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

[KorokoMystia]

So yeah, that's the Mega Man 11 set! It's interesting to re-visit the Mega Man stuff, a year after I translated the lot of them into 3e (a REALLY arduous process, actually- mostly boring Template Alterations). I guess every time a game updates I'm gonna have to post new builds- I will probably end up building Ashe from Overwatch as soon as they post ANOTHER new character, and I think there'll be one or two newbies from Street Fighter V eventually.

It's interesting- DLC is now considered the scourge of Fighting Games, as now ridiculously-incomplete games are being released, with the promises of "updates"- it's basically put a nail in SFV and Killer Instinct, giving both games a negative reputation. And now Tekken 7 is slowly releasing other characters (though at least had a larger roster to start with).

Oh yeah, I know that the next hero after Ashe has been revealed (and is currently on the beta testing server), Baptiste. And he..looks an awful lot like Team Fortress 2s Demoman. SFV's first Season 4 character is also out, Kage, but he's just Evil Ryu but with his own body, really. Ashe's build should be intersting since she has Bob as well, and he'd definitely require his own statline, since he can act on his own after being summoned..though not sure if he'd count as a Summon or just Sidekick, since while she "summons" him for her Ultimate, it's not like he just pops out of nowhere, so it's not really a "Summon" in M&M terms.

[Jabroniville]

Next up is a quartet of DC characters re-posted and modified a bit because that guy on a wrestling site noticed some things about them that felt off. While he's got no experience with the system, and was clearly basing guys off of their "Best Showings" and noticing one-off powers, I figured I would make SOME modifications.

[Jabroniville]

Christopher Priest's story about Triumph's origin and backlash.

TRIUMPH (William MacIntyre)
Created By: Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn & Howard Porter
First Appearance: Justice League of America #92 (Sept. 1994)
Role: Retcon Hero, Insult Comic Dog
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America, Justice League Task Force
PL 12 (181)
STRENGTH 14 STAMINA 10 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+8)
Deception 5 (+4)
Intimidation 3 (+2)
Perception 8 (+7)
Ranged Combat (EM Pulse) 5 (+9)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (EM Pulse), Improved Initiative 2, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Electromagnetic Powers"
"EM Psychometry" Senses 5 (Electromagnetic Sense- Ranged, Acute & Analytical, Radio & TV Sense) [7]
Force Field 5 (Extras: Impervious 7) [12]
"Absorb Energy" Immunity 20 (Energy Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [10]
"Apart From The Time Stream" Immunity 2 (Retcons) [2]

"Stasis Field" Affliction 12 (Strength; Dazed & Hindered/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Area- 30ft. Burst, Extra Condition) (48) -- [52]

• AE: "EM Pulse" Blast 14 (28)
• AE: "Blast Through Wiring" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Shapeable +2) (Flaws: Limited to Along Electrical Wiring) (22)
• AE: "Alter Density" Transform (Liquids to Solids & Vice-Versa) 10 (Extras: Ranged) (30)
• AE: "Redirect Energy" Blast 12 (Feats: Variable 2- Any Energy) (Flaws: Requires Energy Blasts) (14)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
EM Pulse +9 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Blast Through Wiring +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Redirect Energy +9 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Stasis Field +12 Area (+12 Ranged Affliction, DC 22)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +10 (+15 Force Field, +4 Impervious), Fortitude +11, Will +2

Complications:
Reptuation (Douchebag)- Triumph was a hot-headed, arrogant, self-righteous douchenozzle.
Power Loss (EM Powers)- Triumph will lose his powers if cut off from the Electromagnetic Spectrum.
Responsibility (Daddy Issues)- Triumph has issues with his father, and his desire to be a hero stems from trying to seem worthy.

Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 83 / Defenses: 11 (181)

Triumph- Sentry Before Sentry:
-Triumph is one of the early "Retcon Heroes", an increasingly-common thing in comics that started in the 1990s. See, this was when the increasingly-dark and weird comics got a LOT of new writers in, and they started futzing around with continuity, altering things here and there. Now, this was pretty old hat at DC, where guys could get their origins re-worked CONSTANTLY, but I feel like this happens more and more (the X-Men got a whole new GROUP added retroactively one time!). These days, it comes off as blatantly arrogant on the part of the writer- who just wants to selfishly put THEIR stamp on a character, so that their run "matters" more. And it almost NEVER helps or benefits the character/s in question- rather, it tends to just do a lot of damage and often ruins the characters at the heart of the Retcon.

-The Retcon: Triumph was originally a founding member of the Justice League, and their LEADER, but on his first mission, got teleported to a limbo-like dimension that made everyone on Earth forgot he existed (like the cast of The Facts of Life). DC fans disliked the character initially, so the creators (who based him off of a DC staffer who annoyed everyone by always being proven right) decided to play on it by having the CHARACTERS hate him, too. Priest tells a story, written in his usual smug-but-also-blames-himself tone, that DC's staff ALSO despised Triumph, and would frequently blurt it out at them. And Priest for some reason found himself defending things by pointing out that "You realize this is a COMIC BOOK character?". Which... given that he's a comic book WRITER, is stupid. It's like when the guy who screwed up Principal Skinner's backstory on The Simpsons did a DVD Commentary raging at the fans for taking things so seriously. IT'S YOUR LITERAL JOB TO MAKE PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THESE CHARACTERS!! So it comes off as horrendously smug, pretentious, and snobbish to pull the "Ugh, you care about COMICS? WEIRDO" routine.

