Guest Lollygagger Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 In response to this thread, what traits, attributes, shticks, and so on would make for good Silver Age villains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Off the top of my head The super intelligent talking animal, possibly with telepathy or super science The scientist jealous of the super hero getting attention because of his powers and often holding a grudge at the hero for 'ruining his experiment' The manipulative espionage femme fatale (often works for the commies) The Subterranian Overlord and his vicious mole people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Villains with a recurring identifying motif, something that's a signature of their crime and often the clue that leads to their capture: always leaving riddles or puzzles pointing to their next crime; crimes involving toys, jokes and gag items, articles of clothing or the like; animal-themed or -powered villains whose activities revolve around similar animals. Old-world aristocratic villains with castles or manor houses and various minions, and titles such as Lord, Baron or Count. Villains who use high-tech or magical gadgets - often a gun-like device - with a single Special Effect, such as light, sound, adhesives, alchemical transmutations, etc. And of course, Nazis. Usually super-scientists who are WW II refugees or their descendants, or the product of experiments by same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsedgamer Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Despotic ruler of a fictional nation with almost unlimited resources and super science. Alien overlord form another planet/dimension who plans to take over the Earth through some combintion personal power/artifact and a massive army of aliens/demons/robots/mind-controlled minions. Basically, a variation on the guy above. One trick pony villian with either a gadget (like a gun) or a very limited personal power with a tight group of effects. Put together several of these for a rogue's gallery. Edit: Damn, too slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchellS Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? To me a silver age villain is just one who's larger then expected; whose schemes are more grand then his abilities. A lot of people focus on the campy sides of the silver age but the simple fact is only a small percentage of it was really campy. Most of the campy stuff was on the DC side but if you look at the Marvel comics of that era you see tragic and serious characters everywhere. Spider-man had to endure the death and guilt of his uncle, poverty, loved ones in constant danger, and public ridicule. Ironman was a womanizing alcoholic with a dying heart. The Hulk was hounded every where he went. The Avengers had a long run with Cap and a handful of ex-criminals as members. You endured the anguish the Thing experienced due to the loss of his humanity. And of course the X-Men, hunted, hounded, hated, feared, all very tragic. To me a silver age villain is one who rises from a tragedy of some type and decided he wants revenge and anger rather then to help or find peace. Many of them could be heroes [and several have made the transition] if not for one underlying personality trait that guides them toward crime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trained Chicken Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? From the first few issues of Daredevil: Local crime boss and his thugs Electro Stilt-Man Purple Man The Plunderer (European aristocrat with a big ray gun) The Masked Marauder- criminal "mastermind" with an NND+Flash in his helmet The Gladiator- basically a third-rate hand-to-hand version of Iron Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Villains with a recurring identifying motif, something that's a signature of their crime and often the clue that leads to their capture: always leaving riddles or puzzles pointing to their next crime; crimes involving toys, jokes and gag items, articles of clothing or the like; animal-themed or -powered villains whose activities revolve around similar animals. Old-world aristocratic villains with castles or manor houses and various minions, and titles such as Lord, Baron or Count. Villains who use high-tech or magical gadgets - often a gun-like device - with a single Special Effect, such as light, sound, adhesives, alchemical transmutations, etc. And of course, Nazis. Usually super-scientists who are WW II refugees or their descendants, or the product of experiments by same. And Communists. Do Not forget about the Red Menace. Either well-meaning but misguided super-soldier patriots that go AWOL after seeing first-handed the beauty of freedom and being double-crossed by their tyrannical overlords, femme-fatale super-spies who do the same (or die heroically to save the hero) after tasting a bit of hero red-blooded lubing, megalomanical commie officials and mad scientists who rant and rave about conquering the free world, monstrous results of mad science experiments, and Thirld World petty dictators who can't get enough of oppressing peasants... