Certified Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Random thoughts and a question to follow. What is it that makes a character an icon? Is it just popularity? How important are the character's personality, abilities and accomplishments? Some actors find themselves typecast into these roles, for example Bruce Willis seems to be one of the iconic everyman heroes who without being particularly superhuman at any one thing overcomes any challenge,except marriage. (I don't know if this is tied to his Moonlighting roots but it seems to drift through a lot of his films. I'm getting ready to start a new campaign at some point and want to bring some of this imagery to the table. Not all the players are big superhero fans and I want the characters they meet to draw them in. Ok, here's the question: Who is the iconic hero or villain for you in comics and what makes him that way for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psylint Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes Hmmm... Bruce Wayne, self consciously deranged but dealing with it. He's the hero who bleeds yet perseveres. He's got all of the collective unconscious "spooky" of the Wanderer and the Mystic, both stealthy and mysterious and possessed of esoteric knowledge, yet vitally mortal. Green Arrow probably fits with a more socially conscious twist. Superman, in my opinion, is iconic because he was consciously driven to become an icon for Nationalism Unbound. Sort of like Uncle Sam (who incidentally was a Scot). Juggernaut for villains, I would guess. Brutish and invulnerable, a person who chose to have no conscience beyond their own immediate gratification. Magneto is a good candidate too, sort of the flipside of Bruce Wayne. The traumatized victim who decides to turn the tables. Denies the "humanity" of most everyone. The Remover of Inconvenient Obstacles. Silent, deadly, without name or even form. The distillation of the menace of the dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psybolt Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes Spider-man. He is the iconic real hero in comics. He will put his life on the line to save anyone... including the villains. He is the first real person to be a super hero. He is the first character who is more Peter Parker than he is the super hero. Captain America. He is the iconic American Hero. The Patriot. The leader. He could be on a team with Thor, Superman, Hulk, and any other major star, and they would folow him. Superman is the iconic super hero. He is what a super hero is and should be. And Clark Kent is the iconic secret identity. I say that because Clark Kent is really just a disguise that Superman puts on. They have tried to make Clark Kent more of a real person for years, but he still seems to be nothing more than the glasses and the fake cluminess. The most iconic super villain is more difficult. I'd go with Dr. Doom mianly because of his power and presence. He can walk into a room and everyone would cringe. Luthor, Joker and Magneto would be my next on that list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narratio Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes The Silver Surfer, iconic example of mythic Arthurian Knighthood. A pinnacle of moral balance. Ever questioning the moral right and wrong of what he and others do and have done. Always trying to use reason to diffuse conflict because, if he wanted to, he could lay waste a world and he doesn't want to use his powers in that manner. Dr. Henry 'Hank' Pym. (aka Ant Man, Giant Man, Goliath, Yellow Jacket, the Doctor, etc...). A normal man trying to live among abnormal people in a wierd world as an equal. Here's a smart man who has never found his centre. A workaholic whose emotions are either kept tight and suppressed or burst wild and dangerous. Easily becomes obsessed, easily looses control. Has no internal anchor, uses outside influences (The Wasp, the Avengers) to give him balance and anchorage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes I'd go with Batman: The Night Superman: Superheroes themselves Spider-Man: Adolescence Iron-Man: Technology Wonder Woman: Femaleness Captain America: American patriotism The Hulk: Anger Doctor Doom: Arrogance Red Skull: Sheer Evil Catwoman: Cats (Being a cat fancier, that's enough to be iconic for me) Thanos: Death The Thing: Solidity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTJoshua Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes I'd venture that icons are such because they reflect the best we normals could be. We can't fly or shoot lasers out of our eyes, yet we play a game that suggests the opposite. For me, the best games just so happen to be the ones where our powers and strength are utilized very little - it's the character work that makes the game so exciting. In the same way, icons are icons *because of* their humanity, not *in spite* of it. Further, they all have a goal, whether lofty or subtle. They all reach for something. At least the icons do. Their stories engage us, over and over, because we identify with their goals. And often, particularly after Spider-Man and the other Marvel guys came out, many of their goals