Academic who somehow got conned into working for the Government. Been role-playing both on forums and TTRPGs for close to twenty years at this point. I'm like 99% retired from active RPing on the Guild, but I still like to poke my head onto here once in a while to make sure that I didn't leave the lights on.
Black Widow post should be up soonish. Hopefully as long as terrible terrible things don't happen in the next couple of hours.
And in other news @Morden Man does everything look good with the sheet for Thanos? Because it's been two days on that and I'm Just wondering if I should start working on that intro post as well.
“Each of us has only a quantum of compassion. That if we lavish our concern on every stray cat, we never get to the center of things. What do you think of it?” ~ John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Luther's Justice League although this is nothing but a front as her true allegiance remains with the Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (Federal Security Service)
History:
Officially the Cold War ended. Try telling that to everyone that was involved.
The story of the one known as Natasha Romanova starts in Early 1943. The new year was not christened by fireworks, cheering or the marching of the armies this year in the City of Stalingrad. It was rather brought in by a sound that had become familiar over the last few months artillery shells and screaming voices. The Germans continued their defense in the city that was supposed to be only a milestone on the path to Moscow but had instead became their frozen tomb, as the Red Army pushed them back room by room, building by building. Caught in the middle of this brutal bought of urban warfare was the populace of the city. Those that hadn't fled when they heard the approaching Tanks in August, those that couldn't flee when their homes became battlegrounds. They hid in buildings, swears and among the dead and dying hoping that the Nazis would not find them.
One such woman was caught with a small girl when the Germans torched the apartment building they were in to smoke out any Russian soldiers that may have been hiding inside. It was three in the morning when it happened and the woman had been trying to catch what little sleep she could in the small lulls between the fighting. They were a few stories up, because if the Germans entered the building they could hear them charging up the stairwell. It also meant that when the German Flamethrowers began to torch the bottom floor they could escape the blaze the conventional way. Instead the woman forced her way outside onto a frozen fire escape in cold and icy January Winds holding her sleeping daughter in her arms as she descended. Sadly halfway through the descent A German Sniper had spotted her and shot the Woman. She fell but in her last acts on Earth cradled her child and in that saved the Child from serious bodily harm.
The landing in the hardened snow had awoken the child and so she began to cry in the snow alone. Luckily it was not the Germans that had torched her building that had found her, no instead it was the Russian Squad that had repulsed them hours later. The leader of the Squad was Ivan Petrovich Bezukhov and he and the rest of the squad would take the small girl in from the cold and give her food. Natasha Romanova became the "littlest soldier" and would stay with the squad till the end of the Second World War, serving as their mascot and helper running messages and ammo between lines.
Natasha remembers these times fondly. It was back when the world was simple. When everything was black and white.
Following the dropping of atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Second World War ended and the World entered the Cold War. Thus began the origins of Department X, a covert Soviet Agency designed to rival the Super Soldiers of the West such as the famous yet ill-fated Captain America. One of these projects was the Black Widow Ops Program. They took Russian girls - war orphans from across the ravaged USSR - and spirited them away where everyone would forget them. Natasha was one of many to join their ranks when Ivan reluctantly let the girl go into KGB hands once they learned of her and her potential. Here they were whisked away to become assassins ready to kill for the glory of the Motherland. And there they would stay in a base hidden deep away in the wastes of Siberia in a research station hidden deep underground.
The training itself was harsh and of hundreds of girls that were whisked away over a few dozen made it through the program's initial phase. This consisted of physical condition everything from ten mile runs in the snow to hours upon end of seemingly endless body weight exercises. This was followed by combat training everything from various forms of close quarters combat techniques to firearms training among others. The girls were expected to be accurate above levels of standard soldiers within three months of training. After combat training they went into book learning, they learned military history, tactics, law, dozens of languages, cultural skills such as dancing, chemistry among others. And if they were even found to be leaking mentally they were beaten and forced to scrub the bathrooms until their scores improved.
Eventually those one hundred or so that remained entered phase two of the program. It was here that the augmentation process began. Dr. Lyudmila Kudrin, a premier biochemist perfected what she called the new age of super sermons. The remaining one hundred were subjected to 48 hours of constant injections and around the watch hospital supervision. The chemical combinations were too deadly for most of the subjects and many died of complications and organ failure in the twenty four hours that followed. Natasha was one of twenty eight girls to make it through the procedure. As a result they were granted superhuman reflexes, strength, durability, speed, senses and an inhuman longevity. In short they had finally become the perfect assassins.
Soon they were put into active duty and it was here that she met Ivan again. Having retired from the army he was picked back up again by the KGB for his considerable skill and was once again assigned to watch over Natasha, this time as her handler.
And thus the life of Natasha Romanova began to hit something of a period of 'normalcy' to it. Ivan and her began to serve the Motherland and KGB in interests around the globe. Natasha had a cover produced for her as a trained dancer in the Bolshoi Ballet which give her an excuse to travel and Ivan was the ever watchful bodyguard hired by her Father. Together the two danced a path of fire and blood across Europe and many of the West and countless traitors to the Motherland were killed by their hands. But do to their policy of leaving no survivors and no witness her cover was never blown and things continued to normal.
