Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Swordsman (Javert)

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

SWORDSMAN II (Philip Javert)
Created By:
Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #343 (Jan. 1992)
Role: Alternate Universe Character
Group Affiliations: The Gatherers, The Avengers (of his world)
PL 10 (135)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 4 (+7)
Close Combat (Sword) 3 (+14)
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Criminal) 6 (+8)
Insight 3 (+5)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 4 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Sword Blaster) 8 (+10)
Stealth 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Critical (Sword) 2, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 2, Takedown

Powers:
"Makluan Sword" (Flaws: Easily Removable -2) [20]
"Disintegration Ray" Blast 8 Linked to Weaken Toughness 4 (Extras: Ranged, Affects Objects) (28) -- (33 points)
  • AE: "Sword Slash" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Improved Critical) (Extras: Penetrating 4) (8)
  • AE: "Concussive Force Beam" Blast 8 (16)
  • AE: "Jet of Flame" Damage 8 (Feats: Reach 4) (12)
  • AE: "Lightning Bolt" Damage 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Line) (16)
  • AE: "Nerve Gas" Affliction 7 (Fort; Dazed & Fatigued/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cloud, Cumulative, Extra Condition) (28)
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Sword Slash +13 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Disintegration Ray +10 (+8 Ranged Damage & +4 Weaken, DC 23 & 14)
Force Beam +10 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Flame Jet +13 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Lightning Bolt +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Nerve Gas +7 Area (+7 Affliction, DC 17)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +4 (+5 D.Roll), Fortitude +8, Will +5

Complications:
Reputation (Criminal)- The Swordsman tries to reform, but is believed to be bad by a great many heroes.
Relationship (Magdalene)

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 48--24 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 20 / Defenses: 14 (135)

-This Swordsman was an Avenger on his own homeworld, and like the original Marvel one, had a history with Hawkeye. However, his world was destroyed, and he was recruited onto the Gatherers by Proctor. A good person, he strongly questioned some of their missions, which had a villainous bent- he was also quick to fall in love with his teammate Magdalene. Philip was captured by the Avengers, but their kind treatment of him caused him to turn against Proctor, especially when Proctor sent the Anti-Vision to infiltrate the Avengers and kill him (Proctor had initially been with Magdalene, and wanted to get back with her). Proctor was ultimately defeated, and the two became associates of the Avengers. However, they were put on the shelf by the Onslaught/Heroes Reborn thing, taking a few years to turn back up, at which point they promptly left the Avengers to find their own place in the world. Travelling off-world, they have never been seen again, short of a cameo in JLA (vs) Avengers.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Magdalene

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

MAGDALENE (Melissa Darrow)
Created By:
Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #343 (Jan. 1992)
Role: Big Barda Expy
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers, The Avengers (Alternate Universe)
PL 10 (133)
STRENGTH
11 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+7)
Athletics 2 (+13)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+9)
Perception 2 (+4)
Technology 3 (+4)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Improved Critical (Staff), Ranged Attack 8

Powers:
"Power Lance" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [20]
Deflect 10 (Extras: Reflection +2) (30) -- (33 points)
  • AE: Energy Blast 10 (20)
  • AE: Teleport 8 (Extras: Extended) (24)
  • AE: "Lance Smash" Strength-Damage +1 (1)

"Form-Fitting Armour" (Flaws: Removable) [9]
Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 9) (11 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Lance Smash +8 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Blast +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +9 (+11 Armour), Fortitude +8, Will +5

Total: Abilities: 78 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 29 / Defenses: 10 (133)

-Magdalene was a Big Barda-like woman with a Power Lance who kind of did the "Reluctant Villain" bit, falling in love with her teammate Swordsman (and dumping Proctor in the process, humiliating the villain). Her & Swordsman frequently had doubts about their missions, showing that not all of the Gatherers were evil- her care over Swordsman's safety was a positive as well. Eventually, Proctor tried to kill everyone, and Magdalene & Swordsman were kept on by the Avengers. However, the book was cancelled after the "Onslaught" event and Heroes Reborn happened- as this was a VERY hated Avengers run, the two vanished... but then Kurt Busiek used them!

