novi

My list of early bog standard villains were:
The Ultimates (Binder, Plasmoid, Black Star, Charger and Slick);
Ankylosaur;
Ogre,
and Firewing for the mega-villain.
 

Well, the obvious choice for an enemy group is Road Kill. 
 
Another possibility is Deathstroke.  You can go old-school and use the 2E versions with Deathsinger, Frost, Arrowhead, et al.  Heck, if you have the 2E module, you could revamp that and run it - IMO it has the feel of an 80s superhero cartoon.

Yeah, good stuff.  It was quite good, and I found myself far more entertained than I thought I would be.  As Mike said, the visuals are amazing AND different - it has a unique aesthetic, rather than just the standard CGI that even PIXAR is kinda settling into.  And then, on top of that, Spiderman Noir, Spider-Ham, and Peni Parker each have their own unique animation style.  And it works.  I'm not sure how they got away with doing something this experimental in a main-stream film, but I'm glad they did.
 
Which would be enough to deserve seeing it, but then it nails the story as well, as well as the editing and pacing.  It doesn't really waste any time or pad out anything.  Even the inevitable big 3rd act fight scene is kept moving and interesting.
 
Oh, and stay through the credits.  It's worth it, but to say anymore would be spoilers.

Oh, come on.  We can do better than that
 
Enter your PIN number into the ATM machine.
 

You are right; a Secret ID is a problem on a social level and therefore a Social Complication.  I just meant to point out that there needs to be an underlying reason for taking on that complication beyond "because all the other heroes have one" or "Hey, its practically free points".  Having that psychological reason to take the Secret ID helps define the character and makes them more developed.

Or put you in situations where using your powers might have unintended lethal consequences.
 
In my first-ever Champions campaign, we were breaking into the local VIPER Nest, and our brick-martial artist Midnight noticed someone else in the stairwell sneaking around.  So he ran over there and kicked the mystery foe full force (to the GM's chagrin).  It was actually a DNPC hero whom the GM had included in case the Goons in Green were too tough for us.  However, the DNPC had low defenses, and Midnight hit dang hard.  (IIRC, he had 60 STR, and this was in the first edition rules where a martial punch did 1 1/2 times STR damage, and a martial kick did 2x STR damage.  So, 24d6 damage.  WIth knockback into a concrete wall one hex behind him.)  The poor DNPC hero was killed instantly.  Well, in addition to being an all-around bad thing, this activated Midnight's CvK, and he became afraid to attack full force unless he was absolutely positive the enemy could take it.

I think one of the points here is, a complication is something unique to the character.  If the GM says all PCs have to have a 0 pt CVK.  Everyone has a 0 pt CVK.  If they give you points for it, that's nicer.  But if you are the only one with the complication, then it will haunt you in the game.

Some cops have a CvK - they go out of their way, putting themselves at risk, to avoid killing suspects. Other cops don't, but that only means they're willing to use deadly force when warranted (or the player doesn't want the issue to come up). Some cops have, "Judge, Jury, and Executioner" (and probably some other odious Psych Comps as well).

Unless you like things being bleak, Code vs Killing is valid. The police don't kill,  they arrest and prosecute with the rest of the legal apparatus. But they can kill if they feel they are protecting people (usually).

CVK is what allows the GM to plan on having the same villain(s) show up repeatedly, which allows for much greater quirkiness and individuality in the villain characters, and perhaps, some long-term plot arc involving long-lasting villains to occur according to concept.  In that sense, it's an aid to the GM and his campaign plan, if s/he has one.

If you take the code versus killing you are asking the GM to pitch you situations where it would make some kind of sense to kill someone...
 
Batman is a key example of this, who would not simply kill the Batman if they did not have a code versus killing....
 
Doc

Depends on the person and circumstance. RL, I worked as an armed courier for a year. (2003), and when driving by, some people would look at the truck, like a dog watches someone with a plate of food walk by. In those situations, I was prepared to protect the truck, the satchel, my life with deadly force(company provided Glock 21. With Remington Bronze jacketed hollow points). Doing some deep thinking about it, especially with all the classes and practice, I came to the conclusion, that I would not be very broken up about taking the life of someone threatening me. In the game space, I believe this sort of defines the difference between Champions and Dark Champions. In Champions, CVK, is almost standard, very much shorthand for “Code of the hero”. In Dark Champions, it may be a serious liability. 

If a character gets hosed for having a CVK, it's worth points. It doesn't matter if all the other PCs have it too.
 
