Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Space Giants! The Starjammers! The Black Order!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Ares wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 7:34 am Around 5 or 6 that I'm aware of.
Weird. I think they JUST started airing it over here. I have 6 episodes set to go on my PVR.

I think the issue is, it has two titles, and only one airs on the standard Disney Channel- Big Hero Six and Big Hero Six: The Series. So I was only getting the one.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Time-Keepers

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

THE TIME-KEEPERS (Ast, Vort & Zanth, aka The Time-Twisters)
Created By:
Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, Roy & Dann Thomas, & Paul Ryan
First Appearance: Thor #282 (April 1979)
Role: Chronal Manipulators
Group Affiliations: The Time Variance Authority
PL 12 (276)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 12 AWARENESS 5 PRESENCE 5

Skills:
Deception 5 (+10)
Expertise (Science) 10 (+22)
Expertise (History) 10 (+22)
Insight 3 (+8)
Technology 10 (+22)

Advantages:
Eidetic Memory, Inventor, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Masters of Time"
"Age to Dust" Weaken Strength 12 (Extras: Area- 500ft. Cone +5) (72) -- [74]
  • AE: Energy Blast 12 (24)
  • AE: Movement 6 (Time Travel 3, Dimensional Travel 3) (Extras: Portal +2) (24)
Immunity 11 (Life Support, Aging) [11]
Force Field 6 [6]

Summon Beings From Throughout Time 8 (Extras: 64 Minions +12, Active, Horde, Controlled, Variable 2- Any Kind of Being) [152]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Energy Blast +10 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Age to Dust +12 Area (+12 Weaken, DC 22)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +6 (+12 Force Field), Fortitude +8, Will +10

Complications:
Motivation (Saving Time)- The Time-Keepers wish to undo the rise of humanity- crippling it (via their champions, The Avengers) so that they do not become the scourge of the galaxy.

Total: Abilities: 84 / Skills: 48--24 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 243 / Defenses: 17 (276)

-At the end of time, as the universe was nearing its end, the Time Variance Authority created a trio of beings meant to be a gift to the next universe. However, these "Time-Twisters" came out immediatley flawed, and intended to observe the beginning of our universe, destroying every era as they went back in time. Thor & Jane Foster came to "He Who Remains" right before the Twisters hatched, and Jane convinced him to undo their creation.

-In a What If? comic, He Who Remains re-did his creations as The Time-Keepers, intending for them to guard the time-stream. However, repeated shifts in reality have brought both Keepers and Twisters to fruition at different times. The Keepers would use the future form of Kang- Immortus- as their primary agent, getting him to eliminate Twister-focused realities. As you might imagine, combining two separate realities, two separate Kangs, and TIME TRAVEL makes for a nightmare of continuity.

-The Time-Keepers are most famous for their part in the Continuity Porn-ariffic, phenomenal Avengers Forever, which features them directing Immortus further to ruin the ascendance of humanity (who are apparently destined to rule the stars, via control of the Destiny Force), while he's opposed by Kang, The Avengers, Rick Jones and the Kree Supreme Intelligence. In the end, Rick Jones calls forth the Destiny Force to destroy their Macguffin that would ensure their dominance forever, and Kang then executes them.

-Shockingly, nobody casually resurrected them- instead, a Marvel Knights book retconned in a fourth one, who was exiled to Earth's past in Ancient Egypt. There, he acts as a wise and mysterious "Oracle".

