# Pick your modern day League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036 "2013-09-05T00:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/61 "2013-09-07T16:48:52Z")
Special Agent Aloysius F.X. Pendergrast Sandman Slim Sharyn McCone Lisbeth Salander ---
**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:** [September 7, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/62 "2013-09-07T17:30:06Z")
> [@Musky\_Moon](#): > > The problem with opening it up to movie/tv/comics is that it’s too easy for your team to be obscenely overpowered. Plus, it keeps in the tradition of Moore’s original graphic novel. Unless I’m mistaken, all characters in the original were just literary characters. One could argue that we should evolve as the entertainment mediums diversify. I prefer our lists to be literary. Keep in mind Moore originally set his story in the 1890’s with characters from that era. So there were no TV or movies to draw characters from. As he moved the story forward through the twentieth century, he began introducing movie and TV characters. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/63 "2013-09-07T18:22:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Keep in mind Moore originally set his story in the 1890’s with characters from that era. So there were no TV or movies to draw characters from. Plus, he struggled to find a literary source for Campion’s role – the first character to show up, the one who hires our heroes and keeps popping in to deliver key exposition easy as earning a spot on cover after cover – and, upon coming up empty, Moore shrugged and said _sod that, let’s just invent someone._ ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/64 "2013-09-07T19:44:05Z")
Michael Westen from _Burn Notice_. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/65 "2013-09-07T19:48:22Z")
Agent Pendergast Dirk Pitt _Jr._ Michael Scofield Michael Weston ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/66 "2013-09-07T20:44:01Z")
I wish I were more familiar with some of these characters - this is a fun game. I’m only familiar with the original through the movie, but I understand that the original source was even more interesting - this leads me to think that a modernized version requires strong, iconic characters that are widely recognized, but with an eye to avoiding superhero types, and, I think, seeking more “exotic” characters than just the ubiquitous American Uberspy (as cool as many of those are). My partial list: Lisbeth Salandar - Awesome fucking badass character with a great depth and richness. Happy to see her so well represented in people’s choices. Excellent hacking skills make for a talented modern spy, and she’s no slouch when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Her indomitable will in the face of horrendous adversity makes her a strong central character for the team. Dexter Morgan - The American. He’s the Batman of the group - a world class detective with a strong moral code and a dark, brooding side. His hand-to-hand skills are excellent (especially if he’s allowed his syringe), and, as long as he has time to prepare, he can take down anyone. The charming sociopath with a legitimate job can also serve as the “face” of the group in certain situations. Eli - The Vampire. Screw fucking Twilight, and, sorry, but Buffy’s Angel is too comic book for the remake here. Eli brings a creepy, mysterious, alien character. Her vampire abilities make her an ideal choice for nighttime wetwork and the like. Just make sure you let her in… Hanna - The Assassin. Here’s your supersoldier, when the plot calls for all-out combat. Hand-to-hand skills, and quite a marksman. Being a young, European woman means she’s a more unique choice than Bourne or Bond. What’s missing? The Elder - the old guy who imparts wisdom and tactical advice, who knows this is his last mission. The Billionaire Scientist - someone to fill the Nemo role, with henchmen, vehicles, and equipment for the League. Tony Stark is clearly too self-involved and superhero-y for this, but there ought to be a more literary version of this type to use. The Monster - the original League had, if I recall, two “monsters” in addition to the vampire. It’s hard to do while avoiding superheroes, now, but there’s room for at least one more person with inhuman abilities in my concept of the remake. ---
**Author:** ![GovernmentMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GovernmentMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GovernmentMan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/67 "2013-09-07T22:49:11Z")
> [@Orr\_G](#): > > Dexter Morgan - The American. He’s the Batman of the group - a world class detective with a strong moral code and a dark, brooding side. His hand-to-hand skills are excellent (especially if he’s allowed his syringe), and, as long as he has time to prepare, he can take down anyone. The charming sociopath with a legitimate job can also serve as the “face” of the group in certain situations. I wouldn’t call Dexter charming. In fact, isn’t he a little socially awkward? Due to his not completely understanding human emotions. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/68 "2013-09-07T23:21:31Z")
