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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Muramasa Blade

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image

THE MURAMASA BLADE
Created By:
Chris Claremont & John Buscema
First Appearance: Wolverine #2 (Dec. 1988)
Role: Super-Sword

Device (Easily-Removable)- (23 points):
Strength-Damage +8 (Feats: Improved Critical 4) (Extras: Penetrating 12) Linked to Affliction 12 (Fort; Impaired/Disabled/Powerless) (Flaws: Limited to Healing Factors) (36) -- (37 points)
  • AE: "Refract Optic Blasts" Deflect 12 (Extras: Reflection) (24)
-The Muramasa Blade named for part of Japanese history- a legendary swordsmith named Muramasa was said to suffer from madness and an evil mind. This sickness ended up in the swords he created, and so they compelled the wielders to murderous acts and suicide.

-There are two versions in Marvel Comics- the first shares more or less the same origin as the real-world versions, and Wolverine used the weapon and quickly full under its murderous influence. Refusing in the end to kill The Silver Samurai and Jessica Drew, he overcame the sword's influence and threw it into a wall. The Samurai became the "new master" of the weapon... but the next writer forgot, and we never saw the weapon again.

-The second Muramasa Blade was ALSO created by Muramasa, who was now a contemporary figure who wanted to use Wolverine as an agent of destruction (Muramasa's wife had just died, and he hated the world). Made from a portion of Wolverine's soul, the Blade's primary function seems to be it's "Ultra-Killiness", as even HEALING FACTORS are known to falter before it. Wolverine later used the sword to kill Sabretooth via decapitation. It was broken during a fight with Daken, the son of Wolverine, who ran off with a small fragment and used THAT as a weapon. Omega Red was the next victim, being stabbed through the heart by Logan, who then buried the pieces of the blade elsewhere.

-The first Blade added to someone's Strength & Stamina, in addition to being very kill-y. The second is MUCH more dangerous to certain types, as it can prevent someone from healing.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Assorted Objects

Post by Jabroniville »

OTHER OBJECTS:
There are literally HUNDREDS of examples of characters in the Marvel Universe who use Gear (just look at Iron Man's Rogues Gallery), so making separate entries is rather pointless, since I can just link to the builds.

Some notable examples:
The Bloodstone
* The Bloodgem is the combined form of all the Bloodstones- its full powers are unknown, but villains the world over have attempted to gain control of it.
The Crimson Gem of Cyttorak
The Ebony Blade
The Quantum Bands
The Moonstone
The Two Sphinx's Ka Stone
The Scarlet Scarab
The Wand of Watoomb

The Orb of Agamotto:
-Sits in Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, and is used to peer into other dimensions.

The Book of the Vishanti:
-A good version of the Darkhold, which can only be used for defense. Written in Babylon millennia ago, and came into the possession of Yao (the future Ancient One, teacher of Doctor Strange). Was once stolen by Kaluu the Dark Sorcerer, but Strange regained it.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Nov 14, 2022 6:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5081
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Inigo Montoya! Fezzik! Adamantium! Vibranium!)

Post by Davies »

While there's an obvious literary precedent for the Darkhold, there isn't really one for the Book of the Vishanti, making it the more interesting of the two from some perspectives.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Vamp

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Comics produces some weird-ass panels sometimes.

THE VAMP (Denise Baranger)
Created By:
Roy Thomas, Don Glut & John Buscema
First Appearance: Captain America #217 (Jan. 1978)
Role: Jobber Villain, Illusionist
Group Affiliations: The Organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. Super-Agents
PL 7 (140), PL 9 (140) as Animus
STRENGTH
1/10 STAMINA 3/6 AGILITY 5/2
FIGHTING 12/6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 4 (+5)
Deception 4 (+8)
Expertise (Spy) 5 (+7)
Insight 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+7)
Stealth 2 (+7)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Grab Finesse, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Telepathy" Mind Reading 3 & Communication (Mental) 1 [11]
"Martial Arts Strike" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

"Animus Transformation" (Alternate Form -2 Action) [-2]
Enhanced Strength 9 [18]
Enhanced Stamina 3 [6]
Protection 3 [3]
Reduced Fighting 6 [-12]
Reduced Agility 3 [-6]
Reduced Dodge 1 [-1]
Enhanced Advantages 2: Equipment (Club +1), Improved Critical (Club) [2]