-This story is also HILARIOUSLY like The Sentry, who takes up the exact same role at Marvel Comics, yet is shilled constantly instead of hated. Like, The Sentry straight-up rips this off.

Triumph- Most Hated DC Character:
-In any case, Triumph was thus hated for a long of reasons. A big one was that the Justice League's Origin Story was considered a bit sacred. To suddenly throw this guy onto the team messed with that tale, as now "it didn't happen that way". And Triumph, also, acted in a very condescending, annoying matter, and, according to Priest, was "always right" (though fans who've read the stories disagree on this last part). He tended to be treated like he would be competent... except he was such a HUGE ass that he would get distracted by fighting with his teammates or he'd get the wrong information.

-Triumph was also meant to be written as gay, but they couldn't find the right time to say it at the time (it was a metaphor for his "outsider" status in the DCU). His attitude (which Christopher Priest admits would have fit in better in the Marvel Universe, because he felt it was more realistic compared to 1994's DC and thus had room for extreme personalities with mental problems and negative personalities) soon got him expelled from the Justice League Task Force (designed to go after more-violent criminals), and he cut a deal with Neron to get his "lost decade" back. He wasn't going to go through with it, but the magic candle he had to light to get it back was lit by others, so I guess it counted and he lost his soul as a result, because the next time we saw him, it was in Grant Morrison's JLA and he was totally evil.

-He attacked the JLA using a 5th Dimensional Imp named Lkz, and it took the reforming of the Justice Society in order to stop him. He was all mad because the League never brought him back in, but Superman stunned him by calling him "a FINE Leaguer" and saying that if he'd only asked, he'd have been let back in any time. Triumph ended up frozen by The Spectre and nearly smashed, but Zauriel pleaded for mercy- Triumph's frozen form was included in the League Museum as part of a tribute to the guy, but he was left in the Watchtower when it was blown up in a later story- it was unintentional, but Morrison confirmed that Triumph had in fact been killed. A version of him was included in a JLI team created via time travel shenanigans, and he sacrificed his life to save Tomorrow Woman.

Triump's Powers:
-Trumph is apparently powerful enough to brawl with Superman and a few others, and was a League-level threat when he went bad (though there WAS a Genie in that situation), so PL 11.5 seems to suit him.

[drkrash]

Man, this character is stupid.

[KorokoMystia]

Yeah, "Everything You Know Is Wrong" Retcon Heroes like Triumph, The Sentry, and Blue Marvel can be really annoying (At least Blue Marvel isn't an asshole, and definitely the least annoying of the three). I'm sure they CAN be done right, but I can't really think of an example.

[M4C8]

Christopher Priest's story about Triumph's origin and backlash.

TRIUMPH (William MacIntyre)
Created By: Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn & Howard Porter
First Appearance: Justice League of America #92 (Sept. 1994)
Role: Retcon Hero, Insult Comic Dog
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America, Justice League Task Force
PL 12 (181)
STRENGTH 14 STAMINA 10 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+8)
Deception 5 (+4)
Intimidation 3 (+2)
Perception 8 (+7)
Ranged Combat (EM Pulse) 5 (+9)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (EM Pulse), Improved Initiative 2, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Electromagnetic Powers"
"EM Psychometry" Senses 5 (Electromagnetic Sense- Ranged, Acute & Analytical, Radio & TV Sense) [7]
Force Field 5 (Extras: Impervious 7) [12]
"Absorb Energy" Immunity 20 (Energy Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [10]
"Apart From The Time Stream" Immunity 2 (Retcons) [2]

"Stasis Field" Affliction 12 (Strength; Dazed & Hindered/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Area- 30ft. Burst, Extra Condition) (48) -- [52]

• AE: "EM Pulse" Blast 14 (28)
• AE: "Blast Through Wiring" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Shapeable +2) (Flaws: Limited to Along Electrical Wiring) (22)
• AE: "Alter Density" Transform (Liquids to Solids & Vice-Versa) 10 (Extras: Ranged) (30)
• AE: "Redirect Energy" Blast 12 (Feats: Variable 2- Any Energy) (Flaws: Requires Energy Blasts) (14)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
EM Pulse +9 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Blast Through Wiring +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Redirect Energy +9 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Stasis Field +12 Area (+12 Ranged Affliction, DC 22)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +10 (+15 Force Field, +4 Impervious), Fortitude +11, Will +2

Complications:
Reptuation (Douchebag)- Triumph was a hot-headed, arrogant, self-righteous douchenozzle.
Power Loss (EM Powers)- Triumph will lose his powers if cut off from the Electromagnetic Spectrum.
Responsibility (Daddy Issues)- Triumph has issues with his father, and his desire to be a hero stems from trying to seem worthy.

Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 83 / Defenses: 11 (181)

Triumph- Sentry Before Sentry:
-Triumph is one of the early "Retcon Heroes", an increasingly-common thing in comics that started in the 1990s. See, this was when the increasingly-dark and weird comics got a LOT of new writers in, and they started futzing around with continuity, altering things here and there. Now, this was pretty old hat at DC, where guys could get their origins re-worked CONSTANTLY, but I feel like this happens more and more (the X-Men got a whole new GROUP added retroactively one time!). These days, it comes off as blatantly arrogant on the part of the writer- who just wants to selfishly put THEIR stamp on a character, so that their run "matters" more. And it almost NEVER helps or benefits the character/s in question- rather, it tends to just do a lot of damage and often ruins the characters at the heart of the Retcon.

