Re: What elements should a great superhero setting contain?
This just occured to me the other day:
Two very specific individuals in the "superhero community." The guy that everybody likes, and the guy that everybody respects. Note: these don't actually have to be male. And by "everybody" I mean most members of the aformentioned superhero community.
The guy everybody likes is the one everybody talks to, confides in, or simply is fond of. At the big superhero gatherings, he's the one who will make everybody laugh despite the gravity of the situation. Or he will act as peacemaker between rival supers. He's the one they all want to hang out with, and the one who could join any team he wanted. And God help any villain who ever actually takes him out, because that villain will have every superhero in the world coming after him. In the Marvel Universe, this is Spider-Man. In DC, it's Nightwing.
The guy everybody respects is, well, self-explanatory. He is the one they all listen to, the most noble, most heroic of them all. Doesn't have to be the most powerful, but it helps. At large gatherings, he will pretty much have no choice but to take charge of things, as everybody will defer to his leadership in any case. If he is a member of a superteam, he will spend more time as chairbeing than any other member. In the Marvel Universe, this is Captain America. In DC, of course, it's Superman.