RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books the perfect super-hero team archetypes

define your perfect team, in terms of what characteristics make up that team. also, by definition, this must be a good comic book as well (so some unexpected, and otherwise unsuccessful, variables should be thrown in)

ok, here's a sample:

1) the noble leader. must be the strong, bright and bold main hero. the offensive leader. powers should include flight, and super strength, and a strong healing factor. incredibly good nature. good basis: superman (duh).

2) the tactician. there must be a pure-human character, with incredible intellect and planning. perhaps the one who funds the group, and controls the group's empire. not necessarily an entirely positive nature. good basis: lex luthor, batman.

3) the amazon. a female. she's got to be hot, for sure. she also must be able to handle her own with super strength and, to add an aditional ability, perhaps super speed, as well. she must have a fighting attitude, to be able to avoid the "woman stereotypes." good basis: kingdom come wonder woman, maxima, caitlin (gen 13), elektra.

4) the wise. a character with mental and perhaps even magical powers, to balance the group. could serve well to coordinate the team, as well as defend and attack in unconventional ways the others cant. acts in a shaaman-type, mystical way, always appears calm. good basis: prof x, martian manhunter

5) the rebel. overly aggresive nature and attitude. quick to fight. perhaps much younger than the rest, with a punk outlook. more of a blood lust than the rest, and lethal in his attacks. an excellently skilled fighter, with morphing-like powers (similar to the t1000). good basis: wolverine, guy gardener, batman.

c'mon!

i used the word "archetypes!"

...and i think i spelled it right!

Okay, I'll bite.

My team would consist of:

1)The Leader-always like the leader as the quick thinker, which usually means a telepath. Also, and most importantly, must have experience. Leader must also be the most versatile of the group, has to be strong enough to keep around to lead the team in a fight.

2)The Thinker-here's where Batman fits perfectly. Is the ultimate strategist, has more experience than most of the heroes out there, and knows what his teammates can and cannot do. The same goes for the villains he's fighting.

3)The Powerhouse-when the going gets tough you need to have the equalizer, the guy who either balances out the match or shifts it in your favor. He doesn't necessarily meed to have a vast array of powers, just REALLY REALLY powerful for the one or two he has.

4)The Speedster-speedsters are required.

5)The shapeshifter-coupled with the power to mimic abilities, the shapeshifter would be able to confuse the enemy and provide the attack none of the others could.

6)The Mystic-magic is perhaps the most dangerous because it is the most unpredictable, making the mystic a key part.

Note: any of these could be female or male

I couldn't give two shits what powers each member has. They can be uber weak or incredibly strong, doesn't matter, as long as the villains they face are interesting and give them a run for their money. In fact, I think I'd prefer that their powers go AGAINST the archetype.

That said, I care a lot more about the personalities and other characteristics of each individual team member. That's what makes for an interesting read. As far as archetype goes, you don't have to have all of these characters, and any two or three attributes can be combined into a single person, but what I've always liked to see (and use myself) is:

The Leader: There are actually two types of leaders that I've really seen work. The first is the strong, noble type Rob described. Superman, Captain America, Mr. Terrific, they all work. You could go back and site heroes like Optimus Prime and Duke.

There is also the unsure hero, but he appears less often. I'm sure a lot of people out there would say they absolutely hate this type, but I like it when a new leader shows uncertainty, at least in the beginning. I like a leader who questions himself every so often. Then again, I prefer heroes who are less than perfect. There aren't any current comic book leaders who I can think of that meet this description (though Cyclops is sometimes written this way), so I'll have to go way back on this one and site Rodimus Prime as an example.

The Rebel: The other one that I'll agree with Rob on. Every machine, no matter how well oiled, should have the one gear that just doesn't quite fit. Someone who doesn't get along perfectly with everyone else. Perhaps the person is getting paid to be there, maybe the character is being forced to be there. The character could have an alterior motive. There are about a bazillion ways to include a character like this in, and they always make things interesting. Batman serves as a good example at times. Aquaman and J.J. Thunder also.

The Comedian: Where the rebel adds drama, this character adds humor. It's always good, in my opinion, to have a character who has a light heart and throws in the funny remark now and then, especially when none of his teammate's would. Let's admit it, this is the only reason Plastic Man was added to the JLA, and it's the only reason people actually wanted him to stay. I have a feeling Spider-Man will be the same way in the Avengers.

The Genius: Not so important, this is the guy whose mental contribution far outweighs the physical. Rob said "tactician" but this goes beyond that (and, frankly, I believe it's best when the tactician and the leader are one in the same). The genius could also be a technical genius, the fixer-upper, like Steel, the Atom, or Dr. Midnight. Or the character could be someone who has experience or special knowledge important to the team function but only serves as advisor. I suppose Rob's "wise" character could also fit into this category.

The New Guy/The Kid: Everyone knows this guy. He's the one who's new to the team, and perhaps new to the role of hero. He may also simply be younger than everyone else, which can make him the lovable squirt brash or even the rebel of the group. Kyle Rayner was Morrison's "new guy" for a while. Impulse was the new guy in Young Justice. We often see everything through this character's eyes. Wolverine was one of the new guys in the first X-Men movie (Rogue was also new but unimportant within the team dynamic, really). Bumblebee and the Star-Spangled Kid were the kids.

The perfect team of archtypes should be comprised of members with a specific area of expertise, and who are the best in their field. This way, no matter what the situation, at least one person will be able to handle it, while the other members of the team back them up in whatever way is needed. Any personality type can be put in any role. So in terms of what they bring to the team in terms of being able to deal with various threats, here's my idea team.

