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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Lesla-Lar

Post by Jabroniville »

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"I envy and hate her! The honors that I, Lesla-Lar, have earned in Kandor as a scientific genius are as nothing compared to the acclaim the people of Earth will give Supergirl when they learn of her existence!"

LESLA-LAR
Created By:
Jerry Siegel & Jim Mooney
First Appearance: Action Comics #279 (Aug. 1961)
Role: Mirror Image Villain (to Supergirl)

-Well I suppose it was inevitable that SUPERGIRL would have a Mirror Image Villain as well, though I'm surprised that this character has no legacy to speak of. I've never even heard of her until now. Lesla-Lar is one of many Kryptonians living in the Bottle City of Kandor, and a brilliant but cruel scientist. She grew jealous of Supergirl's fame, and decided to become a criminal. In her debut, she used a ray on Supergirl which stripped her of her powers on the day Superman was going to reveal her existence to the world. Since they naturally looked exactly alike, Lesla-Lar once switched places with her (brainwashing Supergirl into thinking she was Lesla-Lar and leaving her in Kandor) then tried to kill Superman, planning on betraying Lex Luthor and killing him so she could rule the world. Thankfully, Krypto realized that she was an impostor, and used a switching ray to return each girl to their proper position. In a curious story element, Kara never learned of the existence of her enemy.

-Later, Lesla broke out of Kandorian jail and assembed various Phantom Zone criminals, including Zod, Jax-Ur & Kru-El... but underestimated their treachery, as Kru-El tested his Disintegration Ray on her immediately, vaporizing her. And thus was the end of Lesla-Lar- in her final appearance, she was a ghost attempting to possess Supergirl, but Kara's parents figured it out and Kara's spirit punched out Lesla's- this ultimately seems to have killed the character at last. All in all, she lasted for two dozen issues over twenty years, last appearing in this 1981 story.

-Power-wise, Lesla-Lar was a standard Kryptonian, but typically fought as an inventor & schemer in her stories.
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Tattooedman
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Re: Kru-El

Post by Tattooedman »

Ares wrote: Sun Jan 01, 2023 2:26 am
Jabroniville wrote: Sat Dec 31, 2022 11:43 pm Image
This looks distinctly Post Crisis, around the 2005's or so.
He looks like Forge. Guess being a 3rd string X-Man doesn't pay well....
Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:45 pm
LOl- "The Tattooed Man"? What kind of ABSOLUTE DILDO would refer to himself as "The Tattooed Man" :P!?!
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Barrage! Bizarro! General Zod! Kru-El!)

Post by greycrusader »

Unfortunately, Supergirl has just about NO meaningful rogues at all-everyone who showed promise (Lesla-Lar, Black Flame, Blackstarr) was quickly killed off or forgotten about; a few are too cornball to use without major reworking or doing a Grant Morrison style earnest-ironic style (Nasthalia Luthor) or the first (as Ken pointed out) Star Sapphire. The Enchantress had potential but then got shuffled over to the Suicide Squad, her status as Kara's enemy quickly lost.

All my best..
Jabroniville
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Quex-Ul

Post by Jabroniville »

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QUEX-UL (aka Charlie Kewskill)
Created By:
Edmond Hamilton & Curt Swan
First Appearance: Superman #157 (Nov. 1962)
Role: Evil Kryptonian

-Quex-Ul was another Phantom Zone Criminal, exiled for killing the endangered Rondors for their healing horns (... wait. That seems very forward-thinking for a 1962 story). Sentenced for twenty-five years, he was released by Superman when the date was up, keeping with his father's intentions. Quex-Ul was still vengeful, however, and tried to trap Superman with Gold Kryptonite. However, it turned out that Quex had merely been acting under mind control by ANOTHER- a criminal named Rog-Ar, who had actually killed the Rondors. Quex-Ul threw himself into the Gold K radiation himself, saving Superman at the cost of his powers and memory.

