JmOz Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 So I was thinking, what characters have been published in champions products that are homages of the masked vigilante type of character (Captain America, Batman, etc...) and what book were they in? I have a partial list forming... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epiphanis Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 I don't really count Captain America as a masked vigilante. Look at Dark Champions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steriaca Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 I consider Nighthawk to be a psudo Batman/Gathaman clone. And the only reason for Gatchaman is, anyone who is a martial artist and dresses like a bird is going to be called that anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted June 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 LOL, and on my list already, so is Black Mask X and Nightwind will be added when I remember what book he was in . Did they ever update Crusader? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 No. They gave the name Crusader to another character. 5e Champions Universe, page 17: "The 1980s brought a new explosion of superheroes onto the scene, as if in answer to the villainy in the previous decade. The early years of the decade saw the debut of several new solo vigilantes, such as the sword-wielding Crusader in New York City and Brainwave in San Francisco." The same description of "the sword-wielding Crusader in New York City" is repeated in the 6e version, page 15. However, there's also the following text on page 89: "Millennium City is one of the hubs of the Superhuman World, with a level of costumed activity that some experts think has already equalled, and maybe even surpassed, that of New York City. Its chief defenders are, of course, the Champions, one of the most powerful and popular superteams in the world. The Champions have an “auxiliary” program for certain hero allies; current auxiliary members include ... the blaster-armed Crusader (who spends most of his time fighting crime on the west side)." The index differentiates between the two: "Crusader (Bronze Age hero): 15Crusader (modern hero, member of Champions Auxiliary): 89" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balabanto Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 The Sword-Wielding Crusader The Blaster Armed Crusader The Starburst Armed Crusader! Captain Azathoth, the Cthuloid Crusader! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 It's been a long time, but Stalker of the MC8 (Digital Hero #13 I think) might fit depending on what your qualifications are. I say that with all due bias, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 DarkAngel would be a good Huntress/Batgirl archetype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Are we talking about characters published since the DOJ era and Fifth Edition, or earlier? There were more "masked vigilantes" published for 4E Dark Champions. Interesting note re Crusader: the history of the venerable New York-based hero team, the Justice Squadron, as related in Champions Universe: News Of The World, also mentions a hero by that name joining the Squadron early in the 1980s, "a masked vigilante who had some knowledge of the occult." (p. 69) That Crusader died fighting Takofanes' initial rampage in 1987. It's tempting to consider both Crusaders as the same character. The era and location are the same; he could have adventured solo before joining the Justice Squadron; and "sword-wielding" and "knowledge of the occult" are hardly mutually exclusive. CU:NOTW also writes up a couple of female vigilante heroes: Scarlet Archer, third person and first woman to use that name, the classic skilled-archer-with-gimmicked-arrows archetype, and a member of Nighthawk's "Project Mongoose" anti-VIPER team; and Nocturne, protege and partner of Black Mask X, with a mutant ability to psychically absorb the knowledge and skills of anyone she's in close proximity to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 and Nightwind will be added when I remember what book he was in Nightwind was first published for 4E in Watchers of the Dragon, and updated to 5E in the Millennium City source book. I also just remembered Eagle-Eye, one of the sample superhero characters written up in the HERO System Genre By Genre PDF back in the day. Eagle-Eye was a martial artist with enhanced senses, kind of a sighted Daredevil. I wouldn't necessarily treat him as "official," except that a story about him, with illustration, is included in the section on "Hypersenses" in the UNTIL Superpowers Database. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Champions Worldwide gives us a couple of Batman homages. Germany's Der Bogenschutze even has an "arrowcave," while Saudi Arabia's Caracale (I think? I'd have to walk all the way across my apartment to get my book!) is named for his knife. In my CU fanfic (attention shutting down ...now), I play with the idea that it is Batman who is the homage. DC Comics models the original Batman on various pulp-era masked adventurers, and Bob Kane, who was never inclined to work for a living would go out and meet with shady figures and take notes on the stories they told him. (Then pass the beer-soaked cocktail napkins to Bill Finger and say, "Here, write this up.") Once they got tired of pulling Kane's leg, they recognise that the comic book is a great way of getting a sanitised version of their story in front of the public. Are you wondering why the Scarlet Archer is always fighting Oriental assassins? Well, without getting specific (libel action, compromised secret identity), there's someone out there like Ra's al Ghul..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Crusader with his SHIELD seemed to be more of a Captain America/Guardian homage. American Eagle with his origin and name (Steve Hall) was clearly a Captain America/Hawkman homage. Jack O'Lantern is close to being a Batman homage, but closer to Adam West giving his semi-official status with the police. Sandman is close to being a Shadow/Moon Knight homage. Nighthawk has the best name, but his origin is rather uninteresting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 do you mean the one time CHAMPIONS member or the marvel character? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Champions Worldwide gives us a couple of Batman homages. Germany's Der Bogenschutze even has an "arrowcave," while Saudi Arabia's Caracale (I think? I'd have to walk all the way across my apartment to get my book!) is named for his knife. Good call on Der Bogenschutze ("the archer"), who bears more than a passing similarity to the current television incarnation of Green Arrow. But Caracal, although he carries a knife with a cat figure on the hilt (which he calls "Cat's Claw") is actually named for the caracal, a wild cat native to much of Africa and Asia. Since we've brought up Champions Worldwide, it's worth mentioning Bai Hou ("white monkey"), a martial-artist independent hero of Shanghai who wears a stylized monkey mask, also in that book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 do you meab the one time CHAMPIONS member or the marvel character? I meant the Champions character, but the I think it applies to both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothere Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Curse you. Curse you all. Now I'm pouring through my character books to find Crusader, but I can't cause I keep rereading other entries. I curse you all to happy reading:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Crusader always seemed more like a Nomad/Daredevil homage to me. Golden Avenger was the Champions version of Cap for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted June 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 He was in every edition of champions 1-4th edition as a sample character, and a more xp version in Underworld enemies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 What about the Harbinger of Justice? I know he's more like an expy of the Shadow, but still. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelCold Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 Mechassassin would make a scary USAgent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelCold Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 Also you can't get more Batman than Foxbat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 I'd say more like the Punisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 What about the Harbinger of Justice? I know he's more like an expy of the Shadow, but still. CES I always perceived the Harbinger, as published, as having the Punisher's mindset and methodology, with Batman's level of skill and obsession. IMO the real Punisher homage in the current CU is Thunderbird. Very similar skill set and m.o., but substituting supervillains for mobsters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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