Jan 05 2008
Common Problems with Powersuited Superheroes
Are you writing a novel or comic book about a powersuited hero, like Iron Man or Steel? Powersuit stories often suffer from the following problems, many of which are easy-to-fix.
1) It’s harder to write in a plausible secret identify for a power-suited hero… but that might make the story more interesting. If he wears most of his powersuit under regular clothes, like Tony Stark, it’s hard to believe no one would notice whenever she hugged him. From the author’s perspective, that’s an opportunity. A difficult situation allows you to show how your character protects his secret identity with his finesse and quick wits. How does your hero deal with some of the tricky situations that come up?
Here are a few that I thought of…
- Anyone that touches him might feel something metal.
- The hero sets off a metal detector.
- A bystander notices that the character is very heavy. The character’s footsteps may be noticeably louder and he will probably sink in snow or mud. If his suit is very heavy, he may break a chair or cause elevators to malfunction.
2) Powersuits usually make the character look lifeless and unrelatable. That’s obviously a problem for comic books, but even a novelist might want to put his character on his cover. The good news is that making the character look less artificial is pretty easy.
- Round the edges on his suit.
- Make the suit nonmetallic (or look nonmetallic).
- Give him normal-looking gloves (like cotton). That will make his gestures look more natural.
- Real-looking boots are also helpful.
- Hulking armor usually doesn’t look aesthetic. I recommend going slim, but not form-fitting. For example, I really liked Samus’ suit.
3) Readers may feel that the character is too dependent on his suit. One way you can encourage your readers to think of him as heroic is by giving him skills independent of his suit. For example, he might be savvy, persuasive, or tricky with his hands. However, scientific and mechanical expertise are kind of cliche and expected. Personal or physical skills will probably feel fresher.
4) The character is often overpowered. If supervillains are the only rivals powerful enough to have a real fight with your hero, writing fight scenes will be difficult. If your hero is too powerful, fights with mere mortals won’t interest an audience. One way to keep a powersuited hero weak enough is by making his suit not completely bulletproof. That worked very well in Weapon, a sci-fi novel about an android.
5) You will probably have to explain the logistics of how he got his armor and keeps it running. But explaining the hero’s logistical support (like Steel’s helpers) is often boring and distracts from the story (Steel). One way you can make the logistics interesting is by introducing conflict. For example…
- His mechanic sidekick wants to work on something safer for his family.
- The hero works for an organization he disagrees with (perhaps the US Army, the Justice League, a mob cartel, or a SWAT team). He may have different goals and ideas about how and when the suit should be used. He may be trying to get away from the organization. He may have been drafted against his will. Does the organization need him specifically to operate the suit, or can they train a replacement?
- The hero and his sidekick are ideologically conflicted. For example, Lucius Fox’s libertarian impulses led him to part ways with Batman in The Dark Knight.
Good article. However, the character’s name was Lucius Fox, not Lucius Clay.
Ah, good call. Thanks.
In case anyone is interested, Lucius Clay was a US general best known for his role in the Berlin Airlift. He was on Time’s cover three times.
Lucius Fox was going to part ways with Batman, but Fox said that he wouldn’t work for Wayne Industries as long as the machine existed, then Batman said to type in his name when they were finished. When he typed “Lucius Fox,” the computer shorted and essentially blew up. Therefore, Fox still works for Wayne.
Good call, anonymous.
Yeah a lot of people seemed to misinterpret Lucius as parting ways with Batman at the end of THE DARK KNIGHT even though it was quite clear he didn’t. I’m kind of surprised. Not that I’m criticising you, B Mac – if you’ve only watched a film once or two – sometimes you can misinterpret and misunderstand things. It took me at least six viewings to understand and keep up with the confusing story of Mission Impossible 1 – though when I look back it’s not that confusing or complicated of a plot but at the time it was.
Anyways, great article by the way as always, B Mac. Powersuited heroes can have their disadvantages as characters and heroes.
Huh. My main character in the online serial I’m writing uses a power suit and I think that I violated a few of these. Personally I’m of the opinion that it works anyway (but feel free to disagree).
1. My main character can’t wear the armor in day to day life so he doesn’t. If he wants to get into action immediately, he either has to skip it or wear what’s referred to as the “stealth suit” which is little more than bulletproof and can be worn under clothes.
2. Looks don’t apply because my serial’s all done in text — though it’s something to keep in mind if I add art to the website.
3. I don’t know if readers feel he’s too dependent on the suit. He does have technical skills but also has trained in the martial arts fairly heavily. Hopefully, that’s enough to make him feel fresh and not cliched. More importantly, the personality and origin of the character work. I’d say that that’s what really makes the difference.
