Anubis' "How would you do it?" Thread.

Had this idea ever since the 50 State Initiative thing was mentioned. I didn't post it in that topic because rather than a team for a specific state, this is an idea for a new team of SHIELD "Super Agents"; they've had two teams with that name already, and both folded. SHIELD will inevitably either have to stop using muderous criminals as shocktroopers, or that tactic will backfire (if someone can override Norman Osborn's nanobot controllers, why not anyone else), and so SHIELD will have to rely on other metahumans, especially some they've been preening for some time. Especially since Daisy Johnson is more loyal to the now-fugitive Nick Fury than to SHIELD, so they can't rely on her all the time. Besides, other nations have their own metahumans and there'll need to be some crack team to act as super-agents on their behalf, or to back up one of the 50 state teams that gets overwhelmed by mega-threats (Alpha Flight isn't the only team that could be wiped out by one mega-attack; Hulk-level baddies can tear apart entire squads). These are all recent or obscure characters plucked from the Handbook bins and smushed together. Along with some reason why, 'course.

SHIELD'S SUPER-AGENTS, TAKE III:

ASHCAN:
In two comics from 1986-1989 (ASM and HULK), Alex Woolcot gained the ability to disintegrate matter with energy from his hands, either at a touch or with forceblasts. He got his powers from a machine his father was working on, and, much like Justice, accidently lashed out and killed his abusive father, reducing him to ash. Spider-Man tried to defend him from Mandriods, but the boy's death was faked by SHIELD so Fury could keep an eye on him and make him into a super-agent. The boy's mind as altered to relieve stress and he was living with a foster father/SHIELD agent (Dylan Pattinson) out in obsurity until Hulk & Clay Quartermain showed up. The boy & Hulk became fast friends due to their shared abusive history, and Alex regained his memories, asking his new dad for an upped allowance. Fast forward about 4-5 years (Marvel time, natch). Now Alex is 17 and a "freelance" SHIELD agent much like the new Scorpion is; regulations say that one can't be hired as a full agent until age 18, but SHIELD gets around it by giving them agent "handlers" and hiring them as "freelancers". He got SHIELD training in self defense, tactics, and naturally using his power offensively. He can control it to the point where he doesn't instantly reduce someone to ash with it, but it is a very deadly power. He's also learned how to use it for both blasts and disabling punches. While he remembers his full history, he's still eager to be a SHIELD agent, as his life with Dylan was far better than with his real parents (he hasn't seen his birthmother in years, either, avoiding that responsibility). He's aggressive, confident, and very much like an agent in training, wanting to get the big battles and prove himself. He's not used to a team setting, though, which is part of the training of being a Super Agent. While he has total control of his power, he is a dangerous combatant; his blasts can easily reduce a human to ash and even burnt the skin off the Gray Hulk's face, making even HIM scream.
SHIELD weakness: Aside for his brash nature, his core weakness is his friendship with The Hulk, although that could be an advantage if SHIELD ever wanted to try reason to stop a rampage.

BATWING: 9-10 years ago, Jimmy Santini was mutated by drinking water tainted by toxic waste after polluters shot his father. It caused him to mutate into a bat-like creature, who was shunned by his mother and hunted by a NYC councilman. Spider-Man befriended him and Dr. Conners gave him a serum as a cure, but he couldn't revert to normal until his mother finally was able to accept him as her son. This all happened in UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN, circa 1995. As Jimmy grew up, however, he discovered to his chagrin that he could still become Batwing again under circumstances of stress, although his mother continued to support him, plus with Conners' serum, he could revert back to normal at will and even suppress it to maintain a normal life. He did, however, enjoy midnight flys over the city and whatnot, getting views that no one else could, and using some of those angles to major in photography in high school and college. He occasionally would stop any muggers he happened to see along his flights but was hesitant to do so as he was freakish in his Batwing form and could only speak in broken English while in it, and while agile and fast, along with feral claws and so on, wasn't a major fighter. By the time Jimmy graduates college at age 21, however, the SHRA is passed and he decides to register. His mother is concerned at this prospect but relents after a recruiter insists that he'll probably earn more as a federal super-agent than as a freelance photographer, and earn a better rep to boot. When his blood is tested, however, that is when SHIELD decides to take him. It appears a by-product of his toxic bat-blood is that he is immune to a bite from a vampire, and also is immune to their hyponism (much like Blade). Considering the Nazi vampires about and their own HOWLING COMMANDOES unit, SHIELD adds him to the ranks of their team and is in a way their novice. Contrary to stereotype, despite his power to turn into a flying bat-creature, Jimmy is not a goth, but enjoys country music, wears colors, and is keen to pop culture. He's even piercing free, and with his mother's acceptance was able to recover from his father's death to become more jovial. He is in some ways the opposite of the aggressive Ashcan, but the pair soon have to face the possibility of becoming step-brothers when Dylan and Mrs. Santini start to become "friendly" as they see each other a lot, being on SHIELD bases a lot. Awkward!
SHIELD weakness: Aside for his large and probably light-sensitive eyes as Batwing, it would be his friendship and unwillingness to hurt Spider-Man, who usually is considered some sort of fugitive at one time or another, or Dr. Conners, who frequently rampages as The Lizard. However, some enzymes from his blood could probably be analyzed to make ad-hoc cures for Lizzy. He also travels via echolocation/radar like Daredevil as Batwing, which has it's own strengths and weaknesses.