-The Time-Keepers are only barely stat-able, and have such varied showings that they're really better as "Manipulators" than something you fight. They're quite formidable, but beyond their Summoning they probably couldn't take out the Avengers by themselves. Typically, it's their PLANS you have to fight.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Tailhook

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

TAILHOOK (Marissa Paulsen)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Chris Marrinen
First Appearance: Nova #2 (Feb. 1994)
Role: Vigilante, Rapist-Hunter, One-Shot Heroine
Group Affiliations: None
PL 6 (71)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Athletics 6 (+8)
Deception 4 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Equipment 2 (Crossbow- Blast 4, Whip +1- Damage +0, Reach 2, Fast Grab & Improved Disarm), Ranged Attack 5

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Whip +8 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Crossbow +7 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +2

Complications: 
Motivation (Murdering Rapists)- Marissa began killing rapists after her sister committed suicide after becoming a public spectacle due to being a rape victim in a sensational case.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (71)

-Tailhook dresses like a dominatrix, but is actually a vigilante, specializing in murdering rapists after her sister was raped as part of a famous "Tailhook" scandal (she was a Persian Gulf vet, and was raped at a Naval convention), and committed suicide as a result. She appeared in Nova, a short Limited Series featuring the then-New Warriors cast member in his first solo book since the 1970s- Nova initially thought his girlfriend, Laura Dunham, was Tailhook, but eventually figured out the truth. When Nova confronted her, she leapt to her death from a building, not wanting to become a media spectacle like her sister had become. So, you know, an uplifting ending!

-She is called "The Tailhook Killer" throughout the comic, but Nicieza calls her "Tailhook" in the letters column. The Tailhook Convention incident was pretty big news in 1991 apparently (hundreds of servicemen committed numerous instances of rape and sexual assault during a convention, and hundreds of careers were stalled or ruined as a result, which some viewed as an overreaction and overreach), and Nicieza stuck a fictional character into the mix, throwing some "vengeance" into this one-off vigilante.  Rape and sexual assault within the military continues to be a major issue, and much was made of it in recent years, though things have gone quiet again- in general, MEN are actually harrassed & assaulted more often than women, though not percentage-wise.

-Tailhook is a Weapon-User with a Crossbow & a Whip, but pretty minor-league, given her origins and the fact that she only killed glorified Bystanders/PL 4 Criminals at most.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Tiboro

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

TIBORO
Created By:
Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
First Appearance: Strange Tales #129 (Feb. 1965)
Role: Forgotten Villain, Would-Be God
Group Affiliations: None

-Tiboro is a one-off Magic Villain created for a Stan & Steve tale in the 1960s- he was worshipped as a God-King of Peru, and was said to have ruled the world at one point. He was banished from Earth and his civilization collapsed, leaving only his Screaming Idol. When the Idol was uncovered in modern times, Dr. Strange investigated the source of its powers, and fought Tiboro in the "Sixth Dimension", defeating him. Later, Strange and the Black Knight allied to beat a stronger Tiboro, Strange beat him again when he tried to form a new cult around his Idol, and then he allied with Clea against Umar & Baron Mordo. Finally, he was beaten by Miss America Chavez when he tried to make her his bride.

-He's a magician, so just use my Magic Villain Template. He tends to focus on Flying Discs for transport, Energy Blasts for combat, and the ability to manipulate all inanimate matter while in the Sixth Dimension.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Toad

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

This guy has more bad looks than Wonder Man.

THE TOAD (Mortimer Toynbee)
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The X-Men #4 (March 1964)
Role: Recurring Foe, Butt-Monkey Villain
Group Affiliations: The Brotherhood of Mutants, Freedom Force, HYDRA, Project: Black Womb
PL 9 (156)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 8
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+15)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+11)
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Criminal) 3 (+5)
Insight 5 (+6)
Intimidation 4 (+4)
Investigation 4 (+4)
Perception 6 (+7)
Sleight of Hand 2 (+6)
Stealth 4 (+12)
Technology 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Chokehold, Defensive Roll 2, Elusive Target, Improved Critical (Tongue), Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Set-Up, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Toad-Like Physiology"
"Pheromones" Mind Control 4 (Extras: Area- Scent Perception) (Flaws: Touch Range) [12]
Movement 3 (Wall-Crawling 2, Sure-Footed) [6]
Leaping 3 (60 feet) [3]
Comprehend 2 (Speak to & Understand Animals) (Flaws: Limited to Frogs & Toads -2) [1]