-Kurt, revamping the Avengers but also giving credence to old stories, including this hated run, nonetheless kept on Magdalene & Swordsman for a couple of issues of his 1998 Avengers revamp, before the two left. They were invited to join by Captain America, but both felt that the Avengers were just a reminder that they were not of that world, and so decided to go off on their own. They left Earth, hoping to find their own place in the universe. And both of course never appeared again, until... Kurt Busiek remembered them for JLA (vs) Avengers, and they appeared in the background of summoned Avengers & Leaguers from throughout history. Kind of a cute thing that Busiek didn't COMPLETELY gobble up Harras's run under his own.

-Magdalene is actually a rather powerful heroine, brawling with Hercules on an even keel during the Bob Harras run- she fits like a Mini-Barda, using a Blaster Weapon that also deflects, smashes, and teleports. All in all, a good, cheap Powerhouse build.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Deathcry

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image

"Deathcry was a character who I knew nothing about until we started talking in the room about who we could use in the series (Chaos War: Avengers). She was terrific in Annihilation: Conquest, and that's definitely the incarnation of the character I'm going to be using. To me, her real name should be "The '90s" because she's the classic stereotypical bad girl with cleavage and a shitty attitude. She's a Shi'Ar who may or may not be descended from the X-Men villain Deathbird. So she's a female, berserker, bird person with crazy hair, which means she's awesome."
-Fred Van Lente


DEATHCRY (Sharra Neramani)
Created By:
Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #363 (June 1993)
Role: Badass '90s Anti-Hero, The Scrappy
Group Affiliations: The Avengers, The Triune Understanding, The Skrull Kill Krew, The Agents of Atlas
Avengers Grade: E-Level
PL 8 (107)
STRENGTH
6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 2 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Expertise (Shi'ar Warrior) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 8 (+8)
Investigation 4 (+5)
Perception 7 (+8)
Sleight of Hand 1 (+3)
Stealth 3 (+8)
Technology 4 (+5)
Vehicles 7 (+8)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Fast Grab, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6, Startle, Takedown

Powers:
"Shi'ar Senses" Senses 4 (Extended & Low-Light Vision, Extended Hearing, Acute Scent) [4]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Talons" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Talons +9 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +6, Fortitude +8, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (The Kree)
Responsibility (The Shi'ar Empire)
Secret (Name)- Deathcry's name was not revealed until years after her death- she is the niece of Empress Lilandra.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 48--24 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 6 / Defenses: 7 (107)

-Hey, it's a purple chick in a skimpy outfit with claws and a bad attitude! I wonder in which decade SHE was created!

-In any case, Deathcry sucks for the reasons outlined above (most generic character ever), and the fact that she was sent to be a "protector" to the Avengers, despite being weaker than virtually all of them. She was always all "Rarr attack first, questions later!" and was just FURIOUSLY similar to every other '90s character, to the point where she's either completely forgotten (I'm pretty sure she wasn't in the Wikipedia list of Avengers for a while), or bitched about as the most hated member. She was casually written out of the book despite not realling protecting the team all that much, and vanished for about ten years. Until a decade ago, when she was part of Star-Lord's book in Annihilation.

-In that book, the forgotten character Star-Lord was forced to create a ragtag band of characters from other forgotten properties, which included Bug from Micronauts, the '50s monster Groot, '70s character Rocket Raccoon, a new Captain Universe, and a few others- Deathcry was the "Disposable Buddy". And was written out HILARIOUSLY, as she just acts like a royal bitch the entire mission, then leaps at Captain Universe, who has PLANET-DESTROYING POWER, because he "Kill-Stole" on her (yes, really), trying to kill him- startled, he holds out an energy ball in front of him, vaporizing her instantly. One of the stupidest ways any character has ever died, and came off like Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning were like "yeah, we know this character (who was around when they were writing Force Works) sucks, so we made her look stupid before killing her". Now THAT is how you deal with a character who sucks.