AXUM: Plucked from the short lived "Thunderbolts-ripping-off-FIGHT CLUB" issues from a few years back, Axum is an ex-con turned underground pro fighter in the shady Ultimate Brawling League, which draws many supervillians as well as international metahumans for large cash prizes. He's basically a large tanker, almost like a clone of Luke Cage, only probably not as durabile as Spider-Man was able to badly scar his eye defeating him under his short lived villian career as "The Battler", for which he spent 3 years in prison. Also like Cage, he has a girlfriend and a young son to support, but without the UBL, never made enough money and had an overzealous probation officer. While he won the UBL championship title (even beating Armadillo in the ring), he had a falling out with the owner and quit, and refused to help a bunch of baddies try to get revenge on Spider-Man because he felt that grudges didn't help his situation (although he was tempted). Without the UBL, Axum was back to struggling to earn a living doing construction work to pay for his "baby momma" and son when the SHRA hits, and Axum jumps at the chance for "federal pay". While Gina is excited for that oppurtunity, she's hesitant of police and the witness protection sort of life she and Benny will have to have; she doesn't trust cops. He winds up on the SHIELD squad because they figure he may be useful against the anti-SHRA Luke Cage, as well as to keep an eye on his son, as metahumans usually can breed mutants. He's definately the most "street" on the squad and clashes with Ashcan and others because he still sort of distrusts "pigz", even though he now will be working for them. He does, however, have a knack for teaching easy-to-learn and effective brawling techniques from his time on the streets and the ring. His "street" experience and charisma amungst shady characters comes in handy with some of the missions they may have, as well as understanding the minds of rogues by relating...sometimes too closely.
SHIELD weaknesses: A potential P.R. nightmare due to his arrest record (although compared to Bullseye he's a flipping saint), his biggest weakness might be his temper and his grudge against Spider-Man; while he won't allow it to wreck his life, it is still there and he'd be aching for a rematch with the web-slinger, a match that he would probably lose.

SCORPION: Naturally, Carmilla Black's shown up in AMAZING FANTASY and X-23's Capt. Universe one-shot. She's the daughter of an AIM scientist genetically altered to be immune to all gases, poisons, and toxins, but also developped the ability to poison anyone with her "Stinger", or her left arm. SHIELD gave her a gauntlet to control her "sting" and she works freelance for them with an agent handler (Derek Khanta). In the age of the SHRA, SHIELD has to utilize any agents with powers they have, and they feel it's time for Scorpion to join a super-team and learn field combat. Naturally, she's a formidable compatent, savvy with living on the streets, has a hi-tech tracking gauntlet and is hesitant to start major relationships. Batwing starts attempting to get through to her shell, sensing something in common.
SHIELD weakness: She is willing to disobey orders when she feels it's within her moral interest to do so; X-23 convinced her to release the Uni-Power against SHIELD's wishes. She naturally has a connection to AIM, and they likely may be rewilling to capture her.

