My favorite "If I was..." of 2010

My favorite "If I was..." for 2010 is Professor X.

I chose professor X because not only do I like the character but I've also recently discovered that he has the potential for telekinetic powers. He doesn't possess it right now but it is a component of his mutant power set that manifests itself from time to time. I've always believed it manifested itself because the writers kept forgetting that he wasn't a telekinetic or because some writers interpreted "psychic blast" to be that same as "telekinetic blast" instead of a "telepathic blast". I learned of it as an official power of his by coming across the Wikia entry for his "evil twin"/"spiritual clone" Cassandra Nova who has a copy of his mutant power imprint giving her his powers. I haven't read a comic book with her in it but by normal reality standards she is a powerful telekinetic who can not only levitate and manipulate herself and another person, she is powerful enough to repel missile attacks, assemble armor around herself from materials in the environment and even use her powers to "disintegrate" Wolverine's arm. On top of being a potential telekinetic, he apparently can potentially "phase" through solid objects as well. Cassadra Nova has used the power to save herself from Cyclops' optic blast. So now I have a new perspective on what I could do if I was Professor X.

So I'm going to take this opportunity to make an addendum to the entry of "If I was Professor X".

With the addition of phasing and telekinesis to the power set I would often play "guardian angel". I would use astral projection to go to a place invisibly and use the telepathy and telekinesis to manipulate the situation as necessary. As in my example of rescuing a missing child I would use the telekinesis to subdue the kidnapper's if there were any and then free the child from their bonds or "prison" and direct them home if possible. Of course I could have done something similar with telepathy and astral projection alone but then I wouldn't be able to protect the child directly from physical harm. If they were just missing because they ran away and say fell down a hole I could use the telekinesis to lift them out or remove the obstacles that would be in their way.

As for being the life of the party using my telepathy to enhance the merriment I would use telekinesis and phasing to put on one hell of a magic show. Levitating and moving objects and people would be hours of fun. Not to mention faking seances making people hear voices and making noises by moving objects. Passing through solid objects and having objects passing through you would also keep the party going for hours. Imagine taking a butcher knife and passing it through your chest or passing your arm through a door.

Otherwise I'd use telekinesis in the same way I would as Brian Davis. Using it for flight, martial arts enhancement, simulation of super strength and so on.

With that done I'd also like to list my top 5 favorite runner up "If I was".

1. Captain Dynamo

2. Jack O' Lantern's Lantern

3. Sasquatch

4. Cannonball

5. The Twelve Talisman's of Shendu

Thank you for reading.

If I was Power Princess

Background

Zarda is an Utopian from the home reality of the Squadron Supreme. Utopians are the genetically enhanced off shoot of humanity created by the alien Kree. In Marvel Comics mainstream reality the results of Kree manipulation were the Inhumans. The Utopians are essentially a non-gender biased version of the Amazons of DC comics who Wonder Woman came from. Zarda was meant to be their ambassador. However once the outside world developed nuclear weapons they left Earth but she stayed behind with her husband Howard Shelton and became a member of the Squadron Supreme.

Description

Zarda is a tall, beautiful, statuesque woman with curly black hair and blue eyes reminiscent of the Greek idea of beauty. She typically wears a purple, armored suit based on ancient Greek armor with a super hero twist to it.

Powers And Paraphernalia

Power Princess' physical attributes are superior to human beings to a super human degree. Most notably is her strength, stamina and durability. She can lift 20 tons from the ground up over her head at arms length. She can function at peak performance for several hours and has survived the force from repeated full strength blows from Hyperion (he is at least five times as strong as she is) that had been redirected to her unknown to him. Somehow despite her high resistance to injury she is still vulnerable to blades and bullets made of conventional materials.

Utopians are extremely long lived. Zarda is 500 years old and only appears to be in her mid-twenties. How long they can live for is unknown.

She carries a transparent (if not invisible), virtually indestructible shield made from an unspecified material. It resembles a force field to me. She can use the shield the same way that Captain America uses his. She can deflect bullets and block physical and energy based attacks with it. She can also throw it like Captain America can. With her strength and the durability of her shield, she can use the edge to cut through most materials, including various metals.

The shield is attached to her in some unspecified way. It's depicted as not being attached to her but instead it just kind of floats their as though invisibly attached to her arm. To further add to the confusion it can also be caused to hover in front of her fist in a similar fashion which is most commonly done when she flies but she also used it that way to deflect bullets while shooting an anti-gun commercial.