-I still remember her Marvunapp bio writer complaining about this, however- (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/deathcryav.htm)- her Bio just BLEEDS of "this is my Red Guardian Character", as it goes deep into her history and motivations, elaborates upon a possible backstory (like why she was purple for some reason), and more- "I am not pleased, to put it mildly, that Deathcry was brought back for the sole purpose of getting killed"- I still remember that line. He confesses to being the only comics fan who seems to feel that way about her, at least. A lot of hype for a character who was only around for three years before disappearing.

-Deathcry, with the other deceased Avengers, reappeared during Chaos War, having been resurrected. Here, she is given a bit more dignity, being renamed "Lifecry" after a dead-again Captain Mar-Vell empowered her to become the new "Protector of the Universe", and she blasted out a ton of power to defeat Nekra & Grim Reaper. She hasn't reappeared since then, and is possibly alive again, but who knows?

-And yes, she is a shining case of Red Guardian Syndrome, as I have seen at least ONE internet fanboy who DECRIED her death, and loved the character (one of the guys who does all those Handbook-type entries, or at least someone who wrote in as a comment). He was like "I was not thrilled, to put it mildly, that Deathcry was brought back for the sole purpose of being killed, especially in such a stupid manner", then a sad addition that he is apparently the only person on the internet who feels that way.

-Standard PL 8, really. I don't view her as being cool enough to be PL 9, so she can suck it. She's not bad with her claws, but that's really the only way she's really good. Kind of a mini Brick/Scrapper.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Goldar
Posts: 1229
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:10 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dr. Druid! Living Lightning! Black Knights! Proctor!)

Post by Goldar »

In one Marvel Handbook, they gave Magdalene Cl 75 Strength, which seemed way to high to me.

Cl 50 seems more likely for her.
User avatar
HalloweenJack
Posts: 1270
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 8:50 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dr. Druid! Living Lightning! Black Knights! Proctor!)

Post by HalloweenJack »

I didn't mind Deathcry actually. I kinda liked her budding romance with Hercules, but I thought it was really odd that Herc actually got flustered around her when she'd make a move on him.

I mean it's Hercules. You know he'd hit that like the fist of a horny demigod.
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dr. Druid! Living Lightning! Black Knights! Proctor!)

Post by Woodclaw »

HalloweenJack wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 9:44 pm I didn't mind Deathcry actually. I kinda liked her budding romance with Hercules, but I thought it was really odd that Herc actually got flustered around her when she'd make a move on him.

I mean it's Hercules. You know he'd hit that like the fist of a horny demigod.
Well, at the time he was in mourning.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Century

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image

hahahaah- JESUS. Look at this abortion of 1990s comic book character design tropes- huge-ass shoulder pads. Chains everywhere, especially if superfluous. Big bladed weapon. Weird shit on his face. Long, flowing hair. Permanent grimace. Random holes in his clothing. Big ol' kneepads. It's horrible and I love it.

CENTURY
Created By:
Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning & Tom Tenney
First Appearance: Force Works #1 (July 1994)
Role: Forgotten Hero
Group Affiliations: Force Works, The Revengers
PL 9 (188)
STRENGTH
7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Science) 5 (+10)
Expertise (Space Hero) 5 (+10)
Intimidation 2 (+2)
Investigation 5 (+6)
Perception 9 (+10)
Technology 5 (+10)
Vehicles 1 (+6)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Staff), Ranged Attack 3, Tracking, Trance

Powers:
"Comprised of One-Hundred Minds" Enhanced Advantages 3: Beginner's Luck, Eidetic Memory, Jack of All Trades [3]

"Staff- Parallax" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [74]
Teleport 20 (Extras: Accurate, Portal +2, Extended) (120) -- (122 points)
  • AE: Movement 3 (Space Travel 3) (Extras: Instantaneous Travel, Portal +2) (15)
  • AE: "Smack With Weapon" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Reach, Split) (3)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Staff +10 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +7, Fortitude +8, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Defeating Lore)- Century has been created by the alien Hodomur to defeat an evil Nexus Being who had destroyed their homeworld.
Responsibility (Forgotten Past)- He debuted in the '90s- you have to ask if he had this Complication?
Enemy (The Scatter)- The Scatter bought a mind-wiped Century off of some other guy named Broker, and still hunt him in order to live off the chaos generated in Lore's wake, as Century can still follow Lore.
Weakness (Impending Death)- Century's lifespan is set to cease in exactly one-hundred years, though he will apparently not age until right then.

