I'm rescinding my signup for Cap and encouraging other folks to give a version of the character a try if they want. I'm not in a position to handle such a big A-Lister right now.
I am going back and forth with character ideas. When I first read this, I had it in my head that I wanted to play Black Canary because she is one of my favorite heroes, but then I thought it might be fun to play Catwoman during this time too.
@BrokenPromise Because I typically only play 1 character in a RP. I try never to play more than one so I can focus my attention on them. Maybe I'll do two, but I want one to start
Hey, Gowi. I saw the interest check for this but was deciding between this and a different RP to join possibly. I love superheroes, Marvel specifically, so this really jumped out at me. I find it pretty intriguing. And the fact that you say it'll be a leisurely pace is even better. Here is my submission. Seeing a more selfish Spider-Man running around in this era is interesting to me. Let me know if there are any problems. Thanks for your consideration.
S P I D E R - M A N
Peter Parker, 22 (b. 1946) Mercenary based in New York Active since approximately 1964
Peter Parker/Spider-Man is my favorite character in comic books and one of the many reasons is because of the wealth of story potential surrounding the character. Basically, I intend to explore a world in which Peter Parker decides to use his powers as a mercenary instead of taking the great responsibility he was meant for. He is usually portrayed as an average everyman sort of character with varying degrees of bad luck so I want to present a notion that he decided to use his newfound abilities for profit rather than heroism. This will not be an all out villainous look at Spider-Man (As that has been done before anyways), but a more anti-hero, selfish version of the character that's not often seen - behavior triggered by the fact that his Uncle Ben never actually died. To present a sort of primer, it will go something like this:
At the age of eighteen, Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically enhanced spider--one which combined the abilities of various species--and given the abilities of said creature in an unexpected twist. As he is discovering and learning the potential of his newfound power, he comes across the opportunity to make a little cash by participating in an underground fighting circuit. He makes a name for himself amongst the underworld while hiding his true identity from the more unsavory types. His Uncle Ben catches on and decides to try and catch him in the act one day, but he is assaulted almost as soon as he enters the secluded area. Instead of getting killed however, Peter is able to save his Uncle and the two decide that is the end of the "Spider-Man's" fighting career. After graduating high school and moving out of his Aunt and Uncle's home, Peter decides he has a unique opportunity to make large amounts of money in a very short time frame; rather than going into the work force or pursuing college, he decides to sell his abilities to the highest bidder and take on dangerous jobs only he has a possibility of coming out alive from, both because of the thrill of danger he tasted in the underground ring and the potential to secure large contracts from his clientele. With that, he once again dons his Spider-Man persona and becomes a mercenary operating out of New York. He still hides his true identity just in case his business tries to follow him home.
So basically, it's a Peter Parker that never learned the responsibility of heroism because he was able to save his Uncle from being killed and rather than go on to be a struggling adult trying to juggle his superhero and normal life, he decides to become a mercenary and make the most of his abilities while also elevating his normal life rapidly. And it's the frikkin' 60s. This is a most awesome era indeed. Well, more intriguing than awesome, what with the rampant racism and tensions in the world at the time.
Gwen Stacy -Once just another fellow high school alum, Gwen Stacy is Peter Parker's current, and most successful, girlfriend. The two have been together since running into one another only a few weeks after high school graduation and Gwen knows of her boyfriend's alter-ego. Though she loves the man under the mask, Gwen is not a fan of how Spider-Man sells himself to the highest bidder. She works as a secretary for a small-time ad company, but garners zero respect as a woman. Thus far, Peter is one of the few men who treats her as something more than just a trophy on his arm.
Harry Osborn -Son of the mega-wealthy Norman Osborn, Harry and Peter have been friends since childhood. As a spoiled rich kid, Harry bounced from one occupation to the next after high school and never seems to stick with any form of employment for longer than three months. However, unbeknownst to his father, he supports his friend in his extra-curricular activities by acting as his handler. Using his father's large network of contacts, Harry is able to secure contracts for Peter on a regular basis and though he isn't paid for his efforts, Harry appreciates the thrill of doing something in the shadows. Outside of this, he is a hard partying individual and is generally known around the city for his drunken antics and many pursuits of women.
EDIT: The concept of a mercenary Spider-Man takes me back to the Steel Spider iteration from the animated series, but I am taken back by the concept a bit. Since you aren’t the only one to mark interest for Peter and the fact he’s a marque character I’ll give it twenty-four or so hours for competing concepts to come up.