The shield is also the source of her power of flight. How that works is not well defined. There are plenty of depictions of her flying with it in front of her wind shield fashion as though it's dragging her through the air but I have also seen her depicted using it other ways that would seem to make it difficult to use it as a flight mechanism. She has carried her elderly husband Howard in it like it was a dish or even wearing it on her arm or holding it to her side as a shield is normally carried. Neither position would seems capable of producing the lift or the thrust that her standard flight position is capable of.

If I was Power Princess

What do you do if you're at least 200 times more powerful than a normal human being and armed with advanced weaponry? You join the police force and don't tell anyone about your super powers. So yeah I would become a cop. You can easily chase down criminals and subdue them even if they outnumber you. The superior reflexes mean you can always outdraw a criminal if it comes down to a gun fight. Even though with Power Princess' powers I wouldn't be bullet proof, I would still be very bullet resistant. Mix that with a bullet proof vest and you can surprise the hell out of a shooter who thought they would at least incapacitate you.

The problem of course would be incorporating the shield into the job. If you're permitted to work alone then it's not much of a problem. You just keep it with you and keep it available. With a partner however you have someone wondering why you're carrying a non-regulation weapon. Mind you if you're on the S.W.A.T. team maybe you'd be allowed to use it.

I can't help but think of live action super hero shows of bygone eras. A popular stunt in those shows when a character has super strength was to lift an escaping car by it's hind bumper while its rear wheels spin ineffectually. I can see that being part of the job. A vehicle is trying to escape so I pick it up and hold it while waiting for the perps to give up. Of course in real life they'd just shoot at you to get you to drop it so I would likely end up just flipping the car over to deal with it especially since now cars are mostly front wheel drive instead of rear wheel drive. Ripping doors off a car door to free someone trapped inside or bursting through brick walls were pretty popular things to do which would be helpful as a cop. Although I think I would do what I can to keep property damage to a minimum so I wouldn't be just throwing massive objects around just because I could. Well, I might throw a known offenders car up into the air or over a fence, or through his or her front door just to prove a point but beyond that I don't think I would go on a rampage.

Since this power set comes with "super longevity" I have to explore what I would do in the future. Probably starting in the 23rd century after everyone I hold dear has passed on and I am "alone" in the world. I would turn my attention to being a power in the world. I'd openly use my shield and strength as a masked "hero" while at the same time starting a political movement. The whole thing with being long lived and having no immediate family anymore is that you only have yourself to watch out for. I mean sure you keep friends and allies but it's not the same thing. You can move on. You become one of the "ghosts" that haunts the world. You eventually drop your identity and fall off the grid reinventing yourself from a political stand point whenever you feel like it. Maybe in the 24th century I declare myself "Earth's immortal protector" but who knows where technology and societal values will be. Maybe I become a space explorer if space travel is a viable option then. Maybe at some point I get jaded and become a "supervillain"or an "agent provocateur" changing the world in ways that I would like to see it.

Thank you for reading.

If I was Ursa Major

Background

Mikhail Ursus is a mutant who can transform into a superhumanly powerful bear-like creature. He has been one of Russia's primary superheroes for decades. He was trained from an early age to be in that role which was also the cover for an evil scientist to drain powers from Russian mutants. Through out his long career he has been both an ally and an adversary to a number superheroes depending whether or not said superhero comes into conflict with his role as protector of his country.

Description

Mikhail is a generously muscled, 6' 3" tall man with brown eyes and severely cut brown hair. His super suit is essentially a military uniform. In his bear form he is a 7' 5" tall anthropomorphic Siberian bear, a type of large brown bear including the big teeth and claws.

Powers

Mikhail can transform into a large man/bear. All of his physical attributes are enhanced in this from to at least peak human performance. His running speed and sense of smell are at least equal to a large brown bear. This means he can run at least 35 miles per hour and he can track a target by sense of smell even after it has experienced erosion from factors like the weather. He has other bear-like enhanced senses but I can't find any real description of them.

The primary thrust of the forms power is its super strength. In his bear form he can lift 15 tons from the ground up over his head at arms length. He can perform at his peak for several hours before fatigue starts to impair him. While not invulnerable he can survive falls from several stories without injury or blows from opponents with superhuman strength with little to no injury. He can survive fighting the incredible Hulk in hand to hand combat. He can't beat him but he can walk away from the fight. He can also fight despite having seemingly lethal wounds as when he helped the space knight Rom fight off a Dire Wraith invasion of the soviet union. It is safe to say that he is far stronger and more durable than a similarly sized bear.

