What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

[megaplayboy]

Just a whim, but I wonder what comic book villains would make great heroes in some alternate universe, and how would their storyline be different?

And, what heroes would make great bad guys, in an alternate universe?

 

I think Victor Von Doom would make an interesting hero--the Doom 2099 book was one of the more passable 2099 books, IMO.

 

Batman would be a terrific crime lord, his motivation for revenge leading him toward the wrong side of the law.

 

Who do you guys think would be an interesting "alignment switch"?

[Fenixcrest]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I can see Captain Planet and the Planeteers finally getting fed up with fighting the same villains over and over again, and just becoming eco-terrorists.

 

 

"Drilling illegally, eh?"

*blows up homes and families*

[Hermit]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I'm very tempted to make a Doc Ock Clone for a Champion's hero.

[austenandrews]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I had the idea of creating a Dr. Doom-like mega-villain, complete with an army of minions and wild technology, and making him into a superpatriot hero. It's just twisted enough to be entertaining.

 

-AA

[Storm Shadow]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

IMO Deathstroke the terminator is good example Quote: "I'm not like the titans, I like the blood smell".

 

I saw a crazy Superman in Armageddon 2001 that I liked too much. I think most of the superheroes are potential villians and viceversa. The extreme power makes crazy the people. They are not prepared to be a very known people or in a big fight you go first and behind you the atomic missiles, the destiny of your city or the world is in your hands... it's not so easy to be confused. Remember Hal Jordan when he became Parallax.

[Peregrine]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I can see Captain Planet and the Planeteers finally getting fed up with fighting the same villains over and over again, and just becoming eco-terrorists.

 

 

"Drilling illegally, eh?"

*blows up homes and families*

And this would be a change how?

[Twilight]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

And this would be a change how?

 

Because they don't blow up homes and families now, duh.

[Blue]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I have a hard time coming up with something for this because it seems to me they have indeed been done on both sides.

 

I picked up Issue #2 of Avengers/Thunderbolts limited series tonight. The thunderbolts are the prime example: The Masters of Evil in disguise as heroes. They act like heroes, they look like heroes, they do heroic things, and they don't seem any different from any other well-rounded hero team.

 

But it gets me wondering about the Evil-Avengers. Needless to say, and Evil Thor is more than a handful, but if you throw in Iron Man and Cap, you've got something truly hard to handle.

 

Maybe I did have a suggestion after all

[assault]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

But it gets me wondering about the Evil-Avengers. Needless to say, and Evil Thor is more than a handful, but if you throw in Iron Man and Cap, you've got something truly hard to handle.

 

This would work well as a Golden Age villain team. "Nordic" thunder god, Nazi flagsuit, and mad science armour (or robot).

 

Nasty. You would really have to bring out the Allies' heavy hitters to cope. People like the Spectre...

[Zeropoint]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

Thor already IS a nordic thunder god.

[assault]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

Thor already IS a nordic thunder god.

 

Well, yes. The point is "a nordic thunder god fighting for the Nazis and their bizarro theories". As opposed to, for example, a Norse thunder god fighting against the invaders of Norway.

 

The point is that Thor would be equally plausible in either role. "Evil Thor" is no different from "Good Thor".

 

Just ask any Dark Age Christian monk.

[Hawksmoor]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

As for the Batman. Remember he was mistrusted and thought to be a villian or more correctly a vigillante (sic need a spellchecker on the forum!!!!!) To make him a villian all you need to do is take away the 25 point code vs killing.

 

Other Heros: Any of them. Once they go Proactive they cross the line and it is a slippery slope. Read any comic to see this. Which heroes are "darker"? More iron age? The Proactive ones.

 

Cool Villians into heroes.

 

Lex Luthor. Billionaire Philantropist and Powered Armor Goodyguy, backed up by Team Luthor! (also in powered armor!)

 

Hawksmoor

[assault]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

Cool Villians into heroes.

 

Lex Luthor. Billionaire Philantropist and Powered Armor Goodyguy, backed up by Team Luthor! (also in powered armor!)

 

 

It has, of course, been done.

 

And no, I'm not talking about Tony Stark.

 

The various heroic parallel universe Luthors are quite interesting. There was also the (pre-Crisis) period where Luthor was living on another world, and was acting as that world's protector and Superman equivalent.

 

That was where he found his first set of powered armour, IIRC.

 

He was still a bad guy, but he was protecting his own people.

[Hawksmoor]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I know. Some of the best lines in Smallville are Lex saying something to the effect of "Its a journey that makes you who you are."

 

Lex Luthor is one of the best and at times most underrated villians.

 

 

 

Hawksmoor

[Fenixcrest]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

 

Lex Luthor. Billionaire Philantropist and Powered Armor Goodyguy, backed up by Team Luthor! (also in powered armor!)

