[quote=@VATROU]
Also to add on to my last post. I mean there's always going to be some disparities when Heroes and Villains are involved. And it's up to the RPer not to place their character in a position where they are utterly outmatched and expect a victory without any chance of failure. It's like assuming Eva could fight on equal terms with Thanos. Or that since she's my character I can toss her into suicidal situations haphazardly just because I won't let her die. 

If there is a chance for victory it should be at least somewhat believable and not just luck. 
[/quote]

See, Rach is a bit stupid in that regard since she will literally take on people stronger than her just to protect and place herself between those she sees as threats to people she cares for. It's like her self preservation is forced off because she rather she die trying to take them down with her than actually work with those she's trying to protect and keep them all safe. So, I couldn't exactly control her without going out of character. A loophole, however, is those around her which can more easily help me prevent that type of situation from arising. Examples is keeping information from her, not really letting her of their sight for days at a time, and likely tracking her when she does go MIA. 

As for teams vs big threat. I find those most realistic really and among the best, because in RL you have to learn to work with people rather than automatically be good at it. This means everyone on that same team could easily do things that get into each other's way and even irritate each other creating some interesting and realistic team dynamic. They also can enhance each other by rubbing off qualities they have and influencing each other's development. In addition, having one person beat an extreme threat isn't enjoyable because that just makes the other people's PC on the team feel like support fluff or backdrop props while it's commonly proven extra hands=greater strength. 

I also feel a hero should never fully beat or thwart their villain the first time they meet. There has to be some negative or extreme result stemming from it that the hero can learn or develop from. A few reasons for this is because people aren't dumb, easy beaten clouts that you can toss about and not get some damage from. They live, think and breath in a similar fashion which goes the same for NPCs if you think about it. Unless you're a world saving hero taking on street thugs, which then you need to upgrade their territory cause you're wasting your talents bub, I can't imagine a hero not taking a few, if not several hits during the conflict and still failing in some way on their intentions. 

Example: Thugs are beating an old man in a street in order to mug him. Hero arrives and chases them away, but they still managed to get away with the loot they swiped off the old man despite what the hero did to stop them. Or worse, maybe the hero ended up killing one by accident resulting in guilt, fear, etc stemming from that consequence. 

No one's perfect after all and mistakes are bound to happen easily within their earliest years. I think it's these little things that make PCs feel more human and real to me as well as add deep flavor thanks to their reactions.