Dream Super HERO Groups

Cafe Society
1

Gee whiz, since another thread had a misleading title, I thought I’d start a clearer version here.

My team:
Leader: Captain America: this guy just commands leadership, and he’s got significant command experience from World War II. That, and he’s out-wrestled the Hulk and stared down an omnipotent Thanos with more cool than shaft.

Strong-Guy Character: Hulk: Sorry, Superman, but the Hulk’s got theoretically limitless strength and a healing factor that can take pretty much anything. The only drawback is his unpredictability: any team with the Hulk is going to need some way of reigning him in.

Strategist: Nightwing: I was tempted to go with Batman, but he’s been such a flaming ass lately that I figure it’s better to go with someone trained by the man. Dick Grayson has all the mental and physical talent of Batman, but is a LOT easier to get along with and would be better at maintaining a team spirit.

Speedster: Flash: Every team needs a speedster. Wally West has pretty much been ascribed as the fastest of the fast. 'Nuff said.

Stealth: Invisible Woman: She’s the original invisible character. The temptation might be to go with a teleporter such as Nightcrawler, but he tends to leave stinky clouds when he uses his power (thus killing the stealth notion). Plus, she’s extremely talented with her force fields, giving her some offensive ability.

Mystic: Dr. Strange: This is a tough call between him and Dr. Fate, although if I’m not mistaken, Strange has had fewer series cancelled in his history. Also, Strange tends to be more human/less “almighty” than Fate, again going towards team morale.

Cosmic Character: Silver Surfer: Again, 'nuff said. DC and other companies are rather lacking in significantly appealing cosmic characters. Green Lantern is the only one who can possibly hold a candle here, but I find the Surfer more experienced, and more “god-like” in the sense that his power is internal, rather than a piece of cosmic jewelry.

Snooty Butler: Alfred Pennyworth: I like Jarvis, but Alfred has that dry British wit that always pops in at just the right moment.

2

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

I have to agree with RIL on Cap, the Hulk, Dr. Strange and the Flash. I’d also want:

Wolverine. For sheer intimidation and all-out nutcase berserker attacks, but also capable of subtlety and sneakiness when need be.

Nightcrawler. Anybody who can teleport and blend into shadows is perfect for infiltration. (Unless you wanna go with someone like Morph from AOA… but the rest of the team’d be going nuts just dealing with him.)

Jean Grey. You always need mental powers, and Dr. X is just a little too non-mobile.

Human Torch. Sometimes you just need to be able to set stuff on fire, what can I say?

And I’d want GL instead of the Silver Surfer… Surfer’s just a little too cosmic for me and also doesn’t sound like the type that’d stick with a group for very long.

3

Leader: I will also choose Captain America. Plus, he gets bonus points for smarts and he has had success in previous groups (Avengers, Defenders).

Loose Cannon that kicks butt: Wolverine. Just plain mean crossed with no fear and severe coolness factor.

Accessory power: This is where I’ll go with Green Lantern. That ring will come in handy more often than not.

Powerful stud: Incredible Hulk. Gotta have someone that can pick up a building.

Comic duo: Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. One can fly and fight and the other is a whiz with engineering.

Hot chick, tight outfit: Rogue. The ability to fly is a major plus.

4

Ditch Green Lantern and the Silver Surfer, bring Captain Marvel(Genis) on board.

I’d like to see the thing that The Floating head of Rick Jones™ can’t stop!

5

Res, these were all very good choices, but you gotta remember, these guys gotta work as a team. The Hulk is not a team player. Nightwing is a lone wolf too. Same thing with Dr. strange and Silver Surfer. And there are some categories that need to be addressed here as well. And Alfred doesn’t know how to handle a team the way Jarvis does. So, here goes:

Team Leader: Superman. He is above reproach morally, mentally, and heroically. Cap’n A is a good choice, but Supes is strong, and he is nearly as fast as the Flash, so you have the multi-tasking advantage here.

Strong Guy: You already have Superman, so you just need a complimentary guy to pick up the building when Superman finds out it’s made of Kryptonite bricks. My nomination is for Iron Man. He has the advantage of the cash, and he’s pretty smart, too. In the interest of group diversity, you could go with She-Hulk here.

