Nov 06 2011
Ideas About How to Name a Superhero
First, I’d like to reiterate that superhero names generally don’t matter very much and probably won’t mean the difference between getting published and getting rejected. That said, if you can’t come up with a superhero name or a team name, here are some possible sources of inspiration.
1. Something thematically and/or symbolically appropriate. For example, “Captain America” is more interesting than “Shield Throwing Man,” because the America and military angles matter more to his story than the details of his superpowers. Alternately, Oracle can’t actually predict the future, but her name sort of makes sense because her main role is providing information and assistance. There are also a bevy of characters named after mythological references.
2. An emotional impression. Some characters have names that evoke the right emotions, but aren’t related to the characters’ powers. Some heroic examples include Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter, as opposed to villainous examples like Venom and Carnage.
3. Something in the character’s origin story. For example, Green Lantern is named after the source of his powers (and his organization). Batman is named after a bat even though his powers aren’t actually bat-related. (Unless bats are secretly master ninja-scientist-detectives. That’d go a long way to explaining how the bats trapped in my attic have survived this long, actually).
4. The character’s goal. This is more common in team names (e.g. the Avengers or any name with Guardians in it), but names like The Punisher or The Question make it pretty clear what the characters want to accomplish.
5. The character’s personality and/or distinguishing traits, particularly mental ones. For example, Rorschach is mentally unstable, unpredictable and a psychiatric case. The Taxman Must Die has a mutant alligator named Agent Orange that is helpful and (probably) safe for humans.
6. The character’s actual name (e.g. Luke Cage rather than Power Man). If the superhero doesn’t have a secret identity, I’d recommend considering this approach, especially if you have a lot of superheroes. It makes it easier for readers to remember everybody’s name and who’s who. (If you’re not sure whether your readers can follow which character has which secret identity, try quizzing your beta readers a few chapters or an issue after you’ve introduced the code-name). Alternately, it might help to introduce the code-names or regular names gradually. For example, X-Men: First Class held off on the code-names until about halfway through the movie.
7. The character’s superpowers (e.g. the Human Torch and Paste Pot Pete*). Generally, I would recommend this only as a last resort because it’s probably the most cliche of these and because it suggests that the character’s superpowers are the most notable thing about the characters. If superpowers really are the most important thing about them, I’d recommend going back to the drawing board and thinking about things like personality, goals/motivations, theme, etc.
*Paste Pot Pete has since been renamed, and not to free it up for somebody else.
7.1. If you post below for help coming up with a name for a superhero, please give us more to work with than just the character’s superpowers. What does the character have going on besides superpowers? Personality? Interesting goals/motivations? Anything which would help distinguish this character from superheroes with a similar power-set?
I have too many characters, so I’m most likely throwing away the alt names because of 6.
It’s one possibility. If you were inclined to, you might be able to handle alternate names by introducing them gradually and patiently. For example, I think X-Men generally does a pretty good incorporating code-names and given names for many characters without unduly confusing people. (If I could use the First Class movie as an example, I think it was something like halfway through the movie before the code-names were first introduced).
is there an article about naming books or comicbooks.
B.Mac, your comment about the bats in your attic was super funny. On a more serious note, bats carry rabies so you might want to call an exterminator to get them out of there. The treatment for rabies is several rounds of very unpleasant shots so steer clear of those thing. o.O
Heh, thanks, but I was just making up the bats. (One of my landladies used to have them–they’re very annoying).
My grandparents got a bat stuck in their house once and everyone was freaking out because we didn’t want it to bite the dog. It was kinda scary at the time but its kind of funny now.
I’m glad to hear that it worked out okay. Rabies is quite serious.
We were able to catch the bat and release it back into the wild with no harm to human or dog and minimal trauma to the bat.
Minimal trauma? *raises eyebrow* lol
Still having trouble coming up with a name for my spider-themed hero…he also has the ability to drain plasma from other people through skin contact, but I don’t necessarily want to name him based on his powers-wouldn’t want to be cliche
Also I’d prefer to stay away from spider-themed names. Maybe I should work on developing his personality more…
Added personality is always a plus.
- Wings
@ Indigo
Yes, minimal trauma.
You could go with something like Touch since he has the ability to drain plasma through skin contact but defiantly work on the personality.
Yup, personality/background/character traits are a work in progress for this character…I’m not used to writing male characters but I found the articles by B.Mac on said topic to be very helpful.
Something like Touch…hmm I kinda like the sound of that idea
I am currently writing a young adult superhero novel, wherein A group of 13-15 year olds are chosen for a testing of a device that enhances small genetic mutations such as webbed feet or a high level of vision.
I have 7 characters I am yet to name. (their superhero name that is)
1. Someone who can absorb and use electricity as well as discharge it in a blast – Male
2. Someone who can strengthen their skin to some kind of bulletproof material, as well as increased strength – Male
3. Someone who is completely immune to the effects of heat, and as an effect, can set themselves on fire and project it. – Female
4. Incredible sight, which is put towards x-ray vision, telescopic vision, enhanced reflexes, and a gaze that can hurt someone on eye contact – male or female (not sure yet)
5. The ability to absorb liquid, expand and grow in strength accordingly – Male
6. Starting with webbed feet, then growing to have the ability to breathe underwater, detract sharp fins and swim super fast. – Female
7.The ability to have elasticity and being able to morph body parts like t1000 or carnage. – Male and Villain
Tell me what you think of the ideas or any names please. Thankyou
1) Jules, Voltage, Current, Static, Light Storm, Circuit
2) Bulletproof, Shield, Armor
3) Heat Wave, Heat, Fire Wall, Flash Burn, Wild Fire, Blaze
4) Eagle Eye, Scope, Vision, Sight,
5) Sponge
6) Mermaid, Tsunami, Tidal Wave, Rouge Wave, Shark,
7) Morph, Dr. Stretch, Dr. Elasticity/Malleability (sorry these are kind of bad and non threatening)
Thanks heaps Shyviolets, I appreciate your ideas
I’m not great with names so I’m glad these helped
What I try to do is think of of pun names. Pretty I try to find a word and twist it around to where it fits. For example, I have a character named Dopplegang which of course comes from the word doppleganger. The name is based off of the fact that he has a three split personality, and each side has a different power. So he’s a like a gang of superheores wrapped into one. The personalities are utilized to make people think that there may be three clones running around as well.
Normally I use names that describe the powers of the person. But for some of my heroes (and villains) I use their actual names. Some have none because they’re too serious to be bothered with one. One has no code name because she actually isn’t a main superhero, plus she has no real interest in being a big-time hero anyways. One character uses his name to actually make the statement that he is an open book (he is a demon, and in my story, demons are thought to be too secluded to be trusted).
Hey, not sure if you still needed name ideas, but I love coming up with names, so here’s my list:
1. Voltage and Circuit sound cool, certainly a refreshment from names like Electro or Living Lightning!
2. Dermis, Skin, Shell?
3. Crimson, Ash, Matchstick
4. Gaze, Ocular, (I like Scope also)
5. Soak, Saturate, Porous? (I don’t know, none of those really sound like names)
6. Fynn, Scales, Splash
7. Shifter, or simply Stretch? (Why am I suddenly thinking of Stretch Armstrong? Hey! What about Armstrong?)
Hope this helps
Hi,
I found your site through a Twitter post. I’m interested in doing some superhero e-books next year. The main worry I have though, is not necessarily coming up with a name, but in checking to make sure that name isn’t copyrighted or trademarked.
Do you know of any sites that may list a ton of superheroes that have already been invented, so that I won’t have to worry about accidental duplication of a name?
Thanks for any advice you can give on this matter.
Hello, ARW. Here are some thoughts there:
1) I generally wouldn’t recommend worrying much about copyright concerns unless the character concepts are so similar and/or share such a unique name that they could be confused. Anyway, I’m not a lawyer, so do whatever you’re comfortable with there.
2) If you type the character’s name into ComicVine and don’t get a response, I would assume that the character’s name has probably never been used by a comic book company that is large enough to sue you. Alternately, you can type the name into Google–if the character doesn’t have a page on Wikipedia or ComicVine in the top 10 or 20 results, you’re probably clear there.*
*Minor exception: If the term is generally used in other context (e.g. “Agent Orange” or “Steel” or “Slate” or “BlueTooth”) then I would recommend focusing on ComicVine and/or Googling something more specific like agent orange comics or agent orange superhero or agent orange supervillain or agent orange character or whatever.
3) Marvel and DC are generally pretty aggressive about defending their characters, particularly their major characters. With other publishers, I think the odds of getting sued are considerably lower (unless you stumbled upon a really distinctive name that is already taken, like Savage Dragon or Hellboy).
How does the name “Blue Streak” sound for a superhero? The MC’s friend gives it to her because of the lock of blue hair she has. Coincidentally, it kinda fits with her speed power :B
Sounds pretty good, what’s the characters personality like.
if her costume isn’t significantly blue, than it doesn’t work. other than that, its ounds great!
@Marquis: She’s a person who likes to keep to herself. But she’s barely in her first stages, so she might develop differently over time.
@YA: I haven’t even gotten that far yet, but I’ll keep that in mind C:
jusy some suggestions (dont use them if you don’t like them)
try using like Cobalt or Sapphire in place of blue.
What about blue rush or if speeds the case name her velocity it sounds fast and like it would be the name of a girl. Velocity Blue….maybe
But I’m trying to avoid coming up names based on their powers :C (It’s actually really hard xD )I’m trying to follow B. Mac’s advice on that. Blue Streak is because of her hair, she has one lock of it dyed blue. The fact that “streak” somewhat goes with her power was accidental.
O ok wat if u called her cyan. It sounds cool and cyan is a shade of blue
I like Blue Rush. I think the Blue makes the visual more interesting. Plus, in conversation, the character can just be referred to as Rush, and I think that will feel pretty natural.
Ohhh, as opposed to just a synonym for speed, derp. Went to the other extreme there. Marquis’ idea it is \o/ I should hire you as my chara namer and pay you in gum 8D
The new trident layers??!! Of course you can pay me in gum!!!
Glad to help
Hey I’ve got a problem that I hope you guys can help with. I’n my own comic book universe, I’ve got five definitive and distinct classes, or types, of characters. But I need six. So recently I developed an idea involving aliens. Now the people in my universe are into labeling, this way they know who/what type of character they are dealing with. For example people who utilize advanced technology are called Artificials.
So I’d like to have a story involving aliens, but have no idea what to call them. Possiblities include Foreigners, Refugees, Immigrants, Settlers, Outsiders or simply Aliens. What do you guys think? Any more suggestions?
What do you guys think of the name blitzkrieg for a superfast superhero?
Of those, I like Outsiders and Aliens best. Another possibility is a variation on extraterrestrial (Extras, Exos, ETs, et cetera).
As always, thanks B.Mac.
I think I like Extras and Exos. I’ll think it about though. Wouldn’t wanna settle on a name you know? Does anyone else have any suggestions?
“What do you guys think of the name Blitzkrieg for a superfast hero?” If the story’s otherwise publishable, I don’t see this getting in the way of the story getting published. However, the publisher may ask you to change the name before it goes to print because Marvel already has a character named Blitzkreig.
What about ETB’s extraterrestrial being, Far Landers, or just give them a cool sounding name like thetas or Other Worlders
As far as the name blitzkrieg goes, do you think a publisher would want his name changed even though he’s significantly different from marvel’s blitzkrieg? For example, he cannot control electricity. I know that blitzkrieg means lightning war, I picked it because his catchphrase was “I’m fast as lightning” (I was 8 when I came up with it), and he is part German (his great grandfather was a Nazi)
Also, can anybody think of a name for these two heroes? The older brother can fly and unleash blasts of spiritual energy from his hands, and the younger brother can manipulate fire (although for the younger brother, I don’t want his name to be something like pyre, inferno, or anything with heat in the name)
As a variation on Marquis’ Other Worlders, you can also consider Outlander.
“As far as the name Blitzkrieg goes, do you think a publisher would want his name changed even though he’s significantly different from Marvel’s Blitzkrieg? For example, he cannot control electricity. I know that blitzkrieg means lightning war, I picked it because his catchphrase was “I’m fast as lightning” (I was 8 when I came up with it), and he is part German (his great grandfather was a Nazi).”
I’d like to preface this by saying that my speculation is absolutely irrelevant because there’s no way for me to know what your publisher would do. However, if I were making the decision, I’d sign off on publishing the story if it were otherwise publishable, but I’d ask you to change the name because Marvel/Disney is very aggressive about defending its characters. Defending a lawsuit is very, very expensive–at least thousands of dollars–and it’d be much easier/cheaper to change the name than fight a lawsuit. Also, there’s some chance (a good chance, I think, but I’m not a lawyer) that you’d lose to Marvel’s lawyers.
…
PS: Legal issues aside, I think the name sounds very, umm, American. I think most Germans are quite embarrassed/ashamed of that period of their history and, if he is actually a mainstream German (rather than a German-American or a Nazi sympathizer), that name might feel out of place. (If you’re really committed to the name, I’d recommend having another character give it to the German over his objections).
He didn’t actually pick the name. One of his teammates suggested it, because of his German/Nazi heritage, and the nickname caught on in the local news, and it stuck with him
And he isn’t a Nazi sympathizer, he just sees no point in denying his heritage
If not blitzkrieg, then what name would you suggest??
“If not Blitzkrieg, then what name would you suggest?” I don’t know anything about the character besides his superpowers and his German heritage. It’s be hard for me to say. Could you please tell me more about his…
–Personality?
–Other key traits?
–Anything notable about his origin story? (How’d he get his powers?)
–Anything notable about his goals? (Are his goals at all different than the average superhero’s goals?)
–Is there an emotional impression that would fit this character well?
Personality- he is stubborn, hard headed, and very argumentative. He acts stupid, but he is actually very smart. This is so he will have a card up his sleeve.
Key traits- he is very loud and obnoxious, and he is quick to get on other peoples nerves
Origin story- the amnesiac known as Brandon bullock was a POW at a prison camp on the planet Abyss, where he was tortured and injected with drugs, which resulted in him gaining his powers.
Goals- he is searching for anyone or anything that can give him answers about his past life.
Wait… how would he know his nazi/german heritage if he is an amnesiac?
He doesn’t. But his sister does
so… why does it matter that he has amnesia when he can just ask his sister where he came from?
wolverine would not be such an interesting amnesiac if he could easily find someone who could tell him about his past.
His sister gets killed
Hey guys, still trying to figure out a name for the class of extra-terrestrial characters that inhabit my universe. I came across a decent possiblity and wanted to gather opinions. If you guys don’t mind. The word and potential label for all extra-terrestrials in my universe is Pilgrims. Not sure how I feel, though.
i can’t decide which sounds better: Dead, or Mask. Help!!!
Hey Comic Book guy, Pilgrims bring to mind people dressed in black and white – not aliens. I would pass on that name. Maybe something to do with space? The Cosmos? The Nebulons? No idea but not Pilgrims.
Yeah…I’m just at a loss I think. But I’ll keep looking. Thanks Dani.
Comicbookguy, is the name for the aliens for a certain species of aliens or for aliens as a whole. Maybe you should have a few species of aliens and then name them seperately.
So i have a character with the powers of genrating ice and fire as well as flight. i have him named as “Icy Hot” so he could be possibly teased. however, i would like some other suggestions. Costume is half white, half red.
@YoungAuthor
FireFrost!! I have always loved the sound of that name. Feel free to use it
THANKS SO MUCH INDIGO!!!!
firefrost. you are a genius
I can’t think of a name for my powersuit/cyborg character in my story. The character has flight and advanced sight and hearing, and can fire beams of plasma energy from his hands (this helps him when flying). He’s like a government official that mentors young ones with ‘enhanced DNA’ and disapproves of the main character, who is out for revenge at any cost. Any name ideas?
Lost Boy, what are some characteristics separating your protagonist from, say, Iron Man or War Machine?
he’s supported by the millitary, he didn”t build a suit, instead he vollunteered for an proven-to-work process with genetics and nano technolgy, he has a child, and he’s heavily supported by the government and the civilians, and he is also a teacher and father figure for superhuman children.
hes more a superman character with metals bits
“Yeah…I’m just at a loss I think. But I’ll keep looking. Thanks Dani.”
Hey guys, just wanted to tell you I figured out my problem. Instead of going with aliens, I’vve come up with an even better idea I like even more. Which is a race of subterrainian beings. So It’s cool.
Hi, I’m writing a graphic novel, and I just did a scan on comic vine, and found that several of my character’s names have been previously used in a handful of minor characters (I’m talking like 2 to 20 appearances each), many of which are from Marvel or DC. Most of them are not anything remotely like what I have in mind, but I thought I’d ask: How far will these companies go concerning legal action with this sort of ting?
@YoungAuthor
You’re welcome! Glad you like it!
@Indigo, feel free to comment on my forum and input more great ideas
“How far will these companies go concerning legal action with this sort of thing?” I can’t offer any remotely satisfying answer there. I cannot predict whether you’ll receive a cease-and-desist letter or how your publisher would choose to respond. I have no experience with legal decision-making. That said, I would intuit that this issue is not likely to scare publishers away from a story that is otherwise publishable, because a name can be changed relatively easily. Please see #1.1 here.
Thanks for your response on the questions I asked earlier.
You’re welcome.
I have a character I need an alias for. His name is Sean and he hasn’t any powers whatsoever, he uses mundane weapons instead. He’s a pretty friendly type of guy, very energetic and impulsive. He’s a “hero” because he feels it is his duty to do so and he loves his job.
I want to know if anyone knows any cool names for a secret order of mages?
I was thinking of creating another “Hulk-like” character called “Absalom”–maybe created from either the subconscious mind of the Hulk himself, or maybe aliens abduct Banner and they get a sample of his blood, thus creating him that way.
hey, I’m a high school students… can someone suggest me a name for a guy who is extremly fast but please I don’t want any “lightning” in it? thanks
For my hero, I really need a name. He has skills that are amazing but not superhuman.
I don’t have a clue on where to start with this.
What kind of superpowers? The standard flying-brick set, enhanced senses, some type of elemental control, a psychic set…There’s a lot of options.
His “powers include 25 mph max speed, bench press 450 lbs, hold breath for 15 minutes, etc.
They are not inhuman, but still impressive.
I think it’s also important to consider who names the superhero on the story. The media? His enemies? Does the person come up with his own name? A nerdy character might be fine naming himself ‘Lightning Killzone’ but a more serious character will want something more subdued.
Is Night Zero a good name for a superhero? He’s a combination of Batman and Kickass (though a more competent fighter than the latter and less than a millionth of the prior’s resources). He wears a domino mask and a Kevlar vest, and carries homemade smoke bombs and a collapsible baton in a sling on his back. I thought of Night Zero because he operates mostly at “Night” and has black attire, and “Zero” due to him being elusive and not leaving trace after thwarting criminal activities.
@ Black Ostrich:
Not really.
@Black Ostrich- try Nightshade, Dark Shadow?
@YoungAuthor- I actually like those names better, thanks. Night Zero was just one of those names that sounded better in my head and I even didn’t think much of it when I wrote it down, I just thought I’d get a second opinion before I completely scrapped it. @Carl Shinyama- Also thanks for the insight (albeit very blunt).
Hehe. My apologies. I meant to expand on that some time after I posted that, but completely forgot to.
I just thought it could be a lot more fresher.
I knew you weren’t being a cynical d**k, and I don’t think you needed to elaborate that much more on why it was stale. That story’s on the back burner for now in favor of a new project anyway (maybe when I’m stuck on this one I’ll have a more unique alias). I guess the original reason I came up with Night Zero is because Google came up with no results (which I now know is not the best reason to come up with a name). It just seems like whenever I come up with a name I think is badass it’s taken. But, cest la vie.
What do you think of an assassin with mastery over poison being called the Tarantula? It adds a touch of irony, because tarantulas look scary but relatively harmless, while my villain looks like a congenial and unassuming old man, but he is actually a nasty, cruel and venomous person.
It sounds workable, Nightwire.
Thanks.
Oh, and I have one more question:
Karen, one of my characters, becomes a vigilante by way of repurposing an old, battered and rusty suit of armor into a hydraulic exoskeleton.
Is the Crimson Knight a workable alias for her? I still think it was too generic.
“Is the Crimson Knight a workable alias for her?” I don’t know if this is the most efficient use of your time. Please see #1 here.
Heh, I’m just wondering about it. I have already worked out everything else: personality, backstory, abilities, etc. I always save the name for last.
I am working on a novel where 5 characters (17-23) band together to form a team, each having powers of their own. I am terrible with names, so i am hoping someone could please help me.
1. Nuclear Absorption/Manipulation to create bulletproof skin and superhuman strength (Male)
2. General Pyrokinesis (Male/Female – Unsure)
3. Enhanced Agility, Armed Gauntlets and Fireproof Cloak (Male)
4. Darkness/Shadow Manipulation (Male – I have previously thought of DarkBlade)
5. Flight, Speed, Plasmic Construct Creation and Manipulation (Male)
Hello, DB. I’d recommend reading the above article if you haven’t already. Naming the characters based on their superpowers strikes me as one of the least promising options.
Thanks B.Mac, will take that into account
I’m struggling to find an alias name for my character – Ashley. She has the ability to manipulate water and ice (elemental control). She’s a decent fighter, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, loves sport (especially anything to do with water and ice – surfing, skiing, snowboarding), is a fiddler (has the need to touch everything), quiet (can be seen as socially awkward) and loyal.
I came up with Blue Crush, not sure if it fits her though.
Hi, I’m writing a superhero novel about a telekinetic and I wanted to name him Quaestio (latin for question or a mission to investigate a criminal matter). Is this a decent name?
“Quaestio (Latin for question or a mission to investigate a criminal matter)…” My concerns would be that it’d be very hard for most readers to pronounce and the Latin would be completely lost on them and might seem pretentious. Could you come up with an equivalent English word or perhaps a foreign word which is known to more English-speakers? At the very least, Quaestor would be the person who actually carried out Roman criminal investigations. That could be bastardized and/or shortened into Questor, Quester, Query, Quest, or Inquest.
thanks for the advice, i get what you’re saying. I’ll keep thinking :/
I’m writing a story about 4 superheros that posses the powers of the 4 elements, Earth, Fire, Air, and water. I’m a little worried this is over used due to Avatar and other heros that use these powers. I’m having a lot of troubles with names too. I have Hell Hound for the Fire hero and Wind Braker for the Air hero. Both are males. I need names for the two females of earth and water.
For my telekinetic, how about Cerebrum?
Cerebrum’s okay. I’d also recommend looking at related words (e.g. Cerebral, Cerebellar, etc).
OK, I’ve got a similar problem to someone above regarding
I am currently drafting a story set in a fictional California mega-city. The central character doesn’t seem to be a problem, but the secondary characters I had planned (Osprey and Makeshift, so far) are apparently small-time characters in some publication or another.
I know there are limitations to copyrighting names (this is why there are two different Captain Marvel’s, for example, but DC can’t publish a comic called Captain Marvel), but how far does that go?
I don’t think you need to worry about your characters sharing names with minor characters. Your publisher might ask you to change the names later, but prospective publishers would not turn down an otherwise publishable submission over that because it’s relatively easy to change a name. Just worry about making your story otherwise publishable and the publisher will sort out the legal issues.
Ok, so I have a character whose power is control over gravity. I am trying to think of some scientific names for him, and I thought the name singularity sounded interesting (for those who don’t know, in physics a singularity is the center if a black hole, where the gravitational forces are close to infinite). However, I am not sure if the name is too long or complex for a main character. Any thoughts?
