Warren Worthington III weighed his options. After the fall of Xavier the X-Men were in disarray; Juggernaut was on one squad while Magneto was leading another. Warren was packing away some things in a new apartment at the top of a Worthington Industries building when he came across an old newspaper clipping of himself and the original Champions team some years earlier. He was in his early twenties then. He was in his early thirties now. Warren remembered he didn't need to be a member of the X-Men or some offshoot team to be relevant. He just needed to be a hero.

His company (Worthington Industries) was an international conglomerate with holdings in advanced aviation technology, pharmaceuticals, experimental alternative fuels, etc. with nearly uncountable net worth. Warren helped rebuild the X-mansion nearly a dozen times in a decade with his wealth. Now he was looking into reworking an old experimental airplane hangar in Darkwater Tennessee into a headquarters for a new Champions team. None of the old team were available it seemed. Probably better off. But who could take the place of Hercules, Ghost Rider, Black Widow, and Iceman? And what threats would they face?

None other than the Kingpin of Crime, whose criminal empire was trying to buy up old properties of Worthington Industries for unknown purposes. Nothing that Warren couldn't handle, until mercenaries began showing up targeting his different offices and factories in the Darkwater area. Then other known rich villains such as Justin Hammer, Obadiah Stane, and Darion Agger of Roxxon also began trying to buy up what land and small businesses they could in Darkwater. But why?

______________________

So that's the plot. Kinda random superteam in Marvel moving locations and facing off against a villain group loosely based on Scientologists and Clearwater. The rich villains actually have a plan for Darkwater but I'm keeping that a mystery till this gets going. I can probably use the Darkwater plot for just about any superhero team but the only other thing I've tried writing something with was essentially creating an X-Force type of team in the DC universe with the anti-hero Magog.

I chose the Champions concept because the team was created without any real focus back in the 70's and only lasted seventeen issues. It was supposed to also include Black Goliath on the team but that was nixed by editorial. It was meant to be a pair of mutants, a strong guy, a woman, and 'somebody with an ongoing title' which wound up being Ghost Rider. I wasn't the biggest fan of the more recent relaunches, basically making it another teenage team of heroes (to get ignored by Marvel) like the New Warriors and Avengers Academy.

What I'm looking for specifically is just based more on the archetypes of the classic line-up. In-universe, the heroes who take Angel up on becoming Champions will be on the Worthington Industries payroll. Here's what I'm hoping to find for the RP:

Strong Hero - this can be a demi god like Hercules or a random brute character

Mutant #2 - anybody other than Iceman, preferably somebody with a blaster type of power

Supernatural - tons of heroes fit into this category, just can't use classic Ghost Rider

Tech Person - every team needs one, Angel will need one specifically

Wildcard - Darkstar and Black Goliath were both meant to be 6th members, anything goes

I'm looking for an even mix of reworked cannons and originals for this. Some part of me wanted to rework the Phin Mason/Tinkerer character from the Miles Morales game and throw her into the mix as an NPC. In case somebody likes being the tech hero though I decided to hold off and just make it another archetype. There a handful of folks out there who're looking for a superhero RP that isn't quite the same old same old?

@Omega Man
Any other restrictions when it comes to reworking canon characters?
Any canon characters off limits? (besides Johnny Blaze)
Can we gender swap, identity swap (like, make Ben Grimm the Pumisher), change the origin (like, from a person given powers to a person born with powers/mutant) or reform a villain?
Could we take a canon character (for example, Spider-Man) and put an Original Character in the costume?

@Omega Man
Any other restrictions when it comes to reworking canon characters?
Any canon characters off limits? (besides Johnny Blaze)
Can we gender swap, identity swap (like, make Ben Grimm the Pumisher), change the origin (like, from a person given powers to a person born with powers/mutant) or reform a villain?
Could we take a canon character (for example, Spider-Man) and put an Original Character in the costume?

Original Champions are off limits, so that's: Hercules, Ghost Rider/Blaze, Black Widow, and Iceman.

This is meant to take place in something close to the mainstream universe. Making Ben Grimm the Punisher wouldn't work, but you could make a legacy Punisher of your own, or another Spider-clone with their own alias. You could reform a villain, change up powers, etc. for a canon inspired character. In-game Angel will put out a call to any heroes looking for employment willing to move to the Darkwater area. Somebody shows up in a suit with spider powers or with a skull on their chest it could fill the wildcard spot. Wanna reform Rhino and make him our brute? You could do that. Wanna gender bend Scarlet Witch and create a Scarlet Warlock? That'd be pretty dope and it'd fill the supernatural spot. The tech spot could be somebody like Prowler, a new take on Tinkerer, etc.

