Champions 2050

[Lord Liaden]

If you want to go international in Demonologist's recruitment, an alchemist from the Kayvanzadi family of the Middle East, or a therianthrope from the Chunhu clan based in China, could fit. (See The Mystic World for details.) You could also make a renegade mystic ninja from the Sekihara crime family of Japan, like Black Mist of the supervillain team, the Brain Trust. (See CV2 for more on Black Mist, and Martial Enemies Volume 2: Cult Of The Red Banner for details of the Sekihara and their ninjas.)

[steriaca]

Thank you Lord.

 

Zoran sounds more like a rival and a partner than a member of the team. Stingray, on the other hand, might be possible. While getting his hands on some of Archmago's projects is tempting, that could be part of Archmago's plans....which is always something Demologist would probably want to avoid.

 

So...three members. Four if I decide to make Golem a "ghost in a stone shell". Stingray might not be a team player, but having someone who knows ancient Alantian magic is helpful.

 

Also, if I make Stingray a member, then that would definitely excluded Zoran. Alantians and Nermirians don't play well together. (Or is that Lumarians?)

 

 

[Lord Liaden]

That would be, "Lemurians." (Sometimes your mastery of misspellianism is epic.)

 

I've actually partnered Stingray and Zorran for my own games. The two of them have a lot in common besides magic: both from the remnant of incredibly ancient civilizations now hidden beneath the waves; both members of the nobility of their respective peoples; both exiled from their homelands for attempting to seize power. Their being male and female raises other possibilities. The antipathy between Atlantis and Lemuria is so far in the past as to be irrelevant, if it's even remembered.

[Tywyll]

On 11/11/2019 at 6:15 PM, steriaca said:

Seeker doesn't exist in 5th edition/6th edition Champions Universe, except as a comic book character. (It's a long story).

 

Nighthawk was his 'replacement', and he was more of a Batman type of guy.

 

Actually, what is the story if you don't mind sharing? I was very confused with the changes when I look at my various books. What happened to Jaguar and the mystic woman in 4th Ed (I assume Witchcraft replaced her, but why?). 

[Lord Liaden]

IIRC from Steve Long's remarks on the forums when 5E Champions came out, it really came down to what characters Steve wanted in the example hero team. He also remarked that he just likes to create characters.   Steve liked Defender from 4E, so he came back mostly the same. Solitaire almost made the cut, but Steve remarked that she straddled the mystic/mentalist archetypes, and he wanted to present more of a straight mystic. He wasn't really a fan of Jaguar, Obsidian, or Quantum. Nor of Seeker, even though he wrote Watchers of the Dragon with Seeker as the central figure in the story.

 

But although Seeker was a fun character, he was really a mish-mash of 1980s pop-culture stereotypes that don't make much sense together: an Australian swashbuckling ninja who's also a country bumpkin, orphaned as a child in the Outback, found and raised by a wise hermit survivor of a Japanese ninja recon team from WW II.

 

The bit about Seeker in the new rebooted continuity was kind of an in-joke for the fans. The Champions licensed their images to be used in a comic book based on their exploits, except Nighthawk who declined. So the comic publishers created Seeker to replace him.

[Tywyll]

1 hour ago, Lord Liaden said:

IIRC from Steve Long's remarks on the forums when 5E Champions came out, it really came down to what characters Steve wanted in the example hero team. He also remarked that he just likes to create characters.   Steve liked Defender from 4E, so he came back mostly the same. Solitaire almost made the cut, but Steve remarked that she straddled the mystic/mentalist archetypes, and he wanted to present more of a straight mystic. He wasn't really a fan of Jaguar, Obsidian, or Quantum. Nor of Seeker, even though he wrote Watchers of the Dragon with Seeker as the central figure in the story.

 

But although Seeker was a fun character, he was really a mish-mash of 1980s pop-culture stereotypes that don't make much sense together: an Australian swashbuckling ninja who's also a country bumpkin, orphaned as a child in the Outback, found and raised by a wise hermit survivor of a Japanese ninja recon team from WW II.

 

The bit about Seeker in the new rebooted continuity was kind of an in-joke for the fans. The Champions licensed their images to be used in a comic book based on their exploits, except Nighthawk who declined. So the comic publishers created Seeker to replace him.

 

Lol! That's funny. Thanks for that. Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of Seeker...never liked him (his backstory being a big reason), so I am glad to see him go. I always wondered why it changed.