The transformation takes about 10 seconds to perform and seems to be a painless process. While transformed he retains his intelligence and personality as well as his ability to speak. If he stays in his bear form for several hours consecutively he becomes more feral and his intelligence diminishes. However the only thing I've seen depicted in terms of that is that he is quicker to anger and has less patience with people but I haven't seen him act any less intelligent or human. It's not known how long he can retain his bear form for but it is at least several hours since he can function at peak capacity for that long before starting to fatigue.

If I Was Ursa Major

This is one of those power sets that I can really have fun with. Super senses and physical attributes all packaged in a huge bear-like body. Just the raw size alone is fun. I'd imagine that being7' 5" is a pain in the ass most of the time. Nothing is designed for you so you have to spend all kinds of money on custom products. If you can be that whenever you want that would be cool. As a short person I'd be thrilled just to be able to reach into the upper cupboards without having to get on the tips of my toes or have to climb a chair to get something. 900 plus pounds is a lot of weight to throw around. Demolition gets easy as well as hauling heavy loads. Not to mention breaking through a line of people trying to stop you from making a touchdown or imagine a scrummage with a giant in it.

I know I would play rough sports in bear form but only with people I know. It wouldn't be something I would do in the general public but I would let the people who are close to me in on the fact that I could transform like that. I'd do all the customary super strength stuff like move furniture, do construction, demolish things and so forth. Because of the super senses I'd take up hunting or I should say that I would be a tracker for my family members and friends who go hunting and fishing. I can see moose hunting season already. "Dan I chased my moose into the swamp. Can you help me get it out?" Then I'd go into the swamp and haul the huge animal out carrying it out over my shoulder. Hell I may even take an opportunity to see if I can chase down a deer or a moose and kill it with my own bare paws.

Now I've noticed that Mikhail himself seems to be an exhibitionist. I say that because despite having access to costumes that can change with him he prefers to strip out of his clothes and be naked in his bear form. I have several comic books where he appears and the artists are forever trying to find creative ways of drawing him naked without actually showing anything. Of course I have no access to a costume that can change with me and the power doesn't compensate for it so I would have to go naked every time I'd transform. I could get some clothes made to fit the bear form or at least get something made that I can keep with me in bear form to hold my clothes without getting in the way of my ursine activities. Maybe a large pouch/belt or back pack.

I would make money by filming a series of movies about a mutant bear monster that attacks a small town. The production cost would be cheap since I wouldn't have to pay as much for special effects and yet it would still look so realistic. Maybe it would be an ongoing television series. I'm not sure. It would depend how things work out. It could either be a pilot for a series or just a movie.

Thank you for reading.

If I Had Captain Canada's Supersuit

Background

Captain Canada's supersuit was created by Captain Atlantis otherwise known as Captain Newfoundland an alien from another world and the last inhabitant of Atlantis. He created the suit/armor so Canada would have a national symbol and protector. How old the suit actually is or if it has been given to anyone else before in unknown to me as of this writing. As far as I know this may have been a common armor worn by Atlantians much like the Guyver armor was worn as space suits by the "Creators".

Description

The suit is a base of red with a white stylized maple leaf on its chest. The limbs have a white stripe running down them with multiple bands of white around them. It comes with a red sealed helmet with a large black visor and small golden crest on it. The suit has golden, banded trunks, gauntlets and boots. The cuffs of the boots and belt are encircled with small, golden disks. The removable cape is white with a red lining on the inside held in place with golden clasps.

Powers

Aside from being a suit of armor the suit is capable of flight in and out of an atmosphere. He can fly from the Moon to the Earth in a short period of time. It provides life support for it's wearer permitting him or her to survive in the void of outer space as well as survive the rigors of it's flight capacity.

It can create a force fields although I don't know how strong they are. It can also project lasers presumably from the gauntlets. Given that the supersuit permits its wearer to turn invisible as well as generate holographic duplicates of him or herself the laser might be able to be projected from any point on the suit.

It also permits its wearer to pass through solid objects. As he did when he was fighting Sho-Gun. It also apparently has magnetic powers.

It is also said the suit has a built-in computer. I'm not sure what that means but I'm sure it includes functions like navigation, targeting as well as handles the bending of light for purposes of invisibility and holographic projection. I'm not sure if it's interactive like a personal computer or if it's simply like a vehicle computer.

