SUPERDREAMTEAM version 1.0
Mar. 24th, 2007 09:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thehefnerSo I'm starting a meme. I'm still refining it, but here's the basic idea. Feel free to offer suggestions on how to rephrase and rework it.
If you could assemble your own superteam of any characters (fictional, historical, or modern real people) for some world-spanning epic fantasy adventure, who would they be? Pick your team according to role and function. Some characters can play multiple functions. Who would work well together and who would clash?
I imagine as a general rule, the fewer members you have, the better.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bloo_mountain managed to condense her team down to just seven So perhaps my team of thirteen is too big, unwieldy, and unstable to work. But then again, with certain members in there to keep the others in check, perhaps not? In any case, I love my list. I think it's rife with potential drama and awesomeness. Sure, they may not be an efficient team, but there's no doubting that my team is damn interesting.
(I also included alternate candidates who would kick ass and bring something different to the table, just because I like to have my cake and eat it too.)
MASTERMIND AND EXPOSITORY "M"/ZIGGY FIGURE: Barbara "Oracle" Gordon
-- This is my least original choice, as this is essentially the role she plays in BIRDS OF PREY. But beyond sending the team out on missions and being the mutual link between the members, she's also perhaps the most down-to-earth, sane, and sensible of them all.
TEAM LEADER: Hal Jordan
-- Not Green Lantern, but just ol' human Hal Jordan. With the ring, he's so powerful as to render a team kinda pointless. This version of Hal would be my ideal mental image of the character, combining dashes of John Crichton, Bruce Campbell, Jack O'Neill, Han Solo, and Mal Reynolds, in a Silver Age DC mold. He's a rebel and a rogue, a smartass and a daredevil, but above all else, he's a leader and a hero. He's wired to take orders and would probably respect Oracle more than the Guardians, but he will occasionally rebel against her orders and do what he thinks is best, and will probably be right. Because of his own past, he's sympathetic to characters seeking redemption and believes in the ability for people to change, if they really want to. His main weakness is boobs.
Alternates: John Sheridan, James T. Kirk
AMBASSADOR/LIEUTENANT: Maxwell Lord
-- Max is smooth-talking, charming, and diplomatic enough on his own, but his mental ability to "push" his influence onto the wills of others makes him the ideal ambassador for the group. Problem is, no one is ever quite sure when he's serving the best interests of the group or himself. While I think that the evil CHECKMATE version of Max is true to the character as he originally appeared, it ignores the moral growth he had over the years, so this Max could go either way* Even Max may not know where his loyalties lie, and perhaps he sees this as a chance for redemption. Even if he winds the team up in even worse trouble (and he might), he's your best bet for getting them out in the most peaceful way possible.
Alternates: John Crichton, JFK
*I firmly believe that CHECKMATE!Max is a clone the real Max (whose brain was in a robot body) made so he could be fully human again, but the clone double-crossed him and stranded robo!Max on Kooeykooeykooey, where he remains to this day. I like this idea, because we could bring Max back without invalidating the fact that Wonder Woman killed a human being, as the clone was more human than the real Max was.
WARRIOR AND SCRAPPER: William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting (or Poole, if you want to use the real guy)
-- When Maxim Magazine was doing a huge "Who Would Win in a Fight?" tournament, at one point it came down to Bill versus Wolverine. Of course Wolverine would win, but you have to admit, that fight would be brutal. Bill's weapons of choice are his butcher knives, which he wields with deadly accuracy and ferocity, cutting a swath through a battleground towards his intended target. He's a horridly racist monster, but also deeply bound to the rules and ethics of honor (unless pushed too far, and I still don't know if that scene with Monk really fit or if it jumped the shark). He's kinda like a Klingon, now that I think about it (a comparison he'd likely hate)! He'd frequently clash with Hal, challenging him for leadership much like Jayne does with Mal (if Jayne were actually really smart)
Alternates: Rev. Jessie Custer (minus the Word o' God), Monk from GANGS OF NEW YORK, Aaron Burr (I don't know if he really could fight, but I sure like to think he would)
COMEDIAN: Johnny Go
-- Johnny might not be a skilled fighter, all that smart, or even sane, but for all his bluster and delusions, he may be right about one thing: Lady Luck is on his side. How else to explain how the self-professed "sixth Rat Pack member" manages to survive each absurd and deadly mess he finds himself in? Not just survive, but comes out singing and swinging? Johnny regales his group (and anyone else he finds) with tales of his days with Sammy, Dino, and Ol' Blue Eyes, and is always ready to crack a joke, do an impression, or sing a tune. The only reason he stays on the team is that he greatly amuses Doc Holliday. Most of the other members barely tolerate him, but they find him handy whenever they need a distraction, which Johnny is all too willing to provide.
