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

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

Marvel Space Builds

Post by Jabroniville »

BUILLLLLDDDDSSSS... INNNNNN....... SPAAAAAAAAACE!!!:

-Marvel's Cosmic Scene is a weird affair, and has really only been a major part of comics for one of it's eras- though the more-common Space Scene is important at varying intervals. The whole things starts from a combo of the Fantastic Four & Doctor Strange books of the 1960s, with Stan Lee writing for the crazy minds of Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko. Jack made The Watcher, Galactus and others, while Ditko had all the crazy hallucinogenic stuff like Eternity and Dormammu, and they merged to make a crazy-fun world. Aside from that, you had a ton of alien races popping up all over the place (usually as Alien Invaders), which only got added to over the years. The 1960s gave way to the 1970s, where writers on some really good pot created a lot more of the space-scene, and eventually we had a really set "map", featuring the Skrulls, Kree & Shi'ar fighting for supremacy over a horde of one-note "Invaders". Jim Starlin in particular took a major interest, creating a lot of interstellar foes and worlds.

Marvel altered a lot of it's basic Cosmology over the years, adding new characters and concepts, and finally sorta settled on a "Hierarchy" of guys. Most of these characters were mere background events (save someone like Galactus or Uatu) until the 1990s, when Stan Lee finally gave up his sole-writer-control over the Silver Surfer, which produced a long-running series drawn by Ron Lim. Similarly, Mark Gruenwald, the ever-nerdy stats-dork of Marvel Comics, created his "Quasar" book, featuring an almost encyclopedic look at Marvel's Cosmic Scene (along with the unnecessary answers to dozens of questions, like "Where do Cosmic Conceptual Beings get their bodies?"). Similarly, we had The Infinity Gauntlet, a MAJOR uber-crossover featuring some of the most awesome battle scenes EVER (and Jim Starlin's own favourite character, Thanos). So the '90s were a pretty good time to be a fan of Cosmic stuff.

Unfortunately, all the books would fade away in the Great Comic Book Crash of 199whatever, and we wouldn't see a regular Cosmic book, in... well, basically ever. When all the "tertiary" books of Marvel got cancelled, they started focusing ONLY on the key titles again, and a few failed Silver Surfer books were really all that happened. I think Peter David played with some Cosmic stuff in "Captain Marvel", and The Fantastic Four still met Galactus every once in a while, but that was it.

Until Annihilation, the OTHER big crossover that took place in the same year as Civil War. This was actually well-received, though it was obviously a second-tier cross-over. Keith Giffen (usually noted for his DC stuff with the Stupid Justice League and Legion of Super-Heroes) teamed up with Warhammer novel writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning to REALLY crank up and re-fit the Cosmic stuff for the modern (2000s) era. The first story turned Drax into a different character, put the Silver Surfer back with Galactus, and gave Richard "Nova" Rider a permanent character upgrade, turning him from a forgotten New Warrior into a super-powerful Cosmic Hero with his own ongoing series. It also helped do away with the Skrulls as a major factor, and turned Annihilus into a Universal-class villain. This story was HEAVILY Cosmic as well, with Thanos, Galactus and a pair of Galactus-class beings (from the same Universe/origin as Galen himself) named Aegis & Tenebrous, all fighting.

Annihilation: Conquest featured Ultron as the main villain, allying with X-foes The Phalanx to take over the world. This story featured the fall of The Kree, as their worlds were decimated by techno-organic warriors, and Ronan The Accuser was shifted from a generic Alien Bad Guy into a noble Knight-type guy. It also gathered a group of varied Alien/Cosmic/Space Heroes and forged them into a "Ragtag Bunch of Misfits" who came to be known as the new Guardians of the Galaxy. This led to ANOTHER ongoing once Conquest was finished (funnily enough, an editorial coincidence led to two Ultrons appearing at once- a boobed-Ultron fought the Frank Cho Mighty Avengers while this four-eyed one was kicking around in Space), which kind of became a trend: Building a massive Cross-Over (with a bunch of 4-part series and a main Cross-Over series) in order to start an ongoing book.