She had her hands everywhere from Korea, Vietnam, Nicaragua and Afghanistan. She killed politicians, generals, spies, and double crosser with a brutal efficiency. Some may have been confused by the ruthless and seemingly heartless behavior of the girl but it was all she knew. It was all she could do and having been force fed the soviet ideals from a young age, it was what she knew was right. During this time she ran into other products of her time. She would run across men and women like: The Star-Spangled Kid, Shining Knight, Miss America, Whizzer, Jack Frost and many of the men that would take the costume of Captain America. It was these defenders of the West that presented her and Ivan the real problems. Their powers and abilities defied even her own superhuman injections and many a times they would fate Natasha would have to vanish into the shadows.
But as it turned out the USSR would not persist as long as Stalin had envisioned it to. The collapse was slow and lethargic like a corpse being taken apart by crows. Natasha's own life seemed to mimic this collapse when on a mission in West Germany Kingsley Faraday shot and mortally wounded Ivan leaving Natasha emotionally broken and shattered as she held her only friend and father figure in the rain as he slowly bled to death. It was in that moment that a fight that she had always been distance from became very, very personal as orders became a personal vendetta against the West.
But soon the Dissolution of the Soviet Union began in December of 1991 and the KGB was replaced with the FSB. But agents like Natasha remained in service, for them the changing of the guard may have meant a loss of ideals and virtue but it never meant that the end of the job. Life continued but under a new rule under the Russian Federation rather than the USSR.
In the 2010s the world changed with the so called "next generation" of heroes. Mutants and superheroes men and women changed by the power of atom, to become far beyond the normal humans that once walked the Earth among us. For one reason or another some believe do to the amount of atomic testing done there and other circumstances America had a huge population of these superhuman among their masses. This was a fact that many nations around the world became worried about especially former foes such as the Russian Federation. The Russians needed somebody on the ground to report back them, to feed them Intel. They needed to know what these knew God-men planned to do. And so they called in one of their best agents for the job. They called in Natasha Romanova. She hadn't been outside of Eurasia in a while at this point dealing with internal security issues that arose after the fall of the USSR. Unlike some members like the Winter Guard, Red Rocket Brigade and others she had remained in the shadows for the most part. Doing what she did best, make people disappear.
And in the time she had grown from the young teenage girl who had killed her way through Europe, and all the old heroes of the West she had fought long ago where at this point confined to their wheelchairs and losing their minds slowly. Nobody remembered her, nobody knew her. And so she was sent into America. She found her way into the mercenary circuit first working alongside names that would become big in the business later down the rode, Deathstroke, Deadshot, and others. And slowly she assimilated herself into the spectra of Superheros and super villains of America none the wiser that she still was reporting back to the Kremlin. She even became an American Citzen.
In fact she had infiltrated one of the most powerful Superhero organizations in the country if not the world. Lex Luthor's newly established Justice League of America. She joined sides with Captain America unaware of her experiences with his predecessors among others. She became part of a symbol of cooperation and hope for a new world. But beneath it all, beneath the double crossing, benath the spying for the Soviets she was still in America for one reason and one reason only. She was going to find Kingsley Faraday, no matter what path of bloodshed and chaos she had to make to do it.
Supporting Cast:
Superhero Associates: Dmitri Pushkin: 'Rocket Red #4' and a member of the Rocket Red Brigade. This Power armor, jet pack using, vodka drinking Russian. A kind man with a love for American culture especially 'cowboy-movies'. As one of the few Russian Heroes active in America he is the occasional confident of Black Widow even though he little taste left in his mouth for the games of the Kremlin.
Captain America: Another member of Lex Luthor's Justice League.
Alexi Shostakov: Black Widow's one time lover back when the Cold War was in full swing. He was trained as the Red Guardian, the USSR's response to Captain America. But he "vanished" under mysterious circumstances in the later period of the war. Thought to be dead.
Other Associates:
Lex Luthor: One of the founding members of the Justice League of America. As a member of the JLA, Black Widow has a working relationship with the man.Requires approval for Lex or Sup player. Or both I guess
Nick Fury: Natasha knew Fury from his CIA days back during the Cold War. Back then they almost killed one another once or twice. Now well he's gone to ground and even if Fury remembers her, she's seemingly turned a new head in life.
Rivals, enemies, and targets
Kingsley 'King' Faraday: Ex-CIA Operative, seems to have 'retired' after the end of the Cold War. Killed Ivan Petrovich Bezukhov and Black Widow wants him dead for it. He's seemingly vanished from the face of the Earth. But that won't stop her. She'll get him, eventually. Whatever it takes.
Nightshade: Eve Eden was King Faraday protege and a superhuman at that with the ability to manipulate shadows. She worked for the CIA for some time before quitting and going freelance. She's been seen around recently having popped back up after some years of silence. She's Black Widow's first stop in finding Farady. She's the first stop in revenge.
Black Lotus: Female Assassin for some reason or another she wants Black Widows head. Something to do with what she did during the war. Not that Natasha stuck around to really talk to her.
Leonid Novokov: Another KGB assassin, he went rogue several years ago and has been on the run ever since. Like all runaways Black Widow has a kill order on sight if he is spotted.
Petra, Marina and Yelena Belova: Other surving members of the Black Widow Project, once again the Russians have put a kill order on all of them to clean up their dirty little secretes. Locations are currently unknown.
