Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[Jabroniville]

I love how the "Batman" guys OF COURSE have a fight that ends in a factory that makes oversized props.

REMNANT (Frank Edwards)
Created By: Mark Gruenwald & Paul Neary
First Appearance: Captain America #314 (1986)
Role: Joke Villain
Alternate Company Equivalent Of: Silly Batman Foes (goofy concept, but no clear link- though early notes indicate he was called "Wild Card" and more resembled The Joker)
Fate: Still alive at series’ end- disappears thereafter
Group Affiliations: The Redeemers
PL 8 (112)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+5)
Expertise (Carpet-Making/Sewing) 8 (+9)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Carpets) 2 (+10)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+6)
Stealth 3 (+6)
Vehicles 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Daze (Deception), Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Carpets), Improved Aim, Ranged Attack 6, Teamwork

Powers:
“Magic Carpets” (Flaws: Easily Removable) [18]
"Exploding Carpets" Blast 8 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2) (20) -- (24)

• AE: "Sharp & Burning Carpets" Blast 5 (Feats: Variable- Slashing/Fire) (Extras: Multiattack) (16)
• AE: "Arcing Carpets" Blast 5 (Feats: Split, Homing, Ricochet 2) (14)
• AE: "Wrapping Carpet" Snare 6 (Feats: Reach 4, Tether) (Flaws: Touch Range) (17)
• AE: "Whip" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach 4, Improved Hold, Improved Trip) (9)

“Flying Carpet” Flight 5 (60 mph) (Flaws: Platform) (5)
-- (29 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Whip +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Exploding Carpets +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Sharp Carpets +10 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Snare +10 (+6 Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (Nighthawk)
Relationship (Pinball, Mink)- The three form an unlikely group of ex-Nighthawk Rogues, and are quite friendly with each other on a professional and personal level. Remnant is struck particularly hard by Pinball’s death.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 11 (112)

-Ol' Remmy here was kind of a non-entity for most of the series, being a strictly minor-league criminal with a goofy gimmick (magic carpets? Really?) and appearance (6’6”, skinny as hell, and sporting a pink mohawk) hiding from the Squadron. Joining Nighthawk's Redeemers with his teammates Mink & Pinball, he doesn't play much of a part in the final battle, though he actually survives it through sheer luck. He snares Blue Eagle’s army temporarily, gets burned a bit by Thermite (Thermy missed Whizzer), then weeps as his best buddy Pinball's back is broken. Yeah, that's about it for his combat skill. Oh, and I was curious as to where the name came from- it's just "remnant" leftover fabric from after you cut carpet, which is often sold at a discount. Why they decided that was a super-villainous name, I have no idea, but there it is.

-Ken had a great find, discovering that Remnant was initially called "Wild Card" and had a much more twisted, elongated face, marking him as a Joker pastiche of sorts. This was all dropped by the end, however (I don't foresee the Joker weeping over the fallen body of a co-worker).

-Remnant's not much of a fighter, but he at least costs more points than Pinball & Shape do, and is marginally more useful. His 'magic thread' or whatever appears to be just an array of gadget-like things he can use under a single theme, so I've statted them out as devices that are Removable. It's never quite clear exactly WHAT his power truly is, as he's been shown flying, thowing bits of fabric at people (presumably they would hurt if they connected- they shred Nighthawk’s costume a bit with glancing blows, so they’re not THAT dangerous), whipping with a long tendril, throwing burning cloth (no idea on that one), exploding (you see big bursts around Nighthawk in the Cap issue) and generally snaring people (Blue Eagle got this one). With his varied attacks, I actually gave him pretty good accuracy, but he's still only PL 8 and under-Skilled & Advantaged. He’s enough to be a pain to low-damage PL 10 Nighthawk, but against the Squadron, he’s a bit outmatched in general.

