What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

[Greywind]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Not to say heroes would or wouldn't, but teams like the Avengers and the JLA try to be non-political.

[CaptCastle]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

The U.S. Government should recruit superhuman into a covert military/intelligence organization to deal with National Security threats.

 

Several teams would be created, assigned to the various Military Branches, and the teams would have members with different powers to fill the missions needs.

 

They probably have a simple name like Strike Force.

 

Think The Unit meets the X-Men.

 

Or unknowingly serve a dishonest government as was done in the first story arc of the Superman/Batman comic and remade as the DCAU movie Public Enemies where some heroes and eventually even villains (granted amnesty for their previous crimes) went to work for the President. In an rpg, it might even be fun to give players a chance to work together with villains they previously battled.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Might has well build Batman: The Brave and the Bold characters and recreate the DC Universe.

 

second the motion

[Guest steamteck]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Might has well build Batman: The Brave and the Bold characters and recreate the DC Universe.

 

 

I'd prefer the TAS/Diniverse/Timmverse myself but the point is well made.

[Cassandra]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

I think we've learned for the Freedom Force (Marvel) and the Suicide Squad (DC) that you should never trust a Government organization that employes "reformed" criminals.

 

That's why there needs to be a legitimate organization the heroes can cooperate, even if they has disagreements with it from time to time, like SHIELD.

 

Speaking of which, what good was SHIELD in Marvel's The Avengers. You didn't see it send its ground troops into New York at the start of the invasion. "No, let's let the six unstable individuals in funny clothes handle it."

[CaptCastle]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

I think we've learned for the Freedom Force (Marvel) and the Suicide Squad (DC) that you should never trust a Government organization that employes "reformed" criminals.

 

That's why there needs to be a legitimate organization the heroes can cooperate, even if they has disagreements with it from time to time, like SHIELD.

 

Speaking of which, what good was SHIELD in Marvel's The Avengers. You didn't see it send its ground troops into New York at the start of the invasion. "No, let's let the six unstable individuals in funny clothes handle it."

 

I suppose . . . but betrayal is a great for motivating people and it's a great way to really really get someone to dislike another individual. And, as far as comics go, personally I have really liked it when villains I liked switch sides. Ex. Diamondback helping Capt. America was probably one of my favorite story arcs I've read. I do think it would have to depend on the character though. I can't see a Joker or a Harley Quinn ever helping Batman without betraying him in the end. But your point about a Govt. or Govt. Agency hiring criminals is well taken.

[Greywind]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Joker did help Batman. He died, went through the Lazarus Pit and came back sane where everyone else came back crazy.

[Cassandra]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Diamondback helping Captain America proves that they are various kinds of villains. Some get into crime because they feel rejected by society and just need a positive role model. Either that or she had a crush on him.

 

Wonder Woman and Doc Savage both went out of their way to reform their various enemies.

 

Paula von Gunther was Wonder Woman's arch enemy for the first year of her Golden Age comics and she eventually became her closest ally and an Amazon.

[Greywind]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Diamondback had the hots for Cap.

[CaptCastle]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Motivations vary, that's true. Even if it's a one time basis, such as Ms. Tessmacher saving Superman so he could stop the rocket that was going to hit Hackensack, where her mother lived. So yeah she wanted to save her mom, but I think it shows she had a heart. There is a story, where Batman helped Joker because he was framed for killing the Penguin on live television. At the time, Penguin and Joker had a friendly relationship. Catwoman has helped Batman numerous times (another case of a villain motivated by her feelings for a hero). In Hush, Ivy had Superman mind controlled & fighting Batman. My point was that such team ups can be fun and entertaining. For me personally, every time I see heroes that don't normally fight duke it out it's always good. Same with villains working with heroes, I always get a kick seeing Batman going to a villain and saying ok you know how this guy thinks. I think for me, it works because it breaks the routine up a bit.

 

It's also cool, imo, if villains can be reformed. However, in my Joker/Harley example the day DC permanently brings them to the side of good is the day they lose two of the best comic book villains in history and by far the best psychological match-up for the Bat. So I can't even comprehend DC doing it on anything but short term.

[assault]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Paula von Gunther was Wonder Woman's arch enemy for the first year of her Golden Age comics and she eventually became her closest ally and an Amazon.

 

Diamondback had the hots for Cap.

 

No further comment is necessary on this point.

 

I should point out that in an early stage of their existence, the Avengers consisted of Captain America and three reformed supervillains: Hawkeye (a former opponent of Iron Man), the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (former members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants).

[Greywind]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Second team.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Speaking of which' date=' what good was SHIELD in Marvel's The Avengers. You didn't see it send its ground troops into New York at the start of the invasion. "No, let's let the six unstable individuals in funny clothes handle it."[/quote']

 

Well, to be fair, the American Councilman described SHIELD as "the world's greatest covert organization." It's not soldiers, it's spies, or at most assassins and black ops specialists. Some military trappings, true, and lots of advanced technology, but primarily geared toward intelligence, espionage, and classified research. Not really set up to wage a war.

