Lord Liaden

That's a very reasonable criterion, Opal, and a thorough list, Jhamin, although as you say, not complete. There are some things that would be judgement calls. DEMON still exists in name, but in its current form is nearly unrecognizable compared to its earlier incarnation. The Institute for Human Advancement has replaced Genocide, but it still uses Minuteman robots. Hornet isn't Stinger from Deathstroke, but his origin is practically identical. As steriaca points out, some of the classic characters, like Professor Muerte, several members of Deathstroke, the Fox of Crime, and Bora from old-school Eurostar, are part of the "past history" of the current official setting, but are officially dead or retired. That includes the only hero from the old days that I can think of, Starburst, who was a member of the Justice Squadron during the 1970s. As far as "books" go, that's true. However, https://www.herogames.com/store/product/350-digital-hero-44/ Updated for 5E continuity. (By, ahem! yours truly.)

I keep getting snow on my TV.

The way this narrative is going, I have to ask this... is everyone involved with the game still having fun?

As the man said after he took off all his clothes and jumped into a cactus patch: "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

1998 wasn't bad as a generic giant monster, but it was 'way away from all other Godzillas in both look and style, which was the biggest problem for fans. However, I do recommend the 1998-99 Godzilla animated television series which followed directly from the events of the movie. It's better written, has more interesting characters, plenty of imaginative monster designs and cool fights, and it really makes that design for Godzilla work, and corrects other flaws in the movie. The series' lead monster, often referred to among kaiju fans as "Zilla Jr.", is a worthy bearer of the name Godzilla. (YouTube has nearly all the episodes from the series.)

No concerns about prompt responses from me. Life notoriously gets in the way of fun. Okay, here's what you need to know about Uluru in the CU to decide whether you want to use it, summarized from the more detailed background given in Hidden Lands. Deep within the great stone is the Well of Worlds, a portal leading to countless other dimensions. Sometimes things from elsewhere emerge from the Well, some of them very nasty. That would make it a logical location for Tyrannon to launch his invasion from. The Well of Worlds has a guardian, an aged (and probably much older than he looks) Anangu shaman called the Wanambi Man. The WM isn't a powerful combatant, more accustomed to alerting mystical heroes to threats from the Well. In this scenario it would make sense for BY and the WM to know each other and be collaborating. In Egypt I'd change the sequence of events a little. Salah does carry the fae roe into the pyramid, which unleashes magic to draw the invaders back where they came from. Said magic can have an additional effect. It could transform Salah directly into Sarcopha-Guy. Or, if you really want to use Thoth, the magic draws the god's attention, and he empowers Salah. Or, it could create Sarcopha-Guy and also attract Thoth, who gives him his mission. However it plays out, naturally Baba Yaga would have anticipated it. Also keep in mind that the heroes may not have to use up all the roe in this one encounter. BY may still have enough to go around. The Devil's Tower scenario seems a bit problematic to me, in that there's nothing about Tyrannon connected to bears, or a reason why his minions should have that form. I can offer two suggestions. One is to change to another mystic location -- I could suggest alternative sites. But if you really like the Tower and the bear legend, my recommendation would be to drop Tyrannon and used Skarn as the invader. Given his appearance, transformative powers, and mercurial nature, he could easily have changed his soldiers on this mission to look like bears, and give them the "combining" capability. Perhaps he's aware of the myth of the Tower and it appeals to him, or its similarity to him strengthens his connection to that spot. The Devil's Tower might even have been the location of a previous invasion attempt by Skarn, of which the folk tale is a distorted echo -- he has been around for two millennia. You'd have enough justification to make Skarn's minions transform just as you want. Alternatively you could bolster the invaders by bringing in some of Skarn's lieutenants, particularly his sons Arthon and/or Torvost, who of course also look like bears.

Yeah, I'm thinking a good case for self-defense in that second one. The kids were obviously entrapped by a predator.

