Name: Billy Batson Hero Name: Shazam Known Alias': Captain Marvel, The Mightiest Mortal Age: 18 Powers: By saying the magic word SHAZAM, Billy Batson transforms into the champion SHAZAM.
Strength of S'ivaa: With the might of the Old World Elemental, Billy's physical strength reaches well beyond the physical scale. He is able to crack concrete, bend steel, and fight toe-to-toe with individuals as powerful as Superman.
Super-Leaping: Using the shadow element's blessing, Billy is able to use his strong leg muscles to leap far distances in a single bound.
The Fires of H'ronmeer: The blessings of H'ronmeer the Martian God of Fire grants him the power over fire, death, and recreation.
Thermal-Blast: Billy was capable of breathing out a large blast of flames.
Compassion of Anapel: With empathy from the Siberian goddess Anapel, Shazam has instant access to a vast level of scholarly knowledge.
Clairvoyance: The blessing of Anapel gives Billy clairvoyance and provides him with counsel and advice in times of need.
Divine Grace: The Compassion of Anapel allows perfect and godlike finesse in actions and dealings with others.
Eidetic Memory: Batson is capable of memorizing anything he sees.
Tactics of War: Through Anapel's blessings Billy is an accomplished social intuit.
Source Manipulation of Zonuz: Replacing the lost power of Zeus during the Darkseid War, Billy was partitioned the almighty energy of the Old God of Evil; Zonuz or, as he would later go by, Yuga Khan of the Third World. His power is utilized to back and embolden the powers of Billy's six gods by drawing upon the energies from the Source itself.
Dimensional Travel: Shazam can access the Rock of Eternity whenever he wants, which sits at the center of the multiverse. Through this he can also enter and exit The Source of all things, where all gods go after they've passed.
Boldness of Atë: Atë's blessing gives Billy superhuman amounts of inner strength to draw off from, while also making him indestructible to harm. He is able to withstand the Antimatter Blasts of Mobius's Shadow Demons. Only the most powerful of superhumans or most ancient of magical powers can topple him.
Indomitable Will: Because of Atë's blessing Shazam is very strong-willed in his actions.
Immortality: As long as he remains in his empowered form he doesn't age.
Superhuman Speed: With the Boldness of Atë Billy can run as fast as a bolt of lightning, this means Billy can at least run a third of the speed of light.
Flight: Through Atë, Billy is able to hover or out right fly at high speeds.
Superhuman Reflexes: Shazam's reflexes are heightened to superhuman levels. He is able to move, think and react fast enough to dodge the blade of Yuga Khan in pitched battle.
Lightning of Mamaragan: Through the power of the Wizard and aboriginal deity known as Mamaragan, Billy retains the magical power of his patron namesake. Not only does the lightning enable him to transform and enhance his other physical abilities, but it also allows for inter-dimensional travel and the casting of various mystical spells.
Accelerated Healing: He displayed the ability to use the transformative lightning to heal others or himself instantly from wounds inflicted on his mortal form.
Divine Distribution: As Shazam, Batson can share a portion of his magical powers with anyone akin to a family that he so chooses, giving both similar and different powers of their own based on their personalities.[9]
Electrokinesis: Shazam has the ability to control electricity like Mamaragan himself.
Electro-Blast: He can discharge a powerful blast of electricity from his body and attack foes with it.
Teleportation: Shazam showcased this when rushing to a battle from S.T.A.R. Labs to Metropolis.
Equipment: n/a Appearance: Billy Batson is a first-year college student. His civilian attire shows that. Preferring casual attire. Often wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He goes to the gym about twice a month, to keep himself in shape. Shazam looks entirely different from Billy. He looks older and more built. Coupled with the red suit, that has no visible way of being removed, Shazam looks much more like a superhero than Billy ever could.
Probably the biggest change is that this Billy Batson is older. Being eighteen, and a first-year college student, he has been Shazam for a while.
The set of powers is more aligned to the more recent runs, with the New Gods.
Billy runs a blog about the exploits of Shazam and has made the hero into sort of an internet personality.