I like Singularity, although it’s long enough that it might help to have an abbreviated form available for conversation (e.g. Timothy –> Tim or Captain America –> Cap’n or Captain). Maybe Single? (In addition to the scientific usage, “singularity” is a synonym for “singleness”).
I’m having a bit of trouble naming a female superhero. She’s not a true superhero in the sense that she has mutated genetics but she was trained so thoroughly that she can appear as one. She’s basically a ninja assassin but every name I think of just makes me think……Bleh.
Mackenzie, you might want to refer to the guide above. If your character has any of the above suggestions, it should give you a good sense of direction.
You say that she’s basically a ninja assassin. Well, does she have a goal? If so, what is it? You say that she’s trained very hard. Is there something in her background that might suggest a name for her? Or… Does she have a theme that sets her apart from other ninja assassins?
Hi,
Now, you were talking about how it kind of wasn’t a great idea to name a Superhero after their powers so now I’m ever so slightly worried about calling my hero Inferno. What are your thoughts?
I’ve got five superheros and no idea of what to name them–so I was hoping for some help?
Brooklyn: an apathetic telekinetic with the ability to project his thoughts and to briefly control another’s actions–as long as he can make eye contact and he isn’t distracted. He’s brilliant, but he doesn’t ever share what is going on in his head–much to the annoyance of the others.
Jade: a chipper woman with the ability to lift anything up to the weight of a heavy truck(not a semi, though, an actual truck) and some healing abilities, though it takes time and energy to use that ability. She can come across as a bit annoying due to her perpetually happy demeanor, but she’s smart.
Salem: a shape shifter who can take on any form, human or animal, for the span of thirty minutes, before he needs to recharge. He’s quiet, but not because he’s shy–he just doesn’t see the point in saying more than he needs to say. When he does talk, though, people listen.
Monroe: she can teleport herself from place to place and can teleport objects, but she has to be able to clearly picture where she wants to go or she risks getting stuck in a wall. She’s also got prophetic abilities, but she doesn’t have any control over her visions, which are usually chaotic flashes of images, smells, and sounds. She’s calm, and fairly laid back–I consider her to be the most ‘normal’ of the entire group.
Donna: she has the ability to manipulate force fields, though it takes up energy, and can tap into a pocket space by opening up an inverted force field. Opening and closing it takes time and energy. She’s fairly hot tempered, impossibly stubborn, and tends to fly off the handle at any insults made towards her.
Monroe: Blink
Brooklyn: Headcase
I need some help. My character is a 17-18 year old teenager who gets bitten by a mutant snake (think sort of spiderman, but the whole how and why it happens is different) Basically, he gains the speed and speedy reflexes of a snake, increased strength, a powerful bite and dislocatable jaw, and a special spit which contains poison/acid.
Now, I need a name for the guy. I’ve been thinking hard about this and I’m still unsure. The original names I came up with were Viper or Cobra but to me, they sounded to sinister. then, I thought of Snakeman but that just sounded bland and silly. So basically, I need ideas on a name. Has to be snake-related of course, otherwise it ebcomes pointless.
@Hotrod198- You could use the color of his costume and a less sinister type of snake. It’s gonna be hard b/c snakes are usually considered evil. good luck!
I could use some suggestions for these two superheroes.
Kevin Hartline- currently Black Dragon- He is stubborn, cocky and arrogant, laid-back, persuasive, and a leader. He can fly, has superstrength (on the level of like superman), and he can breathe excessive amounts fire.
Roxanne Lopez- hotheaded, cocky, serious, fair, walks around like she has a chip on her shoulder, also a leader. She has the wings of an angel, superstrength, and can make weapons out of fire.
Well, for my guy, how about Python? It’s not as sinister sounding…
And Black Dragon sounds alright for your guy. For Roxanne, maybe something like… Cynder or… Red Angel? Flare Angel? Perhaps even Arch Angel
Thank you for the suggestions
and python is good, maybe anaconda? (little female, check out other smake names)
Oooh, I like Blink. I may just use that one. I’m not so sure about Headcase–maybe behind his back, yes, but probably not as his actual name.
Thanks!
I could use some suggestions, critique, and/or revision help with my names:
-Cassandra’s Apprentice- In Greek mythology, Cassandra was cursed with the ability to see the future but have no one believe her. Daniella, my superhero, can see the future but cannot tell people straight out what will happen (eg; she can see a tornado in Kansas and warn her boyfriend not to visit Kansas in three days time, but she can’t tell him what is in Kansas or why). She’s a typical nice-girl persona but, for obvious reasons, doesn’t do much fighting. Is her name okay?
-Brielle Brandaway–a girl wired with electromagnetic impulses, allowing her to put up force fields, shoot blasts, and anticipate things a yuctosecond before they happen.
-Illumina’s name refers to the fact that she has light powers and, when using them, gives off a glow. However, she is a very bright, cheerful, and strong character anyway, so is her name justified?
-Lucien– A man who can use and manipulate sound energy to do all sorts of cool stuff.
-Karolina– A woman who can change her density.
@Hotrod:
Something to do with snakes rather then the name of a snake might work better, such as Snakemaker.
Well… I’ve still been thinking and so far, i’ve now got:
Serpentine, Scales, The Fang, The Constrictor, The Hiss and the Snake
So, any of these sound good? If not, I’m going to go with Python.
Scales seems the least villainous of all of them.
how about just “Fang”?
@ Jan- Give us more details. What are their main weapons? Temperament? How and Why, if that is especially significant, especially with Karolina; it could be hard having someone named ‘Density Changing Girl’ on the team.
Brielle- A wealthy heiress/orphan, though her father was alive until she turned nineteen. Controls electromagnetism (well, -control- is a relative word) has a very short temper and has violent tendencies when she’s angry, and in a rather stark personality change, also enjoys makeup and shopping. She likes it when people listen to her and tries to set examples. Curses a lot.
Lucien- He knows he’s handsome, and is arrogant, but once someone gets to him, he often becomes so close with them he would die for them. He can manipulate sound energy and make barriers, blasts, temporary deafness, and fly (on a sort of hovering pad).
Metalhead is a Magneto like character who can manipulate metal as well as fly. Any better name suggestions? Please?
Okay, I’ll go with Fang and see how I go.
Hmmm insteea of Metalhead, perhaps: Polarise or Polariser? Magnesion? Metatack?
@Hotrod How about Quetzalcoatl or just Quetzal (the feathered serpent of Aztec myth)
@ Jan Maybe EMP or E-M Force for Brielle. Maybe … Pitch Perfect for Lucien?
@ YoungAuthor I don’t know how fast he flies Subsonic/Transonic/Hypersonic Steel? I like Transonic Steel best myself, but it only works if he can fly about Mach 1 or so.
@ Aharris- EMP sounds good, thanks!
@ Young Author- Man-etic? (just put the dash for contrast, doesn’t really matter if it’s there.
I think I feel apprehensive about whether I am writing characters with their genders completely clear. It just occurred to me that I have Star Woman instead of Star, Legion Man instead of Legionnaire, Snake Girl instead of Snake, etc. is this a problem when it’s for almost every character, but not all?
Ok, I’ve got one. Caitlan Reardon is a superhumanly stubborn woman who manipulates electricity. She can shoot it in the standard energy blast and manipulate and control electronic devices. I’ve been calling her Livewire forever, but DC already has one. She’s actually an alcoholic, but her stubborness allows her to resist the urge quite easily. However, if she decides she’s going to take that first drink … look out! And, don’t you dare think you’re going to stop her once she gets started. She’s been taken down by being tricked into that first drink. Otherwise, she’s got a bit of an Irish temper and enjoys classical music and restoring antiques in her spare time.
Shortcircuit? Electrocutia? Sorry, not feeling too creative today. [Case in point] I just named a character after my cat.
Is Metallic a good name for a magneto-like superhero?
Its kind of obvious, and if the only character trait she has so far is ‘Magneto-like’, then I would suggest you try to develop her more, not to be rude or anything, though.
“He” is already developed and no offense taken and “magento-like” describes “his” powers. He’s arrogant to the max, protective, lofty, vengeful, intellegent, sneaky, corrupt, possesive, stubborn, argumentative, and easily angered.
I have 3 heroes, that I have names for, but i want another opinion on them.
I have Mendeleev, who can take apart and reassemble matter. He got this power in a lab experiment, partly caused by cyberess. He has an elderly mother who he is very protective of, and didn’t want to be a superhero in case it endangered her.
Cyberess, who can talk to computers, and half of her brain is a computer. She can acces the internet through her headband that she wears. She is slightly socially awkward. Also, she got her powers because on nanobots released into her while her mom was pregnant with her. She is the daughter of software billionaires.
Legend, who can make you relive your memories, but he has to touch you, unless he is wearing his special helmet. He also is very strong, and fast, but not quite super strength (think captain america.) He is an orphan, because his dad was murdered, and his mom committed suicide, so his self confidence is kind of low. But he is a leader, and very likeable.
My hero has the ability to use the electric pulses in his brain to create force fields by sending the pulses down his arms and out through his fingertips (weaving together to create the force fields). He is cautious after a mistake that brought danger to his friends and peers, but acknowledges his role as a defender of those in trouble (so he’s a responsible guy). He is also pretty inexperienced in the area of his powers and strategy. He takes his ideas as they come. I was thinking a name like The Shield or Defense (not just due to his powers, but because he protects people). I’m open to ideas.
“I think I feel apprehensive about whether I am writing characters with their genders completely clear. It just occurred to me that I have Star Woman instead of Star, Legion Man instead of Legionnaire, Snake Girl instead of Snake, etc. is this a problem when it’s for almost every character, but not all?” Personally, I’m not a fan of [Modifier] Man/Woman/Girl/Boy/Lad/Lass, unless you’re going for a really old-school feel. It implies to me that the character’s gender is one of the most important things about him/her. If that’s the case, I’d recommend fleshing out the character’s personality and distinguishing traits more. If you really wanted to work the character’s gender into a name, I’d recommend using a noun with a particular connotation (e.g. Siren or Angel) or something where readers could guess with some degree of confidence (e.g. Marauder or Hellion).
Also, readers might be able to guess a gender from a name because male and female superhero/villain names tend to emphasize different attributes. For example, an explicitly cerebral name (e.g. Doctor or Professor ______) is probably male. Most female geniuses don’t incorporate intelligence into their names (see the Invisible Woman or She-Hulk, etc).
@Red Rocket
What about Defender?
I just found this site when googling how to write a superhero novel and I have to admit, I’m very impressed so far.
The information all looks very good, though I don’t know a whole lot about superheroes to start with.
I’ve been toying with the idea of a superhero for a while. My character is a 16-17 year old girl who gets psychic powers, though I’m still trying to figure out how. She’s trying to ignore them and pretend nothing ever happened, but then she comes across a crime-in-progress; a robbery of sorts. She covers her face, not wanting to be the ‘freak with the powers, and stops the robber. A reporter asks he what her name is, but she says she’s the Psychic off the top of her head and runs away. The next day, the story made the front page of the news paper, but the reporter renamed her Psi and called her a hero, beginning her change from ordinary girl to superhero.
But is Psi really a good name? I’ve tried renaming her probably a dozen times, but Psi is the only one that sticks. But I don’t want it to be stupid or something. I want her to be a good superhero, not a Mary Sue.
I think Psi is straightforward. It definitely wouldn’t scare me away from the manuscript.
…
I like the reporter’s reaction. Is the reporter a recurring character?
…
So… Psi gets involved in this first robbery and it sounds like she’s more or less forced to act. What prompts her to make the leap to actually start looking for trouble?
The reporter might be, but I’m not sure. I was thinking he would be one who writes the stories that put her in a positive light in the beginning while people aren’t sure what to think of Psi.
Of course she had a choice. She could have walked away, no questions asked, but she a ‘if someone gets hurt and I didn’t even try to help, I’d always regret it’ moments. And it’s a series of things that get her started. The fact that, in a world where super-powered people rarely become heroes, or even openly use thier powers, she can actually make a difference; her best friend and brother pushing her to do something; her father’s insistance (a feeling shared by many) that anyone with powers will only abuse them; and the introduction of the book’s main villan.
Well I am creating a female character with a power of invisibility. But I just can’t think of a name. Can someone help?
“Well I am creating a female character with a power of invisibility. But I just can’t think of a name. Can someone help?” I’d generally recommend going with something about the character besides their superpowers–please see the article above. For example, Batman is a name which doesn’t have anything to do with the character’s superpowers, but is thematically appropriate. Wonder Woman and Beast are more about making an emotional impression than about telling us what the character’s superpowers are like. Depending on which themes might fit the character, something like [Unusual Modifier] [Ghost/Synonym for Ghost] might work.
Thanks, River. I would really like the defense aspect in the name, and that was a good one. I’ll add it to my list, but I can still add more. Any other suggestions? Anybody?
@ Red Rocket
Not a problem!
~
Now, I posted it once before but I’m still at a loss for their names, with the exception of Monroe, thanks to aharris, who is now Blink. But the rest of the characters are nameless. So, here’s their characters, with a little more about him, and hopefully someone can help me!
~
Brooklyn: an apathetic telekinetic with the ability to project his thoughts and to briefly control another’s actions–as long as he can make eye contact and he isn’t distracted. He’s brilliant, but he doesn’t ever share what is going on in his head–much to the annoyance of the others. He’s absolutely brutal with his observations, and tends to either make people angry when he speaks, or make them cry. He doesn’t do people well, and the only one who’s able to really stand up to him is the main character.
~
Jade: a chipper woman with the ability to lift anything up to the weight of a heavy truck(not a semi, though, an actual truck) and some healing abilities, though it takes time and energy to use that ability. She can come across as a bit annoying due to her perpetually happy demeanor, but she’s smart. She tends to bring in stray animals every which way–which was actually how she met Salem, funnily enough–and has to help when she can.
~
Salem: a shape shifter who can take on any form, human or animal, for the span of thirty minutes, before he needs to recharge. He’s quiet, but not because he’s shy–he just doesn’t see the point in saying more than he needs to say. When he does talk, though, people listen. He’s also mildly awkward around women, who always seem to find the need to mother him to the point of smothering him.
~
Donna: she has the ability to manipulate force fields, though it takes up energy, and can tap into a pocket space by opening up an inverted force field. Opening and closing it takes time and energy, but not as much as it used to. She’s fairly hot tempered, impossibly stubborn, and tends to fly off the handle at any insults made towards her. She also is a practical joker, and finds it vastly amusing to catch people in force fields when they’re in a hurry.
@ River
Figure I might be able to repay the favor. I’m still speculating about the others, but I thought a good name for Donna might be Barricade or Blockade (personally, I think Barricade sounds a bit more feminine). For Salem, how about Shadow, Mirror, or Mime? Stay tuned in case I have any other ideas.
@ Red Rocket
Oooooh!
I like Barricade, a lot. And I like the idea of Shadow for Salem. Thanks!
For my hero, he has the abilities to teleprot anywhere he can as long as he knows teh place or can visually see it whether by TV or photo. He also wears a suit which enhances his strength, duarbility, reflexes and intensity of his teleportation. WHAT I would like is any suggestions to the name for him. At the moment, his superhero name is Shift. Other names I have thought of have been Jumper, The Shifter and Shift-Man. Personally, I like Shift as it is but I would like your opinion as well.
@hotrod198… they made a movie about that premise not too long ago called “jumper” its the exact same ability. yes the suit part is different but the premise is still the same. i would try to make some changes before deciding on a name ATM
@ River
Not a problem!
@ehrich Yeah, I remember Jumper but really, the only thing similar to the movie is the fact he needs to see where he needs to teleport to, that’s all. The actual story is quite different from Jumper. I personally don’t think changes are needed but I’ll look over my notes and see if anything pops up.
@Hotrod198
I actually really like Shift, myself. Jumper makes me think of the movie, and The Shifter makes me think of a shape shifter, rather than a teleporter.
@B. McKenzie
I found this name… It is perfect for invisibility! It is “Miss Appear”
It means if you put it together, it means invisible!
@Secret Colors
Oh wow–that’s really creative. I like that.
Sorry to burst your bubble Secret Colors, Miss Appear is Sandy’s superhero name in SpongeBob. I don’t know if this means its copyrighted, but it’s definitely taken.
I have 3 heroes, that I have names for, but i want another opinion on them.
I have Mendeleev, who can take apart and reassemble matter. He got this power in a lab experiment, partly caused by cyberess. He has an elderly mother who he is very protective of, and didn’t want to be a superhero in case it endangered her.
Cyberess, who can talk to computers, and half of her brain is a computer. She can acces the internet through her headband that she wears. She is slightly socially awkward. Also, she got her powers because on nanobots released into her while her mom was pregnant with her. She is the daughter of software billionaires.
Legend, who can make you relive your memories, but he has to touch you, unless he is wearing his special helmet. He also is very strong, and fast, but not quite super strength (think captain america.) He is an orphan, because his dad was murdered, and his mom committed suicide, so his self confidence is kind of low. But he is a leader, and very likeable.
“Legend, who can make you relive your memories, but he has to touch you…” This superpower might be limited in utility. If you find that you’re having trouble giving him ways to contribute, I’d recommend giving him an additional psychic ability (perhaps telekinesis). I like the name, though.
I think Mendeleev is an interesting name, although I’d recommend changing the spelling slightly to Mendelev because I think English speakers could pronounce it more naturally.
I’m not a huge fan of the name “Cyberess,” in part because “ess” strikes me as sort of awkward here. Maybe “Cyberus?”
thanks. mendeleev is the name of the guy who invented the periodic table. cyber-whatever was the hardest to come up with a name for
I thought up Sentinel. How do you guys think that fits my character? (description above)
“Mendeleev is the name of the guy who invented the periodic table.” Yeah. I’ve also seen DM’s name romanized as Mendelev and (more rarely) Mendelyev and Mendeleef.
Keith Miller was a child when his mom died in a car accident and his dad had moved to New York City with him all was calm until He worked at his office until when he Became a super hero named Big 8 standing against justice alone when his dad died near home when a meteor hit its way toward Earth AND THEN THE SHOEPUNISHER KILLED ME
While it costs publishers and authors to defend against a lawsuit, it costs money to sue (even moreso when you have the fancy lawyers the big name companies keep around). They aren’t going to do it unnecessarily- especially if they know they won’t win. Many names cannot be trademarked that easily. They have to be distinctive. There’s a reason characters are named Magik (<– funky misspelling), Starfire (<–two words), Darkseid (<–double points!), and of course Magneto (<– completely made up).
Unusual, distinctive, and original sounding names are more easily trade marked. Real, everyday words as names is generally permissable even if someone has used it before as long as we're not talking A-list or B-list (a throwaway character that's been in 2-20 issues as in the example cited in a comment above should definitely be fine especially if the character hasn't been seen in decades). If your character concept and powers are especially different this becomes even less of an issue, possibly with even B-list generic-real-word-named celebrities.
A long time ago I was on this site and someone had created a hero named Static, but the guy's powers had nothing to do with electricity. I don't actually remember what powers he had but I believe it was either psychic or some sort of biological control… It was odd and unexpected. (B. Mac, if you happen to remember what the powers were and wanted to edit my comment to reflect the truth here, I'd appreciate it.) Even brands can have the same name with words like "Comet" without someone being sued if they're in different industries and have distinct logos.
Of course you could take a page out of their book and try their methods of ensuring originality. If you go this route, stick to combining two words (Burnout, Cyberburn) or making up or altering words with prefixes or suffixes (Hydrix – it's late and I'm done thinking. Besides you get the idea) or maybe even foreign words that are easily recognizable to your preferred audience.
Anyway, at the writing stage this really isn't worth stressing about. At the end of the day what's in a name? The publisher's legal department gets paid to be up on all that trademark/copyright nonsense. If there is a genuine risk of sue-age they will let you know the name needs to be changed. No one drops a good novel at that stage for something that can be fixed with Microsoft's "Replace All" function. Out of Sam, Dean, and John Winchester's names, only one of theirs is the one the creator originally chose.
Disclaimer: This should be taken as writing advice, not legal device. I am not a lawyer. I am familiar with how some of this stuff works due to online research, and was lucky enough to come accross on article on superhero names, copyrights/trademarks, and some of the general rules. And no, I have no idea where I found it. I can only be so helpful. XD
Sorry it's so long.
I’m so bad at these. I can make common names all day long.
The only codename that I am sort of proud of is the one I chose for my southern belle/party girl character with electric powers. I named her White Lightning after moonshine.
One I’m having a lot of trouble with is for my team leader character. Her powers are super strength, but she can’t fly or jump extremely high, so she’s not exactly The Flying Brick. Mostly she’s just extremely brave and dedicated (and has a personal backstory with a major villain).
Her real name is Natalia Sokolof, and she looks the kind of girl you’d expect to cry over a broken nail. Long blonde hair, brown eyes, young and fairly attractive. When I draw her, I look to pole vaulters and female wrestlers(actual wrestling, not WWE) for her physique.
I want her name to be based on her personality or an impression. She’s got an odd sense of justice. Most of the time, she can be kind of a Captain America. Do the right thing because it’s right, not for glory. However, with one specific villain (an ex-girlfriend and ex-team member) her emotions get in the way and she doesn’t make the best decisions. She also isn’t very good at determining how far she can push her team mates. She forgets their limits and can sometimes put them in danger.
Costume is black and leather. Think Pris from Blade Runner. May or may not have a red scarf. I’m torn. I think it would get in the way, but she would wear it as an alternative to a cape.
I messed up. The sentence “Out of Sam, Dean, and John Winchester’s names, only one of theirs is the one the creator originally chose” should probably say “Out of Sam, Dean, and John Winchester’s names in the hit show Supernatural, only one of theirs is the one the creator originally chose” for all those poor people who are not familiar with the show.
First, I definitely agree that potential legal issues with character names will not scare away prospective publishers, because names can be changed relatively easily. I think that’s the most important point here–too many authors panic when they’re writing a story and waste time worrying about potential lawsuits.
That said, I’d like to take issue with this: “While it costs publishers and authors to defend against a lawsuit, it costs money to sue (even moreso when you have the fancy lawyers the big name companies keep around). They aren’t going to do it unnecessarily-especially if they know they won’t win.” For example, Marvel and DC demanded that the name of Superhero Happy Hour be changed. According to SHH writer Dan Taylor: “The decision to change the title [to Hero Happy Hour] was brought upon by the fact that we received a letter from the trademark counsel to ‘the two big comic book companies’ claiming that they are the joint owners of the trademark ‘SUPER HEROES’ and variations thereof.” (Note that this only applies to titles, not in-story use of the word “superhero”).
If DC Comics and Marvel are willing to threaten legal action over the word “superhero” in titles, my uninformed and cynical opinion is that a lawsuit over a superhero name (say, Static) is not out of the question. That doesn’t mean you need to preemptively change the name, but don’t be stunned if your publisher asks you to change it. From your publisher’s perspective, the prospects of spending tens of thousands of dollars fighting a legal battle over the name of a relatively minor character might look so unappealing that it would change the name even if it were certain that it would win the lawsuit. Personally, I think it’d be unwise for a company to risk spending tens of thousands in legal expenses for a potential legal victory which would make virtually no impact in the bottom line. (Unless the author is a bestseller and/or sales projections are really high–then the calculation is different).
Ohhh dear. Static was mine. xDD He had powers that could wipe out peoples’ senses like hearing and sight, hence “static,” and some forcefield control. Regardless, if someone was to throw a fit over it I’d change it. Like some other commentors said, the name isn’t that important, it won’t change the overall plot or atmosphere of a series.
…if a name did change the entire plot I’d be a little concerned.
