Okay, so it’s another boring day at the office, and I need something to occupy my time. Anyway, I thought we could try an exercise in “group creativity” and construct the premise for a new comic book series - a superhero team book.
IMHO, a decent superhero team has seven essential character personality types as listed below:
Brains - not necessarily but quite often the team leader; a smart, resourceful problem solver who holds the team together & keep them focussed on their missions. They are typically aloof & emotionally distant from their team-mates, unwilling or unable to socialize w/ his compatriots normally. (ex: Captain America, Cyclops, Batman, Robin / Nightwing, Guardian, Mr. Fantastic.)
Troopers - the ‘heart & soul’ of the team; they don’t think too deeply, but are steadfast, loyal, the rock of the team whom everybody gets along with; eventually, a crisis will test the Trooper’s faith in the team. If the Trooper departs from the team, it is a major blow to their morale. (ex: Hawkeye, Colossus, Superman.
Babe - In Olden Times (the silver age), superteams typically had one - and ONLY one - girl (not ‘woman’) member. They typically took a backseat to the male members, and once every couple of years a story would feature the Babe rescuing her male team-mates from danger - thus proving her right to be on the team. (not that the guys ever had to ‘prove’ their own right to be on the team.) This has changed in modern times, and the ‘girl’ team-members are allowed to be proactive, and get into the thick of the action alonside their male partners. Nevertheless, the “Babe” still has to fulfill two important functions - A. She must look great in a skimpy version of the team uniform, and B. she must be at the crux of a love triangle between the “Brains” character and the “rebel” (see below) character. (ex: Invisible Girl, Marvel Girl, Elasti-Girl, Saturn Girl, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Woman, Aurora).
Trickster - Supplies comic relief, and makes snarky, smartass comments that deflate the bombastic pretensions of the other team-members. “trickster” characters from classic mythology tended to be shapechangers, and so do many of the superteam tricksters. Additionally, the Trickster of superteams tend to have some indisguisable physical attribute (not always a disfigurement, but traits that definitely stick out) that adds a bit of pathos to their smartass asides - they are “masking their pain with humor.” (ex: Plastic Man, Changeling, Nightcrawler, Beast, Thing, Puck.)
Rebel - The angry young man who snarls, pouts and is generally disagreeable and uncooperative. He frequently wants to make like the lone wolf, and his major reason for staying with the team is his ardor for the “Babe”. (ex: Wolverine, Angel, Aquaman, Guy Gardner.)
Veteran - He’s been around, he’s seen it all & done most of it. He is taciturn, dour and quiet. Opponents tend to dismiss him as an old geezer, but he decisively demonstrates that experience & the wisdom of age trumps hot-headed whippersnappers any day of the week. (ex: J’onn J’onzz, Captain America, post-“Crisis” Hawkman)
Rookie - The new kid who’s inexperienced, but eager to get into the action. They rarely listen to the sage advice of the Veterans, but later wish that they had. Or conversely, they have serious doubts about measuring up to their more experienced team-mates. (ex: Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, Justice, Kyle Rayner GL.)
There are an innumerable variations on these stock characters, but they are alwasy there. Team with limited memberships (such as the Fantastic Four) can sometimes double up these stock traits. The Thing for example has been both the angry Rebel, as well as a light-hearted Trickster. Sue is a Babe, but also the Trooper who holds the team together.
Additionally, superteams have either a non-powered sidekick (Jarvis, Rick Jones, Snapper Carr, Dr. Moira MacTaggert, or mentor (Prof. X, the Doom Patrol Chief, Doc Magnus of the Metal Men), and there is the all-important -
Chief Nemesis - the pre-eminent bad guy whom the team always just barely defeats, but never seems to keep down for long. He is the antithesis of everything the superteam stands for (Dr. Doom, Magneto, Kang, the Terminator.)
Superteams also have to have a certain variety of super-powers as well. Each team must have a -
-super-strong / invulnerable guy. (invariably a guy.)
-psionic or magic-using character.
-speedster or super-athletic character.
-weapon or gadgetry weilding character.
-non-powered ‘man-among-men’ who is an expert hand-to-hand combatant.
-energy-projecting character.
-character with animal characteristics.
-elastic / stretchy character.
And then a fair amount of weaknesses - a vulnerability to a certain form of element, a psychosis or phobia, a shady past, a disability, the inability to control some aspect of a superpower, an achilles’ heel - should be spread amply throughout the team members.
Okay, I’ll get the ball rolling by establishing a Mentor character to lead the team. He is reclusive millionaire William Walford, formerly the superhero “Challenger” - the Batman-esque protector of Valiant City. His career was brought to a screeching halt in a final battle with his Nemesis “the Sultan.” During that battle, Walford was dealt a permanent, crippling spinal injury that paralyzed him from the waist down. Unable to combat the unending wave of crime & chaos in Valiant City directly, Walford assembled a team of young heroes (“the Young Professionals”) to fight in his place. He uses his independent wealth to bankroll their efforts, and has converted his former cavern headquarters beneath his estate into a training facility for them. Walford, referred to simply as “Boss” by the Young Professionals is a no-nonsense, humorless, harsh taskmaster. His proteges believe that he is extremely bitter about his wheelchair-ridden state. Quietly though, Walford is more concerned that his charges don’t end up in his position. He blames his injury on his own carelessness in battle, rather than a blow from his enemy. Walford derived above-average strength & endurance from an elixir from a rare orchid flower. When he is not putting his charges through their paces in his training facility, or monitoring the progress of their adventures via satalitte hook-up, he spends his hours in his enormous hothouse, cultivating weird tropical plants.
Okay, add your own ideas and we’ll see what we can come up with.