-The Retcon: Triumph was originally a founding member of the Justice League, and their LEADER, but on his first mission, got teleported to a limbo-like dimension that made everyone on Earth forgot he existed (like the cast of The Facts of Life). DC fans disliked the character initially, so the creators (who based him off of a DC staffer who annoyed everyone by always being proven right) decided to play on it by having the CHARACTERS hate him, too. Priest tells a story, written in his usual smug-but-also-blames-himself tone, that DC's staff ALSO despised Triumph, and would frequently blurt it out at them. And Priest for some reason found himself defending things by pointing out that "You realize this is a COMIC BOOK character?". Which... given that he's a comic book WRITER, is stupid. It's like when the guy who screwed up Principal Skinner's backstory on The Simpsons did a DVD Commentary raging at the fans for taking things so seriously. IT'S YOUR LITERAL JOB TO MAKE PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THESE CHARACTERS!! So it comes off as horrendously smug, pretentious, and snobbish to pull the "Ugh, you care about COMICS? WEIRDO" routine.

-This story is also HILARIOUSLY like The Sentry, who takes up the exact same role at Marvel Comics, yet is shilled constantly instead of hated. Like, The Sentry straight-up rips this off.

Triumph- Most Hated DC Character:
-In any case, Triumph was thus hated for a long of reasons. A big one was that the Justice League's Origin Story was considered a bit sacred. To suddenly throw this guy onto the team messed with that tale, as now "it didn't happen that way". And Triumph, also, acted in a very condescending, annoying matter, and, according to Priest, was "always right" (though fans who've read the stories disagree on this last part). He tended to be treated like he would be competent... except he was such a HUGE ass that he would get distracted by fighting with his teammates or he'd get the wrong information.

-Triumph was also meant to be written as gay, but they couldn't find the right time to say it at the time (it was a metaphor for his "outsider" status in the DCU). His attitude (which Christopher Priest admits would have fit in better in the Marvel Universe, because he felt it was more realistic compared to 1994's DC and thus had room for extreme personalities with mental problems and negative personalities) soon got him expelled from the Justice League Task Force (designed to go after more-violent criminals), and he cut a deal with Neron to get his "lost decade" back. He wasn't going to go through with it, but the magic candle he had to light to get it back was lit by others, so I guess it counted and he lost his soul as a result, because the next time we saw him, it was in Grant Morrison's JLA and he was totally evil.

-He attacked the JLA using a 5th Dimensional Imp named Lkz, and it took the reforming of the Justice Society in order to stop him. He was all mad because the League never brought him back in, but Superman stunned him by calling him "a FINE Leaguer" and saying that if he'd only asked, he'd have been let back in any time. Triumph ended up frozen by The Spectre and nearly smashed, but Zauriel pleaded for mercy- Triumph's frozen form was included in the League Museum as part of a tribute to the guy, but he was left in the Watchtower when it was blown up in a later story- it was unintentional, but Morrison confirmed that Triumph had in fact been killed. A version of him was included in a JLI team created via time travel shenanigans, and he sacrificed his life to save Tomorrow Woman.

Triump's Powers:
-Trumph is apparently powerful enough to brawl with Superman and a few others, and was a League-level threat when he went bad (though there WAS a Genie in that situation), so PL 11.5 seems to suit him.

Despite not reading DC comics this guy seemed weirdly familiar, I realised he was used as the basis for Marvel's 'Victory the Electromagnetic Man' who was part of Voyager's (Va Nee Gast) fake history.

[Jabroniville]

THE RAY I (Lanford "Happy" Terrill, aka Neon the Unknown II)
Created By: Lou Fine
First Appearance: Smash Comics #14 (Sept. 1940)
Role: Flying Blaster
Group Affiliations: The Freedom Fighters, The All-Star Squadron
PL 8 (112)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+7)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Reporter) 6 (+8)
Insight 2 (+5)
Investigation 5 (+8)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Light) 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Light), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Master of Light"
Flight 10 (2,000 mph) [20]

"Light Constructs" Create 6 (Extras: Movable) (18) -- [24]

• AE: "Magnetism" Move Object 6 (Flaws: Limited to Ferrous Materials) (6)
• AE: "Light Burst" Affliction 8 (Extras: Area- Visual Perception) (Flaws: Touch Range) (16)
• AE: Dazzle Visuals 8 (16)
• AE: Light Blast 8 (Feats: Variable- Light & Electricity) (17)
• AE: Illusion (Visuals) 6 (12)
• AE: "Invisibility" Concealment 4 (Visuals) (8)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Light Blast +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Light Dazzle +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Light Burst +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Empowered By Light)- Happy's body has been altered by light energy- his children will also inherit this power.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 44 / Defenses: 14 (112)

-Lanford Terrill (usually called "Happy", because that was a nickname back then) gained super-powers from being exposed to lightning and sunlight at the same time (WHAT) while ballooning. Later, it was retconned that he was hit by a genetic "light bomb" from an evil scientist. This ends up giving his own son powers, and he faked the boy's death, even to his poor MOTHER, trying to avoid putting her through the torment of the Light Entity or whatever controlling their kid. I find Terrill here notable for the "fin head" costume design (those weird Roman-inspired headgear things would pop up on assorted characters over the years, and always give them a distinctive look). The character only lasted about 36 issues, and didn't make much of a dent, but the costume and powers stand out a lot, so he was chosen for The Freedom Fighters, and his son eventually became a bigger-name DC hero. Happy kind of looks like a douchebag later, but becomes the new Neon the Unknown in the 2006 Freedom Fighters series.