"Psychoactive Resin From Pores" Affliction 4 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) (Extras: Cumulative, Reaction +3) (20) -- [22]
  • AE: "Grappling Tongue" Affliction 8 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Defenseless & Immobile) (Feats: Reversible, Tether, Reach 5) (Extras: Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, One Target At a Time -2) Linked to Damage 4 (Feats: Reach 5) (18)
  • AE: "Wind Gust" Affliction 6 (Strength or Athletics; Hindered/Prone) (Extras: Ranged) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery) Linked to Blast 2 (7)
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Tongue +10 (+8 Affliction & +4 Damage, DC 18 & 19)
Pheromones +4 Area (+4 Affliction, DC 14)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +13 (DC 23), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +3 (+5 D.Roll), Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Prejudice (Obvious Mutant)- Toynbee cannot pass for an ordinary human.
Motivation (Power)- Bullied and crapped-on by Magneto, Mortimer developed an inferiority complex, and he now fights to overcome it, becoming a power-obsessed danger to others.
Obsession (The Scarlet Witch)- The Toad believed that Wanda cared for him, and he was obsessed with her, despite her obvious repulsion at every facet of his being.
Involuntary Transformation (Appearance)- Toad's powers are constantly in flux, as well as his appearance- he tends to shift in height, weight, obesity, thinness, skin colour, and more- ever since that damn movie came out and artists were unable to see eye-to-eye about what he was supposed to look like.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 48--24 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 44 / Defenses: 15 (156)

Total Toady:
-The Toad made his debut as one of those classic Lee/Kirby Villains- horribly deformed, misanthropic and utterly reprehensible. His entire gimmick was that he was, well, a TOADY, licking Magneto's boots and fawning over his cruel master, while the Master of Magnetism treated him with utter disgust and contempt. His backstory includes a life of ill treatment over his ugly appearance- parental abandonment and orphanage abuse, which could be used for SYMPATHY, but typically only justified his selfish attitude for himself. He spent the early part of Marvel's Silver Age kissing up to Magneto, having his romantic advances rebuffed by the Scarlet Witch, and being used as a human shield by the other Brotherhood of Evil Mutants members. At one point, he was captured alongside Magneto by the mysterious Stranger, and Magneto abandoned Toad when he escaped. By this point, he had realized that Magneto cared nothing for him, and abandoned his post.

Bronze Age Toad:
-The Toad became a bit of an oddity after this point, acting as a solitary villain more often than not. He used a castle of Arcade's in an attempted to kill the Angel, became suicidal after Doctor Doom booted him out of it, and was reassured by Spider-Man- joining a loser squad called "The Misfits" alongside Spider-Kid & Frog-Man. He would quickly revert to type, and attacked the Scarlet Witch & Vision using The Stranger's technology. Chris Claremont clearly NEVER liked the character, as the revolution in the X-Books took place without ever considering Mortimer- even the Brotherhood was more or less taken over entirely by Mystique, with The Blob being the only Silver Age member to return- the rest were all newbies like Pyro, Avalanche, and others. Seriously, it's kind of weird that one of the most recurring X-Villains of the '60s was so completely ignored by Claremont's epic run.

Iron Age Toad:
-The Toad returned to... well, not PROMINENCE, exactly, but he started getting used again in the Iron Age. Fabian Nicieza used him as an inexplicable manipulator during his Kings of Pain quartet of tales in the X-Annuals, competing with Gideon to see if they could resurrect the mighty Proteus (it didn't work). By this point, he had become the leader of the Brotherhood again, recruiting The Blob, Pyro, Sauron & Phantazia. Nicieza wrote them attacking X-Force, but they suffered a humiliating defeat. This incarnation turned into Recurring Jobbers, though luckily avoided the slaughtering of most of the X-Rogues during the '90s- they would lose to Darkhawk, Sleepwalker, X-Factor and others.