STARBIRD: Holly-Ann Ember was an 8 year old girl in a mid 80's MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL I believe. Living in a town that was secretly an AIM base caused her to develop superpowers from an old reactor, that allowed the small girl to control reality at will, as if her "wishes" are coming true. A fan of superheroines, she imagined herself as a superheroine, "Starbird" and "willed" the appearence of She-Hulk, Wasp, Tigra, and Storm to help free her parents & the town from AIM. Storm gave her a card to the Xavier school should her parents ever need her to seek training with her powers. However, what we didn't know (what I am adding) is that shortly thereafter, much as AIM noticed a spike in power levels from her, so did SHIELD, and naturally as the "good guys" groomed her and offered her and her family safety and financial help, even in relocation. Now 12 (about as old as Molly Hayes), Holly was trained to learn how to consciously control her incredible power by meditating on an avatar, and she chose her own idealized heroine self, Starbird (tall, beautiful, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, with the American colors of red, white, and blue on her costume). Doing this allowed Holly to "train" her powers to only be activated when she "wished" to transform into this heroine, essentially becoming something like DC's CAPT. MARVEL; a child who transforms into an adult hero. In her Starbird form she has access to her reality warping power, but to spare losing control or causing "reality tears", she has learned, much like Freedom Ring, that focusing on increasing one's physique is less taxing. As such, Starbird is strong, nigh invulnerabile, psychically resistant, can fly, and can pretty much gain any power that she wishes for in the middle of combat so long as she is specific about what she is wishing for. For example, if a fire-controller was torching a building and she concentrated on, "I wish I could absorb those flames", she'd be able to. As such, while she can't wish "to be unbeatable", should Starbird engage in enough battles, she very may well could be. As Starbird she also has more mature intelligence and memory, as well as training, but maintains her childlike innocence and energy. Thus, Starbird is confused and amused by the looks "adults" give her form sometimes. It also makes it awkward for other teammates. Holly operates under a loophole legally that in her Starbird form, all tests say she is over 21, so that is that. As Starbird she is argueably as powerful as Sentry if not moreso, however, she is a child and after HOM, there always is that lingering fear that if one day, she realized she could use her powers as Holly, or snapped...
As Holly, she often plays with Axum's son Benny and enjoys the option of one day being an agent. As Starbird, she has a crush on Ashcan and Batwing. Very awkward.
SHIELD weaknesses: Definately her worship of superheroines, considering some of them may not always agree with SHIELD (like Storm or She-Hulk), and could lead her astray. While she is physically capable of her powers as 12 year old Holly, she has only trained as Starbird and this believes herself helpless in that form. If an attack is powerful enough to TKO her before she can "wish" for defense against it (if she already isn't immune via a past wish-made-permanent-by-concentration), she can be defeated. Starbird still retains some of the naivety of a 12 year old girl and thus can be thrown by some things, although is probably more blunt as well.

DREAMER: Jamie Flores was the 12 year old daughter of Alex Flores, struggling screenwriter and friend of Wonder Man during his 90's solo book. Both got ionic powers from him and joined the lame super team Crazy 8. Simon eventually drained his ionic energy out of them and thus they lost their powers, although some of them hinted at still having some power left; Jamie was one of them. As "Dreamer", she could project an "astral self" not unlike Dr. Strange, but only when she was asleep. Like Sleepwalker's host, she could doze off whenever a siren was heard practically. Following in Wonder Man's example, a now older-teenage Jamie (she'd be about 17-19) registers and her astral power immediately gets the attention of SHIELD as an espionage asset. Her mother Alex is still overprotective of her, but Jamie's gov't influence manages to get work for the screenwriter mom, which is appreciated (she writes some of Wonder Man's TV commercials, for instance, then moving on with that experience). Learning to harness her astral form via meditation at SHIELD, she is the team's key recon expert. Plus, having Wonder Man as an adopted "uncle" never hurts for rep. She manages to befriend Scorpion and along with Batwing try to get her to admit feelings for Ashcan, who also has a "deadly touch". Closer in age to the college grad Batwing, she also has a crush on him, especially as they both can "fly" together.
SHIELD weaknesses: Potential target by Count Nefaria, an ionic vampire. The armored assassin Splice had it out for her and her mother. Her sleeping/meditating body is defenseless when her astral form is about. Her astral form can get past technological and even some mystical barriers and is virtually immune to most forms of harm, it is vulnerable to some mystical or psychic attacks, and also cannot physically attack someone else. She could, however, act as a distraction or give "warnings" in battle of unseen attackers.