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lollygagger Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? One trick pony villian with either a gadget (like a gun) or a very limited personal power with a tight group of effects. Put together several of these for a rogue's gallery. Advice #1 on How To Make A Lineup Of Silver Age Villains: Go forth and copy ye the Flash villains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Advice #1 on How To Make A Lineup Of Silver Age Villains: Go forth and copy ye the Flash villains. #2: plus lots and lots of Aliens! In fact, to randomly generate a Silver Age villain, roll on the following table: Roll 1d6. +1 if Superman: 1-2: Theme villain. 3-4: Alien invader. 5-6: Giant Robot or Monster. 7+: Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen. Edit: I'll have to dig out my Silver Age scenario generator again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug McCrae Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Aliens - Skrulls, Kree, Brainiac, Despero, Space Phantom, Impossible Man Apes - Titano, Gorilla Grodd the Super Gorilla, Red Ghost and his Super Apes Commies - Crimson Dynamo, SA Red Skull, Red Ghost and his Super Apes Animal powers - Dr. Octopus, The Lizard, Vulture, Toad Hidden races (and their rulers) - Mole people/Mole Man, Atlanteans/Sub-Mariner and Attuma, Lava Men from Avengers #5 Rampaging robots - Ultron, Computo Unstoppable juggernauts - Destroyer, Rhino, Juggernaut Misguided or confused foes, trouble-makers but not evil - Bizarro, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Impossible Man Evil version of a superhero - Professor Zoom, Sinestro, Abomination, Baron Mordo, Dev-Em the Knave from Krypton A guy with a special gun - Captain Cold, Paste-Pot Pete All the powers of a hero team - Amazo, Super Skrull Alliteratively named teams where the second word is a number - Frightful Four, Fatal Five, Sinister Six Names derived from taking a normal word and changing the end to 'o' - Bizarro, Metallo, Amazo, Sinestro, Titano, Universo, Computo Generally speaking, heroes would battle appropriate foes. Thor would fight evil gods. Spidey faced off against street level bad guys with animal powers. The X-Men opposed evil mutants. The Metal Men opposed robots gone wrong. The FF saved the world from aliens and hidden races. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? At Marvel the "one trick wonder" ("I have this one attack and it is deadly so I will attack the hero with it all the time. Of course I will never succeed in actualy HITTING the hero with my attack, but I have this purple costume so I can't expect too much") was the style. At D C it was more of the "themed gadgeteer" style ("Hey I am obsessed with tops, boomerangs, jokes, umbrellas,magnetism etc. So I will design a whole bunch of weapons using this gimmick and a flashy costume so that everyone will recognise me. A name including "Doctor" or "Captain" or "Master" goes well too !") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCMaenza Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? I'd add to it that one of the elements of Silver Age villains that I love is the hokey dialogue. You know what I mean. Examples: Captain Cold saying "this'll put you on ice!" or "Chill out." Or how Egghead on the old Batman TV show from the 60's would say "eggs-terminate", "eggs-actly" or "eggs-hausting", etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GestaltBennie Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Them Silver Age villains, they love the motif. You think some guy who's bright enough to build a rocket but dim enough to only use it for crime would have some shame. But no. They gotta give you the works. You gets yourself guys like "the Rocketrider", who rides a giant rocket like a horse, fires rocket-shaped grenades from his wrists, and throws bolos with rockets attached to their ends that send people flying straight up and (if lucky) pin them to the ceiling. And you'd think he could throw one of the damn things without saying "Ignition in 10... 9... 8..." or get on his rocket without saying "blastoff" or fall unconscious without saying "Houston, we have a problem!". And he's only the tip of the iceberg. And I'm not refering to Dr. Iceberg, the Man Who Can Sink The World, either. I'm talking about every villain who grabs onto a motif like a lonely child holding a pet cat: villains with flame guns who call themselves "the Flamer" (those Silver Agers don't care about names), or a guy who dresses up in a big spiky costume, jumps around, throws a big red ball at people and calls himself "the Human Jack". These guys just don't have any shame or sense. Oh wait a minute. That's "The Incredible Human Jack". We wouldn't have any adjectives at all in the English language if it weren't for them Silver Agers. It's almost enough to make a man say "Excelsior" or "Imperius Rex!" or "It's