Steve Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Once upon a time, Marvel Comics gave us the Thunderbolts, a team of villains pretending to be superheroes. What was interesting was that several of the villains found it felt pretty good being a hero and really became good guys. Who would make good team members for a Champions Universe version of the Thunderbolts and why? Do you think any might switch sides after getting praised as heroes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Anyone from GRAB, Lady Blue, Ogre, Signal Ghost, Arachnae they all have the requisite "Not Evil" and might with positive reinforcement switch sides, they also could (with the exception of Ogre) work as a team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Signal Ghost actually was for a time a member of Nighthawk's "Project Mongoose" anti-VIPER team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Why I added her. Cateran might do it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Mongoose, Thunder & Lightning, and the Fox from Classic Enemies. Would be fun if the Team was founded by Fox Bat. QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epiphanis Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Invictus (kind of the same thing as Norman Osborn during the Ellis run of Thunderbolts) Shrinker (feigning reform) Mirage (pretending to be someone else) Sunburst and his minions Signal Ghost Lady Blue Thunderbolt, Josiah Brimstone, and Doctor Teneber (who consider themselves heroes anyway) the members of the Futurists (the deception would be up their alley). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Cateran - not actually evil, just mildly selfish. And immortal, so her formative years were in a very different moral mindset. Zephyr - I think she just needs a hug (also, just because I can, I want to state my dislike of the 6E boobalicious boob-windowed Zephyr. She looked much cooler in the 5E villain book) White Rhino - actually is kind of a good-guy already, he just needs a push away from the greedy aspect of his personality to fall fully into good guy mode. Shrinker - she was a Sentinel for a while, but she's currently a little too petty. Maybe a stint on a team that respects (or feigns it well) her more might swing her back again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Anyone from GRAB, Lady Blue, Ogre, Signal Ghost, Arachnae they all have the requisite "Not Evil" and might with positive reinforcement switch sides, they also could (with the exception of Ogre) work as a team. I actually thought of using GRAB way back on the old plot seeds thread for a Thunderbolts like situation... For Truth, Justice, ...and a few perks: we made a list-The nearest city to the PCs own that doesn't have a superteam is getting a bit tired of being treated as 'boring' in the papers just because they don't. A hip new team suddenly assembles and volunteers its services to that City's mayor. While they go about calling themselves Nimbus, Oriole, Blindside, and Marrionette... the PCs might realize it's been awhile since Black Diamond, Bluejay, Cheshire Cat and Hummingbird have been seen. Is that neighboring city the victim of a giant con, or is this yet another amazing coincidence in the Champion's Universe? And if the first, how do the PCs prove it to a town that only sees them as rivals to the 'hometeam'? (Naturally, I'd like to thank both the Flashmen and the Thunderbolts for this last one) So I can see it going one step further and them actually getting redeemed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Archer Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Cateran might do it too. Good call on Cateran. She seemed designed to be the kind of character that might go hero as part of a romance subplot, but she certainly doesn't need that. I could see somebody like the old Utility being involved at first just to show that he could do the hero thing better than the super-powered types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterVimes Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Oooh. I love the Thunderbolts (except for the brief Fight-Club version). So, the original TBolts were Zemo, Beetle, Goliath, Screaming Mimi, Fixer, and Moonstone, so, I'd go with: Menton (Leader) Ankylosaur Gargantua Howler Technocrat Zephyr Clearly (Zemo-like) has a plan to pose as heroes, but what if some of them want to go straight? That tuned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. MID-Nite Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? I think the 4th Ed book Allies...had a group very much like this(i.e bad guys pretending to be good), but I can't remember their name for the life of me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? The Flashmen A "ninja" with an invisibile gun, a powered armor based brick...can't remember the other guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Hawk Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? The Flashmen A "ninja" with an invisibile gun, a powered armor based brick...can't remember the other guys The "ninja" and a computer life form (both actually holograms run by a pair of hackers), a swordsman/con artist... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Utility (Techno) Lady Bug (MACH I) Warcry (screaming Mimi/Song Bird) Black Paladin (Citizen V) Gargantua (Atlas) ??? (Moonstone/Meteor) Charcole (Feurmarch) Lady Blue (Jolt) Rainbow Archer (Hawkeye) Hmmm... QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Black Paladin as a hero?