-The Toad got a new lease on life with the successful X-Men movie- played by "movie martial artist" Ray Park, he was funny, ill-mannered (he ate a pigeon using his prehensile tongue), and was the victim of the worst joke in the history of film. Despite never reappearing, this led to a bit of a clumsy resurrection in the gimmick, as he suddenly appeared with a more human-like stance- said to be the result of The Stranger's equipment reversing mutations brought about by... The Juggernaut's father? ... Okay.

-Alas, this led nowhere, as fans kind of saw through the transparent alteration of a loser character (the same way most fans did when Marvel replaced all their heroes with women & minorities at once), and he never took off. That he was with the Brotherhood, which by this point had lost all credibility and tended to just be a series of one-off opponents, didn't help. He managed to kill The Eel in a Bloodsport Tournament in Wolverine, but Logan beat him in the next round, sparing his life. Grant Morrison used him as a second-in-command of Magneto for his Planet X story arc, which was later revealed to be Xorn in disguise- Toad was more forceful with his master, but still abandoned the scene when Logan killed him.

Modern Toad:
-The Toad was a backgrounder during much of the "198/Utopia" stuff, but reappears in Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men as the school's janitor, being trusted by Logan as having reformed. In this book, he develops a crush on Husk, who is going through clear mental problems that seem to be ignored by everyone else (who are, to be fair, quite busy). In a minor arc, he follows her to the Hellfire Academy, but is disgusted to find himself still a janitor. Finally, disgusted with the Academy's actions, he breaks out with Quentin Quire, eventually saving Husk and her sanity during the subsequent brawl. He & Husk attempt to reconnect, but the self-loathing Toad abandons the school and her, feeling that she'd soon see him "for what I really am", and he runs off with the descendant of Victor Frankenstein (who'd been forced to join Logan's school earlier; Toad had refused him and another ex-Hellfire Academy kid in their attempts to leave), acting as his assistant.

The Toad as a Whole:
-The Toad is a bit of a loser character- one of those Silver Age guys not created with much depth- just some irony (he worshipped someone who openly despised him). This lack of character led to him just being a standard "Hideous Villain" and backgrounder in many stories, usually as a one-off foe. Artists in the '90s tried to give him a more menacing, hunched appearance, but his Brotherhood were total Jobbers and thus lacked credibility. The modern day has seen many attempt to turn him into a quality "Sad Sack" character, and it kind of worked in Aaron's case, but he's still not really that deep. It doesn't help that people keep trying to make him more bad-ass, which never really "takes". Though his best moment ever was in W&TXM, as he defeats the mighty Sauron using only a mop.

The Toad's Powers:
-Toad's a PL 9 with his Tongue Snare, a PL 6.5 unarmed, and a PL 9 defensively, making him not really well-rounded, but potentially dangerous. Notably, his best attack still can only hurt one person at a time. He's hard as hell to hit, and can modify some of his caps, but he's no powerhouse in combat. The Grappling Tongue thing is dangerous, but limited to only one target at a time (a pretty big Flaw for something that Snares people), so he's best off in team battles, tying up one of the heroes for a teammates' attack. And yeah, apparently he's recieved even MORE power-ups over the years, so he can also use a Paralyzing Aura and a Wind Gust, in addition to Communicating with Amphibians. I would bet CASH MONEY that every subsequent author after that has forgotten those powers (Jason Aaron sure as hell never used them), so I'm only leaving them for completion's sake.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 07, 2022 7:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Batgirl III
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:17 am
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Jab's Builds! (The Black Order! Talos! Time-Keepers! The Toad!)

Post by Batgirl III »

I’d like to think that Toad has potential as a character, he’s just never quite been used right. He’s been part of the X-Men universe since nearly day one (the fourth issue!) and usually appears in most adaptations of them into cartoons, films, or whatever. So he’s a known character, even if he’s known mostly for being an absolutely pathetic loser. Personally? I say roll with it.