Clobbering Time!" Then there's the suits. Has there ever been a worse taste in costumes than these silver age villains? Purple? What's up with all of these guys wearing purple? I half expect the Amazing Purple Gorilla to show up any day now. Anyhow, they're nice folk when you can get a few drinks in 'em, just a little strange. Gotta admit that given their low rate of killin' compared to their Iron Age cousins (they'll still kidnap and deathtrap you on a dime, but for some reason, things usually work out in the end), I really prefer their company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeroGM Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Radiation...lots of radiation... oh, and chemicals, gotta have those chemicals. Outside of the normal Marvel & DC look, try Image's 1963. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lollygagger Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Then there's the suits. Has there ever been a worse taste in costumes than these silver age villains? Purple? What's up with all of these guys wearing purple? I half expect the Amazing Purple Gorilla to show up any day now. That does it. I'm going to start a Silver Age campaign just so I can have a villain named the Amazing Purple Gorilla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? I recall a Saturday-morning cartoon series from the 1980's featuring a 30-foot purple gorilla: The Great Grape Ape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Desmarais Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? I recall a Saturday-morning cartoon series from the 1980's featuring a 30-foot purple gorilla: The Great Grape Ape. 40 foot actually - and lets not forget his pal Beegley Beagley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsedgamer Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Someone needs to write a comic book scene where a bunch of Iron Age villians are hanging out with a bunch of Silver Age villians, and the youngsters just totally rag on their predecessors. It would be something like all those scenes from the Austin Powers movies where Scott Evil is dissing his father. Carnage: So, you let people call you Dr. Octo...pus and you don't rip their heads off? Doc Ock: I am one of Spider-Man's deadly and most implacable foes. Carnage: OK...so, you wear orange with green together on purpose then? Doc Ock: I have come closer than anyone else to ending the wall crawler for all time. Carnage: And..dude, those glasses. Doc Ock: Listen.... Carnage: And didn't you, like, date Aunt May for a while? Doc Ock: That's about enough out of you. Carnage: At least Kraven had the decency to kill himself when he realized he was past it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? And then Dr. Octopus beats the ever loving snot out of Carnage, without taking so much as a scratch himself showing once again what a worthless waste of space Carnage is. Then salt is rubbed in the wound when the comic outsells any comic Carnage has ever been in, combined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ura-Maru Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? I'd add to it that one of the elements of Silver Age villains that I love is the hokey dialogue. You know what I mean. Indeed, I do. Forasmuch as I, sitting here at this laptop as I have done, oh, so many times before. And as I read . . . I also . . . remember! Many an hour was spent, leafing through copies of old Silver Surfer issues both ancient and mysterious. For the dialog was such . . . I shudder to describe it. Less than proper English . . . yet somehow, more! Lo, how grand were the declarations, and the self narration of even the smallest action! How constant was the bolding! And the ever mercurial tone changes, like fey mists upon a wintery morn, reborn as, well, the Bronx, ya know? -- Stan Lee @#$%ing rocks. They should give him a sitcom to write all the dialog for, in high-Silver Surfer style, with all the operatic ‘describe-what-I’m-doing-while-I’m-doing-it’ and the tone constantly wavering between the Divine Comedy and the Last Dragon, sometimes in the same sentence. It would be the greatest show in history. --- “Let all the so-called heroes look to their laurels! Hawkeye is going to make them look sick!†I mean, really, who else could write that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trained Chicken Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 Re: Silver Age Villains? Anyhow' date=' they're nice folk when you can get a few drinks in 'em, just a little strange. Gotta admit that given their low rate of killin' compared to their Iron Age cousins (they'll still kidnap and deathtrap you on a dime, but for some reason, things usually work out in the end), I really prefer their company.[/quote'] Repped!! Don't forget, you don't score points with the other villains by killing the good guys- you score them by deathtrapping, then monologuing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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