> [@GovernmentMan](#): > > I wouldn’t call Dexter charming. In fact, isn’t he a little socially awkward? Due to his not completely understanding human emotions. True, but he at least tries to put up a pleasant front, which is more than I can say for my other picks. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/69 "2013-09-08T17:05:45Z")
> [@Orr\_G](#): > > The Elder - the old guy who imparts wisdom and tactical advice, who knows this is his last mission. > > The Billionaire Scientist - someone to fill the Nemo role, with henchmen, vehicles, and equipment for the League. Tony Stark is clearly too self-involved and superhero-y for this, but there ought to be a more literary version of this type to use. Dumbledore? Figure he’s got his hands full dealing with the usual Headmaster-At-Hogwarts stuff – but he can just barely spare enough time to play M and Q by informing and equipping the characters who’ll busily risk their necks taking point out there in the chromed world of firearms and sports cars and computers. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/70 "2013-09-08T21:10:37Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > While there are a lot of good suggestions, many of them are not iconic in the way that Dr. Jekkyl or Captain Nemo are. Would the average person know who Ding Chavez is, for instance? > > The OP’s list does a pretty good job, though. My two cents: > > Lisbeth Salandar > Dexter Morgan > Harry Potter > Jack Reacher > One of the ‘Twilight’ vampires > Robert Langdon > ‘Hunger Games’ girl Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen (your “‘hunger games’ girl”) are the only ones I know from that list… ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/71 "2013-09-08T22:00:25Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen (your “‘hunger games’ girl”) are the only ones I know from that list… Lisbeth Salandar is _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_. I highly recommend the Swedish version of this movie (actually, I’d recommend the elongated “trilogy” in 6 parts that’s available on Netflix: Dragon Tattoo Trilogy). It has some difficult adult content, but it’s excellent. Salandar is a twenty-something hacker extraordinaire who has a knack for uncovering criminal conspiracies, giving rapists what they deserve, setting fires, and kicking hornets nests. Really, if you like quality film, character, storytelling, and can tolerate an action movie, this will be worth your while. Dexter Morgan is a serial killer who kills serial killers, as seen on Showtime’s _Dexter_. It’s very entertaining, although IMO the first season is the best. Jack Reacher is some guy that Tom Cruise played in a movie. He’s some sort of ex-cia assassin or military Black OPs guy or something, but I’m told the Jack Reacher books are tons better than the movie, and that Jack’s a much bigger guy than Tom. Robert Langdon was played by Tom Hanks in _The Da Vinci Code_, and shows up as a Mary Sue in some more of Dan Brown’s stupid novels, where he’s a Harvard (?) professor of symbology who solves ancient mysteries that overlap with modern crimes. Although I don’t have much appreciation for the movies or the books he’s in, I think he’s a great choice for the League as a modern Sherlock Holmes type detective. It’d be a far better use for him than we’ve seen so far, IMO. Except for Jack Reacher (whom I know little about), these others have been in very well-known movies and shows, which made tons of money, have tons of fans, have won some awards, and get referenced by other media works. It’s hard to get more iconic and well-known than that these days without being Iron Man or Gandalf. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/72 "2013-09-08T23:29:17Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Dumbledore? Figure he’s got his hands full dealing with the usual Headmaster-At-Hogwarts stuff – but he can just barely spare enough time to play M and Q by informing and equipping the characters who’ll busily risk their necks taking point out there in the chromed world of firearms and sports cars and computers. Dumbedore’s pretty cool, definitely. But I’ve already grown attached to my “vision” of how the remake should be, and that doesn’t include anyone from a universe where there’s plenty of magic or superpowers. Like, with the original League, there’s people with powers, but they were pretty much lone examples in their universes. Since Dumbledore’s just one (albeit one of the coolest ones) of many wizards, that doesn’t fit my concept of the OP’s suggestion. Tom Jackman, from the BBC’s _Jekyll_, would fit as my “Monster” (especially since Jekyll/Hyde was in the first League), but he’s not well-known enough, IMO. No one from _True Blood_ would fit for mine, because everyone there is either a werewolf, witch, or vampire. But that’s just my remake concept - others have come up with good ones using their own visions, including those characters I’d reject for mine. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/73 "2013-09-09T00:02:22Z")
