Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

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EternalPhoenix
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Davies wrote: Wed Jun 15, 2022 11:04 pm Today's been a rather difficult day, so no post until tomorrow, I'm afraid.
My condolences on your day.
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Davies »

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When Karen Freeman was a child, she fully expected that she was going to work in the family business -- but that expectation was a little different from how things have actually turned out. Her intention was to work at Thunder Incorporated, the non-profit corporation that her late Uncle Dudley had established and his adopted son Gus now ran. She would have found the idea that she would receive the power of Shazam from either of her parents to be laughable -- after all, her brother Phil was right there and much more qualified.

And for a while that was how it turned out. Phil became Major Thunder when he was fourteen and joined one of the incarnations of the Teen Titans, while Karen quietly studied at school and participated in extracurricular activities carefully chosen to reduce the chances that she would be kidnapped by supervillains while still looking good on her college applications. Listening to the stories Phil told about his adventures increased her certainty that she did not want to be a hero. It was far too dangerous, an opinion set in stone when she attended the funeral for a friend of the family when she was sixteen. Phil clearly enjoyed this sort of thing, so let him have the job.

Five years later, though, after Major Thunder went through some shattering experiences during Gotterdammerung, Phil was no longer in any shape to keep fighting the good fight. Her parents and Uncle Billy were torn -- while Karen was still younger than Teth-Adam had been when he was given the power and became corrupted, she was not in any way the child that all modern individuals to receive it had been. The potential for disaster was enormous. Ultimately, her mother was the one who made the decision, trusting that the reluctance that Karen felt would keep her from losing herself.

For a few frightening moments, it seemed that Mary had been wrong. The quiet young woman who had spoken the magic word disappeared completely within the brash and flirty creature who emerged, who seemed to delight in her newfound might. But her parents breathed easier when the first thing that she did after those frightening moments was to rescue a falling construction worker whose safety harness had snapped -- then went back to worrying again when she planted a big kiss on the worker before flying off.

In youth, Billy Batson often seemed like a completely different person when he became Captain Marvel, partially due to the influence of the Wisdom of Solomon giving him a very different perspective than a twelve-year-old boy. But that had become less noticeable as the years passed and he grew into that same adult perspective, and it had never been the case with Freddy, Mary or Phil. So seeing the extreme differences between Karen and Captain Power, as she declared herself in the moment after the lightning came down, was more than a bit disturbing. Even Karen thought so when she changed back and had panicked about the way that she had behaved.

But in the years since then, Captain Power has repeatedly demonstrated that she does take the job of being a superhero seriously, even if she also intends to have as much fun with it as she possibly can. Yes, she flirts. Yes, she will go a lot further than flirting when someone seems interested. But she is also completely honest and quite cheerful in the face of adversity, and has not a jealous bone in her body. Meanwhile, Karen has found herself promoted into the position of actually running Thunder Incorporated, and has found becoming Captain Power to be a welcome release from the stresses that her job entails.

Uncle Billy is still keeping an eye on her, and she knows that he fears she still might go down the same dark road as Teth-Adam. Since Captain Power has nothing but disgust for the latter, which has only increased since his marriage to someone else she can't stand, she thinks she has excellent examples of what she never wants to be in front of her at all times, and focuses on doing as much good in the world as she possibly can.

Captain Power -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR
15/0 | STA 16/1 | AGL 10/2 | DEX 3 | FGT 9/3 | INT 8/2 | AWE 9/3 | PRE 8/2

Powers:
With One Magic Word: Continuous Morph 1 - 6 points
Wisdom of Scheherazade: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Benefit [inspiration], Jack-of-all-trades); Enhanced Awareness 6; Enhanced Intellect 6; Enhanced Presence 6 - 40 points
Strength of Hippolyta: Enhanced Strength 15; Enhanced Strength 10, Limited to lifting - 40 points
Speed of Atalanta: Enhanced Agility 8; Flight 14 (32000 MPH); Quickness 6 - 50 points
Courage of Zenobia: Enhanced Advantages 13 (All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative 3, Interpose, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4); Enhanced Fighting 6; Impervious Will 10 - 35 points
Power of Aphrodite: Immunity 1 (aging); Variable 5 (magic) - 36 points
Stamina of Maia: Enhanced Stamina 15; Impervious Toughness 12 - 42 points