Lol, I know how it appears. I can easily make him the usual vigilante if you want, I just figured seeing him take a more selfish approach to his powers in this sort of era would be intriguing.
Unless of course, that label is meant to denote their original purpose...
Dinah Lance, 25 (b. 1943) Vigilante based in Gotham City, New Jersey Active since approximately the Summer of 1966
The Black Canary is one of my favorite heroines in comic books. I loved her first adaptation, I love her current adaptation, and I enjoy her in shows like Arrow. I feel she is a strong hero despite not having many powers (other than the Canary Cry). She relies on her own skills and isn't afraid to use her looks to get what she wants. She dealt with a lot and I feel I could do her justice in this game.
I have her as a combination of the original Black Canary and the current one, both mother and daughter. Her mother was not the former Black Canary, instead she was just a florist that married her father, Larry Lance, a detective. Growing up, she was often subjected to, along with the other citizens of Gotham, to masked men and women running around, both for the good of the city and the bad. This took a toll on her father, who struggled with both the villains ruining the city and the "heroes" taking over the job of the police. Her mother supported the heroes, citing them as a necessary good the city needs. Things got worse when her mother was killed in an explosion. Her father took it hard and the young Dinah had to start taking care of him. By the time she turned 18, her father passed on, having taken his own life.
She didn't start out as a vigilante until years later when she was 23. She originally wanted to pursue a job in law, but there weren't many opportunities for her. Having both her mother's view and father's view on the heroes, she decided to take up the black leathered, fishnet costume of the Black Canary. She doesn't hide her identity behind a mask, preferring others know and recognize her for her deeds and showing that she is tougher than she looks. She aims to show the world that they are in need of heroes.
She is good at investigation and law, having studied it. She also has the metagene that gives her the Canary Cry. She is good at being stealthy. She also has a friend, Ted Grant (a friend of her father's) who dons the name Wildcat. He taught her Martial Arts from the age of 19 onward. She is also agile and able to perform acrobatics with ease.
Ted Grant: Friend of Dinah's father and takes up the name Wildcat. He excels in Martial Arts and has trained Dinah, along with other heroes, in the way of fighting. He is a father figure to Dinah when she needs one.
Oliver Queen: A man Dinah has met in her adventures as the hero The Green Arrow. The two have fought together and have butted heads on more than one occasion, but they can't seem to stay away from one another.
Outfit: Black Leather Jacket, Body Armor, Fishnet Stockings, Black Leather Boots
Walter Kovacs, 35 (b. 1933) Vigilante based in NEW YORK Active since approximately AUTUMN 1955
It is 1968, and Rorschach terrorizes the streets of New York. This version of the violent vigilante has him never meet Nite Owl II, the man who would temper his homicidal tendencies, and thus slides more into a darker, less stable personality. It is because of this that Rorschach has become less of a potential ally and more of a serious threat to the superhero community. Untempered by the supposed benevolence of the Watchmen, I'm planning to let Rorschach's dark side take full control. He will serve as a clear antagonist in many of the story arcs in this universe. Rorschach will also still retain his extreme far-right political tendencies, an interesting trait in the mostly leftist mood of the 60s.
This version of Rorschach will have been born in the 1930s, a few years before his Watchmen counterpart, to allow for him being more experienced at an earlier time. In this universe, the Minutemen were formed during the First World War and dwindled out in the second, due to the success of Captain America. The rampant scandals and failures surrounding the Minutemen initially gave non-powered superheroes a bad name, which led to a need for the Super Soldier Serum to create more effective defenders of the peace. Batman’s success in the 1960s gave an elderly Captain Metropolis hope to restore the golden age of superheroes without powers, but due to old age and interpersonal issues, the Minutemen were unable to reform successfully. The only Minuteman to pass on their mantle to a younger superhero was Hollis Mason, who granted Dan Dreiberg permission to take on the mantle of Nite Owl in 1963.