The odd thing was that without the influence of Giffen (as far as I can tell, this is the reason), the Cosmic stuff fell by the wayside, and things started getting more "Earthly", as the heroes were less powerful and didn't deal with the Space Gods or any of that stuff- even Nova himself downgraded his powers and thinned them out by giving them to other Novas. This was kind of sad, as Annihilation featured a LOT of stuff with the Heralds of Galactus, with Firelord in particular doing some cool stuff. We pretty much haven't seen many of those guys since. Similarly, there was a pretty cool bit with Super-Skrull in the first storyline, but he vanished COMPLETELY by Conquest.

By this time, we had most of our "Cosmic Reshuffling" finished- the full point almost seemed to be creating a new status quo- the Kree and the Skrulls fell, and so it was the Shi'ar's turn- more crazy stuff happened, Empress Lilandra of all people was murdered, Vulcan took over, then got unseated, The Inhumans got involved (and took over the Kree, with Crystal marrying Ronan), the Shi'ar lost a ton of power, a parallel universe of Cancer-Life (resembling Warhammer's "Warp" in what I'm sure wasn't a coincidence with Abnett & Lanning around) did a ton of damage, etc.

Unfortunately, sales either faltered or the writers gave up, and both Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy (which was getting REALLY iffy after a point- it went from "cool ragtag adventures" to "every character dies and gets resurrected in every arc") were cancelled. However, with the GOTG becoming a hot property again (a movie had been announced), we saw them back in short order, though with the roster kept closer to the movie one (though each arc introduced an outsider to the group, like Angela, The Thing and even Kitty Pryde). And the problem with the whole "EVERYTHING is changed" thing, is that comics are notorious for falling back into "Back-To-Basics Syndrome"- it's only a matter of time before the next big Space-themed writer ignores a ton of what happened before, and sets everything back the way it was. At least Gladiator is still Praetor of the Shi'ar Empire, but we've already seen Jon Hickman on Fantastic Four setting the Kree back to an invading army free of Inhuman influence (and back with a Supreme Intelligence- this one comprised of a pair of Alternate Universe Reed Richardses) until they were smashed up AGAIN.

So we'll see where the Space Scene ends up from here.

Keith Giffen and Andy Schmidt give a two part interview about Annihilation here. Funniest bits include them ripping on Red Shift for looking dorky, and laughingly-threatening to kill off Quasar when fans begged for him to appear and not die... AND THEY KILLED HIM IN THAT STORY! Part Two. Keith Giffen? Tease fans of a character and then kill him off anyways? Will wonders never cease! Heh, they even joke about how the Kree got a big racial make-over in Maximum Security, which then got ignored/fixed/retconned away.

Power Levels in a Cosmic Setting:
-Like I said with my Mythological Builds, once you get to levels this high, PLs get tougher to determine, but also easier to "fake" because of varied showings. Cosmic Guys follow the same rules as the Earth-bound heroes and villains, and can often be compared against such characters. It's fairly well-established that The Silver Surfer is more powerful than any hero on Earth, and yet he can be challenged (and even beaten) by the top-level Earth Heroes like The Hulk or Thor (both PL 14s). Marvel's Skyfathers are PL 16-17, which is VASTLY powerful (any of them would handily beat Thor in a fight), yet they themselves are comparable to some Elder Evils like Mephisto. But then things get hairier: Galactus has been shown as being near Mephisto's level at least once, yet also far beyond any "Mere Skyfather". Certainly his regular power level is higher (witness how easily he defeated The Sphinx when the latter had attained God-like, Earth-crushing power). Some guys are said to be capable of blowing up the Earth in a single blast, but are then showing grappling characters or fighting off heroes one-on-one.

Then you add in the sheer VARIETY of Marvel's Cosmic Beings- The Watcher, The Stranger, Mephisto, Eon, Ego, Galactus, and all the Conceptual Beings are all clearly more powerful than The Silver Surfer, who is like the ALPHA-LEVEL Super-Hero! Certain Cosmics are full-blown concepts who just happen to take humanoid form at times (the embodiments of time, love, hate, chaos, etc.), and are generally more powerful than The In-Betweener, who himself is still cosmic. Eternity is above them all... but still subservient to The Infinity Gauntlet & Living Tribunal, and who knows where Death ends up on the scale?

