What are the different archetypes of superheroes/supervillains?

[AFGNCAAP]

Used the general category, since non-d20 doesn't really apply to this...

I got thinking about this after posting the superhero setting thread. I noticed homebrew seems to be the popular choice (so far) for supers games, so I wondered if any archetypical sorts of characters cropped up in these games. Then I started to wonder just what were these archetypes? Are they universal (at least across the various comic universes, if not the various supers RPGs)?

Well, I started to sit down & think about this, & here's some of the ones I've thought of. I'm sure there's more that I haven't covered (and feel free to add them, if you wish). I'd also appreciate your views on these archetypes (whether you agree or not, would add/remove something, etc.).

So far, here's what comes to mind:

The Exemplary Superhuman: The iconic, if not all-powerful superhero capable of almost anything (or at least portrayed that way). DC's Superman is the best example of this sort of character, as are Fawcett's/DC's Capt. Marvel, Marvel's Sentry, Image's Supreme, & so on. Often has primary colors included in costume design (Supe's red, blue, & yellow; Capt. Marvel's red & yellow; Sentry's yellow& blue). THe origins of the powers vary, but more often than not, they often possess an array of powers well above those of other heroes in their reality.

The Master Detective: A person capable of using his natural talents (and often gimmick gear) to solve crimes & foil foes. DC's Batman fits this category, as well as Marvel's Moon Knight; Marvel's Daredevil could also fit into this category, though he possesses super-powers that explain some of his unique detection abilities.

The Young Hero: A young person with notable abilities who tries to tackle the life of a hero alongside his/her everyday normal life. Marvel's iconic Spider-Man is the best example of this sort of hero.

The Supreme Mastermind: The hyper-intelligent, hyper-capable criminal whose plots don't just threaten the hero(es), but the entire world (or even entire realities). A serious threat for potent solo heroes & super teams. Marvel's classic Dr. Doom is a great example of this sort of foe, though characters like DC's Ra's Al-Ghul and Marvel's Red Skull fit this $3 bill.

The Violent Outcast: A hero (or antihero) whose powers &/or attitude place him/her on the fringe. Capable of great violence, & often solo (if not a difficult-to-work-with member of a team). Marvel's Wolverine and Hulk both fit the bill.

The Speedster: DC's Flash & Marvel's Quicksilver are great examples of the superhumanly-fast hero, more often than not fitting the bill of the fastest hero of his/her reality.

The Super-Family: A close-knit group of heroes with a diverse array of superpowers that allows them to handle most threats. May literally be a family, or a just a close-knit group of friends/professionals. Marvel's Fantastic 4 is a great example of this.

The Madman: A sole lunatic, superpowered or not, who haunts the very existence of a hero. This villain's hatred of the hero could quality as an obsession, & only the hero (with the exception of 1 or 2 other associates of the hero) have any insight into the workings of this chaotic mind. DC's Joker, & Marvel's Green Goblin and Venom are good examples of this villain.

Champion of Legend: The champion of legend is drawn from our myths & legends into the present day, whether to fight new threats or to stop ancient ones from rising. Marvel's Thor is one of the more powerful examples of this--a god on Earth. DC's Wonder Woman fits the bill as well, being one of the legendary Amazons. Other examples include DC's Shining Knight and Marvel's Black Knight.

The Devoted Patriot: Marvel's Capt. America is the best example of this sort of character--the noble representative of American values & virtues. DC's Superman has often been placed in this category as well (as a defender of the American way). This hero doesn't just bear the icons of his/her country on his/her costume, but the ideals in his/her mind & actions.

The Ancient Evil: Often linked with the Champion of Legend, this villain poses a forgotten threat to the modern world. This villain's powers are often mystical in nature. DC's Circe and Ares, Marvel's Loki and Dormammu.

The Arcane Master: Marvel's Dr. Strange and DC's Dr. Fate represent this hero: a modern-day master magician defending world from the Dark Arts. Like the Speedster, this hero is often the best oout of everyone with such powers.

Well, that's all I have for now. I know there's quite more, though I can't think of them at the moment.

What would you consider an archetype?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The Sidekick as distinct from the Young Hero. (Sometimes they're not even that young.)

The Heir to the Legacy is especially popular in DC, but Marvel and other superhero franchises also have heroes who take over from another hero, for whatever reason, usually inheriting a lot of their enemies and sometimes their allies.

The Gimmick villain is a staple with Batman, the Flash, Spider-Man and (formerly) Daredevil writers. The Flash's Rogues Gallery typifies the villains who have one schtick ("I have a cold ray gun!") that they then drive into the ground, although they normally possess a certain goofy charm, unless they're misfires like the Rainbow Raider.

The Outcast Hero includes everyone from the X-Men to Howard the Duck: Heroes fighting on behalf of a world that doesn't understand them and may outright hate them. They serve as stand-ins for misunderstood adolescents, people who aren't seen as socially acceptable (at least by the writers, who sometimes champion people who are actually A-OK) and so on.

The Archer lingers on, even though both Green Arrow and his Marvel counterparts would get spanked handily by most supervillains. In fact, Hawkeye is dead and DC's Moonbow only shows up to get her butt kicked.

The Appalling Stereotype includes such "I thought about this for 10 second" characters as Shamrock, Apache Chief, any black character whose name includes the word "black" in it and anyone based off someone the comic creator wanted to sleep with at the time they were working on the issue.

I'd widen the stereotypes to teams, including the Team of Icons (JLA, Avengers, etc.), Teen Icons (Teen Titans, various Marvel misfires), Not-the-Icons (Defenders, Outsiders), Future Team (Guardians of the Galaxy, Legion of Super-Heroes, the Wanderers), Not-Superhero Team (Fantastic Four, Damage Inc., Thunderbolts).