-The amnesiac, powerless Quex started work at the Daily Planet, taking a human identity, but regained both powers & memory after getting trapped in the Phantom Zone again. An evil entity called Aethyr threatened both him & Superman, and again Quez-Ul sacrificed himself, flying into the creature to save Superman. Steve Gerber of all people wrote this story in 1982, which seemed to be going out of its way to write out various Silver Age Kryptonians via killing them- also killed was Jer-Em (a mad prophet from Argo City). Quex-Ul himself had only appeared in a couple of stories!
Jabroniville
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Shyla-Kor-Onn

Post by Jabroniville »

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SHYLA-KOR-ONN (aka Sylvia Shadow)
Created By:
Jack C. Harris & Bob Brown
First Appearance: The Superman Family #183 (June 1977)
Role: Evil Kryptonian

-Another lost Kryptonian character, Shyla-Kor-Onn was a space pilot and scientist who was rejected from flight duties due to sub-standard physical requirements. Incensed, she decided to build a device to siphon the strength from other people, apparently being like "LOL working out is for chumps"- however, she accidentally killed someone doing so, and was sentenced to the Phantom Zone for decades. She escaped and made her way to Earth, where Lesla-Lar's dead spirit covninced her to fight Supergirl. As "Sylvia Shadow", she took up at New Athens Experimental School, where Kara worked, and drained some students, luring Kara into the same equipment. She attempted to free other Phantom Zoners, but Supergirl tricked her into the Ray Projector's path, exiling her instead. Shyla later convinced the Kandorian officials to let her out, and she colluded with Lex Luthor to get revenge by framing Kara for crimes. A short while later, however, Shyla reformed. The character was only around for four years, appearing in five comics, most around the same time.
Jabroniville
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Jax-Ur

Post by Jabroniville »

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JAX-UR
Created By:
Otto Binder & George Papp
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #289 (Oct. 1961)
Role: Evil Kryptonian Scientist
PL 13 (223)
STRENGTH
17 STAMINA 16 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 10 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Aerobatics 4 (+7)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+11)
Deception 5 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 8 (+18)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Perception 6 (+9)
Technology 8 (+18)
Vehicles 4 (+8)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Takedown

Powers:
"More Powerful Than a Speeding Locomotive" Power-Lifting 2 (12,000 tons) [2]
Protection 3 (Extras: Impervious 17) [20]
Immunity 6 (Poison, Aging, Heat, Cold, Pressure, Vaccum) [6]

"Heat Beam" Damage 13 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (39) -- [44]
  • AE: "Heat Vision" Blast 18 (Feats: Extended Range) (37)
  • AE: "Freeze Breath" Affliction 12 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition) (36)
  • AE: "Freeze Cone" Affliction 12 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Extra Condition) (36)
  • AE: "Ground Pound" Affliction 14 (Strength/Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 120ft. Burst +3, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Both Must Be Grounded, Instant Recovery) (28)
  • AE: "Super-Breath" Affliction 13 (Strength/Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 120ft. Cone +2, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Both Must Be Grounded, Instant Recovery) Linked to Move Object 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone +2) (Flaws: Touch Range) (25)
"Faster Than a Speeding Bullet"
Flight 16 (125,000 mph) (Feats: Dynamic) (33) -- [37]
  • Dynamic AE: Quickness 10 (Feats: Dynamic) (11)
  • Dynamic AE: Speed 10 (2,000 mph) (Feats: Dynamic) (11)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]

Senses 15 (Extended Vision & Hearing 2, Infra, Ultra & Microvision 4, Vision Penetrates Concealment, Ultra-Hearing) [15]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+17 Damage, DC 32)
Heat Vision +9 (+16 Ranged Damage, DC 31)
Heat Beam +13 Area (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Freeze Breath +9 (+12 Ranged Affliction, DC 22)
Freeze Cone/Ground Pound +12-13 Area (+12 Affliction, DC 22-23)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +19 (+11 Impervious), Fortitude +16, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Power)
Power Loss, Weakness (All Powers, Kryptonite Exposure)- The dreaded green rock (which is VERY common at times) will neutralize Jax-Ur's powers, AND rapidly poison him.
Power Loss/Vulnerable (Red Sun Radiation)- Earth's Yellow Sun empowers Kryptonians- without it, they will soon lose their powers. Red Sun-based energies will do much more damage to him.
Power Loss/Vulnerable (Magic)- Magic has a vague effect on Kryptonians.
Power Loss (X-Ray Vision)- Kryptonian X-Ray Vision cannot penetrate lead.

Total: Abilities: 116 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 71 / Defenses: 10 (223)

-Another Evil Kryptonian, Jax-Ur was described as "the worst troublemaker in the Phantom Zone" and the first criminal banished there. He was a deviant scientist who debuted mere months after General Zod, as 1961 is clearly the year the Superman people got a taste for "Phantom Zone Criminals" being a regular thing. He was imprisoned for destroying Wegthor, an inhabited moon of Krypton (population: 500) through his experiments with a nuclear warhead-tipped rocket intended to help him rule Krypton- his sentence was, unusually, ETERNITY, as the crime of mass murder was just too much. A later story would use this to justify why Kryptonians never travelled through space- his rocket had hit one of Jor-El's, and that's what caused it to deflect into the moon- Krypton thus made all space travel forbidden, "justifying" why Kal-El's rocket was the only one (... and Krypto's. And Beppo's) to leave the planet.