were internal, and we can empathize with that as well. Where Batman tells us, "Hey, I could do that. It's not likely, but possible," Spider-Man tells us, "Hey man...I hear ya. Frickin' redheads, huh? Tell me about it." They are icons because they understood *us* first. ...And they're, you know, f'ing bad ass and kick the crap outta that jock in P.E. if they wanted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Posted September 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes ... For me, the best games just so happen to be the ones where our powers and strength are utilized very little - it's the character work that makes the game so exciting. In the same way, icons are icons *because of* their humanity, not *in spite* of it. Further, they all have a goal, whether lofty or subtle. They all reach for something. At least the icons do. Their stories engage us, over and over, because we identify with their goals. And often, particularly after Spider-Man and the other Marvel guys came out, many of their goals were internal, and we can empathize with that as well. Where Batman tells us, "Hey, I could do that. It's not likely, but possible," Spider-Man tells us, "Hey man...I hear ya. Frickin' redheads, huh? Tell me about it." They are icons because they understood *us* first. ...And they're, you know, f'ing bad ass and kick the crap outta that jock in P.E. if they wanted to. This is part of what I'm looking for. Characters have to be unique in one sense but in another they are part of a larger archetype touching on a value, roll or belief that goes beyond the scope of just one person. Something that resonates with most people if not everyone. What I'm trying is what characters speak to you and what is it about them? Is it their personality or is it the journey or some combination of both? What is it about these characters that speak to us as readers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTJoshua Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes Well...in my experience, and probably everyone else's, there is a part of us in the PCs we play, sometimes overt, sometimes subtle. As both a GM and player, it's been great to experience a session wherein my personal worldviews or quirks or traits were addressed, or used, or praised. It's almost like you need The Wise Old Man character, the Sage, the Ben Kenobi guy, who the PCs can all trust, who will always tell them the truth, and always back them up, even if he doesn't get into the fight itself. This NPC can, in theory, suck the PCs in the same way any friend does: by paying attention to them, complimenting them, and above all, being honest with them. I dunno...just a thought. This NPC guy can help the characters figure out what they want out of the game more easily than the GM can find out from the players...if that makes sense. I'll have to come back to this one. I think I know what you mean, but expressing it is a bitch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualplayer Posted September 29, 2007 Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes Steven Rogers/Captain America-A skinny kid from the Bronx who counted his few blessings and shouldered his many burdens. In soil where resentment and bitterness could have so easily grown, he tended and nurtured a victory garden. There was a fight that needed to be fought and nothing was going to keep him out of it, not even his own limitations. He leads by making us believe we can transcend our limitations also. Whew, very purple prose, like those Stan Lee blurbs that used to be on the facing page of comics. Hopefully worthy of Cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Posted October 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes Shameless, shameless bump, come on I know you're out there... hit me with some weird ones... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamLeisemann Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes Unfortunately, I do not read many comic books, so I can't really say whom all of my icons would be. Though I would have to say I like Batman in some of the graphic novels I've read and I like him in TAS. Yeah, his wealth is superhuman, as are his detective skills, but otherwise, he is a normal person in extraordinary situations. And besides, he was able to put up with Silver Age Robin; which makes him a good icon of patience as well as of intuition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comic Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes Robin Hood Zorro Hawkeye (You know, the one from the novel) Tarzan Hercules (you know, the one from the stone tablets) Thor (the one from the runic tablets) Fill in what they're iconic of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted October 7, 2007 Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 Re: Iconic Heroes Squirrel Girl --iconic social critic Phoenix the Protector --iconic stupid idea Captain Canuck --icon of trying too hard Black Lightning or possibly American Eagle --icon of just not getting it Aquaman --icon of high concept with nowhere to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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