"Watch them die. Watch the Earth take them back, and in their deaths they give more to Gotham than they ever did in their lives."

You already know my story, you know who I am and everything I've done. I created paradise, it might have lasted forever...

And yet... I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand me.

---

In this iteration, and in this story, Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley is an older woman, in her early-forties. She has spent most of her adult years in and out of Arkham Asylum for only ever trying to protect nature, the world - in her own way, of course. She has always been masterful at obscuring and changing the truth, creating a skewed version of events where she is the hero. Those who had died were simply faceless villains in her battle. Humans were cruel and men especially. She is the hero.

Justice League, Injustice Gang... They're all the same really, aren't they? And she's moved through them and others over the years - serving only her own agenda, to push back against humanity and protect the Earth.

Ivy has been committed to Arkham multiple times in her life. She is easily enraged, and is especially distrusting - especially towards men. Despite her best efforts to redeem herself in recent years and to live peacefully, she can be prone to spells of aggression. But, she still tries again, in spite of each setback.

She now takes residence in a pavilion-turned-greenhouse in Robinson Park, monitored closely so that she doesn't overstep, and if she does the threat of another trip to Arkham is always there. She's always been caught before. It's not like she hasn't got her ear to the ground though, she knows enough to be able to whisper a secret to the right person for the right price when it counts. She has connections.

Now, Ivy longs more than ever to create a Garden of Eden away from Gotham, but not before she has faced her true past. Following Ivy, is a Rolodex of enemies from a variety of places - a trail of scorned friends, and ex-lovers. When she sleeps, each spurned face haunts her as if she's on trial and they are her jury, but they're all she has. She hopes that her next favour and good deed is going to be enough to get her out of Gotham for good.

Why wouldn’t I want to play this character? She’s deliciously entertaining, enduring, iconic. And yet there is so much more she can give. I want to play a very human Ivy, as she works through the connections of her life in search of redemption, yet even now, as she attempts to wrong the rights she has caused, she can't help but dig her thorns in. A self-fulfilling prophecy that she'll do it all again anyway. On her journey to forgiveness with some of of the elder heroes, she finds that she is a natural mentor and maternal figure to the younger heroes of tomorrow. Just... take her advice with a pinch of salt sometimes.

"I believe the children are our future..."
Being older, Ivy sees opportunity in helping the younger heroes. She has a soft spot for them - she wants to keep them away from the path she fell upon, and still tiptoes along the fence of. She has a lot to teach, if only she can focus on it for long enough. All of these young guns can't just rely on Batman, Wonderwoman, and Superman now - can they? What exactly can they really teach them about life?

Zatanna, up until this point in her life, Zatanna never thought her father was anything more than a stage performer. A hugely successful stage performer, of course, but a performer none the less. Giovanni Zatara was the world’s preeminent illusionist, playing to sell out crowds for years, and managing a residency in Vegas. His daughter, meanwhile, traded in reality, as she saw it. She studied hard, and got into Penn Medical School, seeing all the craziness in the world and wanting to do something material to help out the normal people of the world.

But all that is going to be turned on its head as Zatara disappears and leaves a cryptic note for Zatanna as the only clue to unraveling the mystery. What follows will be an unraveling of reality and the opening of a greater world.

Am I crazy for doing an origin story? Maybe! But that’s what I’m doing!

The magic side of the DC universe is something I’ve not really engaged with in these games much before, but I think it’s one of the most fascinating aspects of the universe, especially more so than Marvel’s mystic side. With Zatanna, I want to create a new mythology for the magic user, going into some more fantastical situations. I have a hankering to start a Justice League Dark-like situation, but with more of a BPRD-like feel than anything. But before that, I want to start with her discovering the world is even stranger than she already thought it was.

There will be differences and similarities to these iterations of the characters. They'll essentially still be themselves, but with different backstories. Starting off with the OG Wally, just like the Flash TV show he's Iris' half brother, except through a second marriage after her mom died and not some random kid somewhere so he keeps his iconic orange locks. Iris meets Barry in High School and they become best friends, but unknown to her Barry has feelings for her and is too afraid to admit it. But because of this he spends a lot of time at the West family home and Wally sees him as sort of a big brother figure.

Flash forward and the famous chemical incident happens at Barry's forensics lab turning him into the Flash. Iris is a reporter now and she tries to figure out the Flash's identity. Meanwhile Barry uses his newfound courage to ask her out. They begin dating and due to how close they are she figures out he's the Flash.