I theorize that the suit is more of a wearable spaceship than a battle suit or combat armor. I believe that since the suit doesn't grant super strength or any other physical attribute enhancement and what powers the suit does possess are reminiscent of a spaceship. I believe the magnetic powers probably function as a manipulation tool similar to a spaceship's tractor beam.

If I Had Captain Canada's Supersuit

The first thing I would do is beg Captain Altantis/Newfoundland for a redesign of the suit's appearance, a common practice when a costume or armor is handed down to a successor in comic books. I'd get rid of the white bands but leave the stripes. I'd get the golden parts made white and I'd have them made more mechanical looking, getting rid of the disks in favor of solid bands or at least make them angular segments.

After the modifications and the training sessions I'd probably also end up with some telepathic abilities like Daniel Eaton (Captain Canada) had when it was done. I would then start treating the suit as a wearable spaceship. Most of my days would start with a quick trip to the Moon just to drink in the Earth and take it all in. Then I would see how things were going in the International Space Station then get on with my day.

I might spend my time exploring nearby planets and giving my findings to whatever scientific body is willing to take it. While doing that I would most likely use the suit's laser power to draw large images on the surface of the planet maybe even do some graffiti on their moons.

Now I know that Captain Newfoundland would want me to do some life saving and be an example for people to follow. I'd give some talks at schools and then I would go on patrol. I know that Captain Newfoundland and his other mystical buddies like Golden Dove and Captain Freedom would eventually have tasks for me to do.

I would also explore the northern climates and rescue those lost in the tundra or the frozen sea. If you can survive in the void of outer space you can survive arctic conditions.

Thanks for reading.

If I was the Wasp

Background

Janet Van Dyne was one of the founding members of the Avengers who started off her career in a partnership with Hank Pym (who was responsible for giving her her "wasp" powers in the first place) as the duo of Ant-Man and Wasp. She was the chairman of the Avengers for years and was killed in action after being transformed by the Skrulls into a giant bio weapon that could have destroyed half of the Earth.

Description

Janet was a petite, attractive woman with blue eyes and auburn hair. She was constantly changing her costumes over the years. So she has no one costume to describe.

Powers

The Wasp can shrink down to half an inch in height and is capable of stopping at any height along the way should she desire to. As she shrunk she gained in strength being strong enough to nearly bend a metal bar double with out mechanical aids. When she gets to under 4" in height a pair of insect wings grow out from her back. The wings permit her to fly at up to 40 miles per hour for extended periods of time and with the same maneuverability of her namesake. She can fly forwards, backwards, sideways and even upside down or even hover in place. Her wings stay with her as she grows up until she grows to 4 feet tall. She can still fly with them even at that height and has carried off the Absorbing Man at the same time.

One of her most villain vexing powers was her "wasp stings". They were bio-electric blasts capable of blasting through concrete walls and causing damage and certainly pain to super beings with superhuman durability even the likes of the Hulk but that's usually done with well placed blasts to the more sensitive areas of his body like his eyes and ears. I've never seen her depicted as using her wasp stings at her full height and they seem to be governed by the same rules as her wings, only being activated when she shrinks under 4 inches tall and staying with her until she grows past four feet tall.

I'm not including her growth power in this posting be cause it was the result of the formula that eventually turned her into a living weapon of mass destruction that lead to her death.

If I was the Wasp

Well I know for sure this would be a new option for exploring. A new height expands options to find new places that you didn't even know existed in your house or the houses you've been going to for years. Try crawling around your cupboards or closets at half an inch tall. Cups and bowls are now taller than you are and shoes and jackets are now a mountainous landscape. Cupboards and closets are not always completely sealed so now you would have new ways to get from one room to another. Also if you have a house like my brother does the previous owners weren't very good at design so there are a lot of incomplete room segments that either gives their cat new options to getting into their crawlspace or incomplete crown molding that a half an inch tall person could hide and run around in.

These powers also give a new work out option. Closets give you all kinds of places to climb. Wasp didn't have wall crawling abilities so I would be climbing the old fashion way. Also since the house is now so much bigger in relation to you, you have a huge place to run around in or do parcour.

These powers would give me an opportunity to acclimate myself to the alien appearance of insects and spiders by being exposed to them and their secret world. It would be so creepy to be walking around at half an inch tall and be surprised by a hairy spider five times your size. Now grant you you're disproportionately strong for your size and you could probably beat the snot out of it but with their alien appearance and exotic natural defenses you may be hard press to protect yourself but then I'm sure the wasp sting and superior flight speed would probably keep you safe.