 

SHIELD did locate Loki in Stuttgart, and knew exactly where Bruce Banner was hiding, so the intelligence part worked pretty well. Nick Fury's manipulations led directly to "the six unstable individuals in funny clothes" becoming the team that the situation needed. And Black Widow and Hawkeye are both elite SHIELD agents, so it's not like the agency was completely unrepresented

[Clonus]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

There's also another issue. The battle with the Chitauri didn't last that long even assuming that we didn't see all of it. The SHIELD helicarrier carries at most a few hundred goons who are well-equipped by Earth standards but wouldn't have a technological edge over the Chitauri since the Coulson Revenge weapons aren't present in numbers. If they have more goons, then it takes time to move them, so SHIELD has the same problem the American military does in responding to this situation in force. And since Plan B involves dropping a nuke on the city if the Avengers can't close the door, it might be better to save the helicarrier goons for mop-up operations if needed.

[Cassandra]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

You think that SHIELD could have sent a few special forces teams in when the invasion started. They did have an aircraft carriers and some special ops forces, and those VTOLs armed with machine guns. A little back up might have been nice.

 

And lets face it Fury was really rolling the dice with the Avengers to the point where the Council had such little faith that it decided to nuke New York, which might have been the best course of action anyway

 

To paraphases J-Men Forever "The Chitauri Invasion force destoryed, and New York wiped off the map. A double victory."

[phoenix240]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Superheroines wearing thong backed costumes.

[Cancer]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

I have to admit my tastes in comics are unapologetically and irremediably Silver Age, and that colors a lot of my responses in this thread; at times I feel like a throwback.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Watch the Extras!

 

Remember Communication, Control, & Command were is disaray. Lastly it take more time to mobilize than you think. However after the events of 911 you would think that a few Military Aircraft & Watercraft might have at least put in an appearance. Deployment on the ground would be difficult. Not to mention collateral damage.

 

The Avengers Initiative were exactly what Fury said the were. A Response Team available and capable of stopping the Invasion and giving the Military time to Mobilize and Deploy. This is not the Transformers: Darkside of the Moon after all. There was little warning or intelligence available.

 

 

Just my 2 cents

 

QM

[CaptCastle]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

No further comment is necessary on this point.

 

I should point out that in an early stage of their existence, the Avengers consisted of Captain America and three reformed supervillains: Hawkeye (a former opponent of Iron Man), the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (former members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants).

 

I see what you did there. After you're comment I presume you meant

[assault]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

I see what you did there. After you're comment I presume you meant

 

Of course I was casting aspersions on why Paula Von Gunther reformed.

 

The official story was that she was only working for the Nazis because they were holding her daughter hostage. I find it difficult to believe that anybody who read her early stories could possibly believe that. She was having far too much fun with her slave girls.

[CaptCastle]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Of course I was casting aspersions on why Paula Von Gunther reformed.

 

The official story was that she was only working for the Nazis because they were holding her daughter hostage. I find it difficult to believe that anybody who read her early stories could possibly believe that. She was having far too much fun with her slave girls.

 

I haven't read a lot of WW stories with her in them, in fact I tend to read arcs as opposed to a series from first to last issue. Usually what I do is put my single issues away and read them when they go to trade paper back or a compilation, lol. If I can find them it might be worth it to track down the von Gunther stories.

 

 

Might be worth a look.

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Joker did help Batman. He died' date=' went through the Lazarus Pit and came back sane where everyone else came back crazy.[/quote']

 

Um....when the Hell did this happen?

[Greywind]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Um....when the Hell did this happen?

 

Legends of the Dark Knight #'s 142-145. Story arc called "The Demon Laughs," written by Chuck Dixon. The Joker is either dead or about to die from gunshot wounds (I haven't read it, so I'm not sure if his heart stopped beating), but Batman has to toss him into a handy Lazarus Pit because the Joker has information that Batman desperately needs in order to foil Ra's al Ghul's latest diabolical scheme. Normally, a person immersed in a Lazarus Pit is restored to perfect physical health but comes out temporarily, violently insane. In the Joker's case, he suffers a brief spell of sanity as a result of the Pit's weird power.

[Cassandra]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

In Wonder Woman mythos Paula was the victim of evil men manipulating her into becoming evil herself.

 

Of course, she was executed for her crimes. The fact that Wonder Woman had to use her Purple Healing Ray to bring her back from the dead so she could become an Amazon might have changed Paula a bit.

 

That and the fact that in the future her daughter Gerda would have turned out evil as well and if not Wonder Woman.

[Cassandra]

Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?

 

Joker and Superman teamed up once in DC Comics Presents back in the late 70s. Naturally Joker double crossed Superman and left him covered in kryptonite dust up a palm tree. This is what happens to characters with Code of the Hero.