In general, you can give-or-take a PL in any instance. And even moreso, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that though a PL 22 character is obviously more powerful than a PL 20, the difference of +4 ranks in any direction isn't exactly an overwhelming, unstoppable difference at that level (+20 damage isn't as much better as +16 damage than, say, +8 is better than +4 damage), and the "less powerful" guy can still win if the dice roll his way. And remember, Power Levels are about more than just PL- guys with more ranks of Variable or immense Immunities can be far more dangerous than someone who's just really, really damage-heavy. Not to mention all those characters who will inevitably be more expensive than others.

The Posting Plan:
-Of course, I already posted up all the Cosmic Beings a year or so ago- last time I did a "Cosmic Builds" set, it was at Ronin Army and I posted all the Cosmics and Space Heroes all in one big group. This time, I kept them a bit more separate. But this at least gives me the chance to re-post Adam Warlock, which I'd been dreading (his bio is annoying to read) but wanted to do as it's one of the first builds alphabetically and I hate all those "DEAD LINK- Go Here:" things attached to old builds. And it's RIGHT THERE on the front page, all the time... taunting me.

The Posting Order is naturally a bit tricky, as some heroes have crossed from one "section" of characters to the other- especially those associated with Adam Warlock, who helped form the later Guardians of the Galaxy: I wanted to post all the Alien Races together. But the Kree have a lot of offshoot guys, like the Skrulls. So they went first. Then follows the rest of the Alien Races (I've done the Skrulls & Brood already, this time). Then it's the original Guardians of the Galaxy, who debuted in the 1960s and faced the Badoon and other space guys. Then we get the set from Warlock, featuring him and Marvel's big-time Main Event Movie Villain, Thanos! And also the side-characters that joined the GOTG in Drax & Gamora, which leads to THAT set of guys! So we kinda jump around a bunch.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Aug 15, 2021 6:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
RainOnTheSun
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Ronan the Accuser! Supremor! Dr. Minerva! Ultimus!)

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Oh, Dr. Minerva sounds very cool.
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Goldar
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Ronan the Accuser! Supremor! Dr. Minerva! Ultimus!)

Post by Goldar »

I would love to see a build of The Phoenix---Not the PF per se that is---but the first retcon---that this was the PF in Jean's form, what we saw in XM #101-137. All of her powers were at cosmic level (for example such as blasting Firelord and powering the Stargate....)

Also Moondragon with the Mind Gem. For instance, would the MG raise her physical and/or mental stats and by how much?
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Ronan the Accuser! Supremor! Dr. Minerva! Ultimus!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Goldar wrote: Sun Aug 15, 2021 2:29 pm I would love to see a build of The Phoenix---Not the PF per se that is---but the first retcon---that this was the PF in Jean's form, what we saw in XM #101-137. All of her powers were at cosmic level (for example such as blasting Firelord and powering the Stargate....)

Also Moondragon with the Mind Gem. For instance, would the MG raise her physical and/or mental stats and by how much?
I statted what the Phoenix Force does, and Dark Phoenix herself- I'm pretty sure it's just one of those two. How is that version any different?

I'll have stats for the Mind Gem here. I don't think it enhances physical abilities at all.
Jabroniville
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The Shi'ar

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE SHI'AR
Created By:
Chris Claremont & Dave Cockrum
First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #97 (Feb. 1976)
Role: Space Mooks, THE Space Empire
Group Affiliations: The Shi'ar Empire

The Shi'ar- Marvel's Biggest Space Empire:
-The Shi'ar effectively becoming THE Space Empire in Marvel Comics, despite debuting a decade after the Skrulls and Kree, has always kind of fascinated me. Somehow, this brand-new, never-before-seen race was created by Chris Claremont and allowed to come right in and show themselves as the largest of the three main empires, bigger and better than the Skrulls OR Kree. That's something that comics has lost in a way- if such a race were to be created today, fans would decry it as a cheap Mary Sue-style thing that a writer could do that, not to mention freak out over how "Why has NOBODY ever mentioned this race before if they're so great?" But I guess in the late 1970s it didn't matter so much (the new main continuity was all of fifteen years old, really), and there was rarely a nice slow story where you COULD ask around "Who is the biggest empire?".

