The Great Hero Showdown (First Round Voting Results Up!)

[Templetroll]

#60 The Lone Ranger





A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty "Hi Yo Silver!" The Lone Ranger. "Hi Yo Silver, away!" With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early west. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. The Lone Ranger rides again!

The hero is a Texas Ranger named Reid, who was pursuing the criminal Butch Cavendish with a group of other rangers. (Some later reference books claimed Reid's first name was John, however this name was never used on either the radio or television program. The leader of the group of rangers was stated to be Captain Dan Reid, his brother. The name of "John" Reid's nephew, a later character, was also Dan Reid.) The party finds itself in a murderous ambush arranged by Cavendish that seemingly leaves every ranger dead. Reid's childhood friend, a brave known as Tonto (his tribe was seldom specified), finds the party and finds Reid to be alive. Tonto takes him to safety and nurses him back to health.

While Reid recovers, Tonto buries the dead rangers. Reid vows to bring the killers and others like them to justice. By happenstance, the pair discovers a magnificent white stallion whom Reid adopts as his mount, Silver. Whenever the Ranger mounts Silver he implores, "Hi ho, Silver, away!" which besides sounding dramatic, originally served to tell the radio audience that a riding sequence was about to start. They also discover a lost silver mine and a prospector who is willing to work it and supply Reid and Tonto as much silver as they want! Reid fashions the mask that would mark him as the Lone Ranger. In addition, the Lone Ranger decides to use only silver bullets, as a reminder of his vows to fight for justice, and never to shoot to kill. From the very first TV episode. Right after the Ranger puts the mask on (which Tonto had fashioned from Captain Dan Reid's vest), Tonto starts handing equipment to the Ranger:

Tonto: Here, guns, to kill bad men.
Reid: I'm not going to do any killing.
Tonto: You not defend yourself?
Reid: I'll shoot if I have to. But I'll shoot to wound, not to kill. If a man must die, it's up to the law to decide that, not the person behind a six-shooter!
Tonto: That's right, Kemo Sabe!
Tonto: You all alone now. Last man. You are lone Ranger.
Reid: Yes, Tonto... I am... The Lone Ranger!

Silver bullets reminded the Ranger how expensive firing a gun at a man was. Not that this seemed to sway him from firing his gun an awful lot. Just not to kill anyone.

The Lone Ranger had a silver mine that he and his brother, Dan, had planned on using for their retirement. A retired Texas Ranger (who knew the Ranger's secret) agreed to work it for him and make the silver bullets. The Lone Ranger and Tonto would periodically visit the old Ranger and stock up on bullets and silver to use to buy goods. (This mine would be the basis of the fortune that built the Reid publishing empire in the Green Hornet.)

Together, the Lone Ranger and Tonto wander the Old American West helping people and fighting injustice where they find it. The Lone Ranger was also a master of disguise, and in particular would often infiltrate an area as the "Old Prospector", an old-time miner with a full beard, so that he can go places where the Lone Ranger would never fit in, usually to gather intelligence about criminal activities.

According to "The Legend of Silver", a radio episode broadcast September 30, 1938, before acquiring Silver the Lone Ranger rode a chestnut mare called Dusty. After Dusty was killed by a criminal that Reid and Tonto were tracking, Reid saved Silver's life from an enraged buffalo, and in gratitude Silver chose to give up his wild life to carry him. Silver's father was called Sylvan, and his mother was Musa. In another episode, the lingering question of Tonto's mode of transport was resolved when the pair found a secluded valley and the Lone Ranger, in a urge of conscience, released Silver back to the wild. The episode ends with Silver returning to the Ranger bringing along a companion who becomes Tonto's horse, Scout.

Information from
http://www.endeavorcomics.com/largent/lr1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lone_Ranger
http://members.tripod.com/~ClaytonMoore/

I'd also like to point out that The Lone Ranger has about the most recognizable theme song EVAR!

 

[drothgery]

61. Wesley Wyndham Pryce
Angel

The stuffy and often clumsy former Head Boy at the Watcher's Academy seemed rather incompetent other than the occasional crossbow shot when he appeared as a new Watcher on Buffy. But when he resurfaced in LA, Wesley finally learned how best to put his formidable intellect to use in fighting the evils in the shadows. Extremely knowledgable on the occult, far more ruthless than outsiders would suspect, and always knowing where the line between good and evil stands (even if he's stradled it at times), Wes was invaluable to Angel investigations.

 

[reveal]

#62 - Elminster - Forgotten Realms

Elminster is a white haired, grey bearded human with a gruff voice, a twinkle in his dancing eyes and non-descript clothing. His weathered face is now finally showing the signs of his age. Like his onetime apprentice Vangerdahast, this ancient wizard is finally starting to seem truly old, prone to long reveries in which he sees again people and places now long vanished. This is not surprising as records place his birth in Athalantar at 212 DR; and his entry to Myth Drannor as a young prince at 241 DR.

The strongest of Mystra's Chosen now rarely moves directly against his foes, preferring to work through younger and more vigorous heroes. His said to rarely travel in the Realms, preferring these days to explore other worlds. When he does travel, it is usually in the disguise afforded by a shape change spell, or under cover of invisibility. Elminster travels to acquire information; his great love is the discovery of the long forgotten, or of creatures and magic totally new to him.

Elminster smokes a meerschaum pipe and can drink heavily without apparent ill effects. He can be witty and clever in conversation if he so desires, or haughty, or charming or terrible and commanding. As he has grown older, Elminster has become more whimsical, given to sudden impulses and doing things "for the hell of it."

