Most Viewpoints on Characters in Films Are Based on Your Personal Headcanon

Today, I explain how important personal headcanon is to people’s reactions to character depictions in film and TV adaptations of comics.

This is “Just a Reminder,” a feature where I just point out some stuff, typically in relation to a recent controversy in the world of pop culture.

The first Supergirl teaser trailer has been released, and, you might be surprised to learn that people have OPINIONS about it.

And that, of course, is awesome. That’s what pop culture is all about. People having opinions about stuff.

However, I think you see too much stuff like “This is out of character for character X” or, in the alternative, “This is IN character for character X.”

We all know that these characters have had DECADES of stories. There are SO MANY different versions of these characters. Citing past stories one way or the other doesn’t really work, because there are SO MANY conflicting versions of all of these characters.

Therefore, it is always just going to come down to what your personal headcanon is on a character. What YOU think a character should be like.

And that’s fine! That’s totally fine!

The only issue is when people treat their headcanon like it is ACTUALLY canon, or “the ‘correct’ way” to view a character. It’s not. There are many different ways to view any given character. Your take is just one of many.

So, ultimately, it’s going to come down to the finished product. If you don’t like it, that’s cool. If other people like it, that’s cool, but there isn’t some grand “Oh, this is the correct take on Supergirl because of story X” or “This is the INCORRECT take on Supergirl because of story X.” It’s all relative, and it’s all just whoever’s headcanon is being used when the film is made.

You can agree or disagree on the final product, but there’s no clear cut “correct” answer for any of this stuff.