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

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 1:04 am

MODRED THE MYSTIC
Created By: Bill Mantlo, Marv Wolfman & Yong Montaro
First Appearance: Marvel Chillers #1 (Oct. 1975)
Role: Magic Villain
Group Affiliations: The Darkhold Redeemers
PL 11 (177)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Magic) 10 (+14)
Expertise (History) 8 (+12)
Insight 4 (+8)
Intimidation 4 (+7)
Perception 4 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Magic) 2 (+10)

Advantages:
Diehard, Beginner's Luck, Improved Critical (Magic), Languages 2 (a few), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Ritualist

Powers:
"Master of Magic- Gifted by Chthon"
Flight 6 (120 mph) [12]
"Magical Wall" Force Field 4 [4]
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]
Senses 3 (Detect Magic- Ranged, Acute) [3]

Illusion (All Senses) 10 (40) -- [47]

AE: Move Object 10 (Extras: Perception Range) (30)
AE: "Telepathy" Mind-Reading 8 & Communication (Mental) 2 (24)
AE: Mind Control 10 (40)
AE: "Create Fire" Blast 12 (Feats: Variable 2- Any Energy, Split) (27)
AE: "Control Earth" Affliction 11 (Dodge; Hindered/Prone) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery, Limited to Grounded Targets) Linked to Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to Objects) (14)
AE: "Shockwave" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Both He & Target Must Be Touching Ground) (11)
AE: Teleport 8 (Extras: Accurate, Extended) (32)
AE: "Full Field" Force Field +2 (Extras: Impervious 9) (11)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Magic Blasts +10 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Mind Control -- (+10 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Earth Attacks +10 Area (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3 (+7-11 Force Field), Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility (The Will of Chthon)- Modred pledged his soul to Chthon, and must do his master's bidding when commanded.
Responsibility (His Own Man)- Modred has more lucid moments where he will fight for the greater good, but sadly he will often fall back into his old ways, turning on his allies at a moment's notice. Few will trust him for long.

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 68 / Defenses: 16 (177)

Modred- The OTHER Recurring Magic Villain:
-Modred is a rarely-seen Wizard Anti-Hero/Villain, being seen all over the place, primarily in the Darkhold Redeemers book of the 1990s. His backstory is that centuries ago, he was sent to be trained by an imposter Merlin in order to flush this villain out. He sought out the forbidden Book of the Darkhold, hoping to use its evil powers for good, but ended up selling his soul to Chthon (the writer of the Book) to save his beloved Julia (the daughter of his true mentor, the wizard Gervasse). He was later placed in suspended animation, where he laid for centuries until modern times, where he defeated the emissary of Chthon's who caused his problems in the first place. He later teamed up with superheroes like Spider-Woman and the Thing, fighting the false Merlin of his past (often called Merlin Demonspawn and things like that- he's a bit of a Retcon Character to explain away out-of-continuity "Merlins" who've shown up over the years).

-However, not long after his debut, he was twisted by Chthon again, and tried to manipulate the Scarlet Witch into falling under his sway as well- the Witch won, and Modred was left with the mind of a child. He was left in the care of Bova the cow-woman (who delivered Wanda & Pietro Maximoff), but would easily recover his magic by his next appearance, fighting the Thing and the Puppet Master, making them "Enemy Mine" in order to save each other's lives. His mind later returned as well, and decided to target Merlin once more- actually fighting the REAL Merlin's agent, Captain Britain! He beat Brian and stole his costume, but Captains Britain & America teamed up and defeated Modred in the rematch. He later escaped the real Merlin in Otherworld, returning to Earth to control Rachel "Phoenix" Summers into fighting Quasar & Excalibur- he was then hurled into another dimension by Widget (oh gosh, oh golly, oh WOW!).

The Darkhold Redeemers:
-Modred recovered and returned to Earth, but decided to confront Chthon and regain his soul. To this end, he joined the Darkhold Redeemers, a group of humans who were attempting to destroy the dark book. As a legitimately powerful superhuman (and not a regular human or a simple mystic), he was the team's "leader" and powerhouse, defeating numerous foes. Another agent of Chthon's offered him his soul back if he could find another pure soul in its place, and he agreed. He found an aged, blinded holy woman and offered her restored youth in return for her soul... but was shocked to discover that the now young woman was actually JULIA, the lost love he'd sacrficed his soul for in the first place! And then, just to cap it off, he sacrificed his own soul to restore hers from a demon... and she died in his arms trying to save him. Shakespearean, yo.

-Modred eventually left the book after Louise Hastings (a Redeemer) was killed, and took on the former Kyllian, now called Wildpride, as an apprentice. In this form, he was a recurring part of the Doctor Strange book, and a bit of an antagonist, eventually falling to Chthon again- he withheld the information that Victoria Montesi was carrying the reborn Chthon in her womb, and was teleported to Thailand while Strange exorcised Chthon's presence from Montesi's unborn child.

-Modred reappears in the Quicksilver book, gathering the pages of the Darkhold and killing several Knights of Wundagore before transfering Chthon's essence into Quicksilver. Chthon thus reigned supreme on Earth, but Modred was beaten by the Avengers before Chthon was stopped. The character thus disappeared for 15+ years, showing up again only very recently, aiding Warrior Woman (disguised as Power Princess of the new Squadron Supreme).