-Jax-Ur escaped the Phantom Zone in his debut and posed as a super-powered version of Jonathan Kent, but Superboy sent him back. He used Supergirl's tears (??) to escape next, but was beaten by Mon-El of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Most Silver Age appearances show him in the Phantom Zone, and he escaped only rarely. He plotted against Superman alongside Zod & Faora, but unlike them, was older and out of shape, and one of few Kryptonians that Superman could easily defeat.

-Later, though, Jax-Ur would help Superman defeat Black Zero, an alien saboteur who'd ensured Krypton's destruction- he was mutated by the villain's Red Kryptonite, but killed him to avenge Krypton and willingly returned to the Zone. This was his final Pre-Crisis appearance. The character didn't return until the Johns/Donner run in the 2000s, released from the Zone by General Zod. Now, the moon of Krypton was destroyed by Jax-Ur's attempt at interstellar space travel.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Barrage! Bizarro! General Zod! Kru-El!)

Post by catsi563 »

Jax-ur and mala were used in Superman TAS as the standins for Zod and co during a two episode arc.
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Davies
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Re: Jax-Ur

Post by Davies »

Jabroniville wrote: Sun Jan 01, 2023 7:08 pm -Later, though, Jax-Ur would help Superman defeat Black Zero, an alien saboteur who'd ensured Krypton's destruction-
Interestingly, that latter name, of a one-off character who -- as far as I know -- was never mentioned again, keeps getting recycled into different versions of the mythos.
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Black Zero

Post by Jabroniville »

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BLACK ZERO
Created By:
Otto Binder & Al Plastino
First Appearance: Superman #205 (April 1968)
Role: One-Off Villain, Planet-Breaker

-Black Zero is a weird one- he's a "Planet Saboteur" who destroys planets for money, and was revealed to have been behind the destruction of Krypton itself! The story alleges that the natural forces that were threatening the planet were dying down on their own, and so Black Zero reversed their course and ensured the destruction of the planet. This, oddly, means that Jor-El was actually incorrect about Krypton exploding and Krypton would have been fine if not for this guy. Black Zero then threatened Earth, but died attempting to destroy it. He never appeared again, but varoius other things named "Black Zero" showed up over the years in later continuities. 1988's World of Krypton saw the "Black Zero" terrorist organization on Krypton, and another was an Alternate Universe Superboy (Connor Kent).

-Black Zero was immune to Super-Hypnosis and could apparently go intangible or reconstruct himself molecularly.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (General Zod! Faora! Kru-El! Jax-Ur!)

Post by Davies »

According to this guy's entry on the wiki, the natural forces may not have died down on their own, but been suppressed thanks to efforts by Green Lantern Tomar-Re (according to a story that came out four years later) so that the efforts of these two cancelled each other out. As Jor-El wasn't aware of either of them, he turns out to have been correct, but seeing the effects of Tomar-Re's efforts may have contributed to the Science Council's skepticism. And all of this is, of course, fanwankery.

EDIT: Not only did Black Zero never reappear, I don't think there was ever another mention of the supposed "pirate empire" that hired him to destroy Krypton.
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Jabroniville
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Pete Ross

Post by Jabroniville »

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PETE ROSS
Created By:
Leo Dorfman & George Papp
First Appearance: Superboy #86 (Jan. 1961)
Role: Superboy's Pal

-Pete Ross is a weird one- he debuted more than a decade after Superboy did, but became his best pal, effectively taking Jimmy Olsen's place in that book's narrative. He is the childhood best friend of Clark Kent, and actually witnesses him change into Superboy, making him one more person who knows the secret- he even hides this from CLARK, helping him only in secret. The Legion of Super-Heroes, aware of his selflessness, reward him with honorary membership in the future. As an adult, Pete is a widower with a son who also learned Clark's secret. Pete reveals all of this to Clark when his son is kidnapped by aliens, but Superman is unable to help, causing Pete to have a nervous breakdown (lol what?). In the "imaginary" Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, Pete is the first death, captured and tortured by Toyman & Prankster into revealing Superman's true identity, then killed and brandished at Superman.

-Post-Crisis, Pete Ross is a far more minor character- he marries Lana Lang, having a son named after Clark. However, they have some difficulties, as Pete always feels like Lana's "second choice". Pete becomes Vice President of the U.S. when Lex Luthor is elected, but he & Lana split up for a time, then eventually get divorced. Here, Pete didn't know Clark was Superman until being told by villains.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (General Zod! Faora! Kru-El! Jax-Ur!)