Story Overview: A quick summary of who your character is, what they do and where their story is going. You don't have to go into great detail in public, but if you are going to be vague to keep everything a secret, at least PM me a more in depth version of this. Sample Post: Think of this as your pilot. I'm not looking at what you write, but how you write it. Gives me a good idea of what kind of poster you are. Post Links: (Please regularly update your CS to include links to the posts you make in the IC, makes it easier for people to read your story in consecutive order)
But I was wondering if you're going to allow everybody to have characters like Supes and Shazam? Their power most usually doesn't get touched
I think the point is that power levels don't matter, it's the story that does. It's a sandbox for the most part, so other stories and characters don't have as much of an impact on the story you are telling.
In other news, X-Men CS will be posted after I get back from my trip.
@officaz Everyone is a slave to the "Rule of Narrative" which dictates "Any character can beat the shit out of another if the narrative cannot proceed without it."
Example: Alfred Pennyworth once beat the shit out of Superman. Why? Bullshit drug was made so that you could have every DC character fighting on the same level, due to its necessity to the plot.
Apologies @mattmanganon, I had second thoughts about my original concept and decided to go with something a little safer. Though in all honesty, I think that's gonna give me more room to work in some conceptual changes as I go along. So without further ado, I present...
Name: Peter Reilly Parker* Hero Name: Spider-Man Known Aliases: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, The Human Spider, Spidey, Wallcrawler, Webslinger, Menace Age: 16 Powers: A genetically mutated spider transformed Peter's DNA into that of a human/arachnid hybrid, giving him the abilities proportionate to that of a spider. These powers include the ability to stick to any solid surface, superhuman strength, agility and reflexes, a biological survival sense that warns Peter of impending danger, and an organic pair of wrist spinnerets that secrete a tensile silk.
Equipment:
Spider-Suit: Put together from the ground up using salvaged bits of technology, the head-to-toe bodysuit that Peter wears in the field is based on his amateur wrestling gear, which consisted of a red jumper and a light blue hoodie. The advanced costume is designed to help Peter navigate throughout New York, easily take advantage of his ability to stick to walls, tune the mask's two-way mirror lenses to a variety of settings, and even protrude a gliding mechanism for emergencies.
Web-Shooters: Originally built as a container to house his own webbing samples for research purposes, Peter's outfitted these wrist-mounted devices to allow him to control his webbing with precision accuracy. Without them, he can still spin simple webs and traverse an area with ease. With them, however, he can pull of considerably more difficult stunts, such as catching a falling demolition crane, snatching up several criminals at once, and creating "impact webbing" - Peter's go-to for offense.
Spidey-App: Created by Peter himself, the encrypted phone application turns any common smartphone into a self-capture camera, an NYPD bulletin feed, a wi-fi based tracking device, and a low-level hacking tool. It's also capable of storing up to a terabyte of data on a private server.
Appearance:
Known Affiliations:
Uncredited Photographer for The Daily Bugle Rotating Employment At Various Shops And Restaurants Junior At Midtown High School
Allies
May Parker: Peter's aunt and widow to his Uncle Ben. His maternal figure and guardian. Harry Osborn: Peter's best friend, one of the few to treat him kindly. Gwen Stacy: Peter's neighbor since childhood, his classmate and friend. Mary Jane Watson: Harry's girlfriend and Peter's classmate, harboring a rebellious side. Dr. Curt Connors: Peter and Gwen's science teacher, an incredibly gifted genetic biologist that left Oscorp in disgrace following an accident that severed his arm. Otto Octavius: Considered one of the world's leading authorities on robotics and their application in the research for clean energy sources, Otto is Peter's idol. Labelled 'Doc Ock' by the press following the Oscorp incident, the doctor is determined to rebuild his career. Quentin Beck: A fellow classmate and kindred spirit, also frequently targeted by Flash Thompson. Peter keeps trying to help Beck out, only to be shunned by the teen's aggressively anti-social demeanor. Felicia Hardy: Peter's classmate and longtime crush, she is virtually unaware of the timid teenager's existence - and is likely never to learn of it, given Peter's responsibilities. Mac Gargan: Gwen's boyfriend, the high school jock with a heart of gold. Considered one of the only members of Flash Thompson's clique to accept Peter, Gwen, Harry, and MJ. Miles Morales: A senior at Midtown, Morales regularly accepts Peter's help on science tests in exchange for helping Peter out with his own achilles' heel, history. Miles' dad used to work with Peter's uncle when they owned a small business as electricians. Liz Allan: Flash Thompson's girlfriend, daughter of Adrian Toomes. While cold to Peter in public, she's more lukewarm when Flash isn't looking, even going as far as to befriend Gwen and MJ. Jessica Drew: Principal of Midtown High. She genuinely cares about her students and looks to keep the peace among a growing paranoia about mutants and metahumans.