-Ultimately, it seems like Modred is just "whatever the writer desires", and is meant to be an Evil Wizard who is both recognizable (ie. not one of those generics invented every other year) and not Baron Mordo or someone with more "credibility". Chris Cooper, who wrote The Darkhold Redeemers, appears to be the only writer with an idea for his characterization. Everyone else just kind of makes him Generic Evil, crazy, or a schemer.

Modred's Might:
-Magic Characters are always tough to figure out regarding what powers they have, but these are the basics I can gather from online sources. I made Modred a PL 11 because he's been a challenge for Dr. Strange in the past, and he's a good match for many other characters, in addition to killing many of the Knights of Wundagore. And since Chthon is an Elder God, he can often randomly assign Modred a HUGE amount of extra power (they have a power explicitly for this purpose).

Post by **Ares** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 3:45 am

My first exposure to Modred was the Captain America/Captain Britain crossover, but then I also read some things like his earlier team-up with the Thing and Spider-Woman, and learned more about his backstory. Modred always struck me as a guy who was never really meant to be a villain, he was more of an anti-hero at worst until John Byrne used him for that Avengers story involving the Scarlet Witch. Since then he hasn't really been consistent at all. It always seemed like the whole point of the character was for a redemption arc, but as Jab said, he's generally just used as a villain whenever the writers want a somewhat well known mystic bad guy, and his characterization is all over the place.

I've probably said this before, but if I ever had a chance to write a book at Marvel, one of them would be for my own magical/supernatural team of heroes and try to make it a book that could actually sell. Modred would be on the team as the primary spellcaster and the guy everyone isn't sure about, while other members would include guys like Iron Fist, Hercules, Captain Britain, the Black Knight, Blade, etc. Brian and Dane both are tied to England, which is a major source of magic on Marvel Earth, Hercules has been killing monsters for centuries, Blade is more up to date on supernatural creatures, Iron Fist knows more about the Eastern side of the magic and the supernatural, etc. And naturally I'd give Dane back his Pendragon gear, because it was honestly the best iteration of the character.

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:57 am

MESMERO (Vincent-something)
Created By: Arnold Drake, Don Heck & Werner Roth
First Appearance: The X-Men #49 (Oct. 1968)
Role: Joke Villain
Group Affiliations: Weapon X, The Brotherhood of Mutants
PL 10 (109)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+6)
Deception 8 (+11)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 4 (+5)
Expertise (Criminal) 2 (+3)
Insight 4 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+4)
Perception 4 (+5)
Persuasion 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment (Costume- +2 Toughness), Improved Defense, Ranged Attack

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Mesmerism"
Mind Control 10 (Extras: Area- Visual Perception) (Flaws: Touch Range) (40) -- [41]

AE: "Brainwash" Affliction 11 (Will; Entranced/Compelled/Transformed Thoughts & Memories) (Extras: Cumulative) (Flaws: Vision-Dependent) (11)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Mesmerism +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Brainwash +6 (+10 Affliction, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +1, Fortitude +3, Will +5

Complications:
Prejudice (Obvious Mutant)- Mesmero is green, and cannot pass for an ordinary human.

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 41 / Defenses: 15 (109)

Mesmero- Yet Another Mind-Controller:
-This guy is SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH a throwback to older times- you can tell you're a Silver Age guy because you've got one of those stupid "Something-O" names- only the goofiest guys had stuff like that. MetallO. MentallO. AmazO. SinestrO. Soooooooooooooo goofy and silly. "Magneto" is the only one that gets a bit of a pass from me, and that's only because he turned out to be such a great character. DC has more of these than Marvel does, and tends to use them on bigger names, but I find them the most laughable ones out there.

-Mesmero is one of the absolute bottom-tier old-school X-Men foes, being created during the Silver Age book's forgotten years (ie. not part of the Stan Lee years OR the Neal Adams years), and then never appearing until the Claremont Era as a one-shot villain. His schtick at first was to mesmerize people and then rob them, leaving them confused- Magneto discovered him, and arranged to have Mesmero fool Lorna Dane into thinking that she was the daughter of the Master of Magnetism. That was... actually IT for him in the Silver Age! He didn't reappear until Claremont's day, in which he brainwashed the X-Men into serving as circus performers in a one-off that I would bet money existed so that Storm could wear a sexy bikini look again. He ends up stranded in South America by Magneto, and Claremont doesn't touch him again, finding much better characters for such things, like Mastermind and Mystique (what is it with these guys and "M"-names?).

Mesmero Gets Forgotten:
-Mesmero later becomes a bit of a "one-issue threat" Journeyman Villain, befuddling Spider-Man, Alpha Flight (where Persuasion beat him), Excalibur (he made them fight Fenris, but was beaten by Lockheed), and X-Factor. However... he became one of many, MANY characters (including Mastermind and almost the entire Hellfire Club) executed in the "Spring Cleaning" of the X-Books in the early '90s, as the Dark Riders, now free from both Apocalypse AND Stryfe, ended up taking their "Survival of the Fittest" routine in a rudderless road-show, attempting to force various mutants to prove that they were strong enough to survive. By trying to kill them. Cyclops is allowed to live after brawling with the entire team, but MESMERO is off-handedly attacked in a simple handful of pages. It's one of the most random, side-job things I've seen in comics- the Riders attack him, he uses his mesmerism to convince Psynapse to mind-zap the Riders, but Gauntlet recovers and simply guns down Mesmero, sending him to his death. Psynapse is then shot for his weakness (his coughing implies that he's one of many victims of the Legacy Virus, though he's actually an Inhuman, like most of the Riders were).