Typical Variable Sets:
Travel to the Rock of Eternity, and Thus Anywhere and Anywhen Else: Movement 9 (dimensional travel 3, space travel 3, time travel 3) - 18 points
Unimaginable Might: Enhanced Strength 25, Limited to lifting - 25 points


Advantages:
All-out Attack, Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Benefit (inspiration), Benefit 3 (millionaire), Defensive Attack, Fearless 2, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative 3, Interpose, Jack-of-all-trades, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+10/+4), Deception 4 (+12/+6), Expertise: Business 5 (+13/+7), Expertise: Magic 2 (+10/4), Insight 5 (+14/+8), Investigation 3 (+11/+5), Perception 2 (+11/+5), Persuasion 4 (+12/+6), Technology 4 (+12/+6).

Offense:
Initiative +22/+2
Unarmed +10/+4 (Close Damage 15/0)

Defense:
Dodge 10/2, Parry 10/4, Fortitude 16/1, Toughness 16/1, Will 10/4

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 249 + Advantages 5 + Skills 15 + Defenses 2 = 303 points

Offensive PL: 13
Defensive PL: 13
Resistance PL: 13
Skill PL: 9

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Accidental Change (saying Shazam.) Personality Shift (shy civilian vs. brash heroine.) Power Loss (all, if prevented from saying Shazam.)
Last edited by Davies on Thu Jul 28, 2022 5:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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RainOnTheSun
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Mary Power She-Hulk, eh? Neat.
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Davies
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Davies »

RainOnTheSun wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 12:42 am Mary Power She-Hulk, eh? Neat.
Spot on! She and Jen are actually pretty good pals, too.
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EternalPhoenix
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by EternalPhoenix »

She Hulk and Mary Marvel's kid. I would have never seen it if it hadn't been pointed out, and it's not a combo I would have ever thought of myself. Neat. I like it.
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Davies »

Thanks!

Next up: In the inimitable words of Eddie Poe:

"But see, amid the mimic rout
A crawling shape intrude!
A vile green thing that writhes from out
The scenic solitude!
It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs
The mimes become its food,
And the angels sob at vermin fangs
In human gore imbued."
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greycrusader
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by greycrusader »

Sorry you had a tough day recently. Goodness knows it seems I've had my share in the last year and change.

Though compared to many, I suspect I have it pretty easy....

All my best
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Davies
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Davies »

greycrusader wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 3:18 am Sorry you had a tough day recently. Goodness knows it seems I've had my share in the last year and change.
Thank you, it was really just a matter of not getting nearly enough sleep that day and consequent lack of focus. By comparison to many, I was and remain blessed.
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Ares
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Ares »

So my guess is that the idea with Karen is that the "mental" aspects of the Power of Shazam kick in to balance out what the patron lacks. Billy as a 10 year old (at least under this interpretation) lacked maturity, so the Wisdom of Solomon influenced his personality when powered up, until he grew up and matured enough that his based personality was indistinguishable from Cap's.

Karen it seems like the Courage of Achilles is making up for her more reserved personality, making her bolder and more confident, hence the apparent lack of inhibitions. That or there might be some clue in the name, with "Power" referencing the Power of Zeus, and for some reason her libido is being influenced by the Zeus aspect.