How does the New Frontier version of your character differ from the original?:
Paranormal ghosts may not exists (well at least in our world) but people are certainly haunted ghosts of the past. Last vestigial motes of could of beens and what ifs. This incarnation Black Widow that I'm aiming for is very much haunted by the Ghosts of the Past. I always figured it made sense given her character and her history. A child of war, turned killer, spy and assassin while others her age learned to like boys and did algebra. She's killed more men then many men will ever in their lifetime and she's watch her own world rise and crumble around her while she remained almost suspended in time watching those around her age and fall to a place where sane minds do not dare venture. And the Ghosts of her deeds haunt her, the are specters in her sleep and ghastly flashes across her eyelids when they close for a moment.
And unlike the Black Window of mainstream, none of it just goes away because she falls for some boy. You don't just step away from a life of soviet doctrine being smashed into your head day in and day out, you don't just step away from the people that have become your family, you don't just defect because you might like a pretty boy. Black Widow is not a hormonal teenage, I've think she's gone past thinking with her sexual organs first. So yes this is a Black Widow that never left the KGB, that never defected who still holds alternative agendas, who carries secretes and operations behind the backs of her so called friends.
And it's all because well I have a little morality tale in mind, to tell you the truth. A story of revenge (a tired and well worn concept I know) and a story of duality. So while even she has mission from the the JLA and the Russians, she has another mission one more personal, one I created by taking a father figure and a ex-spy that has sort of been forgotten by the DC Mythos to create a classic tale of revenge. But Revenge is never quick and it's never easy. So well we will see what will happen won't we?
I suppose the time has come from me to cast my vote has it not @Morden Man@Gowi? And to list the reasons for my betrayal. In the End I must go with Gowi's version of the Blue Boy Scout. To me, my favorite takes and versions of Superman are the ones that make Superman like another alien who goes on adventures and is surprisingly the most human individual of us all, while still analyzing how a man with basically God-Powers would effect and react in our world. To me those are the interpretations that really connect and help you not only empathize with his character but also broaden him to degrees which he is usually not covered. In short I find the story of the man behind the God and how he is perceived to be the more interesting tales. So in that regard I must say that Gowi achieves this, his Superman is not a influential reporter but a night janitor, he want's to give Luthor a chance but like any human he can't get past being burned once before, and yet ever still he tries to fight the good fight ever still. He hasn't given up on the world. And in the Universe this RP is in frankly the heroes need somebody like that. They need somebody to stand as an idealization of what they could stand for if they did'nt let politics get in the way. And Gowi's sample with it's more introspective take helps show these things and helps give depth. That is not to say Morden that your sheet is not great as well it is. I find your take on the Man of Steel is interesting and could be fascinating to me he's not Superman. He's seems too politically charged, has become too much of a God in the search of fairness. He does not seemed conflicted, it's either his way or the highway. And while I usually adore your writing style this just makes Clark feel dead and almost Robotic. Which I understand is probably what you were going for it just does not click with me, not this time. Sorry.
We need some villains in here. Lex, The Joker, and Dr. Doom are all sat on a shelf accumulating dust.
Come on, one of you bastards must have some sadistic impulses you need a healthy outlet for.
You know what they say my friend, you should be careful what you wish for. xD
T H A N O S
“There's a starman waiting in the sky He'd like to come and meet us But he thinks he'd blow our minds”
| IDENTITY: |
The Mad Titan, Master, Masterlord, Overmaster, All-Father, Thanos
| ALIGNMENT: |
Neutral Evil
| AFFILIATION: |
The one where everyone dies
| HISTORY: |
There are villains and heroes in the universe, avatars of good and evil, law and chaos, liberty and oppression. They fight in not just battles of physical prowess but representative of these ideals themselves. And then there are other things, forces that move beyond normal compheresion, forces that considered the lives of men to be as insignificant as grains of sand. There are heroes, there are villains, and then there is Thanos.
Thaons was born on the moon of Titan to Scientist and statesmen A'Lars as one of the Eternals. Much like the Kryptoians these seemingly human beings where actually far from it in there case they where the product of an ancient and powerful race simply as the Celestials who were responsible for many key genetic divergence in humanity and to those that know of their existence it is hypothesized that they are the reason for the appearnce of 'superpowers' on Earth. Born with skin of ash and the body of a Giant, Thaons was always different form the other Titans. Because of these oddities about him the other children began to avoid him and thus a long life of isolation began for the Titan.
Despite this fact Thanos had a brilliant mind for schooling. He seemed to learn at an accelerated right even among his Eternal peers and took to learning everything he could about the world. While his success only made others continue to make fun of him and look down upon him, he continued and his teachers and tutors encouraged him forward. It was in his personal studies that he became fascinated with the idea of Death and what lies beyond it. A fascination which would turn into a deep affection later in life when he met the Endless that was one of many personification of Death in the Universe, the pale black haired woman who he would send thousands of souls to in an ill fated attempt to gain her affection.
As Thanos grew he grew tired of those that considered him to be a freak and worked to channel his power. Through us of bionic implants and hours open end of mediation and training the titian was able to master the powers that the Celestials had given the Eternals and became the strongest of their kind if not one of the strongest creatures in the known universe. With these new found power he sought the respect that he believed he had earned through might. But as it turned out those that once scorened him now called him a monster and feared him. He find no respect and he find no power among his people. Unless he took it.