Rather than try to turn him into a Darth Maul martial artist badass (all due respect to Ray Park, there wasn’t ever anything that was going to “put him over”) embrace the fact that he’s well-known both to the audience and in-universe as a pathetic loser. Toad isn’t Darth Maul, he’s Signor Ugarte from Casablanca.

Embrace his inherent Peter Lorre-ness. Pair him up as the partner to someone like Sandman or Juggernaught in one of their occasional “bad guy who tries to go straight but is still bad” periods. Have Toad be the shifty stool-pidgeon that Moon-Knight or the Punisher has to rough-up to get some information out of. Have Toad sell discarded Asteroid-M tech to gangsters out of the back of a van.

Basically, do anything with him other than try to fight the X-Men.
BARON wrote:I'm talking batgirl with batgirl. I love you internet.
User avatar
catsi563
Posts: 4130
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:29 pm
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Contact:

Re: Jab's Builds! (The Black Order! Talos! Time-Keepers! The Toad!)

Post by catsi563 »

I disagree entirely I thought Park did a great job as toad and I liked his version. He was menacing and dangerous without being overpowered. He could give spidey or Daredevil and Cap a fight, and wasn't just a lick spittle.
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

Showdown at the Litterbox

Catsi stories
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (The Black Order! Talos! Time-Keepers! The Toad!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Batgirl III wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 7:12 am I’d like to think that Toad has potential as a character, he’s just never quite been used right. He’s been part of the X-Men universe since nearly day one (the fourth issue!) and usually appears in most adaptations of them into cartoons, films, or whatever. So he’s a known character, even if he’s known mostly for being an absolutely pathetic loser. Personally? I say roll with it.

Rather than try to turn him into a Darth Maul martial artist badass (all due respect to Ray Park, there wasn’t ever anything that was going to “put him over”) embrace the fact that he’s well-known both to the audience and in-universe as a pathetic loser. Toad isn’t Darth Maul, he’s Signor Ugarte from Casablanca.

Embrace his inherent Peter Lorre-ness. Pair him up as the partner to someone like Sandman or Juggernaught in one of their occasional “bad guy who tries to go straight but is still bad” periods. Have Toad be the shifty stool-pidgeon that Moon-Knight or the Punisher has to rough-up to get some information out of. Have Toad sell discarded Asteroid-M tech to gangsters out of the back of a van.

Basically, do anything with him other than try to fight the X-Men.
Yeah, Peter Lorre is a great example- the X-Men Evolution cartoon sort of used him as the "Disgusting little twerp" character, and he worked in that regard. The tricky thing is, he almost needs to be a recurring character to make that kind of thing work, and comics kind of moved away from "Recurring Goon Squad" being a regular thing.
scc
Posts: 267
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2016 11:13 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (The Black Order! Talos! Time-Keepers! The Toad!)

Post by scc »

Toad has the wind gust power??? How does he do it? How is it toad related? I really haven't kept up with Toad. He has definitely gotten more dangerous.
User avatar
catsi563
Posts: 4130
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:29 pm
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Contact:

Re: Jab's Builds! (The Black Order! Talos! Time-Keepers! The Toad!)

Post by catsi563 »

While I enjoyed the Park version mind you and used it for my own versions of Toad, I really liked the Xmen evolution version as one of the best versions of Toad. Slimy and snarky and Weasley but you understand why and can even at times empathize with the character.
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

Showdown at the Litterbox

Catsi stories
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (The Black Order! Talos! Time-Keepers! The Toad!)

Post by Jabroniville »

scc wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 4:56 pm Toad has the wind gust power??? How does he do it? How is it toad related? I really haven't kept up with Toad. He has definitely gotten more dangerous.
Probably a one-off when he started looking more human. I just include stuff like that, usually :).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Fuck Yeah!!!

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

You knew I was gonna include this one...