Either way, an interesting concept, and likely something where character growth on Karen's part would be finding a middle ground between her current self and her Power form.
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Harnos
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Harnos »

I liked that Mr. Hyde vibe on her. As stated above, this visual blend of the female bricks is quite impressive.
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Davies
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Davies »

Harnos wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 7:21 pm I liked that Mr. Hyde vibe on her. As stated above, this visual blend of the female bricks is quite impressive.
Eh, more Nutty Professor than Mr. Hyde, but I see where you're coming from. Thanks!
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Davies
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Davies »

Ares wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 2:54 pm Karen it seems like the Courage of Achilles is making up for her more reserved personality, making her bolder and more confident, hence the apparent lack of inhibitions. That or there might be some clue in the name, with "Power" referencing the Power of Zeus, and for some reason her libido is being influenced by the Zeus aspect.
And after all, the power of love is a curious thing, make one man weep, make another man sing.

Thanks!
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Davies »

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Three years into his career as the World's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel faced the greatest challenge of his career to date, and possibly one of the greatest challenges he would ever face, in the assembly of the Monster Society of Evil by a mysterious and (at first) unseen entity known as Mister Mind. Recruiting many noteworthy opponents of the Captain, as well as numerous other supervillains active in the Golden Age, in what was the first great assembly of supervillains, Mr. Mind launched a series of deadly and terrifying attacks against the world.

It has sometimes been claimed that the leaders of the Axis powers were also recruited as members of the Monster Society. This is untrue -- while agents of these governments, such as the original Hauptmann Nazi, worked with/for the Monster Society, they did so without the awareness of their leaders, who would certainly not have subordinated themselves to a mysterious voice on the radio. (Hauptmann Nazi is believed to have planned to use the Monster Society, once he took control of it, to overthrow Schmidt as Schmidt had overthrown Hitler before him.) Mister Mind has nonetheless claimed association with these individuals, which only demonstrates his fundamental dishonesty and the unreliability of any account that he presents.

Regardless, after many close calls Captain Marvel finally discovered the true form of his ultimate opponent -- a talking, brilliant and utterly wicked worm who had a remarkable talent for last minute escapes. Their struggle went on for months before Captain Marvel finally captured him. Mister Mind was promptly tried for the 186,774 murders he had ordered during the activities of the Monster Society. (It should be noted that these were only those murders committed within the United States. Worldwide, it is estimated that he was responsible for roughly nine million deaths, though exact statistics are understandably hard to come by.) The verdict was guilty, and the worm was promptly executed by electrocution.

He nevertheless returned during the Silver Age to further bedevil Captain Marvel and other superheroes, telling a number of contradictory stories about his origins -- most notably that he had supposedly come to Earth not to conquer but to meet Charlie McCarthy, only to be disillusioned when he discovered the celebrity was ventriloquist's dummy -- and the means by which he had avoided death in the electric chair. Defeated and imprisoned repeatedly, Mister Mind was always able to escape and wreak further havoc, though never enjoying the success or power that he possessed at the height of the Monster Society's activities. Nevertheless, he repeatedly escaped much more permanent fates and endured up into the Bronze Age.

In the aftermath of the transformation of reality, of which was somehow aware, Mister Mind imitated many of Earth's alien heroes and villains by departing from it for a time in order to discover what the new reality had done to their home worlds. Of course, Captain Marvel was not inclined to permit this escape, but failed to prevent it. Frustrated, he traveled to the Rock of Eternity to discover, once and for all, the origins of his old foe so that he could travel there to intercept him. He discovered something rather disturbing instead -- none of the origin stories told by Mister Mind, nor any of the accounts of his survival, were independently verifiable. Just where and when he had come from remained uncertain.

Mister Mind has returned to Earth a handful of times in the intervening decades, always thwarted but seldom captured. He sometimes seems indifferent to the success or failure of any given plan, as long as they entertain him. And he is certainly indifferent to the cost in lives of his campaigns.

Mister Mind -- PL 14

Abilities:
STR
-5 | STA 1 | AGL 0 | DEX -2 | FGT -2 | INT 12 | AWE 8 | PRE 3

Powers:
Horrifying Mind: Reaction Damage 12 (when mind is read or attacked), Resisted by Will - 60 points
Mind Control: Perception Range Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration, Subtle; Senses 1 (communication link with compelled or controlled target) - 58 points
Silk Production: Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Accurate 5, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 13 points
Tiny Size: Permanent Shrinking 16 (3 inches; +8 Dodge, +8 Parry, +16 Stealth, -4 Strength, -8 Intimidation, -2 Speed), Innate - 17 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Equipment 20, Hide in Plain Sight, Inventor*, Speed of Thought, Taunt, Trance.