Disgruntled, tired and filled with unbridled rage and after a failed attempt on A'Lars part to talk him down he stole a ship and fled to the outreaches of the galaxy. It was here that Thanos had found a place that respected his skill. After liberating the prisoners held by the Nova Corps, Thanos started to make a name for himself as a leader and a warlord. Cutthroats and savages flocked to the Titan's banner and soon the man had a fleet and army to his name. With this force and his own immense power he lead them back to the moon of Titan where he proceeded to wage genocidal war against his own people. After two weeks of nuclear bombardment, he personally lead his ground troops crushing any resistance that the Eternals put up and soon named himself Lord of Titan. Some Eternals where able to flee across the cosomos like his own father A'lars and some would join Thanos ranks as his lieutenants and generals but many more would die under the hand of their scorned son.
But like all with power, Thanos soon desired more and his fleet of criminals where bloodthirsty and ready for more. So he turned his forces out into the greater galaxy, they raided planets and killed many who resited their role though some proved successful such as the powerful ruler of Apokolips Darkseid, who manged to resit Thanos army and thus was spared from the Mad Titan's worth do to his skill in battle. But this wave of terror was far from the reaches of the men and women of earth with only members of the greater galaxy and peacekeepers such as the Nova Corps and the Green Lanterns were aware of the threat and even with some attempts to stop the Titan his path of warfare and vengence continued. He would rule it all. All would realize Thanos was all powerful.
Thanos's path of bloodshed continues across the greater galaxy and his war never seems to stop. Though recent events have begun to catch the eye of the Titan. One was in the borders of those that were forced into submission of the Mad God where whispers of a force known as the Dominators beings with great scientific power whom the Titan consider to be cowards to hide behind technology. But ever still this encroaching force has begun to put heads with Thanos's forces and war has begun to brew.
And beyond that closer to his capital and home world of Titan is the little blue speck know as Earth. Thanos never considered it more than a distraction for apes. He put no thought into the world, for they where weak and he could crush them with a flick of his finger if he wished. But his spies tell him something new, reports of a new batch of humans. Humans with special abilities and skills that made them great warriors. Names like Superman, the Hulk, among others. Fighters of great skill and strength. He would need to test those rumors eventually, to put their merit in battle to a test. A test of blood and death. Thanos would have to come to this planet known as Earth. And he would have to kill them all.
| SUPPORTING CAST: |
Thanos does not have allies. There are only those who are dead and those soon to be dead. But some of these useless meatsacks of note are.
The Green Latern Corps: Thanos' armies and many different members of the Green Lantern Corps have clashed due to Thanos's campaigns of death and destruction. Though few of the Corps have actually ever seen the man himself only his armies and those that fight in his name. It's probably better for them that they never did.
The Nova Corps: Like the Green Latern Corps, the Nova Corps had also had encounters with Thanos and his forces of destruction. They are usually on the losing side of bitter and long fighting as they fight against a monster who's men care little for death and will throw thousands against defenses and fortifications to kill those laying behind them. Though among them one Richard Rider holds a surprising amount of courage and ability managing to even beat back the Titan's forces at times.
Alien Alliance: The conglomeration of far spread Alien Races lead by the Dominators that wish to take control of the Galaxy and divide it among themselves. Thanos of course will have none of this, as he is the true ruler of all that lives and will crush all those that try and oppose that rule. Thus a war is brewing between the Alliance and Thanos.
Drax the Destroyer: A mysterious and blood thirsty warrior out to kill Thanos for revenge. He has not succeeded as of yet.
The Superman: Thanos' spies speak of this last son of Krypton, one of the most powerful beings all of the universe. Thanos seeks to test these claims.
Gamora and Nebula: Adopted daughters of the Thanos they serve as his war maidens and assassins. There loyalty is unwavering or so the Mad Titan believes.
Death One of the many personification of Death in the Universe and a member of the Endless. Having falling for her beauty and her compassion towards even a creature such as himself. He has tried to earn her favor through killing many and sending their souls her way. It's kind of a one sided thing really.
Earth An insignificant blue marble. It will be crushed underneath his boot in time.
| DIFFERENCE FROM SOURCE MATERIAL: |
Death, destroyer, conqueror, madman, world breaker, hero smasher. There are many names and titles that can be given to Thanos many of which are not undeserved. I would draw this version of him more akin to someone in History like Napoleon, Genghis Khan, or Attila the Hun a ruler that rules through military prowess and ability rather than cheap gimmicks or whispers of an ancient time. Because of this Thanos will care a lot less about those fancy little Infinity Stones than some of his other incarnations. I'm aiming to show him with more depth as a character as he fights his own war against like everyone in Space xD and I also wish to use him as looming threat for our heroes. A sign of sorts that there are more troubling things in the universe for them to deal with than their own arguments of politics. Because when he comes knocking, well bad things tend to follow.
“There's a starman waiting in the sky He'd like to come and meet us But he thinks he'd blow our minds”
| IDENTITY: |
The Mad Titan, Master, Masterlord, Overmaster, All-Father, Thanos
| ALIGNMENT: |
Neutral Evil
| AFFILIATION: |
The one where everyone dies
| HISTORY: |
There are villains and heroes in the universe, avatars of good and evil, law and chaos, liberty and oppression. They fight in not just battles of physical prowess but representative of these ideals themselves. And then there are other things, forces that move beyond normal compheresion, forces that considered the lives of men to be as insignificant as grains of sand. There are heroes, there are villains, and then there is Thanos.