Enemies
The Chameleon: A mysterious crimelord whose use of uncanny mimicry and penchant for disguises has put him at the top of the local gangs. He can appear to be anyone, making his identity unknown. Norman Osborn: CEO of Oscorp Industries, Harry's father and a figure of controversy. His presence alone seems to draw up more trouble than anyone Peter actively fights. Eugene 'Flash' Thompson: Peter's rival in school, and the frequent instigator of bullying against him and the other 'nerds' of Midtown since the fourth grade. If he has any likeable qualities, they're well hidden under an oafish need to step on the little guy. The Rhino/Alex O'Hirn: A two-bit thief, and the first recurring enemy Spider-Man ever made. Possesses an abundant strength and resistance to injury, chalked largely up to his size. The Sandman/William Baker: Former corrupt cop turned genetic freak of nature, able to control his molecules and redistribute them in a similar method to grains of sand. The Vulture/Adrian Toomes: Part of Oscorp's VULTURE para-glider militia, Toomes commands a team outfitted with technologically advanced armored wing-suits for the sole purpose of protecting Oscorp and it's employees. Electro/Francine Frye: Serial killer who, along with her betrothed Max Dillon, was caught in the same accident that Sergeant Baker into The Sandman. She now possesses latent electricity-based powers and a burning need to avenge her fallen husband. Hammerhead/Joseph Lorenzini: The Chameleon's rival, a hot tempered crime-lord with an indestructible plate surgically grafted to his skull. Kite-Man/Charles Brown: Kite-Man. Hell yeah. Edward 'Eddie' Brock: A relentless reporter for The Daily Bugle who, in conjunction with shock-jock J. Jonah Jameson, looks to discredit Spider-Man at every turn. Unlike Jameson, Brock holds no shred of integrity and values fame over all else.
In-Between
J. Jonah Jameson: The television host of a nightly news program, Just The Facts With J. Jonah Jameson, the loud-mouthed veteran newsman regularly criticizes superbeings and metahumans from Superman to Iron Man, and everyone in between. His newest target is Spider-Man, and judging by the ratings generated from Jameson's rants against Queens' new hero, he's unlikely to stop questioning the web-slinger's intentions anytime soon... 'Stan': A mysterious figure that keeps watch over Peter from the sidelines. A man whom he's never actually met, but seems to know a great deal about Peter's life. For now, he'll remain distant...
Who Is This Character?: Really?
List Of Reimagined Traits:
There's not much in the way of reimagination for Peter himself, so much as a remix of a couple of different versions. He's basically 616 Spider-Man mixed with Ultimate, the MCU, the Raimi films, the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon and the Insomniac Games' universe version. He's still a teenager burdened with Great Power and Great Responsibility with roughly the same origin, but he's of the year 2019.
The real change-up is how Spider-Man's origin relates to some of the villains' origins (Peter wasn't the only one affected by Oscorp's mistake) and how the supporting cast works and interacts with him. But otherwise, this is Spider-Man as purely as I can write him.
Story Overview:
Nine months ago, 15-year-old Peter Parker's life was changed forever on a class field trip. Following preliminary tests on an experimental housing chamber for negative energies discovered by Dr. Reed Richards, Oscorp Industries was promising a leap forward in future biological advancement. The kids at Midtown High were invited personally by CEO Norman Osborn, father of Midtown student, Harry, and Peter was perhaps the most excited of the group to be in attendance as robotics' expert Dr. Otto Octavius, with his specially designed robotic containment appendages, led the demonstration. But unfortunately for everyone involved, there was a breach during the active handling of the materials. Faulty equipment provided by Oscorp led to a surge of radioactive energy that, while harmless to most, did affect certain genetic materials within the nearby area. One of them happened to be a passing spider, who was spooked enough by the explosion to land on the hand of the young Parker in the midst of the crowd's panic...