[steriaca]

I'm a big fan of Seeker myself (as by the time 4ed ended he was showing signes of becoming a decent repusenitive of the Martial Arts comunity). But it has been a long time. And ot is time to let "Crocodile Bruce Lee" go.

[steriaca]

OK. I'm ready for some teams.

 

The Brain Trust: The Overmind and Lynx are older, and Mr. Zombie never ages (funny how Steve Long's pet Soloman Grundy doesn't have Regeneration). While Ape-Plus is probably past his lifespan, he probably repeated his technique and created Ape-Plus-Plus. Only Black Mist would probably have passed on. Which is the perfect chance to add anyone based on the original Brotherhood of Evil or Society of Sin which would fit (both DC villain teams closely related , I'm avoiding the Brotherhood of Dada cause that seems to be the bases of Paragon Raiders group). New members idea:

 

Bouncer: Man given a rubber body by chemical experiments. A cross between Madam Rouge and Monkey D. Luffy with a side order of "brick" and Speedball (with all the bouncing).

 

Paindriver: Man who can project pain into whoever hurts him. Also can quickly recover from said pain...even if it would be normally kill him.

 

Nicknack: Midget mad scientist and student of the Overmind.

 

The Circle of the Scarlet Moon: Under new management, but the same old evil mystical organization. Roger and Martika Duqussne are dead, and Roger's Rune-Axe is now in the posession of Pamula Dunqussne. The old Archdruid Airetach is also long gone from the world of flesh, but his ghost can be called upon from time to time by Scarlet Moonies in the know. They went back to there secret mystical war with the Trismegistus Council.

 

Cirque Sinister: Since they were a young group before 2020, they are still around in 2050. The current lineup is Amnesia, Cauldron, Flow, Minimax, and Telka (Bobby Holmes all grown up) and Giga (Bobby Holmes' summoned TK giant).

 

The Crimelords: While the original team is long since disbanded, the name keeps on being used by young supervillain teams who want to be just like they were, or who just can't think up another name. Out of all the members, only Morgaine is still semi-active, and mostly between vacations to Faerie. Warhammer might still have a half-functional armor on Earth somewhere...

 

The Crowns of Krim: They been bamboozled by The Devil's Advocates into letting there crowns be destroyed in 2024 or so. Out of all of them, only Dennis Walthingham, Barronet of South Mallon retained some mystical powers, othoe the ex-Dark Seraph is forced to work in the shadows more and more. The rest met there end either by old age, there own excesses, or by slaughtering each other.

 

Deathstroke: Requiem and Frost have fully embraced the pro-Mutant cause 100%. There occasional strike forces have been named Deathstroke in the honor of there old team.

 

The Devil's Advocates: The Demonologist is still alive and active, having slowed his ageing via various means, not including academical formulas and spending more time in Faerie than other dimensions. Golem's flesh body has succumbed to rot and death, but his ghost lives on inside his stone body. Gyre has 'retired' to a more techo-mystical dimension of Clockwork. Kapilasa simply ceased to exist one day...he was physically there one moment, and gone the next. It is believed he achieved some form of anti-Nirvana and reincarnated himself into a lower life form. Tartarus had to leave the body of Jos Tehune and go back to Hell, and he took a willing soul of Jos with him. Vilsimbar went back to the Onyx Kingdom in Faerie to rule.

 

He recruited Stingray, kept Golem, and added the odd math mystic Ahnu Aheh Eh, and is searching for more members as we speak.

 

Eurostar: Still exists. Fiacho still rules the group, having to redesign his cybernetics. While the first Durak died of heart attack, he was recreated. Feuermacher died horablly as his powers physically consumed him. Mentalla still exists in the group, as does a now older Pantera and Scorpia. Ultrasonique is still around, looking for someone to pass his equipment on to. Der Westgote got upset that he wasn't made into the next "Fist of Fiacho" that he left the group permanently. They have a new recruit in White Flame, an English mutant.

 

The Futurists: The Fiend is still around as a solo act. Sometimes the supergroups he forms takes on the name "Futurists" from time to time. Morticus' armor still is intact, but Ethan has long since abandoned his criminal ways when one day his suit just stopped working on the job. The Fiend still has the suit, and is happy to give the identity of Morticus to the first person to fix it up.

 

Grab: The name has been passed down to a new generation of superthieves approved by all the surviving old members. Sometimes some groups call themselves Grab without permission, thinking somehow it is in 'public domain'...