"Psionic Bolts" Blast 9 (Flaws: Immobile -2) (5) -- [6]
AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 9 (Flaws: Immobile -2) (5)

"The Absorbo-Belt" (Flaws: Removable) [21]
Mimic 3 (24 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Animus Strength +6 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Club +6 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Psionic Bolts +6 (+8 Ranged Will Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +5 (+2 Animus)

Defenses:
"Vamp" Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +3
"Animus" Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +9, Fortitude +8, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Involuntary Transformation (The Animus)- The Vamp's transformation can be controlled by another, via a switch.
Power Loss/Weakness (Club)- If the Club she summons in this form is broken (such as it was by The Hulk), she will fall unconscious and revert to human form.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 47 / Defenses: 8 (140)

-The Vamp is a weird one, with a crazy power-set. She's basically a hot chick with Judo on one hand, but she's also a big genderless psionic monster on the other. She was introduced via the Super-Agents, a small thing S.H.I.E.L.D. attempted in the Captain America book, and was trained by The Falcon (same place Blue Streak came from), but it turned out she was a mole and actually evil. Her bosses in The Corporation, including her lover, could transform her into a monster with the push of a button. She turned into the "Animus", threatened Cap for a bit, but generally was kind of lame- when the Blue Streak was discovered to be a Corporation pawn, she fought him, only to reveal her own membership later as part of a trap. Marvel Man (the future Quasar, Wendell Vaughn) broke the Hulk out of a prison cell to fight her, and the Animus-empowering gem was broken, depowering her.

-Once her story arc was over, she disappeared from the books for seven years, only to show up in human form at "The Bar With No Name" for a discussion about what to do about this "Scourge of the Underworld" guy. And that was the end... of THAT chapter. The Vamp got gunned down like all those other silly characters and villains Mark Gruenwald deemed pointless. It was revealed years later that Arnim Zola had cloned many of these Bar victims, using a Vamp clone as a means to gain funding via her thefts. Deadpool killed all of these clones during an arc featuring Zola.

-The Vamp's a curious creation, and effectively two characters in one- a PL 7 (7.5 defensive) martial artist on one hand, and a PL 8.5 Powerhouse on the other. There's oddities all-around, as her Fighting skills & Agility drop dramatically from one form to the next, she gains a Club when she switches forms (Equipment in an Alternate Form? Weird), gains some Telepathic powers (though she starts out with some I guess), etc. Then there's an Absorbo-Belt that lets her Mimic powers, which is the most bizarre addition to an already strange power-set... simply messed-up stuff.
User avatar
Sidious
Posts: 1610
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2016 12:27 am

Re: Uru

Post by Sidious »

Jabroniville wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 6:43 am Image
Image

URU:
-The Gods of Marvel are known to use certain elements like Adamantine or Uru for their weapons- this functions much the same as Adamantium, but often involves Magic in various quantities. Except Uru is now moon rock because... they needed a reason for Moon Knight to beat Thor via cheating that one time. Apparently the first moon in existence, which has been there since the beginning of time! Highly durable, Uru retains enchantments very well, which is why it was used for Thor's hammer Mjolnir. An enchanted forge or the heat of a star is required to forge it. Tony Stark was able to forge an armor out of Uru which could channel the full power of Mjolnir and the Odinforce into a Uni-Beam.

Objects Made of Uru:
Mjolnir- Thor's hammer.
Stormbreaker- Beta-Ray Bill's variation of Mjolnir.
Thunderstrike- Enchanted mace of Eric Masterson in his second identity.
Red-Norvell's War-Hammer
The Destroyer- The full armor is made of Uru, making it largely impossible to break.
Tordenstock- Geirrodur's spear.
Vidar's staff
Hofund- Heimdall's sword.
The Thorbuster Suit- Forged by Tony Stark.
Captain America's Shield- Reconstructed after the Serpent destroyed it.
Thor's black Uru prosthetic arm.
Jarnbjorn- Thor's Celestial-killing axe.
The Odinsword
The various weapons of The Mighty
IIRCC, There was a beautiful write-up back on the old White Wolf Aberrant boards in the 90's about how Uru and Thor's hammer were actually living beings that had been reshaped into their forms. This was back in the Earth-X days and the Asgardians were revealed to be aliens that took the forms that people believed they should have. Odin, was nothing more than a human storyteller who happened upon them and shaped them to his stories.