Mystical/Cosmic: This is a tough position to fill. My thoughts on what this role entails is rather different from the OP. My nomination is for Green Lantern. He’s rather a different branch than Doc Strange and Silver Surfer, but you just know it’s one of the godly characters that always get taken over mentally and become a temporary villian. Other nominations here could be Martian Manhunter.

Mind Powers: This position screams “woman.” Invisible Woman is a nice choice, but I’m gonna go with Jean Grey here.

Gadget guy: This is a role that Iron Man may be able to fill, but you need wisecracks too, so I nominate Green Arrow. He makes a pretty good complimentary character. If you don’t like the idea of a gadget guy, you can replace this with the Wildcard character. Choose from: Gambit, Wolverine, Hulk, Lobo, or Rorschach (if we’re allowed Watchmen characters)

Useless Hero: Face it, every team has one. Their powers are so esoteric or random that you wonder what the point of them being around is. This is usually the character they kill off when sales go down. Pick from: Hawkman, Angel, Falcon (is he still around?) Tigra, or Dr. Druid.

6

And, of course, the Tick. :slight_smile:

7

Leader

I’m going to have to go with Superman as the leader. Here’s a guy who can do almost anything he wants and he’s not tempted to become a jack booted thug. He sets a good example for all the other superheros and he works well with others. I do like Captain America but I like him better when he’s fighting NAZIs.

Strong Guy

I think I’ll go along with Wonder Woman on this one. She’s strong, she’s sexy, she kicks butt, and she’s not thick as a brick. But she is built like a brick…well you know. I’d rather have her on my side than most others.

Strategist

I can’t think of anyone better then Batman. His deductive reasoning is without reason which I suppose is why they call him Detective. We’re talking about a mere mortal who figured out how to disable the entire JLA. I like Nightwing as well but he’s not up to par with Batman.

Speedster

Flash. 'Nuff said.

Stealth

Batman. Well, he seems pretty good at getting into places without drawing attention to himself. Always sneaking up and away from Gordon.

Mystic

I can’t think of many mystic characters I care for. I suppose I’d go with Dr. Strange. Actually he’s the only one I can think of off the top of my head. I don’t count Capt. Marvel because I don’t remember anything other then his origin being mystical.

Cosmic Guy

I like Green Lantern myself. No patricular reason why.

Marc

8

The Clique

Team Leader-Fenris. His power to hijack arguments would prevent infighting and keep the team together.

Strong Guy-Esprix. No enemy can survive being flamed by Esprix

Mystic-Polycarp. With the powers of Wisdom and Understanding, Poly works miracles. His sanctum Sanctorum is the neighborhood Episcopalean church.

Cosmic Guy-Chronos. His understanding of physics and hie Moderating powers give him control over the very laws of reality.

Comic Relief-Crunchy Frog. He’s always ready to lighten the mood. His weakness-can’t stay crunchy in milk.
Others-

Wring-AKA the Ring-By day, she posts and helps the troubled. By night she dons a magic ring and fights evil.

Mentors-The group is occasionally advised by the mysterious Uncle Cecil, who possesses the power of The Straight Dope. The spirit of Wallym47 sometimes appears in visions. He gives advice and wields the power of the sig line. He can be summoned by the mystic phrase “Wud duz putz meen eh nee weigh”

The Clique- Their the In-crowd that knocks evil out.

9

My selection (and I see I wasn’t the only one thrown by the other thread’s title! :wink: ):

Captain America. As Frank Miller wrote in Daredevil, “A man whose voice can command a god – and does.” Nobody, but nobody, can lead and inspire a team like Cap. Extremely cool when written by Mark Gruenwald.

The Silver Surfer. Power cosmic, baby. You need heavy hitting, here’s your boy. Extra points for being able to endure exteme conditions without batting an eye.

The Flash. Someone for the situations where brute force won’t do. I’d pick Quicksilver, but I’m not sure how reliable he is these days.

Dr. Strange. For all the paranormal threats that the above three can’t handle. Given how infrequent paranormal threats appear in comic books, he might be a reserve member on retainer.

Rick Jones. The sidekick who’s seen it all. Given a choice, I’ll go with Peteer David’s interpretation of the character from his run of The Incredible Hulk. And since it’s been hinted in Young Justice that Snapper Carr knows Rick, that opens the doors for cross-company cameos.