Thaons was born on the moon of Titan to Scientist and statesmen A'Lars as one of the Eternals. Much like the Kryptoians these seemingly human beings where actually far from it in there case they where the product of an ancient and powerful race simply as the Celestials who were responsible for many key genetic divergence in humanity and to those that know of their existence it is hypothesized that they are the reason for the appearnce of 'superpowers' on Earth. Born with skin of ash and the body of a Giant, Thaons was always different form the other Titans. Because of these oddities about him the other children began to avoid him and thus a long life of isolation began for the Titan.
Despite this fact Thanos had a brilliant mind for schooling. He seemed to learn at an accelerated right even among his Eternal peers and took to learning everything he could about the world. While his success only made others continue to make fun of him and look down upon him, he continued and his teachers and tutors encouraged him forward. It was in his personal studies that he became fascinated with the idea of Death and what lies beyond it. A fascination which would turn into a deep affection later in life when he met the Endless that was one of many personification of Death in the Universe, the pale black haired woman who he would send thousands of souls to in an ill fated attempt to gain her affection.
As Thanos grew he grew tired of those that considered him to be a freak and worked to channel his power. Through us of bionic implants and hours open end of mediation and training the titian was able to master the powers that the Celestials had given the Eternals and became the strongest of their kind if not one of the strongest creatures in the known universe. With these new found power he sought the respect that he believed he had earned through might. But as it turned out those that once scorened him now called him a monster and feared him. He find no respect and he find no power among his people. Unless he took it.
Disgruntled, tired and filled with unbridled rage and after a failed attempt on A'Lars part to talk him down he stole a ship and fled to the outreaches of the galaxy. It was here that Thanos had found a place that respected his skill. After liberating the prisoners held by the Nova Corps, Thanos started to make a name for himself as a leader and a warlord. Cutthroats and savages flocked to the Titan's banner and soon the man had a fleet and army to his name. With this force and his own immense power he lead them back to the moon of Titan where he proceeded to wage genocidal war against his own people. After two weeks of nuclear bombardment, he personally lead his ground troops crushing any resistance that the Eternals put up and soon named himself Lord of Titan. Some Eternals where able to flee across the cosomos like his own father A'lars and some would join Thanos ranks as his lieutenants and generals but many more would die under the hand of their scorned son.
But like all with power, Thanos soon desired more and his fleet of criminals where bloodthirsty and ready for more. So he turned his forces out into the greater galaxy, they raided planets and killed many who resited their role though some proved successful such as the powerful ruler of Apokolips Darkseid, who manged to resit Thanos army and thus was spared from the Mad Titan's worth do to his skill in battle. But this wave of terror was far from the reaches of the men and women of earth with only members of the greater galaxy and peacekeepers such as the Nova Corps and the Green Lanterns were aware of the threat and even with some attempts to stop the Titan his path of warfare and vengence continued. He would rule it all. All would realize Thanos was all powerful.
Thanos's path of bloodshed continues across the greater galaxy and his war never seems to stop. Though recent events have begun to catch the eye of the Titan. One was in the borders of those that were forced into submission of the Mad God where whispers of a force known as the Dominators beings with great scientific power whom the Titan consider to be cowards to hide behind technology. But ever still this encroaching force has begun to put heads with Thanos's forces and war has begun to brew.
And beyond that closer to his capital and home world of Titan is the little blue speck know as Earth. Thanos never considered it more than a distraction for apes. He put no thought into the world, for they where weak and he could crush them with a flick of his finger if he wished. But his spies tell him something new, reports of a new batch of humans. Humans with special abilities and skills that made them great warriors. Names like Superman, the Hulk, among others. Fighters of great skill and strength. He would need to test those rumors eventually, to put their merit in battle to a test. A test of blood and death. Thanos would have to come to this planet known as Earth. And he would have to kill them all.
| SUPPORTING CAST: |
Thanos does not have allies. There are only those who are dead and those soon to be dead. But some of these useless meatsacks of note are.
The Green Latern Corps: Thanos' armies and many different members of the Green Lantern Corps have clashed due to Thanos's campaigns of death and destruction. Though few of the Corps have actually ever seen the man himself only his armies and those that fight in his name. It's probably better for them that they never did.
The Nova Corps: Like the Green Latern Corps, the Nova Corps had also had encounters with Thanos and his forces of destruction. They are usually on the losing side of bitter and long fighting as they fight against a monster who's men care little for death and will throw thousands against defenses and fortifications to kill those laying behind them. Though among them one Richard Rider holds a surprising amount of courage and ability managing to even beat back the Titan's forces at times.
Alien Alliance: The conglomeration of far spread Alien Races lead by the Dominators that wish to take control of the Galaxy and divide it among themselves. Thanos of course will have none of this, as he is the true ruler of all that lives and will crush all those that try and oppose that rule. Thus a war is brewing between the Alience and Thanos.
Drax the Destroyer: A mysterious and blood thirsty warrior out to kill Thanos for revenge. He has not succeeded as of yet.