Anyway the Hammer tells it's own origin and how it was reshaped into a hammer and given to Thor and how it's happy and what not.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Inigo Montoya! Fezzik! Adamantium! Vibranium!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Curiously, the next couple of villains have their origins rooted in the same series- X-Treme X-Men. I guess all the villains with weird, non-comic-booky names all share an origin with Chris Claremont's weird later book :).

That book is definitely an odd one, though- when Claremont's return to the X-Books bottomed out almost immediately with the horrible "Neo" story arc and all those stupid characters, it seems like they couldn't get him off those books fast enough. However, he was allowed to have a "Vanity Book" in a way, with hot artist Salvador Larocca thrown into it with his unique costume designs and great art style. Claremont was given his favorites (ie. a bunch of female characters) in Storm, Rogue and Psylocke, but to his credit he actually put in some characters he DIDN'T have a hand in, like Bishop, deciding to use him as well. And THEN... he finally pulled the trigger on the character that'd only been hinted at in his original run, via Sebastian Shaw's emotionless agent Tessa, who was renamed SAGE and turned into a major deal.

The book had the gimmick that this outlier X-group were searching for Destiny's diaries, as Claremont was still hung up on that character (killed late in his run and ignored by most '90s writers who followed him). The idea was that the X-Men wanted the books and didn't even want PROFESSOR XAVIER to have them, as they didn't trust him (just in case you thought the whole "Prof X is a dick" thing was a recent phenomenon). The book had a few snafus, like the Beast getting called away to Grant Morrison's revamped X-Men title, and Psylocke dying by accident (she was meant to be resurrected with new powers in the same story, but Joe Quesada's newly-instituted "Dead Means Dead" rule took effect immediately, meaning Claremont had to wait YEARS.

In the end, though, the book never mattered- NOTHING from it has ever affected another book. Claremont's two new X-Men created for it (Lifeguard and Slipstream) ended up having zero effect on anything and to this day are merely "Wait, THEY were X-Men?" additions that confuse people every time I stat up the entire team in one big project XD. None of its villains ever got use afterwards (which is why Vargas & Elias Bogan had to wait so long in both RA and Echoes to be profiled). Claremont's beloved Sage ended up an industry joke as he pushed her in book after book, but she only followed him to whatever Marvel book he was then writing, dooming her to obscurity otherwise.

And ultimately... the book actually HARMED the X-Men when I really think about it. Because while "Give Claremont a vanity book with a good artist, that means nothing" is a solid idea and probably got some sales in the X-franchise back in the day... his book actually REMOVED several important characters from their universe for a number of years! Bishop & Sage are "whatever", but STORM AND ROGUE? Removing a top-tier leader character and the vastly important Rogue (who was a big deal in the movies as an "Audience Focus Character" ended up having a disastrous effect in my opinion, as these popular characters just didn't matter to the overall world of comics for something like 4-5 years, which is an eternity. It caused people to just sorta forget about them, and major stories and crossovers to skip them. Storm has never mattered to the greater X-Men roster again (when she used to be equal to Cyclops in importance!), and this was largely the end of Rogue's push as a major character.

So with that rant, I give you two X-Men villains who nobody remembers and I even forgot about until trying to fill in old names I hadn't posted to this thread yet :).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Vargas

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

VARGAS
Created By:
Chris Claremont & Salvador Larocca
First Appearance: X-Treme X-Men #1 (July 2001)
Role: Forgotten Villain
PL 11 (144)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 6
FIGHTING 15 DEXTERITY 6
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+14)
Athletics 8 (+12)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Business) 4 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 4 (+7)
Stealth 1 (+7)

Advantages:
Diehard, Benefit 4 (Wealth), Equipment 2 (Broadsword- Strength-Damage +3, Penetrating 4), Extraordinary Effort, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Critical (Sword), Improved Defense, Languages (a few), Startle, Takedown 2, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Perfect Physical Specimen"
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Accelerated Healing" Regeneration 3 [3]
Immunity 2 (Poison, Disease) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +15 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Broadsword +15 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +16 (DC 26), Toughness +5, Fortitude +7, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Power)
Responsibility (Ego)- Vargas will be humiliated if proven inferio to anyone.