 

Hawksmoor

 

Or going a similar route with heroes into villains, does anybody remember that old issue of Wizard (136, I think), that had ideas for Ultimate DC? They had the Teen Titans as a kind of superheroic "Boy Band (with some girls)," organized and sponsored by Lexcorp.

[freakboy6117]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

i rember in EXILES where tehy did an evil avengers damn that was scary vampiric avengers are almost too nasty

[st barbara]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I've always liked the idea of say "The Joker" as a hero. Of course he would have to be a bit more sane than he is in the comics these days, but the idea of perhaps a "Gadgeteer' hero who enjoys humiliating super villains could be a lot of fun. Then there are characters like say "Dr Alchemy who might make a very powerful hero with his "philosopher's stone" giving him the ability to transform anything ! Of course there are also the members of "The Frightful Four"; any of the original three male members "The Wingless Wizard". "The Trapster" or "Sandman" would make cool heros (not to mention powerful heros !), although i'm not sure which of the several "fourth" members that the group has had over the years would fit best.

[Hermit]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I had the idea of creating a Dr. Doom-like mega-villain, complete with an army of minions and wild technology, and making him into a superpatriot hero. It's just twisted enough to be entertaining.

 

-AA

 

I actually have something like that laying around. Lots of Perks, powered armor, and a haughty attitude mixed with Noblise Oblige (He is the heir to the throne) regarding protecting his nation, its people, and its interests.

 

I had dubbed him "Imperial", not totally accurate, but it had the right feel, and I figured the American Media wouldn't fuss over details.

[Hawksmoor]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I've always liked the idea of say "The Joker" as a hero. Of course he would have to be a bit more sane than he is in the comics these days' date=' but the idea of perhaps a "Gadgeteer' hero who enjoys humiliating super villains could be a lot of fun. Then there are characters like say "Dr Alchemy who might make a very powerful hero with his "philosopher's stone" giving him the ability to transform anything ! Of course there are also the members of "The Frightful Four"; any of the original three male members "The Wingless Wizard". "The Trapster" or "Sandman" would make cool heros (not to mention powerful heros !), although i'm not sure which of the several "fourth" members that the group has had over the years would fit best.[/quote']

 

I did this! I called him the Jack. He had a palm buzzer, Acid Squirting fLower and NND gas that left you unconscious with a smile on your face. This was predark Champions though. I still had way to much fun making fun and acting a little crazy. Personality wise he was a cross between john Crichton and the Creeper with a mad cackle from the Joker thrown in.

 

Hawksmoor

-remember JK postdated this game by about 13 years.

[Nightmask]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

Hummm.... let me think. The Joker, Magneto (well he kinda was, not as involved when he was a villian), Darksead, Ultron, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Casanova Frankenstein and Mechanon.

[austenandrews]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I actually have something like that laying around. Lots of Perks, powered armor, and a haughty attitude mixed with Noblise Oblige (He is the heir to the throne) regarding protecting his nation, its people, and its interests.

 

I had dubbed him "Imperial", not totally accurate, but it had the right feel, and I figured the American Media wouldn't fuss over details.

Cool. But I was specifically thinking of making the character an American superpatriot. Probably use the name "Liberty Lord."

 

-AA

[Doug McCrae]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

Hasn't almost every villain in comics been a hero at some point in continuity? And vice versa.

[bubba smith]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

captain america

cap deserts the army after believing the army misled him and turned him into a mostrosity and turns agains the USA stealing miltary secrets and becoming a mercenary

[st barbara]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

Does anyone else remember "JLA : Syndicate Rules" which featured a group of heros "The Justice Underground" : "General Grodd" ("Supergorilla Grodd"),"Star Sapphire", "Lady Sonar" ("Sonar"), "Sir Solomon Grundy", "The Qizmaster" ("Riddler") and "Q Ranger" ("Captain Atom ?) who were based on D C villains ? Sure they weren't around long, but I thought that they could actually be interesting as a group of heros. I'd like to see more stories set on the world of "The Crime Syndicate" (is it still "Earth 3" ?) and featuring these(and other) characters in heroic roles. The end of the story certainly left the possibilities open for further adventures !

[The Weapon]

Re: What comic book villains would make cool heroes, and vice versa?

 

I know. Some of the best lines in Smallville are Lex saying something to the effect of "Its a journey that makes you who you are."

 

Lex Luthor is one of the best and at times most underrated villians.

 

Hawksmoor

 

 

I love the Smallville Luthor. You can really see where he's coming from and he's not evil for evil's sake. Most of what he uses power for is good, he creates wealth and jobs, investigates the truth and advances science. Admittedly most of this is in pursuit of more power. But his pursuit of power has a purpose, many purposes in fact, at least one of which is protecting us all in a hostile universe. When Lana Lang finds out that Lex has endangered people to build kryptonian-tech weapons she comments that these weapons might be all that save us from the next kryptonian attack. And she's right.