Basically, love writing superhero stories, and trying to come up with some interesting characters. Just wanting to get some thoughts on them right now. 1. My first character is a guy named Asher Hawthorne. Don't have his superhero name figured out yet, but what I'm most concerned about is how interesting his backstory is. Asher is your typical finance bro, who is very vain, and cares more about his reputation than anything. Think Adam Scott, as opposed to DJ Qualls. After he accidentally kills a superhero, the entire city begins to hate him. Given how he places such a high importance on his reputation, this is devastating to him. He eventually decides to atone, and fix his reputation, by suiting up himself. He succeeds in having people begin to like him again, but must take the fall for crimes his didn't commit in order to stop the bad guys, thereby giving up the thing he used to want the most (a good reputation) in exchange for doing the right thing, and achieving what he now wants the most (to have good character). I guess I'm not sure if this is interesting enough. I guess I just want a guy to accidentally kill a superhero, have the whole city hate him, and suit up himself in order to atone for it, and I figured someone who holds their reputation above all else would be a good person to have this done to. Thoughts? These next two characters aren't as fleshed-out, but still wondering what you think of the concepts: 2. Mayweather. This is a superhero who is known for ducking certain supervillains for fear of losing. People call him Mayweather (a reference to Floyd Mayweather) to mock him for his cowardice, and he hates it. This story would, of course, have to do with him learning to believe in himself more, and realize that he's more powerful than he thinks. That whole shebang. Maybe he has good boxing skills. Maybe wants to be called the Golden Glove, or Granite, or something. 3. Scatman. This is kinda a dumb one, but thought it could be interesting. Basically, a crazy homeless dude with schizophrenia whose powers are derived from his scat singing, or maybe he just sings scat while fighting. Think Kill Moves from Everybody Hates Chris.
Please tell me you're not creating a superhero named Scatman who is homeless and out of touch with reality. Does this guy have poo-based powers? Let me guess his symbol is a turd emoticon. This had better be a parody or you've just got on the bus to lame-town.
Just thoughts and suggestions, write the stories you want to write 1) Asher is interesting. I bit too many highs and lows for my taste. Everyone loves him, then they hate him, then they love him, then they hate him...I like the idea that in the end he has to sacrifice his reputation to save the day. But I guess it would depend on how you do it could be interesting. 2) Mayweather.... name is a bit on the nose. The criticism of Floyd Mayweather ducking fights isn't something non-boxing fans know or care about. So it's not a name I could see catching on organically, especially as an insult, since many people view Floyd Mayweather is one of the greatest boxers of all time. It would be like saying a writer on this site is "Tolkien" as an insult because they are long-winded... well YEAH that is a criticism some have against Tolkien... but he's still one of the most successful writers of all time, seems really odd to use his name as an insult. For this hero I wouldn't make such a direct connection to Mayweather. I like the idea of him calling himself "Golden Gloves" but others call him something else as an insult. First things that come to mind, Mr. Coward or Chickenboy or if you want to really hammer in that he's ducking fights, Duck-Man, Mr. Duck, or The Ducker. And just throwing it out there... if he is a boxing themed hero, maybe in his hideout/home he has a picture of Floyd Mayweather. Now instead of telling people what to think you have SYMBOLISM so they can decide for themselves did you put Mayweather in as a reference to the criticism of him ducking fights, or because he was a great fighter (uh lit people just love their symbolism). Or keep it Mayweather whatever makes you happy 3) Scatman... though I know what scatting is "bee-dee-dee-bo-bee-bop-doo-wee-doo!" having a homeless man named scatman does not automatically make one think of music. I'm not directly seeing a connection to a homeless guy and singing as superhero. I think you could have a homeless guy who just has superpowers. Or you could have Jazz singer who get's hit with radioactive sound waves or something and gets music powers. Or it can be a homeless guy who sings... but sounds like that idea needs to be fleshed out. Just sharing my opinion as an amateur writer and fan of superhero stories.
