Please lower your expectations.

I think about all the Young Justice sexism issues being debated on tumblr right now, and then I think about how many powerful and funny women Dwayne McDuffie wrote into Justice League Unlimited. Barda and Bea and Diana and Shayera (one of my all time favorite animated characters). All of them strong but not empty role model shells. Relatable, fleshed-out characters. Women who had relationships with men but weren’t defined by them.

He wrote friendships—like Wally and John, J’onn and Diana—so well. He wrote about the dynamics between coworkers and comrades brilliantly. He managed to make a half-hour show about superheroes into something emotionally engaging without resorting to cheap sentimentality.

And Static. Gosh, I loved that show. I had such a crush on Richie. I wanted Virgil’s family to be my family. I think McDuffie had a great understanding of the vulnerability of boys, something that isn’t acknowledged very often. Richie and Virgil were heroes but they were also children. I remember the episode about Richie’s abuse so clearly. I remember Virgil’s dad taking him in and feeling so much empathy for the characters. Feeling, for the first time, not envious of the boys on TV but protective. Affection and connection without the gender lines kids shows are obsessed with drawing in blue and pink ink.

Dwayne McDuffie knew how to write people. Humanity first, all the other bits and bobs second. That’s what made his shows so compelling to watch.

The fact that his voice is gone makes me want to cry. I hope someone else steps up and follows his example in the industry. It’s something that’s sorely needed.