Total: Abilities: 90 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 17 / Powers: 7 / Defenses: 13 (144)

-Vargas is the first villainous creation from Chris Claremont's vanity project, X-Treme X-Men (essentially, a book given to him after his X-Men run was a disappointment, meant for him to use all his Pet Characters to his heart's content while other writers had their OWN mediocre X-Men stories to tell). He waltzed in while the team were in Spain, beat the Beast into a living pulp (necessitating his much-hated "Cat Form" Mutation as a way to explain away his Morrisonian redesign), then KILLED PSYLOCKE. This latter bit ended up kind of funny, as Claremont had wanted to resurrect her at the end of that story arc (as she was a HUGE favorite of his), but right then, Joe Quesada, the new Editor-In-Chief, instituted the "Dead Means Dead" policy in an attempt to keep death from becoming a bigger joke in comics. And so Claremont was STUCK with a dead Psylocke for a matter of YEARS- only later did Joey Q come up with a "better" idea- make death a FURTHER joke, but use it like a "Character Refresh" button, killing off guys in order to put a tired character on the shelf for a while, and so that they can make big bucks off of a "Resurrected Hero!" issue. See Storm, Johnny and Rogers, Steve.

-In any case, Vargas is essentially a Generic Evil Rich Guy, and also a master martial artist with a broadsword. He also carries one of Destiny's Diaries (the Maguffin of that series- the X-Men were on a quest to find the books, and keep them out of the hands of bad people, which included Xavier himself at this point). He got repeated wins over the X-Men (including impaling both Gambit & Rogue on his sword), until a furious Rogue finally beat the hell out of him. Having been proven inferior to another, Vargas went away. Later, another writer who didn't care about him had him killed off by Mister Sinister's agents, in Sinister's quest to remove all those who knew of future events. So yes, they literally went "LOL this guy sucks- just kill him off" as a background act. RIP, X-Treme X-Men ever mattering.

-Vargas is apparently a "pure and legitimate Homo sapiens superior- the next step in human evolution". However, he is not a Mutant- just a perfect physical specimen like Captain America. He does well enough to get win after win over the X-Men until one final battle against a pissed-off Rogue, so I went with PL 11 with the Broadsword, PL 10.5 to Parry. He's exceptionally-dangerous on offense, but a good enough fighter can still thump him.
Shock
Posts: 2978
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:27 pm
Location: Connecticut USA

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Inigo Montoya! Fezzik! Adamantium! Vibranium!)

Post by Shock »

So he's a mutant but not a mutant? What does that even mean?
User avatar
M4C8
Posts: 759
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:17 pm
Location: South-East England

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Inigo Montoya! Fezzik! Adamantium! Vibranium!)

Post by M4C8 »

I don't know if you already know this Jab (or if this is another of your weird coincidences) but X-Treme X-Men with Claremont and Larroca is returning, the story picks up where the original ended.
'A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it'
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5081
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Inigo Montoya! Fezzik! Adamantium! Vibranium!)

Post by Davies »

Shock wrote: Mon Nov 14, 2022 9:47 pm So he's a mutant but not a mutant? What does that even mean?
He's a human with a high opinion of himself in a series written with an arts major's understanding of biology. (The whole 'homo superior' thing is a Bad Idea, and most of the other species names that Marvel has produced are worse than that.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Elias Bogan

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

ELIAS BOGAN
Created By:
Chris Claremont & Salvador Larocca
First Appearance: X-Treme X-Men #1 (July 2001)
Role: Mind-Possesser
Group Affiliations: The Hellfire Club
PL 12 (138)
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 4 (+8)
Expertise (Business) 10 (+13)
Expertise (History) 6 (+9)
Stealth 10 (+12)

Advantages:
Benefit 5 (Wealth)

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Possession"
Mind Control 12 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Possession) (Noticeable- "Bleeding Eyes") (60) -- [64]
  • Dynamic AE: "Telepathy" Mind-Reading 11 Linked to Communication (Mental) 4 (Feats: Dynamic) (35)
    Dynamic AE: "Telelocation" Senses 4 (Mental Detection- Ranged 2, Acute) (Feats: Dynamic) (5)
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Possession -- (+11 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +3, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Greed, Power)
Enemy (Tessa)- Tessa once cost Elias the "services" of Emma Frost (I'm willing to bet I know what that means), and he holds a grudge.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 65 / Defenses: 11 (138)

-Elias Bogan is a wealthy, powerful recluse who is rumored to be the founder of the Hellfire Club in the 1780s, and remains a powerful figure to this day. Years ago, he wagered against Sebastian Shaw in a poker game- if Bogan won, Emma Frost would be his; if Shaw won, his fortune would be made. Shaw's agent Tessa turned the game towards her boss, and he achieved the impossible, leaving Bogan bitter (this retcons Shaw's personally-forged fortune a bit). Bogan later captured Tessa, and Shaw abandoned her rather than pay the ransom (which would have cost him everything)- Storm and the X-Men freed her instead. This brings us to Claremont's weird X-book X-Treme X-Men, which was basically a collection of his favorites with some REALLY pretty Larocca art, as the Editors let him do his own thing in his own little world after his attempt at actually running the whole X-line kind of faltered.