-Terrill is a PL 8 Golden Ager, but with some very unique powers, allowing him to Blast, Dazzle, Move Objects, make Light Constructs, go Invisible, and more.

[Jabroniville]

THE RAY II (Ray Terrill)
Created By: Jack C. Harris & Joe Quesada
First Appearance: The Ray #1 (Feb. 1992)
Role: Flying Blaster
Group Affiliations: The Freedom Fighters, The Justice League of America, Justice League Task Force, The Forgotten Heroes
PL 10 (213)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Computers) 8 (+11)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 2 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Light) 4 (+9)

Advantages:
Improved Aim, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 2, Teamwork

Powers:
"Light-Based Powers"
Flight 17 (250,000 mph) [34]
Force Field 2 [2]

"Power Blast" Blast 13 (Extras: Penetrating 8) (Inaccurate -1) (33) -- [39]

• AE: Light Blast 11 (22)
• AE: "Light Constructs" Create 10 (Extras: Movable) (30)
• AE: Dazzle Visuals 11 (22)
• AE: "Light Burst" Affliction 10 (Extras: Area- Visual Perception) (Flaws: Touch Range) (20)
• AE: "Invisibility" Concealment (All Visuals) 4 (Extras: Affects Others) (12)
• AE: Illusion (Visuals) 8 (16)

"Body Conversion" (Action -1) [-1]
Immunity 10 (Life Support) [10]
Insubstantial 3 (Feats: Variable- Any Energy on the Electromagnetic Spectrum) [16]
"Light Heals All" Healing 12 (Flaws: Limited to Himself) [12]
Flight +3 (2,000,000 mph) [6]
Movement 2 (Space Travel 2) [4]
Regeneration 10 [10]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Light Blast +9 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Power Blast +7 (+13 Ranged Damage, DC 28)
Dazzle Visuals +9 (+11 Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Light Burst +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3 (+5 Force Field), Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Relationship (Happy Terrill)- Raymond has a complicated relationship with his father. Happy lied to his family and had his brother raise Ray, and engaged in further manipulations along the way.
Power Loss (All Powers, Antimatter)- Ray's powers don't work properly if he's struck by Anti-Matter.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 132 / Defenses: 17 (213)

-The Ray II was brought about in the '90s. That should be obvious just by looking at the guy; he's got a jacket AND tights on. That's not to say DC relegated him to "kewl 90s hero" and left him there; he's got a pretty strong following within the ranks of DC editors compared to most of the JSA legacy guys who never got around to doing anything cool (see pretty much everyone who didn't make the JSA cut, especially the Freedom Casualties... I mean Fighters). He got to join the pre-Morrison JLA, shows up as a powerhouse in nearly every "Crap, get every hero out here to help" battle, and has TONS and tons of powers. Plus, he got to nail Black Canary. But for the most part, he was deemed not interesting enough to stick on any major teams for extended runs, which is kinda sad for a guy who was a big part of the Kingdom Come JLA, and has a very iconic superhero-type power.

-The second Ray is the son of Happy, and discovered his origins upon his father's death- Ray Terrill had in fact inherited Happy's powers, but had to literally be kept "in the dark" to avoid sunlight, lest his powers go out of control. As an adult, he is now able to control them, and soon he finds out that Happy is ALIVE, and the man who raised him (and had just died) was Happy's brother. He went on to have a solo book (worked on largely by Christopher Priest & Howard Porter), doing the "Rookie Hero" thing- he gets a brief romance with Black Canary (who immediately regreted it, from what I understand) and joins The Justice League. His book only lasted 28 issues (it was the mid-90s), and he left one League to join The Justice League Task Force (a more militaristic group). He briefly partners with Vandal Savage in order to beat some villains, but learns the depths of Savage's evil and discards him.

-Ray vanishes into Comic Book Limbo after that, for the most part- showing up in background scenes and Big Events as some guy flying around. His next role is in Young Justice of all places, but doesn't last long. He's also part of the 2006 Freedom Fighters (having briefly allied with their predecessors, and was one of two survivors of the massive beat-down), beating down his evil successor. Stan Silver was a nasty playboy-type and an egomaniac, and was a double-agent still loyal to the FF's old organization- S.H.A.D.E., killing the new Invisible Hood. The Nu52 had a Ray Limited Series which started okay (great art, distinctive look, and I though it was cute how it was almost self-consciously multi-racial, with absolutely every cast member being from a different group), but turned out rather weird. Lucien Gates was a "regular guy" type of character, gained crazy powers, then got involved in a story that went off the rails when Time Travel and the nature of narrative fiction got involved in a meta-example that I think was supposed to come across as more clever than it actually was.