I would make money by playing informant. I figure with the potential for voyeurism provided by this power set that I could make money by spying on people. If necessary I could take out the person they were looking for. Heck I could infiltrate the place and take out whoever was necessary before a raid and make it safer for police to do their job or even to make it safer to rescue someone. Maybe even take out security systems permitting easier infiltration.

I know I would get my place set up with those hamster tube sets so I had my own private passages to get around on a level and from floor to floor. Maybe even some retreats in between floors to permit me to have places to go where I can't be disturbed or discovered.

Thanks for reading.

If I was Cannonball

Background

Sam Guthrie is a mutant who first manifested his powers in his early adolescents who first used it to free himself and a number of other miners from a cave in. Ever since he has essentially been on one X-men derived team or another over the years.

Description

Samuel Guthrie is a tall thin man with blond hair and blue eyes. He's had a variety of costumes over the years which have mostly been variations on the uniforms warn by the Students of the Charles Xavier 's School for Gifted Children. There was however the time when he dressed more like a world war two pilot even including the aviator's goggles.

Powers

Cannonball's primary power is the ability to generate a thermal chemical reaction that provides him thrust to fly. To protect him during flight his body generates a "blast field" a personal force field that protects him from harm.

Initially he could only project the thrust along his legs permitting him to fly in a straight line and he couldn't stop until he taxed his flight power or until he hit a large enough object that could resist his momentum. The blast field lasted long enough to protect him from the consequences of crashing and it extended to anyone he was willingly carrying in flight with him.

Now he can fly with great agility as his ability to direct his motion is a function of his will as well he can stop and start at will. He can even direct his thrust from anywhere on his body permitting him to use it as a sort of energy blast attack. His force field can even be called up at will and extended to protect a small group of people standing around him. He has enough control over his blast field that he can use it trap a target in it. It can be used to absorb kinetic force directed at it which can then be used to enhance the power of his blows or to increase the force of his impact with a target or even increase the duration of his flight.

The upper limit of his power varies by the writer currently handling him but he can lay waste to an area of several city blocks by impacting with the ground starting from a high altitude. His top speed used to be 150 mph but now it seems to be closer to the speed of sound. His maximum range is unknown but it would seem to be that he can fly for hours without needing to land or rest.

It is possible that he is immortal after a fashion. He is believed to be an External a member of a specific group of "immortal" (there are ways of killing them) mutants but since the concept was introduced it hasn't been pursued so I'm not including it as part of his power set for this posting.

If I was Cannonball

I won't lie to you. The whole appeal of these powers for me is the fact that while your flying you leave a contrail like a rocket. I would spend hours learning how to do sky writing and sky drawing. I'm serious the sky would be my canvas but more realistically I would spend so much time pretending to be a rocket or that I'm a "space man" with a "rocket pack".

There's at least one obvious way to make a living as a living reusable missile but I'm not going down that route. I'd rather defend the homeland at home than abroad. I'll lay down my life to protect my country but I won't lay it down just to make somebody's political career from my country or from another one. As a consequence I may join an international aid organization and like with my post of having Wonder Man's ring I would protect them to let them get to places where they would otherwise be attacked by someone.

You know as I think about this power I can't help but think that I would never really find out how much damage I could do. Frankly I would be far too afraid to smash face first into anything that up until having the power would readily crush me if I tried to punch through it. It takes a lot of courage to fly head first into something at 150 mph. When Sam Guthrie first used his power he was saving lives so he didn't really have time to think about it. It would have to be that kind of situation for me to first try it too. Or at least some kind of adrenaline charged situation like me being uncontrollably angry and I'm only concerned with breaking something.

Now when I think about it this would be a power where I would be inclined to take up a Robin Hood role. This would be an awesome power for dramatic break and entry. Smash into people's private vaults and then fly off with the take and redistribute it among the needy. I might even get a costume made to hide my identity and to give people something to focus on.

HMM now I'm thinking how good of a power this would be for fighting fires. Smash into the ground from a high altitude and let the shock wave create a vacuum that would put out the fire or at least portions of it. If the power can be used to demolish several city blocks in one strike then imagine how large and powerful the shock wave is and how much of a vacuum and ergo how large of a fire that can be tackled.

Thanks for reading.