B and C list characters are the bread and butter of the Marvel universe, you can rework just about anything and it'd be alright for this RP. Though Taskmaster and other mercenary types will be among our enemies if the game moves forward.

I’m also considering joining.

I might take the Mutant # 2 spot and be Dazzler.

or another Spider-clone with their own alias.

I might wanna try something like this. Maybe with a Spider-Person, an X-Person, or someone...

@Azure Bubbles@Ultimate Spidey

I'm currently working on some bullet points for the city of Darkwater as well as a CS template. Should have something up after lunch for anybody who may be watching this!

And for the record, if anybody was a fan of the later versions of the Champions team, I wouldn't be against some of those characters being slightly reworked for this. They'd just have to be over the age of 18 and able to travel for a job cause you're basically becoming a paid superhero. I really dug Amadeus Cho shrinking somewhat after his Totally Awesome Hulk days and becoming Brawn. Viv Vision was one of my wife's favorites. I always wanted it to be Viv's brother that came back as a teen hero but she's grown on me too.

Here's what I've got so far...

* The town of Darkwater will have a population of roughly 70k. Worthington Industries has multiple production plants, warehouses, and call centers, as well as a pharmaceutical R&D lab employing a few thousand residents of the area.

* The New Champions HQ will be in the former spot of Worthington Aerospace at the top of Hayes Mountain on the east side of town. This was one of the dormant locations Fisk and Hammer were attempting to buy before hiring mercenaries to attack other Worthington owned properties. This lead to Warren creating the New Champions.

* The city is home to landmarks such as the Appalachian Mountains on the eastern side of town, Warpath River, Kirby Dam, Industrial Park in Mid-Town, the Mountain Mall in Downtown, as well as Shooter Heights housing projects on the west side of town, and Highland Drive (a twenty-two mile curvy road driving up and around several of the mountains and nicer suburbs).

* Dozens of fast food chains and finer restaurant establishments, and a dozen or so schools including a community college are sprinkled through the area. A local spot to mention is Isabella's Pizzeria with one location across from the Mountain Mall in Downtown as well as another one near Warpath Park on the west side of town.

* Fisk Construction will begin building cheap housing on the edges of town and some time into the RP the city limits will be extended to cover more ground.

* Roxxon will secure office space downtown to begin moving an operation into the area and Justin Hammer will successfully buy out an up and coming tech lab as well as an old production plant to renovate.

* Stane International has a single production plant in Darkwater.



Here's a CS template if anybody's already got something in mind....

Archetype:
Name:
Alias:
Age:
Powers/Skills:
Weaknesses:
Equipment:
Personality: [5 words best describing your character]
Appearance: [pic or description]
BRIEF Bio: [couple paragraphs MAX]
Storylines: [What do you have in mind for your character?]
Notes: [anything else you need to tell us?]

Archetype: Mutant #2
Name: Alison Blaire
Alias: Dazzler
Age: 32
Powers/Skills:

• Converts sound into light (blinding flashes, lasers, hard-light constructs, strobe disorientation, concussive bursts, etc.)
• Skilled singer, dancer, and performer.
• Media Trained: Knows how to work an audience, camera, or press conference
• Trained in hand-to-hand combat during her time with the X-Men
• Surprisingly good with a mic stand as a weapon

Weaknesses:

• Sound Dependency: No ambient noise = no power. In silent or soundproof environments, she’s vulnerable.
• Energy Burnout: Excessive use of powers can drain her. She gets migraines if she pushes her powers too much too fast.
• Physically human durability. Not super-tough outside her powers.
• Mutant Controversy: Public exposure has made her a target of both mutant hate groups and tabloid exploitation.

Equipment:

• Customized Mic Earpiece: Feeds loops or ambient audio directly to her to charge powers.
• Motorbike: A sleek, slightly beat up electric cycle that glows.
• Optional Backup: Carries a mic stand modified for combat, collapsible for portability

Personality: Bold, Cynical, Loyal, Glamorous, Charismatic
Appearance:
BRIEF Bio: Alison Blaire was once one of the hottest names in Pop Music. At the height of her fame, she was selling out venues, and topping charts. In between gigs, she was also an X-Man. She tried very hard to balance stardom, with heroism. It wasn’t easy, but for a while, she made it work. Then Alison made a choice. She chose to come out as a mutant, hoping her fame could promote tolerance and acceptance. Instead, it backfired spectacularly. Her record label dropped her, sponsors vanished, and headlines turned cruel. She went from being a celebrated Pop Star, to “controversial” celebrity overnight. She tried going underground, releasing indie albums, and scraping by with low-profile gigs, while still fighting for mutant rights. However, she could never regain the fame she once had.