TEAM AMERICA (aka The Thunderiders)
Created By:
J.M. DeMatteis & Mike Zeck
First Appearance: Captain America #269 (May 1982)
Role: Forgotten Characters
Group Affiliations: The Thunderiders
PL 6 (84)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8)
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Stunt Worker) 5 (+9)
Insight 2 (+4)
Investigation 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)
Vehicles 4 (+8)
Vehicles 4 (+12) -- Flaws: Limited to Ground Vehicles

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Motorcycle), Ranged Attack, Ultimate Vehicles Skill

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Mental Link"
Senses 4 (Communication Link- All Four Thunderiders) [4]

"The Marauder" Summon 2 (Extras: Heroic +2) (Flaws: Limited to While The Others are Present, Requires Host) [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Fighting Crime & Chaos)

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 10 (84)

-This bunch of goofs was called- believe it or not- TEAM AMERICA in their debut, and were a bunch of motorcycle stunt riders who were secretly mutants that could "Captain Planet" a character named The Masked Marauder into existence when they combined their mental powers together. They were actually created to sell a set of toys meant to replace an Evel Knievel line of action figures (Knievel had been arrested for assault in the late '70s). Poor J.M. DeMatteis was the schmuck who had to introduce them ("this was another one we kind of got forced into doing") during his much-lauded Captain America run, which was supposed to advertise their ongoing series. They also got a cross-over with The New Mutants (I actually remember them, but only because of their name), but it didn't help: Team America was cancelled after only twelve issues.

-The members of Team America are the children of five women who were experimented upon by HYDRA as part of an old project. By INSANE COINCIDENCE, four of them ended up becoming Stunt Motorcycle Racers (this was a few years after Evel Kneivel's heyday, and that was still kind of a big thing, I suppose), and the fifth a mechanic. Wolf, Honcho & R.U. Reddy teamed up with Captain America in their first mission (HYDRA was involved with something, and the men were unconsciously-created a "Marauder" to fight them), and soon added Wrench & Cowboy to the group. They learned from Professor Xavier that they had the Mutant Power to summon a powerful biker to fight for them, and "manifest" it onto the body of a host. Yes, all five mysteriously had the same ability- this was back when "their parents got irradiated" was a going explanation for most Mutant Powers- eventually this'd be dropped, and it would just be a thing that happened.

-Having lost the rights to the name "Team America", they soon became the Thunderiders, but have basically never reappeared since doing so in an issue of The Thing. This is probably another one where Marvel doesn't own the full rights thanks to it being a toy line, and really- if they don't give a rat's ass about the Rom rights, why would they bring back THESE dorks? I'm a bit stunned that even Mark Gruenwald & Kurt Busiek hadn't thought to stick them in background scenes, though.

-The five members of Team America are all elite racers (though Wrench is often the team mechanic) and good fighters, but more in the realm of PL 5.5 melee guys who couldn't hold up against much more than thugs in a scrap. They all have the ability to Summon The Marauder, which is rather cheap as they split the cost amongst themselves (Planeteer style).

The Members:
HONCHO (James McDonald)- PL 6 (103): Intelligence 3, Awareness 4, Presence 4, Investigation 2 (+9), Jack-Of-All-Trades, Languages 2 (Various), Leadership, Ranged Attack 2 [19]
-An ex-C.I.A. investigator who quit because of too much interference and pencil-pushing going on. Leads the team, and is known to be multi-skilled.

COWBOY (Luke Merriwether)- PL 6 (86): Equipment 1 (Lasso), Ranged Combat (Lasso) 2 (+7) [2]
-Self-explanatory. An ex-rodeo guy.

WOLF (Real Name Unknown)- PL 6 (90): Strength 3, Toughness 4, Fighting 7, Presence 1, Expertise (Biker Gang Leader) 6 (+6), Fast Grab [6]
-The token "Sullen Bad-Ass" of the team, said to be constantly disruptive and on the verge of quitting, but Team America is the only family he's ever known.

R.U. REDDY (Winthrop Roan, Jr.)- PL 6 (81): Awareness 0, Expertise (Rock Star) 2 (+5) [-3]
-The team's wild-card who is "possibly mentally-unstable" and acts recklessly. He was disowned by daddy for squandering a fortune as a would-be rock star.