[Jabroniville]

MINK (Julie Steel)
Created By: Mark Gruenwald & Paul Neary
First Appearance: Captain America #314 (1986)
Role: Joke Villain
Alternate Company Equivalent Of: Catwoman (Sexy femme fatale who is in love with the dark urban vigilante)
Fate: Still alive at series’ end- disappears thereafter
Group Affiliations: The Redeemers
PL 8 (87)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Athletics 2 (+3)
Deception 3 (+6, +8 Attractive)
Expertise (Criminal) 5 (+6)
Expertise (Heiress) 4 (+5)
Insight 3 (+5)
Intimidation 1 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 3 (+6, +8 Attractive)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+4)
Stealth 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Benefit (Wealth), Defensive Throw, Equipment 3 (Mink Gear), Evasion, Grab Finesse, Improved Critical (Claws), Power Attack, Set-Up, Teamwork

Equipment:
“Mink-Stink” Affliction 7 (Fort; Dazed & Impaired/Stunned & Disabled/Unaware) (Feats: Ranged 2) (Extras: Extra Condition, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited to Scent) (Inaccurate -1) (13) -- (14)

• AE: “Three-Pronged Claws” Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Split) (4)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Claws +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Mink-Stink +8 (+7 Affliction, DC 17)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Thrills)- A bored wealthy heiress, Mink was driven to crime as a way to get a kick out of life.
Enemy/Relationship (Nighthawk)- Mink is a former flirtacious enemy of Nighthawk, but grew to be truly fulfilled by working with him ("You've made a new woman of me"), and clearly she wanted a relationship to form. When he is killed, she takes lethal revenge on his murderer.
Relationship (Pinball, Remnant)- The three form an unlikely group of ex-Nighthawk Rogues, and are quite friendly with each other on a professional and personal level.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 10 (87)

-Mink was alongside Remnant & Pinball for most of their portion of the story, fleeing the Squadron Earth, then joining the Redeemers to train with her ex-foe Nighthawk to battle the “heroes”. She kind of had the Spoiled Heiress thing going (years before a certain Hotel Chain would get their own famous example), and basically wanted to jump Kyle Richmond’s bones by the end of it (she kissed him for giving her a "purpose in life", saying "You've made a new WOMAN of me"). During the final battle, she didn’t get up to much- I didn’t see her do much of anything except for the end, when Foxfire murdered Nighthawk. Angry as hell, Mink brutally stabbed her in the back with her Wolverine-Claws, declaring, “a heart for a heart, witch”. She was promptly KO’d by Dr. Spectrum, but this meant she actually got to SURVIVE the final battle. She failed to return for any subsequent adventures, so it seems likely that she didn't join the Squadron itself with the rest of the survivors. Too bad- she wasn't that bad a concept, a pretty platinum-blonde who had a couple gimmicks, but wasn't a major competitor.

-Like the other two "loser Redeemers", Mink is no major threat, though her Mink Stink could likely be annoying. Her claws are barely strong enough to do some damage, but she still has Power Attack alongside most other female martial artists, so that should give her enough hitting power to damage Foxfire or anyone else of human stats. The Claws are PL 7, the “Worse than Mustard Gas” Mink-Stink is PL 7.5 (though really, all Nighthawk did was cough- actual Mustard Gas at that range would probably badly injure both victim and attacker).

[Jabroniville]

MOONGLOW (Melissa Hanover)
Created By: Mark Gruenwald & Paul Ryan
First Appearance: Squadron Supreme #10 (June 1986)
Role: Illusionist, Stuck-Up Bitch
Alternate Company Equivalent Of: No one specific
Fate: Revealed to be an elderly woman by Arcanna, and retired in disgrace.
Group Affiliations: The Squadron Supreme, The Redeemers
PL 10 (137)
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 2

Skills: 
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+6)
Deception 9 (+11, +13 Attractive)
Expertise (Current Events) 2 (+5)
Insight 4 (+8)
Investigation 2 (+6)
Perception 6 (+10)
Persuasion 4 (+6, +8 Attractive)
Sleight of Hand 3 (+3)
Stealth 8 (+8)
Technology 2 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+2)

Advantages: 
Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Improved Initiative, Set-Up, Ultimate Skill (Deception)

Powers:
"Moonglow Identity"
Morph 1 (Single Form- Moonglow) (Flaws: Resistible by Will) [4]
Enhanced Advantages 1: Attractive [1]

"Illusions"
Illusion 10 (Visual, Auditory) (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Area- 12 feet, Free Action +2) (Flaws: Resistible by Will) (51) -- [57]