Hours later, Peter awoke in the hospital to his relieved guardians, Ben and May Parker, with the news that he'd suffered little more than a bout of temporary heat exhaustion and passed out. The failure of the chamber, while an embarrassment for Oscorp, hadn't seemed to harm anyone. Even Peter's newly acquired spider-bite had been deemed non-poisonous. But there was a dramatic change happening within Peter's biochemistry that wouldn't manifest itself for weeks. After sleeping in one morning following a series of nightmares involving the arachnid, Peter awoke to realize he was late for school and hurried to meet the bus - only to accidentally jump over it and land on an adjacent wall. Discovering that he could scale the wall with ease, aswell as accidentally bend the steel girder atop the building's roof, Peter realized that he had superhuman powers.
Deciding to document his findings on Viewtube, under the moniker "HumanSpider616", Peter wore a mask as he videotaped himself performing perilous stunts - from leaping from building to building with ease to crawling the ceiling of an abandoned warehouse, lifting a car, and eventually, shooting his first web - and using it to swing across a football field. He instantly became a viral sensation, with online debates surging about whether it was all an elaborate prank or a legitimate amatuer documentary for a fledgling metahuman. For the first time in his life, Peter revelled in the attention he was receiving, but became frustrated at the fact that he couldn't tell anyone that it was his face under the mask.
When the New York State Wrestling Federation (NYSW) began to pass the videos around, the booking agent in charge of the arena found himself desperate for the same kind of publicity. Deciding to publically challenge The Human Spider with their own Heavyweight Champion, Sergei Kravinoff - known by his stage-name, Kraven The Hunter - Peter decided to take his popularity to the next level. Donning a red spandex bodysuit and a light blue hoodie to complete his attire, Peter - rechristened as The Spider-Man by the promoter - entered the ring with Kravinoff and bested him in less than three minutes, despite Kraven's immense strength and reflexes. Driven insane by the loss, Kraven publicly demanded a rematch for a cash prize, to which "Spider-Man" readily accepted.
As the excitement of his new powers corrupted Peter's sense of inferiority, his homelife began to suffer. Beginning to flirt with girls way out of his league, he engaged in a fight with life-long bully Flash Thompson and nearly shattered the teen's hand, alienating him from the rest of his class. His friendship with Gwen Stacy was briefly strained after Peter boasted about never needing to study again, convinced that he'd found his life's path without ever having to worry about college. A mentality that led to Peter dropping from straight A's to several D's, leading to an argument with his Uncle Ben. As Peter accused his uncle of trying to stifle his newfound confidence, Ben shot back with an old saying that with knowledge came a great power. And with great power, came great responsibility.
Ignoring his uncle's advice, Peter returned to the ring as Spider-Man for the rematch with Kraven. But unknown to anyone, Kraven had ingested several African herbs and stimulants that increased his strength tenfold, driving him further off the deep end as a consequence. Finding himself having to knock Kraven out before he could unleash his rage onto the crowd, Spider-Man was told never to come back, as the fight promoter blamed him for the negative press. Denied the cash prize, Peter angrily left the stadium - but not before witnessing an armed robbery at the concession stand. Allowing his pettiness to get the best of him, he simply ignored the perpetrator and walked away.
Of course, this mistake would lead to the single greatest regret of his life. A few nights later, after blowing off class for the day to continue exploring his abilities, Peter returned home to find an active crime scene outside of his house, Peter was horrified to learn that his uncle had been shot and killed during a home invasion. Assured that the suspect was cornered at a nearby shipping yard, Peter nevertheless gave into his rage and ran out, donning his Spider-Man gear and swinging to the scene. Easily overpowering the man huddled on the top floor, Peter caught a glimpse of the gunman's face - realizing that it had been the same man who robbed the stadium. Had Peter interfered when he should have, his Uncle Ben wouldn't have had to die.
And so the story goes. Taking Ben's words of great power and great responsibility to heart, Peter and his Aunt May buried him that Sunday. The following Monday night, Peter - having burned his wrestling attire, feeling it was a reminder of his failure - began to work on a different costume. He knew that if he had done the right thing with his powers, he would have been able to stop the mugger. So he promised himself that he'd never put himself above others in the use of his abilities. He'd protect the innocent whenever he could and use his gifts responsibly, no matter the cost. On that day, The Amazing Spider-Man was truly born.