Personally, though, I've largely replaced it with "Code of the Hero", which covers much of the same territory while being less specific. It also works as "Code of the Golden Age Hero", Silver Age Hero, etc.

I will continue to add it to characters that it is appropriate for, although it will be one of the ones that is likely a 0 point complication. Your point about it being the norm in some campaigns is valid, and in those I just set it as a baseline unless you choose consciously to not take it (zero points either way). But you could then take Bloodthirsty or Vengeful or perhaps even Berserk when those would not be very appropriate with a CvK.
 
- E

That's why most superheroes are rich.  Not only so they can afford their special weapons and vehicles but they also have plenty of free time.

Why not? Jobs complicate life. Right now I’m doing 20 hrs Forced Overtime and will be working 12days straight. 

I disagree.  I believe it is a social complication.  Its is not the reason for the complication that the points are awarded but the complication itself.  Even if there is a psychological reason for the secret (or public) id, the complication itself is social (unwarranted publicity, harassment, etc).  Its just like having distinctive feature for dressing funny.  Its not a psychological limitation that you chose a funny mode of dress, rather that you dress funny that causes the problem.

Some people care more their loved ones than they do of the idea of being a reality TV star.

While it is technically a social complication, in many ways Secret ID is a psychological complication, because no one *has* to keep a secret ID; you just deal with a different set of problems depending on whether people know who you are or not.  The secret ID is a classic trope, but in this day and age when being a reality TV star is seen as a legitimate career goal, it can seem a bit dated. Really the only reason to maintain one is because you don't want the problems of your superhero career intruding in on your personal life (and vice versa).  And that might be a perfectly valid concern, but it is a personal decision, and in many ways trying to keep them separate is a bigger headache for you than not, which is why it is a complication.

Batman has a secret identity. And as the TV series and films illustrate he pays for it.

My understanding, like assault’s, is that a complication complicates your life.  Not taking a complication means that it does not complicate your life.
 
so, having a hunted complication but no secret ID complication does not mean you do not have a secret ID but it does mean that, regardless of your identity management there are no related complications.  The appearance of the hunting character does not draw in your private life in any way, it never occurs to your hunters to threaten family, friends or colleagues.
 
Doc

I’d say it depends on the job. Having a 10 to 12 hour driving job would cut into your sleep, superhero activities, and and social life with your DNPC. a the new Spiderman game illustrates this quite nicely, with Peter Parker behind on his rent, Mary Jane Watson moving on and friendzoning Peter, because of the demands of working for Dr. Otto Octavia’s, and his daily patrols. It all boils down to how the GM applies the disarms in game?

I absolutely agree with the first sentence.
 
The GM that griefed you about not having a Secret Identity missed the point. By not taking the Disad/Complication, you are saying that it is not an issue for the character.
 
I don't like the "being a grad student" complication. It's like taking a complication for having a job. Any job. I wouldn't allow it.

As a GM I play it as not being a benefit to have a Secret ID or a Public ID with a Hunted. Given that you have a Secret ID and a Hunted, you have greatly limited the times when the Hunted can come into play (IE when you are in costume) or set yourself up for your secret to be exposed but the hunter. Either way it is more detrimental than just having no complication except the Hunted where they could show up off screen sometimes or not be able to blackmail you with your identity.
 
I personally played a few characters with Secret ID but almost never with Public ID. I personally tend to prefer supporting roles and thus play toward that unless I am consciously trying to break that mold for some reason.
 
- E

I've actually had reason to build some Champions characters lately, and it's made me think about two staple complications, Secret Identity and Code vs Killing.  I'll be doing separate threads to help keep the discussion focused.
 
Secret Identity is one that I've been less sure about for a while.  Even before the MCU decided that secret IDs were a relic of the past, there have obviously been characters who don't really have troubles with their identities.  And I will admit, this one is depends far more on the particular character.  And perhaps some on how you want to phrase the complication.  Because in many ways, the complications you take let the GM know what kind of stories you want your character to have.  For instance, a recent character of mine has a social complication of being a grad student; it's a job with some defined hours and responsibilities, and consequences for not meeting them.  It has some similarities to the standard Secret ID, but it's not as big a problem and has a more defined scope.
 
Though one that's been bugging me more is another game I joined, where the GM remarked on the danger of me taking a Hunted, but no Secret ID.  Which is a fascinating concept now that I've noticed it, that a Secret ID complication should give you an in game benefit.  It is something of a nitpick, but still strikes at fundamentals of character building and HERO, that you have to pay points for positive effects.
 
But I suppose that I just wonder how much people expect that a character should either have a Secret ID or Public ID.  Thoughts?