-Seriously, they offed an old character like this within a couple of pages that were largely meant to develop the DARK RIDERS of all people. I think a fan even wrote in to be like "hey, aren't you killing off a LOT of guys?" and the editors kind of laughed it off, but yeah- it's not like Mesmero had a ton of history or dignity, but it was odd how much of this went on back then. It was all the funnier because the Riders never really pulled that trick again- they were THEMSELVES exterminated in the pages of Wolverine a couple years after this.

Mesmero... Returns?:
-Despite nobody really clamoring for it, Mesmero returns a few years later, without much fanfare. He messes with the new Alpha Flight team (hanging out with the "Radius & Flex" Alpha Flight doesn't exactly bring you worldwide acclaim), and joins the Weapon X program at some point, and it's implied, mostly by online fans active at the time, that he must have used his powers to escape. I remember the early 2000s X-Men Fansites basically going "Well, we THINK he may have just used his powers to convince the Dark Riders that he survived!"... to be fair, PSYNAPSE was clumsily revealed to have been alive at the same time, so that whole thing was really a wash necessitating a lot of backtracking and "well, uh, I guess..." shenanigans. He acts as a "public relations/government liaison" guy, trying to convince people that the Neverland concentration camp doesn't exist. He visits his dying mother around this time, using his powers to convince her that she's healthy; she reveals that she's aware of the ruse just before she dies, the revelation of which causes him to lose confidence in his own powers- Weapon X then throws HIM into Neverland. Brent Jackson later helps him escape as part of a coup, and helps him with his powers.

-Mesmero was then de-powered on M-Day, gets ruined financially as a result, and later forms a relationship with a woman who saved his life, which is a HUGE amount of stuff to happen to such a minor character in a short period of time. He promises to make something of himself and reward her... but he later just becomes a super-villain again, getting his powers back inexplicably (THEY COULDN'T EVEN KEEP THAT STRAIGHT?), convincing various guys to join a new Brotherhood in order to make Mutants look bad to his employer. So... somebody didn't read the other writer's thing about the girlfriend, I'm guessing.

Mesmerizing Stats:
-A one-trick pony defined, Mesmero can really screw people up with a Mind Control array (working on everyone who can percieve him, as per the Area rules), and even brainwash them one-on-one, but otherwise? He's quick on his feet, but in protracted combat with anyone who knows his illusions aren't real is going to trounce him but GOOD. All his saves are brutally low, his Defenses are low for a fragile guy, he's got low Toughness, and he's not even particularly smart or wise. Mesmero really kind of sucks, so it's a good thing he's got an effective power (his Mind Control outstrips most of my characters' Will Saves by a bit).

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 6:49 am

So I was done the Killer Instinct builds a day-ish early, so I felt I needed to fill some space to maintain my posting-order and not screw up my "Post This on ____ Day" planning (because I'm crazy), hence the posting of Modred there, who used to have one of my patented "super-short one-paragraph bios" way back in late 2012: check it out.

heh, and there's old Ares Red Guardianing his character:

Modred is one of those guys I'm almost a 'Red Guardian Fan' of. I want to say that initially he was something of a tragic hero, someone who had given his soul up to Chthon to save the life/soul of his girlfriend, the two of them having been able to enter the room where the Darkhold was kept due to their innate goodness. I want to say he was a hero early on, helping out the Thing in an issue of Marvel Two-in-One, but when Chthon exerted control over him, he became a villain that fought the Avengers, as well as the Captains America and Britain.

He's someone I felt would have made for a nice second tier mystic hero, working to reclaim his soul, trying to do good deeds, possibly even getting it back, etc. But like Midnight Sun, he never gets that kind of push.

I think given my love for obscure characters, it's no wonder why I spend so much time in this thread. ^_^ I might have to start making requests for characters like Mechamage (the only Southern Superheroine in a suit of Magiteck Power Armor I've ever heard of) or Torgo (the alien robot, not the lackey from "Manos, the Hands of Fate").

Postby Jabroniville » Tue Oct 02, 2012 12:53 am

Ares, you oughta write a Marvel book called "Midnight Sun & Modred: D-League Superstars", and have them fight all the bottom-tier obscure villains .

Looking at that list of X-Men cards, I am always amused at the heights and weights. As the guy points out, Cannonball is built like a pro wrestler, yet weighs 150 lbs. (30 less than I do, and I am shorter and not a wrestler). Criminy, he is actually TALLER yet WEIGHS LESS that PSYLOCKE!!!

I don't get why the guy's obsessed with the card numbering, though- it really makes no difference what the order is.

Hmmm, depending on how I write Modred, it could be fun. It's important to have a nice personality mix with this kind of buddy cop stuff, like Iron Fist and Luke Cage or Odo and Garak from Star Trek DS9.

