# Comic book pantheons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-pantheons/472234 "2008-11-11T20:15:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-pantheons/472234/21 "2008-11-13T20:41:16Z")
I’ll submit the heroes (and heroes-in-training) of the [PS238](http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ps238/index.htm) setting. Metahuman presence is cyclical in the PS238 setting; the first modern meta appeared during World War I. There are presently many active superteams, and metahumans have become sufficiently established that the titular PS238 is the first school established specifically to cope with the special needs of young metas. Some of the characters are nods to (or parodies of) established heroes in other settings; others are simply logical manifestations of certain heroic archetypes. You have your speedsters, your tanks (the Flight-Invulnerability-Strength-Speed combo is common enough to be a plot point), your metageniuses, and so forth. > [@Little Nemo](#): > > I’m not talking about superhero teams. I’m talking about fictional worlds with multiple superheroes in them, even if they all operate as individuals. Basically, I was trying to see what the various superhero archtypes were that reoccurred in different settings. There’s a lot to like about the City of Heroes breakdown of superhero archetypes and origins, I think. It’s a bit compromised by trying to make it fit an MMO mold, but it’s a pretty decent start. I’ll tweak it a bit below, as a starting point. It starts with the Origins: Natural: Beings with no powers beyond those normal for their species who are capable of great feats through intense training. Batman is of Natural origin. Mutant: Born with unusual powers as a result of a genetic anomaly. These powers tend to be strongly themed, although considerable variety within that theme is possible. (E.g., a mutant with fire-related powers might do a lot more than just throw fireballs, but everything will tie back to fire.) The X-Men are obvious examples. Science: Empowered by scientific means, either by accident or on purpose. Spider-Man and many members of his rogue’s gallery are Science origin. Tech: Uses gadgets or devices significantly beyond those available to normal people to accomplish their goals. Cyborg and Gizmo are Tech origin. Magic: Inherently magical or supernatural beings, students of the arcane arts, and individuals who possess powerful magical artifacts. Thor, Zatanna, Dr. Strange, and the Golden Age Green Lantern are all Magic origin. (Other Green Lanterns would arguably be Tech.) Alien (not a City Origin): Beings that possess powers beyond those of normal humans, but normal for their own species in their current environment. Superman and the Martian Manhunter are obvious examples. (Both would be shoehorned into Natural or Science origins in the City system.) Beyond the Origins, there are Archetypes: Tank/Brick: Really tough and really strong, sometimes with an assortment (or a ridiculous array, in the case of Superman) of utility powers. The Hulk and the Thing are are classic bricks. Scrapper: Generally not as super-tough or super-strong as a brick, the scrapper makes it up with skill or powers that provide an advantage in hand-to-hand combat and an arsenal of handy tricks. Batman and Spider-Man are very much scrappers; so is the Flash. Blaster: The glass cannon. Not particularly tough, as superheroes go, but capable of dishing out major hurt up at range. Their blasts are frequently elemental in theme, but also include other forms of energy and sometimes projectile weapons. The Human Torch and Bullseye would be blasters. Controller: Direct or indirect manipulators, specializing in disabling or herding foes without actually injuring them (or at least not as badly as a blaster would). This can be through outright mental control, or through manipulating the environment around a target. Professor Xavier controls minds directly, Magneto uses his control of metal to trap and manipulate, and Pyro uses his control over fire to frighten and position people (as well as burning them). Defender: Emphasis on defensive abilities, obviously, which can be used to protect others as well as themselves–force fields, healing, escape, and concealment abilities are classic defender powers. Raven and the Invisible Woman would be defenders. Of course, a lot of heroes blur the archetype lines. Any Green Lantern could easily fall into blaster, controller, or defender roles, for example. Black Canary could be a scrapper with a blast power, or a blaster who’s good at hand-to-hand. Even when the powers cross the lines, though, the characters generally show some preference for a particular role. Jon Stewart seems more inclined to blast directly with his ring in a fight, rather than using it to control or manipulate things; Hal Jordan (last I actually read anything with him in it) was more of a controller, using his ring to create constructs to pin opponents. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-pantheons/472234/22 "2008-11-13T23:25:46Z")
> [@](#): > > So you were ignorant about something and, instead of learning and moving on, decided you’d lash out by repeating the exact same criticism back but with no rationale even offered for why that would make sense? Wow, sorry to have offended your geek creed or whatever, but “I know you are but what am I?” as a reply is pretty lame even on a schoolyard, let alone what’s supposed to be a site for fighting ignorance. I understood what you said. And I was making fun of you for saying it. Sorry for not taking you as seriously as you take yourself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-pantheons/472234.md?page=1)