Alternate: Randle P. McMurphy
SCOUT/BRUTE STRENGTH/OGRE: Bub the Zombie
-- Because Bub and Johnny are a team, everyone's favorite zombie unsettles some, fascinates others, and is beloved by a few. No longer desiring human flesh and slowly remembering what it's like to be human, Bub can go out into dangerous areas without fear of physical pain. Stephen becomes fascinated by the logic-defying nature of Bub, and uses his magic to heal whatever might fall off Bub at any given time (perhaps even gives him the ability to heal from wounds on his own?) Kitty and Doc both take a real shine to Bub, who is very much like a dumb (but increasingly intelligent) dog. And like Johnny, he just might be smarter than he lets on.
Alternate: Fezzik
MAVERICK/GUNSLINGER: John Henry "Doc" Holliday
-- Imagine Captain Jack Sparrow, only with loyalty, tuberculosis, and a quick draw. I specifically am thinking the Val Kilmer version, of course. He's one of the few people who will actively call people out on their bullshit, particularly Bill the Butcher and Max. He'll form a strong bond of loyalty and friendship with Hal, Johnny, and Bub, plus will constantly be hitting on all the women in the group.
Alternates: Vash the Stampede, Oliver Queen, Floyd "Deadshot" Lawton
HEALER/MAGE: Doctor Stephen Strange
-- He runs the risk of being too powerful for this motley crew, but then, if anyone knows anything about dysfunctional teams, it's Dr. Strange. He has the double benefit of being both a brilliant surgeon (regardless of unsteady hands) and, of course, the Goddamn Sorcerer Supreme. He would have long, meaningful discussions with Werner, be deeply fascinated by Bub, barely tolerate Johnny and Doc, have a love/hate relationship with Max, respect Hal, and clash egos with Otto.
Alternate: Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch would be more fitting for the roguish nature of the team, not to mention reducing the sausage-fest that is this team, but how much of a healer is she? I also have a soft spot for Zatanna, except she's not as powerful as either, and there's still that healer issue.
If anyone thinks it wouldn't be overload, I could have Wanda as the Mage and Night Nurse as the Healer.
RESIDENT SOCIOPATH/SCIENTIST: Doctor Otto Octavius
-- Much as I loved Alfred Molina's take, I'm going to opt instead for the comics version. Rather than be a good guy under the influence of a dark personality (that role's taken by our Wild Card), I'm gonna go with the character that Brian K. Vaughan described as the Hannibal Lecter of the Marvel Universe. Rather than the whiny histrionics of the spandex-clad 70's Ock, I far prefer Erik Larsen's take from the 90's: a cold, classy, calculating, justifiably arrogant, utterly brilliant sociopath with odd traces of nobility. Like Hal, Otto wouldn't have his trademark accessory, since that would make him too powerful and render other fighters useless. He's along purely for his scientific intellect and his Lecterish insight into the minds and hearts of people. But who's to say he would hesitate to turn his team mates against one another? And between his scientific brilliance and the question of possible telepathic powers, could a new pair of arms (or something worse) be far behind in Otto's plans?
Alternates: Hannibal Lecter, Scorpius, Alfie (Michael Caine, not Jude Law)
!!!BONUS CHOICE!!! Chris Knight from REAL GENIUS, if you want the "resident sociopath" in your "scientist" replaced with "Comedian." If it wouldn't overwhelm the already-bloated team, I'd throw him in there anyway, just to see him clash with Otto, party with Johnny, and meet Doc ("You'd be quite the handsome devil if you shaved off that mustache." "Holy hell, I do believe I'm seein' double! Four me's!").
SPY: Kitty Pryde
-- Kickass but upbeat, not innocent but uncorrupted, there's a reason why Joss Whedon has turned his ASTONISHING X-MEN from "The Adventures of Wolverine and Pals" to "The Adventures of Kitty Pryde and Pals." She's perfectly suited for spy work and can more than hold her own in a fight. She's also strong willed and sassy, which is good since she'll be fighting off the advances of Doc and Johnny. She and Bill will constantly clash over the latter's hateful prejudices (lord knows what he'd think of mutants, but Jewish mutants no less...!), yet the two just might form a strange bond of battlefield honor. But she won't trust Otto one fucking second, and perhaps more than anyone else, will have her eye out for whatever he has planned.