Post by Ares »

I kind of like characters like Pete Ross here, and it shows that Superman's supporting cast always had potential to be on a Spider-Man level, it's just that writers weren't interested in putting in the work or had their heads up their asses about the wrong things. After all, who cares about Superman having a friend like Pete Ross or Bibbo handing out food to homeless people when you can have Superman powergeeking all over the pages? Who cares about the character work done by the Post-Crisis writers on the Daily Planet when you can gut them in favor of the Silver Age cast that you aren't going to focus on anyway?

I'd honestly go back through all eras of Superman, pick out everyone who could possibly make for a good supporting cast member and give them both a personality and a purpose. Pete Ross for instance should be one of Clark's oldest friends, the guy who figured out what Clark was but never treated him any differently, and someone who can give him a perspective different than the Kents, Lois, Lana or other superheroes. Ma and Pa Kent will always view him as "their boy". Lois and Lana view him romantically, albeit Lana as a former lover. Other superheroes mostly see him as Superman first and Clark Kent a distant second, if at all.

Pete is one of the few guys who can talk to Superman and see him solely as Clark Kent, his old buddy. He can be an insight into Clark's character and be someone Clark can talk to about things he just can't with others. His perception isn't filtered through romantic love, paternal love or hero-worship. He just sees Clark as one of his oldest friends and could be a source of brutal honesty others might be reluctant to give.

The mention of the Legion of Superheroes also reminds me of how unnecessary all the suffering and continuity problems Crisis caused.

To me, the simplest thing was to have some villain travel back in time to try and kill Clark as a teenager, when he was still developing his powers. The Legion comes in and saves him, and seeing how lonely Clark is, take him to the future. There, Brainiac 5 gives him some special Augmented Solar Treatment that gives him his full powers as a teenager, and the Legion then train him and take him on adventures, allowing him to have friends and acceptance he couldn't get at home. And they always de-power him back to normal before sending him home.

This allows Clark to have his classic Legion stories, explaining to the 30th century that "Superboy" is a fan of Superman and is honoring his legacy by wearing his colors. Or for an extra Silver Age twist, he could always pretend to be his own descendant. Perhaps at one point Clark and the Legion realize Clark is using his Legion trips as a kind of escape from normal life, and he has to scale them back gradually, until by his early 20s he only sees them maybe once a year as a kind of annual tradition.

This allows for a lot of Pre-Crisis Superboy adventures with the Legion, leaves Legion continuity mostly intact, and helps explain why Superman was so good at being a hero right from the start: he'd secretly been getting training in the future for over 5 years, getting tips on tactics and teamwork, and getting good at giving inspirational speeches.

There. Problem largely solved, and by just borrowing / expanding on concepts from Smallville and the Legion of Superheroes animated series.

Meanwhile teen Clark could have Smallville-esque adventures, only without the stupidity of introducing Superman villains years before their time. Maybe have a few things to show that the DCU was a weird place long before Clark showed up, and have Pete Ross discover Clark's secret but help him out in secret before Clark finds out himself, and then maybe Lana figures this out as well. Maybe have the trio be very "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", but with aliens and general DC weirdness.
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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (General Zod! Faora! Kru-El! Jax-Ur!)

Post by Jabroniville »

The "Superboy & The LOSH" thing was so damn simple a fix that it's insane that DC never once tried anything until they were like "AH HOLY CRAP WE SCREWED IT ALL UP!!!" Either don't let Byrne do the "Superboy elimination" or do something like what Ares suggested- don't shoot one of your top sellers in the dick just to make your flaghship character sell more.

Like, who thought the "Time Trapper creates an alternate universe and oh it's THAT Superboy that's in the Legion" solution was a good, easy fix?

The sad thing is the Crisis was a reboot with a ton of creators working really hard and with strong editorial and they STILL cocked it all up and nearly ruined their universe... and no lessons were learned and the "New 52" was EVEN WORSE. Yet somehow, people are still like "No no, THIS TIME it will work!" suggesting comic companies need to reboot things to be more accessible to new readers.

Mark Gruenwald said it best, when he said he regretted killing all those Scourge victims: killing them didn't actually REMOVE them at all, because those stories were still there. You killed the characters, but fans still remembered them and could read back-issues. Similarly, DC's continuity was a bit complex with all the parallel Earths but HOLY GOD the "fixes" just made it worse, because now you had to explain what parts of those old stories were different, swap in NEW characters, and be aware the entire time of who was being swapped in to what. And they STILL cocked those up by putting Miss America on the JSA (and as Fury's "Foster Mom") and then undoing that by putting Hippolyta on the JSA instead.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (General Zod! Faora! Kru-El! Jax-Ur!)

