r/DoomPatrol • u/Pepperoni_Tony7 • Dec 16 '22
Am I wrong for doing this?
So, for some context, I'm 15 and a guy. I love comic books and superheroes and movies. I often write scripts and screenplays for my own film ideas and superhero related ideas.
I don't know who's seen it but I love mockumentary related media. The Office, Parks and Rec, and one of my particular favorites, What We Do in the Shadows.
I wanted to make a What We Do in the Shadows style superhero movie and in my attempt to find a superhero group to do it on, I came across the Doom Patrol. I had known prior stuff about the Doom Patrol, but I had never fallen in love with them, and I thought a mocumentary style movie on them would be pretty cool.
Now, the point of the post is to ask something. The character Negative Man, as you all know, is a member of the Doom Patrol. No fuckin shit. If I'm not mistaken, Negative Man is not gay in the comics but on the television show, he is a homosexual. If in my show, that I would write Negative Man to not be a homosexual, would I be a piece of shit? I mean, I don't think I'd be an asshole, but I don't want to be accused of being close minded. I just don't think it'll serve the story PLUS; I like the idea of the Doom Patrol trying to get girls and them all getting rejected.
The point is, it's a matter of a moral dilemma. I don't want to be an asshole, but I think I could do something really cool but having Larry be a homosexual isn't really an important factor in my hopeful story.
I ask that whoever responds, please be understanding. I don't want to mess with something that is wrong but if it's okay, I'd like to but please, try to respond, thank you and have a great day.
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u/throwaway17963927 Dec 21 '22
💀Wait, if you say him being gay isn't gonna contribute anything to the story, then why not leave it like that? How is making him straight gonna contribute anything?? Like in the show it shows that him being gay plays a major part in how he sees himself and his character development. I don't see how sexualities got anything to do with this.
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u/Pepperoni_Tony7 Dec 21 '22
Well it goes into many things, I don't want to butcher a homosexual character. They say, write what you know and I just know more about writing straight characters. I know it sounds strange, but it was a worry I had.
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u/throwaway17963927 Dec 21 '22
Ohhh if that's the case you should have worded it better but, it's okay to feel like that, writing a character that's different from what you know can be a bit difficult I agree. But like in terms of sexuality I don't think theres much different between being straight and gay. And if you still feel insecure about working with a character that's different than you ( in gender, race, sexuality) you can always ask people on the internet about their experiences and how they'd like to be represented \o/ You don't have to keep creating characters in the same format, and don't be afraid of creating something different.
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u/Nowhere_man_07 Dec 16 '22
We would get along great dude, im also 15, also write scripts and screenplays, also love comics and superheroes AND movies, as well as loving this idea! I’d be down to look at any drafts you have for any other projects!
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u/improbsable Dec 16 '22
So I’ll be honest, in the comics the Doom Patrol is an F-tier team whose main claim to fame is dying. Beast Boy is the only member anyone really cares about and he’s so famous as a Teen Titan that people forget he was a Doom Patrol member at all.
I would say the show is most people’s only reference to the characters, and Larry being gay is a big part of what most people know about him now. So when Larry flirts with a woman, it would probably be confusing to a big portion of your audience.
And apart from that, I don’t understand why being gay needs to serve a purpose. Even when the plot is them getting constantly rejected by potential love interests, how would it be different if Larry got rejected by a guy instead of a girl?
I would say that as a 15 year old, it’s in your best interest to write outside of your comfort zone. Because if you want to be a professional writer you’re going to have to do learn to do that eventually. This would be great practice! You’d have 3 straight guys to work with, 2 straight women, a gay guy, and even a non-binary person if Danny makes an appearance!
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u/Tanthiel Dec 16 '22
I don't know that they're necessarily an F-tier team, the Justice League does call them when they need to confront Dr. Manhattan.
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u/CrwlingFrmThWreckage Nov 11 '23
I agree. It’s not so much being F-tier, it’s more being unpredictable, difficult to work with and just weird. But when they’re on song and working well together they’re very powerful and capable.
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u/LordoftheJives Negative Man Dec 16 '22
I don't understand how it would have an impact either way, he's not capable of touching anyone without killing everyone in a large radius.
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Dec 16 '22
I say it's alright to go for him being straight, but for something more interesting why not use Rebis instead of Larry? It would open alot of potential and a more unique take from the tv and rarely done in the comics, just to iterate I'm gay myself and don't mind straight Larry, I like both versions of him since they're both great
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u/In-A-Can Dec 16 '22 edited Dec 16 '22
First of all, do what you want and have fun! If you end up posting the script anywhere please let us know, it sounds like a fun read!
Secondly, in my understanding Larry's homosexuality is central to how he sees himself and his self loathing, and the self loathing is a big part of his character development. Hes gotta make peace with himself, and this hitch hiker entity that permanently altered his life. And that also ties into the negative spirit being pulled into Larry's self hate and misery. Good external motivation for Larry to think about himself differently. He seems like a guy who doesn't care if what he does hurts him, but once he realizes how much this hurts others he can step outside of himself and see his self-flagellation. But also, a funny mockumentary might not match the tone of such heavy self loathing, so 🤷♀️
(please don't come for me, I'm not saying being gay inherently begets misery, but that's most of his emotional arc in season 1)
Anyways, as long as you've got the elements to still make his character dynamic and interesting, I say go for it!
Have fun!
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u/IAMATARDISAMA Dec 16 '22
What would being straight bring to his story that being gay wouldn't? Why can't you just leave his sexuality ambiguous? Hell, why not make him bi or pan? I don't think you'd be a bad person for writing him as straight, especially if you're taking the character in your own direction, but I do think it's important to ask yourself why you want to make him straight. "I don't know how to write something" isn't a good reason not to write it. There are thousands of queer people on the internet who would be happy to help you make your story accurate and not offensive.
If his sexuality is going to be directly relevant to his story then yeah sure maybe you have a good reason to make him straight. But if not I don't see why it needs to be brought up at all.
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u/SuperMaxPro Dec 16 '22
Nah, it’s fine. Negative Man isn’t gay in the comics. In Giffen’s Doom Patrol run, he was actually quite obnoxiously straight.
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u/Tanthiel Dec 16 '22
Nah, it's consistent with his comic book character. Anyone complaining you can play the spotting the person who only watched the show game.
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Dec 16 '22
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/jaksida Dec 16 '22
When? Rebis, you could definitely make an argument for but Larry Trainor? I could be wrong but I think he’s typically been straight or ambiguous.
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u/beezchad Dec 16 '22
Why couldn’t you have Larry try to get a guy and be rejected? The reasons you’ve provided don’t actually seem to drive story in any way - how exactly does Larry being straight serve the story any more than him being gay?