Elminster is a consummate actor and delights in acts of whimsy, helping the needy and lovelorn, and dispensing poetic justice to those who deserve it. He has a heart of gold, a deep need to bring tyrannical, pompous, and cruel persons low, and a crotchety, "Don't push me" manner. After knowing the love of the goddess Mystra, nothing awes him or leaves him much afraid.

He is not aggressive, but is fearless, and will fight if crossed, threatened, or attacked. Officially, he maintains a sage's neutrality; in fact, he prefers to see peace, freedom from slavery, and oppression for all peoples (of all races), tolerance, and maintenance of a wilderness and natural beauty. He often works with circles of druids and allied rangers, magic-users of like mind including The Harpers, working covertly to prevent war and limit the influence of rulers and groups viewed as evil.

Adventurers come to him from all over the Realms, and he is said to be fabulously wealthy as a result of the fees they pay (having only to sell the right to copy a spell to certain mages, if he ever desires more wealth). Rumors of his wealth are borne out by the fact that he aids those it pleases him to aid, and turns away others, regardless of how much or how little any of them offer in payment.

Despite this fabled wealth Elminster lives in a very unpretentious manner indeed. His tower can be found overlooking a fish pond on the south side of Old Skull, a white granite promontory in the verdant farming valley of Shadowdale. It looks like nothing more than an abandoned windmill or silo and certainly not the dwelling of the man who is arguably the most powerful being in mainland Faerun. He lives quietly, respected by the townsfolk who consult him on matters of history and genealogy and advice on the upbringing of their sons and daughters. He shares his cluttered, two story tower with Lhaeo, a scribe of great renown.

 

[Gomez]

63. Doc Savage

Doc Savage is the Man of Bronze, the great pulp hero of the 30's and 40's. To the world at large he is a strange, mysterious figure of glistening bronze skin and golden eyes.
Lester Dent, who wrote most of the adventures, described his hero – Clark “Doc” Savage Jr. – as a cross between “Sherlock Holmes with his deducting ability, Tarzan of the Apes with his towering physique and muscular ability, Craig Kennedy with his scientific knowledge, and Abraham Lincoln with his Christliness.”
Through 181 novels, the fight against evil was on. From a headquarters on the 86th floor of a towering Manhattan skyscraper, Doc, his five pals – Renny, Johnny, Long Tom, Ham and Monk – and occasionally his cousin Pat battled criminals the world over.

 

[Particle_Man]

64. Paksenarion

As told in the trilogy "The Deed of Paksennarion", by Elizabeth Moon, she is portrayed as The Greatest Paladin ever.

Starting from humble beginnings as a sheepfarmer's daughter, she trains as a warrior, but her sense of right and wrong always serve her. She devotes herself to the cause of right, despite suffering the most horrifying of trials. Her devotion to her god, and the cause of justice, is absolute. Unlike other paladins, she has known fear, and thus is more sympathetic to others being afraid of evil.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671697986.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

 

[Mad Hatter]

PArticle Man- That is so awesome that you nominated Paksenarrion. You get so many cool points for that.

 

[demiurge1138]

65. Alice

Alice is a seven year old girl, brighter than most and not unwilling to disobey authority, which is probably a good thing, as her insane adventures take her to all manner of crazed authority figures, who she manages to deal with, or at least survive.

Demiurge out.

 

[Klaus]

# 66 - Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel's origin story finds the homeless and orphaned Billy Batson making a meager living selling newspapers near an old subway station, sleeping in the doorway of the station. Billy had been living with his uncle after the deaths of his parents, but the cruel old man threw the boy out into the streets and stole his inheritance. While selling papers one rainy night, a dark clothed stranger comes to the boy, and asks him to follow him down into the subway station. There, a strange subway train with no visible driver appears, which carries the pair to the secret lair of the wizard Shazam. There, the ancient wizard reveals that he has selected Billy to be his champion to fight for good as the "strongest and mightiest man in the world--Captain Marvel!".

To that end, Shazam orders the boy to speak his name, which was actually an acronym for various legendary figures who have agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject:

S for the wisdom of Solomon
H for the strength of Hercules
A for the stamina of Atlas
Z for the power of Zeus (usually in the form of resistance to any injury)
A for the courage of Achilles
M for the speed of Mercury (and, by extension, the power to fly)

Billy complies and is immediately struck by a magic lightning bolt, which turns him into Captain Marvel, an adult superhero. He then learned that he only had to speak the word again to be instantly changed back into Billy.

Marvel is usually depicted as a pure-hearted and unwaveringly upstanding; since he is still a youth, it is harder for him to become corrupted (thus the wizard's reasoning for not choosing another adult like Black Adam as his champion). In the Underworld Unleashed miniseries (1999), Captain Marvel's soul is treasured by the demon prince Neron, but Marvel's soul is so pure that Neron was unable to possess it.

 

[Mad Hatter]

67. The Shadow aka Lamont Cranston

Biography (from wikipedia.com, based on the 1994 movie which was adapted from the radio show): Lamont Cranston was a disaffected veteran of The Great War (World War I) who drifted through Asia and ultimately became a brutal warlord and opium smuggler. Cranston was then kidnapped by a Tibetan order of monks and brought to their monastery. A tulku, their leader, recognizing the power of harnessing Cranston's inner darkness, reformed and trained him to use that darkness against evil rather than for it. Cranston learned how to confuse and control the minds of others, particularly how to become invisible except for his shadow. His nemesis in the film was an evil warlord and fellow telepath named Shiwan Khan, the last descendant of Genghis

 

[El Ravager]

68. Mario from various Nintendo games

What can I say about mario. He's Italian, a plumber, and he's saved the Princess countless times. He opposes Bowser and other villians in his many video games and saves the day.

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El Rav