“…if a name did change the entire plot I’d be a little concerned.” I don’t think it’d change the plot, but I would be annoyed if my publisher asked me to change Agent Orange. Less annoyed than I probably would have been a year or two ago–I’ve been thinking about referring to the character mostly by his first name rather than his last/super name (a la Avengers) to give his dialogue a more natural feel.
Hi, I’m still having trouble with naming my character with the ability to manipulate metallic objects. I have the name Titan in place right now but I’m welcome to all suggestions because I feel like it could be MUCH better. He wears a silver metallic armor and a helmet. He is goal-driven, mischievious, serious, arrogant and stubborn.
I’d just like to say that number seven is kind of wrong. The idea of a superhero name is that it’s what the public knows you as. So if you were to keep your identity a secret, like Batman, Spider-Man, etc, the public would only know you for your powers. Personality wouldn’t matter. However, if your identity was known to the public (like in Fantastic Four) then the whole demeaning-superpower-based-name thing would come into play. So consider your character’s situation before you think of their name.
“I’d just like to say that number seven is kind of wrong. The idea of a superhero name is that it’s what the public knows you as. So if you were to keep your identity a secret, like Batman, Spider-Man, etc, the public would only know you for your powers.” If the character is developed well-enough to have something going on besides his superpowers, I think it’d be believable if the media* and/or hero* used a name centered on something besides the powers.
It doesn’t seem to have been an issue for Batman, Green Lantern, Wolverine, Captain America, Flash, Venom, Mystique, Carnage, Rorschach, the Punisher, the Question, the Comedian, probably Dr. Manhattan, Ozymandias, Wonder Woman, Mr. Incredible, probably Spider-Man, etc. Your character(s) show off distinctive personality traits (and maybe a thematically-fitting costume) in their first major appearance, right? That would probably give journalists enough room to come up with something thematic.
*In most of the superhero stories I’ve seen, the superhero’s name comes either from the media, the hero, or another protagonist (the team or a friend).
I have a pair of superpowered (mostly pyrokinesis with minor, difficult-to-use psychic abilities) twin brothers (one is a clear-cut hero and the other walks the line between anti-hero and anti-villain) whose superhero names are Kindling and Cremation. I chose Kindling for the heroic character because he is a protector, setting sticks alight to make something warm. Cremation, the morally grey character, is obsessed with showing off the true darkness that exists within others and bringing everyone down to the same, transparent, level–”ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Kindling is creation, Cremation is destruction. Do these names make sense?
Hey guys,
I haven’t been on the this site for awhile because of Uni but now I’m stuck on name for a hero who can fly and has the power of pyrokinesis.
I am really stuck. The best that I could come up with was Firebird.
Any help will be appreciated!
i think im going to give my matter manipulation character the name Khimik which means chemist in russian, and the character is, you guessed it, russian
Hi
I’m trying to name my superhero (obviously). I have a few requirements and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas?
1) Nobody actually knows anything about the superhero when they’re in superher form, therefore the name has to be unisex.
2)It has to be the sort of name a group of primary aged kids could come up with, but that also sounds impressive.
3)The real person is a female, called Alexa, who lives in a poor suburb and is in yr eleven at high school.
4)The superhero is generally a hand to hand combat fighter
5)The Superhero basically hunts down wrongdoers and punishes them
6) Alexa is smart, funny, shy and possibly has it a bit rough at home
Thanks
I’m trying to create my own superhero, but i’m struggling a little
@Tasha,
I’ve taught creative writing for some time, and one way I help my students generate ideas is to called putting in filters. The problem is not that we have no ideas, the problem is that we have too many choices, so if we can limit our choices we find it easier to create more specific ideas.
Try this. Eight simple choices:
Right or Left
Short or Tall
Outside or Inside
Hard or Soft
Wind, rain or sunshine
Up or Down
Give or Take
Fat or Thin
If you can’t choose, flip a coin. Choose as quickly as possible and try not to connect it to other ideas.
Now, take your eight choices and put them together. If something seems to obvious, find a different way to connect your choices. Right or left handed, for example, are very obvious, and not necessarily interesting, so find a way to connect them something else.
Does anyone know a good name idea for a superhero who can turn into water and such? Think Sandman, but without the sand and more of the water
Hydroman? Wait… already a Spiderman villain.
How about Cascade?
what do you think about Personar, sonar, sound powers and citizen saviour?
“I’ve taught creative writing for some time, and one way I help my students generate ideas is to called putting in filters. The problem is not that we have no ideas, the problem is that we have too many choices, so if we can limit our choices we find it easier to create more specific ideas.
Try this. Eight simple choices:
Right or Left
Short or Tall
Outside or Inside
Hard or Soft
Wind, rain or sunshine
Up or Down
Give or Take
Fat or Thin”
Hmm, very interesting. What do your students usually do with right/left besides right-brained/left-brained or conservative/liberal?
Hmm.
In the hero/scifi fiction I’m writing none of the characters, powered or otherwise, use any sort of code name. And with the exception of a *single* instance of mask-wearing (in fact only referrenced by another character rather than “shown” in-story) there are no costumes either.
Not because I think anything less of those components or don’t enjoy them in other stories/comics I read, but because they don’t necessarily fit with the atmosphere/feeling of what I’m writing.
I suppose my point is that not all heroes (or villains) need to be code-named in order to be, well, super. And that the writer should decide if it’s in-line with the feel of their work first before wrapping around the axle over what to name who.
Y’dig?
“Hmm, very interesting. What do your students usually do with right/left besides right-brained/left-brained or conservative/liberal?”
I change the choices every time, so I can’t remember if I’ve used that before, but there are all sorts of ways to interpret it. It’s a technique I stole from improv theatre where you have to justify anything people throw at you. The mind is adept at incorporating all sorts of things if you let it.
Just brainstorming ideas here – limps with left / right leg, a scar on one side of the face, got his/her powers when they went through the left door instead of the right door, doesn’t come from the US because s/he’s used to driving on the left side of the road (or vice versa if you’re in another country), suffers from a compulsion to only walk on the left /right hand side of the footpath, works for a delivery company that insists it’s drivers only take right hand turns, wears a ring on the left hand – hence married, an ear-ring in the left / right ear (at one point I remember schoolyard rules that wearing an earring in the right ear was a sign of ones sexual preference, a stupid as that is)…
And because there are no rules, you can play with homonyms – always thinks s/he’s right, left something important behind, insists on being right on time every time, always feels left out…
The idea is not to impose rules – the writer is still free to change anything as s/he pleases – but to kickstart the process. I’ve seen it create some interesting ideas: a student who had the words ‘silent’ and ‘angry’ created a serial killer who would sew his victims’ lips together (he insisted it was based on me); a student who got muscular and fat created an ex-athlete who had ‘let himself go’…
“an ear-ring in the left / right ear (at one point I remember schoolyard rules that wearing an earring in the right ear was a sign of ones sexual preference, a stupid as that is)…” In one of my journalism classes, we were told to be VERY careful about digitally rotating photographs–one litigant successfully sued a newspaper because the paper flipped a photograph, which unwittingly called his sexuality into question and thereby caused demonstrable damage to his reputation.
For me, here are some tools I’ve used:
My husband is an RPG gaming junkie and a comic book junkie. So we have tons of that stuff around the house with lots of random role tables. I roll and jot notes until something clicks. I also have an old tarot card deck with a book that has lots of really general notes, and I do the same thing – flip and jot notes until something clicks. I also never throw out my old notes (yes, lots of binders, folders and notebooks on shelves). So, I can go and dig out old sets of notes from back as far as high school and college and maybe dig out some old snippet that now suddenly clicks with something new I just came up with yesterday.
@Tasha
It takes a while to build up a base of ideas and takes discipline, but if you just go prepared to write down neat ideas as you have them rather than trying to always come up with them on command, it takes a little of the stress and pressure off of you when you do sit down to really work.
Actually, B.Mac, this is something I might be able to write up for your site, if you’re interested. There are a couple of tricks I stole from theater and improv that I use to help flesh out characters and stories if I’m ever stuck. Would you be interested if I sent you an article proposal on these?
I’d definitely be interested.
to Youngauthor: If you have not already decided on a name for the Titan hero, i recommend Titanium Titan.
i’m trying to write a superhero story but i think my names are incredibly cliché. help plz?
so I have five main characters:
1. she shoots white lasers from her hands, has wings and a wears white. She’s sweet, kind, beautiful and loves animals as well as shopping and self manicures. So far, her pseudonym is Angel and real name Jenny Gabriel
2. he reads minds, and controls the shadows as well as being able to put people to sleep, send them spiralling into darkness, basically play on their weaknesses when he gets inside their head. He’s quiet and artistic and yes, kind of creepy. Real name: Carter Hayes, pseudonym: Sleep Stalker.
3. he has ice powers. he’s kind of a snob and the leader of the heroes and extremely rich. real name: Chet Ashton, pseudonym: Frostbite
4. he is a cyborg and rides a motor bike. He’s charming and pretty much every girl on the planet has a crush on him. He loves music and writes lyrics which he sings himself in his band. Real name: Blake Ryder, pseudonym: Heavy Metal
5. she is the latest addition to the team and at first she really doesn’t want to join. She controls the wind and can levitate herself and other things/people as well as take the air out of someone’s lungs or pump more in there. she get’s motion sickness and is a little bit of a pushover but has a temper. real name: Melody Diadem. Pseudonym: Swift.
can anyone think of some less cliché pseudonyms? plz?
Hmmm….
1. Angel is decent for this one. I would keep it, its not too cliche IMO.
2. Hmm how about… Nightmare? Eclipse? Night Shadow?
3. Frostbite was actually a character I had created before xD I personally like Frostbite, especially if he has that snobby attitude. Personally, I’d keep Frostbite. But, if youwant more suggestions, then…. Subzero? Arctic Knight?
4. What actual powers does he have? Advanced Strength? Speed? High intelligence? Either way, Heavy Metal would be alright, unless his powers are something else. I don’t really have any suggestions here.
5. I like the idea she gets motion sickness yet she can levitate. That’s a very good thing which can limit her power usage. Anways, maybe Tempest? Typhoon? Gust? Swift isn’t a bad name either though IMO.
1. I would recommend changing Angel’s name (because it has already been used so many times) and, more importantly, her personality.
2. I like Eclipse and Nightmare, although Nightmare itself might be too generic. I think Dusk and Fen cover the same ground but are a bit less common.
3. Naming the rich guy Chet Ashton strikes me as too on-the-nose. I’d recommend something a bit more subtle. For last names, I think Ellis/Ellison and Davenport and Arlington would work. Maybe Mandeville if you’re into something more exotic. For first names, maybe something like Edgar or Arthur.
4. A biker named Ryder… this could probably be more subtle. For example, could I recommend something equestrian like Knight instead?
5. Diadem strikes me as really unusual. I’m having trouble envisioning it as an actual name. Crown might work better. As for Swift, it feels pretty generic–given her personality, I’d recommend going with something based on storms. Perhaps Tempest.
My character has mirror related powers, so would the name “Tcelfer” (as in Reflect backwards) work? Or does the way it’s spelt make it hard to pronounce?
I feel like it would be very hard to pronounce. One possibility would be some sort of palindromic name? (It’s the same if the letters are mirrored). For example, Otto or Renner.
What about Lucent, celfer?
It would be the super hero name…. Aaand she’s female, but I get your point
Lucent?
@ Hotrod198
thanks, I really love Nightmare (how the heck did I skip that and find Sleep Stalker first?!?) and Eclipse, i think a short name would be better given his personality. I also love Tempest, it’s just… perfect!
i think i’ll keep Frostbite and Heavy Metal, thank you again
@B. McKenzie
Yeah, I guess Angel isn’t exactly an original name ^-^” I’m definitely gonna chance that but I can’t change her personality cuz she is half angel and well, I like my angels to be angelic…
Ooh, Dusk is a pretty interesting name too but I kind of already have a girl called Dusk. But I love Fen… hm… Fen or Eclipse?!? so hard to choose…
I think I will change Chet’s last name, it does sound a bit… meh… I quite like Ellison, thanks
Knight, yes, just… yes! XD
Ok, i will change Melody’s last name and yeah, I’m going with Tempest c:
thank you both for the help, I really needed it -.-”!
is Celestiana an ok name instead of Angel?
@Lydian – Celestiana certainly carries the meaning, but the suffix sounds a little forced. What about just Celeste? I did a search and it doesn’t seem to have been overused
I think Celeste, Celes, or Celestial would probably sound more natural in conversation.
“She’s sweet, kind, beautiful and loves animals”
Lydian, I agree that there doesn’t seem to be anything strikingly fresh or original about Jenny’s personality. Angels could be sweet and loving, but we’ve already seen that. Conversely, they can also be very just or rigidly moral. Maybe she loves animals and/or people so much she would be willing to die for them? Kill for them? Maybe she could be controlling because she doesn’t want her comrades to put themselves in danger positions. Perhaps she’s naive and give her trust to easily? I’d recommend giving her a flaw that would make her more dynamic. Additionally, I’d suggest switching sweet or kind to something that’s not so similar and drop beautiful altogether.
Hey C_C_S,
I don’t really have any suggestions for names offhand. However, I do have a tip that I like to use when naming superheroes. Remember that a hero can be named after their persona and/or mode of operation as well as their powers. For example, the name Batman tells you more about his methods that his abilities. He’s cunning and stealthy with a knack for intimidation. My character has enhanced physicality but is also a maverick when in costume. Therefore, I chose Volition to cover both his powers and an aspect of his super persona.
Maybe you could try working her character into her name.
@Edgukator- I guess your right, the suffix is kinda forced… but I have a friend called Celeste and well… I dunno, it would feel kind of strange… like calling a hero Skye because it’s an alternate spelling of sky… dunno if that makes sense to u but anyway, thank you
@B. McKenzie – as said above, I’m probably not gonna use Celeste and Celestial was the word I was trying to change but Celes is interesting… what about just Celestia? thank you again
@Ragged Boy – haha, too true. what if i made her very violent? (e.g. she loves to blow stuff up in battle)
Um, you could probably do that but that may make it difficult to make her likable. Also, I don’t think that would give her team a positive reception from the public. Unless this is what is intended. Haha. Maybe something more subtle that can make her dynamic without getting extreme. Maybe she can be ruthless or unforgiving to people that cross her or her friends?
Hi,
We’re writing a graphic novel where the story is based on a superhero battling with environmental issues. We’ve been having trouble creating a name for him the main character as we would like to get away from “The Green Man” as the word green is quite cliched. It begins with a council meeting headed by mother nature with significant creatures from the forest representing its wildlife, endangered species and surrounding environment like the pawi, the ocelot and Papa Bois. They present different heirlooms representing different qualities of strength, wisdom, determination and fearlessness, which were used in creating the green man. The items are all placed on the table and and Mother Nature calls him into existence issuing his role and bestowing his name. In essence Mother Nature says: “Your name is Green man. You have been bestowed with the powers to save this polluted earth. You know what needs to be done. Time will reveal all things to you. Go now, the earth is in desperate need of your help!” He learns of his powers over time having the ability to manipulate the elements, appear and disappear to different locations in times of emergency, communicate with both humans and animals educating and correcting the public on environmental issues. His character is known and there is no hidden identity, only one portrayal. He is humble, approachable, clever yet able to be authoritative when justice calls adapting a bigger, stronger, appearance when fighting and smaller appearance when not in fight-mode. He will sacrifice everything for the good of the environment.
Any name suggestions that do NOT include the words eco, green or man would be hightly appreciated
Thanks in advance.
The EcoGreen Man!!!
Just kidding…how bout something along the lines of Rejuvenation? Or that might be too long for you :/
I suppose you could do something related to life, light, earth, or a prefix/suffix related to one of those (e.g. bio/vit, luc/lux/phot, terr/geo, etc).
Hey I need a superhero name for my character he can leap through Space and time, create portals and can use space as a weapon. He is a nerdy teenager who nobody likes until he was hit with a ray in a museum and his DNA mutated. He doesn’t take things seriously. Can you help me?
@ Green Man – Like the concept, and “The Green Man” figure has a long mythological history (which you may or may not know). I say this because the mythical aspect may be your answer here. Frey from Norse mythology is connected to the myth, as is Puck from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. There’s also a Roman God Sylvanus you may want to look into.
@ Gorgon – I hear this and immediately thought of Slipstream with regards to his powers, but the word “slip” jumps out at me for his personality as well. The kind of guy who tries to slip away unnoticed, perhaps?
I have a character in desperate need of a good name. Pretty much he’s a young vigilantie in high school with no powers at all. He lives in Chicago and is part of a middle class family. His origin story was that his dad’s business was going under and he posed as a “Hero” who was really just an illegal bounty hunter who caught crooks for cash. The motive to do so came from him believing that his father was going to commit suicide.
Although he started as a bounty hunter, he later became a vigilantie after his father was admitted into psychiatric care. His mask has a six sided shape on it, that looks a bit like a diamond. This was also the logo to his father’s failed company. The mask is Rorschach-esque except with holes for the eyes and the mask is black while the shape is red. His costume is a black coat over a blood red shirt, and with black and white striped pants. He also wears a beanie hat (when he plans on fighting) and a classy D’orsay (yes, i did get that from google) when he just plans on talking.
He also has a little communications beed in his ear so he can talk to his friend, who helps him on most of his jobs/adventures. Although it is a bit of a cliche, I am careful not to make him a tech geek that can build anything.
My hero also has a couple utilities stashed in the inside of his coat. Eggs filled with glass, a deodorant can and duct tape. He may have more, but I need a name for him first.
Hey thanks for the advice. I also need a name and personality for my new superhero. He can run at supersonic speeds, create sonic booms and tornados and can run up walls and across water but I’m having trouble coming up with it. If you can, please tell me.
@YellowJuju – I actually considered that but I find that its more laid back I can’t really see people yelling “Rejuvenation we need you!”. I think it suits a more serene persona. What do you think?
@B. McKenzie – Cool ideas
Brainstorming with them.
@Edgukator – I love the mythical references. Hadn’t considered that at all. Would create nice symbolism and I love double meaning and below the surface characters. However the age group we are dealing with might not be able to get the referencing. Awesome idea though.
So far we’ve come up with Earth Avenger, Sergeant Sustaino, Invigore (from invigorate) and The Incredible Sustaino.
What do you guys think? Thanks a lot for the input btw
@Green Man
I get what you mean. Maybe Rejuvenator?
@YellowJuju – Yep we’re on the same brain wave. lol. What do you think about the others?
Out of those, I like Invigore the most. Earth Avenger the least.
Any name ideas for a scientist whose powers are suspension of pain? All I came up with is Painless, so far. He hates not planning things out but his biggest problem is being mortally wounded and not realising it (‘Nick. Nick! You’re on fire!’ ‘Oh.’) Also, do you think he needs another power?
Hmmmm maybe… Adrenaline? Morphine? Spur? Not sure really….
Well he probably would not need another power. However, if you plan on making him fight, you may want him to have at least some sort of weapon so he can do damage. For example, giving him a sword could be good, or maybe even a gun with different modifications.
I like that your character’s powers have a natural limitation and can easily be an advantage and disadvantage. Does he not feel pain at all or can he choose when to block it out? That said depending on the type of science he does he could use that as his equipment. I don’t really know much about the setting of your story so it’s hard to decide if he needs more powers. Do other people have powers in the story? How strong are they?
@ Hotrod198: I don’t really want to give him a sword since it seems decidedly old-fashioned considering that he’s a scientist, and I’m not sure about a gun. It seems hard to portray in battle for me.
@ Ragged Boy:It’s a superhero team novel and everyone else has some sort of offensive power; electromagnetism control, ice and snow, super strength, sonic beams, etc. He doesn’t feel pain at all.
Ah. Well you could have him be a well-trained, non-super and equip him with science. That has a lot of potential for interesting scene work. Or if you’d like you could give him some generic abilities so that he can keep up i.e. increased endurance and reflexes. What type of power do you think he would suit his role?
Hey guys. I am creating an anime/manga in which a group of mutants are abandoned by their mother and forced to fight other mutants to the death. To get out of this, they go to search for their mom. Along the way, they fight crime. I need a hero name for the MC. His real name is Ty Starwind. He has electric blue hair and purple eyes. His skin is pale and he has pointed ears. He is feirce, protective, reckless, paranoid, loyal, and a vegan. This is because he can communicate with and morph into animals.
Hmmm going to list out a few names that might work Scarlett. Hope this helps. Just one question, how can you be both reckless and paranoid?
Hydra, Ruse, Romulus/Remus, Lychan, some animal name, Doolittle, Morph, Changeling… I’m out… not as many as I’d hoped.
I love them all! So hard to choose! Also, by paranoid I mean he dosen’t really trust anyoe because of the spies sent to bring him back to the areana. And by reckless I mean that he readily jumps into fight without thinking of the consequences.
Well i am making a normal hero with no powers… like kick-ass!!! I don’t know what to name it.I thought i’d name it battle star but it didn’t match the costume at all. the costume is purple and red like the colors in magneto’s costume
What Weapon does he use? What is his personality? What are his goals and motivations? I need to know more about him in order to sugest a fitting name.
You could also change the colors of his costume to like yellow and blue or red and orange
@ Ragged Boy: I’m not quite sure what power would fit his personality…do you think being able to control metal as opposed to magnetism would be too stupid? (there’s already an electromagnetic controller, so)
I’ve made 2 new superheroes: Dart Frog and Fire Mine. Dart Frog has venomous claws, long sticky tongue, wall-climbing, acidic touch, ultimate leap and is semi-aquatic. Fire Mine can throw explosive fire balls, has pyrokinesis and is immune to fire and radioactivity. What do you think about these? Are they good?
Actually, can you think of a better name for Fire Mine? His personality is casual; he doesn’t really give a damn if the world is going to end and he invents fun ways to beat villains.
Firestorm?Heat Ray? Pyro? Hothead? Firestrike? Flare? Sunspot? Volcanic? those are the names that come off the top of my head
I like Flare because it seems to fit with the inventive side of him.
What do you think about Dart Frog? He is basically Toad but is a lot cooler .
I’d recommend working more on DF’s personality, Gorgon. Please see 7.1 above.
I have a demon Hero, Adrian Kane, who can control the elements. He is arrogant, athletic, Vain, and dedicated. He prefers to solve problems with his fists, not his words. What would be a good superhero name for him?
Something latin maybe??? Elementi? Elementor? Controllist? this is hard hahha I can’t think of anything good, sorry
I’d lean more towards a name that suggests his conceited nature than his powers. The character’s personality and motivations should never take backseat to his/her superpowers. B. Mac can correct me if I’m wrong.
With that being said, as far as names go, maybe something like Hubris, Show-off, or Braggart?
I’m working on a superhero team and am fairly happy with all of my character’s codenames except one:
He’s the protege of a scientist who developed equipment that gives the wearer ESP. The scientist was killed and the protege uses this equipment to solve crimes. As the scientist previously wore the suit, he is also capable of speaking to the scientist’s “ghost”; a sort of psychic copy of the scientist’s mind. Personality-wise, this guy is very cool, efficient and focused on his work. He’s the smartest member of the team and sort of casually aware of this without being arrogant.
I’d like to avoid using the suffix “-Man” and have been trying to incorporate “Psi” or “psionic” into the alias.
“I’d lean more towards a name that suggests his conceited nature than his powers. The character’s personality and motivations should never take backseat to his/her superpowers. B. Mac can correct me if I’m wrong.” I like the idea of going with something more driven by personality (or perhaps something with an emotional impact applicable to the story), but I think a name based on ego might raise red flags about likability. If a character were egotistical because he were brilliant, I think it might be preferable to give him a name which suggests brilliance over one which suggests ego. (Or perhaps a name which is pretentious and somehow related to brilliance, like Luminaire, but not so out there that he’s been set up as unlikable).