• Dynamic AE: "Vertigo or High-Gravity Effect" Affliction 10 (Will; Hindered & Impaired/Prone & Disabled/Paralyzed) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Extra Condition) (30)
• Dynamic AE: "Dazzling Moonbeam" Dazzle Visuals 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Touch Range) (16)
• Dynamic AE: "Invisibility" Concealment 4 (All Visuals) (Extras: Affects Others, Ranged) (12)

"Not Really There" (Both Sustained +0)
Enhanced Dodge 4 [4]
Enhanced Parry 4 [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Illusions (DC 20)
Vertigo Effect +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Iniitative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (+11 Illusions, DC 17-21), Parry +7 (+11 Illusions, DC 17-21), Toughness +1, Fortitude +3, Will +4

Complications: 
Vulnerable (Mind Control)- The Squadron Supreme have proven themselves very easy to take over mentally for some reason, as it has happened several times. This may be random chance, or an actual weakness.
Secret (Mole)- Moonglow is secretly a member of The Redeemers, a team brought together by Nighthawk to join the Squadron, and destroy it's Utopia Program from within. In addition, she is secretly a much older, frumpier woman when not wearing her illusory disguise, and is ashamed by it.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 73 / Defenses: 12 (137)

-Moonglow is among the most important of the Redeemers introduced in the last few issues, in that she's a powerful illusionist to the point where both sides are convinced of various things about her: Some think she's a telekinetic, and they all think she's a beautiful woman. Turns out, she's just making up images the whole time. In fact, she's a portly, older woman who spends all her time hiding in the background of actual fights, because she can't handle them physically. She's also shown as one of the nastier characters on the Redeemers' side, manipulating the retarded Shape into serving their needs and generally tricking everyone. She gave her identity to Arcanna the next time they were seen, and her future is unknown.

-Moonglow's very much a one-trick pony, using her Illusion power to excellent effect (it's ALL a Free Action, not just for un-moving Illusions, meaning she can do it while doing other things freely), but being helpless by herself in battle. She can make people think they're floating or induce "Heavy Gravity" so she gets a Paralysis-type Affliction at Range (it's basically the same effect- they're helpless), and she can be casually Invisible (or allow others the same priviledge), as well as keep her Illusions going indefinitely (Sustained), and it's all Dynamic. She's also got more Deception skill than anybody, given her ability at lies and stuff. She's a great teammate, and a good person to have in a fight, but the second someone sees her illusion (Machines are immune to Will saves, so can immediately spot her) they're gonna knock her right the hell out.

[Ken]

I never realised she was older, sans illusion.

[Jabroniville]

THE WHIZZER (Stanley Stewart)
Created By: Roy Thomas & John Buscema
First Appearance: The Avengers #85 (Mar. 1971)
Role: Speedster, The Family Man, The Everyman
Alternate Company Equivalent Of: The Flash (team Speedster, has goofy villains, and is the guy with a family)
Fate: Still alive and on the team
Group Affiliations: The Squadron Supreme
PL 10 (160)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 6/10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills: 
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+10/+14)
Deception 3 (+4)
Expertise (Current Events) 5 (+7)
Insight 3 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 5 (+7)
Persuasion 5 (+6)
Technology 4 (+6)
Vehicles 6 (+6)

Advantages: 
Defensive Roll 2, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Disarm, Interpose, Ranged Attack 8, Teamwork

Powers:
"Super-Speed"
Speed 11 (4,000 mph) [11]
Quickness 9 [9]
Enhanced Fighting 4 [8]
Enhanced Advantages 13: Agile Feint, Evasion 2, Follow-Up Strike, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative 4, Takedown 2, Uncanny Dodge [13]
Enhanced Dodge 4 [4]
Enhanced Parry 4 [4]

"Super-Speed Feats"
"Hit Everyone in Range" Strength-Damage +3 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst 5, Selective 5) (13) -- [16]

• AE: "Jetstream" Move Object 6 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (Flaws: Touch Range) (12)
• AE: "Rapid-Punches" Strength-Damage +3 (Extras: Multiattack 5) (8)
• AE: "Catch Projectiles" Deflect 12 (12)

"Wall & Water Run" Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling, Water-Walking) (Flaws: Limited to While Running) [2]
Immunity 1 (Friction Heat) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Super-Speed +14 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Rapid Attack +14 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Whirlwind Attack +5 Area (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +21