JOHN GARRET: A cyborg SHIELD agent in an 80's ELEKTRA mini, 80% of Garret's body is composed of cybernetic parts, increasing his strength, durability, aim, and other abilities; only his head and some organs remain (and even his head has cyber-parts, like laser sighting). His mind was left a mess by Elektra, and he was a slovenly, abrasive agent few liked, and was always a loose canon finally punted from SHIELD...for a time. Stablized by SHIELD (to a point), Garret trimmed his hair and lost the mustache, becoming a Jack Baur-esque agent, using his expert aim with handguns and nearly indestructable body to be an aggressive enemy to terrorists and other targets. While he only uses handguns, he has a variety of different types of rounds; normal, exploding, corrosive, even adamantium & Vibranium tipped for extra potent foes. Professional and trained, he sometimes assumes tactical command, much to everyone's chagrin. "YOU WILL FACE JUSTICE!" is his battle cry now. And Dreamer hates how he hits on her mom. Starbird is also appalled by him. Axum likes him, though. They often watch sports games together during downtimes. Garret's not beneathe trying to woo Gina from him secretly, though.
SHIELD weaknesses: Garret is a ruthless combatant, even killing some targets that SHIELD wants alive and almost always going for a kill if the battle takes too long. No type of violence offends him. His cyborg form is vulnerable to magnetism, electricity, computer viruses, whatever effects a cyborg. He also has issues with Elektra, and is very offputting. If anyone is the first to blow cover, it's probably him. However, his cyborg form is immune to toxins, poisons, fatique, and so on, as well as giving him super-strength.

Done for now. I had 2 more "agent" ideas but they seemed repetitive and this roster has 7, which is good enough. 9 is usually pushing it for a team and people lose focus.
 
I like this, you pulled up characters that are pretty much gone, and brought them back to life. I say this would make an excellent comic.
 
I like this, you pulled up characters that are pretty much gone, and brought them back to life. I say this would make an excellent comic.

Thanks. Plucking people from obscurity is rather fun, the backlogs have a lot of characters that haven't been seen in so long that they merely need tweaks to be interesting, and yet aren't actually "new" and have some history as a foundation. The new Scorpion isn't THAT obscure, but she fit the team.

I had ideas for 2-3 more members, but as I said, a roster of 7 is enough, with 9-10 usually being too many for anyone to get focus. Besides, with some of them being rather potent, some of the powers seemed repetitive. Maybe they could be expanded members for REALLY rough warzones, though...;)
 
Now, I don't know many obscure characters like you, but I know a couple I'd like to hear from, mostly from the new Amazing Fantasy 15.

Monstro: what is going on with New York's best firefighter?

Mastermind Excello: what is Amadeus Cho up to these days? Did he get to Agent Sexton? Does his intelligence count as a super-power?

Positron: The artifical girl was reclaimed by her father, but her boyfriend is out there, and feeling guilty. Can he rescue her? could sheild recruit her?

I'd also like some things cleared up: Example, it's either the Super-Hero Registration act or the Super-Human registration act. either way there are lots of holes in that. would an alien, or atlantean, or Inhuman living within american borders have to register? Do mutants have to register? What if you have powers, but have no intention of using them for either vigilante or illegal purposes? might be nice to see groups that explore those ideas.
 
Now, I don't know many obscure characters like you, but I know a couple I'd like to hear from, mostly from the new Amazing Fantasy 15.

Monstro: what is going on with New York's best firefighter?

Mastermind Excello: what is Amadeus Cho up to these days? Did he get to Agent Sexton? Does his intelligence count as a super-power?

Positron: The artifical girl was reclaimed by her father, but her boyfriend is out there, and feeling guilty. Can he rescue her? could sheild recruit her?

I'd also like some things cleared up: Example, it's either the Super-Hero Registration act or the Super-Human registration act. either way there are lots of holes in that. would an alien, or atlantean, or Inhuman living within american borders have to register? Do mutants have to register? What if you have powers, but have no intention of using them for either vigilante or illegal purposes? might be nice to see groups that explore those ideas.

In MARVEL BOY and YOUNG AVENGERS/RUNAWAYS, they gave the impression that aliens are sort of outside the laws of the U.S. government, which means that they can be taken to The Cube or any gov't facility and imprisoned forever, experimented on, turned into brainwashed soldiers, autopsied, etc. Atlantians and Inhumans are usually considered members of another nation and are immune, however, SHIELD and the gov't is wary of them and has diplomacy like it would for another nation, or lack thereof if they're hostile. As noted in FRONTLINE, heroes from other nations (like Europe) are immune to the SHRA and are also representatives of other nations, like Black Bolt or Namor would be considered. An Inhuman or Atlantian or alien or whoever who wanted to act as a U.S. hero would probably have to register and gain citizenship like an immigrant.