4. I have to ask myself if he’s too powerful. I don’t feel that way, largely because as things are set up, he has to run back to the lab to get his suit (and it takes a few minutes or so to put on). If he doesn’t, he’s got the stealth suit, which is vulnerable to armor piercing bullets at the least.
5. I haven’t bothered to make suit maintenance interesting because I think readers only care about that sort of thing if it impacts the plot or if it’s totally implausible i.e. a person without money can’t afford to keep one of those things running.
Anyway it’s all stuff that’s worth thinking about. One of these days I’ll have to comment on the telepathy article… I’ve unknowingly violated some of those suggestions as well.
I got confused with Lucius’s decision at the end of TDK, too. One other problem with powersuited heroes is that if they face the same villain who falls into the “ain’t broke, don’t fix it” method the hero will pretty much find a way to adapt to the villain’s moves (for example, taking any technology used and studying it), therefore making the villain an idiot. It might be possible to avoid that if the villain has his equipment explode after it leaves his person or does what it’s supposed to do.
How can I create a powersuited superhero but keep him visually distinct from the likes of Iron Man, Iron Monger and War Machine from the Iron Man movie series?
Hmm. I think that’s an interesting question.
–The first thing that comes to mind is changing the color scheme. For example, you could make it less arbitrary, so that the color matches up more with limbs or some other discernible logic. (For example, maybe you’d use the accent color for visors, which have boundaries that correspond to something understandable; I don’t think there’s any rhyme or reason to the boundaries of the yellow region on Ironman’s helmet).
–Change the design of the helmet. For example, the helmets for the three examples you mentioned are designed to look like heads rather than helmets. I think that gives the suit a robotic look. For one thing, IM’s and WM’s helmets are very gaunt and the cheeks curve inwards. Here’s a picture of a Spitfire helmet that I’d like to use as a reference for an Air Force-themed powersuit hero.
Two things that stand out about this helmet: the size of the space for the eyes is substantially larger (because it uses a visor rather than eye-slits). Second, the shape is more round than oval, whereas Ironman’s head is so thin relative to its height that I don’t think it looks human.
–Across the board, you can make the edges softer and/or rounder.
–Add accessories. For example, Ironman’s jets are in his boots, but you could build the jets onto the back for a bit of ornamentation.
–Powersuits are usually depicted as pretty bulky. (For example, check out War Machine’s shoulders in the comics). I think it’d be unusual to see one that was slimmer.
–A really random personal touch (if the character is highly unorthodox) might be something like wearing an article of clothing OVER the powersuit, like a vest or unbuttoned t-shirt or a cloak or something.
–Maybe it looks LESS human than Ironman. I think the Battlemech series has a lot of interesting visual designs.
Thanks B.Mac. Will use some of those.
I woke up the other morning with what i think was one of the more original ideas I have come up with so far. It involves a hero with a powersuit, only this suit is outfitted with solar panels, which will allow him to absorb the natural energy of the sun/ high energy strobe lights. He would then use some process, (haven’t quite figured that part out yet) turn this energy into a highly concentrated beam of radiation (from the light).
However, I’m having trouble on the design for the suit. I’m telling myself that solar panels have a tendency to turn out bulky and clumsy. However, I’m seeking a more ‘streamlined’ version. Actually, the design I had going in my head was of a suit that was not much more bulky than an average jacket.
The problem in my head is…would slimming it down impede the functionality of this suit?
Only if you want it to. I’m personally not a fan of the “batman utility belt” approach to pieces of tech (that is to say, that they have a device for every situation) and if you take a look at Iron Man, that suit is very slimmed down, from its original incarnation down to extremus, but still is very functional and provides Stark with a variety, but not overextended variety of options.
“I’m personally not a fan of the ‘Batman utility belt’ approach to pieces of tech (that is, to say, that they have a device for every situation)…” Yeah, I’m much more impressed when heroes use devices in creative ways than when they have something hyper-specific lying around like shark-repellent. (I think that goes for superpowers, as well).
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“Actually, the design I had going in my head was of a suit that was not much more bulky than an average jacket. The problem in my head is…would slimming it down impede the functionality of this suit?” Does the slimmed-down armor cover his entire body? In a visual medium like a comic book, it’d probably help the readers sustain their disbelief if it did.
However, I agree with Jeremy that the bulkiness probably isn’t an issue unless you want it to be. (Maybe he has two versions of the suit but the one that’s easier to conceal is not as combat-worthy). Unless the reader has 2+ suits to compare to each other, I doubt that readers will think “that looks too thin to be effective armor!”
