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

[Jabroniville]

-She seemed like a solid suppporting cast member, doing the "I have no more people" thing (the Starblaster known as Xlym killed what was left of them, and Tamara slaughtered him in response), but DAAAAAAAAAANG I really just like her because she is drawn RIDICULOUSLY sexy by the rookie Jae Lee, plus has the naturally-hot attribute of an Impossible Skin Colour. Comics is full of green babes, and even a handful of blue ones (thank you, X-Men books), but VERY few red ones. For some reason the blonde hair just REALLY sets it off, making her look much better than, say, The Red She-Hulk (who is even an Amazon!). Like, she just looks STAGGERING in the images of her I've seen.

You should definitely check out some of the John Carter of Mars stuff then. On Mars, you've got an entire species composed of physically perfect human-like aliens with red skin and only as much clothing as the is required to not get them banned from book stores. They tend to make the Slave Leia outfit look modest by comparison.

Just do a Google Image Search of "Dejah Thoris art" and see what you find.

Man, I always feel like a creeper for even LOOKING at those covers. They may as well rename the title Two Heaving Handfuls of Tits.

[Jabroniville]

THE FACELESS ONES
Created By: Stan Lee & Gene Colan
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish #74 (Dec. 1965)
Role: Carnivorous Race
Group Affiliations: The Faceless Ones
PL 5 (40)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+8)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Hold

Powers:
"Faceless One Physiology"
Swimming 4 (8 mph) [4]
Immunity 3 (Drowning, Cold, Pressure) [3]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
Senses 1 (Low-Light Vision) [1]
"Claws" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Split) [3]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Claws +5 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +2

Complications:
Weakness (Lack of Water)- The Faceless Ones are a heavily-aquatic species- they will probably not last long out of water.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 13 / Defenses: 5 (40)

-Different from The Faceless ONE (singular), the Faceless Ones are a race of dwarflike, faceless creatures who act as carnivorous Mooks under the sea. In ancient times, they besieged Atlantis, and were forced off- their realm is now a place where exiled Atlanteans are sent- they debuted being chased off by Namor when they attacked the exiled Lady Dorma. And... that was it. This one-off appearance was it for almost THIRTY YEARS, as they reappeared in Bob Harras & Jae Lee's run of Namor. Here, tragedy occured, as the Faceless Ones were sent against some outlying colonies of Atlantis, slaughtering hundreds- among their victims was the pregnant wife of Tiger Shark, who was then attempting to settle down and be good. Mad with grief, Tiger Shark then spent DAYS murdering as many Faceless Ones as he could find, before being recruited by Tamara Rahn to join Namor's party seeking the leader of the beings. Their rulers turned out to be the "Old Ones", the old group of Atlanteans who'd banished them from Atlantis in the first place. Namor executed their leader, Suma-Ket, in battle, which caused the life forces of the other Old Ones to cease- the Faceless Ones then turned on their masters, consuming them in a massive feast.

-The Faceless Ones are quite dangerous in hand-to-hand, but have poor defenses- they're PL 4/5 overall.

[Ares]

How do they eat anything with no faces, and by extension, no mouths?

[Jabroniville]

How do they eat anything with no faces, and by extension, no mouths?

Marvunapp asks the same question: http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/faceless.htm. Maybe... pores in their skin?

[Ares]

How do they eat anything with no faces, and by extension, no mouths?

Marvunapp asks the same question: http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/faceless.htm. Maybe... pores in their skin?

Maybe they've got those weird hand things 90s Spider-Man: The Animated Series Morbius had?