Nine months later, and Peter is barely holding together his double life. While he races from job to job in order to financially support himself so that his aunt doesn't have to, a gang war is brewing between an individual calling himself The Chameleon and the ruthless crime-lord, Hammerhead. Within his personal life, Peter's friends are beginning to feel neglected, with his constant disappearances becoming harder to explain, while his grades are deteriorating even faster. And Norman Osborn has began to receive death threats from a man who's intent on carrying out his word, prompting his VULTURE strike unit to act on high alert, patrolling the skies. On the plus side, nothing can possibly get any worse...
Peter says to himself, not knowing what's coming for Peter Parker or Spider-Man.
Sample Post:
"Boy, there's just nothing I love more than being rained out on a swing home!"
I grumble to myself as the rain, almost as if the universe itself is sensing the wedgie building up between my soaked tights, begins pouring down to Biblical proportions over 5th Avenue. On a Wednesday afternoon. Funny enough, I checked the weather on my phone as I was leaving for work this morning. Sunny skies! Not a cloud in them! High of 87!
Now I know how the Yankees feel. Except, you know, I've probably got a better shot of winning the championship than them. Blindfolded, with one hand tied behind my back and no powers. They suck, is what I'm saying to myself. Why am I saying this to myself?
"Because I'm a sad, strange little man..."
Aunt May always tells me to think of all the best things in my life on days like this, where it's not so much raining cats and dogs as dumping entire buckets of zoos onto the rooftops ahead of me. Uncle Ben used to double down on that one with, "Son, for every rainy day in life, you get to enjoy years of sunshine."
Probably a good time to note that neither of them ever had to get into fights people who can actually control the weather, but hey, I'm just internally venting here. Poking my hand out infront of me in a vain attempt to see if it's somehow calmed in the forty seconds since I started on the Yankees analogy, I pull back my glove to look at my watch. Gwen and Harry wanted to see a movie tonight, and I said sure, as long as it's a matinee showing. Looks like someone's paying full price for sticking his foot in his mouth.
"Who am I kidding? That's practically my side career!", I say to myself, preparing to fire out a webline to brave the storm. "Eh, well. At least no matter what, I'm having a better day than Sandman."
Just as I say that, the distinct sound of an explosion rings out across Manhattan. My Spider-Sense buzzes loud enough to cause me to jump out from under my perch, somersault upwards, and land on the scaffolding above.
"I think I liked it better when the rain was my enemy..."
With alarms blaring from what appears to be the Fifth National Bank, I sigh to myself and briefly consider sending Gwen an apology text. But then I remember that I don't have my phone. Because I'm wearing wet, skintight underpants that can barely even hold spare change.
"Whelp, Parker. You wanted a change of pace from a lousy rainy afternoon."
Firing off a webline, the rain becomes something of a pelting series of windy scratches, as I soar high into the air and begin to fire another. Aunt May would be proud of me, because I am starting to think positively.
"Can't say you never get what you want."
- - -
*(Yeah, I know his middle name is Benjamin. This is a different Peter than in 616. Wanted to reflect that.)
Sorry about lack of updates. Was sick in bed for a few days, which was not fun.
As for how I'm intending to play Jimmy Hudson I'm going to avoid being a member of the X-Men, instead focusing more on the legacy of Wolverine and other mutant stuff like Weapon X. Expect a character proposal either tonight or tomorrow.
@Jareth its k. Thanks for the update and here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
@Master Bruce Ah, I see you have taken the old "Everything was Norman Osbourne's fault" tactic. Marvel loves it to death and I cant say that it doesnt work here. Also, loving the Shock-Jock imagining of JJ.
"I DONT LIKE THEM PUTTING CHEMICALS IN THE WATER THAT ARE TURNING THE FRICKIN' SPIDERS INTO MEN!!! And dont get me started on Superman. He admits that he's an alien! He wasnt born here, he's just like those Mexican and Kasnian immigrants that are sneaking into our country and leeching off of our benefits. He's an anchor baby, I'll tell you that. Well what are we going to do when the rest of his family show up and demand citizenship? What are you gonna do when he starts hitting on our women. I've seen the go-go eyes that the so-called Journalist, Lois Lane has been making at him. My advice? RUN! He's probably just trying to get you somewhere nice and quiet that he can lay his eggs in your stomach!
@mattmanganon How would you feel about a JoJo CS getting dropped?