-In any case, Bogan headed to the Xavier Institute in search of Jeffrey Garrett, who'd murdered someone on Bogan's property- he took possession of Emma Frost & Bishop, and recaptured Tessa (now Sage) before Storm drove him off. The next time the X-Men fought him, he turned out to have been possessing Rachel Summers for some time. The X-Men eventually shattered the crystal that held Rachel & Bogan's essences, freeing Rachel. Bogan psionically attacked the following day, but the attack made Magma, who was also present, burn down the catacombs of his base. He has never reappeared, nor been mentioned following M-Day (translation: the later writers wrote out all the X-Treme X-Men characters).

-A mysterious, shadowy figure (I can't find any good pics of him), Bogan is a REALLY powerful Telepath, as his "Possessions" include Emma Frost and Rachel Summers- not the easiest people to take a hold of.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Inigo Montoya! Fezzik! Adamantium! Vibranium!)

Post by Jabroniville »

M4C8 wrote: Mon Nov 14, 2022 10:08 pm I don't know if you already know this Jab (or if this is another of your weird coincidences) but X-Treme X-Men with Claremont and Larroca is returning, the story picks up where the original ended.
LOL no, I had no idea! Hell, I wasn't even sure if Larocca was still working! Is it to be another "If I had never left..." book that's out of continuity?
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Erik the Red

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

Looking at it now, this feels very much like "Dave Cockrum Evoking Jack Kirby".

ERIK THE RED (Davan Shakari)
Created By:
Chris Claremont & Dave Cockrum
First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #97 (1975)
Role: Forgotten X-Foe
Group Affiliations: The Shi'ar
PL 8 (139)
STRENGTH
5/8 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 2 (+5)
Expertise (Space Soldier) 4 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Technology 5 (+8)
Vehicles 3 (+7)

Advantages:
Benefit 3 (Shi'ar General), Equipment 1 (Rebreather), Ranged Attack 4

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]

"Red Armour" (Flaws: Removable) [34]
Enhanced Strength 3 (6)
Protection 3 (3)
Mind Control 8 (32) -- (33)
  • AE: Force Blasts 8 (16)
-- (42 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Armour +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Blasters +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Responsibility (The Shi'ar Empire)

Total: Abilities: 74 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 40 / Defenses: 7 (139)

-Erik the Red is kind of a relic of the 1970s- way more than most X-foes (even the Space Pirates!). He was kind of based off of an old '60s story featuring Cyclops disguising himself as a super-villain in order to infiltrate a bunch of bad guys, but is in fact a Shi'ar agent, used repeatedly in the early going of the "Shi'ar Stuff" Claremont & Cockrum were doing in X-Men. Davan Shakari was employed by Emperor D'Ken to observe Earth- the link between he & Cyclops having the same alternate identity has never been explained, and is probably just a REALLY big coincidence (unless Erik was attempting to confuse the X-Men). He dominated the minds of Havok & Polaris into trying to kill Charles Xavier on D'Ken's behalf, but was defeated by Phoenix & the X-Men. He then freed Black Tom Cassidy & the Juggernaut from prison and set them up in Cassidy Keep for a story that's now more well-known for introducing the Tom/Juggy pairing and the f*ckin' LEPRECHAUNS in the Keep getting involved- Erik's part in this has largely been forgotten. He later attempted to send Firelord against the X-Men, too, but his biggest impact on continuity was that HE was the one who re-aged Magneto back to adulthood (he'd been de-aged by Alpha the Ultimate Mutant in a story that's now been forgotten). After this, he kidnapped Lilandra just as she reached our heroes, but the X-Men invaded Shi'ar space and beat D'Ken's army, including Erik. The character thus vanished.