Hey, thanks for the detail feedback, I appreciate it! For the nickname, maybe it could be something implied, as you suggested, or just one of many nicknames people call him. Was kinda just going for Mayweather because I wanted one unifying insult that people refer to him as that he can't stand. Might help if I explicitly explained it with something exposition. "Why do they call him Mayweather? Because he ducks all the big fights." If I decide to ditch it, though, love the idea of having symbolism do the talking for me! As for Scatman, definitely know that people will initially assume it's something else -- especially because he's homeless. Kinda wanted to play into that with some jokes. But haven't really decided exactly where to go here. Definitely want it to be some crazy homeless guy who happens to get superpowers, and I've known a few crazy homeless guys that would start singing nonsense akin to scat out of the blue. Kinda going for the ridiculous superhero, like you might see in James Gunn's Suicide Squad. Asher is his own standalone hero, and I'm planning on writing an entire feature out of that (probably where a crime syndicate rises to power in the dead superhero's absence, and Asher is the one to stop them), but the other two, I'm thinking of having them (and others) team-up to form the most ridiculous superhero team ever. Just have a thing for superhero stories, and you need to have a unique concepts nowadays to have any chance at selling a superhero script. My other superhero story is about a sidekick who was replaced 20 years ago by a sidekick that became the Robin to the superhero's Batman, while the sidekick became a drunk. He befriends a rising star superhero whose superhero name is his real name so he can "hide in plain sight," and sees it as his chance to make it as a superhero, like he missed out on all those years ago. Basically, The Rocker.
It does if you were around in the 70's and watched Hollywood Squares (or some game show, I forget which one, maybe the Gong Show?). Or if you saw The Shining. Scatman Crothers was a scat artist. But younger people today wouldn't have heard of him.
I think I could make a joke or two that clarify things early on, but just not sure if it's a stupid idea to begin with (a crazy homeless person who sings nonsense, but also has super powers, lol).
I think it depends on how silly the story itself is. If it's satire or parody then you can get away with just about anything. If it's supposed to be realistic then you have to be a lot more careful.
It's sorta in between. More like a dramedy, similar to Peacemaker, where it definitely pushes the envelope, yet still is very dramatic and very funny. Something that'd be on HBO Max, if that makes sense.
It would help if the main idea behind the story is people with weird powers, and many of the powers are stupid. It needs a 'thing'. If that idea is the thing, then you can have strange characters all over demonstrating their powers, and some of them are just ridiculous. Think about for instance people who live in LA, and how they all think they're gong to be actors, directors, or screenwriters. Every waiter in every restaurant will tell you about the screenplay he's writing. And you know most of them are never going to make it, but they all think they are. Now just substitute 'superpowers' for that, and you've got a thing. Maybe somebody who, if he concentrates really hard, can make tin cans rattle, but that's all, and he has to concentrate for like ten minuites to do it. And when people laugh or start to say "Well, I've really got to go... " He gets all desperate, and says "Once I get stronger I'll be able to move cars and statues!" And put these people everywhere. After a while all you need to do is have a silly name for one and people can imagine the kind of ridiculous power he must have. But some people really have good powers. Sorry, I seem to be writing my own story now. I'll let you get back to yours! But I was just trying to say, if you have a setup like that then you've got a good reason to have ridiculous powers and names etc.
I think it would be funny (to call him that) if it's a satirical enough world, and if it's explained somewhere what it actually means, for the younger folk who don't know. An older person could explain to a younger one in the story. But you have to be careful with that kind of thing. If too much needs to be explained then it crosses the border and becomes info-dumping (no pun intended).
Thing is, I know what it means, but the musical definition isn't the one that first comes to mind. If I knew a show had a character called Scatman in it, I wouldn't watch it. Bebopdowop Man works for me.
Oh, I know. Definitely don't want too much exposition. Was thinking something quick and easy, like: Person #1: Please tells me that doesn't reference what I think it does. Person #2: No, he's just crazy.
You could get around it by calling him Hambone. That's a type of dance/performance thing that used to often be done along with scat singing. Amd sometimes they'd use spoons. Or, if the humor of the story is scatological enough, calling him Scatman with the misunderstanding can fit well.
Hmm, hambone might not be a bad idea. Always wondered what that was called. Humor is definitely obscene, but nothing about shit, lol.
Also, forgot one more superhero: Superhero who is a speedster. Got his powers by trying to emulate Jackass videos, and used his erect penis as a lightning rod.