"One's a martial arts master who dresses like a pulp era crime fighter, given cybernetic cosmic power by the Kree, but at the cost of his voice and memories. The other is a master of magic who sold his soul to dark powers in order to save the ones he loved, tortured by the memories of what he was forced to do in the name of evil. Now, the two of them are going to fight to regain what they've lost, even if they have to stomp a mud hole in every D-List villain this side of Stegron the Dinosaur Man. Coming this fall, Midnight Sun and Modred are: Two Guys in Capes."

Maybe I should just make a team of 'Forgotten Heroes' like DC did, only actually use people that have some potential. I could have thrown in the 616 Mimic if they hadn't used him over in the latest X-Men book.

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 1:02 pm

MASTERMIND (Jason Wyngarde)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The X-Men #4 (March 1964)
Role: Mind Controller, Returned '60s Villain
Group Affiliations: The Hellfire Club, The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Factor Three, The Secret Empire
PL 13 (225)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+3)
Close Combat (Sword) 2 (+8)
Deception 12 (+15)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+6)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 4 (+7)
Stealth 5 (+7)
Technology 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Ranged Attack 3, Ultimate Deception Skill

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Psionic Illusions"
Illusion (All Senses) 13 (Extras: Area +4, Independent, Selective) [143]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Illusion +13 (DC 23)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Power)- Wyngarde's not entirely greedy- he just wants power in all it's forms. He wanted membership into the Hellfire Club, and wanted Jean to give him unlimited power.
Power Loss (Cosmic Beings)- While Psionic characters can just as easily be taken in by his illusions, beings like The Stranger and The Phoenix are immune. He needed a power-booster to afflict Jean Grey, and even that fell apart after a point.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 143 / Defenses: 10 (225)

Mastermind- Forgotten '60s Villain:
-Mastermind was one of many villains in the '60s that never really went anywhere, despite having a pretty decent mutant power. The problem I think was the fact that it's not really combat-ready, so the entire crux of the issue becomes "WHEN will the heroes discover the nature of his illusions?!" which gets old after a point. Mysterio suffers from the same thing in Spider-Man stories despite his beautiful, beautiful fishbowl, and I think it's why Mystique is the most successful of such characters- she can actually FIGHT.

-Mastermind was your token "Ugly Kirby Villain" without a lot of good visuals to him (there were a LOT of those guys amidst all the interesting-looking colourful villains- these gnarled, grimacing figures in what looked to be overly-large unitards), so this half-assed villain kind of vanished until the heroes needed an illusionist to fight- always a classic recurring comics tale- along with the "Nightmare & D'Spayre make guys afraid" one, and "The Hero is framed by a doppelganger".

-Mastermind debuts helping the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (god I hate that name) take over a fictional South American country, using the illusion of thousands of soldiers. It's Professor X that saves the day, as he helps the X-Men realize that the wall of flame attacking them is also illusory. The character reappears multiple times, as the Brotherhood were constant threats- his usual thing was being a creepy old weirdo, constantly suggesting the Scarlet Witch get with him, and her disgustedly rebuffing him.

-Mastermind later reappears as a member of Factor Three, alongside Unus and the Blob, but they turn on their "Mutant Master" boss when they find out he's an alien world conqueror. Later, all three re-form the Brotherhood. After this point, the X-Men book in cancelled, leading to the Brotherhood acting as goons in various other books, like The Defenders- Alpha the Ultimate Mutant turns the whole team into infants at one point.

Mastermind Reinvented:
-A villain who uses mental illusions to control people? Well CHRIS CLAREMONT sure likes that idea, doesn't he? And so, of course, Mastermind returned. But WELL into Claremont's run, and in a pretty great reveal, as it turns out that this handsome, charming guy with old-school fashions, Jason Wyngarde, is actually the creepy old MASTERMIND, now with more powerful illusions! Having joined the Hellfire Club, Wyngarde is wiling his way into Jean Grey's mind (fooling her into thinking that they're married) as she's gained the powers of the mighty Phoenix, and using her as an attempt to both get some action (I mean, she's HOT), and rise up in the Club. In one of the great "Take THAT, foul villain!" moments in comics, Jean finally comes to... and the Phoenix entity gives "Jason" access to the power he so craved- by opening his mind to the full cosmic intellect of a millennia-old force of nature. Shattered by the experience, Mastermind goes catatonic. This dark event leads to the horrific Dark Phoenix Saga, now widely considered the masterwork of the Claremont/Byrne run, and the X-Men's run as a whole.

-When he recovers (which I... completely didn't realize, as I was doing a big "shockingly, Claremont never let him recover" bit), Mastermind seeks bloody revenge- he leaves Emma Frost comatose with an illusion. He messes with Rogue's psyche and its link with that of Carol Danvers, which drives her from her foster-mother, Mystique. He then messes with Wolverine's wedding to Mariko Yashida, compelling her to break up with Logan and renew her family's link to the Yakuza. He even tries to get the X-Men to kill Cyclops' new wife, Madelyne Pryor, but Scott is thankfully wise to Mastermind's patterns by this point, and the X-Men beat him. Mastermind later attempts to regain Cosmic Insight by fighing the Phoenix Force's new host, Rachel Summers, but she and Excalibur defeat him. Rendered comatose by Rachel's illusion that he HAS gained cosmic power (ah, so THAT'S why I thought he'd never recovered; this is why he was comatose when I next saw him), he eventually dies of the Legacy Virus. Before he succumbs, he asks Jean's forgiveness for the things he's done in at attempt to gain control of the Phoenix Force once more... but she DOES forgive him, and he ultimately spares her life in his final act, preventing her from dying alongside him while she's trapped in his mind.