Defenses:
Dodge +10/+14 (DC 20-24), Parry +10/+14 (DC 20-24), Toughness +3 (+5 D.Roll), Fortitude +7, Will +4

Complications: 
Vulnerable (Mind Control)- The Squadron Supreme have proven themselves very easy to take over mentally for some reason, as it has happened several times. This may be random chance, or an actual weakness.
Relationship (Family)- Stanley is married and has a young daughter, and he is very devoted to them. Any threat against them he will take VERY seriously.
Power Loss (Speed)- Stanley requires an equivalent amount of sleep for all the time he spends running at high-speeds- he also needs to eat a great deal of calories to maintain his metabolism.
Responsibility (The Utopia Program)- The Squadron has founded a program designed to cure all the world's ills- Crime, Poverty, Disease, War... even Death itself. Some members are more dedicated than others, but they all strive to help.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 67 / Defenses: 10 (160)

-The Whizzer, much like his Golden Age namesake, is just a one-sided rip-off of The Flash. I don't know WHY Marvel keeps using that name- I guess they just love the inherent goofiness of a guy basically being named "The Pisser" running around it's myriad universes. The Whizzer was depicted as the family-man and a moral conscience of the team in Gruenwald's series- He was calm, collected and defensive, and was the most hurt by what happened to the Earth after the Squadron broke it while mind-controlled by the Overmind. He was the straightest-arrow around, except for that one time when the Institute of Evil threatened his family (and he went nuts, grabbing the deadliest gun he could find and tried to mow them all down), and it made him kind of a breath of fresh air on a team full of angsty guys with problems. He was actually one of my favorite members of the team, albeit probably too "boring" to be a regular character in an ongoing team-book.

-And even in a series with as much death as this, Gru couldn't find it in his heart to kill the guy (he & Arcanna both had FAMILIES after all), so he ended up merely tangled up in Haywire's attack during the big fight, after KOing Pinball with ease (and getting Thermite completely distracted and having him nail his own partner, Remnant). Kurt Busiek's Avengers run kind of derailed Stanley's character, making him an arrogant, ignorant jack-ass (part of why I didn't like how he handled the Squadron at all), but they at least theorized that all that time spent away from his family had made him a righteous jerk.

-Since Super-Speed is a lot less expensive in this edition, Stanley gets a bit of a break- he takes a lot from my Quicksilver build, and fits a very good PL 9.5 fighter who can also fight at range in the rare instances he has a weapon (like if you threaten his family- a bad idea to do that to ANY hero). He is REALLY fast, able to cover a chunk of the U.S. in an hour or so. He's shown as pretty awesome in the comic to support his talent, also- it's implied he would've killed the ENTIRE Institute of Evil if the Squadron hadn't saved them (he opened fire with an automatic machine-gun), and his tangling-up at the hands of Haywire in the final battle saved a LOT of guys from an ass-kicking as well.

[Ken]

Goofy Blue Eagle trivia... In the first volume of OHOTMU, in the Squadron Supreme entry, apparently they knew they were going to rename Cap'n Hawk, but didn't know to what. He was listed as Condor, and had a costume that kind of resembled the Blue Eagle uniform, but with headgear akin to his Cap'n Hawk helm.

[Horsenhero]

If the Whizzer had one drawback, it was his inability to learn. Both Hawkeye and Captain America took him down with the exact same stunt.

Throw shield/fire boomerang arrow at Whizzer

Whizzer vibrates so fast said weapon passes through him.

Whizzer fails to account for the return of the weapon.

Weapon clocks him in the back of the noggin and knocks him out.

That is his greatest downfall. That and his final uniform when the Squadron finally returns home is not tremendously fashionable. (to quote his wife): "Oh Stanley, you look like a traffic pylon."

[Ken]

If the Whizzer had one drawback, it was his inability to learn. Both Hawkeye and Captain America took him down with the exact same stunt.

Throw shield/fire boomerang arrow at Whizzer

Whizzer vibrates so fast said weapon passes through him.

Whizzer fails to account for the return of the weapon.

Weapon clocks him in the back of the noggin and knocks him out.

That is his greatest downfall. That and his final uniform when the Squadron finally returns home is not tremendously fashionable. (to quote his wife): "Oh Stanley, you look like a traffic pylon."

