How to write good super HEROES?

xBlackWolfx · Post by **xBlackWolfx** » Fri May 29, 2015 7:31 pm

This is kind of a problem I've been having. I'm great at coming up with super villains, but not so much when it comes to super HEROES.

My main problem is their motivation. With super villains, its easy to explain why they dress up in a weird outfit and beat the crap out of people: because they're all lunatics, that's why! But with heroes, its harder. They're not evil, and they're not supposed to be insane, so why are they doing this? I just can't come up with a decent explanation for why a good and rational person would do stuff like this.

I do think I'm trying to make them too realistic. But the only solution I can think of is to just ignore their motivation, and say they beat up bad guys for no apparent reason.

Note that really the only characters I'm deeply familiar with are Batman and the X-men. With batman, yeah, its supposed to be about vengeance, but really it seems more like he does what he does because he's the only one who can...which is actually a pretty common trope in comics it seems. And with x-men, well most of the stories I've read don't have them going out and beating up bad guys, a lot of the stuff I read had people actually attacking THEM, and in their own home most of the time!

fairytalejedi · Post by **fairytalejedi** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:39 pm

I have the same problem with classic masked vigilantes, so I try to steer away from that.

My own preference is for a Fantastic Four kind of team. No secret IDs to worry about, and they don't hang around high crime areas looking for bad guys. Their adventures usually involve dealing with a science experiment gone wrong, a natural disaster, things like that, out of a desire to use their powers and hi tech gizmos to help/protect people.

Post by **BASHMAN** » Sat May 30, 2015 4:37 pm

This is what the Mental Malfunction is supposed to address: NO SANE PERSON does this! That is why EVERY SINGLE Superhero has SOME sort of baggage they carry that motivate them.

Some of the classics:
Sense of Responsibility (It comes with great power, or so my uncle always used to tell me; usually a result of the character having failed in the past to uphold it, usually resulting in the loss of someone close)
Vengeance (You got it already)
Boy Scout Syndrome (Big Blue to a T)
Thrill of Adventure (yes, some heroes, especially those that start out as sidekicks are in it for kicks)
Seeking Justice (Sort of like Vengeance but not as aggressive)

fairytalejedi · Post by **fairytalejedi** » Sat May 30, 2015 4:52 pm

Fame and fortune is kind of a subset of thrill of adventure, but they're more glory hound than action junkie.

xBlackWolfx · Post by **xBlackWolfx** » Sat May 30, 2015 4:53 pm

I did have an idea, which kinda falls under the 'thrill seeker' thing. Basically the person is homeless and destitute, so they go into crime fighting 1. because its more fun than moping inside a cardboard box, and 2. because they get money from turning in people with a bounty on their head. Actually makes perfect sense. And to be honest, it would be kinda hard to blame a homeless guy for wanting adventure and money....

BillionSix · Post by **BillionSix** » Sun May 31, 2015 3:21 am

I came up with my own ideas about superhero universes which basically boils down to memetic theory and the cultural memes of superheroes.
Basically, there are some underlying belief systems that are part of a culture that includes supers.
One of them is that Superheroes Should Be Icons. You could stop crime in a t-shirt and sweatpants, but no one would accept you as a superhero if you didn't at least have some kind of symbol.
Another meme would be that Power Should Be Used. If you have the power to create flames with your mind, and all you do is light cigarettes to impress people at parties, you will be considered to be wasting your talent.
Another meme I thought of is called The Affairs of the Gods. Basically, in peoples' minds, super battles take place "above" more mundane things. When the Joker terrorizes Gotham City, they call Batman, instead of treating him like a regular crazy person.
Like most cultural memes, they are largely unconscious in nature, but can go a long way to explain why a guy who gets powers suddenly finds himself in a a "superhero community," and fight crime, or at least feel guilty if he doesn't.

Solarblast · Post by **Solarblast** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 7:50 pm

Actually super villains can have complicated motivations as well. Mister Freeze just wants to save his wife Nora. Lex Luthor hates Superman because he took his place as the most powerful man in Metropolis. Catwoman just likes to steal. The point is they don't all have to be psychopaths.

xBlackWolfx · Post by **xBlackWolfx** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:50 pm

I do actually have an idea villain who's an eco-terrorist. If you've ever heard of the ALF, the group he belongs to is based off of them. Think peta, but instead of making fools of themselves, they go around killing people and blowing up stuff to try and get their way. He's not a psychopath, if anything really he's just severely overzealous.

Honestly, I find pscyhopath characters to be rather boring. Mostly because they're so simplistic. Basically their entire MO is 'I kill people because I'm bored otherwise'. And its kinda overused anyway.

MrJupiter · Post by **MrJupiter** » Sat Jun 06, 2015 11:35 am

Hey xBlackWolfx, BAM #4 has an article called BASHing Out An Origin which has a list of 16 hero motivations at the end. Issues of BAM (Basic Action Magazine) are free. You can find them at RPGNow right here:

http://www.rpgnow.com/browse.php?keywor ... from=&pto=