If I was Captain Dynamo

Background

William Warner was the father of the members of the Dynamo 5 super team as well as their adversary Synergy. He was the premiere protector of Tower City until he was killed by Widow Maker. He got his powers at 12 years old (I believe) by exposure to an unknown form of radiation. Despite being a notorious womanizer, adulterer and all around jerk he still chose to lay his life on the line for Tower City on a repeated basis.

Description

William Warner was a handsome and well built middle aged man as befitting his status as a superman imitation. He has black hair with graying temples and ...well I'm not sure what his eye color is, they're probably blue.

He wears a red bodysuit with a large golden stylized "D" on his chest. He wears a long blue cape and has "golden" boots and arm bands covering most of his forearms. He also wears something resembling a golden belt. He wears no mask to hide his identity.

Powers

He is said to have five powers: super vision, super strength, flight, shape changing and telepathy. The full extent of any of these powers is unknown. He never appeared long enough to be fully developed. Presumably since he is a Superman analog these powers are at least on par with his children's versions or presumably even greater since he's been using them for 40 years and some of them seem to need artificial aids to control them. So I'm including descriptions of their versions of these powers under the assumption his powers are at least at those levels.

Super Vision

His super vision powers include "laser vision", "X-ray vision" and "telescopic vision".

His x-ray vision allows him to see through solid objects and his telescopic vision allows him to see at "great distances". His laser vision is red beams of energy shot from his eyes that have both heat and concussive elements to them. His son Hector can "neutralize" tanks and blast holes through walls with his laser vision however He and Bridget both needed visors or goggles to help them focus the power.

Super Strength

He has superhuman strength and limited invulnerability. He is capable of lifting a bus over his head and when his daughter Bridget had the same power she could easily lift a tank over her head and throw it the length of a city block.

His top durability is unknown but Bridget is bulletproof and has a high degree of resistance to various attacks including heat, electricity and being frozen in a block of ice. She can also hold her breath for twenty minutes and has easily survived falling from a skyscraper into the street and getting repeatedly kicks in the stomach by Synergy who has a similar strength level.

Flight

He has the ability to fly through the air seemingly by force of will alone. When his daughter Olivia had this power she was able to fly around targets creating tornadoes around them without suffering any ill effects to herself like dizziness or black outs or red outs from the g-forces acting on her body. Presumably he can do the same. Another aspect of this power that I assume exist is a heightened reaction time and coordination/agility that comes into play at least when flying. It's hard to move fast enough to create tornadoes around a human sized object and maintain that flight pattern without quickly flying off course much less maneuver in tight quarters at high speeds.

Shape-shifting

He has the power to physically alter the shape and form of his body. He could alter his facial features, body type and even the clothes he's wearing or even appear like anyone he chooses. How much a change he could bring about is unknown but he can alter the apparent size of his body enabling him to disguise himself as a morbidly obese person. His son Spencer could alter his face to remove all of its facial features in order to hide his identity. How he could breathe or speak without a nose or mouth is unknown. Apparently physical contact with a subject was necessary to copy them. This power also allowed him to alter his clothing as well. His daughter Olivia could use her version of the power to change into animals even those smaller or larger than herself. They all have shown that they must be conscious to maintain the change. Spencer has shown that the demands of combat can cause him to drop at least part of his disguise when pressed by an opponent or hit very hard.

This power seems to come with incredible powers of visualization and concentration in order to maintain his disguises under a variety of conditions.

Telepathy

He could read minds and communicate mind to mind with other people. His son Gage could only use it that way as well until he was electrocuted by the super villain Voltage. After that he could use it to manipulate people's minds to perform feats such as suppressing memories up to being able to giving them amnesia although that put him in a coma for two days when done to his super human sister Synergy.

With concentration both can remotely track someone’s thoughts by recognizing their brainwave patterns. However it is said that neither they nor his other son Spencer could read an unconscious mind but Gage has entered the mind of their mentor Maddie while she was in a coma. He has also proven able to control technology that is keyed to a specific person brainwaves.

While in a coma Gage learned that he could astral project. Whether or not Captain Dynamo has the potential to do that is unknown.

It seems that the extant of the powers possessed by him and his children are both a question of aptitude and training. His children have shown greater variety in the use of their individual powers it seems often simply because they only possess the one power while he possessed all of them and so didn't have as much time to dedicate to each and most likely he had his own preferred powers.