Post by Ares »

So, giving it 5 minutes of thought, here's a general outline of what I think Superman's supporting cast could look like.


Jor-El and Lara-El: Responsible for getting Clark to safety, but both very, very dead by the modern era. No interactive AI holograms, no "I survived and am taking your son" shenanigans, none of it. We might get some flashback stories showing Jor-El was an action science hero in his own right, but both are definitely dead in the modern age.

Jonathan and Martha Kent:Clark's parents, and even after discovering Jor-El and Lara, he never refers to anyone but Ma and Pa Kent as "his real parents". Genuinely good people, the kind of parents we need today, always willing to talk with Clark and give him advice.

Lois Lane: Downplay the "Superman's girlfriend" and "Superman saves Lois" memes. Have Lois be an early rival of Clark and have some romantic tension with Superman, but have Lois gradually see Clark's admirable traits and instead fall in love with him. Make this the key point of why they work: She fell in love with the MAN, not the SUPER. Have the courtship not drag on nearly as long, and have the standard be them as a married couple.

Jimmy Olsen: Jimmy is actually kind of a tough nut to crack if you want to keep the "Superman's Pal" angle. On the one hand, while Clark's closest relationships are with people who know his dual identity, Jimmy would be interesting as a friend he has primarily in his Superman identity. Jimmy could view Superman as a good mentor or big brother figure, and allow Clark to have a connection to someone without having to give up his identity. At the same time, I'm of the "Clark Kent is who Superman IS, Superman is what Clark Kent CAN DO" camp, so it would honestly make the friendship seem kind of shallow if Jimmy is only friends with Superman and not know who he really is. You could have Clark reveal his identity to Jimmy, but then Jimmy is just another person who knows Superman's ID and is more Clark Kent's pal. I don't know, this is oddly enough the relationship I'd need to put more thought into.

Perry White: A good boss, someone who pushes his people to get better but is never the antagonistic jerk J. Jonah Jameson is. More of a good boss and stern taskmaster, and old guard reporter of the Mike Wallace / Walter Cronkite type who is all about integrity. Someone in the rare position to chew Clark out when he makes mistakes and can be a very different kind of authority figure than his dad.

Cat Grant: Kind of make her a mix of Pre-Crisis Lana and Cat's early Post-Crisis portrayal. More interested in the social side of things, probably handles the Planet's social media page. Smarter than she lets on but very much enjoys being either the center of attention or being in the company of the wealthy and famous. Gets along with Lois but also likes to stir up drama and keeps the Planet from being too 'everyone gets along'.

Steve Lombard: Another 'keeps everyone from getting along', Steve is the sports guy, a former pro-athlete who retired after an injury and has kind of reverted to a 'big man on campus' type personality. He's less obnoxious than Pre-Crisis (since his constant pranks would have gotten him fired) but he does tend to pick on Clark, Jimmy and Ron. The truth is he misses the spotlight, feels he had to retire too soon and realizes how empty his life is now that he isn't surrounded by adoring fans and his previous wealth. So he's compensating by acting like it doesn't bother him and tries to re-establish himself as "the man" on the Planets team. Not a bad man, actually pretty brave, a good team player and a decent guy at his core, but has trouble Keep him as initially adversarial, but with potential for growth.

Ron Troupe: Handles stories related to new technologies, which is even bigger in the DCU than our own universe. Very thoughtful and insightful, often as worried about the morality of innovation as much as the potential any new discovery has. Gets along well with Jimmy due to similar ages, is annoyed with Steve because he feels like he's back in highschool.

Professor Emil Hamilton: One of the two main scientists at the Metropolis STAR Labs along with Dr. Kitty Faulkner (aka Rampage) and takes over as the primary scientist after Kitty gets assigned to the mid-west (because in a just universe the Will Payton Starman is still a thing). Hamilton is Superman's all purpose science guy, and someone I'd have as a person who prefers to help people reach their own conclusions than hand them his own. He also works with the Special Crimes Unit on anti-supervillain weapons and containment.

Maggie Sawyer and Dan Turpin: Superman's major contacts in the police force, and the two highest ranking members of the Special Crimes Unit that deals with supervillains, aliens and the like. Maggie tries to be professional but is a bit of an adrenaline junkie, while Dan is a gruff old bull dog who isn't afraid to stand up to anyone. Both are solid cops, and both come to respect Superman very quickly. They actually contribute to Superman's wins and sometimes handle things without him just to showcase they're actually effective at their job.