Mastermind's Legacy:
-Mastermind has a curious legacy- in a lot of ways, he's a '60s Relic- one of the Ugly Kirby Goons who often populated the side-act villains of the Silver Age. A very simple character, he was just a horny old coot who flirted with the Scarlet Witch and was kind of a coward. The Claremont/Byrne X-Men turned him into a more insidious weirdo, playing a sophisticate while still being a creep. He was only used a few times since his big moment in The Dark Phoenix Saga, which of course is the most well-thought-of moment in the entire run, thus making him a lot more legendary than most characters of similar circumstances. His death was one of MANY, by the way, in the early '90s of comics, which saw scads of old X-Villains tossed aside. I mean, we saw DOZENS of them just dumped in the ashcan, which is truly bizarre, given how many great villains they'd had. Between 1990 and 2000, I think we saw Destiny, Stonewall, Super Sabre, Emma Frost (comatose, but still), The Hellions (STILL BITTER), Sebastian Shaw, MAGNETO, Stryfe, Mastermind, Pyro, Poison, Tower and others all cut down in some bizarre "Spring Cleaning", probably because the new creators wanted to showcase their new Creators' Pets like all the infamous villain squads that popped up around this time.

-Ultimately, the character would end up with an even weirder legacy- not one, not two, but THREE Suddenly-Introduced Children, two of which having the same powers he had, and the third being the X-Men's own Pixie. This makes things rather confusing. He was even used in the retcon Sentry story as being the very reason Bob "Sentry" Reynolds created "The Void"- an illusion to make Bob afraid to use his powers, lest he let "the devil" out if he does. And then ANOTHER retcon has Magneto getting Mastermind to brainwash Lorna Dane into forgetting that she accidentally killed her own parents with her powers. In a very curious way, Mastermind ended up being a VERY IMPORTANT CHARACTER in a low of ways- certainly the most important Brotherhood member other than Magneto- he caused The Sentry's downfall, JEAN GREY's downfall, and sired no less than three successors. Not bad for a one-note Silver Ager.

Mastermind's Powers:
-Wyngarde is an EXPENSIVE mofo, but it's all due to his powerful Illusion Casting, which affects all senses (and he can do them as Free Actions and make them Selective). They're so convincing even powerful psionics are fooled. They can cover a wide area (I figure creating the illusion of an ENTIRE ARMY is a one-off stunt, as that would require exponential increases of the Area Extra, making him cost even more. Without the Illusions, he's a weak old man and couldn't hold up to a stiff breeze.

bsdigitalq · Post by **bsdigitalq** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 5:03 pm

Jabroniville wrote: ↑Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:57 am"Magneto" is the only one that gets a bit of a pass from me, and that's only because he turned out to be such a great character.

It also probably helps that "magneto" is an actual real world term and not some silly made up comic book villain name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 11:46 pm

bsdigitalq wrote: ↑Wed Feb 27, 2019 5:03 pm
Jabroniville wrote: ↑Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:57 am"Magneto" is the only one that gets a bit of a pass from me, and that's only because he turned out to be such a great character.
It also probably helps that "magneto" is an actual real world term and not some silly made up comic book villain name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto

Interesting. I would bet money Stan had no idea what that is- he openly admitted to just inventing science as he went along

.

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 1:13 am

MASTERMIND II (Martinique Jason)
Created By: Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
First Appearance: Wolverine/Gambit: Victims #1 (Sept. 1995)
Role: Mind Controller, Legacy Character
Group Affiliations: The Brotherhood of Mutants, The Sisterhood of Mutants, X-Corps
PL 11 (248)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+3)
Deception 9 (+12)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+6)
Insight 2 (+5)
Perception 2 (+5)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+4)
Technology 1 (+3)

Advantages:
Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Ranged Attack 3, Ultimate Deception Skill

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Psionic Illusions"
"City-Wide Illusions" Illusion (All Senses) 8 (Extras: Area- 30-mile Burst +13, Independent) (152) -- [153]

AE: "Standard Illusion" Illusion (All Senses) 13 (Extras: Area +4, Independent, Selective) Linked to Blast 4 (Extras: Perception-Ranged) (151)

Mind-Reading 6 [12]
Immunity 20 (Mental Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [10]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Illusion +11 (DC 21)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Hatred (Regan Wyngarde- Sister)- Martinique hates her sister.

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 175 / Defenses: 11 (248)

Mastermind Gets a Daughter!:
-The daughter of the deceased Mastermind, Martinique Jason debuted six years before her sister Regan did, confounding Wolverine & Gambit on the orders of Arcade. Later, she joined Mystique's Brotherhood of Mutants and made a second assassination attempt on Senator Robert Kelly, but was rendered comatose by Cable as a result (Pyro, meanwhile, died saving Kelly's life). She was later removed from the hospital under Banshee's orders to help brainwash the super-villains used by the X-Corps (these were still the "heroes", by the way). However, Mystique infiltrated the group and freed her and the other Brotherhood members (Blob, Avalanche & Fever Pitch), but Mystique broke her out, and the group went on a brief rampage in Paris. Humorously, around this time Chris Claremont introduced REGAN Wyngarde in the pages of X-Treme X-Men, showing a character with the EXACT SAME CONCEPT as Martinique- the villainous, Illusion-casting daughter of Mastermind.