Total: Abilities: 80 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 77 / Defenses: 9 (188)

-Man, Abnett & Lanning were way busier than I thought back in the day- hell, I'd never even HEARD of them till their modern Marvel Cosmic stuff (though my friend was aware of their Games Workshop book work). Century here was a central character in their Force Works book- generally-regarded as a weak attempt at capturing some more of that '90s energy with a more hardcore version of Avengers West Coast (at the time made up of Iron Man, U.S. Agent, Wonder Man, Spider-Woman II & The Scarlet Witch).

-His origin is beautifully stupid and convoluted for such a short-lived character- he was created from the best one-hundred Horodur to hunt an evil Nexus Being named "Lore". But then he was captured and brainwashed by someone called Broker, and made to serve as a scout for aliens called "The Scatter". He was accidentally brought to Force Works in the same story where Wonder Man was killed, and was at first arrested, but soon sprung himself and helped the team fight the Scatter on another world. He permanently joined Force Works, but the book quickly died- it was caught up in the dreadful The Crossing story arc, Iron Man turned evil and was replaced by a heroic teenage version, and more. The team was written out off-panel, as Century confessed his love for the Scarlet Witch.

-This goofy-ass character is probably most well-remembered for being the most dated aspect of the 1990s Iron Man Animated Series- he was a recurring member of Iron Man's superhero squad, consisting of AWC/Force Works characters. This is even more hilarious than then-current Jubilee being a huge part of the X-Men cartoon for me- at least Jubilee was a major character for several years! Century was a NOBODY!

-Force Works was split up with the book's cancellation (necessitating a full Avengers reboot by Kurt Busiek), and basically happily ignored for OVER A DECADE, only to reappear in a crazed Wonder Man's "Revengers" squad- a gang of ex-Avengers allies out to beat up the main team. He joined only out of a sense of duty to Wonder Man, having felt guilty over his death.

-Century is a Teleporter capable of crossing the stars with his staff (named Parallax), though only PL 9 otherwise, since he's a forgettable loser from a book that was cancelled years ago.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thorpocalypse
Posts: 3239
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:52 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Machine Man! Dr. Druid! Living Lightning! Black Knights!)

Post by Thorpocalypse »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 6:26 am
Ares wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 2:53 am
M4C8 wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:10 pm I don't know about other fans but personally, I liked the magic gear and Strider and would've preferred Dane kept them. Saying that though, I like the look of his most recent armour (the one with the full face covering and photonic shield generator)

The Black Knight is also supposed to make an appearance in the MCU Eternals movie.
Yeah, same. The Avalon Gear finally freed him of the Ebony Blade, gave him a solid upgrade and a cool look. Give him his cape and it was pretty much perfect.

Jab likes to rag me for liking Knight heroes (I'm more a flying brick and martial arts fanboy), but I do like both of the true Knights of Marve and DC, namely Dane here and Sir Justin.
See, I teased because you seemed to have this specific adoration for Justin, Dane and the Cyber-Knights. I didn't realize you liked the "Noble" more than the "Knight" in the "Noble Knight" stereotype.

There's nothing WRONG with a preference for certain hero types, of course- we all have them.
Uh, yes there is. Those types that have a preference for size changing heroes with the names starting with Hank and ending in Pym are irredeemable poop heads. ;)
Me fail English? That's unpossible. - Ralph Wiggum
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Machine Man! Dr. Druid! Living Lightning! Black Knights!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Thorpocalypse wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 1:12 am
Jabroniville wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 6:26 am
See, I teased because you seemed to have this specific adoration for Justin, Dane and the Cyber-Knights. I didn't realize you liked the "Noble" more than the "Knight" in the "Noble Knight" stereotype.