 

Merc-Force 1: The name lives on as Merc-Force 3 or simply Merc-Force. The original team retiered when Stareye left for outer space, and The Cahokian returned to his original dimension. Piledriver still  does mercenary work from time to time.

 

Psi: Disbanded way before 2020. Most members eventually died of brain cancer. Deuce became a superhero.

 

Red Winter: The original team is long gone, but The Russian Organised Crime uses that name from time to time for there own supercriminal teams.

 

More later.

 

 

[Lord Liaden]

It also became kind of a running gag among Champions fans that Seeker was often shown having been beaten up on the covers of Champions books.

 

 

 

[steriaca]

It should be noted, everyone is invited to contribute to this setting. It is not just the me and Deen and Lord Liaden show.

 

Besides, if this setting is ever going to be written up, it deserves a much better author than myself.

[steriaca]

Humm...if this gets published, I can see it as:

 

Champions 2050: The setting book. It should include a sample adventure. Nothing too major, BUT the adventure should have something to do with the setting (or else why put it here?).

 

Adventures In 2050:  A series of three or four adventures in this setting. This would be a great place to introduce Tje Devil's Advocates 2050.

 

Enimies 2050: A collection of original villains in this setting.

 

Dark Legacy 2050: Another villain book, this time focussing on legacy villains.

[steriaca]

Adventure brainstorm time: VIPER 2050 agents rob a bank. But if most everyone does electronic banking in 2050, then VIPER shouldn't be after cash. Any suggestions on what they could be after at a bank which they couldn't just hack into there servers and take?

[Lord Liaden]

Safe-deposit boxes: legal documents (hard copy or data storage device), stocks/bonds, journal, blueprint. Gemstones/jewelry. Precious metals. Artwork. Historical artifacts.

[steriaca]

41 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

Safe-deposit boxes: legal documents (hard copy or data storage device), stocks/bonds, journal, blueprint. Gemstones/jewelry. Precious metals. Artwork. Historical artifacts.

So your saying a bank robbery is still possible in the future date... Beyond safe-deposit boxes, what could they get? Lone records? Mortgages?

 

Just thinking about something they would have to get during daylight working hours.

[steriaca]

More "What Happened To"...

 

Smoke and Mirrors: They had a falling out over the years. Smoke went with that one master mutant who's name is hard to spell, and Mirrors went with Holocaust. They are now at odds with each other over who is the true mutant messiah.

 

The Sylvestri Clan: Still in existence, while most of the old members have fled Earth for more magic-friendly dimensions, many of the young still stay around.

 

The Tiger Squad: China's great political hero/villain team is still in existence. Many of the old guard died off, many of the mystical members were honor-bound not to leave China for more mystical friendly dimensions. The newer members still have those awkward to say in English names. Like Magnificent Sunshine Shield and Lord of the Ever-giving Harvest of Doom.

 

The Ultimates: The first team died off, but was recreated by Binder 2. The lineup is notorious for both being made up of third strike losers and constantly in flux as members are captured, quit, recruited, get sick, retire early, etc.

 

The Vandaleurs: Much like the Sylvestri Clan, the elders left for more magical friendly places, leaving the young behind on Earth.

 

The Warlord and The War Machine: Can't believe I forgotten them. Basically they still fight the wars of Asia. The original Warlord is an old man, he is still alive and running things in the shadows. The new Warlord is basically his puppet, a young man who thinks he is in complete control of the organization, but is not. Members of the War Machine are replaced over the years, and now there is no one original member left. They now relie more on advance weapons than superpowers.

 

Alchemica: For a while she sided with Holocaust, but rumor had it she was invited to come to Faerie to live and is living there in the (mistaken by others) belief that her powers are magical in nature.

 

Ambush: Died of an overdose in 2023.

 

Ankylosaur: The man's status is unknown, but his armor is in the Museum of Armored War-suits somewhere in the world.

 

Anubis: He was renamed Apoph-Seth by Set himself and was sent to a part of Faerie connected to the ancient Egyptian deities. There Apoph-Seth rules on behalf of Set himself. He does not seem to miss Earth at all.

 

Arachne: Semed to disappear into retirement, taking with her no clear origin story.

 

Armadillo: Randel subcomed to the same cancer as the other Project Sunburst survivors. His armor is kepped safe in the Museum of Armored War-suits.

 

Arrowhead: Settled down, had a family, his daughter (Rainbow Archer) and son (Arrowhead 2) took over as the zenith of bow and arrow based criminals.