“I’d lean more towards a name that suggests his conceited nature than his powers. The character’s personality and motivations should never take backseat to his/her superpowers. B. Mac can correct me if I’m wrong.
With that being said, as far as names go, maybe something like Hubris, Show-off, or Braggart?”
I agree with this competely. Well for the most part.
With that being said, as far as names go, maybe something like Hubris, Show-off, or Braggart?”
but this? One shouldn’t go this far to incorparate personality into a code name. no offense but this made me laugh
“One shouldn’t go this far to incorparate personality into a code name.” I love the idea of incorporating personality, but I’d recommend doing it in a more subtle way. E.g. Rorschach is crazy and unpredictable. Tempest has a more wild and angry vibe than, say, Gale or perhaps Storm would. Havoc, Wolverine, and the Martian Manhunter do a pretty good job establishing what the characters are like without compromising their seriousness or likability. In contrast, my concern with Hubris/Showoff/Braggart is that they tell too much and imply too little. I think RB’s “Showtime” is a much smoother example of a name which implies/suggests that the character is a gloryhound but doesn’t force it. Additionally, “Showtime” doesn’t reduce the character to a negative personality trait–reducing a character to his ego is probably not the best way to help readers take him seriously.
“In contrast, my concern with Hubris/Showoff/Braggart are that they tell too much and imply too little.” Yeah, I’m TERRIBLE at coming up with names. My process of creating names consists of searching thesaurus.com and finding synonyms for certain words. Which is probably why a lot of my character’s names are too vague or too straightforward/gimmicky.
Subtle is not my middle name.
“Yeah, I’m TERRIBLE at coming up with names. My process of creating names consists of searching thesaurus.com and finding synonyms for certain words.” Ah, that’s okay. I also struggle with names.
Would the name Wayfarer work for a character with an easygoing, compassionate, exuberant, but flighty personality?
We all struggle with names. Thats why we come here
@scarlett: I would definitely go with a name that focuses on your character’s demonic nature. Something that references Hell or some similar domain. (Niflheim, Tartarus, pretty much every ancient religion has one.) Maybe something like The Tartarian. Or if they’re arrogant and vain, then maybe they’d have a grandiose name with the suffix “-Man” or “Lord” or something similar. Something like Elemental Lord.
@Emily M.: Wayfarer brings to mind a wiser, gentler character – someone who has travelled far and seen much. I’d suggest names but without your character’s background or powers, I don’t think I’d be much help. That said, an exuberant and flighty character would be suggested by a shorter name, maybe with one or two syllables. It needs to be more dynamic.
I need a name for another character in my book. His real name is Sam Kane. He has very limited powers, but they are as follows:
Shorting out electronics.
Creating a protective field of electricity around himself.
superspeed
fires electricty from his hands.
Personality:
loud
reckless
prankster
creative
wisecracker (Like Spiderman)
Walks the fine line between good and evil.
I was thinking something like outburst, but if you have any other sugestions, feel free to share.
Maybe if I replaced Superspeed woth underwater breathing, I could call him Eel.
“Maybe if I replaced Superspeed woth underwater breathing, I could call him Eel.”
I really like the power combination of electricity and water.
However, if you gave him electricity-based powers, you run the risk of short-circuiting if water touches him. It’s a dangerous combination, but for some reason it’s intriguing.
This is sooo confusing my superhero has three powers and they all tie in together but i need a name for her!!!!! i need to what a good name is for: shape shifter, Reads minds, can walk through anything!!!
never mind got a name it is……… not telling dont want it stolen!!!!
I have a superhero with the power of invisibility,ice powers and super strength.What do I name him:›
I’d recommend reading the article, Kara. Thanks.
What should I name a superhero that has no actual super powers, but he is a boxer that fights crime at night?
The Fist(s) of Justice, The Midnigt Vigilante, The Vigilante of (insert city name), The Gloved Avenger, Strong, Clash, Scrapper, Wrangler (basically synonym’s of fight), The Rage of (insert city name), The Retaliator, etc.
Thanks! Wrangler sounds really good because he is from Austin, Texas.
So I need a good name for this anti-hero. She is a teenage girl who is descended from Pandora who in my world is the daughter of the devil. Her ancestry includes murderers rapists and assassins but her mother for some reason managed to partially fight her inner devil(mom has bipolar disorder) and her father is a man descended from the angels. She can fly around but with no wing. Can make any weapon out of fire, and can control fire. I don’t want her costume to be too over the top so can i have a suggestion for costumes? For name i was thinking Styx or Pandora(evil women from greek mythology) but those are already taken. Anybody have any other ideas? Also do you like the character
Your anti-hero could wear a black trenchcoat over black pants (possibly jeans) and a dark red shirt (long sleeved). On the back of the trenchcoat could be symbol related to her name, perhaps. As for the names, I could only come up with a few. The Woman was one. Simplistic. The Lady Fire. Madame (city name). Miss Vesuvian/Vesuvius. (Vesuvian fire was difficult to put out.) Difficult character to name, but yes, she sounds like-worthy.
Question of my own: I have a character with the freezing ability. You know – ice creation, freezing things, ice spikes…the like. He has a sort of arrogant attitude, he isn’t happy with the idea of somebody over him (he thinks he’s too powerful), and he’s too quick to resort to violence. As well, his ability forces the city and surrounding areas 20 degrees below its normal temp. I wanted something more original than “frost” or “freeze guy”, but came up blank. Outfit ideas would be very much appreciated too!
@Dr. Vo Spader
wow!
Ice and Arrogance! Pretty much like Sub-zero(one of my favs from mortal kombat)~
“As well, his ability forces the city and surrounding areas 20 degrees below its normal temp…” Thats pretty COOl! But how does that work?
Well my suggs on names:
)
*Blizzard
*Icicle /Icicle-man
*Frozen
*Freeze
*Snow-leopard(
*Polar
*SnowFlake
*IceWarrior
*Arctic Man
*Iceberg
*ZeroDegree
*Blue Death
*DeathFreeze
*Blue Flame
etc…
*
About the costume:
What About Blue with White?
Ice gloves and Ice Boots !With a Blue Skull as an Insignia!
Hair can be blue!
Watcha think?
Hope it helped!
^_^
how about freezing point or Celcius or something like that. Sounds cold to me. How about WindChill?
or how about glacier(i got that name at my school for wearing a thick hoodie in 100+ weather lol)
I like Glacier~ ^_^
Glacier is good! I also like polar and using the word chill…may combine some words. Also liked the blue skull idea, which would work well for his group. Thanks for the suggestions!
haker. he gets ino computer with his mind
by the way if i read a comic and see a character wth tat name and power i will hunt down the writer
Sorry, Talia, but Image’s Michael Talbot got there first… in 1993.
O.k, so I am working on a anti-hero type character. A series of events led him to be a depressing, dark, and pretty much suicidal character. He is quick to anger and very borderline. I would like to figure out a name that would probably fit but does not sound to cheesy since this is a dark character and story. Profile about Him:
Name: Ethan White
Age: Somewhere around 16-17 though that may change because of the difficulty of writing a school scenario for me at least.
Powers: If he has any it would be pretty much just increased strength, reflexes, sight , etc. pretty much like a super soldier which is how he got the powers anyway.
Origins: At a young age his real parents were killed and he was kidnapped and taken by a secret group who are trying to create and army. The event was so traumatic that he erased it from his mind. This made it easier for the group to plant fake memories into his brain. He was one of the first subjects to live through the experimentation and training. Basically someone who plays an important part in Ethan being who he is now grew sympathetic and took Ethan and deserted the group.
That is about it. So can you see where I am going with this? I would like a dark and gritty character and I want to ground it in as much realism as possible though as you can see a few sci-fi elements in it. The story is still very much in the early stages but I hope to make it a well developed story. Anything will help.
Hello everyone. I am new here.
I am writing a superhero novel in which i have named the hero as ‘Human’ as he is just a normal human being and does not have any superpower. He has high intelligence and mastery over many fighting styles ( kung fu, karate, boxing etc.). The name also represents the humanity which is decreasing in people.
Is it sounding okay? If not please suggest something.
I have an antihero who has superstrength, agility, and teleportation. He can also fire phsycic energy blasts from his hands. He is effeminate, reckless, and a jokester. He gets his powers from a magical ring. So, my question is: What is a better superhero name for this character: Blink, or Wisp?
@Agni:
“I am writing a superhero novel in which i have named the hero as ‘Human’ as he is just a normal human being and does not have any superpower…”
#I dont find ‘Human’ all that super-heroic…
Why would anyone go around calling himself ‘Human’ ,in a world full of Humans?
(Titling the STORY ‘Human’…may seem meaningful….)
@SuperZero:
“What is a better superhero name for this character: Blink, or Wisp?”
*For a teleporter…a quirky name(according to me) would be some word related to the way he/she teleports:
For example:
*Teleporters who teleport in a smoke-like way(example:NightCrawler) Maybe naming it Shadow or Smoke may sound suitable.
*If your character disintegrates,then: Wisp
*Or without any-effect:Blink
^_^ hope it helps…
“Why would anyone go around calling himself ‘Human’ ,in a world full of Humans?” Agreed… I think there are ordinary names which would convey this more effectively. In The Taxman Must Die, I tentatively have the media dubbing a vigilante The Guy Next Door (shortened to ‘GND,’ Guy or Gander in conversation).
I’m having a tough time coming up with a name for the robotic hero in my book. It has no real super powers (think Batman) and no personality (it’s just a machine). People in the story think that the hero is human, so robot-esque names aren’t an option. I didn’t want a real distinct costume on it (just a hoodie and some pants put on the robot). I would love ANY name suggestions, or any suggestions for that matter. Thanks!
If the robot is attempting to appear human, I’d recommend a regular first name and a somewhat distinct last name* or a regular first name and a regular surname. His costume is a hooded sweatshirt and pants, so I’m not sure a conventional superhero name would fit the character and its situation.
*E.g. Hale. Did you catch the HAL reference? (If another character suspects that he intentionally chose the name because of 2001: A Space Odyssey, he could protest that Hale was the name of a Revolutionary War martyr).
Thanks Dragondevil and B. McKenzie. Another name I am thinking is ‘Blaze’. He does not have any superpower related to fire. It is just symbolic representation of the fire burning inside the hearts of people against crime. How is it? Is there any superhero named ‘Blaze’ already?
I’m trying to write a comic but I can’t seem to come up with a good name. Her name in real life is Scarlett Jones. She is absolutely invincible except for when she falls in love. She also has any power that she can think of. I can’t decide of she will have red or brown hair but her costume is green. She is also very beautiful. For some reason, when I think of her I think of snakes. She has a goal of meking the world a better place, but the what she wants more that anything is fall in love woth someone who will love her unconditionally and not just for her looks. She wants someone who won’t hit on her the first time that he meets her. Please help.
Cassie, your character is way too overpowered and generally Mary-sue like. I would definatley limit her and flesh out her personality more. Give her flaws.
Cassie, I’d recommend going back to the drawing board on the character’s power setup. “Absolutely invincible except [CONDITION]…” will likely lead to a lot of very uninteresting fights–see Superman beating up on random thugs, for example. Without any challenge, the fights probably won’t be very suspenseful. Additionally, I think tying her superpowers into her romantic situation so explicitly will feel very heavy-handed. I’d recommend checking out Hunger Games for an example where romance influenced the plot/action in a much more natural way.
“She has a goal of making the world a better place, but what she wants more that anything is to fall in love with someone who will love her unconditionally and not just for her looks.” These are both sort of generic–generally I’d recommend giving characters goals which are more distinct from what other characters in other stories have. However, the two goals here MIGHT be interesting if there were substantial conflict between the two. For example, what if the only person she’s ever met that loves her unconditionally were a supervillain or somebody else definitely not making the world a better place?
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“I can’t decide if she will have red or brown hair.” I wouldn’t recommend spending more than 10 seconds on this. Get out a coin.
…
I’d second Agni’s concerns about the character’s personality. What are some things she’d do that 90%+ of superheroes wouldn’t do? Does she ever do anything remotely objectionable? (If not, I suspect she probably won’t feel very three-dimensional).
On my last post I forgot to mention that my character is obsessed with innocence and purity and good. It pretty much is the only thing that keeps him sane enough to move on and not commit suicide.
Sorry I didnkt give that much description. She doesn’t have any memory of her life before she came to our planet. What I mean by love is in her point of view, you can love anyone. She gets too clingy and it interferes with her helping people. She is terrible at controlling her temper and will take out her anger on almost anyone around her. She has a strange connection with all types of animals. She feels safe with them. She despises humans because of the way they treat eachother and the planet. Her “weakness” when she thinks that she loves someone is that she thinks she Is worth nothing and her powers won’t work at all. It’s not really a romance comic but that is a detail that I think plays a pretty important role in this character’s personality and why she acts the way that she does
I reread my first comment and it did seem like I wanted focus the story line on the romance, although I really wasn’t. That is the one thing that I actually don’t want to do. I actually like the idea of her finding the perfect guy and then having them both realize that they are on opposite sides. But, I also don’t really want to focus on that because even I think that it would be kind of boring to make/read a comic about a superhero in love with a super villain. They always end up the same, unless I changed it
. I wanted her to be very powerful because in the story line, she has so much power that she doesn’t know how to deal with it. Her real weakness is her own mind. This “love” thing is basically just eating away at her self-esteem, causing her powers to first bubble up and go out of control, and then she would just lose them all together until she pulls herself back together. Basically, she is an unstable power source that could be both extremely beneficial, or extremely harmful to the people. Also, i was really wondering about her hair not just for how it looks ( that would just be dumb and a waste of time), what I really want is for the color to say something about her personality. I think that I am going to go with red.
“She doesn’t have any memory of her life before she came to our planet.” Hmm. Making her a nonhuman would likely limit audience interest in her love-life. It sounds like she’s more or less human in most every way, unless I’m missing something (e.g. besides her superpowers, is there anything unusual about how she thinks or acts that would obviously make this character come across as not human?). Her disconnect with humans over how they treat the environment might be enough there.
…
If the main reason she needs to be an alien is to explain where her superpowers come from, I’d recommend making her a human and working in some other origin story. (E.g. I think a Poison Ivy-style setup–a human environmentalist–might be more cost-effective and more conducive to maintaining interest in any romances involving the character).
@B. McKenzie.
You did not reply my post. Help me. I am searching for a name for my hero. Its difficult to name a superhero which does not have any superpower.
I have a superhero who has just gone through a re-imagining, and she’s trying to craft a heroic identity for herself, so she can distance herself from a real name that has lots of baggage tied to it when she is performing heroics. Her given name is Angel, and she’s a psychic. Previously, she got involved with some pretty seedy groups, and has been associated with acts of terrorism and ‘super-villainy,’ but had been trying to change her life before being badly injured and inflicted with amnesia. She remembers almost nothing of her life prior to waking up in a smoking crater.
She can be impulsive at times, but always tries to do the right thing. The main manifestations of her powers are telekinetic swords formed of pure mental energy, and a healing factor that allows her to recover from even grievous wounds. She’s mind over matter personified. I’ve been wanting to mess around with something prefixed by Psy-, but I can’t think of anything particularly good. Someone suggested Psyren, but that doesn’t really speak to her traits, since she doesn’t do much luring, and uses her powers more to enhance and manipulate physical things, rather than minds.
‘Amnesia’ also crossed my mind, but it has a similar problem as Psyren where it doesn’t really represent what she does, only her state of being.
Someone has asked for names for superfast characters. How about ‘Cheetah’ or ‘Photon’. Cheetah is the fastest animal and photon is a elementary particle moving with the speed of light.
@Agni:
I agree its difficult to name a non-powered hero,but maybe I can help you out if you give me a brief origin story of the character.
#Example : Punisher is a non-powered hero whose main role is revenge.So,i think the name suits him and It also tells about his goals (killing /mass murdering Villains)
Okay. I am giving a brief description of my hero. My hero is a 20 year old boy. He is very intelligent and studies mechanical engineering. He is a serious person due to a horrible incident of his childhood which still haunts him. At the same time he is very kind and helpful and very popular among his friends. He hates crimes and criminals. But he never thinks of becoming a crime fighter. But once circumstances lead him to be a masked crime fighter, he never looks back. He does not have any superpower. He uses his mastery over different fighting style and some simple devices made by himself using his engineering knowledge. I want to make the character a bit dark. So the name should be thematic. Right now i am thinking the name as ‘Blaze’ as it represents the fire burning inside people’s hearts against crime.
“Right now i am thinking the name as ‘Blaze’ as it represents the fire burning inside people’s hearts against crime.” Initial impression: the reasoning behind his name sounds sort of flamboyantly poetic. Does it actually fit the character, an engineer?
I think Blaze was used b Human torch as one of his aliases(I am not sure),but even if not,I think it could be misleading.
Are you giving it an Indian setting?
Yeah. I am giving Indian setting. Please suggest some names.
Ok~If your story has an Indian setting then I dont see why you should not go with Hindi names….
Just some sugg:
*Sholay(I like this one)
*Agni
*Farishtha
*Yamdoot(This matches with the personality that the hero has)
*Sher/Tiger
*Parchaai/Shadow (I like this one too)
*Baazigar
*Andhkaar/Darkness
*Yoddha
*Sainik
*Pratidroh/Avenge
*Badhla/Revenge
*Pratikaar/Avenger
If you did not like them,Then some English ones:
*Guardian
*Tiger
*Messiah
*Force
*Valiant
*Darkness
*Bullet(If he uses guns)
*Shadow
*Firearms(If =guns)
*Vigilante
*Vengeance
Hope it Helps..^_^
Thanks Dragondevil. I like the name ‘Sher’ and ‘parchhai’.
If you are going for a English name….you can even mix them up.
Example: ShadowTiger
I am glad It helped you~
^_^
You guys did not respond to my two post either. I would like to know what superhero name I could call him that might fit for my dark character. Please reply thanks.
…I thought of Bleak, and Mordant. Aside from that, he’s a difficult guy to name. Unless you use Grim or the Nihilist.
If that was meant for me then I really like Nihilist. He really has an extreme cynical mood over things. OF course I still need to fix up the story tremendously I think that might work because I plan on just really having him on the brink of despair. I intend to bring him down so far that the only possible redemption is death. Thanks for that.
Well,I was actually thinking that she us human she just doesn’t know it. She traveled the galaxy trying to find her parents. She was in a terrible accident (I’m not sure whst it is yet) that lands her back on Earth. She doesn’t know what happened and she doesn’t know that she is human. She can shapeshift so she doesn’t know what her original form is.
@Cassie,
…Personally, I think this sounds pretty good! Especially the shapeshift confusion.
@Any and everyone,
…I’ve got a character who is not invincible but, for lack of better term, bulletproof (with restrictions!). I’ve given him a troubled past – divorced after years of marriage, his brother disappeared some time before the story starts, and his only relationship is with his sixteen year old daughter. So basically, he’s a broken man before the leader of my story’s group finds him. For these things, I’ve named him Wayfarer. I like the name, but I was looking for some feedback in case it doesn’t seem to work.
Hey everyone it’s been a while. I’ve been working on my comic book universe virtually non-stop and playing the CRAP out of Borderlands 2, so between the two of them I barely got enough time to sleep. Ok, that’s an exaggeration but you get the idea.
Anyway, I’ve got this character whose codename is difficult to discern. The idea is that this is a character of magical origin. And that because of one gigantic mistake which left a young boy dead, he was imprisoned by the boy’s vengeful father, in a magical mannequin. I’ve tried for several days to pinpoint a name that would capture the emprisoned feel of the character. This is not a nice guy being basically forced to do good in order to get his real body back someday. So tonight my brother pointed out a word that may be the closest I’m gonna get to a cool-sounding codename that has not been seen a million times over. He suggested Hutch, which is defined as a pen or enclosed coop for small animals. I think it’s cool, definately better then anything I’ve been finding lately. But I’m not a hundred percent sold on it yet. I’d like some feedback before coming to a conclusion. So what do you all think?
Hey comicbookguy what about Cooper?Pinfold?Bind?Con Fine?Restrict? I don’t know I can come up with more but these are just adjectives. Cooper, was a play on with the word Coop.
I don’t if this helped.
Thank you for the input and your time. However I have looked over those words in the past but didn’t feel that they were intimidatingly mysterious enough for this character. Much appreciated Equinox.
I like Hutch. Alternately, for a bastardized version of the British “gaol*”, you could try Gowler or Gaole or Gaoler.
*Pronounced “jail.”
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Another approach would be a name based on guilt (e.g. the surname Culpers) rather than prison/confinement.
Hey.
I’m having trouble naming a Superhero, would you be able to help?
Traits/Powers:
-He has Metal Plates in his hands, that, due to a chemical reaction, can do certain things. He learns to control them, and the things it can do are Laser Beaming, Anti-Gravity on the Body, Fire, Incredible Strength Ropes & Also allows him to cling to surfaces lined with metal.
-He uses weapons such as Metal Bo Staffs, Duel Sai Knives & Duel Hanbo Sticks.
Thanks for the help
Please see #7.1 above, Maswell.
what is a good name for a superhero with blood manipulating powers?
Please see #7.1 above.
Anonymous, I had that same issue. I created a character who became capable of telekinetically manipulating her blood. I had a time trying to find/create a codename that was suitable for her. Ultimate I named her Gore. So I understand your problem and can oly advise you to do what I did. Use an internet dictionary/thesaurus and look up words for blood, violence and entrails. Something might just click.
anonymous, 7.1 says not to use just the powers. but, i do have a good name. hemogoblin
i think i might settle on the name [deleted] after hours of searching google and comic vine. i have about 10 chapters done but no one to run it by…i love the advice on this website but i am not familiar with this site though and if it has a section to post stories or chapters or whatever to help me get going without anyone stealing my idea i would love to post my book on here!
I’d recommend against posting more than a few chapters online (if your goal is to get it published eventually). After you’ve posted 1-2 chapters online, you should have a pretty good idea who’s interested in reading more. I would recommend exchanging emails with them–it’s more discreet and doesn’t count as having “published” the book already. (Prospective publishers might be concerned if a substantial chunk of the story were available to Google searches).
okay thank you for the advice you guys here are awesome! =D
is there any way i can remove the comment where i said the name for my blood character? i am a bit paranoid someone might take it XD
Okay.
thank you so much!
I have a character who can clone herself multiple times and can even make temporary copies of objects (and a few times other people, but with great effort). She came from a very wealthy family but was treated inhumanely her entire life. I was thinking of naming her Mirage [Copycat was taken
] but if anyone has any better ideas i am completely open to suggestions! 
OH! and i left out something huge! in my story the villains are actually the good-guys and the superheroes are corrupt (its kind of a corrupt-government-funded league of “superheroes”) and in this case my character is a villain. (i am sorry that it is so confusing!) so the point is my character needs a villainous name
Liv, wouldn’t that mean that your corrupt heroes are actually villains and your villains are heroes?
“Liv, wouldn’t that mean that your corrupt heroes are actually villains and your villains are heroes?” I think Liv’s explanation makes sense to me. It’s a villain-as-protagonist story (like Dr. Horrible). Although there is a discrepancy between superheroes acting less heroically than the villains, I think most readers would understand the discrepancy (“oh, they’re called superheroes because people in this world THINK they’re superheroes and not because they actually act like heroes”).