There's nothing WRONG with a preference for certain hero types, of course- we all have them.
Uh, yes there is. Those types that have a preference for size changing heroes with the names starting with Hank and ending in Pym are irredeemable poop heads. ;)
... my god. You’re right! What have I done? I ... I apologize fir this egregious oversight.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Cybermancer

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

sooooo '90s...

CYBERMANCER (Suzanne "Suzi" Endo)
Created By:
Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning & Tom Tenney
First Appearance: Force Works #4 (Dec. 1994)
Role: Cyberpunk Girl
Country of Origin: Japan (or Hong Kong)
Group Affiliations: Force Works
PL 8 (136)
STRENGTH
1/9 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+4)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+9)
Insight 3 (+4)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+4)
Technology 9 (+14)
Vehicles 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Cybermancer Armour" (Flaws: Removable) [64]
Enhanced Strength 9 (18)
Power-Lifting 1 (25 tons) (1)
Protection 6 (6)
Flight 6 (120 mph) (12)
Senses 5 (Detect Life- Ranged & Acute, Detect Radiation- Ranged) (5)

"Trajectory Calculations"
Enhanced Advantages 2: Defensive Attack, Improved Defense, Ranged Attack 2 (4)
Enhanced Dodge 3 (3)

"Shock-Rays" Affliction 8 (Fort; Fatigued/Exhausted/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (24) -- (29)
  • AE: "Heat-Seeking Missiles" Blast 8 (Feats: Homing 2) (18)
  • AE: "Siphon Technology" Affliction 8 (Technology Skill of Creator; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited to Technology) (16)
  • AE: "Hard-Light Blade Missiles" Blast 8 (Extras: Penetrating) (24)
  • AE: "Grenades" Blast 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (24)
  • AE: "Hard-Light Cyber-Cloak" Protection 4 (Flaws: Immobile -2) (1)
-- (79 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Shock-Rays +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Missiles +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Grenades +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (+8 Armour, DC 18), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +8, Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Stopping Crime)
Responsibility (Becoming Like The Evil Suzi)- Suzi was informed by her alternate-future self that dark things awaited her.

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 64 / Defenses: 13 (136)

-Cybermancer is an odd, VERY '90s supporting character who first debuted in Force Works, but kinda moved around a bit to other things on the periphery. Suzi Endo hails from Hong Kong (though "Endo" is definitely a Japanese surname), and helped Force Works out when the Mandarin used a techno-organic virus to attack them all- she went back to her research, but soon Tony Stark hired her to work for him. However, she was quickly attacked by "Cybermancer", a version of herself from the future, and Cybermancer masqueraded as the captive Endo, taking the spot of Century on the Force Works team, and working with Tony, who was under the influence of Immortus at the time. Tony's betrayal was soon uncovered, and both he & Cybermancer were beaten, and Suzi stole some Cybermancer armor in our time as Evil Suzi was killed, warning Suzi that becoming Cybermancer was an unchangeable destiny.

-As this was all set during The Crossing, which was so bad it was exiled from continuity thereafter, Suzi was one of those characters with nowhere to go- she did not reappear until Civil War, having reverse-engineered the "Cybermancer" gear and accepted her role. Thankfully she dropped the whole super-90s "Visor & skinsuit" look. Still staying out of the spotlight, she was forcibly recruited while foiling a bank heist, and was deported back to Hong Kong rather than be sent to jail. She later joined a "Force Works" Initiative team. She appeared briefly on War Machine's various squads during the next few events, but always in a background role. Most recently, she was transformed into a herald for the High Evolutionary called "The Seeker".