Alternate: Harry Palmer from THE IPCRESS FILES
WILD CARD: Harvey Dent/Two-Face
-- In a group with people like Bill the Butcher, Maxwell Lord, and Doc Ock, who else could possibly top them in terms of being the Wild Card? Harvey's a brilliant strategist, an above average hand-to-hand combatant, and quite adept at a number of weapons and firearms. As Harvey, he's up there with Hal and Stephen in terms of sheer noble heroism. But as Two-Face, he scares even Otto. He's almost a combo of Boromir and Gollum in terms of team dynamic here, as well as Jeckyl/Hyde from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; Hal would keep him on, since he sees his own redemptive path in Harvey, while most others would deeply distrust him, at best. Perhaps Kitty will sympathize with him the most and try to bring out the best in him, but will be absolutely ready to put Two-Face down like a rabid dog should he try anything. He's the very definition of the chaotic character, and even if someone withholds his coin from him, there's absolutely no way to predict what Harvey might do, say, or become at any given moment.
CLERIC/PRIEST/ZEN MASTER: Werner Herzog
-- The poetic and philisophical heart and soul of the team. He also might be insane. Then again, he just might be super-sane. If anyone could deal with and reign in Bill, Otto, Johnny, and Harvey, it's Werner Herzog. Hal may lead the team, but it's Werner who inspires him. Not everyone may get along with him, but everyone respects him. The man could walk through a torrent of arrows and somehow remain unscathed.
Alternates: Garrison Keillor, Leonard Cohen, Mr. Rogers
GANDALF-STYLE EX MACHINA BADASS WHO COMES IN TO SAVE THEIR ASSES AT THE LAST MINUTE: President Teddy Roosevelt.
-- Need I say any more?
I think I spent half the day on this post, and it was entirely too much fun. If I devoted the rest of my life writing only the adventures of this team, I bet I'd die before I'd tap even a quarter of the potential stories. Whenever I need to go to my happy place, I'd imagine the adventures of Bub and Johnny Go. But when things get really bad and just Bub and Johnny won't do, I'll start thinking about this team and all will be momentarily well with the world.
What kind of threats would they face? I'd like to see this team take on Galactus, for one.
Now spread the madness and let's see who'd be on *your* SUPERDREAMTEAM!
If you could assemble your own superteam of any characters (fictional, historical, or modern real people) for some world-spanning epic fantasy adventure, who would they be? Pick your team according to role and function. Some characters can play multiple functions. Who would work well together and who would clash?
I imagine as a general rule, the fewer members you have, the better.
bloo_mountain managed to condense her team down to just seven So perhaps my team of thirteen is too big, unwieldy, and unstable to work. But then again, with certain members in there to keep the others in check, perhaps not? In any case, I love my list. I think it's rife with potential drama and awesomeness. Sure, they may not be an efficient team, but there's no doubting that my team is damn interesting.(I also included alternate candidates who would kick ass and bring something different to the table, just because I like to have my cake and eat it too.)
MASTERMIND AND EXPOSITORY "M"/ZIGGY FIGURE: Barbara "Oracle" Gordon
-- This is my least original choice, as this is essentially the role she plays in BIRDS OF PREY. But beyond sending the team out on missions and being the mutual link between the members, she's also perhaps the most down-to-earth, sane, and sensible of them all.
TEAM LEADER: Hal Jordan
-- Not Green Lantern, but just ol' human Hal Jordan. With the ring, he's so powerful as to render a team kinda pointless. This version of Hal would be my ideal mental image of the character, combining dashes of John Crichton, Bruce Campbell, Jack O'Neill, Han Solo, and Mal Reynolds, in a Silver Age DC mold. He's a rebel and a rogue, a smartass and a daredevil, but above all else, he's a leader and a hero. He's wired to take orders and would probably respect Oracle more than the Guardians, but he will occasionally rebel against her orders and do what he thinks is best, and will probably be right. Because of his own past, he's sympathetic to characters seeking redemption and believes in the ability for people to change, if they really want to. His main weakness is boobs.
Alternates: John Sheridan, James T. Kirk
AMBASSADOR/LIEUTENANT: Maxwell Lord
-- Max is smooth-talking, charming, and diplomatic enough on his own, but his mental ability to "push" his influence onto the wills of others makes him the ideal ambassador for the group. Problem is, no one is ever quite sure when he's serving the best interests of the group or himself. While I think that the evil CHECKMATE version of Max is true to the character as he originally appeared, it ignores the moral growth he had over the years, so this Max could go either way* Even Max may not know where his loyalties lie, and perhaps he sees this as a chance for redemption. Even if he winds the team up in even worse trouble (and he might), he's your best bet for getting them out in the most peaceful way possible.