-Ray II is a definitely elite Blaster archetype, though he lacks any cool Area-effecting blasts. He's brutally expensive for a standard PL 10 guy, but he's got a ton of stuff on him. He's got his "Light" array of Alt-Effects (Light is one of the better "energy guy" powers in terms of attached Alternate Effects- allowing for Dazzles, Heat, Illusions, etc.). He's got great Flight powers, added to by being in Light Form (seriously, they make Light Speed VERY expensive to get, a full 40 points!!). Then you get his Light Form itself, which pulls in Life Support, Space Travel, the Level 3 Insubstantial (Energy Form), AND Regeneration enough to let him heal devastating injuries like they were nothing (bullets to the head-level stuff here). It's a good thing he's kind of bad in combat, being a still "amateur" hero, requiring not only using his one good attack nearly all the time (great accuracy with Light, but useless everywhere else), and iffy defenses. All that adds up to make Ray II PL 10, but costing as much as a standard PL 13 guy would. Which seems about right, given that he's a powerhouse, but kind of ineffective compared to the elites.

-Some random One-Off Powers Ray has showcased over the years: Poor Time Travel, Shrink to the size of a point of light, possibly de-powering Lantern Rings (back when they were all "Light" instead of "Emotion-Based"), and more. Naturally, under Christopher Priest he got a ton of Feats, Good Showings and consistent Regeneration, but under other writers, most of the side stuff fell away.

[Jabroniville]

Yeah, "Everything You Know Is Wrong" Retcon Heroes like Triumph, The Sentry, and Blue Marvel can be really annoying (At least Blue Marvel isn't an asshole, and definitely the least annoying of the three). I'm sure they CAN be done right, but I can't really think of an example.

I think the whole "TYKIW" thing is quite possibly my most-hated kind of story ever. Even worse than "suddenly-introduced super-aged children". It signifies arrogance on the part of the writer more than anything. It screams of "Here's me putting my STAMP on history!", and it almost never, ever helps out any of the characters involved.

Like, when was the last time the "Secret Origin" helped a character? Frank Miller having Daredevil reveal his ninja-training backstory and Greek ex-girlfriend?

[Jabroniville]

TOMORROW WOMAN
Created By: Grant Morrison & Howard Porter
First Appearance: JLA #5 (May 1997)
Role: One-Shot Character
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America
PL 11 (204)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA -- AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 8 (+12)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+7)
Persuasion 4 (+8)
Technology 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
Features 1: Appears As Human [1]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 12 [12]
Flight 8 (500 mph) [16]

"Telekinesis" Move Object 15 (Feats: Precise, Dynamic) (32) -- [36]

• Dynamic AE: "Telepathy" Mind-Reading 11 Linked to Communication (Mental) 2 (Feats: Dynamic) (31)
• Dynamic AE: TK Blast 14 (Feats: Dynamic) (29)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
TK Blast +8 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +12, Fortitude --, Will +8

Complications:
Motivation (Killing the League)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 95 / Defenses: 14 (204)

-Tomorrow Woman is the result of a neat little one-off story in Morrison's JLA tenure. She was created by some old-school unused villains (Dr. T.O. Morrow & Professor Ivo), who wanted to place her on the Justice League and betray them. However, they undergo the "android villain fights against her evil masters" thing that was old-hat in comics by that point, but in a brilliant twist, THAT WAS THE POINT- while Ivo was horrified and PO'd, Morrow was ecstatic- THIS had been his master-stroke all along. "Don't you see?? She's being GOOD!"- she'd established a brain so perfect she was able to develop free will and COUNTER her programming. She sacrifices herself to save the League, proving both her worth as a hero, and the extent of Morrow's genius.

-Naturally, later writers could not let this story lie, and so she returned in the short-lived Trinity series after some timeline alterations, and popped up in a few more books here and there. She is a Reporter named Clara Kendall, and becomes a true human at the end of the story thanks to some stuff, but never reappears.

-Tomorrow Woman is yet another "mole" character that becomes funny when you think of all the times she out-bluffs BATMAN- that's a LOT of successful Deception checks. She's a standard TK/Telepath character, fitting the X-Men more than the Justice League, really. She's powerful enough to join them and fit right in, with some serious Power Stunts written in here and there (like her & J'onn reading the minds of a Planet or something).

[Jabroniville]

And next up... the builds nobody asked for, but I'm doing anyway because I was on the "P" section, meant to re-post him, and then got carried away by his villains... PUNISHER BUILDS!!!

Revel in the sheer 1990s-ness of it all .

[Scots Dragon]

Yeah, "Everything You Know Is Wrong" Retcon Heroes like Triumph, The Sentry, and Blue Marvel can be really annoying (At least Blue Marvel isn't an asshole, and definitely the least annoying of the three). I'm sure they CAN be done right, but I can't really think of an example.

Jessica Jones and Blue Marvel both count as an example of doing it right, to me, because they're actually not Everything You Know Is Wrong heroes.

Blue Marvel is a retcon hero, but he's not really retconned in the same way Triumph or Sentry were. He's retconned into a gap in the Marvel Universe's history, an era left unexplored because the sliding timeline advanced in a way that it was left open and blank, that being the 1950s and 1960s. As such there was space there to insert a new hero that relatively few people had ever heard of, and whose existence was hushed up for the most part, and it doesn't actually detract from any of the existing heroes in the process.