Oh ok I understand now. Sorta like Megamind (in a way).
i have four characters that need to be figured out.
the first is a girl named Jessika, and she can control lightning, as she’s Thor’s daughter. Tony Stark taught her to fight at a young age, so she’s really good, and she grew up with Steve Rogers, (long story), so she’s noble, self sacrificing, and brave. her emotions and past are very hard to find out, so i was thinking of naming her The Puzzle, or Jigsaw. but then i realized i hated those names, so i need new ones.
the second is her sister, Venus, who is a year younger and has the same powers. her past is pretty easy to figure out, because it was deemed safe that she stay on Asgard, so she’s a princess. ive got no idea f for her name.
the third is Black Widow and Daredevil’s son, Lukas Murdock. he’s more like his father, because of his overdeveloped senses and a need to do good. he acts sorta like a balance beam for his twin, James, who, like mother like son, is an amazing spy and feels the need to throw someone out the window. i was thinking of Murdock for him? or maybe something to go with Tarantula, his brother’s name?
the fourth and final character is named Toni Stark, the original Stark’s daughter. she doesn’t have a very good relationship with her dad, so for her name i wanted to pick something way different. her nickname is Scarlett, so i was thinking Scarlett Fever, because no way in heck was Toni going to use her dad’s name as he alias, but any other name would be fine. I asked my friend, cause Toni’s based of her, and she said she’d think about it, which pretty much means keep looking, so any help would be wonderful.
Sorry, BTP. For professional reasons, I can’t work with fan-fiction. Let me know if you ever need help with original content.
In regards to 7.1, I have a character who came across an item that gave him super powers, and he is in a slightly self-aware state that he’s like “I want to be a super hero” and makes up a super hero identity which is named after his powers. It’s a silly and generic name, but that’s because he’s a bit of a bumbling newbie. Is this acceptable if the story is about him getting used to this role he has chosen for himself but may not necessarily be the right man for the job?
“It’s a silly and generic name, but that’s because he’s a bit of a bumbling newbie. Is this acceptable if the story is about him getting used to this role he has chosen for himself but may not necessarily be the right man for the job?” That makes sense to me (although it might help to have another character point out that it’s not a very sharp name to help make it clear to readers that this is Stylistic Suck rather than unintentionally weak writing). If the character eventually becomes the right man for the job, he might revisit the name (perhaps changing or discarding it).
What should i name this character? So basically he is a 35 year old spec ops soldier who when his teamtries to bust a drug cartel holed up inside an incan temPle he is killed giving his team time to get away. An incan jaguar god takes pity on him and uses the mortal body as his host. The god intendin to take the body and not the personality but the charactet was so stubborn he managed to stay in control. However he always has the god’s voice in his head telling hin to give up introl and become incredible powerful. His name is Samuel Corver. He has all the abilities of a soldier a jaguar and an incan warrior. He fights with a pistol and two tomahawks. His costume is an incan chestplate with miltary cargo pants and military boots. I wanted his name to be eclipse but i dont kno if that sounds right. What about ocelot. Tell me if it sounds like a good character and what his name should be
How about “Midnight Echo” for a new batman sidekick!!! If you look up echolocation you’ll see what I mean.
Or just “Echo” would be fine
Ben, the dude sounds awesome.what about just jaguar as a name
Anyone still on? yes, no?
…so… I guess I can come up with a hero or villain, anyone wanna help?
I was kinda hoping to make them no god-mod, but then again i once made a god modded hero i once fell in love with called “Ultimos”
Ohh! I got one, he’s inspired by Doctor who (Maybe a little to much)
Name: Unknown
Alias: Doc
Personality: confusing, pops out of nowhere, and thinks out loud about things and people get angry when they don’t know what he’s talking about, and comcial
Hair: brown
Eyes: Yellow
Abilities: He has an IQ of 345
Appearance: Great hair, trench coat such as a spaghetti western, cargo jeans, and black dress shoes
Origin: It is unknown, this is because he’s an amnesiac but he was experimented on by sub-terrainian creatures, he also has a old pocket watch that is the only link to his past
Hey can anyone suggest another name for my earlier post. Help me out here BMac. The name Jaguar is taken about ten million times and Ocelot sounds kinda weird. The god who takes hist in his body controls earthquakes, nightime, wind, and jaguars. Any help here? What aboyt NightWind? I dunno. Please help me out
Ooooh! How about I call him Jaguar Knight(an elite warrior class in aztec culture) but for short and in convsrsationg he’ll go by Jags and Jagger even tho he hates it?
Magnesium, your idea does aound a little too much like Doctor Who. But it is a recent and fresh idea. I usually spend weeks on developing a character. You’d be hard pressed to come up with something that is TOTALLY original. I know I’ve tried. But go with the idea if you like it. Think about things like why he pops up out of nowehere or doesn’t seem to have an understanding of tact. Any information you can gather on your character may help differeniate him from Doctor Who or anyone else he may be similar to.
But i love that you brought this to our attention, because I find myself in a similar, yet purposeful, boat. You see I’m current creating/developing a story that involves a group of five magic-using teenage superheroes. I intend to make the five of them an homage to the teen titans animated characters. And I having a bit of trouble with one of them. I realize that in order to help, you guys need more information. But be warned, I may have trouble getting my ideas about magic and/or conceptual ideas across. So if I confuse anyone, let me know and I’ll try to explain myself better. Ok so here it goes…
In the comic book universe I’ve been developing for years, magic has existed right along science since the beginning. Magic is not this mysterious ethreal force. Instead it is approached and handled just as science is. It is a way of understanding the universe. It is experimented with and those that practice it must study and be knowledgeable of what they’re doing or risk failure or worse. And as of right now, there are only two ways to utilize magic in my universe. The main number of magic users utilize the object channeling discipline of magic. This means that they must harness their magic through a tangible object in order to use their magic. For example I could have a person harness their magic through a fragmentation grenade and instead of the normal explosion, their magic could produce a simple implosion or perhaps an explosion of blue energy that absorbs heat rather then produces it. But the effects of the users magic is limited by the users magic energy/willpower and by the object itself. Yes the harnessed magic is capable of producing spectacular effects, but nothing too unbelieveable. The fragmentation couldn’t explode into a swarm of locusts for example.
The only other way to use magic belongs to only a handful of people across the globe. Realistically, this means about 20,000 people worldwide. Anyway, they are capable of utilizing what’s become known as rift magic. This is because these people are capable of harnessing their magic through another dimension entirely. This dimension is highly reactive with these individuals, sometimes connecting with them subconsciously. These individuals are capable of summoning creatures from this dimension. Most of these magic users can summon various types of creatures each with their own strengths and weaknesses. However some are only capable of summoning one animal. These creatures are able to be altered by thier summoners in order to prepare them for what they are being summoned for. The other summoners must work with what they get. Rarer still are the individuals who can use this type of magic to merge this dimension with ours for various effects including teleportation and encasement of their enemies.
So, you guys still with me? With all that said and done, I can finally get to my question. The group I am developing, I would very much like to pay homage to the animated teen titans. So I am having trouble with my homage to Beast Boy. There are several reasons for this. First and for most I am trying NOT to have a member of this group capable of rift magic. So he cannot summon extra-dimensional animals. I would like to incorporate the animal motif somehow however. My only alternative is to homage his fanboy-like personality and not his powers. Which I am prepared to do. My own attempts to satisfy this problem have to many possiblilites. Including having him channel his magic through an artifact of somekind and giving him powers based on the Chinese zodiac. You know, each month he’d have a different power. I like this idea, but I’m just not sure it would work very well. Also, most any other idea I consider seems to be too similar to either Vixen or Beast Boy himself. Another question I have is simply this: am I trying to do something wrong/impossible? And is there any other way to pay homage to Beast Boy’s animal powers or his wildcard role on the team that I’m just not grasping?
That was longer than I thought it’d be. Sorry guys. Just had to vent I guess.
“Magic is not this mysterious ethereal force. Instead it is approached and handled just as science is.” Hmm. If magic and science are treated similarly, do you need both? What is the advantage of having both?
“I intend to make the five of them an homage to [another series]”—When you’re pitching your story to publishers, I’d highly recommend selling your proposal in terms of what makes it unique and interesting rather than limiting it in the reader’s eyes by comparing it to some other work which he/she may not like (or may not have heard of). I would not recommend mentioning another series without immediately making it clear what your angle is (how you would approach it differently in characters, plot, or anything else important). In particular, I’d be careful about the word “homage”–it cues me that the story and/or author are creatively restrained.
Okay… in your world, magic is a studied discipline rather than a mysterious, ethereal force. Is this an important distinction? How does it make the story more interesting or substantially alter the plot compared to, say, a story where magic is mainly mysterious or ethereal? (As I’ve probably noted before, please see Bitter Seeds and the Amulet of Samarkand for examples of stories where the details of the magical systems really did have a substantial impact on the plot and characters).
“I would very much like to pay homage to the animated teen titans. So I am having trouble with my homage to Beast Boy. Also, most any other idea I consider seems to be too similar to either Vixen or Beast Boy himself. Another question I have is simply this: am I trying to do something wrong/impossible? And is there any other way to pay homage to Beast Boy’s animal powers or his wildcard role on the team that I’m just not grasping?” In 99% of cases*, copying superpowers does not raise rip-off concerns. If the character is developed in substantially different ways (e.g. personality/distinguishing traits, motivations/goals/obstacles, conflicts/relationships, voice, etc.), it wouldn’t matter whether the character’s superpowers were similar to Beast Boy’s. (If I could use an example from my own work, I would say that Agent Orange doesn’t come across as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rip-off even though he’s a mutant reptile with similar capabilities/superpowers). I think the question is whether your character actually is substantially different in other ways. Describing the character as an “homage” does not fill me with confidence.
*Main exception: if the power is so distinct that it is readily associated with a particular superhero. For example, giving a character the ability to sling webs will surely bring Spider-Man to mind, whereas giving somebody the ability to turn into various animals will probably not (by itself) bring Beast Boy to mind.
“If magic and science are treated similarly, do you need both? What is the advantage of having both?”
Yes I need both magic and science in my universe. These forces are there to help my characters understand their universe. What magic can’t decipher science can and vise versa. Scientists and Occultists sometimes compete to crack something first. They may even cooperate on a certain project. But for the most part, they coexist peacefully, each providing their understanding of the universe. This of course has led to wars in the past. And their world is just as chaotic as ours.
“Okay… in your world, magic is a studied discipline rather than a mysterious, ethereal force. Is this an important distinction? How does it make the story more interesting or substantially alter the plot compared to, say, a story where magic is mainly mysterious or ethereal?”
The distinction is hard for me to verbalize. It is a studied discipline, like studying how to slipt an atom. It isn’t innately known, you have to learn. The more a magic user knows about an object or spefic spell, the easier it becomes to manipulate the object or produce the spell. Again I may not be explaining this very well, but I’m certainly trying my best. A magic user cannot toss out a fire spell if they have no understanding of the properties of fire. They have to know how to achieve a spell before doing it.
“Describing the character as an “homage” does not fill me with confidence.”
B.Mac, I fully intend to differeniate my characters from their individual inspirations. I merely mentioned the word homage so that you others trying to help me would understand what I’m trying to achieve with this characters powers. So, COULD I do something like he has an amulet that gives him the abilities of various animals without changing his physical form?
“I merely mentioned the word homage so that you others trying to help me would understand what I’m trying to achieve with this characters powers. So, COULD I do something like he has an amulet that gives him the abilities of various animals without changing his physical form?” That strikes me as workable.
Ok, thanks. But do you or anyone have any suggestions or any other ideas I could pursue in order to homage beaset boy’s shapeshifting capabilities? I’m just curious.
Perhaps powers themed with a particular animal (e.g. maybe a necklace of lion teeth imbues him with lion-like attributes like resilience or superior hunting skills or questionable hygiene or whatever). But I don’t think superpower selection matters all that much. I think your time would be better spent making your work substantially different from the source material. I think prospective readers would be more interested in an author’s original work than in his variation of somebody else’s work.
…
PS: The copyright issues could be substantial–e.g. a judge struck down a work based on J.D. Salinger’s characters as copyright infringement. The NYT paraphrased a legal expert on the issue here: “In examining questions of fair use of copyrighted work, courts have looked at whether a new work transforms the original in a significant way, Ms. Jenkins said, citing a Supreme Court ruling that a legitimate work must add ‘something new, with a further purpose or different character, altering the first with new expression, meaning or message.’”
Ok B.Mac I hear ya loud and clear. I’ll work on the character a little more. Though I’m still not sure what I’d like to do with his powers, but I seem to be trying to come up with something. You know, the cogs are turning. Thanks B.Mac.
What should i name this character? So basically he is a 35 year old spec ops soldier who when his teamtries to bust a drug cartel holed up inside an incan temPle he is killed giving his team time to get away. An incan jaguar god takes pity on him and uses the mortal body as his host. The god intendin to take the body and not the personality but the charactet was so stubborn he managed to stay in control. However he always has the god’s voice in his head telling hin to give up introl and become incredible powerful. His name is Samuel Corver. He has all the abilities of a soldier a jaguar and an incan warrior. He fights with a pistol and two tomahawks. His costume is an incan chestplate with miltary cargo pants and military boots. I wanted his name to be eclipse but i dont kno if that sounds right. What about ocelot. Tell me if it sounds like a good character and what his name should be. Should I call him jaguar but just jags in conversation?
The villain in my book is a man who his whole life suffered from some disease that made him weak and would slowly kill him. He had to take drugs in order to stay alive. Once he got older, he merged a machine into himself that would keep the disease at bay. His goal is to take over the city and make a machine that will spread his disease to people in the city so people will know his pain.
He is bald, he has green-tinted skin (side effect of disease), and he has machine parts all over his body. He wears a brown overcoat and brown pants but no shirt.
I’ve been calling him Geargon, but I’ve only been using that as a placeholder. I don’t like the name very much. Any name suggestions or any suggestions about this character?
Just call him Gears or Green Gear sometimes we get to complicated. Can you answer my question
I would definitely recommend against Ocelot. I think Jaguar fits the Incan warrior theme better. Another possibility would be Curaca (an Incan warlord/vassal), but I think Jaguar is more English-friendly. Given the religious and afterlife elements, Camaquen (spirit of the dead) could also work, although I would recommend Anglicizing the spelling a bit (perhaps Comaquinn or Commaccin).
I suppose Jaguar could be shortened to Jag in conversation, but a name as short and easily pronounceable as Jaguar could probably be used conversationally (e.g. like Batman or Flash).
I like Jaguar!
And Ben, I feel like those names aren’t serious enough for what I’m going for.
“The villain in my book is a man who his whole life suffered from some disease that made him weak and would slowly kill him. He had to take drugs in order to stay alive. Once he got older, he merged a machine into himself that would keep the disease at bay. His goal is to take over the city and make a machine that will spread his disease to people in the city so people will know his pain.” At the risk of being overly literal, I think an invented surname like Symalgi, Symalgia, Symalge or Symal (based on the Greek roots “sym” and “algi”–”shared pain”) would work. The name also looks/sounds strange, which I think would be thematically appropriate for a character who is cut off from the rest of the world by this pain that only he feels.
Symalgi sounds fricking awesome. I think thats prettybeats. Hey B Mac is there anyway i could do Jaguar cuz its taken by like 8 other characters that all have their own page on comicvine and wikipedia. I plan to try and get this charcacter published so would it be ok if a bunch of minor characters are already named it or is it still a no-no?
I really like Symalgi! Thanks!
“Is there any way I could do Jaguar, because it’s taken by like 8 other characters that all have their own page on Comic Vine and Wikipedia.” I think you could submit a manuscript or script with Jaguar as the name. Publishers may ask you to change the name, but they wouldn’t reject you on that basis (because changing a name is minor in the grand scheme of things).
“I really like Symalgi! Thanks!” You’re welcome.
The “i” at the end kept making me thing of Blood Nofski from Green Hornet so I changed it to Symalgin. Vincent Symalgin.
Hmm, I like it.
Apologizies B.Mac, but I wasn’t entirely sure where to post this question. So if this is the wrong area, please redirect me later. Thank you. Anyway, we all love “Marvel’s Avengers”. And, perhaps just as equally, all the lead-up movies. Hear’s my question though. In a completely new comic book universe, can a creator START with something lik “Marvel’s Avengers”? Are the lead-up movies absolutely needed? Just curious, would like your thoughts and anyone else who wants to toss in there two cents is welocome to.
You could start a comic or movie with a small team of superheroes. For example, Umbrella Academy started out with 7 main members, Dynamo 5 had 5, and Incredibles had 4 or 5 (depending on whether you count Frozone’s bit role). For a new team, I’d recommend 2-4 (maybe 5) members to start with*, but I think the characterization in UA was exceptional enough that it worked despite having more.
*I would recommend being very gradual with any additional teammates.
I have an idea for a superhero from Mars who avenges his planet as a race of reptilian beings set for to it. He looks like a human but he has a different feature. But I don’t know what feature he should have. Do you have any ideas?
My characters name is Darryl Steele
He is a professional hockey player
And he stops athletes from taking drugs
Some of his powers are a drug freezer, drug reflector, and drug magnet
He got his powers by getting a concussion and had an allergic reaction to the medicine
This is 4 a school project so it needs 2 b original and creative
Thanks 4 ur help
Must have been some allergic reaction! Haha
“This is for a school project so it needs to be original and creative. Thanks for your help.” What sort of help are you looking for?
Her name is Jackie Adams (can’t come up with a good last name)
Her personality is she is a tomboy (rock star kind of too) self-worthy, never dwells on her hate and sorrow only a little. And scare the crap out of villains because of her powers (it’s funny to her kuz she’s like 14 now and they are older than her)(also just for the costumes personality…she hates tights), and hard to get her pissed off (unless you make it easy)
Her goals are to be seen and very well known, and get lots of respect.
Her start is she was abused young. Sold for lab experiments. Some scientist tested medians (like vaccines) that were thought not useful. All other test forgotten but one triggered all the other ones and she got her powers.
At first she new 2 and was some ones sidekick. Then later after she finds out about her other ones, she becomes the new hero and becomes friends with another Super Hero.(other one died)
Her powers are control gravity (she can stick to cars up to high speeds on two feet , fly, eat any acid (or hit by lightning) and be perfectly fine, shoot lasers out of her eyes ,and her bones are as hard as diamonds, strong (but not super strong and she doesn’t look muscular) and live forever and never age. (after the event on her origin story)
But I have no idea what her Super Hero name should be.
So she has the power to eat acid? I don’t think that power could be used wry creatively. A power like super strength (for example) can be used in a wide variety of ways. I can only think of one thing she could use her power. Eating acid.
very, not wry
@Cartoongirl908
I think you are giving your too much power. Specially immortality.
Sorry. I miswrote. It should be-
I think you are giving your character too much power.
@YellowJuju and Nayan okay I’ll take out those two. Is that okay?
Also I apologize because I have so many ideas (I hand many more for her) but some times I don’t know how to limit myself some times. But no acid eating and no morality.
“Her goals are to be seen and be very well known, and gets lot of respect.” Is the audience meant to sympathize with this goal? It seems pretty superficial. It might help if she transitions into a deeper and/or more altruistic and/or more heartfelt goal at some point. I would recommend checking out Booster Gold’s Justice League episode, The Greatest Story Never Told, for an interesting take on that.
“Her goals are to be seen and be very well known, and gets lot of respect… at first she new 2 [I don't understand--please clarify] and was someone’s sidekick.” If her goal is respect and she’s got a rock star sort of personality, it might be more believable if she goes solo rather than sign up as somebody’s sidekick. (She might be more interesting sort of working alongside somebody in an informal capacity than as a second-fiddle… plus, if she’s in over her head, I could see why another hero might be concerned for her well-being and/or that she’s going to blow a major case he/she is working on).
…
I would recommend proofreading more aggressively.
…
Her powers strike me as sort of random. Controlling gravity and flying go together really nicely (and strength is generic enough that it goes with pretty much everything), but I don’t think her resistance to electricity/acid and laser eyebeams fit in as well.
She wants to respected because In her past she was abused young like at age 5. Her parents would hit her and bang her head on a window and yell “STOP CRYING YOU STUIPD BRAT”. At school the teacher would always forget to call out her name.
She wants to be well known because Well the first hero was a show off. like as soon as Jackie was about to something heroic the hero will push her aside and have all the attion. the news crew went to him and never jackie. he was nice her. (then sadly died) the second one will come later and they both hate the idea of ‘side kick’ but like more like team. Ill tell about more people another time.
Oh forget about the rockstar personality. I put there by mistake.
But can Jackie carry two guns to replace laser eye vision?
If yes great. If no I’m fine with it.
Anyways I still need a super hero name for Jackie. Can you help me?
Excuse me, but can someone please respond to my comment? I really need this idea.
“I have an idea for a superhero from Mars who avenges his planet as a race of reptilian beings set for to it. He looks like a human but he has a different feature. But I don’t know what feature he should have. Do you have any ideas?”
Hi Brain…
I’m a little confused by your first sentence – were the Martians reptilian or were they killed by reptilians?
As for the feature that distinguishes him, I suggest you need more than the feature – you need the entire civilisation. It’s sort of the same thing with a lot of fantasy / sci-fi, where the race becomes a vaguely disguised human race with different features – German with a wrinkled forehead, Jamaicans that look like anteaters with donkey ears, small British villages with big furry feet.
Mars itself should give you some clues. How did they survive on Mars? How did they survive the cold? How much water is available? Maybe he’s hairier than most people? People in colder climates tend to be fairer than people in hot countries, so maybe this is pushed to the extreme (pure white hair, very light coloured irises)?
Hey does anyone have any ideas, Im not really good at coming up with any superhero for my characters so I’ll like to hear any suggestions if you have any
-Aislinn/Aislynn Gunner: Controls Darkness, has pain and fear inducement powers but she is not a villian. Distrustful and catious because of her past. Grew up in a strict controlling enviroment until she ran away when she was 14 because she accidently used her powers on another person. Strong and independent. Good at controlling darkness.
-Ryder Gambler:Leader and has excellent tracking abilties. Enhanced senses, abilities, strenght, etc. Enhanced marksmanship. Hes southern and is funny and warm but can also be arrogant, stubborn and cocky, etc.
-Blake/or something I don’t know: Hes a cryokinesis. Hes from a rich and high up family. Definitely white collar. Lives with his dad. Hes cold and sarcastic and posh. Very handsome but reserved. Deep down he is very loyal and (I know cliche but for lack of a better term) has a heart of gold.
Okay thanks, please write suggestions if you have any.
Okay sorry spelling mistakes.
*superhero names.
*cautious
and the whole mess where the apostrophes are missing from the I’ms.
Meggie, what’s the situation that brought together these characters? (Except for maybe Ryder, they don’t strike me as the sort to readily decide to become superheroes–if there’s something unusual going on that causes them to become superheroes, I think that would probably affect the naming).
For Blake, what about Frostbite?
So I have this character who is kinda batshit crazy. See his origin story is that he is a helicopter pilot and is transporting a synthetic element to a military base in the atlantic ocean but what happens is a fellow helicopter pilot sabotages the plane because he hates the guy so the helicopter crashes. He manages to jump out in time but he swims to the sinking ship in time to try and open an emergency supplies kit but instead he opens the synthetic element container. The element was designed to bond and organism and a natural element together so it bonds him to the water. The element swarms all over him and it leads to him blacking out and drowning. However he doesn’t die because of his immunity to water now that he is bonded with it. He is stuck at the bottom of the ocean for months unable to reach the surface because of his injuries and unable to drown or be crushed by the pressure when he eventually heals up. He swims to the surface and to a small island. He meets the native tribal people who call him Seahawk because of his time in the air and power over water. Eventually a storm hits the island killing all except him because of his immunity. He slowly goes insane and gets back to land as a mercenary. THe only thing is… I hate his origin story and i have no idea what other poets to give him.Please help me B. Mac!!!!!
sorry powers not poets lol
Hello, Ben. Some thoughts and suggestions:
–”He manages to jump out [of a crashing helicopter] in time…” Hmm. Is he a good pilot? If so, I think it’d be more survivable for him to try ditching the helicopter (e.g. a controlled crash into the water so that he can swim away before the helicopter sinks with him in it). Another possibility would be changing the helicopter into a plane and giving him a parachute.