If you don't know JoJo, for the uninitiated; basically, throughout the world, a select handful of people have special punching ghosts that give them superpowers that are usually really funky and esoteric. They're not conventional "superheroes", but a superheroic narrative tends to be a big part of it, especially for what I have in mind. And they don't wear 'costumes', but sometimes theiroutfitscanbe...
Name: Bruce Thomas Wayne Hero Name: Batman Known Aliases: The Caped Crusader, The Dark Knight, The Bat of Gotham -- Take Your Pick Age: 42
Powers: Whilst lacking any sort of metagene, Batman is still one of the finest martial artists in the world as well as a brilliant detective, espionage agent, and engineer.
Equipment: Wayne Industries is an international corporation specializing in cutting edge research to not only make people safe, but also secure. When Bruce Wayne started his war against the gotham crime families he utilized obscure patents, shelfed projects, and overlooked prototypes. With access to that technology in conjunction with his own brilliance, this allowed The Batman to be one of the most elusive vigilantes at the start of his career.
Appearance: Despite growing older, Bruce Wayne is still in peak shape. His most recent battle with the ambiguous Heretic has left his body in a constant flux of numbing pain, but the constant fear of losing those close to him pushes him forward to keep fighting the good fight. His blue eyes are being to fade into blue-grays, though he insists he won’t be done until he’s six feet in the ground.
Known Affiliations:
Wayne Industries The Outsiders
Alfred Pennyworth Bruce's most trusted mentor and friend. A former British military officer who turned to security consulting when he moved to the United States in the mid-seventies. Alfred is currently widowed, losing his wife years ago to cancer, and despite his misgivings aids Bruce in his guise as Batman.
Victoria "Vicki" Vale Bruce’s off-and-on girlfriend, and the chief reporter of the Gotham News Network—though when she started it was still known as the Gotham Gazette. Since his falling out with Selina Kyle, Bruce has found Vicki the only woman he can find any sort of connection in, though he denies it wholeheartedly.
Professor Wesley Dodds A scientist, inventor, detective, and professor; Wesley Dodds is one of Batman’s oldest and most trusted allies. Due to his expert knowledge of chemistry he finds himself a well-regarded ally amongst Batman’s circle that has in the past been invaluable in the pursuit of protecting Gotham from everyone from The Scarecrow to the League of Shadows. Dodds once fought crime under the shadows of night through prophetic dreams and his own deductive skills as “The Sandman”.
Richard "Dick" Grayson | Nightwing The first to don the identity of “Robin, the Boy Wonder”, Richard “Dick” Grayson is now an independent vigilante in neighboring Blüdhaven.
Timothy "Tim" Drake | Red Robin The third teenager to don the identity of Robin, Tim Drake sought out and deduced Bruce’s identity as Batman some years after the death of Jason Todd. Pragmatic, kind, and ingenious, Timothy has in recent years “graduated” from the role of Robin to serve as an aide to Alfred and at times as an independent hero of all his own.
Damian Wayne | Robin The fourth (and hopefully final) teenager to don the identity of Robin, Damian Wayne is the trueborn son of Bruce Wayne through Talia al Ghul. After an encounter with Heretic, Damian has yet to be “allowed” to return to his duties as Robin.
Barbara Gordon The first teenager to don the identity of Batgirl, Barbara Gordon is the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon. Following losing the trust of Dick Grayson and appointing Jason Todd as his subsequent replacement, Barbara grew distant with Bruce to the point she retired as his crime-fighting partner. In the years since she has dedicated herself to reforming law enforcement as an aspiring member of the Gotham City Police Department.
Stephanie Brown | Batgirl Barbara Gordon's successor as Batgirl. Stephanie Brown previously operated as the vigilante Spoiler in obstruction of her father’s actions as Cluemaster to stop him from re-entering Gotham’s criminal landscape after several years in prison.
Cassandra Cain | Black Bat The daughter of one of the greatest martial artists in the world and one of the greatest assassins in the world, Cassandra Cain had a burden on her from the onset. But despite her League of Shadows pedigree, she rejected it willingly once she was forced to kill someone for the first time at a young age. She was later re-discovered by Barbara Gordon where she began operating as a vigilante in opposition to her father, David Cain. Bruce continues to use her as one of his agents to which he has dubbed “Outsiders”.
