[quote=@webboysurf]
Figured I'd toss my hat in the ring here, see how it lands. Might make a few changes before the week is up.

[hider=Primary Concept - The Mad Scientist][center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/eb/6e/0e/eb6e0e5f92072a4cd5bed31aaf52a23a.jpg[/img]
[sub][color=39b54a][i]Hulk, the Gladiator[/i][/color][/sub][/center]
[b]| [color=a187be]Name[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=39b54a]Bruce Banner[/color][/indent]
[b]| [color=a187be]Age[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=39b54a] 38[/color][/indent]
[b]| [color=a187be]Character Differences[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=39b54a]What sets this version of the Hulk aside from the general understanding of the Hulk is that the roles have been reversed for Bruce Banner: he is now the voice that the Hulk attempts to keep hidden away. The Hulk feel betrayed and broken, and I imagine this Hulk as one that Mojo has had in captivity for a long time. Just long enough that the Hulk would be willing play nice with others. The goal with this version of the Hulk is that the Hulk will have to learn how to live and let Bruce Banner have control from time to time, instead of the more typical story of Bruce learning to live with his other half.

Some inspiration for this drawn from the Planet Hulk storyline.[/color][/indent]
[b]| [color=a187be]Brief World Background[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=39b54a]Earth 59301 [color=a187be]//[/color] "Desert Earth"

In this version of Earth, the world at large has become a wasteland. The world's greatest minds, from Ray Palmer to Reed Richards did their best to find a way to reverse the effects of Global Warming, but it was all for naught. In the year 2030, as the world was plagued with various ecological disasters. While Bruce Banner and Tony Stark experimented with cleaner energy sources in an attempt to at least slow down the coming ecological doomsday, Victor von Doom and Lex Luthor came up with another strategy: speed up the process. The Illuminati, consisting of individuals such as Black Bolt, Doctor Doom, Mr. Fantastic, Black Panther, Lex Luthor, and Tony Stark (at the tail end, when convinced his efforts wouldn't solve the problem) worked together to create "safe havens" around the world that would house a limited amount of the world population in climate controlled and shielded environments. They also worked on another plan: create a device that would speed up the effects of global warming in a hope that it the Earth would "reset" itself.

Their efforts didn't exactly work as intended. The disasters became that much more disastrous, and billions died violent deaths due to these incredibly powerful natural disasters. Those who managed to survive, especially those heroes and villains who noticed that some of their counterparts had disappeared while the world needed them most, began searching for the rumored "safe havens." Those heroes and villains who didn't perish in the natural disasters sought refuge within their Safe Havens of choice. However, even as power shifted hands within some of these safe havens, one thing remained the same: free will and knowledge of the Illuminati's plan could not be allowed to circulate. Order needed to be maintined... for humanity's sake. The rest of the world has practically become a desert wasteland.
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[b]| [color=a187be]Brief Character Background[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=39b54a]Bruce Banner was born in the early 90's, and was not raised in the most healthy environment. His father was an abusive alcoholic who constantly tormented his son. Despite the years of abuse, Bruce did everything he could to study hard. He was admitted to MIT when he was sixteen to study nuclear physics, as he believed that the solution to clean energy lied in nuclear power. It was here that Bruce got in touch with Professor Igor Starsky and fellow student Walter Langkowski. The three formed an intellectual trio incredibly interested in the potential of gamma radiation. The three ended up accepting a government contract to work at Desert Base in New Mexico, working on a gamma device. The device was intended to be an alternative power source, but 2 years of work yielded no results. General Ross, the CO of Desert Base, secretly met with Dr. Starsky to discuss the possibility of retooling the device into a weapon. Starsky ultimately agreed, and he set to work on developing the weapon.

Langkowski, after discovering what Dr. Starsky had agreed to, protested the decision for a time before relenting to continue working on the project. Bruce, on the other hand, never bothered to protest as he knew that he needed Starsky's expertise in the future. Of course, Bruce's life would be forever changed by this. He found himself working late one fateful night, picking up a shift from Starsky last minute. When he entered the chamber with the device that night, he found irregular readings. It turned out that Langkowski was attempting to get revenge on Starsky by tampering with the device. Of course, Bruce was the one who found himself exposed to high levels of Gamma Radiation. The Hulk was born.

The bomb was destroyed, and half the base was destroyed as part of the Hulk's rampage. It was assumed Bruce had been killed in the rampage, and he was presumed dead for years as the Hulk continued to be a menace. However, by the time a hero like Superman could arrive on the scene as another town in the rural Americas was destroyed... the Hulk would be gone as Bruce would have reverted into his normal self.

Tony Stark and Clark Kent were the first to discover Bruce's identity. He set up a trap for the Hulk in 2028 after creating his "Hulkbuster" armor. Of course, Stark's armor wasn't quite enough to subdue the Hulk. Just as the Green Menace was about to land the final blow on Stark, Superman arrived and helped defeat the Hulk for the first time. He calmed down and reverted back to Bruce Banner. The two heroes chose to keep Bruce's identity secret, so long as Bruce worked with Stark on finding a clean energy solution.