Alternates: John Crichton, JFK
*I firmly believe that CHECKMATE!Max is a clone the real Max (whose brain was in a robot body) made so he could be fully human again, but the clone double-crossed him and stranded robo!Max on Kooeykooeykooey, where he remains to this day. I like this idea, because we could bring Max back without invalidating the fact that Wonder Woman killed a human being, as the clone was more human than the real Max was.
WARRIOR AND SCRAPPER: William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting (or Poole, if you want to use the real guy)
-- When Maxim Magazine was doing a huge "Who Would Win in a Fight?" tournament, at one point it came down to Bill versus Wolverine. Of course Wolverine would win, but you have to admit, that fight would be brutal. Bill's weapons of choice are his butcher knives, which he wields with deadly accuracy and ferocity, cutting a swath through a battleground towards his intended target. He's a horridly racist monster, but also deeply bound to the rules and ethics of honor (unless pushed too far, and I still don't know if that scene with Monk really fit or if it jumped the shark). He's kinda like a Klingon, now that I think about it (a comparison he'd likely hate)! He'd frequently clash with Hal, challenging him for leadership much like Jayne does with Mal (if Jayne were actually really smart)
Alternates: Rev. Jessie Custer (minus the Word o' God), Monk from GANGS OF NEW YORK, Aaron Burr (I don't know if he really could fight, but I sure like to think he would)
COMEDIAN: Johnny Go
-- Johnny might not be a skilled fighter, all that smart, or even sane, but for all his bluster and delusions, he may be right about one thing: Lady Luck is on his side. How else to explain how the self-professed "sixth Rat Pack member" manages to survive each absurd and deadly mess he finds himself in? Not just survive, but comes out singing and swinging? Johnny regales his group (and anyone else he finds) with tales of his days with Sammy, Dino, and Ol' Blue Eyes, and is always ready to crack a joke, do an impression, or sing a tune. The only reason he stays on the team is that he greatly amuses Doc Holliday. Most of the other members barely tolerate him, but they find him handy whenever they need a distraction, which Johnny is all too willing to provide.
Alternate: Randle P. McMurphy
SCOUT/BRUTE STRENGTH/OGRE: Bub the Zombie
-- Because Bub and Johnny are a team, everyone's favorite zombie unsettles some, fascinates others, and is beloved by a few. No longer desiring human flesh and slowly remembering what it's like to be human, Bub can go out into dangerous areas without fear of physical pain. Stephen becomes fascinated by the logic-defying nature of Bub, and uses his magic to heal whatever might fall off Bub at any given time (perhaps even gives him the ability to heal from wounds on his own?) Kitty and Doc both take a real shine to Bub, who is very much like a dumb (but increasingly intelligent) dog. And like Johnny, he just might be smarter than he lets on.
Alternate: Fezzik
MAVERICK/GUNSLINGER: John Henry "Doc" Holliday
-- Imagine Captain Jack Sparrow, only with loyalty, tuberculosis, and a quick draw. I specifically am thinking the Val Kilmer version, of course. He's one of the few people who will actively call people out on their bullshit, particularly Bill the Butcher and Max. He'll form a strong bond of loyalty and friendship with Hal, Johnny, and Bub, plus will constantly be hitting on all the women in the group.
Alternates: Vash the Stampede, Oliver Queen, Floyd "Deadshot" Lawton
HEALER/MAGE: Doctor Stephen Strange
-- He runs the risk of being too powerful for this motley crew, but then, if anyone knows anything about dysfunctional teams, it's Dr. Strange. He has the double benefit of being both a brilliant surgeon (regardless of unsteady hands) and, of course, the Goddamn Sorcerer Supreme. He would have long, meaningful discussions with Werner, be deeply fascinated by Bub, barely tolerate Johnny and Doc, have a love/hate relationship with Max, respect Hal, and clash egos with Otto.
Alternate: Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch would be more fitting for the roguish nature of the team, not to mention reducing the sausage-fest that is this team, but how much of a healer is she? I also have a soft spot for Zatanna, except she's not as powerful as either, and there's still that healer issue.
If anyone thinks it wouldn't be overload, I could have Wanda as the Mage and Night Nurse as the Healer.