I wrote a letter of comment to Marvel when Hawkeye did the trick in the '99 Avengers series. Mr. Busiek's response was that there was no reason to assume that Earth-712 had a counterpart to captain Boomerang. I found this annoying.

However, when Hawkeye tried the same trick on Wally West in the JLA/Avengers (also by Busiek) and it didn't work, I felt better.

[Horsenhero]

If the Whizzer had one drawback, it was his inability to learn. Both Hawkeye and Captain America took him down with the exact same stunt.

Throw shield/fire boomerang arrow at Whizzer

Whizzer vibrates so fast said weapon passes through him.

Whizzer fails to account for the return of the weapon.

Weapon clocks him in the back of the noggin and knocks him out.

That is his greatest downfall. That and his final uniform when the Squadron finally returns home is not tremendously fashionable. (to quote his wife): "Oh Stanley, you look like a traffic pylon."

I wrote a letter of comment to Marvel when Hawkeye did the trick in the '99 Avengers series. Mr. Busiek's response was that there was no reason to assume that Earth-712 had a counterpart to captain Boomerang. I found this annoying.

However, when Hawkeye tried the same trick on Wally West in the JLA/Avengers (also by Busiek) and it didn't work, I felt better.

Honestly, I just thought it was lazy writing, but since the whole "Squadron Supreme get controlled by the Corruptor" story was just a set up for re-introducing Imus Champion I gave it a pass (mostly).

[Ken]

My love of George Perez' art and my usual fondness for Busiek's writing had me getting Avengers religiously at the time. And even if I hadn't, I'm sure an appearance by the Squadron Supreme would have suckered me in, despite the subpar writing.

[Jabroniville]

Goofy Blue Eagle trivia... In the first volume of OHOTMU, in the Squadron Supreme entry, apparently they knew they were going to rename Cap'n Hawk, but didn't know to what. He was listed as Condor, and had a costume that kind of resembled the Blue Eagle uniform, but with headgear akin to his Cap'n Hawk helm.

Neat- I was wondering about why he was listed as "Condor" in that one pic, and had that weird outfit.

I'm glad the Squadron builds are going over so well- I guess the sheer amount of time (six years!) between postings has done some good, and people are wanting to hear about these guys again! Nighthawk, Hyperion and Blue Eagle in particular have a lot more commentary done on them than I'd done before.

It's funny how long I've been wanting to re-post these guys- but I always hesitated, not sure if people'd just ignore them because they'd been done before (and unlike many other Marvel characters, had been mostly untouched since last time). But it'd always REALLY irked me to see names like Quagmire, Foxfire and others pop up in my Alphabetical Lists as guys not touched since the "Atomic Think Tank" era- their names stuck out like sore thumbs. So it's doubly-great to be able to post them, AND see that the builds are rather popular.

[Jabroniville]

THE MONKEY KING (Real Name Unknown)
Created By: Nick Spencer & Ariel Ollivetta

You know, it's a shame that the Monkey King doesn't get used more in superhero comics. Yeah, he invites obvious Dragon Ball Z comparisons, but that's like noticing how many similarities John Carter of Mars has with a lot of popular sci-fi: they were both there first.

Based on the mythology, Sun Wukong (however you want to spell it) would be like some kung fu version of Thor. He was immensely strong, fast and skilled, had a magic cloud he could fly on, could shapeshift into virtually any form, change his size, could pluck out his hairs and either fling them like bullets or transform them into weaker clones of himself (who could still shapeshift and use his other abilities), had excellent perception, and knew magic that let him control the weather, bind demons and various other tricks, and wielded an indestructible staff that could alter it's length and size on command.

Plus he had an excellent story of initially being an antagonist (not really evil, but mischievous and without a real sense of the consequences of his actions) before being redeemed. A contemporary monkey king would likely be a very Spider-Man-like character, somewhat mischievous with a sense of humor, but with a sense of responsibility and a genuine desire to do good. But also capable of throwing down with the likes of Thor, which should be pretty awesome.

Heh, I was actually thinking about this not that long ago, as his abilities and attitude would make him a pretty great story. I'm actually quite shocked he hasn't been adapted more for Western comics.