Mia Thermopolis can put the full resources of a small country at the team’s disposal. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/74 "2013-09-09T00:40:15Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Mia Thermopolis can put the full resources of a small country at the team’s disposal. Not being familiar with _The Princess Diaries_, I had to Google this one. It’s definitely a stretch. But definitely an interesting stretch! Throwing Mia into such a dark, stark, and dangerous reality would be pretty interesting, I’d bet. And just the contrast of such a family-friendly, pop-culture savvy character juxtaposed against the likes of my other choices… I like this idea a lot. I dunno if you meant this specifically to be a suggestion for my list, or just in general, but I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/75 "2013-09-09T13:26:08Z")
Yes, Tom Jackman! A great choice. I’m trying to make my own, but I keep running into that time period rule the OP put in the outline. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/76 "2013-09-11T13:11:32Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > [QUOTE=Prof. Perriwinkle] > Well, since Alan Moore could’ve used Holmes but didn’t, he probably should be given a pass here as well. “Doesn’t play well with others.” I thought the graphic novel had Holmes, but the movie went with Quartermain because they couldn’t get the rights to show Holmes on film? I dunno, I gave up on Moore before League came out, tiring of his obsession with rape. [/QUOTE] In the first volume – the one that tracks to the movie – Holmes only shows up during a brief flashback, since IIRC Moore figured that any story featuring Sherlock Holmes or Dracula becomes a story _ **about** _ Sherlock Holmes or Dracula. (So, yeah, he’s in the graphic novel, but so are other folks with plenty more lines who didn’t make it into the movie, like Auguste Dupin or even Rosa Coote.) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/77 "2013-09-11T13:50:46Z")
It should include Bod from _The Graveyard Book_ (who inexplicably regains the powers he learned from the dead into adulthood) and Hermione Granger (obliquely referred to as “The Widow Weasley”). ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/78 "2013-09-11T13:56:15Z")
The problem I have with including Harry, Ron or Hermione in the modern League is that they are already working within the system, in the Ministry of Magic. The League in all of Moore’s versions consists of people who would not ordinarily be working as a group for the betterment of society. It also consists of truly unique individuals: there’s only one Invisible Man; Alan Quartermain is THE Great White Hunter; Captain Nemo is sui generis; there are no other shapeshifting strongman/murderers to compare to Mr. Hyde; Mina Harker is not a vampire, but is a human with some vampiric attributes. Being very good at a particular skill set is great, but it’s not unique. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/79 "2013-09-11T14:11:50Z")
> [@Orr\_G](#): > > The Billionaire Scientist - someone to fill the Nemo role, with henchmen, vehicles, and equipment for the League. Tony Stark is clearly too self-involved and superhero-y for this, but there ought to be a more literary version of this type to use. Agent Pendergast is rich as Midas and he has Mime at his disposal, plus D’Agosta, Proctor, and Corrie Swanson. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036/80 "2013-09-11T14:42:47Z")
Noting some prior art: > **[Mightygodking dot com » Post Topic » The next iteration](http://mightygodking.com/2012/08/21/the-next-iteration/)** > > Click on thumb to see full Abuse of Playback, the technologically-derived drug made from distilled human memories, is sweeping the world - and Special I particularly like his suggestion of Zack Morris, possessed of the ability to _stop time itself_. Also note the background photos. ETA: linked listing is from about a decade earlier than the OP is asking for, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-modern-day-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/668036.md?page=5)