The Superman: Thanos' spies speak of this last son of Krypton, one of the most powerful beings all of the universe. Thanos seeks to test these claims.
Gamora and Nebula: Adopted daughters of the Thanos they serve as his war maidens and assassins. There loyalty is unwavering or so the Mad Titan believes.
Death One of the many personification of Death in the Universe and a member of the Endless. Having falling for her beauty and her compassion towards even a creature such as himself. He has tried to earn her favor through killing many and sending their souls her way. It's kind of a one sided thing really. Earth An insignificant blue marble. It will be crushed underneath his boot in time.
| DIFFERENCE FROM SOURCE MATERIAL: |
Death, destroyer, conquer, madman, world breaker, hero smasher. There are many names and titles that can be given to Thanos many of which are not undeserved. I would draw this version of him more akin to someone in History like Napoleon, Genghis Khan, or Attila the Hun a ruler that rules through military prowess and ability rather than cheap gimmicks or whispers of an ancient time. Because of this Thanos will care a lot less about those fancy little Infinity Stones than some of his other incarnations. I'm aiming to show him with more depth as a character as he fights his own war against like everyone in Space xD and I also wish to use him as looming threat for our heroes. A sign of sorts that there are more troubling things in the universe for them to deal with than their own arguments of politics. Because when he comes knocking, well bad things tend to follow.
Starting things off with a Le Carré quote? Fuck yes.
Le Carré quotes and trans fats are the way to Byrd's heart.
Yeah well I figured if there was anyone that was going to have a good quote discussing the morality of Spies it would be his. And no I'm not trying to recreate Smiley's People in comic book land, of course not that would silly.
“Each of us has only a quantum of compassion. That if we lavish our concern on every stray cat, we never get to the center of things. What do you think of it?” ~ John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Luther's Justice League although this is nothing but a front as her true allegiance remains with the Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (Federal Security Service)
History:
Officially the Cold War ended. Try telling that to everyone that was involved.
The story of the one known as Natasha Romanova starts in Early 1943. The new year was not christened by fireworks, cheering or the marching of the armies this year in the City of Stalingrad. It was rather brought in by a sound that had become familiar over the last few months artillery shells and screaming voices. The Germans continued their defense in the city that was supposed to be only a milestone on the path to Moscow but had instead became their frozen tomb, as the Red Army pushed them back room by room, building by building. Caught in the middle of this brutal bought of urban warfare was the populace of the city. Those that hadn't fled when they heard the approaching Tanks in August, those that couldn't flee when their homes became battlegrounds. They hid in buildings, swears and among the dead and dying hoping that the Nazis would not find them.
One such woman was caught with a small girl when the Germans torched the apartment building they were in to smoke out any Russian soldiers that may have been hiding inside. It was three in the morning when it happened and the woman had been trying to catch what little sleep she could in the small lulls between the fighting. They were a few stories up, because if the Germans entered the building they could hear them charging up the stairwell. It also meant that when the German Flamethrowers began to torch the bottom floor they could escape the blaze the conventional way. Instead the woman forced her way outside onto a frozen fire escape in cold and icy January Winds holding her sleeping daughter in her arms as she descended. Sadly halfway through the descent A German Sniper had spotted her and shot the Woman. She fell but in her last acts on Earth cradled her child and in that saved the Child from serious bodily harm.
The landing in the hardened snow had awoken the child and so she began to cry in the snow alone. Luckily it was not the Germans that had torched her building that had found her, no instead it was the Russian Squad that had repulsed them hours later. The leader of the Squad was Ivan Petrovich Bezukhov and he and the rest of the squad would take the small girl in from the cold and give her food. Natasha Romanova became the "littlest soldier" and would stay with the squad till the end of the Second World War, serving as their mascot and helper running messages and ammo between lines.
Natasha remembers these times fondly. It was back when the world was simple. When everything was black and white.
Following the dropping of atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Second World War ended and the World entered the Cold War. Thus began the origins of Department X, a covert Soviet Agency designed to rival the Super Soldiers of the West such as the famous yet ill-fated Captain America. One of these projects was the Black Widow Ops Program. They took Russian girls - war orphans from across the ravaged USSR - and spirited them away where everyone would forget them. Natasha was one of many to join their ranks when Ivan reluctantly let the girl go into KGB hands once they learned of her and her potential. Here they were whisked away to become assassins ready to kill for the glory of the Motherland. And there they would stay in a base hidden deep away in the wastes of Siberia in a research station hidden deep underground.
The training itself was harsh and of hundreds of girls that were whisked away over a few dozen made it through the program's initial phase. This consisted of physical condition everything from ten mile runs in the snow to hours upon end of seemingly endless body weight exercises. This was followed by combat training everything from various forms of close quarters combat techniques to firearms training among others. The girls were expected to be accurate above levels of standard soldiers within three months of training. After combat training they went into book learning, they learned military history, tactics, law, dozens of languages, cultural skills such as dancing, chemistry among others. And if they were even found to be leaking mentally they were beaten and forced to scrub the bathrooms until their scores improved.