RESIDENT SOCIOPATH/SCIENTIST: Doctor Otto Octavius
-- Much as I loved Alfred Molina's take, I'm going to opt instead for the comics version. Rather than be a good guy under the influence of a dark personality (that role's taken by our Wild Card), I'm gonna go with the character that Brian K. Vaughan described as the Hannibal Lecter of the Marvel Universe. Rather than the whiny histrionics of the spandex-clad 70's Ock, I far prefer Erik Larsen's take from the 90's: a cold, classy, calculating, justifiably arrogant, utterly brilliant sociopath with odd traces of nobility. Like Hal, Otto wouldn't have his trademark accessory, since that would make him too powerful and render other fighters useless. He's along purely for his scientific intellect and his Lecterish insight into the minds and hearts of people. But who's to say he would hesitate to turn his team mates against one another? And between his scientific brilliance and the question of possible telepathic powers, could a new pair of arms (or something worse) be far behind in Otto's plans?
Alternates: Hannibal Lecter, Scorpius, Alfie (Michael Caine, not Jude Law)
!!!BONUS CHOICE!!! Chris Knight from REAL GENIUS, if you want the "resident sociopath" in your "scientist" replaced with "Comedian." If it wouldn't overwhelm the already-bloated team, I'd throw him in there anyway, just to see him clash with Otto, party with Johnny, and meet Doc ("You'd be quite the handsome devil if you shaved off that mustache." "Holy hell, I do believe I'm seein' double! Four me's!").
SPY: Kitty Pryde
-- Kickass but upbeat, not innocent but uncorrupted, there's a reason why Joss Whedon has turned his ASTONISHING X-MEN from "The Adventures of Wolverine and Pals" to "The Adventures of Kitty Pryde and Pals." She's perfectly suited for spy work and can more than hold her own in a fight. She's also strong willed and sassy, which is good since she'll be fighting off the advances of Doc and Johnny. She and Bill will constantly clash over the latter's hateful prejudices (lord knows what he'd think of mutants, but Jewish mutants no less...!), yet the two just might form a strange bond of battlefield honor. But she won't trust Otto one fucking second, and perhaps more than anyone else, will have her eye out for whatever he has planned.
Alternate: Harry Palmer from THE IPCRESS FILES
WILD CARD: Harvey Dent/Two-Face
-- In a group with people like Bill the Butcher, Maxwell Lord, and Doc Ock, who else could possibly top them in terms of being the Wild Card? Harvey's a brilliant strategist, an above average hand-to-hand combatant, and quite adept at a number of weapons and firearms. As Harvey, he's up there with Hal and Stephen in terms of sheer noble heroism. But as Two-Face, he scares even Otto. He's almost a combo of Boromir and Gollum in terms of team dynamic here, as well as Jeckyl/Hyde from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; Hal would keep him on, since he sees his own redemptive path in Harvey, while most others would deeply distrust him, at best. Perhaps Kitty will sympathize with him the most and try to bring out the best in him, but will be absolutely ready to put Two-Face down like a rabid dog should he try anything. He's the very definition of the chaotic character, and even if someone withholds his coin from him, there's absolutely no way to predict what Harvey might do, say, or become at any given moment.
CLERIC/PRIEST/ZEN MASTER: Werner Herzog
-- The poetic and philisophical heart and soul of the team. He also might be insane. Then again, he just might be super-sane. If anyone could deal with and reign in Bill, Otto, Johnny, and Harvey, it's Werner Herzog. Hal may lead the team, but it's Werner who inspires him. Not everyone may get along with him, but everyone respects him. The man could walk through a torrent of arrows and somehow remain unscathed.
Alternates: Garrison Keillor, Leonard Cohen, Mr. Rogers
GANDALF-STYLE EX MACHINA BADASS WHO COMES IN TO SAVE THEIR ASSES AT THE LAST MINUTE: President Teddy Roosevelt.
-- Need I say any more?
I think I spent half the day on this post, and it was entirely too much fun. If I devoted the rest of my life writing only the adventures of this team, I bet I'd die before I'd tap even a quarter of the potential stories. Whenever I need to go to my happy place, I'd imagine the adventures of Bub and Johnny Go. But when things get really bad and just Bub and Johnny won't do, I'll start thinking about this team and all will be momentarily well with the world.
What kind of threats would they face? I'd like to see this team take on Galactus, for one.
Now spread the madness and let's see who'd be on *your* SUPERDREAMTEAM!