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted June 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? I like the suggestions given so far. Fiacho seems like he might be a good option for the leader of such a team of pretend heroes. QM's suggestion of Black Paladin was interesting too. While I like the idea of using Mirage and Utility, I'm wondering if their psych issues might prevent them from being effective on a team like this. An all-female team might be an interesting option. Consider the following members. Cataran Lady Blue Howler Shrinker Zephyr Mirage If it were to be an all-female team, who could you see being able to work together? Who would be a good team leader? Cateran? Mirage? Are there any CU females I am missing who might work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Mirage would have difficulty working with a group of superhumans; they are after all her psych lim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcw43921 Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? I think Lady Blue already considers herself a hero--to her mind, it's the guys like the Champions, the Sentinels and the Justice Squadron who are the pretenders. "Defenders of Truth and Justice? Defenders of the Sacred Status Quo is more like it. If these 'heroes' actually cared about being a force for good in the world, they'd do more to alleviate the crippling poverty and the exploitation of the world's economically disadvantaged, and working to rebuild the damaged ecosystem, rather than standing around posing for photos after beating up the masked maniac of the week. Do they really think that's using their powers for the greater good?" I could see William Chow, aka Utility, putting together a Thunderbolts-style team--but rather than recruit a team of existing villains to impersonate heroes, he'd find some mercenaries and equip them with supertechnology--then after they've built up their reputation, he would have them turn against the regular hero team and take them by surprise Order 66-style, proving his "superiority" by defeating the heroes so easily. A more comical example could be Pulsar--somehow he concludes he'd have a better chance of impressing Morgan Fairchild if he were a hero, so he gets a new costume, renames himself Captain Amazing, and starts fighting crime. (Is 6th Edition Pulsar still obsessed with Morgan? Or has he moved on to one of the Kardashian sisters?) But here's what I had in mind. Once upon a time there was a villain team called AIM--the Alliance of Indomitable Men. Founded and led by Bulldozer--you heard me, Bulldozer--the team included Armadillo, Gargantua, Thunderbolt II, Stormfront and Hypnos, who joined AIM after the dissolution of PSI (CU News Of The World, pg. 10-11). For a long time it was mostly an excuse to get together, drink beer and cause trouble, even though they did manage to pull off some big robberies every now and again. It was one of these robberies that their luck changed dramatically--although no one is for sure whether it was for the better or the worse. They planned out a bank robbery only to discover upon their arrival that VIPER had chosen the same bank to rob. Conflict was of course, inevitable, and when the smoke cleared and the perpetrators had all fled, AIM not only had gotten away with over a million dollars in cash and bearer bonds, but one of VIPER's new flying personnel carriers. It was the biggest score in AIM's ignoble history--but now they had VIPER after them, wanting to skin them alive and stake their heads on pikes as a warning to all who would dare defy VIPER. They couldn't fight both VIPER and the law--what could they do? It was Stormfront who came up with the idea, just as he came up with all their best ideas--even though he was smart enough to let Bulldozer take the credit. If they disguised themselves as heroes, they could fight VIPER with the help of the law--and since VIPER is about as rich as most corporations (not to mention most governments) they could take VIPER's money and materiél and still be as rich as if they were robbing legitimate banks and government facilities. They made over the personnel carrier so it wasn't recognizable as VIPER technology, then they made themselves over as well. Bulldozer became Hard Driver (black motorcycle leathers from head to toe, and a full-face motorcycle helmet), and Armadillo became Steel Thunder (re-making the armor in steel gray, along with a re-design of the helmet and the frontspieces). Gargantua became Giganti-Man (blue tights with bright yellow gloves, boots and trunks, with a form-fitting cowl covering all but his eyes and the lower half of his face) and Thunderbolt became Brazen (bronze metallic skintight fabric with full-face mirrored visor). Stormfront became Avenging Angel (skintight silver metallic bodysuit with gold metallic cape and hood), and Hypnos became Doctor X (black bodysuit with large vertical white panel extending the entire length, white full-face mask, large red "X" emblem in the center, black cape). And they created a new name for themselves--DAMM, the Distinguished Alliance of Magnificent Men. ("DAMM! We're Good!") While they're making a name for themselves in their war against VIPER, the fact is that they're not heroes, and given their personalities, not likely to become heroes. And while they've changed costumes, their personailties, powersets and modus operandi are harder to disguise--and it's only a matter of time before someone clever puts two and two together. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? I could see Cheshire Cat as a fake hero (and possibly learning to become and like being a "real" hero). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterVimes Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? I could see Cheshire Cat as a fake hero (and possibly learning to become and like being a "real" hero). Brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? I could see Cheshire Cat as a fake hero (and possibly learning to become and like being a "real" hero). The books note that GRAB, as a whole, have all contributed to disaster relief and other humanitarian efforts. It's stressed that GRAB are only villains in the sense of stealing stuff, which puts them - in a typical superhero world - deep into grey territory. I'm willing to bet if you set the group of them up with completely unlimited funds and then asked them to go out and help superheroes, they would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? The books note that GRAB, as a whole, have all contributed to disaster relief and other humanitarian efforts. It's stressed that GRAB are only villains in the sense of stealing stuff, which puts them - in a typical superhero world - deep into grey territory. Like a Team of Catwomans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Re: What CU supervillains could work on a fake superhero team? Like a Team of Catwomans. I'll be in my bunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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