Alfred Pennyworth. Jarvis is nice, but Alfred is freakin’ unflappable. Especially if we follow the Alfred from the animated Batman cartoon, who was a former British Secret Service agent IIRC.
Of course, you could also just have Captain America and The Beyonder for a team, but where’s the fun in that? :slight_smile:

10

So how long before someone starts a Dream Super VILLIAN Groups thread?

In any case, Batman is not a team player. He can, at best, be a recurring member on retainer. (Just as, for the VILLIAN squad, Joker would be of little or no use, as he is a complete psycho.)

However, might I suggest Oracle for the “psychic” role? She’s not psychic, but her abilities bring her pretty damn close to it.

I’d nominate Wonder Woman for the braun role if her powers were a little more defined. As it is, I have to give it to Hulk.

11

Just as an aside, while the current, post-Crisis psycho-Batman isn’t a team player, ALL other incarnations of Batman have been.

Remember the Batman family? Remember the “World’s Finest” team? There’s nothing inherent in the character that makes him need to be a loner (as a matter of fact, the idea that he’s drawing a surrogate family around him makes some sense)

Fenris

12

Ok, all teams need at least one of five types of characters (per Jim Shooter when he created the Fatal Five)

For the brainy “I’ll build a gadget to save the day” type, I’ll choose Bernie the Brain from Sugar and Spike. He’s not quite three years old, but he’s far smarter than Reed Richards, Lex Luthor (Earth 1) and Braniac 5. Put together.

For the muscle-y guy, I’ll choose Duplicate Boy from the Heroes of Lallor in Legion of Super-Heroes. He can duplicate any power (or powers) he wants. “Hmmmm…I want the Hulk’s strength AND Batman’s strategic abilities”

For the zap-beam type, let’s go with Yankee Poodle from the Zoo Crew.

An interesting pair within the team, almost a dynamic duo if you will, would be Pureheart the Powerful (From Archie comics) as secondary strong guy. But his weakness (the kiss of a pretty girl) is too much of a liability. So we pair him with Super-Hip (Tadwallader Jutefruce from Bob Hope Comics), who’s speed, flying ability, super-guitar and irrisitablity to pretty girls would protect Pureheart.

For reformed villian who joins the team to make up for his/her crimes, I want The Quiz from Doom Patrol. She’s got the ability to have any superpower that you’re NOT thinking of.

Whaddaya think?

Fenris
(Who’s resisting the idea of a Mr. Fantastic, Elastic Lad, Plastic Man team called “The Rubber Band”)

13

HMMM–
Captain Carrot-only a mediocre strategist, can’t fly, loses powers hour after eating carrot-lose him

Fastback-superspeed but none of the skill of Quicksilver, or Whizzer and none of the vibrational powers of the Flashes-lose him

Rubberduck-great stretch powers but no brains compared to Mr Fantastic and not as funny as Plastic Man-lose him

Pig Iron-Extremely strong, metal skin, only one known weakness and that amulet is now safely in his possession-keep him

Alley Kat Abra-marvellous mystical might, but limited by need for the talisman “Magic Wanda”, weaker than Fate or Strange but looks much better in tights-undecided
Yankee Poodle-Good powers yes, good combatant yes, but I think her snobbish personality would lead to arguments with other team members.
I’ve got it-
Ariel-The sorceress from Thundarr the Barbarian-powers, brains, cheesecake factor

Joe Power-from Boffo Laffs-all of Superman’s powers but much more fun to be around, and he can read Latin

Ultraguy-from Boffo Laffs-lesse-flight, timetravel, strength, invulnerability, energy projection, good intentions but no brains.
for The leader-Captain Teddy, once he was Captain Titan. Then his enemy, the Purple Brain, trapped him in the form of a teddy bear. By merging with a human being, he becomes Captain Teddy-fuzzy defender of good.
Powerhouse-Captain Everything, no brains but he gets another superpower every weak.

14

Well, if we’re gonna discuss the Zoo Crew we can’t forget Little Cheese the Micro-Mouse. And I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss most of the team like that. They could easily kick the collective asses of the Legion of Substitute Heroes.