-In any case, the Shi'ar look very "1970s" (wild hair, sleed armor, eyeliner), and debuted when Lilandra attained psychic contact with Charles Xavier while on the run from her own people- her brother, the mad Majestor D'Ken, was a brutal warlord and she was being hunted down. The Shi'ar were a bit bird-like, despite being entirely humanoid- their heads tended to have "plumage" that spread outwards, and they were quite thin as a rule. This and their armor gave them a bit of an "edge". They even boasted an incredible alliance of superhumans in the Imperial Guard (a Legion of Super-Heroes riff). Ultimately, D'Ken went mad when he tried to use the powerful M'Kraan Crystal, and Lilandra became Empress of the Shi'ar, turning it into a more positive force. Here, they were seen as "Cosmic Bureaucrats", believing they knew best about things. When Jean Grey became the Dark Phoenix and annihilated an inhabited world, it was they who came down on the X-Men over it- Jean ultimately sacrificed her life to prevent more loss.

-The breadth of the Shi'ar Empire rapidly became clear- Lilandra also held Reed Richards on trial on behalf of all the universe when he saved the life of Galactus, Devourer of Worlds. The Kree & Skrulls were always fighting each other, but the Shi'ar were treated as the most important and powerful, with legions of worlds and species answering to them. After all, they acted like they didn't even NEED Earth, ironically making them come off as more powerful than alien races that tried to take it and failed. Claremont's focus on "Space Opera" diminished as time went on, and Lilandra & Xavier were split up- the last legacy they had on the X-Men was planting a ton of super-advanced tech in the X-Mansion, leading to the "look" the team had during the '90s- Xavier's floating hoverchair being the most notable example, but hard-light tech in the Danger Room was a constant feature as well.

The Shi'ar in the '90s & Beyond:
-The biggest thing the Shi'ar did in the '90s was Operation: Galactic Storm, in which they defeated the Kree in a huge galaxy-spanning war that saw 90% of the Kree killed by a Nega-Bomb that Lilandra had set off. Her sister Deathcry was put in charge of the Kree, but quickly abandoned her post. One of their number, Deathcry, was forced onto the Avengers, becoming an unpopular "Wild Claw Girl" character. The hero Adam-X (The X-Treme!) was hinted as being of Shi'ar blood (and the Third Summers Brother), but Fabian Nicieza was taken off of the X-Books before this could happen.

-In the 2000s, they were badly affected when Cassandra Nova took over Lilandra's mind and killed tons of Shi'ar via a civil war. They also became more villainous- their hatred of Jean Grey (for the Phoenix thing) caused their council to send a death squad to kill much of Jean Grey's family- this set Rachel Summers on them, and soon Lilandra was overthrown by a returned D'Ken... who was then executed by his son, the ACTUAL Third Summers Brother, Vulcan, who took control of the Shi'ar Empire and became a real terror. Lilandra herself was killed during the massive civil wars!

-Emperor Vulcan ruled for years, leading the Imperial Guard against numerous heroes- he was ultimately killed in War of Kings, the third of the big Annihilation cosmic series. This left the Shi'ar in disarray- though Gladiator, mightiest of the Imperial Guard, became Majestor and engaged in some fun "Power-Geek" adventures of awesome before surrendering the empire to the Kree during another big story where the Inhumans led the Kree against the Shi'ar. However, Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning at this point disappeared from the "Space Books" and suddenly Gladiator is in power again, dealing with the Avengers during Jon Hickman's stuff (Hickman sorta infamously just said "... NAHHHHHHHH" and took back control of all the space empires for his Avengers run).

-In the Jane Foster Thor book, the Shi'ar Gods Sharra & K'ythri bring her to a "Challenge of the Gods", where they commit various atrocities against their own people in the name of competition- JaneThor is only declared the winner after a massive fight where she brings Asgard to bear against them. The Gods babyrage against this, ultimately being judged as evil by their own people, and they're imprisoned in "Omnipotence City" for trying to scour the Earth and their own empire with the Phoenix Force. That's a rather weird turn of events, lol.