[Jabroniville]

ORKA
Created By: Roy Thomas & Marie Severin
First Appearance: Prince Namor, The Sub-Mariner #23 (March 1970)
Role: Namor's OTHER Personal Punching Bag, Giant Mook
Group Affiliations: Deep Six, The Heroes For Hire, The Brand Corporation
PL 10 (141), PL 11 (141) in Water
STRENGTH 13/15 STAMINA 10/13 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+4)
Intimidate 8 (+7, +10 Size)
Perception 4 (+3)
Investigation 5 (+4)
Stealth 4 (+4)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Animal Empathy, Chokehold, Crushing Pin, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Favoured Environment (Underwater), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Startle

Powers:
"Enhanced Atlantean Physiology"
Swimming 9 (250 mph) [9]
Immunity 3 (Drowning, Cold, Pressure) [3]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Extended & Acute Scent, Tracking-Scent, Low-Light & Extended Vision) [5]
"Thick Blubber" Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 13) [15]

Growth 6 (Str & Sta +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed) -- (18 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]
"Controls Killer Whales" Mind Control 5 (Extras: Area- 120ft. Burst +3) (Flaws: Touch Range -2, Limited to Killer Whales -2) [15]

"Improved Underwater Stats" (All with Flaws: Limited to Underwater/When Soaked)
Enhanced Strength 2 [2]
Enhanced Stamina 3 [3]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
When Soaked +6 (+15 Damage, DC 30)
Initiative +6

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +12 (+15 When Soaked, +7 Impervious), Fortitude +11 (+14 When Soaked), Will +3

Complications:
Enemy (Namor)- Orka is a recurring threat to Namor, and the two have fought dozens of times.
Weakness (Out of Water)- Like Namor, Orka grows weaker the longer he is without water.
Prejudice (Inhuman Monster)- Arliss tends to look differently at times, but rarely looks totally human. He's pretty much stuck doing what he does.

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 67 / Defenses: 16 (141)

-Orka is a Namor villain. That pretty much tells you all you need to know about him- he's an underwater-themed guy who isn't that great, and tends to get jobbed out a lot, because undersea-based characters never have long-running books enough to make villains with actual name value. Like Tiger Shark, Orka is pretty much Namor's own personal jobber, and again, like Tiger Shark, he undergoes massive transformations between books, as the latest writer forgets what the last writer did with him. So he's been a big guy, a REALLY huge guy, a guy even dumber than normal, and gone back and forth more than a few times over the years, because he's simply not important enough to do research on, and most writers default to there "familiar" version of him. And to make matters worse, he recently died, being killed by a DOOMBOT of all things, while emoting his love for Misty Knight in Heroes For Hire. He didn't even get a big "Hood's Crew" push going for himself! I had to read Wikipedia & talk to Kreuz (the last time I built him, anyways) to even find out he'd died! Poor jobber villain.

-So Orka was a generic Atlantean soldier working for Warlord Krang, and helps him in an attempt to usurp the throne from Namor. Orka thus goes into exile with his boss, and then gets genetically engineered by Dr. Dorcas (who also created Tiger Shark's mutations), becomes a massively powerful being with the power of a killer whale (which... is nowhere near as strong as Namor, but okay). However, he immediately gets into a skirmish with Tiger Shark, and both are buried by an avalanche for months (what do they EAT?).

-Orka later escapes, jobbing to Namor twice, then gets mutated further by the Brand Corporation- he becomes twenty feet tall, and loses the belt that once gave him his powers. He fights the Avengers, but Thor knocks him out. Orka later joins Attuma's army when the villain takes over Atlantis, and at this point, he's officially just a "Super-Powered Mook"- he's beaten by She-Hulk and the Black Panther during an invasion of New York. He joins the Deep Six in The Defenders, but is beaten again. He's quiet for most of the '90s (he's barely in my Avengers- The Crossing Line story arc), but appears semi-frequently as a "Recognizable Background Face" in various group scenes in 2000s titles. He joins Misty Knight's Heroes For Hire and falls in love with the heroine, but is killed by a Doombot reprogrammed by the Headmen. He appears in the afterlife twice in The Incredible Hercules, gambling for resurrection and on a jury of Pluto's. However, he turns up alive (with NO REASON GIVEN- the writer probably just forgot) in another book, and later shows up on Namor's Defenders of the Deep... again as a recognizable background face who says nothing.

