DShomshak Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 While working on my latest project, Shared Origins: The Dynatron, I realized it was built around a different comic book trope than I first thought. In the introduction, I'd like to cite examples of that trope from different superhero settings. The trope is "Powers For Sale": A person or organization that can confer super-powers on anyone who's willing to pay. There may be some other agenda too, but the vendor at least gives the appearance of being in it for the money. This sets the vendor apart from other people who can grant super-powers or otherwise create superbeings, but do so only to create powerful minions, give their best friend a suit of powered armor, or other personal reasons. The Marvel Universe has Power Broker, Inc. Justin Hammer and the Tinkerer supply technical upgrades for gadget-based villains (though I don't off-hand recall them supplying gadgets or battlesuits "from scratch" for would-be villains), so they also count as examples of this trope. The online serial Worm has the organization Cauldron, which sells super-power serums. (And there's a lot more to them, but that's the part their customers see.) I don't know the DC Universe as well as Marvel, but I'm sure there must be a power vendor or two in this setting. Could some kind expert in the DCU please clue me in? Thank you in advance. (Or, hey, if you know of any power vendors in the indie comic book settings, I'd like to hear of them as well.) Dean Shomshak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndianaJoe3 Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 As an aside, Weyland Telos seems to fill this niche in the Champions Universe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Savage Dragon had Johnny Redbeard as a power grantor. Stormwatch had Synergy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Power Granters: Angelic/Diabolical - the Chosen/the Pact Genetic Enhancenent - Telios, Dr. Timothy "King Cobra" Blank, Dr. Moreau, VIPER, Argent, Haynesville Project, PRIMUS Cyberline serum, More later QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 While working on my latest project, Shared Origins: The Dynatron, I realized it was built around a different comic book trope than I first thought. In the introduction, I'd like to cite examples of that trope from different superhero settings. The trope is "Powers For Sale": A person or organization that can confer super-powers on anyone who's willing to pay. There may be some other agenda too, but the vendor at least gives the appearance of being in it for the money. This sets the vendor apart from other people who can grant super-powers or otherwise create superbeings, but do so only to create powerful minions, give their best friend a suit of powered armor, or other personal reasons. The Marvel Universe has Power Broker, Inc. Justin Hammer and the Tinkerer supply technical upgrades for gadget-based villains (though I don't off-hand recall them supplying gadgets or battlesuits "from scratch" for would-be villains), so they also count as examples of this trope. The online serial Worm has the organization Cauldron, which sells super-power serums. (And there's a lot more to them, but that's the part their customers see.) I don't know the DC Universe as well as Marvel, but I'm sure there must be a power vendor or two in this setting. Could some kind expert in the DCU please clue me in? Thank you in advance. (Or, hey, if you know of any power vendors in the indie comic book settings, I'd like to hear of them as well.) Dean Shomshak Well, Luthor ran the 'everyman' project in the excellent series '52' but as things always turn out, Lex had another scheme involved behind it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Mechanically I would Transform [Major] to give individuals powers. They could use an Immobile OAF to save points. Secretly linked to it could be a Transform [Mind] with a hidden hypnotic command to obey the person who gave them powers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Savage Dragon had Johnny Redbeard as a power grantor. Stormwatch had Synergy. Synergy was a catalyst, or an activator. She didn't grant powers unless the person already had the inherent ability. Like what she did with Battalion's brother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 The Marvel New Universe comic Strike Force Morituri was built around a system where people gained random superpowers that burned them out and killed them by the end of a year, trying to fight alien invaders. It didn't run very long, which was unfortunate because I thought the concept was had a lot of potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Star Labs - experiments gone wrong Intergang - Apocalypse Technologies US Government Supersoldier Programs - Legacy Artifacts of former Heroes & Villains - Dr. Fate/ World Beater Class Supervillains/Superheroes - Manhunter Technologies - Gods/Godesses - Fury Vampirism/Lycanthropy - Prometheans - Frankenstein, Wonder Woman More later QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 the H-dial [DC] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 The blue midgets of Oa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 I'm pretty sure Lex Luthor has been part of several schemes to give people temporary powers in the past, at least that feels familiar to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShomshak Posted November 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Thank you for the responses but, er, many of them were not to the question I asked. I didn't just ask for people and groups able to grant super-powers. I asked for people and groups who will do this *for people who pay them.