–”He swims to the sinking ship [helicopter] in time to try and open an emergency supplies kit…” I’d recommend changing this a bit. Maybe the synthetic element container is forced open by the impact of the crash.
–”Eventually a storm hits the island, killing all except him…” I’d recommend working on this. These sound like throwaway characters with little impact on the plot.
Thanks those are some good ideas I seriously like them. Im changing the island into uninhabited so he goes insane by his time in solitaire. Also the sabotaged I was talking about was a bomb placed on the rotor. THere really is no recovering from that. Thanks for the suggestions but do you have any ideas for a costume or powers. I was thinking of a really laid-back costume, because his personality doesn’t seem like the one that would chose bright flashy spandex .
“I was talking about a bomb on the rotor.” Hmm… Does it sound believable that the saboteur in question knows how to make a bomb? This sounds pretty intense for a workplace vendetta. A more subtle form of sabotage might be easier to believe.
Good point. I’ll expand on him so that they’re both on active duty in the middle east. The saboteur could be a turned prisoner of war who obtains a bomb from a terrorist meant to crash the helicopter in a place where the element can be collected and used by the terrorist but the main character notices and puts it in the water and swims away before the helicopter explodes. Does that sound good? Also please advice me on a costume and other possible powers.
…You could always go the trench-coat route for a costume. If you wanted it to look more heroic, a symbol could always be added too. One of the opera/emotion masks may contribute to the batshit crazy feel.
…For powers, a near invisibility ability would seem pretty close to a water theme, I think. (By invisibility I mean a Predator-esque type thing.)
“Good point. I’ll expand on him so that they’re both on active duty in the middle east. The saboteur could be a turned prisoner of war who obtains a bomb from a terrorist meant to crash the helicopter…” Hmm, okay. I think that sounds somewhat believable.
…
What would you think about going without a costume for this character? He’s sort of crazy, right? Maybe he doesn’t care about protecting his alternate identity? Or maybe it’s something like a pilot’s helmet (or any sort of mask) over grungy street clothes?
As for the superpower selection, I wouldn’t worry about it. In most cases, it matters even less than the costume does. If you’re satisfied with the character’s personality and distinguishing traits, I’d recommend writing chapters.
how does frostbite-hydra sound for a guy
“How does Frostbite-Hydra sound for a guy?” My impression is that it’s a bit awkward and a bit more convoluted than it needs to be (because the two words don’t strike me as fitting together all that well).
do you think it would be bad to have a girl as a main character, since guys usually only read books where the main character is a guy too.
@bookfanatic,
Nah, whichever works best for your story is the best approach. (My opinion) Honestly, as a male, I’ve found many female protagonists a better fit for the story than a guy would’ve been. The Mistborn series is an excellent example, I think. Which brings up a question of my own~
@B. Mac,
Is there an IMDb like site for books that you know of?
“Do you think it would be bad to have a girl as a main character, since guys usually only read books where the main character is a guy too?” Assuming the character is not stereotypically girly, I don’t think a female protagonist would scare away many prospective male readers*. For example, I think Hunger Games worked for a lot of guys (e.g. its moviergoers were ~40% male), largely because the main character spent much more time doing things most guys find interesting (e.g. destroying a dictatorship, surviving a series of deathmatches, etc) rather than on things more likely to come up on CW (e.g. shopping, clothes, teen drama, low-stakes social squabbles**, etc).
*A caveat: I’ve never worked with children’s books. Younger readers may react differently.
**E.g. I think most guys would much read about a lady dealing with high-stakes social issues like how to avoid getting outed as a spy or rebel rather than low-stakes social issues like how to deal with a jealous rival sabotaging her campaign for Homecoming Queen or Class President. Moreover, I don’t think most guys would be all that interested in low-stakes social issues even if they involved male characters. “Guy trying to do something helluva dangerous and/or important” strikes me as a more enticing starting point than “Guy trying to get elected Homecoming King.”
“Is there an IMDb like site for books that you know of?” Hmm, could you please clarify? The main purpose of IMDB is listing the various roles of different actors, right? What would an IMDB for books do?
I meant for ratings and reviews, really. I find that Amazon’s (the only other site with reviews that I can think of right now) can be pretty innacurate alot of times.
P.S., As soon as I get my Kindle back, I’m buying your book!
Hmm. There are a few crowd-publishing book sites that try to identify promising upcoming projects with reader ratings. I’ve heard of Unbound and Crowdscribed but am not really familiar with the processes there. Also, I think they specialize in nonfiction.
…
Thanks for buying the book (eventually!). Also, if you’re interested, Amazon lets you read your ebook purchases on your computer.
@bookfanatic99
I dont have a problem with girl protagonists if they do not act like Bella Swan or the characters of ‘Sex and the City’.
Twilight and Sex and the City were actually EXACTLY the two worst-case scenarios I was thinking of. Uncanny!
…
I have an article on red flags for female characters by male authors here. My main problem with female characters is when they do things that wouldn’t be very interesting for male characters, either (e.g. watching as other characters do interesting things).
tThe main problem is that these type of novels/movies become successful. I dont know why. Are there more female readers/audience than male?
“Are there more female readers/audience than male?” For U.S. novels, generally yes (although the extent depends on the genre). Women also make up a majority of American television viewers (especially outside of sports and news)*. Men are better represented in nonfiction and pretty much anything online. Trends may vary in other countries.
But these are just general trends. ~10,000 willing customers are enough for a novel to be modestly successful, so it’s not a huge problem if you’re aiming at a demographic with less than half of the market.
I need help coming up with a superhero name, so if anyone can help me, that would be great! I would also appreciate any other constructive criticism people have to offer.
THE BASICS
Cassidy (Cassie) Sutton
Female
25 years old
Art dealer working her way to becoming a curator
Plans on marrying her brilliant surgeon boyfriend, having kids, the white picket fence, etc, while still working. Has always had fairly unrealistic expectations of the world around her. Goal eventually becomes to be free to live her own life without others controlling it, and to try to make up for all the horrible things she’s always ignored
Living in San Francisco
PERSONALITY
Curious
Energetic
Self-centered
Immature
Hyperactive
Open minded
Bohemian
Pacifist
Overly competitive
POWERS
Talented traceuse (parkour girl), known for soaring through the city
Former champion gymnast (quit after she failed to make the olympic team because they knew that, while talented and fearless, she wasn’t a hard worker and relied too much on her own confidence to help her win)
Fast runner
Capoeira
Can control her own gravity, slowing down her falls, making jumps from building to building that should be improbable, etc
Very god at improvising and using her powers in unique ways
ORIGIN
Dating a well known surgeon who is secretly experimenting on her without her knowledge. Likes to think of herself as a good person because she’ll happily go to VIP charity parties and is currently going through a vegetarian phase but ignores the fact that the city she lives in has a high crime rate and homeless population. She prefers not to think about these things because she wants to pretend they don’t exist.
Her boyfriend, who is obsessed with constantly “improving” her, injects her with what is initially supposed to just be a treatment to create a perfect sense of balance. He does this without gaining any permission at all because he knows she would refuse. During this time, he also proposes and begins controlling her more and more, demanding she move in with him, keeping her away from other friends.
One night, walking home in the dark, Cassie witnesses a murder and although she’s trained as a martial artist, chooses to ignore it because she doesn’t want to admit that this sort of thing really happens. This is similar to when she was a teenager and her younger sister was raped and Cassie chose to brush off her sister’s story because she didn’t want to believe it was true. However, the murder sees Cassie and decides to go after her since she saw what happened. She takes off running and manages to get away because of her newfound powers.
Cassie tries to break things off with her boyfriend, but he kidnaps her and continues to “improve” her, enhancing her cerebellum, vestibular system, and even lightening her entire skeletal system (like a bird’s). Gravity doesn’t go away completely by any stretch of the imagination, but she can manipulate it, at least when it applies to her. She can’t slow someone else’s fall or anything like that. Manages to escape. Discovers that the murderer she witnessed is the same man who raped her little sister all those years ago, and goes out to right her wrongs.
Comes out of the process far more jaded. Has to hide from her now ex boyfriend who’s now searching for her, suffers PTSD from her experiences in the lab, while still trying to keep her idealism and “turn the other cheek” attitude. Has very high moments and very low moments and has had her hopes for her future dashed, the privilege she was so used to now gone.
So I have an antihero speedster in my short story, and I was wondering if anyone could help me pick a name. His real name is Dante Jameson. He lives in a run down, crime ridden city in California, and he is African American. His parents were cops who were killed in the line of duty, so he always strives to do the right thing and live up to his father’s expectations. He is stubborn, reckless, determind, and brave. The two names I have in mind are Blur and Jet, but if you have any other suggestions, please let me know. P.S. One of his teamates comes up with the name.
Hey thanks to Infernox and B. McKenzie for commenting. To B. McKenzie, yeah I agree they are not extremely willing to become superheroes, they are sort of forced into it. It’s like they have to choose to either become part of a team of superheores or be hunted down by the big bad. At first they just do it to get a handle on their powers and to live in a safe area while their training but they soon like helping people. And FYI, Aislynn doesn’t use her powers as much, she usually uses a weapon or darkness blasts.
And to Infernox, thanks I like Frostbite, mostly because Blakes is Sarcastic and if you think about it it sort of goes with the name. Also for your Dante character, I like the name Blur and Jet, they sound good. But just throwing out suggestions what about Velocity (if he likes physics, jk) or quickster (sounds like trickster), quicksilver, spry (just because it sounds cool) and that’s it. Those were just suggestions but I like your other two.
Could someone please help me choose a name. His name is Raymond Walker, His origin is he was a stuntman for big action movies but never got any credit, so he decided to become a daredevil to gain publicity. His first stunt was jumping out of an aero plane, falling through rings of fire and landing in a pool. But he jumped to early and fell through a cloud with hail and ice in it. To get fixed up he goes to the hospital and its discovered he also has aviary flu from a swooping bird that scratched him. With not enough money, his girlfriend tells a crime boss she can break him into any bank vault, and if he gives her enough money for hospital treatment she’ll work for him. After a year of working for this man she comes home and tells Raymond that she shot someone and now the police are after her. They decide to move and Raymond decides to train at a gym to get himself to his peak physical condition to protect her. One night a crime boss comes and Raymond has to protect her. After saving he decides that he will protect more people and becomes a crime fighter.
He uses gadgets and weapons like shrunken, miniature tracking devices with an electric shock built into them and a bamboo staff filled with granite. He’s kind of like a black widow type superhero in that he isn’t super powered but is an amazing fighter. Lived in New York City but moved to Chicago.
Chicago Fire. No? Alright, let’s see…
Guardian, Paladin, and Watchdog are the first that come to mind. You could also use more abstract names: Visitor, Nightburst, Midnight, Brannan, Sierra, etc. Ghost is less…unique but it could work. Hope these help!
So I have two characters.
1- He was working in black operations with the military for 7 years when after being forced to kill his comrade under duress, he quits/kicked out for failing psyche evaluation. Afterwards he goes to living in a really remote area in the Rockies. He lives off the land and becomes proficient with a bow and other hunting options. 2 years after that a former teammate comes to his house in the middle of the forest. He attempts to kill him but instead he beats the would-be assassin to death. He is drawn out of isolation to find that he is being hunted. He wears a beat up hunting jacket/hoodie, a t-shirt, jeans, and boots. He carries a bow and two long bowie knives and an tomahawk. I was thinking Maverick since the only character with that name is now called Agent Zero. Any tips or criticisms?
2-When Christopher Columbus came to the new world he brought back 500 slaves to the new world. One is sold to an English general as part of a treaty who rapes her repeatedly. She finds out she is pregnant and runaway. She raises the boy who learns who to pick pocket and rob to get by. One day the boy robs the wrong nobleman and barely escapes alive. While a citywide manhunt begins the mother slips the boy onto a boat as a stowaway. He escapes the city and lands in Venezuala at the spanish settlement of _______.
He runs out and lives in the wild for a while until he is mauled by a jaguar. He is found by an old indian who takes him to his village. The boy is trained into a warrior for the Jaguar Knights an aztec warrior class who has gone underground after their empire was conquered. He soon becomes their main field operative and becomes a one man wrecking crew against the spanish. His costume is a green hood with two swords on his back, a bow, and two flintlock pistols. He wears long green robes strapped together in the middle.
I’m sorry if those suck i have had such writer’s block recently. Any tips for sparking imagination
I don’t have much advice on the characters, but I do for I imagination!
Watch movies/ read (but don’t copy)
Dreams
Find a quiet place and think (shower and bed are where I get most of my plotting done)
Write short stories (related to your story, or not) until you think of something
Read SN’s article on writers block for some better tips! Good luck getting through it!
I’d recommend checking out this article on how to beat writer’s block and the rest of the Writer’s Block category, Ben.
So my friend is working on her novel, and she has a minor problem. The only time the characters ever see a particular bad guy is when his alias appears on screen after a hack. (Occasionally they notice it when reviewing the programs.) That name, though, is T3CHN0 K1NG. It seems kind of awkward writing “We need to find T3CHN0 K1NG’s” or placing it in the general writing. Is this a valid concern?
…..
On another note, would the BIRD sound too generic for my protagonist? I was thinking the media gives it after footage is taken of him propelling through the city.
“That name, though, is T3CHN0 K1NG. It seems kind of awkward writing “We need to find T3CHN0 K1NG’s” or placing it in the general writing. Is this a valid concern?” I would strongly recommend having other characters and the narrator refer to him as Techno King.
Would the Bird sound too generic? Yeah, it feels pretty generic. Might help to pick a particular type of bird (e.g. Osprey) or some other word associated with birds.
Okay, thanks! I’ll get that along. May have a good bird for my guy too.
If you were trying to write a more ‘serious’, and perhaps more… realistic? approach to the superhero genre, would it be okay to completely leave off any codenames or superhero names? Do you think that giving the main characters in a darker superhero story might make it harder to take seriously?
“If you were trying to write a more ‘serious’, and perhaps more… realistic? approach to the superhero genre, would it be okay to completely leave off any codenames or superhero names?” Sounds promising to me. Definitely doable. For example, all of Heroes’ characters had either a regular given name (e.g. Peter Petrelli) or a Gatsby-style adopted name (e.g. Sylar).
I don’t know where to put this so ill put it here. I need a motive for being a hero in my book. So after the character gets revenge on people from his past he has nothing to do. I want him to be a dark anti hero so what is a good motive for my character. It is the one called Jaguar I wrote about a while back.
“I need a motive for being a hero in my book. So after the character gets revenge on people from his past he has nothing to do.” Perhaps he wants to be the justice for other people that he didn’t have himself?
I have not been able to come up with a name for my superhero. He is dark, mysterious and non-powered. I wanted to name him as ‘Stranger’ but it has been already used. Please some suggestions. What about ‘Intruder’.
Intruder sounds like a villains name. You didn’t really give enough information to really narrow down a certain name, because you could really use any sort of name. For example, “dark, mysterious and non-powered” also applies to Batman and he has a very different name then what you’re thinking for your character. Good luck!
Do you think it would be interesting to make a god likr character whose in a short miniseries in which his struggles arent against foes but trying to escape being worshipped and recognized everywhere and just try and make himself more human
I am trying to make a superhero team but can’t think of names for it or most characters. Could someone please help.
No1-midnight (I have his name thanks to Dr Vo. Spader) he has gone through intense physical training as a way to protect his girlfriend.
No2-a man who’s skin is made of diamond so it’s virtually un breakable, his hands can also turn into daggers. He was spy who was being a scientest to gain info when he spilt chemicals on himself and gained his powers
No3-a woman who can teleport herself anywhere. She was born with them
No4-a man who can create metal and control machines with his mind. He was about to die in an explosion when he was transported through a portal and the portal reacted to his DNA and gave him powers.
No5- a woman who can make small changes to reality e.g making the floor of a building disappear like it was never there. Her powers were given to her after she went hiking and found a man dying where he said to her “these powers have been passed down through the ages, use them wisely” she decided she would become superhero and pass her powers on when it was time.
No.6-a man who can make copies of himself at will (like Loki) but they can all fight. The copies fade away after half an hour. He is the twin of hero 3 and was also born with these powers (their father been in the chemical warfare business.
They protect the earth and are like the justice league and avengers, they come together when needed.
A lot of your characters origins sound very cliche, Yodog especially the “passing down of powers” look up green lantern(hal jordan) for that one and the spilt chemicals one is mr.freeze. Also elaborate more on how these characters came to these circumstances. like how was a guy dying conveniently right next to teleporter and how a father being in chemical warfare turned two kids in to super powered people. Explain more and provide personality traits and I may be able to help!
I’m kind of desperate for a new storyline and I got a bit excited with new powers coming to mind, I’ll try to come up with a more detailed explanation. Thanks for the feed back
K your welcome I really like the powers tho. There not cliche.
I’ve come up with a team of eight superheroes, but I’m struggling to come up with an actual team name for them. The superheroes are:
Grim/Dani Malone: A young woman who can become invisible after accidentally bonding with a piece of alien technology, she lives on an estate and uses her powers to intimidate criminals.
Solar Soldier/Gwen Verne: The leader of the team, a former Royal Marine who was given augmentations that allow her to fly freely through space, as well as absorb solar energy to give her super-strength.
Rocket-Man/Adam Hardy: A celebrity superhero with super-speed, he is the oldest and longest-serving superhero on the team, fighting crime internationally. He is concerned about his legacy.
Doctor Psionic/Jamal Patanjali: A scientist who helped design an device that gives him ESP. He inherited it from the device’s creator after he was killed and now uses it to solve crime.
Medicine/Ryoko Katsuragi: A young woman who underwent an experimental procedure to place nanomachines in her bloodstream that would constantly repair her body, making her immortal.
Blue Eyes/Kate Anderson: A paraplegic hacker with technology that allows her to “communicate” with electronic devices. She largely provides the team with behind-the-scenes support.
Violence/Mickey Flint: A young former criminal with the power to make things spontaneously combust, he was put in prison by Grim and was given early release in order to work with the team.
Ariel/Callum Gallagher: A young man who is, unknowingly, an alien war machine. Beneath his skin, he has a diamond-hard form and has several abilities, the first one to appear being weather manipulation.
The idea was to come up with a British superhero team that would stand up alongside the typical Marvel and DC superheroes. (Not ironic or satirical like The Authority or Watchmen.) They all have different origins but are connected by a large-scale event that happened years earlier. In this universe, 10% of the Earth’s population were decimated by an alien force in one day, and then the aliens disappeared. No one knows why, but they left behind myriad alien technologies that are used to explain the different characters’ abilities.
The team itself was formed by a private agency and designed to be the first line of defence against further alien attacks. (Ariel’s existence is the initial catalyst for the team’s creation, though he ends up joining the team.)
I want the name to tap into some of Britain’s rich history, without using words like “British” or “Royal”. I did try and go down the route of Arthurian mythology, knighthood and chivalry but found myself coming up with names like The Round Table or The Order. (Boo on Marvel for taking the name Excalibur.)
Your help would be hugely appreciated.
I’m still trying to work out at team name for a group of animal-human hybrids. The individual superheroes each have names already, (most relating to their animal/origin) but I can’t for the life of me figure out a team name.
I’ve also got a character who’s an ex-Olympic discus thrower, and the only current hero I can compare him to right now is the Bat-Man. He doesn’t believe in killing, but he sticks to that belief more than Batman. His discus is the source of his power. Right now, I’m calling him Olympus Discus, but I think that is WAY too explanatory, and the citizens of Aharor (Where it takes place) would have to be complete idiots not to get a hint of his alter ego with a name like that. Olympus was suggested, but I’m not a big fan of the name.
Hermes was the Greek god of athletics. That might be more subtle. According to Greek mythology, Pelops founded the Olympic Games, although I’d recommend adapting that to something like Pelos or Palos here.
JH, I’d recommend going with a title which focuses on a more interesting distinctive trait than Britishness. For example, if it was founded in the wake of attacks which left hundreds of millions of people dead, it would make a lot of sense if the organization were darker, more urgent and/or more desperate than most superhero teams. One possibility would be a name which combined darkness and power/authority (e.g. Black Crown or Broken Scepter or Voodoo Throne or Crimson Spear). You might be able to incorporate desperation and/or British resolve by with a name tied to a historical event like the Spanish Armada or the Blitz (e.g. the Tilbury Project or Operation Gravelines).
Yes, you’re absolutely right to point out that the Britishness should not be the focal point of the group name. And again you’re right that this group is born in a world with this dreadful undercurrent running through it.
I think a group that is presented as a more stoic, introverted group than, say, The Avengers or Justice League would work. Maybe something like The Black Guard or Black Order? Named so because they dress in some degree of black to mourn the immense loss of life.
I do really like Black Crown as a name, purely because I can imagine a cover image with each member’s silhouette forming the prongs of a crown. Also, it does suggest that this group has an ultimate authority.
Thanks for the advice, B. McKenzie.
I have a team of superheroes but I’m struggling to name them. They are all in their late teens at the start. Most of my ideas have been cliched or boring so if anyone has any suggestions I’d be thrilled. They are:
Freddie Marsh: Immune to very high temperatures and is able to control fire. (He can’t create fire himself but he can manipulate and control something already burning) Both his parents had the same powers and died when he was young. His foster family is kind but he can’t relate to them. He’s highly intelligent but sullen, moody and a loner.
Delilah Haugen: She can manipulate and change the state of water (usually using vapor in the air) like Freddie she can’t create water but she can manipulate it. She can also (sort of) fly. Her parents are scientists working on chemically enhanced “levitating water” (It would take a while to explain) and Delilah fell into a tank of it. She survived but it caused chunks of her hair to fall out and turned patches of it blue and gave Delilah her powers. She’s bubbly and energetic and a bit immature. She’s also prone to jealousy.
Eileen Blake: Like her mother she was born telekinetic powers. However through training she realized she wasn’t moving objects with her mind, rather she was moving the air around them. She can use this to levitate herself for brief periods of time. Her mother is extremely uptight and tries to suppress their powers. She’s rebellious, temperamental and aggressive but she has a sense of humor and is very loyal and kind to close friends.
Evan Barrow: Evan was born into a monastic order of people who worshiped the earth. He can significantly speed the growth process of plants and move the ground. He came to disagree with their methods and lifestyle and disowned and left his family in search of a better way to use his powers. He’s kind and gentle but socially awkward and clueless about many social norms as well as technology.
Trying to come up with a name for a sidekick…. Have you heard of Nightwing? I’m doing this project in Art and we’re supposed to come up w/ our own superhero and I decided I wanted to make a sidekick for Nightwing. The kid’s got no superpowers, just his skills and i want to make the name complimentary to Nightwing, kind of like Batman and Robin go together well. I was thinking something like Blackbird, but the more I said it out loud, the less cool it sounded, think you could help?
I thought Nightwing WAS a sidekick? Also, Blackbird was the female Green Arrow. Nightwing was inspired by a deli, so restaurant centered names aren’t out of the question.
