shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 22, 2014 6:12:42 GMT -5
In some cases it'd matter, in some cases not. Wolverine, Rogue and Cyclops would be different people with different powers (unless the powers would be similar in other ways to their current powerset). If you think about it, though, the primary way in which Wolverine and Cyclops are affected by their powers is identical -- both fear losing control and harming those closest to them. Psylocke's is really just a variation on that in which she fears having external forces amplify/distort that power, causing her to lose control and be a threat to those near her (which is no different, really, than what happened with Dark Phoenix nor Archangel). So, essentially, these characters are all shaped by similar internal struggles that are not specific to their powers. |
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Post by comicscube on Jul 22, 2014 7:54:09 GMT -5
On a narrative level, powers are superficial. But I can't imagine being interested long term in a Peter Parker who couldn't do the stuff he does. That's part of the fun. It could work. Adventure series like Tintin and Terry and Pirates, in which heroic protagonists without powers face bad guys and mortal peril, are proof of that, but the point isn't so much whether superheroes need powers (it would be a different genre if they didn't); its whether the specifics of their powers matter. If, for example, every mutant in the Marvel Universe had the exact same mutation, would it make much of a difference? It's not really that the story would change for the most part, but the texture certainly would. To your example, what if the Transformers all changed into the same car? Maybe we get the same story (I've yet to read/watch anything with them in it that specifies they have to be their specific vehicles), but it wouldn't be as fun, wouldn't be as enjoyable. The Return of Barry Allen was a perfect example of this, for me. Waid used Wally's speed as a metaphor for his growing up and stepping out of Barry's shadow. You could have done the same story with, say, super strength, I guess, but I think the key is to realize what kind of texture it adds. (The bolt of lightning at the end, for example, really hammers the point home). |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Jul 22, 2014 9:42:26 GMT -5
It could work. Adventure series like Tintin and Terry and Pirates, in which heroic protagonists without powers face bad guys and mortal peril, are proof of that, but the point isn't so much whether superheroes need powers (it would be a different genre if they didn't); its whether the specifics of their powers matter. If, for example, every mutant in the Marvel Universe had the exact same mutation, would it make much of a difference? It's not really that the story would change for the most part, but the texture certainly would. To your example, what if the Transformers all changed into the same car? Maybe we get the same story (I've yet to read/watch anything with them in it that specifies they have to be their specific vehicles), but it wouldn't be as fun, wouldn't be as enjoyable. The Return of Barry Allen was a perfect example of this, for me. Waid used Wally's speed as a metaphor for his growing up and stepping out of Barry's shadow. You could have done the same story with, say, super strength, I guess, but I think the key is to realize what kind of texture it adds. (The bolt of lightning at the end, for example, really hammers the point home). Couldn't the texture come, instead, from how each individual deals differently with the same gifts? Some become heroes, some villains, some sit on the sidelines, and even among those who become heroes, some are by the book, others anti-heroes, some fulfilled by what they do and others haunted. That's plenty rich for me. No, I don't really think all heroes should have the same powers, though. It's an extreme example. |
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Post by dupersuper on Jul 22, 2014 23:50:15 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 1:10:02 GMT -5
Who is that between Guy Gardner and Wonder Woman? It reminds me of one of Cockrum's early ideas for Thunderbird, but for some reason that picture is making me think it's DC.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 1:19:34 GMT -5
Who is that between Guy Gardner and Wonder Woman? It reminds me of one of Cockrum's early ideas for Thunderbird, but for some reason that picture is making me think it's DC. It's another version of Guy Gardner, during his Warrior phase after the whole yellow ring thing was left behind...I think. -M |
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