Comments on: Superhero and Supervillain Naming Conventions

By: CCOlson

CCOlson — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:50:18 +0000

Superstrength can be used in clever ways if you eschew punching your enemy in the face and use it instead to manipulate surroundings. Such as dropping a whole floor of a building on someone’s head by knocking out the building supports (something that would take a knowledge of architecture or construction). Or by opting for archery with a bow a normal human couldn’t pull (although recoil could still be a problem if your hero still weighs a normal amount. A bow with a 600 pound pull will exert a lot of force in the opposite direction when you loose and arrow from it) which allows for arrow options and style points.

Superstrength also allows for ripping doors off cars, opening locked doors in a direct way, carrying lots of groceries, running longer, farther and with more equipment than others, making longer jumps (which allows successful fleeing across rooftops), winning rodeo tournaments, destruction work in old buildings, construction work in new buildings. Just try challenging reality and you’ll find lots of areas where superstrength alters things significantly.

On magnetism, you could study up on what magnetism actually does, which is in large part NOT what Magneto could do. For one, bullets are copper jacketed lead. Thoroughly unmagnetic, thus not affected by true magnetism.

By: B. McKenzie

B. McKenzie — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:07:46 +0000

Something that can be used in a variety of situations, ideally in clever ways. Super-strength is pretty limited to combat, I feel.

By: DAnders

DAnders — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 12:15:52 +0000

Yes you’re right. When I first started to think of this character, I looked primarily at who the man was instead of what powers would work in the story. Which is why his powers are so generic. Should I have decided what powers he had before I created who he was or should I have woven the powers into him as I built his personality?

I don’t also want to bring up his magnetic powers because then he will be more Magneto.

What do you mean by ‘versatile power’?

By: B. McKenzie

B. McKenzie — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:49:18 +0000

Well, the ability to shoot lasers is basically interchangeable with heat vision, I feel. Manipulating metal objects could be distinct, but it sounds like it isn’t the major power here. (For example, Superman sometimes mixes things up with ice breath and heat vision, but they don’t get used as often as strength and speed).

…

Why’d the military give him super-strength? (It seems like it’d only be useful at close range? Does the military see him getting in a lot of melee fights?) Depending on how it plans to use him, maybe it’d focus on something like a more versatile power, or maybe something related to stealth or marksmanship/long range? Maybe something electronic, like the ability to control a vehicle remotely?

By: DAnders

DAnders — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:28:42 +0000

Hey Thanks B. Mac,
I realised just like you that his powers were ordinary but when I had to think of what a super soldier would actually have (as in what the military were actually going to pay to see in an effective weapon) were the powers that I listed.

Are the powers he has in his gauntlets not distinct enough? If not, what do you think would be some better powers that would go well with the generic ones?

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:21:27 +0000

“I have an idea for a hero that was created as military experiment. So, he has all the powers you’d expect: Super strength, super speed, invulnerability, his eyes and ears are enhanced to give him better perception, and he can fly…” Those powers strike me as pretty generic (very similar to Superman’s). It might help to give him at least one that’s more distinct. I think Gauntlet is a pretty effective name.

By: DAnders

DAnders — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:54:55 +0000

Hi guys,
I’m a writer just starting out, and I have an idea for a hero that was created as military experiment. So, he has all the powers you’d expect: Super strength, super speed, invulnerability, his eyes and ears are enhanced to give him better perception, and he can fly (its my favourite power so!). I called him Gauntlet because in his own view he is a one man army able to hit his enemies from all directions, and if that’s not enough he has these really cool gauntlets that allow him to shoot lasers and to manipulate metal objects.

My question to you all is, am I stuck on this name and can you guys give me some alternatives?

By: JMelloul

JMelloul — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:09:34 +0000

Sure! I’m glad you like it!

By: Blues574

Blues574 — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:38:42 +0000

Thanks.

By: Blues574

Blues574 — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:37:21 +0000

I see what you mean. That’s a great idea actually.

By: JMelloul

JMelloul — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:38:37 +0000

Blues,

I really like Navitas too – it’s my favorite of my suggestions. Well I mean that if in the ‘science’ of your world, people have energy – like chi – and that your character is really an energy manipulator that can manipulate the energy within peoples bodies (i.e. merge with it) and thus possess people through that way, while also being able to manipulate energy to send blasts of energy.

That also leaves room for learning new skills involving / based off manipulating energy if you ever want that. An open door is always nice.

Castille,

For your power-suited character I agree with B. Mac that they are too stereotypical (unless, like he said, that’s what you’re going for). How about:

Solarus – it might seem a little on the nose, but as long as you don’t point out the solar panels or the emphasis on “solar” to frequently it shouldn’t be too big of a problem

And as far as the process, depending on the time and how much you want to suspend disbelief, you could explain it as him stripping the radiation from the sunlight or somehow increasing the concentration of it in smaller amounts of sunlight and “shooting” those at his enemies.

By: ekimmak

ekimmak — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:25:47 +0000

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Sunstorm

By: Blues574

Blues574 — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:54:37 +0000

What do you mean accessing the energy in their body? Example or something? Please? Also, do you have any other ideas that would work well with the one or the other? Btw, I really like Navitas.

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:18:04 +0000

They both strike me as a bit stereotypically comic book-y (which I think could work depending on the impression you’re going for), but I like Sunstorm better.

By: Castille

Castille — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:50:57 +0000

First, an explanation of my character(still in conceptual stage):

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 and /or 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).

….

I’m currently torn between two different names right now. Which sounds better?

Lightbringer?

…or Sunstorm?