-Years later, he apparently died when his spaceship exploded during a fight with Genis-Vell & X-Treme. And for a Claremont Original, that is a VERY minor run- this is a guy who trotted out minor-league Ms. Marvel & Iron Fist characters and retrofitted them to be X-Villains that became huge stars in comics like Mystique & Sabretooth, and he basically NEVER used this guy again, especially not in a major way! Even in big Shi'ar groups, you never see a new "Erik" or any of that- he's just forgotten. Last time we saw something like him was a disguise Magneto wore during the "Trial of Gambit" when he was charged for his crimes for bringing the Marauders to the Morlocks. It really kind of comics off like he was a "filler" character meant to create "Excuse Plots"- re-aging Magneto is a BIG one (it couldn't be some random thing- you had to have alien tech to justify something like THAT), but stuff like justifying why Juggernaut & Black Tom are hanging around together or why Firelord would fight the X-Men- he's just some random backgrounder manipulating stuff until they didn't need him any longer. There really was never more to him than that.

-Erik is a standard PL 8 guy- actually pretty well-rounded and expensive as far as that type goes, but he never threatened anybody after the 1970s, so he fought a weaker set of X-Men than we see today.
User avatar
Goldar
Posts: 1229
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:10 pm

Re: Elias Bogan

Post by Goldar »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue Nov 15, 2022 12:49 am Image

ELIAS BOGAN
Created By:
Chris Claremont & Salvador Larocca
First Appearance: X-Treme X-Men #1 (July 2001)
Role: Mind-Possesser
Group Affiliations: The Hellfire Club
PL 12 (138)
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 4 (+8)
Expertise (Business) 10 (+13)
Expertise (History) 6 (+9)
Stealth 10 (+12)

Advantages:
Benefit 5 (Wealth)

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Possession"
Mind Control 12 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Possession) (Noticeable- "Bleeding Eyes") (60) -- [64]
  • Dynamic AE: "Telepathy" Mind-Reading 11 Linked to Communication (Mental) 4 (Feats: Dynamic) (35)
    Dynamic AE: "Telelocation" Senses 4 (Mental Detection- Ranged 2, Acute) (Feats: Dynamic) (5)
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Possession -- (+11 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +3, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Greed, Power)
Enemy (Tessa)- Tessa once cost Elias the "services" of Emma Frost (I'm willing to bet I know what that means), and he holds a grudge.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 65 / Defenses: 11 (138)

-Elias Bogan is a wealthy, powerful recluse who is rumored to be the founder of the Hellfire Club in the 1780s, and remains a powerful figure to this day. Years ago, he wagered against Sebastian Shaw in a poker game- if Bogan won, Emma Frost would be his; if Shaw won, his fortune would be made. Shaw's agent Tessa turned the game towards her boss, and he achieved the impossible, leaving Bogan bitter (this retcons Shaw's personally-forged fortune a bit). Bogan later captured Tessa, and Shaw abandoned her rather than pay the ransom (which would have cost him everything)- Storm and the X-Men freed her instead. This brings us to Claremont's weird X-book X-Treme X-Men, which was basically a collection of his favorites with some REALLY pretty Larocca art, as the Editors let him do his own thing in his own little world after his attempt at actually running the whole X-line kind of faltered.

-In any case, Bogan headed to the Xavier Institute in search of Jeffrey Garrett, who'd murdered someone on Bogan's property- he took possession of Emma Frost & Bishop, and recaptured Tessa (now Sage) before Storm drove him off. The next time the X-Men fought him, he turned out to have been possessing Rachel Summers for some time. The X-Men eventually shattered the crystal that held Rachel & Bogan's essences, freeing Rachel. Bogan psionically attacked the following day, but the attack made Magma, who was also present, burn down the catacombs of his base. He has never reappeared, nor been mentioned following M-Day (translation: the later writers wrote out all the X-Treme X-Men characters).

-A mysterious, shadowy figure (I can't find any good pics of him), Bogan is a REALLY powerful Telepath, as his "Possessions" include Emma Frost and Rachel Summers- not the easiest people to take a hold of.
Nice Elias Bogan. Not sure I ever saw a body before, just the eyes. Yes, he is powerful to mind control Rachel and Emma.
User avatar
Goldar
Posts: 1229
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:10 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Vibranium! The Vamp! Vargas! Erik the Red!)

Post by Goldar »

I like the 3rd pic for Erik the Red since it seems more updated and cosmic. I did not know he was killed in a space explosion.

i remember he was strong enough to fight Colossus and he always seemed powerful. He could have been used more, even if still to limited extent, which would have enhanced his fan popularity, but he seemed to disappear after the Phoenix Saga.
Post Reply