I'm not going to get into a debate over the many fine Japanese filmmakers who contributed to Godzilla's distinctive style over the decades, or who did what. But "reviled" in relation to Edwards' Godzilla design is something I've never heard anywhere else. Michael Dougherty who directed KOTM said in interviews that his Godzilla is Gareth's Godzilla. He tweaked some visual elements to be more to his preference: enlarged the back spines to look more like stegosaurus plates, made the toes a little longer, the head and arms a little bigger.

I'm grateful to any dog willing to take his Pooh with him.

Enjoy your nap of delusion.

Again, it comes back to the criteria you use. Flare got some mentions and cover appearances in old Champions RPG books, but she was only written up for Hero System in the Champions comic adaptation. Lady Arcane is extrapolated from a character in The Coriolis Effect, but has never been in an RPG publication as Lady Arcane. As for female villains who show off the brand, Istvatha V'han has to be at the top of that list. The Empress of a Billion Dimensions is one of the biggest bads ever written for Champions in magnitude of threat, and has a 240-page source book devoted to her.

Deleted due to irrelevance. 😔

With Halathaloorm being one of the choices in the poll, and much of the discussion on this thread stressing making a city distinctive from all the other fantasy cities, I wanted to share some thoughts about this one. For one thing, the Oormali's unusual polytheism intrigues me. As I've mentioned before, I'm rarely satisfied with statements that a certain place/people simply are unusual in some way -- I always want to figure out how they got that way, and what the implications of that are for them. The first settlers of Halathaloorm were refugees from the tyrannical Fire-King of Zhor Cacimar, and the lives of the early generations of Oormali were reportedly very difficult. My rationale is that they supplicated to any gods they'd heard of -- foreign, barbarian, non-human -- to aid them to survive, and even invented some inspired by their new environment. Even when their situation improved, their exploration of other religions became a habit. As a result the Oormali have developed a notable body of theological and philosophical thought, and discussion and debate on those topics is endemic at every level of their society. Practitioners of theurgy, the art of "stealing" magic from the gods to power spells, are more common in Halathaloorm than anywhere else in the world, and include some of the most accomplished theurgists. Another thing I was struck by is the distinctive Oormali language, exemplified by their names for themselves and their city, and their unique name for the god of rivers and lakes, known in the Westerlands as Bandaro, and whom they call Waheshwool. Halathaloorm is built on the shore of Lake Sahaliir, which has a substantial population of merfolk; and these words sound to me like flowing water, and appropriate sounds to be made by humanoid mouths speaking in water. My conclusion is that due to extensive interaction with the merfolk, their language influenced the Oormali's. As Halathaloorm is described as a city with numerous canals and extending onto several small islands, I would expect no small number of merfolk to have settled underwater in those areas, as full citizens of the city. They help with fishing, repairing boats and docks and the like, escorting trade vessels up and down the South Chekuru River, and protecting the city from raids by hostile merfolk tribes. Zhor Cacimar, the city on the opposite side of the dangerous Greenmaw jungle from Halatharloom, is noted as having a class of merchant-ranger known as Goldwalkers who are adept at traversing the Greenmaw. It would seem a little unreasonable to me that the merchants of Halatharloom wouldn't have also adopted the Goldwalker caste. If they haven't, though, their population demographic includes 4% Seshurma (lizard-man), so perhaps they're the ones who guide Oormali traders through the Greenmaw.

I think we have to make a distinction between "iconic" in terms of the history of Champions the game, and "iconic" in relation to any of the official incarnations of the setting. There are a few characters in that first category with the high profile and longevity to be considered icons, most already mentioned on this thread; but few of them are heroes, and fewer are women. OTOH there are no few villains and heroes who are very much icons within one continuity, but not across all editions of Champions. For example, Lung Hung from VOICE of Doom is a major villain in the history of the game, and one of the most notable women villains ever published for Champs; but she and her origin concept haven't been even mentioned since 4E. In the current official continuity Vanguard was the Superman analogue in power and universal respect, but he's dead. Ushas of India is an avatar of the Hindu goddess of the same name, and considered one of the most powerful heroes in the world, but she's never been written up. Black Mask is a woman and the latest in a line of masked heroes stretching back to the American Revolutionary War; but she was created for 5E Champions and has no earlier history with the game. Many other Champions characters could be considered icons depending on the standard you measure them by.