-She went unseen until more-modern times, where the amnesiac woman was befriended by some aged hippies, and ended up transforming the entire city of San Francisco into its 1960s self via a massive illusory effect. The X-Men investigate, and actually become hippies THEMSELVES, but Emma Frost manages to shake it off and breaks the illusion with a psychic attack. Martinique then joins Madelyne Pryor's Sisterhood of Mutants, but by this point becomes a much-more background character, usually seen teaming with, or aguing with, her sister Regan. It was also revealed that the X-Woman Pixie is another sister of theirs, but Regan tends to get a lot more attention (having joined the X-Treme X-Men for a brief time out of necessity).

-Martinique is much like her father, but possesses enhanced Telepathic abilities, AND can create an Illusion so wide that it affected the minds of every in San Fransisco (a +13 Area Effect)! And her illusions are so realistic they can actually cause people to bleed or asphyxiate.

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 3:14 am

LADY MASTERMIND (Regan Wyngarde)
Created By: Chris Claremont & Salvador Larocca
First Appearance: X-Treme X-Men #6 (Dec. 2001)
Group Affiliations: The X-Treme X-Men, The Marauders, The Brotherhood of Mutants
Role: Legacy Character, Illusionist, The Judas
PL 10 (188)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Deception 8 (+11, +13 Attractive)
Expertise (Criminal) 6 (+8)
Insight 6 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+6, +8 Attractive)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Attractive, Equipment 3 (2 Handguns), Ranged Attack 3, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Damaging Psionic Illusions"
Illusion (Visual) 10 (Extras: Area +4, Independent, Selective) Linked to Blast 4 (Extras: Perception Range) (92) -- [94]

AE: "Illusion of Drowning" Illusion (Visual) 10 (Extras: Area +4, Independent, Selective) Linked to Suffocate 4 (92)
AE: "Psychic Maze" Affliction 10 (Will; Entranced/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Perception Range +2, Progressive +2) (50)

Mind-Reading 3 [6]

Equipment:
"Paired Pistols" Blast 5 (Feats: Split) (11)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Illusions -- (+10 Illusion & +4 Perception-Ranged Damage, DC 20 & 19)
Drowning -- (+10 Illusion & +4 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 20 & 14)
Mind-Reading -- (+3 Mind-Reading, DC 13)
Pistols +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Responsibility (Extreme Personality)- Regan is a possibly-psychopathic, hedonistic, selfish killer who will do anything to get what she wants.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 100 / Defenses: 13 (188)

Mastermind Gets a Daughter... Again:
-Here's one I didn't even know existed until I checked Wikipedia's complete roster of the X-Men a few years back. Lady Mastermind is yet another daughter of Jason Wyngarde, the first one (responsible for the famous Dark Phoenix Saga). Claremont created this one, apparently forgetting about the short-lived mid-'90s OTHER daughter who never did anything (I wonder if he just didn't know and nobody corrected him; he's actually pretty good about using X-characters created in the interim of his runs), and she teamed up with the X-Treme X-Men a few times, before betraying them a short time later to The Marauders. Now on that team, she's yet another sexy evil lady the X-Men have to fight. Really, she was only on the team for like an arc, so she should barely even count as an X-Woman.

-Lady M debuted helping out Sebastian Shaw in his attempt to take control of the criminal element in Sydney, Australia. Regan was left in a vegetative state when Sage & Lifeguard teamed up to oppose her, reflecting the illusions back. Later, she is found when the X-Men are fighting those people who I just statted by forgot the names of (*checks list* oh, the Children of the Vault), and more or less gets stuck alongside the team for the duration of a story- more or less recruited by necessity. She's only with the X-Treme X-Men for a short time, and leads the X-Men into a trap against The Marauders, who she then joins. After this point, she kind of just becomes a recurring "Background Person In Groups", using her powers to be a nuisance, but usually getting kicked in the head by Nightcrawler or stabbed in the gut by Wolverine.

Recurring Nuisance:
-She later reappears with the Sisterhood of Mutants, recruited by Madelyne Pryor, much to the disgust of her other sister, Martinique. She traps Emma Frost in an S&M-style bondage illusion, but Emma is seemingly helped by an ethereal Jean Grey, and savagely beats Regan. Later, she fights Martinique in their father's old mansion, and it's revealed that both are the sisters of PIXIE as well. Later, she allies with Mystique & Sabretooth, but is easily one-punched by Kitty Pryde. She later pops up manipulating Anole for her own amusement, having fun testing his own insecurities with her powers, as he's afraid that his reptilian looks will scare off potential dates. She befuddled all the X-Men for a while like this, but Nightcrawler broke free, and helped Anole do the same- she got too close, and was knocked out as a result. Her most recent appearance was as a woman fearful of the oncoming "M-Pox"- she was trying to let people live out their final days in happy illusions, but was helped out by Dani Moonstar (who has some experience with emotion-manipulating illusions).

-Regan seems to occupy this weird zone, now. She appears in a LOT of stories, but often as a one-off threat. Kind of like Arcade and Nightmare & D'Spayre used to, where she's there for an issue that showcases the hero's insecurities and/or willpower & smarts. It's effective, but a bit "same-y". The funny thing is how much more use she seems to get than her father did after 1970 or so. But then, modern writers REALLY like to hang onto the "Illusion/Morph as Trickery" thing, as Mystique herself occupies the same role in countless X-Titles.