Walter Kovacs was born in 1933 in Manhattan, New York, to an abusive prostitute mother. After attacking two teenagers on the street, Walter was brought to the Lillian Charlton Home for Problem Children in 1943, where he became extremely skilled in gymnastics, boxing, and literature. In 1951, Walter left the home to be an unskilled laborer in a garment factory. In 1955, Kitty Genovese was murdered (unlike 1964 in our world) as her neighbors looked on in apathy. Having prepared a dress for her that she rejected, Walter felt a personal connection to Genovese’s plight. In the same year, Rorschach killed his first criminal. Eight years later, he was mistaken by Nite Owl II for the very criminal he was hunting down. Nite Owl severely injured Rorschach, and because of this, the two never teamed up.
1912 - Hooded Justice saves a woman from a rapist on the Titanic and helps in the evacuation hours later.
1914 - The Minutemen are formed, and the original lineup consists of Captain Metropolis, Silk Spectre, Hooded Justice, Nite Owl, Silhouette, Dollar Bill, Mothman and The Comedian.
1917 - As America enters the First World War, the Minutemen begin operations on the Western Front. However, due to faulty publicity and the inflated ego of some of the members, they are not very successful at home or in Europe.
1929 - The Black Tuesday Crash and subsequent Great Depression sparks a rise in criminal activity, but by now the Minutemen have been reduced to mere costumed street thugs.
1941 - Captain Metropolis eyes opportunity in World War II, but Captain America's arguably better success outdoes the efforts of the Minutemen, who are soon forgotten in the following decades.
1961 - An elderly Nelson Gardner attempts to reunite the team in the wake of Batman's success, but old age and interpersonal problems prevent the 'Crimebusters' from becoming a reality. Gardner dies a year later.
1963 - Dan Dreiberg takes on the title of Nite Owl II. On his first mission, he accidentally injures Rorschach.
@Gowi Hope he's up to snuff! (Also, I feel it was very okay to kill off Elektra because the Hand tends to be resurrection crazy quite often, but if you rather I not, then I can rectify that!)
Matt Murdock is in over his head, which is not unusual.
Perhaps every iteration of Daredevil has some kind of death wish - that's no different here. Murdock isn't reckless, so to speak, but he's got a knack for finding trouble rather than letting it find him. Much of his friends - companions, acquaintances - have voiced their issues every time Matt comes walking through his doorway, purple, bleeding, and looking like all he wants to do is go back for seconds. Though his morals are the same - justice in the name of the law - his motives, at the moment, seem unjust, to him. It fills him with guilt that he feels an adrenaline high every time he's in a skirmish, a brawl, something - and that he chases that feeling.
Despite all of his shenanigans often ending up with him a bloody pulp, Foggy's kept his cool, even when he brings these issues to attention. Elektra, however, is and was his last straw. The fearsome assassin tapped into the worst part of Matt; she took every bit of his self-destructive habits and amplified them two fold. Likely more, he'd argue. She strung Daredevil along Hell's Kitchen and further still than that. Every moment spent together was another inch Elektra took to drive her sais into his heart. She planted things inside him, ideas, motives, notions, without Murdock ever suspecting a thing. Though the Hand remains silent even after Elektra's mysterious death and disappearance, there's something lurking inside The Devil of Hell's Kitchen. It's biding its time.
Their destructive relationship ended when Elektra took it a hair too far. Not only did her antics end up taking Karen's life, a very close friend to both Matt and Foggy, it also ended up ending her's, as well. Though, despite the finality of their end, the Hand still watches and it still waits, having already placed their own plans into motion.
After Karen's funeral, Foggy thought it best to relinquish the masked vigilante and let the law do their job. Or hell, let someone like Jessica handle things - she's more than capable, even with her P.I. business on the side. However, Matt couldn't simply drop everything and refused to, so Foggy gave him an ultimatum: their friendship or this vigilante nonsense. Having picked up wind of Wilson Fisk on the rise, the potential of unknown consequences should the Kingpin remain unchecked drove Matt to pick the mask over his lifelong friend.
Brokenhearted, Foggy did as he promised and took complete ownership of Nelson & Murdock with him - now dubbed Nelson & Co. despite there being no Co. Without looking back, Matt set his sights on solving the mystery behind Wilson Fisk. It seems Elektra and Karen's death, along with the death of his longest lasting friendship, have only further drove Matthew Murdock to consume himself in his superhero work. Not even Jones' earnest (rather, blunt) pleas - demands - to take a much needed vacation fell on his ears.