I also believe mutants have to register, and as there are supposedly under 500 left, the gov't and/or SHIELD has a fair idea of most of the active mutants left. In CW: X-MEN I believe mutants were going to be included with other superhumans in the act so they could pretty much register and automatically get a job if they wanted. If they wanted to stay out of it, they would probably have to lay low and not use their powers, like a retired hero.

The Marvel Handbooks and the Unofficial Appendix website are good places to search for obscure types.
 
So let me get this straight... after all the years of fighting, after all the major plot lines centering around it, after all this continuity... the X-Men have just rolled over and ACCEPTED mutant registration? Isn't that basically what this is?
 
So let me get this straight... after all the years of fighting, after all the major plot lines centering around it, after all this continuity... the X-Men have just rolled over and ACCEPTED mutant registration? Isn't that basically what this is?

Actually, it was better than what the X-Men "rolled over and accepted" after DECIMATION, which was the government pretty much rounding up 198 mutants, dumping them onto the X-Mansion, putting Sentinal ONE guards around it and having a mini concentration camp. The Sentinal ONE's were bland and could never stop any X-Men from leaving the Mansion whenever they wanted. In THE 198, the X-Men look like enablers because the heads of the program are obvious mutie-hating fascists. The X-Men finally stand up in CW: THE 198 when X-Force (or at least Domino and Shatterstar) bust out the 198 and the remaining founding X-Men decide to not recapture the 198, but protect them from the Sentinal ONE's (even though some of the 198 were criminals, or from groups that should've been warring, like Morlocks and Mauraders). It was very, very, very badly handled at every level. The writers didn't want it and the editors bungled it anyway.
 
My god... this is why I stopped reading X-Men after House of M. It just got ******ed on me. and by the by I don't believe this "only 198 mutants left" crap. One, it's too limiting to writers, she may have de-powered mutants out there, but there will still be some popping out of the wood work as the marvel universe goes on, two: It's the goddamn 616, NOTHING so immense stays permenant that long. I give it another two years before the retcon it out. what saddens me is that "M-Day" was pretty much marvel saying "We're gonna go ahead and ret-con out a WHOLE bunch of character's powers, and not give you a real reason!". I would have understood it it a bit more if more popular mutants had lost their powers (Cyclops, Emma Frost, WOLVERINE!, Nightcrawler) having to deal with their greatest wishes being granted while changing who they are. and also what was with the still-mutants kicking out the no-longer-mutants? I mean it isn't like people just FORGOT that they were friggin' mutants... GAH!


I'm sorry for that rant, X-Men has just pissed me off for the last couple of years.
 
I agree, HOM and DECIMATION were badly handled. Most of the mutants who lost their powers were F-Listers or "never were's", and many of the B-Listers who were effected, like Iceman and Polaris, regained their powers quickly. Even Magneto is more or less back after NEW AVENGERS (he was repowered by Collective and is believed dead, like he usually is every other year). Xavier is still powerless in UNCANNY, but that may not last. Events themselves can be bad enough, but events that are poorly handled, have no cajones, and are rejected by almost every major writer involved but thrust upon by the editorial dept. fail on all levels.

As for the number of "active" mutants left, THE 198 is more of a symbolic number. Some books claimed that was the literal one, but others claim that "90% of a few hundred thousand, a million maybe" mutants were depowered, and 10% of any number from 1,000,000 to 200,000 is more than 198. The writers did their damnedest to igore it, forcing fallout onto mini's. I doubt it will be retconned if only because it really hasn't effected or hindered major characters much, just eliminated the no-names in Mutant Town or New X-Men because Marvel is deathly afraid of the X-Men franchise escaping their constant repetition of the 80's. The books are better now, I hear. CIVIL WAR provided the spark for Marvel to essentially burry DECIMATION and move on. In comparison, CIVIL WAR's worst act is god compared to HOM/DECIMATION, IMO.
 
Nice work Dread, reminds me of how they originally assembled the New Warriors.
 
You have a good point, and if you're wondering about why I'm ranting so badly over X-men, it's because that is what pulled me in to the Marvel world. for me it all started with X-Men TAS. after that it was a slow but sure road into the comics. My favorite Heroes aren't X-Men, my favorite writer does not now, nor has he ever written an X-Men title, but the X-Men will always hold a special place in my heart... which is why it pisses me off to no end to see the ****-fest they have to endure.

I read through the 198, but didn't bother to actually buy the damn things (I buy at least 2 titles a week, so my LCD is pretty cool about reading in the store). Things are just so screwed up.

hmm... how would I have done Decimation?