After the debut of the original Robin, Wally decided to use some detective skills of his own to figure out who the Flash is. It didn't take him long to deduce it was Barry and he convinced him that the Flash needed a sidekick just like Batman. Barry turned him down stating that it was too dangerous without powers and even he had trouble taking down some of his enemies. Wally emphasized that's exactly why he needed a sidekick so he asked him how he got his powers. Barry not thinking he'd try to recreate this freak accident told him the story. Wally immediately set off to put this event in motion. In his love of science he learned that anything that happened by accident could be recreated on purpose.

Wally successfully recreated the experiment and became the FANTASTIC KID FLASH. Barry knew either way he had to train him in how to use his abilities and to his surprise the kid was a natural and together they kept Central City safe. Wally even joined up with Robin and some other young heroes. Then one day Wally disappeared into the Speed Force after he and Barry saved Central City from a Nuclear Explosion. Barry was devastated and almost gave up his running shoes until he was blessed with hope. Iris was pregnant and once they found out they'd be having a boy they immediately agreed on naming him after Wally. He wasn't a replacement, but an extension of his legacy. Unbeknownst to them at the time the Speed Force had plans for their Wally. Balance needed to be restored and the Flash needed his Kid. Wallace's aging process was sped up an incredibly rapid rate. Barry had to create a time bubble around he, Iris, and Wally just so they could experience his aging instead of rapidly passing them by.

Wallace's rapid aging stopped at around 8 years old and thankfully only four years had actually gone by. But just as they were getting over one shock another positive one came knocking at their door. Wally was back from the Speed Force, but this only confused them more. What was the purpose of aging up the younger Wally? They decided not to worry about it as Wally had enough on his plate readjusting to life back on Earth and with more speed than he ever thought possible for himself. He officially started college and reconnected with some of his old hero friends. Life was going great for the Flash family until Despero's attack. Wally and Barry were on the scene but Barry couldn't risk losing Wally after getting him back after all the years he was gone so he joined the League in facing him while Wally was left to evacuation duty.

After the dust cleared Barry was dead and Wally had failed to save everyone. They lost precious, innocent people. What use was all this extra speed if it was useless when he needed it the most? He, Wally II, and Iris lost Barry, Central City lost the Flash, Superman lost Lois Lane, and the world lost Superman all because he wasn't fast enough. He wanted to give it all up, he didn't deserve to be back here. He made his sacrifice so Barry wouldn't have to. Why was he brought back if it didn't solve or stop anything? He could go back in time, prevent all of this from happening, save Barry, and stop Despero from killing everyone. He didn't care if he died in the process. He had to fix this. So he ran.

Wally ran as fast as he could prepared to reverse time and change the fate of that day, but he was stopped in his tracks by the young Wallace. Except it wasn't him, it was the Speed Force using him as a vessel. It warned him of the consequences of what he was trying to do and why Barry didn't try the same to save him even though he wanted to as well. "The past happened, leave it there. The present needs you, this child needs you, this world needs you. It lost hope in its heroes and its heroes lost hope in themselves. Be the streak of hope the lights up the dark and reminds the world what it still has."

Four years have passed since that fateful conversation and Wally has fully taken over the mantle of the FLASH with an updated suit to match. Central City knows their original hero is gone, but that their original sidekick has stepped up into the mantle and they know from history that they're in good hands with him and his new partner, the new and improved KID FLASH. Wally's still getting used to his new role as mentor and uncle, but as long as he keeps running forward he knows he'll be able to handle anything life throws his way.

I grew up watching Wally West's Flash in Justice League the animated series and Kid Flash in Teen Titans so he's always been my Flash. He and Jay Garrick, really. I've always liked his character. His humor and how he humanizes his villains and the limits he pushes himself to, to save his friends and the world. He's a true example of a superhero and I want to explore these sides of him while also exploring the darker side of comics with grief, PTSD, depression, and imposter syndrome. This is someone who has been through a lot these past few years. He technically died, came back to find out years have gone by and he has an 8 year old nephew, and once he gets sort of readjusted his mentor and big brother is killed and he's forced into the role of taking his place when it would just be easier to just change the past and deal with whatever fallout comes from that. He feels like he doesn't deserve to be here and that he could've done a lot more that day, but he tries to push down those feelings for the sake of his nephew and the world.

Wally II, who I'm just going to have go by Bart since that's his middle name and dad's name as well to make things less confusing for him and the OG Wally, is dealing with the loss of his father on top of not exactly being a normal kid or even a normal human. He didn't age the way normal kids do and he has powers that normal kids don't have and there aren't really that many people around his age that could relate. When Wally was around his age he had his other teen superhero friends, but he feels left out not really having that experience. There's no Justice League so there's definitely no urgency to have a teen superhero group. Though I feel like that would be fun to explore. Bart roaming the country looking for other super kids that get him and maybe assembling a league of their own.