-"Recognizable Background Face Who Says Nothing" has actually become Orka's entire character these days- he's not a challenge for Namor, he's probably not as strong as he used to be, and he basically never even SPEAKS. He's just some guy who's strong and has that funny suit with the "teeth around the face".

-Orka's PL 9.5 offensively outside of water, PL 11 while within it- he brawls with PL 12-13 Namor enough, but most of his appearances are him jobbing badly. An Avengers issue I have features Vostok (of the People's Protectorate) & Vision easily defeating him, so he's got weaknesses. If he gets into the water, he's roughly equivalent to a more under-Advantaged version of The Thing, but outside of it he's just a bit of a pain, enough to challenge a team of heroes for a bit, but he's not really better one-on-one that anybody who's that good. He's tough, but not moreso than any other Brick, and he's REALLY dumb and easily-led- attacking his Will Save is an almost surefire victory for the good guys. He can also control Whales (usually Killer Whales, obviously) at a distance, which I don't think shows up that often. He's one of those guys who's had a zillion upgrades and versions, so this is the more common 18-foot-tall version. Others have been bigger, more bestial, etc.

[Jack of Spades]

Man, I always feel like a creeper for even LOOKING at those covers. They may as well rename the title Two Heaving Handfuls of Tits.

I still like John Carter and the Twin Peaks of Mars.

[Ares]

Man, I always feel like a creeper for even LOOKING at those covers. They may as well rename the title Two Heaving Handfuls of Tits.

I still like John Carter and the Twin Peaks of Mars.

John Carter and the Massive Mammaries of Mars .

[Jabroniville]

THE SEAWEED MAN
Created By: Stan Lee & Adam Austin
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish #71 (Dec. 1965)
Role: Giant Monster

-The Seaweed Man was just an obstacle in this Stan Lee tale- Namor had to get by him to capturer a Macguffin, but the monster was simply invincible: too powerful to defeat. So Namor outsmarted it, swimming around it in circles and disorienting it, allowing him to pass the creature. And thus it disappeared until two decades later, in the pages of Rom: Spaceknight, as two Dire Wraiths sacrifice their lives to awaken the Seaweed Man, and send him against Atlantis. More powerful than ever, he's almost impossible to beat, until Namor tells Rom of how he won against it last time- the two work together to create an even LARGER vortex, thus dissipating the creature.

-The Seaweed Man has a pretty vague Power Level, but he's MUCH stronger and tougher than Namor, appearing almost impossible to harm without his weakness, Vortices, being used against him. His schtick (invincible "furry" guy) reminded me a bit of the Shaggy Man at DC, but this guy actually debuted earlier.

[Jabroniville]

STINGRAY (Walter Newell)
Created By: Roy Thomas & Bill Everett
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish #95 (Sept. 1967) as Newell, Sub-Mariner #19 (Nov. 1969) as Stingray
Role: Background Scientist, Forgotten Avenger, Undersea Hero
Group Affiliations: The Avengers, The Initiative
Avengers Grade: D-Level
PL 9 (137)
STRENGTH 1/8 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5)
Athletics 8 (+13) -- Flaws: Limited to Swimming
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+7)
Deception 2 (+2)
Expertise (Oceanographer) 9 (+14)
Insight 3 (+5)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 4 (+7)
Technology 6 (+11)
Vehicles 4 (+6)
Vehicles 6 (+12) -- Flaws: Limited to Sea-Faring Vehicles

Advantages:
Equipment 3 (Subs and stuff), Favoured Environment (Underwater), Interpose, Ranged Attack 7, Ultimate Skill (Oceanographer)

Powers:
"Stingray Underwater Survival Suit" (Flaws: Removable) [43]
Enhanced Strength 7 (14)
Power Lifting 1 (12 tons) (1)
Protection 6 (6)
Immunity 4 (Drowning, Suffocation, Cold, Pressure) (4)
"Electrical Bolts" Blast 8 (Feats: Split) (17)
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Underwater) (2)

"Ray Wings" Swimming 8 (120 mph) (8) -- (9)