Or perhaps Darkbird?
Ack. Female Hawkman, not Green Arrow.
I’m having trouble coming up with a name for a minion of a Mind reading, time controlling archer called “Niger Sagitta” (which is Latin for Black Arrow). The minion thinks that Niger is his father, and is actualy a pretty nice guy, he was just sort of raised by Neger to think that right is wrong and wrong is right.
Since you’re going for normal words in different languages, how about ‘Souleve Mal’, It’s French for ‘raised wrong”, since that’s clearly true in this kids case. =D
Dr. Vo Spader, Nightwing inspired by a deli… what? and i thought the female Hawkman was Hawkgirl, not Blackbird.
Blackbird was a Hawkman partner, I believe. She isn’t Hawkgirl. And before Nigthwing became a vigilante he worked at a deli called “Nightwing”.
What do you think of the name Nitrosabre for a super fast hero that uses swords?
Pretty sure it’s an available name. Personally, though, I don’t immediately associate it with superspeed. How does the “nitro” bit tie into the character?
Nitro, as in nitrous
As in…containing nitrogen? I know you’re going for a cool-sounding scientific prefix, but I’m not certain that “nitro” is the best choice here.
As in nitrous oxide. Nos. You know, the stuff used in street racing to boost an engine’s power output.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrous_oxide
And the lightbulb goes on. It definitely makes more sense with that added information. Is this something that your readers (or people in general) are familiar with? It’s a solid name, but if that particular bit of trivia isn’t common knowledge, then the reference will fly over the heads of more oblivious readers such as myself.
I thought it was common knowledge
I understood it.
The beat of the name sounds a little off to me (NItroSABer drops on the fourth syllable – and seems a bit long for a name) – is it just me?
Nitroblade?
Sabre itself may be OK. Due to fencing, it has the association with speed, and best I can tell there hasn’t been a major comic using this name. There was an NHL project with Stan Lee with a character called saber, but it fell through…
I like Saber/Sabre–I think it has a more sober tone than Nitrosaber.
The choice of Nitrosabre vs. Sabre vs. Saber might depend on the overall tone of the story. Can you give us some context for the name?
I like Sabre. Thinking about it, Nitroblade or Nitrosabre makes it sound more sci fi, but she is a magically powered hero.
Sabre has fantastic connotations while Nitrosabre has more of a sci-fi feel. Since your hero has magic-based powers, Sabre seems to be the most logical choice.
I am in desperate need of a name. My character Max is a graffitti artist in Chicago who wants more than anything to be famous. He spay paints a police station one day and is chased by cops. He ducks into an alley and finds a paintbrush. He uses it, and the painting comes to life. He learns that the brush is magic. Soon after, his dad gets laid off and his family begins to run out of money. He uses the brush to rob banks, and his family becomes rich. However, he summons a drawing of a person, and it warns him that his evil deeds have caused a crack in the underworld to widen. Now, a group of three demons are resurfacing on Earth. Max calls 911 to warn the authorities, but they think he is crazy and commit him to a mental institution in NYC. There, he meets other patients who have powers, and they help him escape and form a team to stop the demons. His personality is:
Self-centered
creative
hotheaded
stubborn
loyal
dedicated.
You had me at graffiti. Graffito and Graff are both singular forms of the word I think. Another possibility is the names of differ styles of graffitti (tag, roller, wildstyle, etc.). “Graffitti” also has Greek and Roman origins, so you could play on that.
Okay, I’m in the midst of planning for a graphic novel involving superheroes. I don’t know why, but I’m having a ton of trouble creating names for these guys and I desperately need to get a move on. Thus far, I’ve been calling them simply by their powers and I don’t want it to become habit.
1.) Female – she is determined and noble, but also quite skittish and often gets temperamental. She’s quite clumsy as well. I thought it would be interesting to give her super-strength as a power, since usually it’s guys who have that. Beyond her super-human strength, she carries a gigantic sword as a weapon. If her appearance makes a difference, she’s tall, pale, thin, and has red (orange) hair. As far as costume, I’m thinking something along the lines of red with a metallic gold accent.
2.) Male – he has a positive disposition, is funny, and also at times is sarcastic. He can be on the cocky side, but for the most part his character focuses on humor with underlying tones of insecurities. His power is super-speed. I had considered simply calling him “Speed”, because it has a nice ring to it, although it is a little plain. He has dark raven hair and blue eyes. His costume thus far is a white body suit with light blue arrows that spread about his body. I worry about copyright issues with his costume as the popular show Avatar: The Last Airbender has a main character with blue arrows (although this was the last thing on my mind when creating him)
3.) Male – He is definitely a lady’s man, and tends to be a bit cocky and stubborn at times. However, he is also extremely respectful of authority. This is where the back-story is important: he had just finished with his military training and was overseas, when there was an incident with another soldier that got him kicked out of the military. In spite of these happenings, he still has the training, which is why he is both cocky and respectful. For his powers, I decided to make him almost like a cyborg, with weapons built into his body. Appearance: African-American, green eyes, black hair, muscular build. As far as costume, I’ve pretty much decided on something armor-esque, metallic.
4.) Female – I struggle with her personality more than anyone, but this is what I have so far (suggestions in this realm are welcome): she is kind and loving, but not necessarily shy. She works more to solve problems passively, rather than fighting through them. For this reason, being a superhero is somewhat of a challenge to her, but also makes her of value so that rash decisions are not made. Her ability is to draw energy from the Earth, sun and moon and exert it in powerful bursts. For her appearance, she has blonde hair and blue eyes. Her costume is a simple white leotard with a metallic gold band that lines the top. She wears gold bands on her arms and ankles as well.
5.) Male – he can come off as somewhat bitter, and is more of a loner than anything else. Beneath his hard exterior, however, he is a deep thinker with practical opinions. He has the power of shape-shifting into different animals. For his costume I’m thinking a gray bodysuit with blue accents and indentations that resemble gills. In addition, he has a logo on his chest.
*Just a note, all of these characters are teenagers between the ages of 15-18. I could REALLY use some help in finding names for them. I hope that this was enough information to create something.
Hello, Zuera. I’d recommend moving forward with placeholder names. Good names will come to you as you write the story. One major challenge I’d have suggesting names for you is that I don’t know all that much about the style of the story, or your personal preferences, etc. Also, my names are generally awful. E.g. the first two things that came to mind when I thought of a lady’s man that’s respectful of authority were Rooster (because roosters set the schedule/time and are, umm, not shy about their fondness for chickens) and Marauder because, well, Marauders have got a whole lotta love.
Actually, I think I like the name Marauder (: I had no idea what that was, but I did a quick google search (and I hope I’m not missing some other meaning to the word that would embarrass me), and it seemed kinda fitting. “Rooster” would be a clever name for sure, but doesn’t have much to do with his powers which I feel is somewhat important. As for the others, I’ll continue as you suggested and hope that something comes to me. Thanks for the help!
I’m writing a story about a guy named Carter Daniels, an 18 year old kid who’s parents died the year before. (He never treated his parents with respect so he regrets that its one of his flaws.)
When he was little his parents gave him a bracelet, this bracelet was made to suppress superhuman powers and it was made to fall of at any sign of danger. He is attacked and almost killed but the bracelet falls off and he gets his powers. He learns that his mom and dad were two of the most amazing superheroes in the world and he is recruited to the same team. Throughout the story he develops his abilities.
The theme of the story is ‘Latin.’ Everybody on the team has a Latin name relatable to their powers.
I was thinking Eximius (pronounced: Ex-Sim-Ee-Us)…. it means Super/Superb in latin….
His powers are:
-Flight: Speed of Sound (Or light if he tried hard enough)
-Super Strength: Average Passenger Plane (With Struggle)
-Super Speed: Speed of Sound (Or light if he tried hard enough)
-Super Senses: Enhanced Smell, Hearing, Taste & Vision (X-Ray, Infrared, Microscopic & Telescopic)
-Energy Absorption: Can absorb energy and use it to strengthen his powers.
-Energy Blasts: Can blast balls or streams of multicolored energy from his hands (tires him out quickly)
-Invulnerability: Bullets bounce off of him (As if being hit by a Nerf gun)
-Chromakinesis (Manipulate colours): He can change the colour of any object he desires.
I WILL LIMIT HIS POWERS!!! HE IS NOT OVERPOWERED….
His suit is:
-Red and white full body suit with red cape. Blue highlights.
-Mask (haven’t decided what type)
Limits:
-Needs to absorb energy occasionally
Personality:
-Always sees good in people…. never sees the bad.
-Too nice
Works for the ‘Daily Galaxy’ as a reporter and photographer for the ‘Superhero Section’
….. need new newspaper name too….
Superguy, I think this has some structural issues. I’m seeing at least three instant-rejection issues (overly generic personality, superpower selection, and the originality issues with Superman). I’d recommend checking out what the best series introduced in the last 30 years have done with character development and nonaction.
What do you mean by Superpower selection? Tone it down or take some out… or both?
Right now, you have 7 superpowers (not counting supersenses–those are pretty much free). I’d recommend cutting down to 2-3. Personally, I’d be inclined to decline the proposal as soon as I saw super-speed and super-strength for the same character–1) it’s too similar to Superman, and 2) if there is any way to dramatically challenge such a character without resorting to gimmicks, Superman’s writers haven’t found it, and not for lack of trying.
The main character is an ersatz Superman working as a reporter for The Daily Galaxy. If I published this as an editor, we would lose (and would deserve to lose) the ensuing lawsuit, and I’d probably lose my job. I think the character and plot need substantial conceptual work. I’d recommend dramatically shaking things up in some way particular to your writing style and story. For example, I drew on some elements of Superman for The Taxman Must Die’s Agent Orange–e.g. he’s an American non-human, but I think he has much more of a personality and interesting conflicts with his teammates, and the character is different enough from Superman to minimize the risk of a lawsuit.
Alright, thank you for your input. I’ll work on that.
I’ve written a novel about Batman and Robin and some of their adventures and I’m wondering how I might go about publishing it. I’m not sure what do do since it contains copyrighted characters, I don’t know if I need permission and if so from whom. Any ideas?
Unless you’ve been specifically contracted to write a book about Batman, it is unpublishable, sorry. DC/WB/Ballantine/Del Ray Books don’t read unsolicited submissions on Batman–when they need authors for their licenses (especially their top licenses), they’ll find you rather than the other way around.
If this is something you’re REALLY interested in, I’d recommend checking out what the credentials of their other licensed writers were at the time they started writing Batman novels. In most cases, they got themselves noticed by writing either best-selling or medium-selling books elsewhere. For example, Michael Reaves wrote a slew of novels (mostly fantasy and detective) and animated work on series including Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond before he did Batman’s Fear Itself and Infinite Mirror novels. Stephen-Elliot Altman wrote several novels and a few graphic novels before he started doing Batman novels.
Any ideas for a heroine whose powers are healing, immunity to poison/sickness, and self-resurrection (weaknesses: dismemberment, getting destroyed w/ fire/radiation/electricity past a certain point)? Personality: A curious, impulsive person, somewhat paranoid. She operates in a team of 4, not having trouble w/ the others.
Sry, “not having trouble w/ the others” means I’m not having trouble w/ their superhero names.
Andrew, the least awful possibility coming to me is Monitor–first, it ties into paranoia nicely. Second, the USS Monitor was probably the most famous ironclad, which could be tied into her invulnerability (if this historical note wouldn’t fit into the story smoothly, I think the monitor-watchfulness angle would be sufficient). For a mythological angle, I think Cerberus or Argus would work (exceptionally perceptive/vigilant, hard to kill).
My main character, a female superhero, doesn’t have any powers (think Batman) but her skill set is sneaking around and thievery. What do you think of the name Silhouette?
Yeah, obviously I needa rethink her superpowers. That’s another column though.
The extra “C” at the end of my name this time is there because I think there was another Andrew commenting. Not sure though.
“Monitor”…yeah, it’s the least awful, given what I have so far. I was going to say “Re-Herald” or something–feel free to make fun.
Re-Monitor? (if no, consider that grounds to send giant spiders after me or similar).
Brookfire, I think Silhouette is effective. Personally, I’m a bit more in favor of names which imply something about the character’s personality, but as far as names about the character’s capabilities go, Silhouette works well.
If you add a prefix to monitor, I’d recommend making it one word without a hyphen (e.g. Remonitor, Cemonitor, etc). I definitely wouldn’t make fun of you for a name like this, though I feel that names like this (which use more or less common sounds but look strange/exotic) are probably better-suited for characters that would benefit from a particularly unusual name (e.g. the character belongs to a fantasy or sci-fi race and is set apart from humans*).
*E.g. the two main characters in The Taxman Must Die are Gary Smith and Gain Orange and it probably won’t be hard for readers to remember which is a human accountant and which is a paramilitary mutant alligator.
Thanks, that gave me an idea.
Her powers are healing, immunity, non-lethal poison, and dissolving things she touches in a certain way. She is curious, impulsive, and somewhat paranoid, and functions as the team’s spy. Does the name Reagent work? Are there any names that are probably better?
P.S.–”Feel free to make fun” was my (lame & uncalled-for) idea of comedy.
So, I have a character who is a vigilante. No powers. Uses guns, knives, his fists, whatever it takes. He’s a shut-in for the most part, doesn’t do much aside from his vigilante business and work at a comic shop (irony. sweet irony)
He wears a black body suit that covers his entire body, which has red lining tracing certain angles on his suit. The character and story is under the current tentative title of The Hood, but as a hero name, I don’t like it, it’s too simple.
More about him:
Quiet, calculating, snarky, totally petrified of females, can be rude, can be harsh, valiant, good sense of justice and truth, but also ruthless.
He has no family left, he lives alone in an apartment. His father was “the Hood” before him, and his grandfather as well.
Name ideas???
“Quiet, calculating, snarky, totally petrified of females, can be rude, can be harsh, valiant, good sense of justice and truth, but also ruthless.” Hmm. Can you think of some things he might do or say that 90%+ of superheroes wouldn’t say or do in the same situation? (In particular, will he sound like other snarky characters, i.e. virtually every 15-25 year old superhero currently on the market?)
“The character and story is under the current tentative title of The Hood, but as a hero name, I don’t like it.” I agree that changing it would be best–between the Marvel character
and TV show with the same name*, I think it’d make your life harder than necessary. Also, from a reader’s perspective, I’d really want a title which was distinctive enough that your book would rank #1 on a Google search for its title. It’s unlikely you’d beat the Marvel character any time soon. (Point of reference: it took me 6 months to beat Time Magazine on a search for “superhero nation” because they had an article of that title).It might help to add a modifier, maybe something that creates an unusual contrast with Hood (e.g. the Steel Hood) and/or creates an interesting contrast.
*My mistake. The TV show in question is The Cape, not The Hood.
So, come up with a personality trait that makes him unique?
I didn’t realize there were superheroes already named that until very recently, that’s why I’m changing it
So, I guess I’m looking for suggestions.
“Come up with a personality trait that makes him unique?” That would be a great start, though preferably a unique combination of traits. For example, we’ve seen (too) many brilliant but socially awkward scientists, but Tony Stark was a very refreshing twist: he had an extremely outgoing and confident personality and his main flaw was a lack of restraint. In my own The Taxman Must Die, some of my unique combination of traits were jingoistic-scholarly-eccentric (Agent Orange), methodical-awkward-mundane (Gary), and ruthless-compassionate-brilliant (Jacob Mallow).
Ok thanks!!
Any suggestions on naming?
“Any suggestions on naming?”
I have not had very much success coming up with names for other people. Generally, authors can come up with something that fits their style and story better than a stranger that knows only a bit about the story can. You can use The Hood as a placeholder and something better will come to you eventually.
The leader of the group (a male) who had killed his wife do to the mind control of his villain, has only the power to locate any object and talk through his thoughts with others. had lost his ability to walk in the military before getting his powers. he is mildly insane do to the loss of his wife at his own hands. he is a vigilantly to the police because the mind controlling villain made sure that they would know that the hero killed her. his villain did this because he saw potential in the hero to become a villain but when he took the side of his late mentor the villain knew he had to stop the hero. the hero was beginning to develop more powers and learn how to use them but the villain brain washed him of this knowledge before making him kill his wife, the reason the villain did not take this last power away too was because his mentor had set up a mental wall protecting this ability and the villain didn’t want the hero dead because he was his father and couldn’t bare to kill or hire a hit man to kill his son.
The leader of the group (a male) who had killed his wife do to the mind control of his villain, has only the power to locate any object and talk through his thoughts with others. had lost his ability to walk in the military before getting his powers. he is mildly insane do to the loss of his wife at his own hands. he is a vigilantly to the police because the mind controlling villain made sure that they would know that the hero killed her. his villain did this because he saw potential in the hero to become a villain but when he took the side of his late mentor the villain knew he had to stop the hero. the hero was beginning to develop more powers and learn how to use them but the villain brain washed him of this knowledge before making him kill his wife, the reason the villain did not take this last power away too was because his mentor had set up a mental wall protecting this ability and the villain didn’t want the hero dead because he was his father and couldn’t bare to kill or hire a hit man to kill his son.
Loving this site. Great articles!
I’m currently plotting an idea for a comic. It started off because I essentially wanted to do my version of a Spider-Man comic. Time marched on and ideas flowed and I came up with a nifty origin about a young boy who was abducted by a super villain who was brainwashing young children who were just developing their powers and creating a supervillain army he would lease out for a price to other super criminals. Anywho, I realized this would be a troubling experience and so the character became a different person from who I wanted him to be.
So I decided to keep him the way he is and create the character I started out to make.
I have a loose origin: Cameron Shaw is a sixteen year old African American who comes from a family of good social and financial standing. Unknown to Cameron, the man who raised him isn’t his biological father. His biological father is a superhero who is killed at the beginning of the story. The source that gives him his power (I’m thinking alien but am undecided.) transfers to his sole descendent, Cameron. He is granted all of his father’s powers including increased strength and speed, flight and the ability to channel kinetic energy into blasts.
My issue is coming up with a name. I was thinking “Legacy” but that seems too simply and also was apparently used by Captain Marvel at one point.
I want Cameron’s personality to contrast that of Ryan, my abducted character’s. Ryan is socially awkward, angry and quick tempered but has a strong confidence. Although he was forced to do bad things, he isn’t a bad person. He has loads of experience with his powers.
Cameron is very personable and level-headed. Good student. However, he is often unsure of himself and has a hard time coming into his own as a hero.
Any suggestions?
“I was thinking ‘Legacy’ but that seems too simple and also was apparently used by Captain Marvel at one point.” If you were satisfied with the name, you’d be okay submitting with it. If the story were otherwise publishable, the absolute worst-case scenario is that the publisher would ask you to rename the character, and even that strikes me as unlikely–it’s a one-time alias of a relatively minor character. However, it sounds like you’re not in love with the name. For a slightly more complex take on the same theme, maybe Scion (literally, a son/daughter of a notable descendant). Scion was used by a series which got cancelled in 2004, so you should be clear there.
…
“I came up with a nifty origin about a young boy who was abducted by a super villain who was brainwashing young children who were just developing their powers and creating a supervillain army he would lease out for a price to other super criminals.” This is a pretty convoluted way of getting money… It might help to give the villain another goal (perhaps something more substantial than a desire for money). For example, maybe he sees himself as an Abraham-like figure and wants to use his children to ensure that he will always have a legacy (generations of the most powerful beings shaped in his image). This motive would also help add something to Legacy’s name (and conflict between the two legacies in question).
…
“Cameron is very personable and level-headed. Good student. However, he is often unsure of himself and has a hard time coming into his own as a hero.” What are some things that he would say/do that 99% of heroes wouldn’t do in the same situation? (If coming up with unusual decisions for the character proves very challenging, I’d recommend adjusting the plot and/or the character’s personality to help the character stand out more).
“Ryan is socially awkward, angry and quick tempered but has a strong confidence.” What are some things this character would do/say that most other angry/hotheaded characters wouldn’t? (Is there more to this character than his temper?)
Oh noname, you really got him there…
@B.McKenzie thanks! Appreciate the help!
I have the character’s personalities fleshed out more in my head but have a hard time putting it into words. Need to do a character questionnaire or something. I like Scion.
Again, thanks.
I believe so.
I am trying to create a female superhero and I have most of her background down, it’s just that I can not think of a name:
Her real name is Fallon Kruze and she is the youngest of five older brothers. Her parents were mineralogists and Her mother found a very rare metal on accident and he inhaled it and ended up killing her. before she died she gave birth to Fallon. at first there were no signs, but as she grew older, the metal started sticking out of her skin and she started being able to control things with her mind. she is now 17 and at school she is a nerd/nobody. So what would be a good superhero name? i have no ideas.
please help
Does the medal cover her skin or just stick out in some places
And is it out all the time or what
maybe Chrome if she has a silver surfer look.
Does she have help controlling her powers by like a mentor or something
Does she have help controlling her powers by like a mentor or something
Or if you are mitalic may work
I would prefer The Discovery
#youngone she does have metal sticking out and it is all the time she does not have a mentor.
i do like Chrome. that sounds pretty awesome.
Chrome has already been used apparently so any other options?
B. Mac if your out there help me out please!!!
My names are conspicuously weak. Here are some of the ones that come to mind:
–Adelite
–Antimony
–Chromite
–Emery
–Galena
–Jennite
–Melanite
Incidentally, these are minerals.
I need help coming up with a name for my superhero. She has purple fur everywhere, black hair, a tail, and yellow eyes. She can wall-crawl and has agility. Does anyone have any ideas for a name for her?
Please read the article, Amber.
Can anybody give me some ideas for the name of a alien/dog with these powers: Shape Shifting, Increased speed, endurance, and olfactory senses?
Hey,
I am 15 and am working on a project peice for a competition; in which I have to design a superhero character and explain how his powers would work scientifically through nanotechnology. The only problem is I can’t think of a name for him!
Since the competition doesn’t ask for a background story on the superhero character I cannot name him after his personality or life story etc because he doesnt have one!
He basically controls electricity with the use of shields (I don’t want to go into detail on how that works scientifically or else I’ll be typing for hours)
I want to name him something cool and origional after his power or his shields but I dont want to name him something cheezy like ‘lightning man’ or ‘electro lad’.
Please help point me in the right direction asap it would be much appreciated!!! D:
Thanks!
“Since the competition doesn’t ask for a background story on the superhero character I cannot name him after his personality or life story etc because he doesnt have one!” I’m not sure what the competition is like, but if the editors there are similar to professional editors evaluating submissions for publication, the lack of a personality is a much bigger issue than the character’s name. I’d recommend starting with the personality. Maybe he has some trait connected to the nanotechnology theme, like a Sherlock-esque appreciation for small details and/or an inability to let minor grievances go?
i have two ideas for two seperate stories the first is a more light hearted on about a teenage cancer patient who we will call Z and he gains the ability of flight somehow?? and it is about him trying to make a difference before he dies.
The second one is set in Africa and the main character is called Brady Zenawi the son of a twisted African warlord and a white missionary. After being taken from his mother at the age of 7 by a group of mercenary’s who work for his father (which he doesn’t know yet) to work in the diamond mines just outside cape town at the age of 18 he discovers a strange glowing diamond deep in the mine which dissolves into his hand when he picks it up. This diamond gives him the abilities similar to colossus from x men and Alex mercers ability to morph his hands into blades. but instead of being able to cover his body in steel at will he can cover it in a living crystalline material which makes him bullet proof and gives him super strength. he escapes the mines to track down his father and put an end to his his operation. I decided to give the main character the alias Blood diamond.
my question is which one should i pursue first and what do you think.
also how do u think Z should gain his powers and what can he do to make a difference
With Z, I think you could use the”nothing to lose, let’s use an experimental medicine” route. Or perhaps something a little more supernatural. And personally, I prefer the second it one.
hi I haven’t been on for ages. I have thought of a new super villain but I don’t know what to call him. He is themed on nuclear/ futuristic but I can’t think of an intimidating name. his superpowers are super strength, intellect, acidic blood/spit, mutations and regeneration. please help!