Depowered mutants would have included: Wolverine, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Xavier, Magneto, Nightcrawler. Storylines would ahve included: The Massachusetts Acadamey, refuge for all the depowereds who are confused about their lives; Demons and Angels, Following Kurt Wagner in his new found human body trying to understand the meaning of it all; X-Men, functioning WITHOUT their A-listers, in a state of chaos.

Of course there would ahve to be repowers, but it would be more of a natural phenomenon that was unpredictable. This of course allows an easy out for future writers, and the hopes that the majors that I de-powered could rise again.

The X-Men would RESIST being controlled by ONE, and would only accept refuges who wanted to be there. they would not impose the ludicrous rules that were shown in 198, nor would they be housed in friggin' tents. They've got the nice big mansion... der.

Demons and Angels would watch as Kurt travels the world looking at things in this new way, trying to understand who and what he is, as well as visiting other malformed mutants who have gained human forms (none of this crap about mutants that look strange losing the powers of said strange body. If they are depowering they are depowering ALL THE WAY). Kurt of course would find that the hero remains within his soul. the swordsmanship he always attributed to his nimble form remains, as does some of the acrobatic ability (Hey, a lot of that was training).

The Massachussets Institute focuses on the "Rehabilitation" of the de-powered mutants who had learned to embrace their gifts. mutants who are unsure of how to live without their powers. Scott Summers reveling in his sight, while consoling a near-suicidal Emma Frost, and a quiet and pensive Wolveirne observing, probably even narrating. Not to mention you can have Magneto leading the search for Wanda.
 
THE CHAMPIONS: DO YOU REMEMBER THE CHAMPIONS?

The Fantastic Four are fighting Dr. Doom in Latveria.
The Avengers are fighting the Masters of Evil in New York.
The Defenders are fighting Dormammu in his realm.
The X-Men are fighting Magneto on Asteroid M.

But who protects the streets of Los Angeles?
Who will save you from the menace of communism?
Who will fight the mad demi-gods of Olympus?
Who will help the helpless?

champions4wo.jpg


The Russian super-spy, the Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff)!
The high flying hero, the Angel (Warren Worthington)!
The lion of Olympus, Hercules!
The mutant icemaker, the Iceman (Robert Drake)!
The spirit of vengeance, the Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)!

They are the most embarassing team in the history of the Marvel Universe. Even the GLA/X/D/C is more revered among the hero populace than this odd combination of warriors. Why? Why is the short tenure of the Champions considered such a failure by so many? What would have moved these heroes to come together and become less than they are?

The hereto unrevealed reason finally comes to light in the mini that can only be called: Do YOU remember the CHAMPIONS? In a vein similar to Avengers Forever and X-Men Forever, this would be a mini, created with the express goal of clearing up things about the team's history. In this case, that team is the Champions, and this mini would reveal what went wrong with the Champions.

Besides the aforementioned characters, the series would also include Black Goliath (Bill Foster), Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna) and Ivan Petrovitch. Y'see, as we saw in the Giant Size Hulk issue that came out last year, there are still quite a few untold stories about the Champions. Something else that the series lacked was a bit of a personal character touch. The stories were mostly about the action, not the character development.

I can see Hercules taking Iceman out for a drink, not caring about the fact that he's a minor. Subtle flirting between Angel and the Black Widow, eventually leading to them becoming good friends and her telling him about what happened with Daredevil. It'd also explain how Hawkeye ever came up with the idea of taking the Champions jet for the Thunderbolts, even though he had never been a member. Black Goliath would also be promoted to being a full member of the team.

The series would eventually reveal that, although this team was excellent in concept, its execution left a lot to be desired. Iceman wanted to leave the team more often than he wanted to stay. Black Widow's head was still back with Daredevil. Hercules wanted to spend more time boozing and cruising than doing actual hero work. Ghost Rider was busy with being the spirit of vengeance and couldn't really commit to the team. Darkstar left because of her own problems. The team just couldn't work. The series would end with the founding members coming together in a bar to drink one on Black Goliath.
 
Interesting. But I'd like to see the Pride somehow fit into the downfall of the team. Like, Geoffry Wilder, posing as a philanthropist supporting the team, helped manipulate them into splitting up.
 