-Cybermancer is a pretty good PL 8 Battlesuit-user, packing several Blasts and an Affliction (plus another one for taking down machines), as well as a Hard Light Cloak that reduces her speed, but makes her much more durable if necessary. She's way below the power levels of your typical Avengers, though (WAY too inexperienced).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Spam
Posts: 147
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 12:17 am

Re: Century

Post by Spam »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 12:42 am Image
Image
Image
Yeah, regarding the chains, I would suggest not wearing accessories that make it easier for your foe to attack your crotch.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Triathlon

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

TRIATHLON (Delroy Garrett, aka 3-D Man II)
Created By:
Kurt Busiek & George Perez
First Appearance: The Avengers (vol. 3) #8 (Sept. 1998)
Role: 3-D Man Rip-Off, The Unlikable Newbie
Group Affiliations: The Avengers, The Triune Understanding, The Skrull Kill Krew, The Agents of Atlas
Avengers Grade: D-Level
PL 9 (148)
STRENGTH
6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 6
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+12)
Athletics 6 (+12)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+11)
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Current Events) 4 (+6)
Expertise (Religion) 4 (+6)
Insight 5 (+7)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Investigation 5 (+7)
Perception 6 (+8)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+4)
Stealth 3 (+9)
Technology 2 (+4)
Treatment 2 (+4)
Vehicles 4 (+4)

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Diehard, Evasion, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Disarm, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 8, Takedown 2, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Three Times Peak-Human Physiology"
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]
Regeneration 4 [4]
Senses 3 (Extended Vision, Scent & Hearing) [3]

"3-D Man True Sight" Senses 6 (Counters Illusion 2, Detect Shapeshifting & Possessions- Ranged) [6]

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +6, Fortitude +10, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Triune Understanding)- Triathlon was a member of the Triune Understanding, and was often torn between loyalty to them and to The Avengers. When they revealed themselves as a cult under an evil leader, it was up to him to stop them.

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 62--31 / Advantages: 19 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 18 (148)

Triathlon- Another Unpopular Avenger:
-Triathlon is what we'd call a "failed experiment". Kurt Busiek, while writing his awesome revamp of The Avengers, ended up with a bit of a boring storyline with the whole Triune Understanding thing. They were your standard cult/religious group (very similar to $cientology) that did an "Oh, we're SO oppressed by the big mean heroes" vibe (basically exactly what Marv Wolfman did in Teen Titans fifteen years prior with Brother Blood), and the fans kind of crapped on it. Poor Triathlon, the Understanding's toady, who got shunted onto the Avengers under advice from their government liaison, fared even worse, being a giant douche to the whole team right away, and acting like he was super awesome. So the fans HATED the character right out of the gate, considering him a lame 3-D Man rip-off, and kind of vanished into dis-use as soon as Busiek was gone.

-Delroy Garrett was an Olympian whose career was ruined when it was found out he'd used steroids. Dejected, he found the Triune Understanding, who restored his faith and even gave him super-powers- using abilities stolen from the 3-D Man, Delroy became the Understanding's pawn on the global stage- a spokesman for the movement. He publicly helped the Avengers against Moses Magnum & Lord Templar, while his boss Jonathan Tremont created a public and secret campaign to have the Avengers painted as intolerant of their religion, and racist against minorities. In order to combat bad publicity (especially after Tremont publicly "forgave" the Avengers), the Avengers begrudgingly added Triathlon to the roster. My main issue with the "Y No Minorities?" story arc is that the reasons for there being no minority Avengers is different in-universe from how it is out of universe- IN-universe, it's that the qualified heroes they liked didn't join- the "meta" reasons are because of the complex history of "Comics kinda sucks at giving minority characters prolonged enough pushes to make them a big deal" and "The writer didn't want to include any". So every "Affirmative Action" story kind of comes of blankly to me.

-Delroy of course acted like an ass, cracked wise when he shouldn't have, and criticized the team, but was finally put right by Warbird, who convinced him to drop the chip on his shoulder. Eventually, it turned out that Tremont had founded his religious group for the purpose of draining power from a "Triple Evil" Cosmic Being, and the power went out of control. Delroy correctly guessed that the power could only be controlled by one who strove for others and not themselves, and channelled the power himself before tossing it aside so that nobody else could use it. In the aftermath, the Avengers defeated Kang & the Scarlet Centurion in the "Kang War", and Kurt Busiek ended his run on the book. Triathlon was de-powered returning the powers to the 3-D Man.