 

[Derfel]

For Villain archetypes I'd also include

The Evil Twin that is the antithesis of a hero. You mentioned Venom as a madman, but he fits here as well. They often share very similar costumes with the hero, but these costumes often use opposing colour schemes (ala Reverse Flash) or are perversions of the hero (Bizzaro).

The Evil Robot sometimes a creation of an evil genius or mastermind, but sometimes a robot created by the hero and turned evil. Examples would include Sentinels and Ultron from Marvel.

I would also include the Cosmic Entity, not always evil, but usually a source of conflict. They differ from the Ancient Evil since their motives and reasons are often inscrutible to human minds. Galactus, Eternity from marvel fit this role.

 

[The Grackle]

Don't forget the

Power Armor/Supersuit: A normal human( or otherwise) wearing a robotic suit. Such as Iron Man, Dr. Doom, Steel, and even The Scorpion.

The Demon Possession A hero or villain cursed by an ancient supernatural power. Like Jason Blood/Etrigan, Wendigo, or Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider.

also The Alien Visitor, The Android/Robot, Some Guy from the Future, and Some Guy from Atlantis.

 

[Luthien Greyspear]

Don't forget:

• The Super-Scientist/Inventor, the best example of which is Reed Richards. Others that can fit this mold are Batman and Steel from DC, or Hank Pym and Forge from Marvel.
• The Martial Artist. Any and all of Batman's supporting cast (including Batman), Captain America and most of HIS sidekicks, Karate Kid from the Legion, Daredevil again...the list is pretty long.
• The Super-Cop. Epitomized by the Green Lantern Corps, the hero is just one of large pool of guys with the same powers, all charged to uphold the law and to stop bad guys.
• The Themed Villains. This is a great way to introduce a large organization of villains. Examples include the Royal Flush Gang (DC, all cards), Checkmate (DC, all chess pieces), Zodiac (Marvel, 12 astrological super-villains).

 

[EdL]

Huh, how could we forget:

The Tank: The Hulk, Thing, etc. The big, really strong, pretty much invulnerable guy.

The Incredible Shrinker: Marvel's Ant Mand and Wasp, DC's Atom, etc.

Flyers: DC's Hawkman and Hawkgirl. And Marvel's Wasp also fits the bill.

The Blaster: Marvel's X-Man Cyclops is a straight Blaster.

Weather Controlers: Marvel's X-Woman Storm, etc.

 

[Ogre Mage]

Super Archetypes

The Brick/Tank. Super strong, super tough is the basic archetype. Flying tanks are common. Examples: Thing, Juggernaut, She-Hulk, Rogue, Colossus.

The Projector. Projectors are the missile fire experts of the superhero world. They may fire energy or physical objects and often have a variety of support powers (again, flyers are common). Examples: Cyclops, Dazzler, Storm, Hawkeye, Human Torch, Banshee, Magneto, Polaris, Electro, Iceman, Jubilee.

The Shadow. Masters of avoidance, these have powers or skills which allow them to evade detection and harm. Super-agility sometimes fits into this theme as well as enhanced senses, making them as good at detecting others as they are at avoiding notice. Examples: Shadowcat, Mystique, Nightcrawler, Daredevil, Spider Man, Gambit, Batman, Robin [on Teen Titans].

The Mystic. Mental or magical powers. These characters have powers based on their minds and will rather than their physical abilities. Examples: Professor X, Marvel Girl/Phoenix, Psylocke, White Queen, Doctor Strange, Moondragon, Magik, Scarlet Witch, Raven, Destiny.

Some characters, of course, may fall into multiple categories. Gambit, for instance, with his ability of infuse objects with kinetic energy is also a projector, while ninja-trained Psylocke is a borderline shadow.

 

[Steverooo]

To simplify the list, all Supers fit into five groups, usually more or less of one:

Combination: Many supers have more than one type of power. Batman uses a lot of Super-Tech, as does Hawkeye and Green Arrow. Nothing wrong with that! The Black Knight combines Mastered & Magical. Even Superman has some Mastered detective skills. ALL Supers will fall into this category, to some degree!

High-Tech: Powers that come from equipment not available to most of us. This includes the Demolisher, Andriods, Robots, intelligent cars, or Iron Man & Dr. Doom in their super-suits, The "Greatest American Hero", even Batman, to some extent. (If you ask yourself "Is this Hero/Villian still super, without his or her gear?" and the answer is "No!", then they belong here. Batman, for instance, is a solid "Yes!", and thus is a Mastered Super-Hero, instead.)

Magical: Dr. Strange, the Scarlet Witch, etc. The Black Knight is a combination super, with his sword and Pegasus (whose powers are Mutated/Alien). Wonder Woman may or may not fit in, here. Morgana LeFey, Etrigan, and Merlin certainly do! The Shadow, as well. Many Martial Arts types combine this with their Mastered powers. Most Undead-types will go here, too!

Mastered: Supers who worked hard, to master their powers. Batman, Hawkeye, etc. They may use some High-tech gear, but their main power(s) stem from this. Most Martial Artist type characters basically fall here.

Mutant: Includes Aliens. Superman, radiation/chemical accidents, the Fantastic Four, Aliens & Predators, etc. The X-Men & Company, certainly!

This system is fairly comprehensive, and easy to use. If you want to create a PC, just decide the source of their power... "Mr. Fortune", who finds things always going his way, could just be lucky (Magical), or have learned to manipulate Fate/Luck (Magical), or, through careful observation, study, and long experimentation, have learned to read and manipulate the physical laws controlling what we call "Luck" (Mastered).

I find this works well enough, for me.