Billy as a jerk is unacceptable.

He's always been and should still be one of the most respectful characters in comics.

@PowerHerc: While I agree, I can't say I don't like how this story is unfolding. Yes Billy isn't the NICEST kid out there in this, but he DOES give off the impression that he wants to do good. To back this up so far he's been shown protecting his foster family from the bullies, feeding Tawny, and a scene where we see him telling a young girl outside her widow, "They won't hurt you again, Jenny. I'm getting you out of here". Granted this isn't much, but it shows that deep down he DOES care about people. I think they're going for a kind of "Heroes Journey" angle where he's not really a true hero to begin with and has to earn the right to be called such.

After all, there are cases in mythology where this is the case. Hercules slew his wife and children, granted this was manipulated to happen by Hera, but he still endured his labors as a means to redeem himself and became a real hero. I think given how this new take is even MORE tied into the magical aspect of the Captain Marvel/Shazam mythos it's fitting if that IS the case.

I do like that even though they're making him a bit of a prat, they're still making him adorably naive while doing so.

"She gave me TWENTY DOLLARS!"

@Lamenoire said:

you know, being a jerk doesn't mean you are not a good person.

Billy is an orphan. He has never been adopted and doesn't have a familly (yet). the only thing life gave him are foster home.

Give him a break. he isn't bad. He is not a bully. He even help people when they face one.

Maybe interacting with good people for a change (is new familly; the Justice League) will change him.

Thank you.

With so many people talking about "realistic" you would think they would appreciate this approach more.

Why would they ever want to make a child Superman who says/think/does no wrong?

"I loved Billy back in the day because he was sooooo sweet and sooooo nice"

Is anyone like that all the time? How far would this character truly get if he just acted like a perfect 9-10 (however his exact age is) year old kid 24/7.

I like Billy growing up because he was a kid that was written with god-like powers and managed to do the right thing and not let them corrupt him...not because he picked flowers in the park or because he didn't frown as often.

@Kallarkz said:

Thank you.

With so many people talking about "realistic" you would think they would appreciate this approach more.

Why would they ever want to make a child Superman who says/think/does no wrong?

"I loved Billy back in the day because he was sooooo sweet and sooooo nice"

Is anyone like that all the time? How far would this character truly get if he just acted like a perfect 9-10 (however his exact age is) year old kid 24/7.

I like Billy growing up because he was a kid that was written with god-like powers and managed to do the right thing and not let them corrupt him...not because he picked flowers in the park or because he didn't frown as often.

This.

Now, admittedly I am a new DC reader as of the New 52, but Billy's new personality seems to be fitting. Comics should be a reflection of the times they are written in and times have changed (wasn't this the point of the New 52 reboot?) It's not easu being a kid these days with all the things we know these days between school shootings, cyber bullying, drug dealers, and predators and it has to be even harder on a kid in the foster care program and this is reflected in the new Billy Batson, not some idealized version of what no one can really live up to. It makes him more relate-able, which seems to be a major issue that Superman has ("How can someone be THAT good?").

Yeah children getting beaten is so rare. Yes there are more laws to protect kids (a good thing by the way) but they hardly have less problems. Congrats that the kids on your block get to watch nickelodeon and amc whenever they want to now...unfortunately it's not like that everywhere. Problems of today's youth do not begin or end with domestic abuse.

This revamp of Captain Marvel is awful. This is Heroes Reborn bad.

@PowerHerc said:

Billy as a jerk is unacceptable.

He's always been and should still be one of the most respectful characters in comics.

It's just a facade.

@joshmightbe said:

@Kallarkz: Kids do have it easier now, just as I had it easier than my parents, or my grand parents. The fact that anyone even gives a crap how easy a kids life is now days is a huge step up from when my grandpa was a kid and 12 year olds were working 80 hour weeks in factories for slave wages.

what does this have to do with anything? Who creates the easiness meters? And if I find someone who has an harder life than mine...I should be all smiles then?

What kind of logic are you using?

Now is the best time to be a child? Smoky because of child protection laws? Kids are suffering just as their parents due to the economy. Yes they have people to listen to them but the system is still flawed. Drugs, poverty, rape, etc. Tell the child currently being sold into sex slavery that he had better chances to be happy than his parents.

@joshmightbe said:

@Kallarkz: You're talking about the extremes I'm talking about the average non 3rd world child here. I never said life was perfect I just said that on AVERAGE children have it better now than ever before. Child sex slavery has been around for literally thousands of years as have poverty, rape and yes even drugs so you can't really claim that those are problems specific to this generation.

So because they are ongoing...they don't count as specific problems for this generation?

........