Thanks in advance
oh and another one. he is a superhero/ super villain called Conman. he is normally a thief, but he can help depending on the pay. his superpowers is the ability to change the dimensions of space (so he can flip the world upside down and run/jump easily across buildings). he can also travel through portals and slow down things. but I don’t know what his real name should be, how he got his powers and his back story. if you can help me with Conman and the other ones I would be really happy!!!!
please please please will someone answer my questions?
Einstein’s Brain… “If you post below for help coming up with a name for a character, please give us more to work with than just the character’s superpowers. What does the character have going on besides superpowers? Personality? Interesting goals/motivations? Anything which would help distinguish this character from superheroes with a similar power-set?”
okay his Japanese mother was pregnant with him in the second world war but his father left her. But an American bomb dropped on the city, turning it into a nuclear wasteland. everyone died of disease but his mother just had time to give birth to him. he was adopted by an American looking for survivors. he was brought up in a normal way. but he was bullied by his classmates. at high school he discovered his powers and killed his bullies. he murdered his teachers, his adopters and several other people with his wanting to discover his father. he went insane and as sent to an asylum. he escaped after 20 years in prison. his motivation is to find and kill his father for abandoning his mother. is that good enough
@Einstein’s Brain: Just curious about the timeline here… based on the above if the villain was born during World War II, say 1945, that would make him age 18 in 1963 by the time he’s a senior in high school. Assuming he went into the asylum/prison at that point and escaped after 20 years he’d be 38 in 1983. Is 1983 going to be the starting point of your story, or any time afterwards? I’m curious as to how old the villain is going to be when he starts his reign of terror in search of the father who abandoned him. If his mother died shortly after giving birth to him and he was later adopted by an American, what clues would the villain now have about the biological father’s true identity? Did the American foster parents consider looking for the baby villain’s real parents, or was the future villain simply picked up randomly as a war orphan with the assumption that the parents were dead? I’m assuming the foster parents didn’t, because you have the villain killing them. It’s also reasonable that the villain’s biological father should be at least 18 years older than him and probably older, so he’s beginning to search for an elderly or aging man of at least 65 to 70 in 1983, if he’s still alive. If you start your story much later than 1983 the biological father and the villain are also that much older. By the time the villain finds his biological father the man may have died years ago, or perhaps he’s suffering from dementia or dying of advanced Alzheimer’s or leukemia or kidney failure in a nursing home or hospice.
Since the villain has escaped from prison, however, he’s got some serious obstacles standing in his way. No college education (and no high school diploma either, as he killed everyone before graduation day), no job skills, no family, friends, or relatives to help him… since he’s been locked up for 20 years he’s likely to be that far behind sociologicaly and technologially, making him a bit of an anachronism. There is also going to be a massive manhunt by Federal authorities and legitmate super heroes who are all looking for him… the odds aren’t favorable for this villain from Chapter 1 (or whatever chapter he escapes from prison). A guy this dangerous, diagnosed criminally insane, with a proven history of killing anyone he perceives as a threat or who stands in his way just doesn’t seem to be destined to last long in any story, and some readers may not care to read about his quest to hunt down and kill his aging father. I’d think that the other super villains in this world (especially the smart ones like Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, Kingpin, etc.) would try to put as much distance between themselves and your villain as possible – and they just might take him out anyway because they may need to!
Maybe instead of a rage-driven prison break, the villain is found to be able to manage his psychosis with enough medication and therapy, so he’s cleared to be released with ongoing monitoring by a psychiatrist and a parole officer (as the crimes were committed when he was a teenager). The quest to find his father simply to ask “why” can then become more sympthetic as he struggles to find work, catch up in a world that left him behind, and pretty much everybody is going to shun him once they learn who he is.
That may not answer your question, but maybe this could help you ground some more details into the story.
Hi,
Ok so his power is that he can change the air density so he can make a wall or he can make the air thinner so it’s harder to breath. He’s also 17 years old, 14 at the time of his origins.
His parents were reporters and went to report on the Fukishima explosion and invited their son along to stay in a hotel in the city while they were reporting in the day but spend time with him at night. The son snuck into the boot of the car they took and went with them to the site. At the site, they were kidnapped by a mad man who took them to his shed on the outskirts of the damaged area. They were kept there for half a year with other people such as a doctor, a radioligist, a chemist and a geologist. The boy’s parents grew sick and his mother died, his father was weak but alive. A while later the boy also grew sick but the doctor and the chemist (I think that’s who help make the cures for things, I don’t know) had come up with a cure. When the boy took it, it affected his genes and induced him into a coma. The kidnapper dumped him on the ground two k’s from the shed. A year later, he woke up and went looking for the shack, when he got there, everyone was dead. So he wandered the land until he was found by a detective who was looking for clues on the kidnapping. The boy told him everything he knew. The detective took him in as an adopted son. The boy was put into a school back in America and was fine until he tried to run out of school and the principal tried to stop him. The boy stopped the principal creating a barrier of air and then thinning the air out so the principal couldn’t catch his breath. He became a superhero because they’d been his idol when he was kidnapped because they were an escape from reality.
I haven’t been great at coming up with original hero’s and origins so if I’m majorly stepping on someone’s ideas just tell me.
I need a name for an anti hero whose power is that of gravity manipulation. He was given these powers when on a space mission for NASA when he was sucked into a black hole. Being in a blackhole deposited him four years into the future, and replaced some of his body parts. He has a bright blue and dark red eye, all white spiky hair, about 6’2. When going through the black hole what felt like only four years in the real time actually was about 400 in the black hole. He was able to teach himself a various amount of skills and fighting techniques and perfect his bodily functions. Some of his powers include; being able to increase or decrease gravity fields, create miniture to galactic scale black holes and white holes (which he uses for a teleportation sot of travel), time manipulation, force field generation, etc. Being that he can create black holes and survive them gives him the ability of Chronolocking which in essense means exists outside of time and space, so if anything were to change in the past because of him he would know the difference and be able to tell the exact point when he changed something. His personality type is that of a vengance sort. His girlfriend, whom he was going to ask to marry him married his bestfriend and co pilot who was sick and could not make the mission. He doesn’t want his powers but he uses them to fight crime, and other super villains.
I have a superhero, but i need help naming him. His powers are to adapt to his environment to survive (e.g. grows gills when under water, fire-proof skin when exposed to flame, no need for oxygen when in space. )
P.S: wont know if it will help, but his name is Austin Kennedy.
Austin found he had powers in a very difficult test in 8th grade. He got the lowest score in the whole grade and was made to retake the test. This time he got 100% in the test. He admitted that he didnt study for the test at all and completed the test faster than anyone else. He was then tested for his I.Q. and before the test his I.Q. was 67, and after the test it had doubled to 134. Today he seems invincible, but he cant survive things like an overload of nuclear energy or somthing like the surface of the sun. He can also obtain other peoples powers.
I have trouble putting to much/not enough detail in many parts of my story, does anyone have any tips that may help me
“I have trouble putting too much/not enough detail into many parts of my story. Does anyone have helpful tips?”
1. As much as possible, use the details (e.g. setting, props, what characters are doing besides talking, narratorial asides & maybe historical notes, etc) to develop central aspects of the story (e.g. the main conflict, characters’ main goals, etc) and/or make useful emotional impacts. For example, I generally wouldn’t recommend mentioning how tall a building is because it tends to be sort of useless information, but in a few cases, it might add something interesting to a scene (e.g. if a character is climbing the building). In terms of what someone’s wearing, focus on what makes an impression. For example, in most cases, it’s more memorable and important if someone is wearing (say) a bulletproof vest or a gun holster than a green ribbon or a red jacket.
2. In most cases, I think beginning authors tend to spend too much time on unimportant visual details about a character. Instead of telling us everybody’s eye color (for example), I’d recommend only drawing in information like that if it makes an emotional impression and/or develops something useful about the character and/or advances the story in some way. For example, if the main character is a cop who is performing a traffic stop, mentioning what the other character’s eyes look like is 100% relevant because it helps show whether the guy pulled over is actually drunk or not.
Thank you for the advice, but in a part of my story the main character is looking for a rich girl, so do you think I should include how she is dressed when she is first found as a clue as to if it is her because if she is wearing expencive designer jeans that could be a clue since she is rich.
If the most interesting thing about her is that she is rich, I’d recommend going back to the drawing board. E.g. it may help to focus more on something more memorable, like something she chooses and/or her personality rather than something she was probably born into. See Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, for example. Their choices and personalities are more interesting than their demographics.
Well, about the only thing the main character knows about her is that she is in the same town he is presantly in,that she’s rich, and who the father is and where he is but she thinks her father is the rich Charles Manue and the character is searching for Emma for his friend her real father the doctor or Dr. Tuteur.
I see… hopefully she gets some great opportunity to establish herself as interesting. Right now, it sounds like she could use some work there.
I have just finished my story then read it to find that the book is terrible and I want Terry but with a new story but I have no clue how to do that without it being terrible like the first one I wrote.
I wouldn’t worry much about the first book being very bad.
1) It’s a first draft. Every first draft is awful, but gets better with rewriting.
2) Your writing will get better with experience. Give yourself more time and practice.
3) I’m not sure exactly what was terrible about the first book, but it sounds like the characters didn’t have much going on for a personality.
Yea well I’m only 12 so I have plenty of time to improve my book.
I would like suggestions for two of my characters. I have a group of six that can each transform into two forms that match their otherworldly enemies and they can each control their selected element when they are in their normal human form. When they are in there other forms they are called by the name of the creature they are but I have them knocked out of that form in a few fighting scenes and want them to be called by an elemental code name because they fear too many people recognizing them they are named as follows
Fire-Raging Flames
Lightning- Striking Thunder
Light- Shining Light
Darkness- Shadow Void
Wind-???
Ice-???
they were meant to be cheesy but tough sounding and completely anonymous. but easily recognized by each
any thoughts would be appreciated
These guys would make for an amazing American-Indian strikeforce.
“They were meant to sound cheesy…” Could I ask why you went for that approach?
since their whole reason is to keep people from trying to figure who the heroes are i figured it would make it easy for random bystanders to forget or at least prevent them from being able to narrow them down to just a few that might use those names
Hmm. I’m not sure I see the advantage of deliberately cheesy names here, unless perhaps the characters are supposed to come across as goofy (e.g. like Austin Powers). I would think that any fake name would make it harder for bystanders to figure out who the superheroes are.
yeah i guess i can see that, i think i was going for overly superficial because they are used in issuing commands in battle and a few times when they have to be present as humans. oh they are also teenagers if that might help anything
I really need a name for my hero, a grown woman (not the main character) who is extremely stubborn (but within reason. Sometimes.) and normally friendly enough but has a bit of a temper (especially when talking to this other hero who has a personality a lot like hers, they fight every time they’re together which is the focus of her character). She has electric powers that I want to have something to do with her name, some decently (but not overwhelmingly) abnormal strength, the ability to heal and heal others, and the ability to fly. She’s frank, doesn’t take crap from anybody, and is intensely physical.
Please avoid the words girl/woman/electri(o)(a)/lightning, want something simple and cutting, bold, frank, and strong (but the strong part is NOT a focus).
Originality/Desperation:
1) I feel like your list could be clearer. What do you mean by “I want something… strong (but the strong part is NOT a focus)?” Could you give an example of a bold name that is not very strong? Could you give an example of a frank name?
1.1) When you say “simple and cutting,” you’re ruling out a longer name, right? Can an author cover the lightning theme, frankness, boldness and strength (and/or the strength non-focus) in one word? My suggestion would be that especially if you’re looking for a simple name, I’d recommend focusing on 1-2 key elements to the character rather than 4+.
2) Instead of giving a list of 11 things you want to see or don’t want to see in the name, it may help to give examples of names you are impressed by. My first approach was to come up with something which actually met all 11 conditions, but the results were invariably super-1990s like Plasmastorm. Instead, I’d recommend something like Voltaic (mainly because it covers electricity and uses hard/cutting/disagreeable sounds which may be helpful given her combative personality), even though it definitely isn’t simple, doesn’t strike me as particularly frank, and may or may not be strong without a focus on the strong part.
3) In general, the only person likely to create a name that will make the author happy is the author himself/herself (e.g. the author knows the story best, knows his/her style best, knows the character best, etc). That strikes me as especially likely in this case.
Since Becky’s power is becoming a gas at will, I’m not sure what will make for a good hero name. Anything with Gas in it is probably out of the question, at least. She can whip up some decent winds with her ability, so I’m thinking that it might be a better idea to go with something relating to wind, like Ms. Whirlwind or Chicago Storm (she lives in the city).
(Yeesh, forgot to include this.) She’s curious to a fault and observant, and she’s also the only real superhero in Chicago, and young and naive to boot. I think Upstart might be an idea for a name, too.
I think the patronizing/dismissive element is interesting–”Upstart” sort of strikes me as a name that a journalist (or some other outsider) might give to a superhero he/she didn’t find very impressive. Who gives the character her name?
If she’s the only Chicagoan and most superheroes are from New York or California, “Flyover” would be another very dismissive term for a Midwesterner (sort of like Lois Lane addressing Clark Kent as “Smallville”).
As for Chicago Storm, I’d generally recommend using a location in the name if the character’s location helps develop the character (e.g. Martian Manhunter), creates a really interesting contrast (e.g. the Nantucket Ninja), or is somehow really relevant to plots and/or conflicts (e.g. “The Canadian” from a character who is super-suspicious of Canadians). Otherwise, I’d recommend leaving it out of her name.
One other complication with Chicago Storm… in conversation, I imagine that characters would generally address her as just Storm (because “Chicago Storm” would probably be awkward in conversation). I’m not a lawyer, but I think your eventual publisher may suggest some alternative to addressing a wind-themed heroine as Storm. Marvel/Disney is REALLY protective of its characters…
Yeah, after I came up with Upstart, I realized that it sounded pretty condescending. But Becky isn’t seen in a very positive light by a lot of the community, particularly by the higher ups in the CPD and the Tribune editorials (who give her the name). They’re very wary of her because of her pretty unimpressive power and how she lets criminals get away on a regular basis. I thought it might be an unusual move to name her that anyway without her protesting too much, to signify that she doesn’t care all that much about her public image and just wants to try and help while solving the main mystery of the story that’s driving her nuts.
–I like that she doesn’t make a big deal of it. That strikes me as an unusual decision on her part, and one that I think makes her look more serious than someone who complains about a mildly unfriendly name. (My thinking: if a superhero gets rankled by an unfriendly newspaper, he/she has no prayer against criminals).
–”Beck isn’t seen in a very positive light by a lot of the community, particularly by… the Tribune editorials.” I’m not a lawyer, but if you’re depicting a company in a negative light, I’d recommend using a fictional organization to avoid a lawsuit (e.g. the Daily Bugle)*. Alternately, if you wanted to use a real newspaper name but not get sued, I’d recommend the Chicago Daily News (which went under in 1978) or the Chicago Times (which got bought out in 1895). Fortunately, I think this change can be made in under 15 minutes (with your word processor’s Find-Replace tool).
*Exception: Government organizations (e.g. CPD) are not eligible to sue for libel/defamation, so whatever you say about the CPD is legally clear.
–I think it’s more dramatic that the media criticism of her sounds partly warranted (e.g. because she’s letting too many criminals escape).
What would be a good name for a character with vision abilities? (Not x-ray/heat vision.) She can look at a person and see their recent past and future; with training she can see farther into their past and future. In combat she can see a few moments into her opponent’s future and predict his next move, and always stay one step ahead of him. I wasn’t picturing this power as a telepathic thing, just strictly visual.
Hello! This is extremely helpful!! I’ve already given several of my characters names but am stumped to a few of them.
1. A villain who looks frail and weak but who is extremely smart. -Male
2. Can create Dark Plasma Ports (teleportation) and super strength. – Male
3. Can control sounds like, noises, vibrations, music… etc. – Female
Any help would be welcome to me
Little Mouse, what are the characters voices, backgrounds, and personalities like? That will help us get a better idea of what to include in the names we suggest.
What do you think about a supervillain who is known to be psychotic and has some very minor elemental powers like ice, lightning, and fire and whose name is Mental, like Elemental but without the El, so that it also says that she’s a villain and completely insane? If I have that name, should I also give her telepathic powers?
About my earlier question on a name for a character who has a short temper, electric powers, and clashes a lot with this other heros who has a similar personality (i.e. hotheaded and stubborn)… well, there’s this one name I like, but I heard it on Young Justice, so I can’t use it. I really like the name Impulse, and so far I’ve been calling her Pulse, but it’s just not quite right. Do you have any suggestions?
There’s also this idea I’vee been toying with. I see a lot of heros with names that have invulnerable in them, and I was thinking of making a character who is humble and or traumatized and has invulnerability, but whose name is Vulnerable. Any thoughts?
What do you think of a healing doctor named Pulse?
I’ve also been thinking of having a superhero be a wooden puppet with control over plants whose name is Pinnocio. Do you think Disney would kick up a fuss? The movie is really old and I doubt Pinnocio has ever been used as a superhero before. And also, do you think it’s a good name? He was made by a girl with plant and electrical powers accidentally.
I like the doctor named Pulse. It strikes me as subtly scientific and I think it’d be pretty easy to take the character seriously.
…
I can’t speculate on what Disney would do, but in general, Disney/Marvel is very aggressive about protecting its copyrights, and would likely have a plausible copyright case. I suspect that you could come up with a more distinctive & superheroic name which raises fewer legal questions than “Pinocchio.” For example, maybe something based on “bark,” because bark is associated with both plants and woods (and is also tough enough that it wouldn’t be completely out of place for a superhero).
“…humble and or traumatized and has invulnerability, but whose name is Vulnerable. Any thoughts?” I think that naming her Vulnerable will cue to readers that weakness/helplessness is her signature trait. In terms of making the character likable and interesting, I’m not sure this will turn out as intended. I’d recommend checking out, say, Batman and Wolverine — while not purely heroic (e.g. Batman’s traumas cause him to have major social problems), they are competent/active enough on the surface that they can still be taken seriously as superheroes. I’d recommend revising “Vulnerable” to make it easier to take her seriously.
…
“Mental” for a psychotic elementalist… If you’re writing a comedy, I think it’d be okay. Is the character supposed to be frightening (i.e. a serious threat to the protagonists)? If so, one possibility would be something which sounds more like an actual name (e.g. Heroes’ Sylar or The Taxman Must Die’s Hex Abrams).
How about these names and heroes:
KID HEROES
Italics: second wave
TECHNO
Real Name: Brian Foster
Age: 12
Weapons:
Special Abilities: extreme intelligence (great memory), controls electricity, mind reader
Appearance: glasses, pale skin, dark hair with bangs, gray eyes
Accessory:
DOVE
Real Name: Lani Ross
Age: 12
Weapons:
Special Abilities: to fly, blade wings
Appearance: wavy blond hair, brown eyes, tanned skin
SOLARIO
Real Name: Steve Daniels
Age: 12
Special Abilities: heat vision, fire manipulation
Appearance: red hair, freckles, green eyes
Accessory: sunglasses
MIME
Real Name: Mimi Deville
Age: 12
Weapons:
Special Abilities: mimic anyone’s voice or body
Appearance: light brown skin, hazel eyes, shoulder-length brown hair
Accessory: writing journal
REFLECTOR
Real Name: Lyle Petersen
Age:12
Special Abilities:
Appearance: braces, dark skin, short black hair
Accessory:
SCALES
Real Name: Nick Chambers
Age: 12
Weapons:
Special Abilities: lizard morphing, camoflague
Appearance: pale skin, brown hair and eyes
Accessory:
VINE
Real Name: Victor Vazzarelli
Age: 12
Special Abilities: plant manipulation and empathy
Appearance: clump of reddish-brown hair
BLINK
Real Name: Spencer Swifton
Age:12
Special Abilities: super speed
Appearance: blond with blue eyes
Accessory: pedometer
MUSICA
Real Name: Melanie Beats
Age: 12
Special Abilities: super-sonic voice, keen hearing
Appearance: curly brown hair, olive skin, brown eyes
Accessory: headphones
FREEZE
Real Name: Jessica Kim
Age: 12
Special Abilities: freeze liquids and time
Appearance: straight black hair, brown eyes, pale skin
Accessory: Ice skates, special watch
Hi! Reading has really helped me. The only thing I’m stuck on is a group name for 6 teens. I have all the individual names. (Super and regular.)
1. Ability to shoot/absorb shocking energy-female
2. Ability to read minds,tell people what to do-female
3. Ability to shoot fire/immune to heat-female
4. Ability to freeze anything into ice-male
5. Ability to control/produce water-male
6. Ability to have super strength-male
I would appreciate any help. Thanks!
@Katnip. #3 Firestarter, Hothand, Flame, Torch, Afterburner
#4 Arctic
Ooh i like those!
thanks!
I’ve used some of these hero names for a while so it’s kind of hard to let go of them, but should I change these?
Star Lass – A young woman with Aspergers and a strong urge to fight evil. Although very timid around people she spends little to no time with, she becomes very talkative around her friends and practices her social skills by trash talking her enemies. She has a good amount of space-themed powers: light/solar energy, teleportation, and can alter reality to an extent.
Willpower – A carefree, energetic young man who is Star Lass’ boyfriend. He was the one who helped the once-reclusive Star become more confident during her adolescent years. He has the power to harness his will into physical energy and various other methods.
Black Moon – A formerly naive youth, she went through a strenuous ordeal that changed her to become more aggressive in her superhero life. She has a variety of powers associated with the moon: control of others’ shadows, gravity manipulation, and elemental darkness.
Queen Metal – A prodigy even as a teenager, she has talents in creating with technology. However, she’s a rather sour person who masks chronic depression. She has the power to control metal. Having lost an arm in a fight, uses a cybernetic one capable of, among other things, firing bullets.
I might have established too little/too much, but this is all I could think up from the top of my head.
Hey everyone,
wondering if anyone can help me with a name for my superhero.
Male – very athletic – power comes from a special golden ring – would be cool if the letter X was involved but doesnt have to be.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hm. We might need some more information on him in order to give some better ideas for names. Right now, I’m thinking Excel might work.
He is a student/athlete by day and becomes a superhero by night. His school has a special ring that their students wear but his is much more powerful (still trying to figure out how the special powers are in his ring and not others). The school athletic teams all have the letter X in them because the school is Xavier – this is the reason for wanting an X in the name if possible. Excel is a great option! Thank you
I guess Im leaning towards something that could be linked to athletics but also a strong name…if that makes sense haha
Any help is beyond appreciated 
First time writing this style story 
Hi,
I have a super hero I am trying to name. The character is a young man who was not born a hero but had to learn to become one. His father was a scientist who left behind a prototype exoskeleton suit that grants the wearer super human abilities. Below is a brief on the character
Name: Wale West
Age: 22
Height: 6’1
Traits: Brash, Impatient, Over Confident, Selfless, Brave, Intellegent
Super Powers: Super Strength, Flight, Ability to create and manipulate force and force fields
For now all I have is “eXo” [short for exoskeleton]
I also want to title it :
EXO: Legend of the West
Any ideas? or what do you think of mine? Not sure if I am confident with exo but let me know
Thanks