Now in her thirties, Alison is broke, burned out, and struggling to stay relevant in a world that seems more hostile to mutants than ever. She was ready to give up. That is, untill Warren Worthington offered her a spot on his new Champions Team. She needed the money, but more than that, this was a real shot at redemption. Maybe she’ll never be the superstar she once was… but this? This could be the second act she’s been waiting for.
Storylines:

• She becomes the public face of the team, whether she likes it or not.
• A former producer uses her past against her to ruin her reputation, framing her for mutant aggression.
• Dazzler puts on a benefit concert in Darkwater to improve mutant-human relations… and it becomes the battleground for a villain attack.

Notes: She’s very done with being underestimated.

I should have the rest of my CS for Angel finished sometime after lunch today. There anybody else watching this? We really only need a team of five to get this one going!!

I have been lingering, although a couple of ideas I thought up I had to immediately bin because in the moment I forgot they were DC characters ah ha.(rookie mistake)

@Ezekiel Chances are there's a Marvel analog if it's DC, lemme know what you had in mind and I'll toss some Marvel characters/concepts at ya!

EDIT: Thought I posted this before leaving and I forgot to hit the 'Post Reply' button.

Oh completely aware I was just more sharing for comedy purposes I got quite far into a concept then had an oh no moment.

Oh completely aware I was just more sharing for comedy purposes I got quite far into a concept then had an oh no moment.

There's also the option of just making a new character based on something else. IDK how many RP's I've done where I just made an analog for a character in another universe...

I was just wondering what you had in mind. Just talking about superheroes is my jam, so I'm always interested in hearing about what 2nd and 3rd string characters people know about.

I'm lurking to see which archetypes get left because I don't have concrete ideas yet

I'm lurking to see which archetypes get left because I don't have concrete ideas yet

Nobody has shown any interest yet in the strong hero/brute, supernatural, or tech hero spots.

<Snipped quote by Ezekiel>

There's also the option of just making a new character based on something else. IDK how many RP's I've done where I just made an analog for a character in another universe...

I was just wondering what you had in mind. Just talking about superheroes is my jam, so I'm always interested in hearing about what 2nd and 3rd string characters people know about.

Essentially I have been reading through the Jewel of Gravesend Zatanna and thought she might make a fun wild card slot, before the obvious recollection this wouldn't work haha. I imagine Clea or Wanda would be the closest option to her but doesn't quite match the vibe in my opinion.

Not super set on a magic user, just generally pondering now.

Essentially I have been reading through the Jewel of Gravesend Zatanna and thought she might make a fun wild card slot, before the obvious recollection this wouldn't work haha. I imagine Clea or Wanda would be the closest option to her but doesn't quite match the vibe in my opinion.

Not super set on a magic user, just generally pondering now.

Jennifer Kale has ties with past members of X-Force, Dr Strange, Ghost Riders Blaze & Ketch, and a psychic link to Man-Thing. She also possesses the Tome of Zhered-Na.

Satana has spellcasting abilities and superpowers, being the daughter of "Satan".

Spiral could be an interesting and fun choice. Six arms & sexy, swordfighter & sorceress. Immune to possession.

There's also Kid Loki...

@Omega Man
I believe I've settled on a character. Will have a sheet up as soon as possible. I work on weekends and live on the East Coast of the U.S., coincidentally in an Appalachian town.

Was originally gonna attempt to adapt/clone a Spider-Person. But now, I've decided to go with a Spidey villain.

<Snipped quote by Omega Man>

Essentially I have been reading through the Jewel of Gravesend Zatanna and thought she might make a fun wild card slot, before the obvious recollection this wouldn't work haha. I imagine Clea or Wanda would be the closest option to her but doesn't quite match the vibe in my opinion.

Not super set on a magic user, just generally pondering now.

If you wanted you could use one of the alternate looks or universe's versions of Strange for a new successor or a guy who flunked out of Strange Academy. Mangaverse Strange, the teenage looking Avengers Academy game Strange had some good looks, Fear Itself Doc Strange, MC2 had a Batman Beyond looking Doc Magus taking over.... or if you want mystic adjacent characters there's people like Morbius, Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing, Brother Voodoo, maybe a new Dr. Druid...

Or if you're still pondering what about somebody like the OG Thunderbolts' Atlas? Sasquatch? Vision? Black Knight? Blazing Skull? X-51 the Machine Man? Plant Man? A-Bomb? Cloak or Dagger? Techno? Ricochet? Prowler? (just throwing out randoms at this point LOL)