If I was Captain Dynamo

Well the first thing I would do is "sample" all kinds of materials and people's appearances then learn to blend them for a variety of disguises. I would want all kinds of disguises because I would actually use these powers in the open. I'd disguise myself as an alien when I do that, something obviously lifted from comic books or cartoons, however I would like to be prepared with some back up disguises in case I have to confuse people as to what I really look like.

My "super hero" identity would be that of a tall, gray alien with big, black eyes and a larger than normal size bald head. I would wear a black bodysuit with silver trimming as well as silver boots and gloves and a long flowing black cape with a silver lining. If I have a super hero name I don't know. I would let the media come up with one.

I wouldn't go out of my way to draw attention to myself but I wouldn't hide myself completely either. I would want the legend of an alien superhero to be spread. Maybe use my laser vision to burn my symbol into the wall where I've been in action like Clark Kent does in Smallville.

If my alien cover was more trouble than it's worth then I would disguise myself as several different super heroes displaying only a part of my power set.

I would disguise myself as a version of the Incredible Hulk and would only overtly use my super strength power. I would disguise myself as a version of Marvel Girl/Jean Gray and would only overtly use my flight and telepathy powers. I would disguise myself as a version of Super Boy/Conner Kent/Kon-El and would only overtly use my flight and super vision powers. Finally I would disguise myself as Wonder Girl/Cassandra Sandsmark and would only overtly use my flight and super strength powers.

Anything else I would do I would play it by ear.

Thanks for reading.

If I was Supervision

Background

Brigitte Flynn is the daughter of the superhero Captain Dynamo and member of the team Dynamo 5 which comprises of Captain Dynamo's children from different women. She was formerly known as Scrap but the siblings had their powers removed and then redistributed among them and now she has the powers that belonged to her brother Hector who was known as Visionary.

Description

Supervison is an averaged height, athletic woman with brown hair and eyes (I think). She wears a legless and sleeveless blue and red body suit with the Dynamo 5 logo on it. Her thigh high boots have padding for her shins and knees. She wears long dark gloves that go up to half up to her upper arm. She also wears a pair of goggles that help her in focusing her laser vision.

Powers

All her powers are vision related. I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this character. I was looking for a character with this kind of power set. I was batting around going with the Marvel Comics character Peeper also once known as Occult. The thing was big, bulgy eyes was part of the mutation that made his powers possible. I would hate to have to have bulgy eyes to have super sight related powers. Supervision however doesn't suffer from this problem and she has the same super sight power set.

She has telescopic vision allowing her to see over great distances. I assume it actually works in a way similar to using a telescope. She also has so called "X-ray vision" the ability to see through solid objects without the actual use of X-rays. The exact limits of these vision powers has yet to be documented or so I am led to believe but I assume it was impressive enough and more importantly useful.

She also has "Laser Vision" that can be used to "neutralize" a person or up to objects as massive as tanks. It can also generate concussive force that can destroy walls and batter people. Hence why I call it "Laser Vision" in quotes as it's not acting strictly like a laser.

If I was Supervision

Well this is one of my favorite power sets. If only because it would renew my love of the night. I'm no astronomer but I would readily become an amateur one. From a professional perspective I'd become an archeologist. When you can look into the ground without digging it's easier to find things. Of course I could join a security firm and be used to see if people are smuggling things or carrying concealed weapons. I may like in the Daredevil entry offer my services to a doctor to help in the diagnosis of patients. Of course I do live in a place with a lot of natural beauty that isn't easily accessible so if I had built in binoculars that would make it a lot easier to appreciate the environment around me.

Now for the obvious question. Would I be a voyeur? Hell yeah. I'm not proud of that but it would happen. That's not to say it would be the only thing I would do but I'd have the bad habit of taking "peaks".

As for the so called laser vision I'd start off practicing how to light cigarettes with it. I love have fine control over destructive abilities. Then I'd start fires in the woods for keeping warm and then I'd learn to use the concussive element of it. Turn it into a "poor man's telekinesis". I'd train it so I can get enough control over it to be able to push things around with out breaking them.

After my training with my laser vision is complete I'd it would be my personal "side arm". "Freeze or I'll blast you!" then if they didn't freeze, well I'd blast them or at least melt any potential weapons the person I told to freeze was carrying. I may try things like melting the sole of their shoes or popping car tires but that's a pretty dangerous thing to do. Popping the tires of a moving car can get a lot people killed. Also just like with the Pig Talisman from the Talismans of Shendu entry I'd learn to use the laser vision to cook as well.