Holly Robinson | Catwoman Selina Kyle’s protégé and the second person to don the identity of Catwoman. Holly continues to operate out of Gotham’s East End protecting the women there and fulfilling her own needs as the successor of the world’s greatest thief. Bruce has worked with her before, though after the falling out with Selina prefers to not meddle in their affairs.
The Joker & The Circus of Strange The leader of the Circus of Strange and the engineer of the Haly’s Circus Massacre, The Joker is an unnamed anarchist with a vast array of skills and a sense of unpredictability thus making the most skilled detectives and psychologists unable to follow his criminal pattern or psychological profile. The Joker is skilled in demolitions, firearms, close quarters combat, and is surprisingly deductive in nature. Nothing is known about him and his “story” changes as often as he tells it. He is the antithesis to Bruce's Batman. He is currently occupying the most secure cell in Arkham Asylum alongside his former cohorts of the Circus of Strange: Killer Croc, Professor Pyg, and Mister Toad.
Ra’s al Ghul Ra's al Ghul is the leader of the League of Shadows; a splinter group from the Illuminati who believe in a violent repair of the world, a natural chaos to counter a corrupt controlled world. The transformation into 'the Demon's Head' has left him insane and highly disturbed as such the Lazarus Pit brings nothing back in the manner they came in.
Bane Bruce's initial replacement in the League of Shadows and a clever tactician as well as biochemist. Developing an adrenaline stimulant that he named “Venom”, the drug is shot directly into the bloodstream which overcharges the body with micro-steroids and phencyclidine traces. Effects of this compound includes accelerated strength, heightened reflexes, and a degree of supposed metahuman endurance all two-to-three times the peak of a human of their size can yield. His addiction to these micro-steroids following several battles against Bruce has become a principal weakness.
Black Mask The newest criminal mastermind of the Gotham-Bludhaven area, Black Mask controls the False Face Syndicate; a drug cartel that is muscling in on the weakened Red Hood Gang, the aggressive Blockbuster Gang, and even the Gotham Crime Families. Secretly Roman Sionis of Sionis Industries, a childhood friend of one Bruce Wayne. To keep out of the Bat’s sight Black Mask attempts to do most of his business out of downtown Bludhaven… for now.
Firefly A former mob cleaner by the name of Garfield Lynns, Firefly is a paid criminal who specializes in arson. He was stopped by Batman when he began a spree of arsons upon Gotham-owned banks and credit unions as he attempted to use fire damage as a cover to lift money from the vaults. He currently resides in Blackgate Prison.
The Freeze Doctor Nora Fries is a former employee of the Gotham branch of Stagg Industries where she and her husband worked until an accident involving a cyrokinetic generator in their research lab exploded. The head of the branch of the company, Randall Stagg, refused to help them when Victor fell into a cyrogenic sickness. Determined to save her husband she puts together a 'freeze ray' based on her and her husband's prototype blueprints and uses it to threaten Randall Stagg and take the money she needed to make sure her husband didn't perish by force.
Who Is This Character?: Depending on who you ask, The Batman has been Gotham’s valiant protector of southern New Jersey or an insane megalomaniac who preys upon criminals with even more dubious methods. The truth is somewhere in the middle for those who know it.
List Of Re-Imagined Traits: The crux of the re-imagining hinges on Gotham and the people in it rather the abilities of Batman himself. I have obvious influences from previous Hype games, the Christopher Nolan films, the animated series from 1992, and my own ideas that are mix of conceptualizing things to tones I prefer and grounding it all to the ground in a world where Superman and Spider-Man are relatively younger. Batman is a hero from a different generation and he’s coming to terms with middle age as well as Gotham’s exponential descent into madness.
Story Overview:
Following the tragedy that was 9/11, from the shadows appeared a creature of pure malice and hate. A creature of circumstance and consequence. A creature of righteous terror. This creature would come to be known as The Bat of Gotham, though writers at the Gotham Gazette preferred something a little more valiant. The first of these names, The Caped Crusader, was coined only after Carmine “The Roman” Falcone was brought to justice after all of Carmine’s incriminating activities were aired out in public, no longer written as a rumor written on the walls of the GCPD. Immediately after that happened, the elusive vigilante began to prey on corrupt political figures, the aging police commissioner, and the pieces that remained from Falcone’s crumbling empire. Some say Batman’s interference in Gotham politics only made things worse, but everyone saw chaos as a welcome change to the streets being controlled by the cartels.