Here's an idea for a sort of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen spin off:


The Hunters


The Hunters chronicles the adventures of a group of paranormal investigators/soldiers of fortune who travel the world, battling the forces of the unknown. It consists of:

Professor Abraham Van Helsing: The leader and veteran of the group. Serving as a mentor like figure to the others and the overall brains behind the operation, he brought the characters together. He's often more keen on the diplomatic or intelectual solutions. However, he is not unfamiliar with combat or combat strategy. Is well versed in several feilds of academia aswell as many feilds of paranormal and metaphysical research and thought. As such, he often describes his way of thinking and aproaching situations as "scientific mysticism."

Lord Arthur Holmwood: Son of a (now deceaced) British Lord and former American fornteirsman, Aurthur is Abraham's right hand man. Relies very heavily on his skills as a marksman.

Victor: Frankenstein's monster, who took his "father's" name after his death. Abraham found him wandering aimlessly in the arctic, and took him in. Victor is eager to redeem himself due to his past sins, and is sort of a younger version of the Frankenstein from Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers. He learned how to fight and shoot from Holmwood, and was schooled in classic literature, the sciences, philisophy, and religion by Van Helsing.

John House: An American traveler they meet while in Asia. He joins the group and lends his keen, almost genius intelect. He is somewhat skeptical of the paranormal happenings they investigate, making him a sort of Scully to Van Helsing's Mulder. Van Helsing eventually deduces that House is in fact Sherlock Holmes, who survived his battle with Moriarty.



Another character who would apear from time to time would be The Traveler, a mysterious super scientist who traverses time and space in search of the greater truths of the universe while protecting the universe from massive cosmic threats. He has gone to great lengths to keep his true identity a secret, muddling all records of his existence that would connect to him. He is the main character from The Time Machine, and the interpretation of him here is based in part on Doctor Who.
 
I'd read both Champions and Hunters. they sound like excellent reads.

I like the attitude with Champions, examining the falling and not trying to make it look like more than it was. Q is right about the Pride needing to be a part of that.

The Hunters is pretty interesting, but that would need to be an indi thing.
 
Thanks for the praise on the Champions. It's a team that has always oddly fascinated me because of its weird reputation and history in the MU. I like the idea of the Pride being involved in their downfall, but the crux is really in the personal lives of these characters. The Champions was an excellent idea, but these people just couldn't work together, not at that time.
 
I just doen't understand how they justified these people working together.

Iceman and Angel, well that's not too big a stretch of the imagination.

but when you add Hercules, Black Widow, and Ghostrider... I call BS. I mean BW and GR are pretty much loners by character, they mesh with certain types, BW with DD and Fury, GR could have meshed with a group containing Blade, werewolfe-by-night, and other super-naturals, but in this setting?
 
Wassup fellas, damn that's a lot of stuff! You guys are gonna have to give me a while too read all your ideas.


Damn! Miss a couple of days and.....
 
Stand Defiant

In the year 2025 they came. The Karm invaded. Their technology was too advanced. their power overwhelmed us. we fell.

in the year 2524, the human race is subjugated. We exist as slaves for the Karm. there are of course pockets of resistance, those of both species that wish for the slavery to end, but their cells are squashed almost as soon as they fight back. in that year however, the Karm made their mistake. they thought to genetically alter humans. they thought to improve on us. using project "New Dawn", they changed a group of human adolecents so that they could lift buses, out run cheetahs, and even remotely control technology. They failed to totally protect the base. It was over run by a horde of rebels. now the "Dawn"s are working for the rebels. they have a chance now to end the Slavery. They will make their move, Fight back, and Stand Defiant.
 
INVINCIBLE: GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE

guardianszn1.jpg

WARNING! Spoilers for those who have not read past Invincible #8!

They are not the Justice League. They are not the Justice Society. They are not the Avengers. They are not the X-Men. No, they are not even the Defenders, Champions, Teen Titans or Outsiders, they are the Guardians of the Globe! The Immortal! War Woman! The Red Rush! Darkwing! Aquarius! The Martian Man! The Green Ghost!

Ever since these guys showed up for their rather... short debut, I've loved them, especially Aquarius. It's why I thought a mini-series about these guys and the adventures they had before their... untimely end, would be awesome to see. Just like the Suicide Squad, these guys would mostly (with the exception of the Immortal) be blank slates.

The Immortal
The Immortal's original name is known only to a select few, the Immortal being one of them. His origin stretches back quite a few decades, and under the alias of Abraham Lincoln, he was even the president of the United States! The guy's so old, he even served under King Arthur, and it's thus not surprising that the Immortal is the first superhero, operating since the second World War. It's also made him arrogant and bitter however, and it makes him a tough guy to be around, but the Guardians gradually come to accept him.