Bibbo Bibbowski: A former boxer who actually managed to invest his money smartly and opened up a chain of restaurants / bars. A huge fan of Superman and has a "Superman's Pal: Bibbo" type relationship. Bibbo comes off as dense, is a bit rough around the edges and isn't really good with technology, but he's more shrewd than he appears and has a very big heart. He actually strives to emulate Superman's values and lessons, has immense compassion for people. While good for the occasional comic relief, his main purpose is to show how Superman inspires people to be their best selves, as his example helped Bibbo turn his life around.

Pete Ross: Clark's friend from Smallville and one of the first people outside of the Kents to learn and keep Clark's secret. Gets into "Buffy" style shenanigans with Clark and Lana, and eventually Clark takes Pete to the 30th Century where he's given temporary powers as Reflecto. However, almost dying (so much that "Reflecto" is given a full on funeral and statue at the Legion) has Pete decide superheroics aren't for him and he goes into politics. Eventually marries Lana and remains a close friend of Clark's.

Lana Lang: Clark's other friend from Smallville and eventually learns Clark's secret while Clark and Pete are having "Hardy Boys" style adventures. She joins them and they become a close trio, and while she initially is taken with Clark, she winds up falling for Pete by the end of things. She joins Clark and Pete in the future as Insect Queen, but retires when Pete almost dies. They later marry and she remains friends with Clark. She and Lois don't initially get along, but eventually become confidants and friends over time, as they're some of the only people each can talk to about Clark's secret.

Kandor: Eventually recovered from Brainiac, remains shrunken for fun stories.

Krypto: Make Krypto the result of some mad scientist who tries to crossbreed Kryptonians with Earth animals and results in a dog with Kryptonian genetics, enough to gain full power under Earth's yellow sun. Smart but not full human-sentient Pre-Crisis smart, more akin to some primates or dolphins. Gets sick from some Kryptonian disease (possibly done to save Clark's life) and has to be Phantom Zoned when Clark is still a teenager, until Kandor is recovered, which has a cure for said disease, allowing Krypto to return in the modern era as Superman's dog.

Supergirl: Superman's cousin from Krypton, allows him to be a mentor figure for a bit before spending time with the Legion the way Clark did in the past, splitting her time between the present and the future. Quickly becomes her own hero, and if I could I'd ship her and Billy.

The Legion of Superheroes: Play a large role in Superman's life as a teenager and in his early 20s, eventually he as to pull back once he becomes committed to the future. Plenty of teen romance drama during his teen years, and lots of overall fun before Supergirl joins.

Superboy: Superman's clone, who Superman also gets to mentor and eventually have a good big brother / little brother relationship. Unlike Supergirl, Superboy never goes to the future and instead builds a solid foundation with the heroes of today. Going with the 'tactile telekinesis' version.

Steel: One of the best things to come out of the Death of Superman, Steel is a solid powerhouse, science hero and moral man, willing to stand up to anyone to do what's right. He's somewhat unique for an armor guy in that his suit lacks a lot of bells and whistles folks like Iron Man has. While his suit has some sensors, communications and life support, it's only built in weaponry is a wrist mounted energy cannon. All of the suit is engineered towards strength, durability and flight, and I'd say it's actually stronger and tougher than the normal Iron Man or War Machine armors. The suit's main weapon systems are all in the hammer, which is a masterwork of engineering. Basically, John has the brains and engineering skills of Tony Stark, the fighting style of Thor and the moral compass of Captain America. He's more of an engineer while Hamilton is more of a theoretical physicist / geneticist scientist, so neither renders the other redundant.

I'd also keep Guardian, Gangbuster, Thorn and Agent Liberty around. Guardian, Gangbuster and Thor provide some nice human level heroes for the city, and Agent Liberty has a solid look that honestly went to waste when he was killed. I'd have to figure Thorn out, but some Batman-style vigilantes would be fun, along with a Not-Captain America and a different kind of patriotic superhero.

General Sam Lane and Lucy Lane could make for good additional side characters, but I'd need to figure them out. I definitely wouldn't have General Lane be a Thunderbolt Ross expy.

As for Jon Kent, I'd leave him and Damian for a potential "MC2"-style DC universe set in a potential future along with some other characters where we can see Clark and Lois as parents to a 12 to 15 year old Jon.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Kurlan Aank
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:25 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (General Zod! Faora! Kru-El! Jax-Ur!)