 

Automaton: Unknown. Believed to have died in the digital world.

 

The Basilisk: Allen Walker permanently turned his own skin to stone on his own. This granted him stronger defenses and immunity to ageing. Demonologist has him on the short list for Devil's Advocates membership. Still obsessed with "art".

 

Baukok: Went to the Happy Hunting Grounds, waiting for pure souls to state his hunger...

 

Black Fang: Still walking the world as a werewolf.

 

Blackguard: Holocaust's main muscle. He has no illusions on the guy. He knows Holocaust is only in it for his own. In a way, he is that groups Starscream, not about leadership, but on true purpous.

 

Black Harlequin: Forcently for everyone Rinaldo is long since dead. Unforcentlly for everyone he left many a hidden hideout with many of his demented playthings behind him.

 

Black Paladin: Giles de Morphant was released from his possessing John Black and was thought to enter the afterlife. While it is true he was driven from the body of John Black, he instead was able to form his own body in Faerie and continue his black deeds there. He is a foul knight for hire there.

 

Bloodrage: Returned to hell. He is but one of many Bloodrage demons there.

 

Blowtorch: Died in a fire which happened when his gun exploded. Rumor has it a copy of his gun exists somewhere.

 

Brainchild: Still in business out there, complaining that he is too old for this.

 

Josiah Brimestone: Said to have leaved Earth for Hell after 2020, volentearlly.

 

Bromion: The lord of order and art still exist in the Millworks, creating both art and order.

 

Bulldozer: Was murdered after saying the wrong thing to the wrong woman.

 

Buzsaw: Ron Friese got too cocky for his own good, and a protental employer killed him. His gauntlets have been passed on from time to time.

 

Cadaver: Still around, his body slowly rotting in his half-alive status.

 

Cairngorm: While the old one merged with "the wood", Cairngorm is more a title than a name. Another man has taken the Earth Gem and name.

 

Captain Chronos: After he helped contain Mechanon, his fate became unknown. Some say he is stranded in our time, others say he returned to his own time.

 

Cateran: Still out there, getting less powerful but not growing old, tending bar somewhere...

 

The Curse: Much like Cadaver, slowly returning to the dust of the desert.

 

Cybermind: His physical body long since destroyed, it is said that his mind still exists in Cyberspace.

 

more later.

[steriaca]

Another new villain time:

 

The Tech Collector: A man obsessed with collecting superhero and supervillain technology. He wants to find where the real armors which the simulation armors from the Museum of Armored War-suites are kept. He also likes other technology also.

 

 

[mallet]

Another thing worth considering (if the setting is supposed to tie in with the official Hero System timeline), is what we "know" comes next after the super heroes and technology start fading away. 

 

The closest event after 2050 (that I know of) is the signing of The Colony Act in 2104 (so 54 years after 2050). This act sets up that Colony Worlds are the responsibility of the Senate World that founded/Colonized them. This tells us a few things. 

 

1) By 2104 Earth is part of an interplanetary Senate made up of planets/moons already colonized and given their own self-ruling Independence  

2) Earth and the Senate worlds are all involved in starting new colonies on other planets/moons.  

3) Hyperspace travel isn't invented for another 100+ years, so these Senate and Colony worlds have to be in our solar system. 

 

So that means to me that by 2050 humans are already actively living on the moon, Mars, and at least a couple other moons or planets in our solar system, because in order for there to be an issue of "Senate Worlds" colonizing other planets/moons by 2100, then sometime between the 50 year span of 2050 and 2100  other moons/planets have to have massive populations and be self-sufficient so that they can become their own governing bodies and independent "nations" and form a senate with Earth being one, equal member, part of it. And then prosperous enough that they have started to expand and colonize other planets/moons. 

 

This also implies that Earth has fully or almost full globalized by then, and has a one-world government (or very close to it), since it isn't "nations (like the USA, Russian or China)" that are colonizing these other moons and planets, but rather planets or "senate worlds" doing it. 

 

That is a lot of growth for humanity in the next 80 years from now, and even more so from 2050. 

 

This means that  there must be enough super tech left, at least enough to get these initial colony worlds established. 

 

So my guess is that most of the super-tech in the current Champions settings sticks around after the fade of magic, except anti-gravity (not invented by humans until 2350) or faster-then-light travel (not invented until 2200's), everything else must stick around. Super fuels, super strong metals and materials, light enough materials to build massive colonies on the moon, Mars, some teraforming technology, advanced mining technology,  etc... 

