, and seemed like a bit of a relic of yesterday's news. Eventually, Marvel caught on to this. In 2018, Quentin Quire both cured her of her vampirism and restored her mutant status at long last.

* The idea that superheroes [[ThouShaltNotKill never kill their enemies]] is a carryover from UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode. During this time in UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, it was mandated that the heroes couldn't kill their enemies because they were supposed to be writing for children. Before this, superheroes were actually killing people left and right. As the years passed, where the code waned in effect before eventually being dropped entirely, there was no restriction against heroes killing. However, the idea that heroes don't kill was so ingrained in the public consciousness that it formed the idea of what a superhero is, and thus it remained long after. Also, it's a convenient way of making sure a hero's RoguesGallery actually stays around. The full implications of this have been explored many, ''many'' times.