The two worked together until "The Event" in late 2030. Bruce helped Stark create a more powerful arc reactor that made use of gamma radiation. Of course, while Bruce hoped that this would be used to save the world, Stark ended up having a different idea. Instead, Stark used the reactor to help power Luther and Doom's device. When the event happened, Bruce found himself in Hawaii enjoying a vacation. The volcanoes all activated at once, and the Hulk was activated. This wasn't helped when a suit of Stark's armor arrived and informed Bruce that Tony had to do what needed to be done.

From that point on, Bruce Banner has remained as the Hulk. He was betrayed by the closest thing to a friend he had, and the rage never subsided. The Hulk eventually managed to hit the West Coast of the U.S. It took him nearly four months to discover Stark had made his safe haven in Las Vegas. The Hulk was happy to have a rematch with Iron Man, but it didn't exactly go as planned. Tony's plan this time wasn't to subdue the Hulk... but instead to lure him away from the Safe Haven. Stark was able to encase the Hulk in a modular Iron Man suit that launched the Hulk into space and let him go in wild space. He found breathing in space difficult, and ended up falling unconscious. Of course, Mojo couldn't let such a fine specimen die like that.
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[/hider]

[hider=Secondary Concept - The Broken Soldier]
[center][img]http://galvanize.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/3364922-avengers-thumb-60.jpg[/img]
[sub][color=00aeef][i]Hate to borrow from the MCU, but it's the best look I could find.[/i][/color][/sub][/center]
[b]| [color=red]Name[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=00aeef]Steve Rogers [color=red]//[/color] The Captain[/color][/indent]
[b]| [color=red]Age[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=00aeef]30 years old[/color][/indent]
[b]| [color=red]Character Differences[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=00aeef]In this reality, Steve Rogers was, for most of his life, the hero the world needed. Like the main marvel continuity, he served as Captain America in World War II before taking a bit of a dip in the Artic Circle for a few decades. He was awoken in a post-9/11 world, and brought on to a SHIELD sanctioned Defenders team consisting of the She-Hulk, Hawkeye, Powerman, and War Machine. Steve Rogers never received his well-known vibranium shield, and instead picked up two collapsible vibranium shields. The biggest change in this Steve from one's traditional understanding of Steve Rogers: he's broken. Two years as a gladiator for the Skrulls and living as one of the only survivors of Earth's demise at the hands of Galactus has left Steve a shell of the symbol of freedom he used to be.

Some inspiration for this drawn from Marvel's Exiles.[/color][/indent]
[b]| [color=red]Brief World Background[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=00aeef]Earth 1313 [color=red]//[/color] "A World Apart"
Earth has been torn asunder. The Fantastic Four were never formed, as they were all killed from radiation poisoning on a routine space experiment. The only defense from Galactus a few years ago were the Illuminati (Stephen Strange, Tony Stark, Namor, and Bruce Banner), but they didn't quite have what it took to save the world from the imminent threat. Instead, they were able to create an "ark" for a limited amount of the Earth's population to escape. Most galactic heroes were able to survive, as well as the Defenders who were on a long-term intergalactic mission in Skrull Territory.[/color][/indent]
[b]| [color=red]Brief Character Background[/color] |[/b]
[indent][color=00aeef]Steve Rogers was recruited from the age of 18 into Project Rebirth for the United States Army, a secret project designed to create Super Soldiers to stop the war with Nazi Germany. Things didn't go according to plan, and all the research was lost. Steve Rogers remained the only relic of the project, and was drafted into service almost immediately. He became a national celebrity, and was given the name "Captain America." He dedicated himself to fighting HYDRA, a scientific and supernatural research wing of the Nazi army. HYDRA had developed a nuclear bomb, and crafted a bomber to deliver it on New York City in 1945. Steve Rogers caught wind of the plan, and gave his life trying to protect his home city.

Or so he thought. He awoke in the 21st Century to meet Nick Fury, the Director of SHIELD. He was given an offer: continue fighting the good fight and stop the remnants of HYDRA as The Captain. He could hardly refuse, and became an official member of the Defenders team. He helped them successfully defeat the remnants of the old organization, to the best of his knowledge. With his old foes defeated for good, The Captain was made the official leader of the Defenders. About a year before Earth's destruction, Richard Rider (Nova) arrived on Earth to warn of an impending threat: Annihilus. He had nowhere else to turn, and needed to gather allies. The Captain, of course, gathered his team of Defenders to search the stars for other allies to take down the galactic threat.

Of course, thinking he could trust Richard Rider was the biggest mistake The Captain could make. The galactic hero was secretly a Skrull in disguise, and used the "threat" as an excuse to drag away some of Earth's mightiest heroes away from their prized Earth. Of course, the Skrulls were hoping to invade. Imagine their shock when they realized they had primed Earth for a feast by Galactus himself. With no other use for the heroes, the Skrull captured the Defenders and made them slaves. Of course, the best use of their talents was to use them for gladatorial combat. Over time, the Defenders began to drop one by one: first was Rhodes, then Barton, Cage, and finally Walters. Even Steve Rogers fell, in a way. He was no longer the symbol of freedom and the American Way: he was simply a gladiator and a killer. He was simply The Captain.[/color][/indent][/hider]
[/quote]

Interesting concepts. A question about the Captain's world, though. Was the entire Earth destroyed and the survivors are on a Skrull world now?