* So, the Oans are not power vendors. Unless they have changed a *lot* since I last looked into the DCU, they do not sell power rings. That a lot of lab accident origins happen at STAR Labs does not make it a power vendor. Can they grant super-powers reliably? If you hand them a big wad of money and say, "Give me super-powers," will they do it? I remember the former hero turned insane villain Mento used Promethium to give super-powers to the members of the Hybrid villain team. But they were his mind-controlled minions, not his customers. I didn't ask for the CU because I already know it. Yes indeed, Wayland Talos and ARGENT are examples of power vendors. Teleios seems to do this at least once in a while, going by Hurricane's backstory. Doctor Philippe Moreau sort-of-does this by supplying manimal soldiers, though apparently he can't give super-powers to people who ask for them. Mephistopheles is a power vendor: See Hell Rider. He just charges souls instead of money. King Cobra is very definitely *not* a power vendor: He seeks loyal minions, not satisfied clients. PRIMUS isn't selling cyberline. The Haynesville Project isn't looking for customers, either. And so on, for most of the other origin granters mentioned. So: Do any of the DCU origin-granters *sell* super-powers? (Though they may have a hidden agenda in doing so, the way Cauldron has an agenda of SPOILER CENSORED.) Dean Shomshak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 What? Indentured servitude to wield a ring isn't "payment"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Task master is sort of this for minions training them up marvel also had Mr sinister the high evolutionary and the mad tinker who create or equipe super villains. Wildstorm had henry bendix and the four supers for a veriaty of purposes (often by stealing other peoples powers) as did Dr. Jacob Krigstein who created hundreds for the US government. also the earth created a number of heroes the so called century babies described as earths immune syste, and the doctor a power that passed down from prehistory to shamans to defend their tribes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 I forgot one very literal example from modern super Tv show Misfits they had Alex a literal power broker who had the power to remove and transfer powers for a fee he would take problem powers from those afflicted for a rpice buy good ones and sell for a high price a lot of stories in later series came from that. for example buying one guys time travel abilities and selling them to a jewish survivor of WWII so he could assassinate hitler(didn't work out and it's not a good idea to leave a mobile phone in 1940s germany) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steriaca Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 The DC character Barter runs an odd, cosmic one. One can gain powers from him, but only if your willing to trade something for them. Heck, you can trade anything for anything from Barter, if you own it to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steriaca Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 Humm...does Necron count as one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steriaca Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 Beside Barter and Necron, nobody else comes to mind. Lets face it, DC doesn't have those type of power brokers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critias Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 (edited) I'm not sure if it's exactly what you're after, but here's a list of drugs in the DC universe -- some of them (like Gingold, Venom, and Miraclo) might be examples of "selling" superpowers, albeit temporarily: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_comic_book_drugs#DC_ComicsI can't think of any established supervillains who regularly sell the stuff, but I've always been more of a Marvel guy, so maybe a fan with more DC lore will get their memory jogged loose. Edited November 11, 2014 by Critias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShomshak Posted November 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 I had forgotten about Barter! Though the only story I remember in which he conferred super-powered happened in the Armageddon 2001 series of annuals: In a possible future, he gave Dove's daughter the Kestrel enchantment... *Gave* it, in full knowledge of the consequences for breaking the law of his existence. I never read any stories involving Necron. I will look him up. Thank you, one and all. Dean Shomshak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 Something like strike force was Agents of Thunder. It was more of a grant power to flunkies story. But it did have the powers burn you out vibe. I think the eney agency created indipendant supers though? So I assume there was an exchange of value... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 The Lightning suit in THUNDER agents and the belt that gave Thunder his power were both gadgets anyone could use. Noman was just a robot with a mind that transferred to new bodies (which was later used for WILDCATs with Spartan). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steriaca Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 Necron is a demon, best known for the powers for your soul gag. Let me think of a list f characters he gave powers to. The Batman villians Spellbinder 2 and Killer Moth, The Nightwing villian Blockbuster 2 (intelligence), the superhero Faust (nephew of Felex Faust...a cautionary tale: don't sell your soul to offen, or it loses its value). That is all I can think up at the moment. . That is not to say other villians of the DC Universe are not capable of granting powers. They just don't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 I think dynamo was the THUNDER agent with the poer belt while noman was a dying scientist who could transfer his concioness bet ween android bodies and was provide an invisiblity cape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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