The Shi'ar As a Whole:
-The Shi'ar are tricky to assess- they started off as an "Evil Empire" of sorts, but only because they had a mad ruler. When Lilandra took over, they became more bureaucratic... but also kind of showed the heartlessness of it, as the aloof, dispassionate Shi'ar were quite brutal and often commanded executions. While Lilandra herself seemed nice enough, she often had a lot of dark duties to carry out- she put Reed on trial and later ordered the genocide of the Kree Empire, after all. But then things get weird when D'Ken comes back, Lilandra is deposed, and then she's quietly killed off by a mind-controlled Darkhawk during the middle of an "Event Story", leading to more stuff. Almost everything after 2000 or so depicts them as antagonistic bad guys, albeit with a "we're just following orders" bent, as the Imperial guard are brave heroes- it's just one of those things that happens when you live in a dictatorship, I guess. "We Have No Choice" runs through the Empire like nuts, to the point where they're pretty well just 100% villainous now.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Shi'ar Soldiers

Post by Jabroniville »

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Assorted Shi'ar Generals & Soldiers.

SHI'AR SOLDIERS
Created By:
Chris Claremont & Dave Cockrum
First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #97 (Feb. 1976)
Role: Space Mooks, THE Space Empire
Group Affiliations: The Shi'ar Empire
PL 6 (62)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Space Soldiers) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+2)
Perception 3 (+3)
Technology 3 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Blasters +6 Multiattack, Rebreathers)

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 +4 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Blasters +4 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +5 (+6 Armor), Fortitude +2, Will +0

Complications:
Responsibility (Shi'ar Empire)

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 3 (62)

-Shi'ar are TOUGH, lifting 1 ton under optimal conditions, making them the most elite of the main Space Races, too. However, in almost any story I'VE ever read, they go down just as easily as Standard Mooks, so they're still below Earth heroes.
Ian Turner
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Ronan the Accuser! Supremor! Dr. Minerva! Ultimus!)

Post by Ian Turner »

Goldar wrote: Sun Aug 15, 2021 2:29 pm Also Moondragon with the Mind Gem. For instance, would the MG raise her physical and/or mental stats and by how much?
I always wondered if there would be an 'Infinite Six' with six different bearers of the Infinity Stones based around who already had some relevant abilities in that area. Franklin Richards with the Reality Stone, Moondragon with the Mind Gem, Manifold with the Space Stone, Bleakheart (!) with the Soul Gem, etc.
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Goldar
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Ronan the Accuser! Supremor! Dr. Minerva! Ultimus!)

Post by Goldar »

Jabroniville wrote: Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:41 pm
Goldar wrote: Sun Aug 15, 2021 2:29 pm I would love to see a build of The Phoenix---Not the PF per se that is---but the first retcon---that this was the PF in Jean's form, what we saw in XM #101-137. All of her powers were at cosmic level (for example such as blasting Firelord and powering the Stargate....)

Also Moondragon with the Mind Gem. For instance, would the MG raise her physical and/or mental stats and by how much?
I statted what the Phoenix Force does, and Dark Phoenix herself- I'm pretty sure it's just one of those two. How is that version any different?

I'll have stats for the Mind Gem here. I don't think it enhances physical abilities at all.
Hmmn, I guess I am not really sure?

But I think most times today, people tend to low-stat the Jean-as Phoenix build (not that I am saying you did) because the latest retcon has it being Jean herself (unless this has changed yet again?) and I have seen some give her a "1" strength for instance.

I thought that the PF in Jean's form had more speed, strength and durability than anything Jean herself possessed. She fought Gladiator, kicked both armored Colossus and Beast and shook-off Power Cosmic energy blasts from Firelord that knocked the rest of the team unconscious.

Does that sound any different or am I mixing things up?
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Goldar
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Ronan the Accuser! Supremor! Dr. Minerva! Ultimus!)