This is kinda interesting Honest Abe still alive and kickin'.

War Woman
The incredibly strong and durable lesbian warrior from another, Amazonian realm. War Woman, in essence, is just a spoiled child trying to rebel against mommy. Her attitude brings her into conflict with most of the males on the team, and she even had a very brief sexual relationship with Darkwing. But didn't I just say she was a lesbian? She is, as she finds out after she sleeps with Darkwing. Having lived all her life in a dimension that only has women, she figured an experiment was in other. War Woman telling Darkwing that she has learned of her true sexuality in front of the other Guardians is something Darkwing never heard the end of.

I like Lesbians! The bit with Darkwing is priceless.

The Red Rush
Russia's fastest man, and consequently, the fastest man alive. He resembles Barry Allen in a way, in that he's an easy-going, handsome and social kind of guy. However, he also has that JLU Wally to him in that, most of the time, he either doesn't know what he's doing, or he knows what he's doing but messes up. As the most powerful member of the Guardians, the Red Rush is the proverbial and literal red shirt. No matter the adventure, no matter the case, he is the first one to get taken down, and mostly in some stupid roundabout way to. You start to wonder why they even keep this guy around.

Heh, so he's probaly the best equipped guy too handle any brawl, but he's more a liability than anything. Oh the Star Trek bit :word:

Darkwing
Dark, brooding vigilante that patrols the street of his hometown, Darkwing is Batman, but a little different. He's grim, he's gritty, but he's also surprisingly upbeat while he's with the Guardians. Darkwing suffers from what can only be described as a split personality. At home, he's Frank Miller's Batman, with the Guardians, he's Adam West, which is the real reason why he doesn't want any superheroes to come to his town.

This is the best one so far!! I always thought how could you have both the Adam West Bats and Frank Miller Bats in one guy and make it work? This is pretty ingenuis, it's like the guy who's all about business at work, but gets arounds his buddies and turns into a total ******.

Aquarius
And we come to my favourite member of the Guardians. Aquarius is what Aquaman would actually be. A fish guy. No half-human, half-Atlantean crap, full on Atlantean, full on fish guy in spandex. You want to make it worse? He's the king of the seas, and he probably has the most boring job of all of the Guardians. This is a world where Atlantis isn't thrown into strife every other week, and the creatures of the sea actually obey this guy. He's the most understated badass of them all because everybody thinks he's useless, but he actually does control 3/4th of the world, and none of his subjects complain about it. If I had my way, every issue would end with Aquarius just nodding off on his throne after the issue's adventure is completed.

I do like this. I really do.

The Martian Man
Think J'onn J'onnz. Now, think J'onn being a snarky, relatively sarcastic sonuvagun. You've got yourselves the Martian Man, who is just... I don't know how to describe him. He's the most boring of the Guardians, in sharp contrast with the Martian Manhunter, leaves the Guardians at the end of every issue, only to return as if nothing happened in the next.

"I thought you'd left?"
"Didn't have anything better to do."

LOL! I get it.


The Green Ghost
We've finally come to the last member of the Guardians, who's a spoof of the Green Lantern, as you can probably infer. Of course, he didn't get his powers through some cosmic police force giving him a ring. No, this guy has to swallow this alien gem to get his powers to work (enveloping him in this icky green stuff) and puke it out if he wants to return to normal. I don't think this guy needs anything more to be said about him. He pretty much has the most impractical transformation process of any hero!

That f--kin' sucks for the guy.

Of course, in perfect parody style, they would involve stories that eerily resemble those of the early Justice League. As a five-issue series, each of them would focus on one specific adventure, and work their way backwards JLofA timeline wise:
Issue #1 - Origin of the Guardians of the Globe! (spoofing JLofA #9, where they fight the Appelaxians).
Issue #2 - Slaves of Life! (spoofing JLofA #3, where they fight Kanjar Ro)
Issue #3 - Desperate Measures! (spoofing JLofA #1, where they fight Despero)
Issue #4 - The Superpower Thief! (spoofing Brave and the Bold #30, where they fight Amazo)
Issue #5 - Starring the Conqueror! (spoofing BaB #28, the first app of the JLofA and Starro)

Of course, the focus wouldn't be on the villains, but on these guys interacting.


Good stuff all around.
 

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