Illusory Powers = Dangerous:
-Lady Mastermind may just be the most dangerous Illusionist in the Marvel Universe, even worse than Danielle Moonstar. Not just doing all-around illusions, she's can actually fool people into thinking they've been stabbed, and REALLY MAKING THEM BLEED when that happens. Similarly, "drowning" illusions make people suffocate, etc. Linked Damage & Affliction work for both of these (the rulebook even says so), though neither are at high enough levels to truly rely on affecting superheroes with them- her main deal is still basic Illusion-crafting. She also has limited Mind-Reading to figure out what her victims are most afraid of, and she can trap people in a Progressive Psychic Maze that renders them comatose. Despite this awesome, Perception-Range Array of powers, she's a Glass Cannon, incapable of facing down the slightest threat if someone manages to overcome her illusions and just starts whaling away on her.

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 5:35 am

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 7:31 am

This has GOT to be in the running for the worst Kirby Design ever.

PRESTER JOHN
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #54 (Sept. 1966)
Role: Forgotten Character
Group Affiliations: None
PL 10 (146)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+7)
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (History) 11 (+14)
Expertise (Religion) 5 (+8)
Expertise (Knight) 7 (+10)
Expertise (Survival) 7 (+10)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 1 (+4)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Equipment 3 (Armor +2, Sword +3, Staff +2- Split), Languages 3 (Nearly Any), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"The Evil Eye" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [33]
"Disintegration Beam" Blast 10 Linked to Weaken Toughness 10 (Extras: Ranged, Affects Objects) (50)
Force Field 4 (4)
-- (54 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Staff +10 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Sword +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Evil Eye Blast +7 (+10 Ranged Damage & Weaken, DC 25 & 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4 (+6 Armor, +10 Force Field), Fortitude +6, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Just Doing Stuff)- Nothing Prester John does really seems to matter. He just does stuff.

Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 33 / Defenses: 11 (146)

-One of a handful of characters with a name shared by both Marvel and DC, Prester John is named for a character in Christian folklore- a Christian King. In Fantastic Four, he was an explorer who was centuries old, having been born in East Asia. He boasts of being an ally to King Richard, and a King in his own right, but now he sports the Evil Eye after having been preserved since the 12th Century by alchemists of Avalon. Awakening in our time, he meets the Human Torch and Wyatt Wingfoot, and sees the Evil Eye destroyed. Holy crap does this ever come off like a "Filler" issue.

-John later reappears in Marvel Two-In-One, facing the Thing & Iron Man. Later appearances see him meet the Defenders and Thor while thrown back in the 12th Century. There he stays until modern times, where he comes to follow Cable as the "Mutant Messiah", then allies with the Knights of Wundagore. So despite making a handful of appearances in his history, I've never read a book featuring the guy. And his motivations seem all over the place- what's his deal? He just kind of wanders around... DOING stuff. Nothing concrete.

-Prester John is very durable, hitting PL 10 with the Force Field his Evil Eye gives him, but otherwise a PL 8-ish character.

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:23 pm

Oh wow- The Power Broker here is actually the most-recent of the builds from the original Atomic Think Tank to never be translated to a later forum. All of the later characters I'd posted in 2014 (Angie Thriller & the Seven Seconds, The S-Men, etc.) made the jump earlier.

Jabroniville · Post by **Jabroniville** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:28 pm

THE POWER BROKER (Curtiss Jackson)
Created By: Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Machine Man #6 (Sept. 1978), The Thing #35 (May 1986- as Power Broker)
Role: Living Plot Device
Group Affiliation: The Corporation
PL 7 (83)
STRENGTH -5/8 STAMINA 8 AGILITY -5/-3
FIGHTING 0/6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 6 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+10)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+14) -- (Flaws: Limited to Biology)
Insight 2 (+2)
Technology 5 (+11)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Overly-Muscled" Features 2: Increased Mass 2 [2]

"Exoskeleton" (Flaws: Removable) [44]
Enhanced Strength 13 (26)
Enhanced Agility 2 (4)
Enhanced Fighting 6 (12)
Enhanced Dodge 7 (7)
Flight 3 (16 mph) (6)
-- (55 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (-5 Damage, DC 10)
Exoskeleton +6 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +11

Defenses:
Dodge -5 (+4 Exoskeleton, DC 5-18), Parry +0 (+6 Exoskeleton, DC 10-16), Toughness +8, Fortitude +8, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)- Jackson empowers others for a heavy price, and keeps them addicted to the drugs to keep them loyal.
Disabled (Immobile)- Jackson cannot move without the use of an Exoskeleton, thanks to using his own process on himself.
Enemy (U.S. Agent)- Though John Walker used Jackson's own process to gain his powers, the two became enemies thanks to the latter's douchebaggery.
Prejudice (Freak)- The Power Broker is hideously deformed as a result of his musculature.

