How can people like assassins gain Karma? If Karma is a reflection of a hero's status compared to the ideal hero, what if a hero doesn't care about his status? The Punisher and Wolverine certainly have no compunctions against killing. I realize that this is against the heroic nature of the game, but these people do kill. How is this handled within the game?
This has always been a sticky question to address, given the rise in vengeful, violent heroes in both the comics and other media. The answers are direct interpretations of the game rules on these matters. Keep in mind that any Judge can change these stipulations to suit the type of game they play; TSR and the MSH game will always rule against killer heroes.
Assassins in the MSH game are, by definition, villains; their crimes bring them as much Karma as heroes get for stopping the same crimes. However, villains lose only 30 Karma for killing people. The Karma gained for committing a violent crime (such as murder) is negated by the 30-point loss, and they gain zero Karma for their actions, Assassins, therefore, must gain their Karma at tasks other than killing. Characters like the Red Skull lose Karma by the ton for killing underlings, but they gain Karma in many other evil ways and these killings promote fear (and negative Popularity).
If a hero doesn't care about his status as an ideal hero, he just doesn't have the Karma to spend like other heroes. Heroes who kill (Wolverine, Punisher, Devil Slayer) gain Karma normally with many actions, but lose it all immediately upon killing. Since they don't uphold the strict ideals of the heroic tradition to protect life, they don't get the bonuses to excel at their heroic duties (Karma points). The lack of Karma also prevents new Power Stunts from being developed or new equipment from being procured; when was the last time you saw Wolverine or the Punisher perform something totally new and unexpected?