Yeah, it's kind of weird, but understandable- if you're not Greek or Norse, Marvel's writers don't really care about you. DC's only care about the Greeks, too. There's like, one famous Egyptian God in Marvel (Seth), and that's it. Everyone else is just Filler to them. Which is too bad, because there is ENDLESS story potential out there for Thor or Hercules running around and butting heads with rival Pantheons- the Chinese one in particular has some terrific weirdos. If the Celtic ones didn't have such F'd up names ("Cuchullain"? And hell, most of the others look like someone just threw alphabet soup at the wall), they'd be great, too.

[Ares]

Yeah, it's kind of weird, but understandable- if you're not Greek or Norse, Marvel's writers don't really care about you. DC's only care about the Greeks, too. There's like, one famous Egyptian God in Marvel (Seth), and that's it. Everyone else is just Filler to them. Which is too bad, because there is ENDLESS story potential out there for Thor or Hercules running around and butting heads with rival Pantheons- the Chinese one in particular has some terrific weirdos. If the Celtic ones didn't have such F'd up names ("Cuchullain"? And hell, most of the others look like someone just threw alphabet soup at the wall), they'd be great, too.

Pretty much. There's lots of fun Egyptian, Chinese and Japanese gods that would be a lot of fun. I'm less familiar with the Celtic ones, but I have little doubt there's some gems there.

One idea I'd probably rip off in my own comics universe is that the "Thor"-esque character for my JLA/Avengers type team would probably be Marduk, Babylonian god of cities, justice, compassion, healing, regeneration, magic, fairness, and the storm. The Real Ghostbusters animated series had Marduk show up in modern day New York, adopting it as the greatest city on Earth and making himself it's champion. In effect, he acted like a superhero until his old foe, the dragon Tiamat, showed up, and the two engaged in a duel to the death. Only the Ghostbusters were able to help him defeat Tiamat and Marduk decided to enjoy a brief retirement, which for a god could be a few 100 years. Along with the Monkey King, Marduk makes for an excellent addition to a superhero setting.

I do understand the reluctance of using the Hindu gods, given its an active and popular religion.

[Jabroniville]

THERMITE (Sam Yurimoto)
Created By: Mark Gruenwald & Paul Ryan
First Appearance: Squadron Supreme #10 (June 1986)
Role: Blaster, Goof-Off
Alternate Company Equivalent Of: No one specific
Fate: Killed after his thermal control Regulator Pack was accidentally destroyed by The Whizzer during the final battle.
Group Affiliations: The Squadron Supreme, The Redeemers
PL 9 (127)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 2 (+4)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+8)
Deception 5 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 2 (+2)
Insight 3 (+4)
Perception 4 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Thermal Blasts) 4 (+10)
Stealth 4 (+7)
Technology 2 (+2)
Vehicles 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Daze (Deception), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Fire Blast), Improved Smash, Ranged Attack 6, Set-Up, Startle, Taunt, Teamwork

Powers:
"Thermal Control"
"Ice Snare" Affliction 8 (Strength/Sleight of Hand; Hindered & Vulnerable/Immobile & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative, Extra Condition) (32) -- [35]

• AE: "Fire or Ice" Blast 8 (Feats: Split, Variable- Heat or Cold Damage) (18)
• AE: "Ice Creation" Create 4 (Extras: Continuous) (8)
• AE: "Ice Slick" Affliction 9 (Dodge; Hindered/Prone) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Ranged) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery) (9)

Environment 3 (Heat, Cold, Impede Movement) [6]
Immunity 10 (Fire, Cold Damage) [10]

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Snare/Trip +10 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Snare +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Iniitative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +3

Complications:
Vulnerable (Mind Control)- The Squadron Supreme have proven themselves very easy to take over mentally for some reason, as it has happened several times. This may be random chance, or an actual weakness.
Weakness (Thermal Regulator)- Thermite wears a Regulator Pack on his back, which allows him to handle the excessive temperature variances within his own body. If it is ever damaged, he will be subjected to a massive Damage effect centred around his own body, which may explode elsewhere.
Secret (Mole)- Thermite is secretly a member of The Redeemers, a team brought together by Nighthawk to join the Squadron, and destroy it's Utopia Program from within.