Oof, not to bump this, but again, have another idea for a hero: Superhero who has to hang-up his cape because he's been put on blood thinners -- just as a big, bad, new supervillain begins his reign of terror. Or, maybe he just has to fight smarter, and can't rely as much on his brute strength (sorta like how Mayweather had to learn how to fight more defensively once his hands were ruined [people forget PBF was a knockout artist]). Basically, the risk with blood thinners is that if you get hit too hard, or fall too hard, or suffer any trauma, there is serious risk of hemorrhaging. A superhero who was forced to be on blood thinners could easily die if he got hurt in a fight, and the best time (story-wise) for this to happen might be when a new, more powerful villain rises to power. Intention isn't even to have multiple heroes that have flaws similar to Mayweather, but that's just how it goes sometimes, lol. Could always merge these ideas (hero ducks more powerful guys BECAUSE he's on blood thinners), but I think that gives the hero a built-in excuse, and I don't want that. I want it to be a FLAW, not a reasonable thing.
I wouldn't consider that a flaw really, at least not in a story sense. A flaw isn't really a physical problem, it's about their character, the limiting belifs or attitudes that are causing their problems. What you're talking about is more of a physical limitation that makes them vulnerable or almost forces them into retirement. A character flaw is more like the lie they believe that makes it impossible for them to accomplish what they need to, until they realize it's a lie and overcome it, and begin to believe the truth that allows them to prevail. If it's really a hero's story the flaw is something they need to overcome.
What could be a flaw is if he fails to fight when he really needs to because of the blood thinners and the danger of bleeding to death. But the real flaw isn't the physical fact of the blood thinners, it's his refusal to sacrifice himself as a hero needs to. In the real world heros are people who willingly face their own death or terrible injury in order to save someone else. And sometimes they really do die trying. That would be a story of the death of a hero, who through his willingness to sacrifice turns his death into a heroic deed, like in the movie Logan. He was headed for a very selfish and sad death as the adamantium in his body was poisonoing him, and he refused to help his daughter and her friends escape out of selfishenss and fear for his own safety. But in the end he did decide to sacrifice his own life for theirs, and the mutants lived on as a result. Plus there was a new Wolverine now, his daughter. The king is dead, long live the queen.
Of course your hero wouldn't need to actually die, but he needs to be willing to, to risk sacrificing himself despite his new vulnerability. He could live afterwards. Maybe he gets horribly wounded and is bleeding out, but uses his cape (or something) as a tourniquet and lives. Or somebody else does it for him as he lay dying.
Thanks for the feedback again, I appreciate it! Not sure if I articulated my last post as well as I intended to. I wanted to keep these heroes separate because the physical limitation isn't a flaw. I want Mayweather to dodge villains because he's a coward, not because he's forced to due to medical concerns. For this other hero, I want him to essentially have to re-learn how to fight more conservatively, because he can no longer go in guns blazing due to risk of injury. Haven't really thought of his flaw yet, but it'll probably be something that directly contradicts him fighting more conservatively. For the blood thinner guy, it's kinda a self-insert, to be honest. I was never good at sports growing up or anything. Tried them all. Even played a small bit of college football at a D3, then D2 school. But I always knew I wasn't good. Then I discovered that I'm a pretty natural boxer with a ton of power, and it's something I definitely could've made it in. Only problem is that I'm on blood thinners for life. Even if I could get a medical exemption to fight (can't, because it's an automatic DQ), one hard hit, one concussion, and I could get severe bleeding and die. I thought about how this might work for someone else who has to fight other people, but with higher stakes: a superhero. How could the superhero reconcile his almost-certain death with his supposed responsibility to help? That's what I'm initially thinking with these two heroes, anyways. One is a coward who picks and chooses who he'll fight because he's scared to lose, and the other wants to fight, but would be doing so at great risk to his own life.
Ok, thanks for explaining it in more detail. Maybe the blood thinner guy puts on body armor, and starts carrying an extensive first aid kit packed with tourniquets, bandages, sutures, blood clotting agents and blood thickeners (is there such a thing?). Superglue was used a lot by fighters to close wounds in the field or during a fight, he could carry a few tubes. One question (spurred by the videos about the real life superhero guy I posted recently). Do these guys drive around, or take mass transport, or do they basically walk everywhere? It doesn't sound like anybody can fly. What I'm wondering is, he could keep his first aid kit in his car nearby, so he doesn't have to carry around a little suitcase. Otherwise he needs something like a Batman utility belt, but in real life it would be more like pouches attached to his costume.
He might also develop a strategy of using a lot of throwing weapons and making traps, so he can fight from a distance. Oh wait, don't you already have a guy who makes traps? Or is it the same guy? I remember you saying something about it.