• AE: Flight 4 (30 mph) (8)

-- (53 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Unarmed Suit +7 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Electrical Bolts +9 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +2 (+8 Suit), Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (Diane Arliss)- The two are married. She is the sister of Tiger Shark, a supervillain who hates Stingray's friend Namor.
Responsibilty (The Seas)- More of a scientist than a super-hero, Stingray is nonetheless the leading super-expert on all things oceanic, which often brings him into situations unwillingly. Whenever Namor's around, people tend to call him up and make him help them.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 43 / Defenses: 14 (137)

Stingray- Best Red Guardian Character:
-Stingray is ABSOLUTELY one of my Red Guardian Characters, primarily for the most awesome of reasons- when I was a kid reading comics, he looked cool as hell. Everything else I just discovered later and was like "oh yeah, that works", but in comics, you gotta look cool or get out. I only knew him from that The Crossing storyline in The Avengers that dealt with Cap's team allying with Alpha Flight & The People's Protectorate to stop a bunch of Russian terrorists from going nuke-crazy in Canadian waters. Stingray had basically been dragged along by Cap because Namor was unavailable, and the poor bastard was stuck out there with a concussion after GETTING SHOT POINT BLANK, then trodding through a desert inside Shaman's pouch (it was a weird damn storyline, especially when you're like ten and you've got magic mumbo-jumbo mixing with nuclear physics). He was probably happiest to get home out of anyone. As a character he wasn't really anything amazing, but he had the most important attribute a comic book character could have- he LOOKED COOL. A very well-designed, pretty outfit there- a big red ray-like cape and a two-colour design interacting with a Wildfire-like white faceplate.

-Turns out when the guy's not an Avengers drag-along, he's the Marvel Universe's leading OCEANOGRAPHER, and was mainly a Namor add-on, teaming up with the Sub-Mariner in his own book during the late '60s and early '70s (an era that mostly gets ignored altogether, especially by modern stories). He had side-runs as a buddy in other books (Marvel Two-In-One among them), but has always been a VERY minor-league guy in a standard Powersuit (though with an undersea schtick).

Stingray's Early Days:
-Newell debuts working on an underground farming pod for the U.S. Government- therer, he encounters Namor and the two become allies- he's thererafter a frequent part of Namor's book. Using an aquatic super-suit of his own design, he captures Namor, but believes that he's innocent and lets him go. He thus encounters a lot of Namor foes- Attuma, Tiger Shark, and others, before becoming a regular feature in Marvel Two-In-One, befriending Ben Grimm after moving to Hydro-Base, an artificial island. Eventually, he marries Diane Arliss, the sister of Tiger Shark, and leases Hydro-Base to the Avengers for a solid chunk of that book's history. Thereafter, he's an associate member of that team, though never on any recurring roster.

-Stingray appears briefly in The Armor Wars- a legendary part of Iron Man's book that sees Tony Stark whupping on a series of Armor-Themed Villains when he discovers that they've all been using "MY TECH!" (sorry... his technology. Got a bit of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in my system there). Believing that he is responsible for the crimes they commit, he goes on a rampage, wiping out villains left and right. But, in a moment that shows the "shades of grey" Marvel can be famous for, and to show how far into obsession Tony is getting, he targets both the Guardsmen (armored guards defended by Captain America), and Stingray. The Guardsmen have their Stark-Tech fried (while Cap feels betrayed at Tony's actions), while Stingray is... innocent, because his gear was just fine. Iron Man apologizes for his error, but Stingray just sardonically replies "Yeah, I'll tell that to my superiors".

Stingray in the '90s & Beyond:
-Stingray later aids the Avengers during Heavy Metal- an attack by various Robot-Themed Villains (Super-Adaptoid, TESS-One, etc.), then when Hydro-Base is sunk during Acts of Vengeance. He later allies with Tiger Shark to save Diane from a cave-in (the two dislike each other, but mutually care for Diane), and is railroaded by Cap into joining the Avengers on an international incident that sees terrorists seize a ship. With Stingray invading the sub, he is captured and shot in the head as the first hostage- the issue makes it seem like he could be dead, but he reappears later with a "severe concussion" and seems horribly staggered by being trapped in a desert environment from within Shaman's pouch. He doesn't really factor into the rest of the story very much, making me wonder why they bothered- maybe Fabian Nicieza was just a fan.