PS: If metal powersuits are too heavy, you could try looking at lighter alternative styles like, umm, maybe ballistic vests. If you cut off the ornamentation and pouches, they usually look pretty slim. (Most ballistic vests weigh 3-5 pounds).
Hey could you make the info available to download so i can read it and follow your advice/guidance in that aspect? Thank you and have a great day!
What do you think of a hero who needs his powersuit to survive? My hero was born with some sort of genetic mutation that prevents his body from properly distributing and receiving nutrients, so his suit was developed to make up for this defecit. Does that seem workable?
The question then becomes, however, why is a medical device that is essentially a medicine delivery system provide military grade strength and protection?
If the person is supposed to be a combat medic, extra protection could be useful in a war zone. (Also, if you’re going to outfit a medic with a surgical suit worth many, many millions of dollars, you should definitely make sure the person inside is safe, right?) Maybe the suit is meant to allow medics to respond more quickly and ably to extremely dangerous situations. (For example, if friendly helicopters can’t medivac a wounded soldier because of enemy fire or extreme weather conditions, maybe a heavily armored medic might be able to help?)
As for the strength, maybe the medical equipment is heavy. Including enhanced strength might allow the person to carry a more sophisticated set of equipment than someone could normally bring along.
Oh, for a combat medic, yes, I’d totally make that suit up to the same protective standards as the combat gear given to the rest of the soldiers, just with medical tools instead of nifty weapons. The Japanese are already making medical exoskeletons for nurses and patients ( http://medgadget.com/2006/10/exoskeletons_rn.html ). Add some armor, a built in set of robotic surgical tools, and the ability to run really fast for several hours at a stretch and keep moving for at least a day without recharging, and you have a powersuit for a combat medic.
My response to Rex, though, was directed at the idea of a medical device, in this case a suit designed to supplement a malfunctioning circulatory system, that somehow has the design specs of a military item rather than a medical item.
Medical devices are built to satisfy some specific deficiency in the patient. Thus, an artificial heart replaces the original organic heart and pumps blood. It may also act as a blood pressure monitor or something else related to the health of the circulatory system, but pretty much anything it does is aimed at satisfying the original deficiency, that being a malfunctioning heart.
So, why would a medical suit designed to satisfy a nutrient/circulatory deficiency ALSO possess strength and speed sufficient to make the wearer a marked danger to aggressive humans, protective armoring sufficient to keep the wearer safe from same aggressive humans and sufficient power to allow it to operate at peak capacity for a sufficient amount of time for acts of heroism?
There is a show where the exosuit was essentially a medical device. M.A.N.T.I.S. In this case, the suit was designed to cure his paralysis (actually one of the proposed uses for the current generation of exosuits). The guy who made the suit was a genius inventor with a large company to provide resources for his suit, though.
My personal, rational problem with exosuit heroes is that they are using technology to achieve an exceptional status. The whole wonder of technology is that it isn’t exceptional. Pretty much anyone can learn how to use a gun, pick one up, and kill something. Pretty much anyone can learn how to use a cell phone, pick one up, and call another person with a phone from almost anywhere on the planet. Pretty much anyone can learn how to drive a car, get in a car, and move around at 100 miles per hour.
While it might only be possible for Tony Stark himself to invent the Iron Man suit, once he has invented it, the technology will work for anyone who can get the plans and build a copy. If the person who invents such a powerful technology then decides to keep it all to themselves and swan around fighting crime and stopping wars, they are inviting a far more sinister level of attention than just a Senate investigation hearing.
If I was a major country who had suffered at the hands of Tony Stark, I would wait until he was out one day with one of his Iron Man iterations along on standby, then have a sniper blow his head off as he got out of his car along with his body guard. Move in with a merc crew, load the Iron Man suit into a helicopter, transfer it to another location where a crew of ten matching cars are waiting to run off in different directions, one of them with the actual Iron Man suit in the trunk. I would have that suit out of America and across the permeable Mexican border by nightfall, then over to China for reverse engineering and mass production.
Thematically, a man who is born with or receives actual superpowers is a god to the rest of humankind because of what he is. His status is a thing of fate. On the other hand, a man who uses a technology to gain superpowers and then hoards that technology is an ordinary man who wants to make himself a god and a ruler over all other men.
“While it might only be possible for Tony Stark himself to invent the Iron Man suit, once he has invented it, the technology will work for anyone who can get the plans and build a copy. If the person who invents such a powerful technology then decides to keep it all to themselves and swan around fighting crime and stopping wars, they are inviting a far more sinister level of attention than just a Senate investigation hearing.” Well, if the technology is truly destructive, keeping it to just yourself might not be totally unreasonable. I can appreciate Tony Stark’s libertarian instincts there.