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 51 / Defenses: 14 (127)

-Thermite, thrown into the mix as a "mole" on the Squadron by Nighthawk, is a fire/ice-powered guy, which is such an obvious design (so many ice & fire type guys in comics to the point of being generic and uninteresting, but comparatively few with BOTH powers) that I'm shocked it's only been used on on really minor, forgettable characters. He didn't get much characterization though- Thermite is easily the least-developed character of the series. He was depicted as a joker who's always dependant on a temperature regulator thanks to his hot/cold powers (it's implied he acts out to hide his own frustrations)- but all this characterization takes up about two panels of space. In the final battle, he didn't play much of a major role, missing Whizzer a bunch, accidentally burning Remnant, then getting Whizzer's feet planted right into his regulator pack after he was tripped by Haywire, which caused his body to erupt in a massive ice shelf. It was stated at the end of the book that he had a 10% chance of recovery, and later material revealed he'd died.

-Curiously, he's one of the few Squadron members to get a Mainstream Marvel version- that's where his real name comes from (it was never given in Gruenwald's series). He had identical powers, and even broke Spider-Man's goofy one-shot Spider-Armour, but a single punch KO'd him, and he's never been seen since. So not much of a run in either case- I think he's been in four different issues combined.

-Thermite is a pretty cheap build, since his powers aren't fancy at all. It's just fire from one hand, and ice with the other, with few special stunts or feats given in his three issues of life. Light on skills, feats & abilities, he'd need some focus to come out as a balanced character. He's only PL 9 compared to his buddies, since he never really accomplished much (he froze Blue Eagle's wing in a practise fight one time, but like I said, didn't do jack in the Final Battle), but built more like a super-villain (ie. cheaper than normal). He can also create three kinds of Environments simultaneously (yes, even Heat AND Cold at once), which can be pretty handy.

[Jabroniville]

Oh man, just read an AWESOME Spider-Man comic, circa Secret Wars Part II. Here's Wikipedia's summation:

Near the climax of the events of Secret Wars II, the Beyonder, angered at humanity and the entire plane of existence, travels to Hell and informs Mephisto of his plan to erase all existence contained in this universe. Mephisto pleads with the Beyonder not to commit such an act, going so far as to make a bet with him. The Beyonder agrees, under these terms: he chooses both a champion to represent him and a separate champion to represent Mephisto; if Mephisto wins, the universe will be given a twenty-four-hour reprieve from destruction, but if the Beyonder wins, existence is finished. The Beyonder chooses Spider-Man as Mephisto's champion and decides that Zarathos will be his own champion. Zarathos' goal is not only to corrupt Spider-Man's spirit and morals, but to prevent Spider-Man from stopping an assassination attempt on the Kingpin. Spider-Man overcomes Zarathos' nightmarish attempts at corrupting him and saves the Kingpin's life. Thus the Beyonder (after re-imprisoning Zarathos inside the Soul Crystal) allows the universe one more day to exist (during that additional day came the Beyonder's defeat and seeming death).

This is EPIC. Zarathos literally mentally tortures Peter for hours, all in an attempt to get him to give up his attempts at rescuing an evil, evil man. All the while, he's just LECTURING him, taunting him about the futility of his goals and his "Responsibility". One of the neat bits is that Mephisto is attempting to cheat, and empower Peter's will- however, at the last moment, his OWN MINIONS intercede, preferring the oblivion that The Beyonder offers to Mephisto's cruel rule!

Beyonder of course notes that he was aware of this chicanery and would have stopped it anyways (gotta kiss up to the boss- Jim Shooter's "Baby" being The Beyonder), but now Peter is left all alone... and he FIGHTS BACK. Despite Mephisto repeatedly chiding Parker's weakness (his initial choices for champion were Thor & Silver Surfer- both beyond "mere mortals" like Spidey), The Beyonder looks at Spider-Man fighting back and just goes "incredible" in small letters. Spider-Man admits that his attempts to save the Kingpin's life are silly and "dumb", but that he was RAISED that way, and simply can't allow a callous murder to go through, even to a monster like Fisk. Spider-Man DEFEATS Zarathos and saves the day.

Just a great showcasing of Peter's indomitable will, triumphing over impossible odds. Tom DeFalco did a hell of a job here.