Official Champs Uni = Marvel Uni?

[phydaux]

Is it just me, or are there "more than a few" similarities between the official Champions universe and the Marvel universe?

These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head:

Dr. Destoryer = Dr Doom
Mechanon = Ultron
Fabulous Five = Fantastic Four
Instute for Human Advancement = generic Marvel anti-mutant crap
Minutemen = Sentinels
Grond = The Hulk
Ravenswood Academy = Xavier's School (although more like one of the Saturday mourning cartoons than the comic)

In fact, I think the only homage the Champs uni has to DC at all is the Harbringer of Justice (better known as Batman) and he only occures in Dark Champions.

[philnicau]

Is it just me, or are there "more than a few" similarities between the official Champions universe and the Marvel universe?

These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head:

Dr. Destoryer = Dr Doom
Mechanon = Ultron
Fabulous Five = Fantastic Four
Instute for Human Advancement = generic Marvel anti-mutant crap
Minutemen = Sentinels
Grond = The Hulk
Ravenswood Academy = Xavier's School (although more like one of the Saturday mourning cartoons than the comic)

In fact, I think the only homage the Champs uni has to DC at all is the Harbringer of Justice (better known as Batman) and he only occures in Dark Champions.

add in
UNTIL-Shield
VIPER-Hydra/AIM

[Sean Waters]

Well, given that Marvel was one of the main inventors of the genre a little derivation is to be expected. Let's not get the nice people at Hero sued, eh....

[phydaux]

Well, given that Marvel was one of the main inventors of the genre a little derivation is to be expected.

And I'm primarily a Marvel fan. But don't you think there should be just a little DC influence?

The only thing in the Champions Universe book that I can think of is on page 23 regarding Star*Guardian being assigned to Earth's Solar System by the Odragans. This smacks of the Green Lanters Corp and the Guardians, but I think Marvel has a few alien heros with similar origins. (NOT Rom)

[paigeoliver]

The problem with the DC Universe to me was that everyone else just couldn't be as cool as Batman and Superman, who were both all-powerful in their respective areas.

Now Marvel! Fantastic Four, Luke Cage, Daredevil, oh yeah!

[Superskrull]

In fact, I think the only homage the Champs uni has to DC at all is the Harbringer of Justice (better known as Batman) and he only occures in Dark Champions.

He can also be seen as being like the Punisher, considering their mutual penchant for perforating punks. Batman's not so fond of the whole gunplay motif.

[The Watcher]

add in
UNTIL-Shield
VIPER-Hydra/AIM

Actually, ARGENT would be the AIM analog for CU.

And I believe the Justice Squadron is supposed to be the JLA analog.

[Metaphysician]

JSA, actually. JLA bits are incorporated into the Sentinels, though its more an Avengers analogue.

[assault]

Franklin Stone - Lex Luther
Black Harlequin - The Joker
Viperia - Supergirl(!)
Nighthawk - Batclone
Meteorman - Green Lantern
Kinetik - Flash

Doubtless there are others.

Funnily enough, today I was thinking about the characters presented in the first edition of Champions. They occurred to me as being a mix of DC heroes and Marvel villains. I'm not quite sure what I am going to do with that thought, but I think there is an idea in there somewhere.

[jackalope]

Foxbat- Batman inspired

I always run Foxbat as if he thought he was the Adam West Batman.

I think the CU is more like the MU than the DCU, though it has analogs for most of the DCU's major characters. For me, more than anything, it's the exsistence of UNTIL/Shield, whose semi-constant presence really lends that Marvel flavor. Also, the MU is just more Mook Friendly than the DCU, with way more villainous Super Agent organizations, and the CU reflects that as well.

Also, the CU has no clear Superman analog, and it's Batman clone (Nighthawk) is just not on par with the real Bats. Also, he takes orders from Iron Man (Defender)! I just can't imagine the DCU without the JLA and Supes being everywhere.


Of course, the MU has analogs for most of the DCU, so it's possible that what appear to be DCU analogs in the CU are actually clones of the Marvel characters that are analogs of the DCU characters. I mean, maybe Nighthawk is actually a clone of Marvel's Batman analog from the Squadron Supreme...Nighthawk. Who knows?

[Metaphysician]

And Champs U has a serious ( non-ducky ) Batman analogue, too, sort of. . .

. . .the Harbinger of Justice.

He's just not welcome in superheroic company. . .

[SleepyDrug]

And Champs U has a serious ( non-ducky ) Batman analogue, too, sort of. . .

. . .the Harbinger of Justice.

He's just not welcome in superheroic company. . .

Nope, the Harbinger is more Punisher than Batman.
Although the host of ugly villains remind me of Batman.

[assault]

When I run through a list in my head of cool villain concepts Marvel villains always pop up first. Dr. Doom, Magneto, Loki, Ultron, Juggernaut, Mephisto, Masters of Evil, Green Goblin, ect. The only DC villains that really pop into my head are Ras AL Ghul, Sinestro, and Darkseid.

Hmm... Vandal Savage, Gorilla Grodd(!), Brainiac, the Ultra-Humanite, Solomon Grundy, the Wizard, the Fiddler, Deathstroke the Terminator, Lex Luther, Metallo, the Parasite, Two-Face, the Phantom Zone Villains...

A couple of these are personal favourites rather than to everyone's taste, of course. As for the Marvel villains you listed, the only ones that do much for me are Dr Doom and Magneto, although all of them are OK.

I will concede your general point though: Marvel is probably better at churning out cartloads of vaguely interesting villains.

On the other hand, DC has better heroes, IMHO.

As far as my Champions games go, my favourite villain concepts all boil down to: a silly costume, a mad laugh, a pack of flunkies and a superweapon. Who needs powers?

You might want to give some of them a way of escaping when their plots are foiled, but others might just simply be arrested. Check out Dr Doom's first appearance - the only personal power he actually used was flight, and that was when he was escaping.

PS: I also think your list of cool Marvel villains is deficient. Where is Namor, the Skrulls and the Hulk?

[Jhamin]

Nope, the Harbinger is more Punisher than Batman.
Although the host of ugly villains remind me of Batman.

I would argue that the Harbringer is Punisher's philosophy and methods combined with Batmans uber-competence and "I'm a normal that can own most supers" skill set.

[SleepyDrug]

I would argue that the Harbringer is Punisher's philosophy and methods combined with Batmans uber-competence and "I'm a normal that can own most supers" skill set.

Possibly. If he wasn't so lame i'd compare him to Solo (from Spider-Man) but i can see your point.