Eventually those one hundred or so that remained entered phase two of the program. It was here that the augmentation process began. Dr. Lyudmila Kudrin, a premier biochemist perfected what she called the new age of super sermons. The remaining one hundred were subjected to 48 hours of constant injections and around the watch hospital supervision. The chemical combinations were too deadly for most of the subjects and many died of complications and organ failure in the twenty four hours that followed. Natasha was one of twenty eight girls to make it through the procedure. As a result they were granted superhuman reflexes, strength, durability, speed, senses and an inhuman longevity. In short they had finally become the perfect assassins.
Soon they were put into active duty and it was here that she met Ivan again. Having retired from the army he was picked back up again by the KGB for his considerable skill and was once again assigned to watch over Natasha, this time as her handler.
And thus the life of Natasha Romanova began to hit something of a period of 'normalcy' to it. Ivan and her began to serve the Motherland and KGB in interests around the globe. Natasha had a cover produced for her as a trained dancer in the Bolshoi Ballet which give her an excuse to travel and Ivan was the ever watchful bodyguard hired by her Father. Together the two danced a path of fire and blood across Europe and many of the West and countless traitors to the Motherland were killed by their hands. But do to their policy of leaving no survivors and no witness her cover was never blown and things continued to normal.
She had her hands everywhere from Korea, Vietnam, Nicaragua and Afghanistan. She killed politicians, generals, spies, and double crosser with a brutal efficiency. Some may have been confused by the ruthless and seemingly heartless behavior of the girl but it was all she knew. It was all she could do and having been force fed the soviet ideals from a young age, it was what she knew was right. During this time she ran into other products of her time. She would run across men and women like: The Star-Spangled Kid, Shining Knight, Miss America, Whizzer, Jack Frost and many of the men that would take the costume of Captain America. It was these defenders of the West that presented her and Ivan the real problems. Their powers and abilities defied even her own superhuman injections and many a times they would fate Natasha would have to vanish into the shadows.
But as it turned out the USSR would not persist as long as Stalin had envisioned it to. The collapse was slow and lethargic like a corpse being taken apart by crows. Natasha's own life seemed to mimic this collapse when on a mission in West Germany Kingsley Faraday shot and mortally wounded Ivan leaving Natasha emotionally broken and shattered as she held her only friend and father figure in the rain as he slowly bled to death. It was in that moment that a fight that she had always been distance from became very, very personal as orders became a personal vendetta against the West.
But soon the Dissolution of the Soviet Union began in December of 1991 and the KGB was replaced with the FSB. But agents like Natasha remained in service, for them the changing of the guard may have meant a loss of ideals and virtue but it never meant that the end of the job. Life continued but under a new rule under the Russian Federation rather than the USSR.
In the 2010s the world changed with the so called "next generation" of heroes. Mutants and superheroes men and women changed by the power of atom, to become far beyond the normal humans that once walked the Earth among us. For one reason or another some believe do to the amount of atomic testing done there and other circumstances America had a huge population of these superhuman among their masses. This was a fact that many nations around the world became worried about especially former foes such as the Russian Federation. The Russians needed somebody on the ground to report back them, to feed them Intel. They needed to know what these knew God-men planned to do. And so they called in one of their best agents for the job. They called in Natasha Romanova. She hadn't been outside of Eurasia in a while at this point dealing with internal security issues that arose after the fall of the USSR. Unlike some members like the Winter Guard, Red Rocket Brigade and others she had remained in the shadows for the most part. Doing what she did best, make people disappear.
And in the time she had grown from the young teenage girl who had killed her way through Europe, and all the old heroes of the West she had fought long ago where at this point confined to their wheelchairs and losing their minds slowly. Nobody remembered her, nobody knew her. And so she was sent into America. She found her way into the mercenary circuit first working alongside names that would become big in the business later down the rode, Deathstroke, Deadshot, and others. And slowly she assimilated herself into the spectra of Superheros and super villains of America none the wiser that she still was reporting back to the Kremlin. She even became an American Citzen.
In fact she had infiltrated one of the most powerful Superhero organizations in the country if not the world. Lex Luthor's newly established Justice League of America. She joined sides with Captain America unaware of her experiences with his predecessors among others. She became part of a symbol of cooperation and hope for a new world. But beneath it all, beneath the double crossing, benath the spying for the Soviets she was still in America for one reason and one reason only. She was going to find Kingsley Faraday, no matter what path of bloodshed and chaos she had to make to do it.
Supporting Cast:
Superhero Associates: Dmitri Pushkin: 'Rocket Red #4' and a member of the Rocket Red Brigade. This Power armor, jet pack using, vodka drinking Russian. A kind man with a love for American culture especially 'cowboy-movies'. As one of the few Russian Heroes active in America he is the occasional confident of Black Widow even though he little taste left in his mouth for the games of the Kremlin.
Daredevil: During her early years of American infiltration when was still working as a mercenary she met one blind New York City attorney known as Matt Murdock. Little did Natasha know that Murdock was the masked vigilante known as Daredevil. Though after being kidnapped by Bullseye, Murdock soon found out that Natasha was a little bit more than she was letting on as well. After a brief romantic fling the two broke apart. Requires approval from Daredevil player
Captain America: Another member of Lex Luthor's Justice League. The Captain has no idea of Romanova's past. A little awkward for her as she has tried to kill other incarnations of him in the past. But that was before right? requires approval from Captain America player
Alexi Shostakov: Black Widow's one time lover back when the Cold War was in full swing. He was trained as the Red Guardian, the USSR's response to Captain America. But he "vanished" under mysterious circumstances in the later period of the war. Thought to be dead.