Post by Kurlan Aank »

Ares wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 7:58 am So, giving it 5 minutes of thought, here's a general outline of what I think Superman's supporting cast could look like.


Jor-El and Lara-El: Responsible for getting Clark to safety, but both very, very dead by the modern era. No interactive AI holograms, no "I survived and am taking your son" shenanigans, none of it. We might get some flashback stories showing Jor-El was an action science hero in his own right, but both are definitely dead in the modern age.

Jonathan and Martha Kent:Clark's parents, and even after discovering Jor-El and Lara, he never refers to anyone but Ma and Pa Kent as "his real parents". Genuinely good people, the kind of parents we need today, always willing to talk with Clark and give him advice.

Lois Lane: Downplay the "Superman's girlfriend" and "Superman saves Lois" memes. Have Lois be an early rival of Clark and have some romantic tension with Superman, but have Lois gradually see Clark's admirable traits and instead fall in love with him. Make this the key point of why they work: She fell in love with the MAN, not the SUPER. Have the courtship not drag on nearly as long, and have the standard be them as a married couple.

Jimmy Olsen: Jimmy is actually kind of a tough nut to crack if you want to keep the "Superman's Pal" angle. On the one hand, while Clark's closest relationships are with people who know his dual identity, Jimmy would be interesting as a friend he has primarily in his Superman identity. Jimmy could view Superman as a good mentor or big brother figure, and allow Clark to have a connection to someone without having to give up his identity. At the same time, I'm of the "Clark Kent is who Superman IS, Superman is what Clark Kent CAN DO" camp, so it would honestly make the friendship seem kind of shallow if Jimmy is only friends with Superman and not know who he really is. You could have Clark reveal his identity to Jimmy, but then Jimmy is just another person who knows Superman's ID and is more Clark Kent's pal. I don't know, this is oddly enough the relationship I'd need to put more thought into.

Perry White: A good boss, someone who pushes his people to get better but is never the antagonistic jerk J. Jonah Jameson is. More of a good boss and stern taskmaster, and old guard reporter of the Mike Wallace / Walter Cronkite type who is all about integrity. Someone in the rare position to chew Clark out when he makes mistakes and can be a very different kind of authority figure than his dad.

Cat Grant: Kind of make her a mix of Pre-Crisis Lana and Cat's early Post-Crisis portrayal. More interested in the social side of things, probably handles the Planet's social media page. Smarter than she lets on but very much enjoys being either the center of attention or being in the company of the wealthy and famous. Gets along with Lois but also likes to stir up drama and keeps the Planet from being too 'everyone gets along'.

Steve Lombard: Another 'keeps everyone from getting along', Steve is the sports guy, a former pro-athlete who retired after an injury and has kind of reverted to a 'big man on campus' type personality. He's less obnoxious than Pre-Crisis (since his constant pranks would have gotten him fired) but he does tend to pick on Clark, Jimmy and Ron. The truth is he misses the spotlight, feels he had to retire too soon and realizes how empty his life is now that he isn't surrounded by adoring fans and his previous wealth. So he's compensating by acting like it doesn't bother him and tries to re-establish himself as "the man" on the Planets team. Not a bad man, actually pretty brave, a good team player and a decent guy at his core, but has trouble Keep him as initially adversarial, but with potential for growth.

Ron Troupe: Handles stories related to new technologies, which is even bigger in the DCU than our own universe. Very thoughtful and insightful, often as worried about the morality of innovation as much as the potential any new discovery has. Gets along well with Jimmy due to similar ages, is annoyed with Steve because he feels like he's back in highschool.

Professor Emil Hamilton: One of the two main scientists at the Metropolis STAR Labs along with Dr. Kitty Faulkner (aka Rampage) and takes over as the primary scientist after Kitty gets assigned to the mid-west (because in a just universe the Will Payton Starman is still a thing). Hamilton is Superman's all purpose science guy, and someone I'd have as a person who prefers to help people reach their own conclusions than hand them his own. He also works with the Special Crimes Unit on anti-supervillain weapons and containment.

Maggie Sawyer and Dan Turpin: Superman's major contacts in the police force, and the two highest ranking members of the Special Crimes Unit that deals with supervillains, aliens and the like. Maggie tries to be professional but is a bit of an adrenaline junkie, while Dan is a gruff old bull dog who isn't afraid to stand up to anyone. Both are solid cops, and both come to respect Superman very quickly. They actually contribute to Superman's wins and sometimes handle things without him just to showcase they're actually effective at their job.