Post by Goldar »

Ian Turner wrote: Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:50 pm
Goldar wrote: Sun Aug 15, 2021 2:29 pm Also Moondragon with the Mind Gem. For instance, would the MG raise her physical and/or mental stats and by how much?
I always wondered if there would be an 'Infinite Six' with six different bearers of the Infinity Stones based around who already had some relevant abilities in that area. Franklin Richards with the Reality Stone, Moondragon with the Mind Gem, Manifold with the Space Stone, Bleakheart (!) with the Soul Gem, etc.
Yes, I have often wondered this as well! It would be interesting to see what they could do (and would do) with the stones....
Jabroniville
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Rigellians

Post by Jabroniville »

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RIGELLIANS
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Thor #131 (July 1966)
Role: Space Empire
Group Affiliations: The Rigellian Empire
PL 6 (67)
STRENGTH
1/7 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Space Soldiers) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+2)
Perception 3 (+4)
Technology 3 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Blasters +5 Multiattack, Rebreathers), Ranged Attack 1

Powers:
"Density Alteration"
Enhanced Strength 6 [12]
Protection 5 [5]
Features 2: Increased Mass [2]

"Mind Thrust" Mind Control 5 [20]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 19)
Density +4 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Blasters +5 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +2 (+7 Density), Fortitude +4, Will +1

Complications:
Responsibility (Rigellian Empire)

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 39 / Defenses: 13 (67)

-The Rigellians are basically yet ANOTHER "Evil Space Empire", but they have the unique racial tricks of Mind Control and Density Control, which is definitely a rare combo. They're probably most notable for their Big Giant Heads, which make them among the dumbest looking of Marvel's races as well. They debuted in a Thor story, where they sent their agent Tana Nile to lay claim to the Earth, but she was called back when Thor saved the Rigellians from a floating cluster of planets (the Black Galaxy) that was absorbing the energies of other planets. They werer given so little respect that Adam Warlock once ripped on them, pointing out that they "had neither the brutal drive of a Skrull, the disciplined tenacity of a Kree, or the detached ruthlessness of a Shi'ar"- they haven't appeared much since the '70s save as a distinctive "Background Person", where you'll see Tana Nile in a random group of people, or see a Rigellian Nova Corps member (one of Richard Rider's new recruits) or a Space Nurse or something.

-Rigellian sapparently have a "mutant" class- beings with deformed bodies and minds- they had been grown in vats and then abandoned, with a few survivors forming a society underground.
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The Ovoids

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE OVOIDS
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #10 (Jan. 1963)
Role: Space Scientists
Group Affiliations: The Ovoids
PL 6 (70)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Space Soldiers) 3 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+4)
Technology 5 (+8)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Blasters +5 Multiattack, Rebreathers), Ranged Attack 1

Powers:
"Mind Transfer" Affliction 6 (Will; Entranced/Compelled/Transformed Mind) (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2) (Flaws: Must Leave Own Mind) [12]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 19)
Blasters +5 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Mind Transfer -- (+6 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +1

Complications:
Responsibility (The Ovoids)

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 12 / Defenses: 13 (70)

-The Ovoids are a goof-looking race of "Big Head Guys" going all the way back to FF #10, where they rescued newbie villain Doctor Doom while he was floating around in space. The peaceful scientists were then convinced to teach him their great secret- transfering their minds into new bodies! Great going, guys. They were rarely-seen after that (seemingly just an excuse to explain why Doom returned to Earth from certain death), but were part of the backstory of the Heralds of Galactus- when Air-Walker set down on their homeworld, they successfully KILLED him! An Ovoid was later seen as part of a group imprisoned on another planet- he trained She-Hulk in their mind transfer power, but she screwed up and she & her friend Weezie switched PHYSIQUES instead of minds! He later helped Reed Richards figure out how to reverse the situation- Weezie had to WANT to give up her new physique.

-Another Ovoid namied Insidio was a member of Skeletron's Starblasters, but he betrayed them for more power. Another was seen during Maximum Security, as part of the Intergalactic Council that made Earth a prison for monsters across the galaxy. A few have since been shown on these types of "advisory committees", but the race as a whole has never factored into any major story. It seems that they're strong enough to defend themselves (being one of the only things in the universe to kill a HERALD OF GALACTUS, mind you- that's cred even the Shi'ar don't have), but don't have a colonial mindset, which is good for the rest of space.
Ian Turner
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Supremor! Dr. Minerva! Ultimus! Shi’ar!)