No, Matt Murdock worked through a steady plan to garner Fisk's interest over the months. His diligence rewarded itself in a personal request from the Kingpin himself: a job offer, one that came with quite a boost in pay and plenty of benefits benefits. Not to mention, Murdock hid a few hidden benefits himself in his own clause. Now with a plan to infiltrate Fisk's tight knit circle (or files, which ever came first), under the guise of a loyal worker, Matt's fully geared to take down Fisk from the inside out.
This version of Murdock aligns itself with perhaps a slightly more single-minded man, that plays to practically ever version's drive to completely dive head first into a pool of fire with no real care to come out alive. Matt doesn't want to die, far from it, but he isn't averse to death. This Murdock just doesn't know how to cope with not only his guilt (which is amped up because he blames himself for both Karen and Elektra's death) and but also doesn't understand how to rebuild himself or any of his relationships.
Not only that, there are shadows hiding in every corner and Murdock's got a treat waiting for him down this long stretch of tunnel. Fisk isn't the only person he needs to worry about.
Fredrick 'Foggy' Nelson
Long time best friend, Foggy's always been there for Matt, always stood by his side whenever he needed it. Best of times; worst of times, kind of pals. It takes a lot to tear them a part, but somehow the world manages and Matt's often the sole suspect of blame. At the moment, their relationship is strained, but Foggy will always feature in Matt's life, no matter how many times they break a part.
Claire Temple
A nurse that finds herself patching up her fair share of heroes. She has a professional relationship with Matthew, but not even she can keep her distance for long. They've gotten closer, acquaintances perhaps, perhaps friends. Of course, she's getting tired of watching someone she's grown to care about walk through her door bleeding all over her carpet.
Ben Urich
Though Matt has always detests the smell of smoke, Urich is currently his number one source of information on Fisk and his company. As well, Matt's the only insider Urich trusts 110%. Any time Matt finds a reliable set of information, he channels it to Urich to further examine and file away. Though, when the time comes, Matt plans on taking down Fisk his own way.
Jessica Jones
Another friend of Matt's. They only just met, but they've not only scuffled, but have saved each other's lives on multiple occasions. Anyone who's willing to play her, I'd love to come up with some backstory for these two.
Frank Castle
Both Matt and Frank have a mutual friend in Karen Page and have both mourned her loss to an extent, though Castle tends to do that in his own manner. They're both bitter rivals and close allies - they don't see eye to eye. Castle doesn't care who he mows down, knows its wrong, and feels absolutely no guilt over the pile of bodies he racks up. Anyone interested in playing Frank, I'd love to also build some relationships and potential points of interest for plot crossing!
Danny Rand
They haven't met yet, but Danny's one of Matt's potential best of best friends. I'd love to talk out potential intersections in plots and collaborations for these two in the future!
Peter Parker
Another potential ally and one of Matt's best friends in the comics. Since Matt's only two years into the vigilante business, I don't necessarily want these two to know each other. Rather, I'd like them to eventually run into each other. Plots will definitely converge, since Fisk is a mutual enemy to both and Urich knows both Parker and Murdock!
Okay, I think that's done? I feel like there's something missing somewhere in the sheet but I can't tell what... it's probably just normal anxiety and paranoia.
Peter Parker, 26 (b. 1942) Based in Queens, New York Active since Spring, 1960
A lot of heroes are ideals that we look up to, beings that are far beyond what we can ever be but give ideals to strive towards. Superman, Green Lantern, Captain America and so on, demigods that wield incredible power but use it for good because they're too pure to do anything else. As we all know, Spiderman didn't initially use his powers for good, preferring to pursue personal gain. Spiderman was, arguably, the first 'everyman' hero, the one that you could see as yourself and really empathise with. He didn't descend from another planet, he wasn't a world famous scientist or a billionaire playboy, he was just a kid from Queens who got unlucky. Just a kid with some powers who tried to get rich quick, paid a terrible price and has been paying off that debt ever since.
And, I think, that's what makes him one of the most inspirational heroes. Which of us can't relate to the struggles he goes through, from heartache to poverty, to an unreasonable boss to there not being enough hours in the day? Peter Parker goes through all the same trials we do and has all the same temptations, like skipping work to stay in bed or ignoring the world's needs for our own for a little while. But for him that motto is so thoroughly burned into him that he can never give in to those urges. Where Thor or Sentry are people we might wish we were, Spiderman is who we could be, if we persevered, kept on going and never gave up.
