I used to think that beast boy uses his powers wrong because me personally I’d just spam brain eating amoeba (and yes he can transform into one), but I’ve realized that he doesn’t do this because he is vegetarian, so therefore beast boy’s powers have gone to the wrong person “I’ve been most of those animals, so I don’t eat meat” I would not have that limitation.
fascinating question, whether a character who can turn into any creature can turn into enough brain eating amoebas to make a difference in anyone’s brain
usually a character that can shape-shift cannot turn into more than one of the same creature at the same time. and usually a single microorganism can’t do much at all… it takes many.
And yet… when a microorganism reproduces by dividing, all copies are pretty much identical, so perhaps they do not really count as multiple creatures? and perhaps, when he turns into something else afterward, his many amoeba-selves then just consolidate into one of whatever he’s turning into?
Honestly I get why he would make the decision to be vegan. Eating or drinking any animal product after that would feel like cannibalism and sucking up tiddy milk. However, I can also see it a different person going by another logic. Since many animals are carnivores and omnivores - and for some cannibalism is not that uncommon - eating meat doesn’t really look all that bad in hindsight. So Beastboy’s choice to be vegan is more out the personal conclusion he drew rather than the only conclusion. If someone else could turn into any animal I can see them coming to the exact opposite of Beastboy’s conclusion or maybe some in between.
As for the brain eating ameba thing, I can see it simply being to gross and having too many semantics that could end really badly for Beastboy to even try it. Also, amoeba’s are not animals as they do not belong to the kingdom of animalia. Beastboys power is to turn into any animal living or extinct and that is it. Some microbes and microscopic lifeforms count as animals but the amoeba is not one of them.
The whole dividing thing as a microbe and then turning back into himself after undergoing mitosis feels like the same discussion on whether or not Beastboy could turn into a member of an endangered species and make healthy offspring with another member of the opposite sex.
It reminds me of the “wizard duel” between Merlin and Madam Mimm, in Disney’s The Sword In The Stone
Which was a battle where the wizards could transform into other shapes as they fought. Merlin won by turning into a germ and making Mimm sick, which means he definitely did the mitosis thing AND left some of his copies in her to live out their lives as germs (as she was still sick when he and Arthur took their leave)
as I recall the duel had rules including “no mineral or vegetable, only animal”
and I think the movie was made in a time when scientific classifications of life still put all of it in those two categories, vegetable and animal
I think it would be hilarious to write about a shape shifter whose powers changed according to current scientific consensus on biological classification.
Were-everything who could do all unicellular lifeforms until scientists went and stuck some of them in “monerans” or “protists” or whatever.
Animal shape shifter taking reaaall active interest in influencing scientific debates for selfish personal purposes
(his teleporter friend who can beam to “any planet in the solar system” still really bitter about the Pluto thing)