Another possibility is that the technology cannot be reproduced (e.g. if it hinges on an incredibly rare material or came from the future or was a gift from aliens). For example, in The Taxman Must Die, superserums have to be taken in daily doses and are quite hard to make. They take a Nobel-grade biochemist, years of study into an individual mutant animal’s blood and DNA, and a steady supply of that animal’s blood. Even if you have all of those things, you’ve spent tens of millions of dollars and can only make enough serum to maybe keep 1-2 humans super.
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By the way, I think carrying out a military-grade sniping would be pretty difficult (harder than typically portrayed in fiction). Unlike a random handgun shooting, you’re dealing with a type of gun that is considerably rarer and would hopefully attract more police attention. Criminals that are trained sharpshooters are also very rare and would probably also attract more police attention. The above scenarios hinges on a few things that could go wrong.
1) The sniper could miss the first shot and be looking at a very angry, incredibly dangerous Iron-Man. If the sniper goes for a shot that’s too close, Stark might figure out something is wrong and have his helmet activate. If he goes for a shot that’s farther away, he might miss if there’s a sudden gust of wind. Either way, the sniper won’t have a chance for a second shot.
2) The helicopter could be intercepted by police and/or an F-16. I’m guessing we’re in an urban area (because Tony Stark tends to operate out of cities and because this place needs to be routine enough for Stark that you could reliably know he was going to be there), and the military does have armed jets on standby in case of another suicide skyjacking. Personally, I would recommend doing this in a more rural area and then moving by car. I imagine it’s much harder to get an untraceable helicopter than an untraceable car. (E.g. You can steal a car and have no paper trail connecting it to you, but good luck coming up with a helicopter that way).
3) Even if you do get away, Chinese scientists have basically no chance of doing anything with it. Stane’s best scientists couldn’t reproduce it and, umm, China’s scientists and engineers are not that good. (For example, China recently bought a Russian aircraft carrier for training purposes, which suggests to me that China was not confident in its ability to make its own yet).
4) Executing an act of war in the United States is extremely risky. If the U.S. finds out what happened–which seems pretty likely to me, considering how many people are involved in this operation and that the helicopter will probably leave a trail–war seems pretty likely. In China’s case, it’d have to think about whether having an Iron-Man suit that it probably wouldn’t be able to do anything with was worth losing access to oil shipments because of a US naval embargo. (China imports about 52% of its oil, so losing access to that would be economically devastating). The U.S. also owes something like a trillion dollars to the Chinese government, and I assume that the U.S. would renege that debt–if the provocation is great enough, the U.S. might be able to do so without scaring other lenders and causing a global economic crisis).
5) The suit probably has a GPS locator on it. I imagine disabling it while on the move would be pretty complicated, unless you had some inside help from someone that had worked on the suit before. However, I’m not sure that anybody besides Tony Stark has worked on the suit. Good luck getting him to help. Stark’s company will probably be coordinating with the military and police about where the suit is going within a few minutes of the assassination. It would be challenging to make it out of Mexico alive, let alone a harrowing 12+ hours through the Pacific.
6) Does Tony Stark have a system on the Iron-Man suit that will automatically activate the helmet if a sniper round is detected? Israel’s Trophy system can detect and intercept incoming RPG rounds. It’s not a huge leap from that to detecting an incoming sniper round and activating the suit in the time it takes for the shot to reach Stark.
7) There’s an off-hand chance that border guards figure out that something is amiss. The agents can deal with them, but probably not without giving away their current location to U.S. authorities.
8)If everything else went right, it’d probably be pretty easy for the U.S. to figure out that they were dealing with a foreign government rather than a criminal group (because it would take an incredible level of coordination to pull off an assassination in the U.S. with a sniper, precise knowledge about where Tony Stark will be and when, 10+ cars, a helicopter and a military-grade hacker to thwart the security systems on the suit). China and Russia would be the main candidates (pretty much the only candidates, I’m guessing).
Yeah, he is a combat medic. The suit itself serves no other functions other than protecting him and distributing nutrients. However, he does carry weapons with him, usually an SMG a pistol, and a few grenades
I plan to write about a superhero that uses krav maga and muay thai. Now, the requirement for him to transform is to be shirtless. In his transformation, only “wicked” tattoos are added, and whatever pants or shorts he’s wearing becomes a karatedo gi.
What are your thoughts on this? Take note that only tattoos serve, essentially, as his mask and costume.