Other Associates:
Lex Luthor: One of the founding members of the Justice League of America. As a member of the JLA, Black Widow has a working relationship with the man.
Nick Fury: Natasha knew Fury from his CIA days back during the Cold War. Back then they almost killed one another once or twice. Now well he's gone to ground and even if Fury remembers her, she's seemingly turned a new head in life.
Rivals, enemies, and targets
Kingsley 'King' Faraday: Ex-CIA Operative, seems to have 'retired' after the end of the Cold War. Killed Ivan Petrovich Bezukhov and Black Widow wants him dead for it. He's seemingly vanished from the face of the Earth. But that won't stop her. She'll get him, eventually. Whatever it takes.
Nightshade: Eve Eden was King Faraday protege and a superhuman at that with the ability to manipulate shadows. She worked for the CIA for some time before quitting and going freelance. She's been seen around recently having popped back up after some years of silence. She's Black Widow's first stop in finding Farady. She's the first stop in revenge.
Black Lotus: Female Assassin for some reason or another she wants Black Widows head. Something to do with what she did during the war. Not that Natasha stuck around to really talk to her.
Leonid Novokov: Another KGB assassin, he went rogue several years ago and has been on the run ever since. Like all runaways Black Widow has a kill order on sight if he is spotted.
Petra, Marina and Yelena Belova: Other surving members of the Black Widow Project, once again the Russians have put a kill order on all of them to clean up their dirty little secretes. Locations are currently unknown.
How does the New Frontier version of your character differ from the original?:
Paranormal ghosts may not exists (well at least in our world) but people are certainly haunted ghosts of the past. Last vestigial motes of could of beens and what ifs. This incarnation Black Widow that I'm aiming for is very much haunted by the Ghosts of the Past. I always figured it made sense given her character and her history. A child of war, turned killer, spy and assassin while others her age learned to like boys and did algebra. She's killed more men then many men will ever in their lifetime and she's watch her own world rise and crumble around her while she remained almost suspended in time watching those around her age and fall to a place where sane minds do not dare venture. And the Ghosts of her deeds haunt her, the are specters in her sleep and ghastly flashes across her eyelids when they close for a moment.
And unlike the Black Window of mainstream, none of it just goes away because she falls for some boy. You don't just step away from a life of soviet doctrine being smashed into your head day in and day out, you don't just step away from the people that have become your family, you don't just defect because you might like a pretty boy. Black Widow is not a hormonal teenage, I've think she's gone past thinking with her sexual organs first. So yes this is a Black Widow that never left the KGB, that never defected who still holds alternative agendas, who carries secretes and operations behind the backs of her so called friends.
And it's all because well I have a little morality tale in mind, to tell you the truth. A story of revenge (a tired and well worn concept I know) and a story of duality. So while even she has mission from the the JLA and the Russians, she has another mission one more personal, one I created by taking a father figure and a ex-spy that has sort of been forgotten by the DC Mythos to create a classic tale of revenge. But Revenge is never quick and it's never easy. So well we will see what will happen won't we?
[center][img]https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExamE0ZDl0dTlzcm9peXR2OTN0ZjE4cmdoZGc0NjAyd3pjbzZqZmt1eiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/PlEqIvCQj2TLy/giphy.gif[/img][/center]
[u][i][b]Hexaflexagon (Concept)[/b][/i][/u]
[quote][sub][url=https://maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/pubs/focus/Gardner_Hexaflexagons12_1956.pdf]In geometry, flexagons are flat models, usually constructed by folding strips of paper, that can be flexed or folded in certain ways to reveal faces besides the two that were originally on the back and front.[/url][/sub][/quote]
[u][i][b]Hexaflexagon (Person?)[/b][/i][/u]
[quote][sub]Academic who somehow got conned into working for the Government. Been role-playing both on forums and TTRPGs for close to twenty years at this point. I'm like 99% retired from active RPing on the Guild, but I still like to poke my head onto here once in a while to make sure that I didn't leave the lights on.[/sub][/quote]
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><div class="bb-center"><img src="https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExamE0ZDl0dTlzcm9peXR2OTN0ZjE4cmdoZGc0NjAyd3pjbzZqZmt1eiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/PlEqIvCQj2TLy/giphy.gif" /></div><br><br><span class="bb-u"><span class="bb-i"><span class="bb-b">Hexaflexagon (Concept)</span></span></span><br><blockquote class="bb-quote"><sub><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/pubs/focus/Gardner_Hexaflexagons12_1956.pdf">In geometry, flexagons are flat models, usually constructed by folding strips of paper, that can be flexed or folded in certain ways to reveal faces besides the two that were originally on the back and front.</a></sub></blockquote><br><br><span class="bb-u"><span class="bb-i"><span class="bb-b">Hexaflexagon (Person?)</span></span></span><br><blockquote class="bb-quote"><sub>Academic who somehow got conned into working for the Government. Been role-playing both on forums and TTRPGs for close to twenty years at this point. I'm like 99% retired from active RPing on the Guild, but I still like to poke my head onto here once in a while to make sure that I didn't leave the lights on.</sub></blockquote></div>
mickilennial
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vietmyke