Jessica Jones is retconned less into a gap of the Marvel Universe, and instead into the background. As someone who was never a major hero, but always just there on the sidelines. Unlike the Sentry or Triumph, she's not some kind of super-important figure, she's a burned out alcoholic ex-superhero with deep trauma from her experiences as a superhero. Any impact she actually has on the Marvel Universe after that point is earned in-story. It helps that she was never actually intended to be a new character at all, but that Marvel didn't want Brian Michael Bendis to use Spider-Woman for the story, so he just invented the new minor hero.

Triumph and the Sentry don't work precisely because they do not earn their status in-story at any point.

[Thorpocalypse]

And next up... the builds nobody asked for, but I'm doing anyway because I was on the "P" section, meant to re-post him, and then got carried away by his villains... PUNISHER BUILDS!!!

Revel in the sheer 1990s-ness of it all .

And the awesome thing is that most of his villains are easy to research because they showed and then...died.

[Jabroniville]

"He's a great Rorschach test. What's given him some sustainability is, you can put into him whatever you want, as opposed to Spider-Man, who truly is who he is and shouldn't be changed. The Punisher is a thin character on his own merits, but that allows for a lot of interpretations and different angles of approach."
-Gerry Conway, creator of The Punisher

THE PUNISHER (Frank Castle, aka Franken-Castle)
Created By: Gerry Conway, Ross Andru & John Romita
First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (Feb. 1974)
Role: Psychotic Vigilante, Icon of the Nineties, Gun Guy
Group Affiliations: The U.S. Marine Corps., The Thunderbolts, Heroes For Hire
PL 10 (176)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+12)
Deception 6 (+7)
Expertise (Streetwise) 8 (+12)
Expertise (Marine) 8 (+12)
Insight 5 (+7)
Intimidation 10 (+11)
Investigation 8 (+12)
Perception 8 (+12)
Sleight of Hand 2 (+7)
Stealth 6 (+10)
Technology 2 (+6)
Vehicles 5 (+10)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Assessment, Beginner's Luck, Chokehold, Contacts, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Equipment 8 (Arsenal), Great Endurance, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 4 (Rifle, Pistol 2, Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon, Jack-of-All-Trades, Last Stand, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged/Cover & Concealment), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 8, Second Chance (Being Shot), Startle, Tracking (Sight), Ultimate Aim

Equipment:
"The Punisher's Arsenal"
"Kevlar Body Armour" Protection 2 (2)
Battle Wagon (11)
"Automatic Rifle" Blast 7 (Extras: Multiattack) (Inaccurate -1) (20) -- (27)

• AE: "Pair of Automatic Pistols" Blast 6 (Extras: Multiattack) (18)
• AE: "Standard Rifle" Blast 7 (Feats: Extended Range 2) (16)
• AE: "Grenades" Blast 7 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Diminished Range -1) (20)
• AE: "Rocket Launcher" Blast 9 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to Five Shots) (Standard Action -2) (16)
• AE: "Flare Grenades" Dazzle Visuals 4 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Diminished Range -1) (11)
• AE: "Tear Gas Grenades" Affliction 4 (Dazed & Vision Impaired/Stunned & Disabled/Incapacitated) (Extras: Extra Condition, Ranged) (Diminished Range -1) (11)
• AE: "Knife" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical) (2)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Knife +11 (+4 Damage, DC 20)
Rifle +13 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Automatic Rifle +11 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Pistol +13 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Grenades +7 Area (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Flash/Tear Gas Grenades +4 Area (+4 Ranged Affliction, DC 14)
Rocket Launcher +9 Area (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 18), Toughness +4 (+6 Kevlar), Fortitude +8, Will +10

Complications:
Motivation/Obsession (War on Crime)
Enemy (The Kingpin, Jigsaw)- The Punisher has very, VERY few recurring enemies, given his belief on killing foes. These are two of the only survivors.
Reputation (Vigilante)- Castle is considered a criminal even to other superheroes thanks to his lethal practices.
Power Loss (Ammunition)- The Punisher has a huge arsenal, but occasionally even HE runs out of ammo.

Total: Abilities: 76 / Skills: 78--39 / Advantages: 42 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 19 (176)

The Punisher- Foe of the Week to Industry Icon:
-It's hard to describe just HOW big The Punisher got, despite debuting as a side character in the Spidey books. A lot of characters can become a fad or start a trend, but... THREE BOOKS? SIMULTANEOUSLY? The Punisher has accomplished something only about 4-5 characters have in the history of comics- appearing in three monthly titles at a time. The Punisher, Punisher War Journal and Punisher War Zone (the Web Of Spider-Man of Punisher books) were all big books when I was a kid, as the character hit his stride in the 1990s.

-The Punisher started out as a hunter of crooks, trying to kill Spidey because of The Jackal's lies, but lost his cool because of some deal with "honourable combat" (something that would be dropped over time) and spared his foe. He grew popular fairly quickly, but always as a supporting character. It's amazing to think that it took TWELVE YEARS before he got his own Limited Series (1986)- nowadays the breakout character of a fourth-tier book can earn an ongoing by word of mouth in WEEKS, but THIS guy they waited on. And the cultural zeitgeist of the 1980s was all about grim 'n' gritty violence (it was the era of Watchmen & Frank Miller, as well as DC's growing darkness), and this was a vigilante who DIDN'T dish out the same tired "No Killing" policy of the other super-heroes at the time, and was an authentic anti-hero. They took the Batman origin (family killed by crooks), took a liberal dose from Mack Bolan- The Executioner (never heard of him, but Horsenhero says there's a clear correlation, and Gerry Conway has confessed that he blatantly just wanted to make a character like that), and cranked the results to the extreme- a man who wanted revenge, and to punish all criminals... permanently.