[steriaca]

52 minutes ago, mallet said:

Another thing worth considering (if the setting is supposed to tie in with the official Hero System timeline), is what we "know" comes next after the super heroes and technology start fading away. 

 

The closest event after 2050 (that I know of) is the signing of The Colony Act in 2104 (so 54 years after 2050). This act sets up that Colony Worlds are the responsibility of the Senate World that founded/Colonized them. This tells us a few things. 

 

1) By 2104 Earth is part of an interplanetary Senate made up of planets/moons already colonized and given their own self-ruling Independence  

2) Earth and the Senate worlds are all involved in starting new colonies on other planets/moons.  

3) Hyperspace travel isn't invented for another 100+ years, so these Senate and Colony worlds have to be in our solar system. 

 

So that means to me that by 2050 humans are already actively living on the moon, Mars, and at least a couple other moons or planets in our solar system, because in order for there to be an issue of "Senate Worlds" colonizing other planets/moons by 2100, then sometime between the 50 year span of 2050 and 2100  other moons/planets have to have massive populations and be self-sufficient so that they can become their own governing bodies and independent "nations" and form a senate with Earth being one, equal member, part of it. And then prosperous enough that they have started to expand and colonize other planets/moons. 

 

This also implies that Earth has fully or almost full globalized by then, and has a one-world government (or very close to it), since it isn't "nations (like the USA, Russian or China)" that are colonizing these other moons and planets, but rather planets or "senate worlds" doing it. 

 

That is a lot of growth for humanity in the next 80 years from now, and even more so from 2050. 

 

This means that  there must be enough super tech left, at least enough to get these initial colony worlds established. 

 

So my guess is that most of the super-tech in the current Champions settings sticks around after the fade of magic, except anti-gravity (not invented by humans until 2350) or faster-then-light travel (not invented until 2200's), everything else must stick around. Super fuels, super strong metals and materials, light enough materials to build massive colonies on the moon, Mars, some teraforming technology, advanced mining technology,  etc... 

Sounds good. While there is a decline of hi-tech on one hand, on the other there are the beginnings of advance technology strides. Exoskeleton and power-suit technology does not exactly go away. While some of the tech fails, not all of it. (That is why the Museum of Armored War-suits exist, to safely study the real suites and safely dispose if the more dangerous suites while people gawk at replicas in the museum proper.)

 

Ultimately exactly how tech out the world is is up to the gm. It is advisable that the news should be full if 'exciting research' and 'exciting diplomatic terties' on the horizon.

[mallet]

Tying in with my last post on what we know happenings after 2050, both technologically and a little politically, we could also consider what the loss of magic might mean to the planet physically, and how it might point us from "here to there".

 

Since anything I know of written up in Hero books doesn't get into specific nations of Earth (by Alien Wars era for sure, and suggested by the 2104 Senate World stuff before even 2100) there is one united Earth Government. Also, none of those books (again as far as I know) ever show a map of the Earth in the future. 

 

So this means the playground is open for massive Environmental and geographical changes brought about by the loss of magic. 

 

Maybe all the "real word" worst case climate changes happen? Massive flooding of coastal areas, huge rises in sea levels reshaping the map, the collapse of all the "underground civilizations" in the Champions universe, could lead to tons of earthquakes, "lost islands", "Monster islands", Antarctic lost worlds, all sink, collapse or what-not. Leading to even more geographical changes. Underwater civilizations (Atlantians, etc...) and other Lost civilizations/kingdoms, are wiped out and whatever magical aid they might have been providing Earth will be gone. 

 

Maybe there will be another world war fought in the 2040's or 2060's because of these changes and droughts, famine, etc... 

 

All these events could lead to nations joining together into massive countries like Canada, USA and Mexico become one country, All of South America becomes one country, all of Europe, Asia, etc... so it is a world of 7-9 mega-countries for a short time before they all join together for mutual survival. 

 

These event spur the fast and massive creation of the colonies in the solar system, because they are worried the Earth will die out. Once Earth settles itself that is when the colony worlds separate and become their own Nation Sates. All of which needs to happen by probably 2090 at the latest. (to put that into perspective, there are people alive today who will be alive to see the year 2090. It is not actually all that far away.)

 

Now all that going on would make for a very different style of Champions campaign but there seems to need to be a massive amount of changes to the world to "force" it to get from the place we currently are, to where we know of it is going to be in 2104 (again, if sticking with the official timeline). 