Bibbo Bibbowski: A former boxer who actually managed to invest his money smartly and opened up a chain of restaurants / bars. A huge fan of Superman and has a "Superman's Pal: Bibbo" type relationship. Bibbo comes off as dense, is a bit rough around the edges and isn't really good with technology, but he's more shrewd than he appears and has a very big heart. He actually strives to emulate Superman's values and lessons, has immense compassion for people. While good for the occasional comic relief, his main purpose is to show how Superman inspires people to be their best selves, as his example helped Bibbo turn his life around.

Pete Ross: Clark's friend from Smallville and one of the first people outside of the Kents to learn and keep Clark's secret. Gets into "Buffy" style shenanigans with Clark and Lana, and eventually Clark takes Pete to the 30th Century where he's given temporary powers as Reflecto. However, almost dying (so much that "Reflecto" is given a full on funeral and statue at the Legion) has Pete decide superheroics aren't for him and he goes into politics. Eventually marries Lana and remains a close friend of Clark's.

Lana Lang: Clark's other friend from Smallville and eventually learns Clark's secret while Clark and Pete are having "Hardy Boys" style adventures. She joins them and they become a close trio, and while she initially is taken with Clark, she winds up falling for Pete by the end of things. She joins Clark and Pete in the future as Insect Queen, but retires when Pete almost dies. They later marry and she remains friends with Clark. She and Lois don't initially get along, but eventually become confidants and friends over time, as they're some of the only people each can talk to about Clark's secret.

Kandor: Eventually recovered from Brainiac, remains shrunken for fun stories.

Krypto: Make Krypto the result of some mad scientist who tries to crossbreed Kryptonians with Earth animals and results in a dog with Kryptonian genetics, enough to gain full power under Earth's yellow sun. Smart but not full human-sentient Pre-Crisis smart, more akin to some primates or dolphins. Gets sick from some Kryptonian disease (possibly done to save Clark's life) and has to be Phantom Zoned when Clark is still a teenager, until Kandor is recovered, which has a cure for said disease, allowing Krypto to return in the modern era as Superman's dog.

Supergirl: Superman's cousin from Krypton, allows him to be a mentor figure for a bit before spending time with the Legion the way Clark did in the past, splitting her time between the present and the future. Quickly becomes her own hero, and if I could I'd ship her and Billy.

The Legion of Superheroes: Play a large role in Superman's life as a teenager and in his early 20s, eventually he as to pull back once he becomes committed to the future. Plenty of teen romance drama during his teen years, and lots of overall fun before Supergirl joins.

Superboy: Superman's clone, who Superman also gets to mentor and eventually have a good big brother / little brother relationship. Unlike Supergirl, Superboy never goes to the future and instead builds a solid foundation with the heroes of today. Going with the 'tactile telekinesis' version.

Steel: One of the best things to come out of the Death of Superman, Steel is a solid powerhouse, science hero and moral man, willing to stand up to anyone to do what's right. He's somewhat unique for an armor guy in that his suit lacks a lot of bells and whistles folks like Iron Man has. While his suit has some sensors, communications and life support, it's only built in weaponry is a wrist mounted energy cannon. All of the suit is engineered towards strength, durability and flight, and I'd say it's actually stronger and tougher than the normal Iron Man or War Machine armors. The suit's main weapon systems are all in the hammer, which is a masterwork of engineering. Basically, John has the brains and engineering skills of Tony Stark, the fighting style of Thor and the moral compass of Captain America. He's more of an engineer while Hamilton is more of a theoretical physicist / geneticist scientist, so neither renders the other redundant.

I'd also keep Guardian, Gangbuster, Thorn and Agent Liberty around. Guardian, Gangbuster and Thor provide some nice human level heroes for the city, and Agent Liberty has a solid look that honestly went to waste when he was killed. I'd have to figure Thorn out, but some Batman-style vigilantes would be fun, along with a Not-Captain America and a different kind of patriotic superhero.

General Sam Lane and Lucy Lane could make for good additional side characters, but I'd need to figure them out. I definitely wouldn't have General Lane be a Thunderbolt Ross expy.

As for Jon Kent, I'd leave him and Damian for a potential "MC2"-style DC universe set in a potential future along with some other characters where we can see Clark and Lois as parents to a 12 to 15 year old Jon.
I've been working on a "Coming-of-Age' superhero story with a character who starts out as Luke Cage (Freshman Year), but ends up as Superman(Graduation Year), and working on his 'support cast' has been a chore. All of these points have helped me figure out just how to work around all of it in the end, especially your points about the Legion. Thanks!
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