-The Punisher's origin story, which was explained later, was very much like that of the Executioner- he was a war veteran home from Vietnam, flirting with his wife and playing with his kids in the park. And then they ran across a Mob execution (in broad daylight, which is weird, but bear with me)- his family freaked, and the mobsters coldly cut them down, figuring they coudln't have any witnesses. And so a man trained to kill sees his family cut down before his very eyes, and something in him breaks. And so begins a merciless, one-man-war on crime, as he becomes a costumed executioner who mows down all criminals as a form of vigilante punishment.

The "No Killing" Rule:
-That whole "No Killing" thing's been an issue for eons, of course, and I have mixed feelings about it. I mean, it was only introduced because of censorship (the heroes of the '40s sure as hell didn't hesitate to use lethal force), but since became kind of a "moral high ground" thing. Now, in REAL LIFE, vigilantes who killed would all be viewed as dangerous psychotics and constantly hunted, so it's good that most heroes don't kill for the most part. But turning it into this giant crusade always felt wrong, because of people like The Joker & Carnage, who were blatantly-evil mass-murderers on a grand scale, and the heroes would in real life be EXPECTED to just kill them. For similar reasons, most superhero movies make no bones about the fact that the evil villains need to die before they kill others. Of course, that set them up in an odd bit of trouble, as they inverted the "Joker Immunity" and left TOO MANY bad guys dead.

-Look at it from a cop's perspective- they would absolutely every-single-time shoot and kill someone who was actively threatening innocent people, especially if they had powers. But then... the villain would only last a single adventure in real life. So you see the problem- The Joker is Batman's biggest foe, and thus MUST live. At least guys like Batman & Spider-Man actually have issues with taking lives (since their origins involve death), so I can buy why they can't bring themselves to do it. I think the best scenario overall is Captain America- the writers point out he HAS killed people (Ed Brubaker pointed out in an interview that it's silly to expect he was in WWII and didn't kill anyone), and WILL kill people, but he explicitly hates it, and tries to make sure it never happens. And let's face facts- if the heroes go out of their way to kill the villains in the comics, then we end up with no good villains left.

The Punisher- Someone Different:
-So The Punisher offered '80s fans, who were finally getting tired of three straight decades of "No Killing" heroes, their own personal "Dirty Harry". He wasn't afraid to off the bad guys, he didn't wear a brightly-coloured outfit, and he wasn't overly nice. This made him a HUGE hit, and the character envisioned by Conway as "second-tier" was guest-starring in books all over the place, in particular Frank Miller's gritty, game-changing Daredevil. It wasn't until 1986 that the character finally received a Limited Series by Steven Grant & Mike Zeck (over the objections of Marvel editorial, who didn't think fans would take to the idea of a murderous "hero"). And sales exploded. So much so that an ongoing series was done the very next year. The Punisher would be a smash hit to the point that a SECOND book was added the very next year- Punisher War Journal, featuring a lot of those popular "little narrative boxes" following the hero's journey. More intense and "artistic" than the funny white bubbles that used to be used for characters' thoughts. During most of these books, he gained a Sidekick in Microchip- a tubby computer genius who acted as a secretary/investigator to sent Frank in certain directions. That and Punisher's infamous "Battle Wagon" became iconic to me, despite only lasting six years or so.

-And by the 1990s, Frank Castle was everywhere. He, Wolverine & Ghost Rider were Marvel's Trifecta of Grim 'n' Gritty in the '90s, becoming huge icons and cultural touchstones of the new, bad-ass type of super-hero. My friends ADORED him, and constantly talked him up, alongside Wolverine. Though I was never quite taken by him (I owned only one or two Punisher books, and didn't think much of them. It's... all guns), I didn't hate him. But man, he was EVERYWHERE. Various other books used him. The Spidey books featured him occasionally. The 'Nam, a gritty war book that was then faltering in sales, soon included him in several appearances. An entire book came out featuring his arsenal ("His thoughts! His dreams! His weapons!" went the tongue-in-cheek cover blurb). 1992 saw a THIRD book with Punisher War Zone! And all through it, the story was basically the same- a criminal shows up, Frank hunts him, and Frank kills him. EVERY TIME! Only Jigsaw and the Kingpin were recurring menaces for the most part, and most of the guys were simple gun-toting goons with maybe one or two unique tricks. Frank was usually the most colorful person in his books, as everyone else was in fatigues, regular clothes, or trenchcoats.

The Punisher Fades Away:
-It wasn't to last, however- Frank got "Venom'd" and was pushed just a little bit TOO hard, and the never-ending supply of bad guys ran too thin (when you KILL everyone, it doesn't leave much room for the Rogues Galleries most books need to survive), leading to some speedy cancellations once the '90s boom faded. The Comic Book Bust hit the market hard, and Frank was one of its biggest victims. The '90s had been a decade of excess in terms of grittiness and angst, and poor Frank, Ghost Rider, and Venom were doomed- all three saw their books cancelled. In Frank's case, it was extraordinarily more vicious, as he lost ALL THREE titles in 1995. The intent was to reboot the line the following year, and so Chuck Dixon wrote all three books in their final phases, as much of the cast is "spring-cleaned" out, Microchip turns on Frank for getting too nuts and tries to train a replacement, and soon Micro, the replacement, and most of the villains are gunned down by the finale.