I feel like I need to present a different perspective on Gareth Edwards' direction of Godzilla. He was tasked with creating a new incarnation of this iconic creature which had, over the course of six decades, been reinterpreted many times, while still defining and remaining true to the essence of its character. His accomplishments on that front should not be dismissed. Every Legendary "Monsterverse" film featuring Godzilla has used Edwards' G. It looks and sounds like his G. It moves like his G. The way it's shot to show the scale of these creatures and the human perspective of them, is inspired by how Edwards did it. The ranking of Gareth's work compared to other directors in the Legendary series is not universal. I know hard-core Godzilla fans who consider his 2014 film the best of them. I know moviegoers with no previous experience with the genre who consider it the best. Like I always say, "best" is subjective, but objectively there's a lot to admire in that movie. Any time you're the first to do something, successors will take what you did farther. Anyone's personal reactions to a movie are valid, and reasonable criticism can certainly be made. But Gareth Edwards set a foundation for the directors who came after to build on, and it's a solid one. Give the man his due.

The historical research that I've read asserts that Lincoln didn't start out as an abolitionist. His thinking and position on that subject evolved over time. Slavery at that time was an institution entrenched in American law, and a significant part of the economy. Abolishing it would have been a daunting task for any politician to undertake, even the most courageous and enlightened. As for some of the tactics Lincoln used to advance his program, records indicate that he could indeed be politically ruthless. But you have to look at the realities he was dealing with. I mean, would you allow the representatives of states which are openly rebelling against your government, to participate in votes on your government's conduct?

It's an arguable case. But I'm confident Lincoln did what he believed was needed for the greater good of the country. Donald Trump does nothing unless it benefits himself, and everything else be damned. Trump embodies one of Abraham Lincoln's more famous statements: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." In that regard I expect Lincoln would have held Trump in contempt.

I concur. But my point was, in previous years he'd be more devious in hiding his venality.

For his comic-book adaptation, I'm afraid Giant did eventually get a signature crest.

But it wasn't until 2020 that Amy Coney Barrett was pushed through less than two months before the presidential election, when McConnell had argued that eight months before Obama's term was up was not enough time to properly vet Merrick Garland. When confronted with that disparity Mitch essentially shrugged it off.

Don't expect actors to resemble who they play. Appreciate them for their performance, and leave it at that. Elevating them as persons just because of their talent usually leads to disappointment. Same advice for professional athletes.

The foot-on-chest move has become pretty much standard for Legendary Godzilla. He used it on the female MUTO when he first shoved her down, and on Ghidorah at the end of their fight. Godz is so massive in his lower body, it makes sense for him to use that weight to his advantage. Displays of dominance without lethal follow-through are actually the rule in conflicts in the animal kingdom, although normally only within the same species.

The MUTOs were actually parasites on Godzilla's species, so his antipathy toward and desire to destroy them was very natural and in his self-interest. I too noted that Legendary G has never used other than his natural weapons, with which he's well equipped. It's another element separating him from Legendary Kong, who's always used artificial weapons and quite cleverly. In the way it's been presented Kong fighting Godzilla often resembles a man fighting an animal.

This is the guy who insisted on holding the Senate vote on Donald Trump's impeachment charge after the Biden inauguration, then used the fact Trump was no longer sitting President as an excuse to vote not to convict him. "Hypocrite" doesn't begin to cover him. What's staggering is that he doesn't even try to hide it anymore. Trump has convinced the GOP that their voters will swallow any garbage they feed them.