-This is actually the END of Stingray as a regular thing for the most part, as he's not a factor for the rest of the '90s (probably without Mark Gruenwald to guide the Avengers, a side-character like him just didn't have a place)- his next "thing" is to show up in the tail end of the Kurt Busiek Avengers run, again as a side-character who just helps out periodically. He joins the Anti-Registration side in Civil War, but is forgiven and ends up teaching at Camp Hammond during The Initiative... but again, is just a minor guy. As a former government agent, he's ideal for these kind of "background" roles that don't require a lot of characterization. He actually has a bit of use over the past few years, largely in these kind of minor roles, like being on Deadpool's Mercs For Money as a double-agent for Captain America, and helping out in Latveria during AXIS.

-Most controversially, the character appeared fighting Tiger Shark in Avengers, and both were confronted by a crazed Namor, who demanded allegiance. When Stingray was all "hey c'mon, let's talk about this", Namor skull-punches him and then FEEDS HIM TO HIS SHARKS, at which point Tiger Shark concedes. This scene pissed off a bunch of online fans, as it was another case of a minor character being tossed aside and casually murdered, and turned Namor from "the guy who wars with the surface world" to "the guy who murders his closest human friend for no reason". It got so much flak, I think, that the clumsiest, most half-assed "Oh no- Duke actually SURVIVED having an entire cobra-spear shoved into his chest by Serpentor" reversal was created, as Cap later chides Namor with a "Stingray almsot died!", effectively writing out what was ABSOLUTELY supposed to be murder.

Stingray- The Character Player:
-Stingray, to me, represents a perfect example of a "Character Player" in the comic book universe. I love the character... but do I wanna see a Stingray solo book? HELL no! A run on The Avengers? Even that is almost pushing it- he's not powerful nor credible enough. But... he's a great "Character" guy. Capable, smart and can handle himself, but won't overwhelm the plot. And I like that he's basically... just a scientist who built a suit. He doesn't run around fighting crime- he uses this for HIS JOB. So he kind of has this great "UGH I didn't wanna do this today" attitude that can be kind of funny. The fact that he's married gives him stability most heroes lack... though he's also a reason why so many heroes AREN'T married, as I swear I've read two or three stories already that just feature Diane in peril, with Stingray having to save her.

Stingray's Suit:
-Stingray's a rather inefficient PL 9, being 8.5 with his Blasts and Dodging, and a PL 7.5-8 elsewhere. I think a mixing of the two levels (8 & 9) fit him well- he's not totally incapable, but his Powersuit is REALLY weak (Iron Man beat him EASILY during "The Armor Wars" when Tony thought Stingray might have used some of his tech), not that tough (a gunshot to the head nearly killed him- something beyond most Powersuit guys), and is generally a side-character. But at the same point, he's not TOTALLY useless, and can be very handy in oceanic adventures, using a combination of his smarts (Oceanographer covers almost anything water-related, I figure. Hey, if "Science" can cover astrophysics & biology, "Oceanographer" can let you know stuff about the tides, whales and undersea faults, I say) and natural ability underwater. Note that he's flat-out better underwater thanks to Favoured Environment.

[RUSCHE]

THE SEAWEED MAN
Created By: Stan Lee & Adam Austin
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish #71 (Dec. 1965)
Role: Giant Monster

-The Seaweed Man was just an obstacle in this Stan Lee tale- Namor had to get by him to capturer a Macguffin, but the monster was simply invincible: too powerful to defeat. So Namor outsmarted it, swimming around it in circles and disorienting it, allowing him to pass the creaturer. And thus it disappeared until two decades later, in the pages of Rom: Spaceknight, as two Dire Wraiths sacrifice their lives to awaken the Seaweed Man, and send him against Atlantis. More powerful than ever, he's almost impossible to beat, until Namor tells Rom of how he won against it last time- the two work together to create an even LARGER vortex, thus dissipating the creature.