Equipment:
100 points of bases and vehicles needed for any given plot, with the following as an example.
Mindtripper: Size Tiny; Strength -2; Speed 7 (air); Defense 13; Toughness 3; Powers Movement 3 (dimensional travel 3); Permanent Shrinking 8 - 30 points

Skills:
Deception 12 (+15), Expertise: Dimensional 2 (+14), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+15), Insight 6 (+14), Perception 5 (+13), Stealth 0 (+16), Technology 4 (+16).

Offense:
Initiative +12
Unarmed ... are you kidding me?
Silk +8 (Close Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)
Mind Control -- (Perception Range Will 14)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 1, Will 14.

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 152 + Advantages 28 + Skills 16 + Defenses 17 = 249 points

Offensive PL: 14
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 11

Complications:
Megalomania--Motivation. Distinctive Laugh. Loudspeaker (relies on artificial device to communicate.) Physical Limitations (no hands, nearsighted.)

* Due to his Physical Limitations, Mr. Mind can only personally Design inventions, and relies on Mind Controlled servants for Construction, with the servant making the Construction check and the worm making a Team Check to "support" them.

Note: I don't intend to explain every choice I make with these characters, but this one I will. Let's go back to the 80s, when I first met Mr. Mind in the pages of All-Star Squadron and Who's Who. Later that same decade, I'd read some earlier DC-published stories about him, but not ones that unveiled his backstory. So when I reported that the alien whom he'd controlled to build his first tools was a goat-man, of the type who appeared in the Monster Society storyline (which I read much more recently) I was describing things as they'd been related to me.

Ares' statement that the alien was a completely different critter, the so-called Handyman, was a complete surprise. But when I did some digging, I found that, yes, when Mr. Mind described his origins for the first time (Shazam #31) he described Handyman as his first pawn. This was also the story that revealed how he had survived the electrocution that was his fate at the end of the Monster Society storyline, as repeated in that Who's Who biography ... but before that, back in Shazam #9, he had told a different tale about his survival. Captain Marvel expressed doubts about the account, and Mr. Mind replied, "Well, if you won't believe that story, I'll give you a different explanation the next time we meet!" Then laughed.

So we have another villain whose past is multiple choice, and added to the dimensional strangeness of his All-Star appearances (where he's an alien to both the realities of Earth-2 and Earth-S) and subsequent portrayals (where he tries to eat the multiverse), I thought this could lend him some additional terror without relying on the body horror of some depictions.

Where did he really come from? Consider please that the word for "serpent" in some languages could also mean "worm". And on that note, sweet dreams.
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Ares
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by Ares »

The All-Star Squadron appearance of Mr. Mind in issue 51 (1985) was such a strange one. The origin given there contradicted the ones given in Shazam 31 (1977) and DC Comics Presents 34 (1981), both of which supported each other and the latter which Thomas also wrote.

No idea why Thomas wanted to get one last retcon in before Crisis rebooted everything, other than it was a Mr. Mind story he'd had in . . . well, mind.

I tend to go with the E. Nelson Bridwell version myself, since Bridwell was a stickler for Golden Age Marvel Family continuity, while also successfully modernizing it for the era. His run with Don Newton is probably my favorite Captain Marvel run of all time, even if there were a few holdovers from the Golden Age I didn't care for (enough electricity triggering the change for instance). He also used a bit of Fawcett Continuity to make Capt. Marvel Jr. and Kid Eternity brothers, which I thought was cool.
"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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RainOnTheSun
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Re: Mithril Age -- DC/Marvel Fusion Universe

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Honestly, she could have turned out a lot worse.

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