Post by Ian Turner »

Thanks to their mind-swapping power, *anyone* could be an Ovoid, and you'd never know... Somewhere deep beneath their homeworld, dozens of Ovoid bodies lie imprisoned in stasis chambers, their bodies harboring the minds of prominent Skrulls, Kree, Shi'ar, Badoon, etc. :)

Man, those Shi'ar. The Kree and Skrulls, etc. have been described as just sort of generic alien empires out there, but the Shi'ar were introduced as having an empire that *spans an entire galaxy.* Millions of worlds. Yikes.

At least it's not *our* galaxy, so the Earth, Skrulls, Kree, etc. only have to deal with their imperial meddling occasionally, since 'we' are so far out of their bailiwick (and opening stargates that can cross the gap isn't something they do all that lightly)...
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Spartoi

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE SPARTOI
Created By:
Brian Michael Bendis & Steve McNiven
First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 (Feb. 2013)
Role: Space Mooks, Newbie Aliens
Group Affiliations: The Spartax Empire
PL 5 (47)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Space Soldiers) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+2)
Perception 3 (+3)
Technology 3 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Blasters +5 Multiattack, Rebreathers, Space Armour), Ranged Attack 1

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Blasters +5 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+4 Body Armour), Fortitude +2, Will +0

Complications:
Responsibility (The Spartax Empire)

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 3 (47)

-Soooooooooo in the middle of nowhere, Bendis decided that Star-Lord (whose stories he was now writing) just had to be the son of a human woman and an alien man... but since Peter Quill just looks like a generic white guy, here's "King J'Son of Spartax", combining Greek names to form a race of human-looking Caucasians, who is Peter's natural father. However, a 2000-era Inhumans book has a "King Jason of Spartax", who is later exiled for conspiring against Lilandra, but Bendis retconned it? I dunno. They don't even have a Wikipedia page- just a few quickie bios here and there. J'Son is a bit of a douche, chasing after Quill to help rule Spartax, but Quill ultimately had him publicly embarrassed and called out as a heartless murderer- the Spartoi thus revolved against J'Son and exiled him. Peter decided to rule Spartax after getting engaged to Kitty Pryde, but I have no idea where that is now.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Phalanx

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE PHALANX
Created By:
Chris Claremont & Bill Sienkiewicz
First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #311 (April 1994)
Role: Implacable Robot Army, The Brainwashers
Group Affiliations: The Phalanx
PL 8 (194)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA -- AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Deception 6 (+5)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+7)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 4 (+7)
Insight 2 (+2)
Intimidation 6 (+5)
Perception 5 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Lasers) 2 (+7)
Stealth 3 (+6)
Technology 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Chokehold, Fast Grab, Startle, Teamwork

Powers:
"Transmode Creature"
"Mechanical Being" Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 7 [7]
"Self-Repairs" Regeneration 4 [4]
"Rotors & Engines" Flight 6 (120mph) [12]
"Interplanetary Travel" Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]
"Sensory Array" Senses 14 (Analytical Sight 2, Darkvision 2, Extended Vision 2, Distance Sense, Infravision, Microscopic Vision 2, Radio, Radius Sight 2, Rapid Sight) [14]

"Mass Form Alterations" Shapeshift 3 (Flaws: Limited to Mechanical Forms & Powers) [18]

"Inflict the Transmode Virus" Affliction 9 (Fort; Impaired & Dazed/Disabled & Stunned/Transformed & Controlled) (Feats: Incurable, Reach 4) (Extras: Extra Condition, Cumulative, Progressive +2) (50) -- [52]
  • AE: "Cutting Laser" Blast 8 (16)
  • AE: "Multi-Lasers" Blast 7 (Extras: Multiattack) (21)
Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Transmode Virus +7 (+9 Affliction, DC 19)
Blasts +7 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Multiattack +7 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +7, Fortitude --, Will +0

Complications:

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 132 / Defenses: 7 (194)