I want to really tap into the root of the character which is, as I see it, Peter Parker's nature as the hero that we can see ourselves in. Not want to be, because he has all our problems and then a whole heap more, but the one that we can most clearly see as one of us, one of the little guys. So I'll be keeping the classic elements of his mythos (Aunt May, dead Uncle Ben, working at the Daily Bugle) and moving them to the time of the RP. Obviously, Peter needs to be put through the wringer by life (they call it 'Parker Luck' for a reason) and to suffer the consequences of being a hero, so the plots I intend to draw from are largely the ones that cause him suffering.
One trend in Spiderman comics that I particularly want to work with is the way that the public reacts to him. By and large, the people he saves or who see him on the street think Spidey's a cool dude but the popularly held opinion by those in power (NYCPD, City officials and, of course, JJ Jonah Jameson) is that he's a menace to society, so there's an imbalance between the public opinion and the 'correct' opinion that aligns with the establishment's views. In the modern day, it's more possible for the individual to separate truth from fiction in media but given the period and the propaganda subsidised by the American government, the lines are more blurred in 1968. I want to explore the idea that Spiderman was seen as a threat to government authority, vigilantism and the power of the individual being disruptive to the almost authoritarian style of the Cold War US Government. So Peter isn't just fighting super-villains, crime and his personal issues, he's fighting the hard line against costumed vigilantes pushed by the government, which makes citizens less likely to trust him and cops more likely to shoot on sight.
Powers
Spiderman's powers have gone up and down over his long history, to some pretty memorable extremes and some lame lows. I'm going to be sticking to what I think as a pretty vanilla version; enough to tackle villains like the Vulture, Rhino and so on but not so much the people like Venom, Green Goblin or Carnage aren't serious challenges. One important note is that I prefer his webbing to be something he creates with technology, for two reasons. The first is that it's a nice way of showing that Peter is a smart kid who has incredible potential but so many other things to focus on other than his studies, the second is that it means that when he runs low on money, he can't make more. So he has to keep up his job, has to swallow JJ Jonah Jameson's insults because he needs that money for more than just survival. This element has been in the comics for a long time and was actually removed by Sam Raimi's Spiderman film, which showed Peter producing the webbing organically.
Aunt May
Aunt May is Peter's moral compass and emotional anchor. Without any other living family, he turns to her for pretty much everything we rely on our loved ones for; support, advice, comfort and reassurance he's doing what's right. As I'm doing an adult Peter, he doesn't live with her but she's still one of the most important figures in his life.
JJ Jonah Jameson
I'll level here; I just want to write dialogue for JJ and here JK Simmons say it in my head. I mean, he's also Peter's employer and symbolic of the media view of the age but it's mostly for that first thing.
Daredevil (Matt Murdock)
As one of the other NYC heroes who's more street-level, I'm looking to do some interactive and perhaps collaborative arcs with Matt. Their most prominent common enemy is, I think, the Kingpin so he'll probably be involved.
Otto Octavius
A family friend and uncle/mentor figure for Peter, Dr. Octavius is working on an experimental energy system, based off of the recent advances in Nuclear power technology. No doubt it will turn out well and he'll live happily for the rest of his days.
Note: I'm not going to include the Osborns yet, both because others might want to play the characters and I think how their position as powerful technological innovators with their own visions would clash with the nature of the era would make for an interesting story, but one I'm not sure I want to get into with Peter.
I have been for the past few hours writing an app for Magneto. I think I have to rewrite it as its becoming a bit of a garbled mess of me trying to explain every little possible detail I can of why everything is the way it is, but I am loving the concept overall. However I have class coming up so it wont be until tonight
Basically the idea behind it is that a small change in Magneto's backstory caused Magneto's mutant nationalism to develop in a more radical leftist fashion, and thusly he becomes more of a Huey Newton-esque figure than a Malcom X. It also changes the lineup of the Brotherhood of Mutants almost entirely, as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch simply never were even born and Magneto never meets the Toad. Instead, Colossus becomes Magneto's number two, along with some other suprises I don't want to spoil just yet.
So, I'm actually thinking I might toss up Danny Rand for old times sake. There's a starting storyline for him I've been wanting to do where he's fresh out of K'un-L'un and gets accused of killing Harold Meachum and has to go on the run through New York. To make it really worthwhile though I might want to collaborate with some of the other NYC-located characters though, so I'd like to ask whether people would mind that, too.