15

That depends on which incarnation of the Subs you mean.

I have some older Legion of Super Heroes issues with Sub backups. In these, Stone Boy may move while petrified and the team has some skill in strategy and combat.

In the Subs one shot from the 80’s, the team is far less effective. Stone Boy cannot move or sense his environment while stone. The team panicks in the face of danger and cannot function as a unit.

In the 90’s, the team leader, Polar Boy, gained membership in the Supes and left.
And it’s worth remembering that Polar Boy and Pyro Lad were rejected not because their powers were weak, but because they could not contain them. A few strong breaths from Pyroand the Zoo Crew is mixed grill.

16

Yeah I thought about that when I got back into reading Batman. From what I can remember he’s had three Robins, one Nightwing, three Batgirls, one Batwoman, one Oracle, Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, as well as working with the JLA, Superman, the CIA and even the FBI.

Marc

PS: I might be fuzzy on a few of those people above. There was a Batgirl and a Batwoman from before I was even born I think.

17

Doc Cathode:

Actually, that was late 80’s. In the 90’s, the “five-year-gap” Legion, the Subs (sans Polar Boy and Night Girl, but plus Ron-Karr) were honed into a great fighting force by Jacques Foccart, the second Invisible Kid, as part of the underground resistance to the Dominators who controlled Earthgov.

That’s Fire Lad.

Chaim Mattis Keller
Legion-Reference-File Lad
Chaim.Keller@verizon.net

18

Yeah, the “Batman Family” as such referred to a group of people from the mid-'50s: there was Kathy Kane (Batwoman), Betty Kane(?) Batgirl, Bat-Mite, Ace The Bat-Hound, Alfred, Robin (Dick Grayson), and Commissioner Gordon. There was also (IIRC) a future Batman (Dick Grayson and his future Robin was Bruce and Kathy’s kid). It was strange because the Batman, Batwoman, Robin and Batgirl thing really did have a Dad, Mom, Son and Daughter thing going. Those old stories really have a strange feel to people used to the psychotic-loner version of Batman.

Fenris

19

ok…here goes

Leader: Troia…as much as i love WW, Donna Troy is quckly becoming one of my favorite people in comics…and drop dead gorgeous too! although i would love to see the red suit with the stars back. so she has brains, strength, mystical…and some other talents too.

Speedster: Northstar…i just love him, and i think a chance for his abrasive nature to be overcome or explored, plus there could be a chance for some bonding between him and some other male characters…if you know what i mean.

Enhanced Power Guy: hmmm…i think i will go with Doctor Spectrum, from the Squadron Supreme…he could hit on troia all the time.

Strength: She-hulk!!! Nuff said.

Mystical: Zatanna, underused nowadays, although i would take the top hat away…and if she went away i would replace her with Talisman of Alpha Flight.

Strategist/Stealth: Nightcrawler…and let me tell you, i think he and Northstar would make a HOT couple…even though Kurt is not of the persuasion. The other person for this spot would be Robin of Young Justice…but the Adult one from the Sins of Youth Storyline…he was about 25 i would say…and again, what a hot couple he and Northstar would make.

OR…i could combine the above two and bring back Magik from the New Mutants.

I think that would be it…i might change my mind, who knows…

20

Okay, let’s try these on for size.

Leader – Captain America. Kind of a hard choice to beat, really. Combat experience, strategy, and fighting skills sufficient to take on people much stronger than himself.

Mental Powers – Marvel Girl. Telepath and telekinetic. If they had chopped off her Phoenix powers like they were going to, around the level of the Silver Surfer, she’d be a great Cosmic character too. On the other hand, X-Man (Nate Summers) might even be a better choice.

Stealth – Spider-Man. Granted, he’s not usually a team player, but hey…here’s a guy who can crawl up walls, is pretty handy with his webbing, pretty good with the scientific/technical stuff (he’s no Reed Richards, but…) and his spider-sense is practically foolproof. Given time and room to manuever, Spider-Man can beat nearly anybody this side of Galactus.

Mystic – Dr. Strange.

Strength – Tossup between Hulk and Wonder Man.

I would also toss in someone like Hawkeye, because he’s like Cap; not dependent upon superhuman abilities.