The Icon - the public face that gives the team its heroic image and gives the populace someone to look up to. You know this team is one of the good guys if the icon is among them. Can also inspire newcomers and tame the rebels on the team.

The Powerhouse - deals with standard supervillains, robots, war machines, and other situations that simply demand beating the fuck out of something. Can rely either on fists or energy blasts of some sort. Should be able to take a lot of damage, since they'll be in the thickest of the fight, and should be able to dish out a lot of damage as well.

The Mystic - able to confront supernatural threats and use magic to support his or her teammates. Can include telepathic abilties.

The Stealth Master - His or her job is to acquire information or take out individual targets without getting anyone's attention. Their job is to get in, complete the mission, and get out with a minimum of fuss. Can include thieves, martial artists, and assassins.

The Techie - what power cannot do, humanity's inventive genius can. Backs up the team with state of the art equipment, transportation, and weapons if need be. Can also gather information for the team.

The Strategist - figures out the best way to utilize the team, their powers, and their areas of expertise to get the job done.

Archetypes....

Hurm. Does JSA have archetypes? The core team in All-Star Squadron had two strong guys, a fast guy, a female leader and a guy who shot spiderwebs. There are no real archetypes in this sense in Top Ten (save perhaps for Jetman), or League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (which is filled with classic archtypes, but not in the sense we're describing here).

Archetypes kind of get around the idea of characterisation, and I like ambiguities in characters. I really like dysfuctnional teams, too, like Suicide Squad and the LOEG, in which archetypes don't really work. One of the worst things about the otherwise good series The Losers is an over-reliance on archetypes.

Still...my favourite type of line-up would be:

1. The Reformed Villain. This is the person the others don't really trust. Examples: Rogue in X-men (early days none of the team trusted her at all, as a former member of the Bortherhood of Evil Mutants), Deathstroke the Terminator, Aisha from Losers.

2. The Traitor. This is the person the other guys trust but will let them down for whatever reason. We're talking Terra in New Teen Titans, Roque from Losers, Scarlet Witch in Avengers, Element Lad in Legion.

3. The Weak Rock. This is the backbone for the team - maybe even the reason for existence. The Weak Rock is physically vulernable, but is the heart of the team. Raven fulfilled this role best in New Teen Titans. Kitty Pryde was this in X-men for a while. Captain America, hardly weak but next to powerless, was this for the Avengers.

4. The Uncertain Powerhouse. This is the person who kicks arse, but is easily spiritually overcome. Examples: Cyborg in New Teen Titans, Colossus in X-men, Mazikeen in Lucifer, Green Lantern in JLA.

5. The Player. This is a different person from a leader type - this is the one who considers the team expendible to the mission. Examples: Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad (the best one by far), Lucifer in his series. Batman was a little like this in Batman and the Outsiders. Oracle is the antithesis of this - she is out to graft a conscience on Savant and Huntress.

6. The Mystery. The reason for the existence of this person on a team is not certain. Examples: Black Orchid in Suicide Squad, Wolverine in X-men (especially the early days), Magik in New Mutants, Sentry in the New Avengers.

7. Cannon Fodder . Every superteam should suffer a casualty in their first outing. Examples: Thunderbird in X-men, Aztek in JLA, Zeitgeist in X-Statix.

I'll give it a try...

here goes...

The Leader I've always thought that the leader should possess a certain tactical sense. Sure, that's important. But what if he's the kind of leader who noone wants to follow.
So the leader should be able to inspire his troops. By this I mean leading by example (do what you ask your men to do) and even leading successfully! Be that by the utmost competence or simply a continuing stroke of shee luck...

The Advisor This persons role is to give input to the leader when needed. In many cases this person actually IS the leader because the tactics used are of his devising. A nice little twitch could be that the advisor himself fails to realize this. (I think the whole "I'm evil AND the power behind the throne" thing is getting old) This person should also show a degree of affinity towards either the team, the enemy or people in general. I think telepathy is great but I like Empathy more!

The Heart as stated above by other posters all teams must have a heart, a person that keeps the team together. A mediator inside the team if you please. This maybe stereotypical of me but I've always thought that a woman would be best suited for this role.
Whether this person is gifted with great or lesser powers is irrelevant. She is the most important person on the team,
without her there IS no team!
She is the one who gives credibility to the team towards the public.

The Powerhouse This person can take a beating, and he can dish it out as good as he gets, maybe even more. Superman, Green Lantern, Thor, Wonder Woman/Man are all very good examples, but obviously it need not be any of those. Powers for this one should definitly include super strength, a degree of invulnerability, or at least some sort of good protection. (force field, armour etc.) A travel power is also mandatory.

The Gadgeteer Let's face it, a team without gadgets....
Obviously a superteam doesn't neccessarily need gadgets, but like a microwave oven, they are VERY nice to have. Obviously this character is a genius. For some reason I'd like to see a woman fulfill this role for once.

I'll think of some more later

The A-Team was a super team

I have nothing to say because Wednesday said it already. I agree 100%.

Any member can have or share these characteristics for the superteam.


1.) The Straightman
2.) The Leader
3.) The Brick Shithouse
4.) The Agile/Quick Guy
5.) The Mystic
6.) The Fool
7.) The Robot
8.) The Strategist
9.) The Lover
10.) The Martial Artist
11.) The Animal
12.) The Hottie
13.) The Flyer
14.) The Youngblood
15.) The Bitch
16.) The Deadeye
17.) The Nuker

I think the best team to cover the basics are what you find with the FF.

Invisible Woman?

"The Chick".

Hmph. "Token chick." Perhaps.

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