I've wanted to write a superhero story for a few years, but for some reason I never liked the idea of just writing "a superhero story." Like, a story where a dude gets powers, a villain pops up, they fight, and the superhero wins. I keep thinking I need a more unique setting than that, and I think I've finally got one. What do guys think of this? Nobody knows for sure how, but a strange phenomenon is causing certain people to rise from the dead shortly after being killed. The connecting factor is that all these people died trying to protect someone else. These people are given powers that start off weak, but grow stronger if they fight and defeat another empowered person. This can happen either by killing them or forcing them to verbally admit defeat. Some of them use their powers for good, others for evil, you know the drill. Later on its revealed that an evil...thing...is about to be reincarnated on earth (maybe it only happens on earth, maybe it happens all across the universe, I don't know yet) and the purpose of all these powers appearing is so that the one most worthy can achieve incredible power and become earth's champion to fight the evil thing. There's a few other things I have in mind that aren't necessary to explain the setting. Like, the evil thing being more like a force of nature and can only be defeated if it becomes bonded with a living being. The main character refuses to kill people, so one of his friends pretends to betray him and does a ton of awful stuff to try and force the MC to hate him enough to kill him, and then bonds himself to the evil thing. And the MC naming himself Paragon and trying to become a symbol of absolute perfection to the people of earth and all the pain and struggles that brings him. But you all get the idea (I hope). Whatcha think?
So some dudes get power, a villainous force pops up and the superheroes win? Also, the "grow stronger if they fight and defeat another empowered person" thing:
I think it's interesting! I gotta say though... well, @Naomasa298 beat me to it. Your story is: It's a good formula though!
Highlander came to my mind too. Formula could be a chain but could still be overcome with quality in the writing or characterisation or some fresh injection of surprise. Make us care about your characters and we might overlook other shortcomings. Build up your world and be ready that it might not do what you originally thought it would. Your outline doesn't grab me as something I'd read but could be swayed if you got the other pieces right.
Is it like the episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus where everybody is a Superman, wearing the full costume with cape, except that one of them is secretly Bicycle Repairman? And when someone crashes their bike he ducks into a nearby hedgerow and emerges in his coveralls with a large toolbox (no idea where he was carrying THAT!) and fixes it? Everybody gasps in amazement and asks who he is, where did he come from, and why does he have such amazing abilities, like nobody else? Something like that? No?
My advice in any scenario like this, would be to try and find a new angle on your topic. What hasn't been portrayed? What isn't been written about? How can you change or vary your story from the standard superhero plot? Find an angle, something unique and different.
It's an interesting idea, with strong potential. It's a good enough spin on the usual take so that works in it's favour. There are elements of Highlander, The Crow et al, but that shouldn't be a concern. The most interesting part would be not knowing why this is happening until the evil force appears. It can certainly create interesting character arcs, especially when one has to sacrifice themselves to another in order to gain the power required to win. Heartstrings!
So superhero zombies? I like it, but I feel like you should put more emphasis on developing whole "superhero zombie" angle, instead of the villain which appears to be just "run-of-the-mill".
So, revenants? Anyway, as I said: you should probably focus more on the "risen from the dead" part, because rest of it is just standard superhero fare, as far as I can see.