WRENCH (Leonard Hebb)- PL 4 (78): Strength 1, Stamina 2, Agility 2, Fighting 4, Intelligence 4, Replace Expertise with Technology, Drop the first Vehicles Skill [-6]
-A mechanic rather than a member of the Stunt Team, he was apparently so awesome that every auto manufacturer and even NASA tried to recruit him out of college, but he turned them all down for his team.

Image

THE MARAUDER
Created By:
J.M. DeMatteis & Mike Zeck
First Appearance: Captain America #269 (May 1982)
Role: Summoned Minion
Group Affiliations: The Thunderiders
PL 8 (132)
STRENGTH
6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 7
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 6
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 7 (+12)
Deception 3 (+7)
Expertise (Stunt Worker) 8 (+12)
Expertise (Biker Gang Leader) 6 (+10)
Insight 2 (+6)
Investigation 5 (+9)
Perception 4 (+8)
Vehicles 4 (+10)
Vehicles 6 (+16) -- Flaws: Limited to Ground Vehicles

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Unarmed), Fast Grab, Equipemnt 4 (Motorcycle With Speed 8 & Leaping 5), Languages 2 (Various), Ranged Attack, Skill Mastery (Vehicles), Ultimate Vehicles Skill

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +6, Fortitude +7, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Fighting Crime & Chaos)

Total: Abilities: 94 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 6 (132)

-The Marauder (also called The Dark Rider at times) is the manifestation of the four men's powers- he appears over a host (in The New Mutants, it was Danielle Moonstar), and combines all the abilities of the five men into one being. This makes him a giant ass-kicker with the "strength of ten men"- a PL 8 Melee Fighter with a kick-ass hog.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Nov 05, 2023 6:34 am, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
Batgirl III
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:17 am
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Jab's Builds! (The Black Order! Talos! Time-Keepers! The Toad!)

Post by Batgirl III »

Team America needed to have either debuted a few years earlier, when Evel Knievel was still hot, or a few years later during the "Adjective Action Verb Animal Heroes" boom that started with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and soon spun-off into a thousand imitators: Street Sharks, Road Rovers, Mighty Ducks, Samurai Pizza Cats, and (of course) Biker Mice from Mars. Not to mention the X-Treme Sportz boom that also happened in the early Nineties and saw everyone from Barbie dolls to the X-Men suddenly learning how to roller-blade, BMX bike, skateboard, hang-glide, and more.
BARON wrote:I'm talking batgirl with batgirl. I love you internet.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Tunnelworld

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

TUNNELWORLD:
Role: Story Setting

-Tunnelworld was part of an ongoing story in Ed Hannigan's Defenders book, and featured the sorcerer Ytitnedon (hee-hee... "tit") and Arisen Tyrk, and the Defenders entering this strange world that was basically a cylinder, with gravity against the inner edge, so you could run around the "tube". Ytitnedon, and his master The Unnameable, are defeated by the Defenders after a several-issue arc that Hannigan claims "there was a lot of pressure on me to just end it and move on to something else".
User avatar
M4C8
Posts: 759
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:17 pm
Location: South-East England

Re: Jab's Builds! (The Black Order! Talos! Time-Keepers! The Toad!)

Post by M4C8 »

scc wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 4:56 pm Toad has the wind gust power??? How does he do it? How is it toad related? I really haven't kept up with Toad. He has definitely gotten more dangerous.
Expanded lung capacity, he can take it large gulps of air and then release it back out as a forceful puff strong enough to knock someone on their ass. It's one of many abilities that he's used once or twice and then they're never shown again. The official reason IIRC is because his biology has been effed with to such an extent that he sometimes develops random abilities, the real reason of course is that writers don't take the time to read up on the recent history of the characters they use.
Last edited by M4C8 on Sat Jun 30, 2018 12:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
'A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it'
Post Reply