DominusNovus
01-26-2010, 09:04 PM
So, I had one of these awhile back, and figure its an idea that warrants revisiting:
Comic book Superheroes (and villains) exist. However, they'll be introduced, bit by bit, throughout history, with heroes being born, rising to power, dying, and paving the way for the next generation. Their lives should have a tangible effect on history, with lots of butterflies (radioactive, genetically engineered, magically imbued, mechanized power suit wearing butterflies). Characters from any major comic book are acceptable, though I'm thinking largely DC and Marvel, of course.
Each character should remain as close to the source material as possible, though there will be lots of creative interpretations to be made. The basics should remain the same. So, for example, someone similar to Peter Parker (both in name and personality) will be bit by a spider that gives him spider-like powers. However, when and where he lives, what cause he eventually decides to support; all up for grabs.
To start, we'll have things begin in the early Dark Ages; have not settled on a specific time. Maybe around Justinian's reign, that seems to be a fun point in history. There should be very few super powered characters to begin, only a dozen or so, scattered across the world, and increasing gradually over the generations. Because of this, mutants, such as the X-men, will likely not be introduced for several centuries (perhaps not at all).
I think a good start would be the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom. Below is my bio for Doom from the thread I started way back in the day on AH.com. It will need some tweaking (mainly in terms of dates, and I want to insert something about reed richards into Doom's background), but should serve as a good example of what I'm thinking of.
Ardaric Domaz Victorinus
Victorinus was the son of the chieftain of the Latverii, an east germanic tribe related to, and allied with, the Gepids. By extension, they were part of the confederation of tribes controlled by Attila the Hun. The Latverii were settled in the region of Dacia at the time of Attila, near the Danube River.
Victorinus was born in AD 425, to a Roman noble woman who had been married to his father as part of one of the many intricate treaties that served to bind the various barbarian tribes to the faltering Empire. His birthname was simply Ardaric, named after the chieftain of the Gepids, a relative of his father's.
He gained the name Victorinus while a Roman treaty hostage. As was common, he was given over to the Romans as part of a treaty between the Empire and his father. While in Constantinople, he received a proper Roman education. Ardaric was an amazing pupil and devoured texts on all number of subjects. He learned Latin, Greek, Persian, Arabic, and Hebrew, all before he was 12. His desire to delve into mystic arts was denied by the theological sensibilities of his hosts. He satisfied himself, for the time, with studying matters mechanical, and could often be found with the city artisans, contriving various devices.
Eventually, as a young man in his teens, Ardaric was allowed to fight alongside the legions (and his people) in various battles. It was his skill and bravery in battle that earned him the name Victorinus. Eventually, however, his tribe's allegiance to Attila and his Huns forced Victorinus to fight against Rome. He had no problem with the situation itself, but it was in one of these battles that his face was scarred.
Victorinus was a very vain individual, proud of his handsome appearance. He could not bear to show his scarred visage to anyone, and build a full face mask that he wore always. Eventually, he bored of raids and was tasked by his father to guard his people's homeland against Roman reprisals. This he did with great skill, though he spent most of his time governing his people rather than fighting off Roman attacks. It was his skill at governance that earned him the name Domaz, or 'Law.' None of the Latverii would dispute his word, and his word was law.
Eventually, however, Victorinus bored of this, as well, and conspired to kill Attila, so that his own tribe might ascend to dominance. He was successful in his assassination, so much so that none suspected him. Save for his father, who, upon learning the truth, banished Victorinus for his actions. Victorinus then traveled to the east where he was able to satisfy his desire to learn the mystical arts.
It was while in the east that his suit of armor was imbued with strong magics, making Victorinus much more powerful than before. He returned to his people after 2 years, only to learn of the death of his father at the hands of the Romans. Swearing revenge, he was proclaimed the first king of the Latverii, at age 30. It was his desire to bring about a Pax Latveriana.
So, thats my idea. Who else has some superheroes they'd like to see plopped into history?
Comic book Superheroes (and villains) exist. However, they'll be introduced, bit by bit, throughout history, with heroes being born, rising to power, dying, and paving the way for the next generation. Their lives should have a tangible effect on history, with lots of butterflies (radioactive, genetically engineered, magically imbued, mechanized power suit wearing butterflies). Characters from any major comic book are acceptable, though I'm thinking largely DC and Marvel, of course.
Each character should remain as close to the source material as possible, though there will be lots of creative interpretations to be made. The basics should remain the same. So, for example, someone similar to Peter Parker (both in name and personality) will be bit by a spider that gives him spider-like powers. However, when and where he lives, what cause he eventually decides to support; all up for grabs.
To start, we'll have things begin in the early Dark Ages; have not settled on a specific time. Maybe around Justinian's reign, that seems to be a fun point in history. There should be very few super powered characters to begin, only a dozen or so, scattered across the world, and increasing gradually over the generations. Because of this, mutants, such as the X-men, will likely not be introduced for several centuries (perhaps not at all).
I think a good start would be the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom. Below is my bio for Doom from the thread I started way back in the day on AH.com. It will need some tweaking (mainly in terms of dates, and I want to insert something about reed richards into Doom's background), but should serve as a good example of what I'm thinking of.
Ardaric Domaz Victorinus
Victorinus was the son of the chieftain of the Latverii, an east germanic tribe related to, and allied with, the Gepids. By extension, they were part of the confederation of tribes controlled by Attila the Hun. The Latverii were settled in the region of Dacia at the time of Attila, near the Danube River.
Victorinus was born in AD 425, to a Roman noble woman who had been married to his father as part of one of the many intricate treaties that served to bind the various barbarian tribes to the faltering Empire. His birthname was simply Ardaric, named after the chieftain of the Gepids, a relative of his father's.
He gained the name Victorinus while a Roman treaty hostage. As was common, he was given over to the Romans as part of a treaty between the Empire and his father. While in Constantinople, he received a proper Roman education. Ardaric was an amazing pupil and devoured texts on all number of subjects. He learned Latin, Greek, Persian, Arabic, and Hebrew, all before he was 12. His desire to delve into mystic arts was denied by the theological sensibilities of his hosts. He satisfied himself, for the time, with studying matters mechanical, and could often be found with the city artisans, contriving various devices.
Eventually, as a young man in his teens, Ardaric was allowed to fight alongside the legions (and his people) in various battles. It was his skill and bravery in battle that earned him the name Victorinus. Eventually, however, his tribe's allegiance to Attila and his Huns forced Victorinus to fight against Rome. He had no problem with the situation itself, but it was in one of these battles that his face was scarred.
Victorinus was a very vain individual, proud of his handsome appearance. He could not bear to show his scarred visage to anyone, and build a full face mask that he wore always. Eventually, he bored of raids and was tasked by his father to guard his people's homeland against Roman reprisals. This he did with great skill, though he spent most of his time governing his people rather than fighting off Roman attacks. It was his skill at governance that earned him the name Domaz, or 'Law.' None of the Latverii would dispute his word, and his word was law.
Eventually, however, Victorinus bored of this, as well, and conspired to kill Attila, so that his own tribe might ascend to dominance. He was successful in his assassination, so much so that none suspected him. Save for his father, who, upon learning the truth, banished Victorinus for his actions. Victorinus then traveled to the east where he was able to satisfy his desire to learn the mystical arts.
It was while in the east that his suit of armor was imbued with strong magics, making Victorinus much more powerful than before. He returned to his people after 2 years, only to learn of the death of his father at the hands of the Romans. Swearing revenge, he was proclaimed the first king of the Latverii, at age 30. It was his desire to bring about a Pax Latveriana.
So, thats my idea. Who else has some superheroes they'd like to see plopped into history?