The Phalanx- Borg Rip-Offs in Comics Form:
-The Phalanx were a slightly-less-than impressive variant of the Technarch, and were the primary threat for the awful, AWFUL Phalanx Covenant cross-over. Seriously, this storyline (meant to start the Generation-X team) was awful in so many ways- it was dreary and boring, it featured lame and uninteresting villains, it featured people acting wildly out of character (Cannonball was turned into a gigantic ass that whined about everything and argued with everyone), and it went on for a ridiculous number of issues. This crappy story (and the fact that it took place during the Dark Age of Comics when the sales started to falter) meant that its main villains were doomed to mediocrity. It took over a decade for the group to REALLY get another push, during the second Annihilation cross-over, which used them as a techno-organic empire that nearly took over the entire Universe while working for the big bad ULTRON. Of course, terrible editorial oversight meant that Ultron was being used as a villain for The Mighty Avengers AT THE SAME TIME (sure it's easily-explained since he's a robot, but come on- you can't dilute villains with over-use like that), but it was still a pretty cool story.

-So the backstory of the Phalanx is that they are techno-organic aliens that invented Chris Claremont's Technarch to act as their "cosmic janitors" (even though the Magus could destroy entire stars), and seek to make the entire universe into Phalanx. They control their own host galaxy, and seek to infect others, allowing them to procreate. The Technarch are to then touch down on a Phalanx-controlled world and drain the energy of it, destroying everything for energy for the Phalanx as a whole- only "worthy" worlds are kept alive in the hivemind. They debuted in a '90s Marvel story, with some mutant-haters deliberately infecting themselves with the ashes of the deceased Warlock to strike out at the X-Men. Discovering that mutants were resistant to their Transmode Virus, they replaced the X-Men with Phalanx and captured a group of young mutants in order to study them. They performed a brave jailbreak as various free X-characters lash out- the teen heroine Blink dies saving the day, and the Phalanx called Harvest is killed.

-The Phalanx appeared in a handful of minor stories- the X-Men mourned that they had to kill a solitary one to prevent creating another "Babel Spire" and calling the others ("Couldn't we have understood each other?" asks Storm), and later the X-Men have to destroy some in their attempt to wipe out the Shi'ar Empire- they infest a Shi'ar "Nest", dooming an entire generation until the Beast manages to cure their infection.

Annihilation- Conquest:
-The Phalanx disappear for ages until they come roaring back in the sequel to Marvel's Annihilation. These new Phalanx are controlled by a four-eyed version of Ultron himself, and they take advantage of the ruination of the Skrull Empire in the preceding event to wipe out their enemies- the Kree. They surround the entire Kree Empire with an energy barrier and transform guys like Ronan the Accuser into beings like themselves, infecting them with the Transmode Virus. A new band of heroes unites to oppose them, including Star-Lord's group, which by the end of the event calls themselves "The Guardians of the Galaxy", creating another batch of comic book superstars in the process. They, Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell and others finally save the day, and Ultron is destroyed (while another version of him carries on in an Avengers event). They have not appeared in a major context since.

-Overall, the Phalanx are... well, they're the Borg from Star Trek. Like, they just Assimilate everything, have no personalities of their own, etc. They're a boring, nothing threat, which is why having Ultron or someone at the heart of them is a good idea. Otherwise they take something pretty cool like the Technarch and just turn it into a rip-off of a then-popular Star Trek thing (The Borg instantly became huge Trek foes, appearing all over the place in the show, dominating the series and even getting their own feature film).

Phalanx Powers:
-Phalanx are basically mini-version of Warlock, though quite impressive if the Mooks are PL 8.
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M4C8
Posts: 759
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:17 pm
Location: South-East England

Re: Jab’s Builds (Dr. Minerva! Ultimus! Shi’ar! The Phalanx!)

Post by M4C8 »

IIRC the last I saw of the Spartoi they were under the rule of Princess Victoria a previously unknown daughter of J'son and therefore half sister to Peter. I don't remember anything about who or even what species her mother was but she has the appearance of a light skinned black woman.
Last edited by M4C8 on Tue Aug 17, 2021 2:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
'A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it'
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