[Duke Bushido]

On November 20, 2019 at 9:08 PM, steriaca said:

Adventure brainstorm time: VIPER 2050 agents rob a bank. But if most everyone does electronic banking in 2050, then VIPER shouldn't be after cash. Any suggestions on what they could be after at a bank which they couldn't just hack into there servers and take?

 

A kidney.

 

 

[steriaca]

2 hours ago, mallet said:

Tying in with my last post on what we know happenings after 2050, both technologically and a little politically, we could also consider what the loss of magic might mean to the planet physically, and how it might point us from "here to there".

 

Since anything I know of written up in Hero books doesn't get into specific nations of Earth (by Alien Wars era for sure, and suggested by the 2104 Senate World stuff before even 2100) there is one united Earth Government. Also, none of those books (again as far as I know) ever show a map of the Earth in the future. 

 

So this means the playground is open for massive Environmental and geographical changes brought about by the loss of magic. 

 

Maybe all the "real word" worst case climate changes happen? Massive flooding of coastal areas, huge rises in sea levels reshaping the map, the collapse of all the "underground civilizations" in the Champions universe, could lead to tons of earthquakes, "lost islands", "Monster islands", Antarctic lost worlds, all sink, collapse or what-not. Leading to even more geographical changes. Underwater civilizations (Atlantians, etc...) and other Lost civilizations/kingdoms, are wiped out and whatever magical aid they might have been providing Earth will be gone. 

 

Maybe there will be another world war fought in the 2040's or 2060's because of these changes and droughts, famine, etc... 

 

All these events could lead to nations joining together into massive countries like Canada, USA and Mexico become one country, All of South America becomes one country, all of Europe, Asia, etc... so it is a world of 7-9 mega-countries for a short time before they all join together for mutual survival. 

 

These event spur the fast and massive creation of the colonies in the solar system, because they are worried the Earth will die out. Once Earth settles itself that is when the colony worlds separate and become their own Nation Sates. All of which needs to happen by probably 2090 at the latest. (to put that into perspective, there are people alive today who will be alive to see the year 2090. It is not actually all that far away.)

 

Now all that going on would make for a very different style of Champions campaign but there seems to need to be a massive amount of changes to the world to "force" it to get from the place we currently are, to where we know of it is going to be in 2104 (again, if sticking with the official timeline). 

The Champions Universe could go that route. It could also go other ways also. It needs not flow into early Star Hero timelines if the GM don't want to. We are already doing an 'altered future' already (instead of saying "No Superpowers" after 2020, we are saying "Slow Superpowers" after 2020).

[steriaca]

Big question: who should be in charge of the Museum of Armored War-suits? PRIMUS 2050? UNTIL 2050? Fosgood Foundation? Someone else?

 

Of course, thinking about OG Foxbat around all thoes suits legally...let's just hope his craziness is the result of the mana increase...

[Lord Liaden]

I'd say the answer would depend to a large extent on your preference for certain factors: (1) Is the museum located in the United States, or elsewhere? (2) Is it government run and funded, or privately owned? (3) Is it a legitimate museum, or a front for some more nefarious operation? (4) Have these suits been rendered non-functional, or can they potentially be reactivated?

[steriaca]

26 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

I'd say the answer would depend to a large extent on your preference for certain factors: (1) Is the museum located in the United States, or elsewhere?

It is in the United States. Maybe Millennium City, or near by.

Quote

 

(2) Is it government run and funded, or privately owned?

Haven't decided yet.

Quote

(3) Is it a legitimate museum, or a front for some more nefarious operation?

It is a legitimate museum, and a front for a study group to dispose of the more dangerous suits and to create worthwhile and legitimate armors for war, police, and space exploration.

Quote

(4) Have these suits been rendered non-functional, or can they potentially be reactivated?

The ones in the lab under the museum are only functional for study. The ones upstairs in the museum proper are only replicas.

 

Now imagine crooks wanting the legendary power armors, and not knowing that the ones in the museum are only props. Now imagine the heroes not knowing that fact either.

[steriaca]

VIPER 2050

 

Where is VIPER in the year 2050? Well, there is a new Supreme Serpent, and her name is Dutchess Henrietta Von Dottie.

 

The Dragon Branch still exists. It is full of skilled, highly trained and experimental weaponed agents (like say, the current Copperhead and Aider), and agents with powers (like Omega, a basic "tank"). 

 

VIPER has a space force. One day they plan to have a planet of there own. Or, at least, a moon.