Delroy Becomes the New 3-D Man:
-This of course led to Triathlon disappearing from comics for ages- Busiek & Perez were his creators, and without them, he was like dozens of OTHER forgotten Avengers. A man without a home. Like most guys, he later showed up in the Initiative storyline (seriously, is there a B-through-D-level guy who HASN'T shown up in that?), but that's about it- he gained the 3-D Man's powers and name, helping out during Secret Invasion, using his special goggles to see who was a Skrull. In a few issues of that book, he and assorted other heroes uncover ever Super-Skrull placed onto an Initiative team, killing all of them, though he himself kills the innocent Crusader, not realizing that he'd become an ally of humanity. This leads ot Crusader's friends disliking him, and he moves on, joining the Agents of Atlas- a band of 1950s-themed heroes. As the successor to the '50s 3-D Man, he fit. This was after the team had stopped being pushed, however, and so he largely disappeared save for a few background appearances here and there since then.

-Triathlon is thus an interesting look at one of those things- you introduce a character a certain way, and they kind of get "marked" by it, even if you develop them later. The same thing happened to DC's female Doctor Light, who had said development in her debut arc, yet people still saw her as a nasty bitch for decades. Triathlon was painted as a smug douche since his own arc started that way, even though he made good, and he remains one of the more unpopular Avengers. The feeling that he'd "ripped off" the 3-D Man didn't help, though I myself am unaware of any kind of major fandom for the friggin' *3-D MAN*. I think a key problem, too, is that the "Triune Understanding" arc was just not that great- by far the least interesting thing about Busiek & Perez's revamping of the "Avengers" name. Tremont was so clearly evil and hiding things, and the group so smug and disingenuous, that the fans just got annoyed over the years the story took to unfurl itself. And "He just wanted their power to form a pyramid to take a cosmic being's power" was... a let-down. Like, you could tell that story in three issues.

Triathlon's Powers:
-A standard PL 8.5 offense/PL 9 defense build, Triathlon is strong, fast and durable, but falls JUST short of those PL 10 benchmarks, and is also pretty light on the Skills and Advantages for an in-close fighter type guy. "Just above peak human" guys tend to have some movement powers added onto their basic stats (Speed, Leaping, etc.), so I stuck those on as well. He's also got a modified kind of "True Sight" that lets him watch for Skrulls easily.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Spectrum
Posts: 3128
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:08 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Deathcry! Century! Cybermancer! Triathlon!)

Post by Spectrum »

A friend introduced Triathalon to me with this page.

Image
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
User avatar
Ken
Posts: 3460
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:40 pm
Location: Sycalb, Madiganistan

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Deathcry! Century! Cybermancer! Triathlon!)

Post by Ken »

Spectrum wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 1:48 pm A friend introduced Triathalon to me with this page.

Image
Yeah, and twenty years later, the situation has 'improved' so much that this storyline (where Delroy ignores that there have been Avengers like the Falcon, Monica Rambeau, and Rage, and blames Tony's concerns about a faux religion [headed by a white guy] on racism) couldn't be made.
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Deathcry! Century! Cybermancer! Triathlon!)

Post by Woodclaw »

Out of all these... questionable attempts at characters, I think Century is the only one that could be salvageable, with a massive redesign.
The idea of a character built from a massive number of mind it's actually very intriguing (and very Abnett, if I have to judge from his other sci-fi work).

Despite my love for the Hopgod era of Iron Man, Suzi Endo/Cybermancer never amounted to anything significant.

Triathalon... oh god... there are few characters that really irked me as much as him. I understand that Busiek was probably trying to make him an unlikeable asshole, but all I could see back in those days was a guy that after a gigantic screw-up got every chance and every advantage, but still thought his shit was gold just because.
Ken wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 3:18 pm Yeah, and twenty years later, the situation has 'improved' so much that this storyline (where Delroy ignores that there have been Avengers like the Falcon, Monica Rambeau, and Rage, and blames Tony's concerns about a faux religion [headed by a white guy] on racism) couldn't be made.
Not to mention Jim Rhodes, who had been on the Avengers both as Iron Man and as War Machine, just to put the ball close to home.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
Post Reply