As Batman continued his “crusade”, more creative criminals surfaced. Alliances were forged with unlikely allies and old figures. For the longest time, there was no concrete proof of Batman’s existence to the general public, but eventually that changed with the rise of The Circus of Strange and other prolific criminals. Some called them mutant terrorists, others insane extremists influenced by what was happening in America’s most disturbed city. When the time came for Batman to mentor others like him – outsiders and orphans – he did so as needed. These vigilantes would come to be known as Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing.
It has been seventeen years since the first sighting of Batman. He has defeated many plots that have endangered the city (and world) he has come to know and love. He has lost friends and foes alike to his own miscalculations and other circumstances. A weariness has risen inside his spirit as his body is beginning to struggle to keep up with his mission to protect Gotham from corruption, destruction, and madness. With Nightwing still recovering from his battle with the mysterious Killer Moth and Bruce’s own son recovering in the hospital from a battle with the now deceased “Heretic”, Batman looks to the future with caution and concern. There is someone out there, more calculating than his past foes, targeting those close to him. Who is next? What will it take to stop them?
Location: Blüdhaven, New Jersey | St. Bernadine's Church
Issue #1: Shadows Among Us
“Can’t say I expected you to check up on me. Are you sick?”
I don’t often make trips to Blüdhaven. Ever since Dick decided to strike off on his own, I’ve allowed him to do as he willed to little-to-no interference. But in this case, it is a special sort of situation. One born out of equal parts fear and curiosity. After almost losing Damian to Heretic, I needed to go. I needed to drop everything I was doing at that moment to set off after Barbara told me of her concerns.
“No.” I utter, unamused by his joke.
My eyes analyze the former boy wonder. He’s walking with a limp, though he’s trying to hide it.
“Barbara sent me. Said to talk some sense into you.”
“When has that ever worked?”
“I think she’s hoping this will be the first time.” I remark, as I look over what changes he’s made since the last time I was in the safehouse Dick had repurposed as his current base of operations. Dim light. Blood stained armor underneath an old sheet. An old pair of crutches bunkered to the side. He’s doing a terrible job of hiding the extent of his injuries. Stubborn. I can relate.
“But I don’t expect you to listen. You’re not built like that. I do want to know who ambushed you. What you’ve figured out. Leads. You’re obviously not in any shape to pursue them yourself. Not on that leg.”
“I don’t need—” He pauses, letting out a defeated sigh as I shoot him a glare from underneath my cowl. “—god damn it. I hate it when you’re right.”
There’s a moment of silence as he composes his thoughts.
“I honestly have no idea who the guy is. Just that he’s a fan of ours.”
I’m not sure what concerns me more; the fact that Dick has no idea who he is or that he is following the motif of previous copycat criminals like Elliot Caldwell and Thomas Blake. To be this obscure in this new social media age has struck me as a strange situation. Without knowing of their motives there is so little we can deduce without playing a wait-and-see approach and given this foe had defeated Dick in hand-to-hand combat I don’t want to be reckless. I cannot abide by impulsive, half-calculated decisions anymore. Not after the way this year has gone. I’m responsible for such more than myself. So much more.
“So he's a new player in town.”
“Yeah. Couldn’t exactly ask for his name. He wasn’t much of a talker.”
“Noted. Sounds like I need to investigate, flush him out. Get some answers. Keep your comms open.” I utter as I turn around, moving for the exit.
Chances are if I couldn’t find him based on the information I could gather he would do as others have done before him and seek me out. It was probably the intention of this unknown assailant in the first place. Despite having so much limited information on this new enemy, I know that the allure of baiting me out in the open is a favored past-time of these copycats. But is the intent to distract me from something more important? As I consider the thought I make note to contact Stephanie and Tim. Put them on red alert. Just in case. Predicting the flow of criminal actions was becoming harder-and-harder as the world found itself constantly changing.
The only thing I know is I will always have to be ahead of the curve.
“Bruce?” Dick's voice calls out as I reach the elevator, I don't turn to face him. “Be careful.”
I smirk underneath my cowl as the doors behind me close.
Just have a sample and the mandatory allies list, but outside of adjusting for other player timelines I think the concept is set. I'll try to get you a sample post within the next few hours.