-Late 1995 saw a new Punisher ongoing, a single book this time, written by Jon "Suicide Squad" Ostrander. Here, he willingly joins a New York crime family in order to infiltrate it, but the book didn't catch fire, and was cancelled after only 18 issues. The famous Marvel Knights line attempted ANOTHER comeback only a year later, but this was the infamous "Frank as an Angel" story. So while Daredevil and a few others were reinvented and repopularized for a new age (Marvel- The Untold Story features a funny bit about the Marvel offices getting pissed off when they saw Joe Quesada get the editor positions and then get the industry's hottest talent working for him- the huge sales made him look like a genius, and EVERYONE was annoyed because of course if THEY'd had the same talent working for them, maybe they'd have gotten some sales, too). This book was only a 4-issue miniseries, though, but is still considered a bit of a "Dork Age" concept, making the vigilante a resurrected warrior for Heaven.

Garth Ennis- Born to Write The Punisher:
-Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, famous for their recently-completed Preacher run (Preacher itself was a bastion of 1990s comics- with swears, blood, and breasts defining the book), were perhaps born to make this character's stories. Their penchant for less-fantastical imagery, black humor, and ultraviolence was a perfect fit, and this new, brutal Punisher series was a huge hit. An even BLOODIER version was created for the MAX imprint (which was to DC's popular Vertigo imprint what the 1990s of comics was to Watchmen- imitating all of the tits & gore but forgetting the ACTUAL adult situations that made the books so popular and respected in the first place). In that one, an alternate continuity sees Frank die after executing the Kingpin.

-Bizarrely, Frank wasn't done being cartoonishly comic-book-ized, as the infamous "Franken-Castle" thing occurs during Dark Reign. Frank is dismembered by Wolverine's son, Daken, and is resurrected by Morbius and the Legion of Monsters as a patchwork man. This obviously short-lived thing results in him being transformed back to normal at the end by the Bloodstone. Multiple other Punisher books pop up, in Marvel's new "we reboot things every seven months" publication schedule- he joins the Red Hulk's Thunderbolts for a bit (again drawn by Dillon), trains a victimized NYPD cop as a successor and goes to jail for her, and more.

Frank as a Whole:
-That said... I'm not a huge fan. When it comes down to it, Frank is a pretty simplistic character, and most of his stories are the same (Criminal shows up- Frank kills him). His only real recurring nemesis is Jigsaw, who's not even really that great. He's good to have around when you need a "contrasting ideals" storyline with Spider-Man or Daredevil, but he can be a little prone to nonsense- many Punisher writers take it upon themselves to depict the superheroes as naive Strawmen, and Frank as the only guy with his head screwed on right. And too many OTHER writers paint Frank as an insane lunatic who'll kill anybody who gets in his way. It didn't help that my childhood friends were obsessed with the Gritty Trifecta of Marvel in the early '90s, and so I kind of backlashed against him in favor of the more upstanding heroes like Cap & Spidey. He's great for some stories, but I've no real desire to read his book (despite actually considering him rather high last time I did a Top 100 Characters List). You can't beat that COSTUME, though- beauitfully-simple and extremely-iconic.

The Punisher's Skills & Abilities:
-The Punisher is a classic PL 10 Gun Guy type of build, and is a good example of how the modern M&M 3rd Edition plays up. He's PL 10, but costs as much as a PL 11 thanks to the new costs for Skills. He's a Skillmonkey mixed with a highly-Advantageous fighter, capable of modifying numerous caps (Accurate for the occasional burst of Improbable Aiming Skills, and Power for when he one-shots a huge guy), fight well, and use multiple weapons in an arsenal to maximum effect. His arsenal is slightly differentiated across the board to use separate effects- His Rifle is his best Blast and has crazy Range to show that it's a sniper's weapon, but it can also go Multiattack (losing accuracy by doing so- in real life, automatic weapons are used mainly as covering fire- not as something used to actually hit one guy. Small bursts are MUCH better). He can also use a pair of Pistols that do less damage, but are Multiattacked with higher accuracy.

-There's also Grenades, Dazzling stuff, a Rocket Launcher just to be EXTRA sweet (it takes a Standard Action to utilize it), and a Knife. As good as he is, though, he's not a pure PL 10 across the board- as his defenses put him at PL 8.5, and only his standard Rifle is entirely PL 10 (the other weapons are PL 7 to 9.5). This, to me, reflects the fact that Frank is a great shooter and Goonsweeper, but has trouble against single opponents, and many weaknesses against metahuman opponents, leaving him much more vulnerable than guys with actual powers. Frank is better at fighting normal humans & Mooks- durable guys, Powerhouses or powered Blasters would be a nightmare to deal with. This way he's great, but a single Mook could give him trouble with a bad roll or two. And at this high PL, he's a notch higher than Silver Sable, Nick Fury, the Black Widow, Domino or most any standard "Mercenary/Gun-User" character build, which is how it should be. Frank is the top of the mountain for that character type.

[KorokoMystia]

Punisher seems to attract the most inexplicable crossovers, too, like Archie and Eninem (yes, really)