-The Seaweed Man has a pretty vague Power Level, but he's MUCH stronger and tougher than Namor, appearing almost impossible to harm without his weakness, Vortices, being used against him. His schtick (invincible "furry" guy) reminded me a bit of the Shaggy Man at DC, but this guy actually debuted earlier.

Wow you are digging deep Into Namor's gallery. I forgot about this guy.

[Ares]

Another plus for Stingray? Being an oceanographer with a smoking hot wife meant she was frequently shown wearing very tiny swimsuits.

[kirinke]

So basically, Seaweed Man is a lesser cousin of the Swamp Thing.

[Jabroniville]

DOCTOR LEMUEL DORCAS
Created By: Roy Thomas & John Buscema
First Appearance: Sub-Mariner #5 (Sept. 1968)
Role: Mad Scientist
Group Affiliations: None
PL 4 (79)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 7 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+14)
Insight 3 (+4)
Perception 2 (+3)
Technology 7 (+14)
Vehicles 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Inventor, Ranged Attack 5

Powers:
Regeneration 6 (Feats: Regrow Limbs) [7]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Power)
Enemy (Namor, Stingray)

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 7 / Defenses: 9 (79)

-Dr. Dorcas may have the most awful name for a super-villain ever- it's both silly AND insulting! He's also a Marine Biologist who happens to want to conquer the world. He was sort of a "Means to an end" in the Sub-Mariner book, creating super-villains for Namor to fight- like Tiger Shark and Orka. He later allied with Warlord Krang and Byrrah in order to crown Byrrah King of Atlantis, but it failed. Dorcas (hee) was later crushed to death when his laser blaster went awry and dropped a machine on him. He would later turn up alive, owing to having attached some Starfish DNA to himself. He became obsessed with Songbird (perfectly understandable), but she used her persuasive powers (actual powers, not hawtness) to turn his army of monster henchmen against Dorcas.

-Doctor Dorcas (hee) rarely fights, and a battle against him is largely one against Monstrous Mooks, robots or other invented weapons.

[Ares]

But yeah, I was one of the guys not happy with Stingray being killed, given he was one of Namor's best friends and staunchest allies. He's got a great look and is a perfect guy who, even if he isn't on a regular superteam, still gives some flavor to the setting as an aquatic scientist in his own suit of power armor. I also really liked the costume design and the idea of this guy basically owning his own island for scientific research.

Honestly, I'd be someone who would take his near murder (which was clearly intentional and retconned only after fan backlash) to have Walter maybe step up his game. Show that he would have died if he hadn't gotten a heroic second wind and fought like crazy to survive, barely making it back to the ship he'd been vacationing on originally when TigerShark attacked him. Show that he's got some pretty nasty scars on parts of his torso, arms and legs where the sharks tried to get at him. Make him realize that if Namor can no longer be trusted, he's actually the premier aquatic hero on the planet and the oceans have gotten more dangerous.

So he'd redesign his armor from the ground up, incorporating the original idea that it was meant to mimic several sea creatures as a kind of bio-tech power suit. He's actually beef up the power with new technologies, and include several new weapon systems based on aquatic life. Break out some books on sea-life and come up with some cool abilities based on unique life forms under the ocean. Give him the kind of relationship to Iron Man that Namor has with the Class 100 bricks. Out of water, Stingray would be near Tony's level, enough to give him a fight but only with some clever thinking, as the fight would go steadily against him the longer it goes. Underwater, even in a suit Tony designed specifically to function underwater, Stingray would have the obvious advantage.

Then you can slap him on a superteam as their tech guy and aquatic expert, and have a moment where he and Namor can have a rematch. I'd also like a scene where Walter actually shows Namor the scars their fight left him with and maybe give Namor a chance to realize what he'd done.