Total: Abilities: 14 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 46 / Defenses: 9 (83)

-The Power Broker was a great idea, actually. Initially some generic Evil Scientist dude in Machine Man's book working for "The Corporation", he later shows up in The Thing's series as one of the powers behind The Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation (a riff on the WWF, which was a HUGE fad at the time). See, Marvel had a lot of dudes with Super-Strength around, and rather than invent new origins for ALL of them, why not just utilize one guy with a super-steroid program to have created them all? This also tied in to the longstanding rumor (ie. fact) that most of Vince McMahon's WWF behemoths were using HUGE amounts of steroids to maintain their comic book-style physiques.

-So the UCWF ended up with a huge amount of low-level Powerhouses, all indebted to this mysterious "Power Broker". Curtiss Jackson hires the brilliant Dr. Karl Malus to perfect a super-steroid process that turns anyone into a Class 3-10 Superhuman- essentially Captain America times FIFTY. Through this process, Sharon Ventura (Ms. Marvel II/She-Thing), D-Man, U.S. Agent, Battlestar, The Grapplers and, most importantly, The Power Tools all ended up with superhuman strength. However, there's a great explanation as to why EVERYONE doesn't just take this process and become mighty- half of the subjects either died or were horribly mutated as a result of the process. So this explains why you don't suddenly see every criminal in the Marvel Universe built the same way.

-The Broker sent The Grapplers up against Ventura when she resisted the drugs intended to make the stuff addictive, and this resulted in Ben Grimm getting involved. He later showed up in Captain America, as a big chunk of his supporting cast ended up with the boost- the Super-Patriot and his three "Buckies" were all given the enhancements, which becomes important later when Super-Patriot becomes the new Captain America (and later, U.S. Agent).

-Eventually, when he is attacked by The Scourge of the Underworld, the Power Broker panics and uses his own process to save himself... and in a sickly form of justice, gets hit by the grotesque side-effects HIMSELF. From this point on, Jackson is a malformed, overly-muscled lump who is paralyzed due to his huge figure. He works with the Vagabond, but she quickly betrays him, and then tries to have Malus cure him by de-powering numerous past benefactors of his process. He sends the mighty POWER TOOLS to stop BattleStar's investigation, and depowers the hero, but U.S. Agent arrives and cures all of the Broker's de-poweroed victims... then breaks the machine before the Broker himself can be cured. The Broker largely leaves comics after this, as Mark Gruenwald dies, but he's revealed as being one of the Red Skull's division chiefs.

-The Broker reappears during Maximum Security, a story which features obscure alien characters being trapped on Earth as a prison planet. Now normal-sized again, he tries to recruit some aliens, but is badly beaten. He ends up possessing an alien parasite, and fights the U.S. Agent (now dressed like Judge Dredd and acting as a warden for the "prison". In the Broker's final appearance, he is murdered and replaced by the Punisher so that he can infiltrate a supervillain auction.

-The Power Broker is extremely strong, but only if his Exoskeleton allows him to move- nearly all of his Physical Abilities are dependent on it. Otherwise, he's just some semi-geniusy biologist-type.

HalloweenJack · Post by **HalloweenJack** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 5:25 pm

A guy behind wrestling physiques working for the Corporation?

I wonder who was behind all that....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNgxyL5zEAk

Post by **Ares** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 5:40 pm

I actually just re-read the entire Captain America storyline that started with his first encounter with the Super Patriot and ended with him reclaiming his identity and shield from John Walker. It's amazing how well that story holds up today, and while there's some clunky dialogue at times and it's clear Gruenwald got tired of certain characters like Nomad and Bernie after a certain point.

I'm not sure if the Power Broker's role as the guy powering up wrestlers was a Gruenwald creation or something the Thing writers came up with, but it's a very Gruenwald idea to explain the sheer number of low-tier superstrong types in Marvel. The idea that not everyone would get superstrength from it was also a nice touch, elegantly and logically explaining away why everyone didn't use it.

It's funny how, within Gruenwald's own work, Cap remarks about how it seems like everyone he fights these days is stronger than he is, and how the Super Soldier Serum is in some ways obsolete in the face of new advances in technology. It honestly makes you wonder why geniuses like Arnim Zola are so concerned with replicating the Super Soldier Serum when they could be focused on perfecting the Power Broker treatment. John Walker was able to fight Cap to a standstill for about an hour thanks to his strength and fighting skills being able to compensate for Cap's superior skill and agility/speed.

I also have to say that I vastly prefer both Bernie Rosenthal and Diamondback as Cap's girlfriend than anyone else they've tried to hook him up with. The idea of bringing Sharon Carter back to life and trying to reunite them always just seemed weird as Hell.

But anyway, yeah, the Power Broker was a great concept, right up there with a lot of other good ones Grue included like the Serpent Society and the Red Skull deciding to have multiple schemes going on at once instead of relying on one at a time.

Echoes of the Multiverse

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

Modred the Mystic

Re: Jab’s Builds (Eyedol! Gargos! Painter of 1000 Perils! Death's Head I!)

Mesmero

Re: Jab’s Builds (The Painter! Death's Head I! Modred! Mesmero!)

Mastermind

Re: Mesmero

Re: Mesmero

Mastermind (Martinique)

Lady Mastermind

Pacer To Pyromania

Prester John

Re: Jab’s Builds (The Painter! Modred! Mesmero! Mastermind!)

The Power Broker

Re: Jab’s Builds (The Painter! Modred! Mesmero! Mastermind!)

Re: Jab’s Builds (The Painter! Modred! Mesmero! Mastermind!)