Thanks for reading.

If I Had The Twelve Talismans of Shendu

Background

900 years ago in the universe that the Jackie Chan's Adventures takes place in, China was ruled by a demon sorcerer named Shendu. Soon his subjects rose up against him led by the monk Lo Pei. He used a magical formula to strip Shendu of his zodiac animal based magical powers and stored them in talismans of each animal. Whomever uses a talisman gets it's powers.

Appearance

The twelve talismans are flat octagonal shaped pieces of stone no thicker than an inch that fit in the palms of most people's hands. Each talisman has a colored, stylized image of the zodiac animal they represent.

Powers

The ROOSTER talisman grants the power of telekinesis. Fin has used it to throw a tank and has flown backwards keeping pace with the Dark hands getaway truck probably traveling at least 55 mph if not faster. The power of the talisman can be boosted with the Rabbit Talisman permitting it's user to fly at a speed equal to what the Rabbit Talisman provides.

The OX talisman grants the power of super strength which comes along with the appropriate durability as it's user can go toe to toe with other mystical beings of super strength using only the talisman's powers. The actual upper limit of the strength was never shown but its user could break though a stone wall using only his or her finger and a yak who acted as a host for the talisman's power was able to dig it's way through a mountain top.

The SNAKE talisman grants it's user the power of invisibility.

The SHEEP talisman grants the power of astral projection (the ability of the soul leaving the body) which seems to include the ability to enter people's dreams and the ability to possess other people's bodies.

The RABBIT talisman grants the power of super speed and the appropriate adaptations that go with it. It's top speed isn't listed but Aesop a giant turtle has used it to run across water carrying Jade and Jackie Chan altogether about 900lbs of weight. A 200 lb man needs to run at at least 60 mph to run on water so he would have to run at at least 270 mph. The Rabbit Talisman can enhance the speed at which the rooster talisman permits it's user to fly.

The DRAGON talisman grants the power of combustion. This means that its user can cause it to project a blast of "explosive force" causing things it hits to either explode or burn. Either way it's a very powerful and devastating talisman easily destroying armored military vehicles and stone walls. Unlike the other talismans the dragon talisman will actually bond to it's user. On human beings it adheres to their hand making it easier for them to aim it.

The RAT talisman grants "motion to the motionless". This means it can animate inanimate objects even going so far as giving statues and toys the powers of the characters they represent. As an example: when Jade's Super Moose doll is animated it can fly and has super strength like the Super Moose character is suppose to have. As an another example a statue of Lo Pei had all the monk's powers and memories. The statue body of Shendu became his real body. It's unknown if it can actually animate the dead or restore mobility to paralyzed people. For that matter it's not known if it can be used to power vehicles.

The HORSE talisman grants the power of healing. This includes the user or others the user wishes to heal. Aside from repairing actual damage to a subject's body it removes anything "alien" from the subject's body such as illness or in the case of Jackie Chan, removing the effects of the serum turning him to stone. It also can be used to remove pain or discomfort such as removing the nausea Tohru experienced because of his seasickness. Aside from healing living subjects it can "heal" non-living objects restoring them to their undamaged state. I'm going to assume that this means that it can also remove computer viruses from computerized devices.

The DOG talisman grants immortality. This means that the user quits aging as long as they use it although their youthful appearance isn't restored their youthful vitality and prowess is. Also it makes them invulnerable but not immune to pain. As Fin has said, "Immortality hurts." Although there is a limit to the invulnerability. Jackie Chan blew a whole in Shendu's chest with the Dragon talisman although that failed to kill him it did leave him with a hole in his chest until the Horse talisman healed him.

The PIG talisman grants the power of "heat beam eyes". In other words "heat vision". Again it's upper most power is unknown but is said to be very intense and most likely able to melt steel. It also grants the user thermal vision the ability to see heat allowing it's user to see the user of the snake talisman when he or she is invisible.

The MONKEY talisman grants the power of shapeshifting. More specifically the ability to transform into different types of animals. This works on the user of the talisman or someone they target. The subject transformed retains their personality and intelligence. The talisman can be used on inanimate objects. Transformed at long range they just become statue version of the animal but when touched by the talisman they can be made into a living animal.

The TIGER talisman grants the power of balance. It is often mistaken that balance means that the user can't be knocked over but it actually means spiritual balance. By spiritual balance it means that the user's positive and negative chi are in balance which should mean that the user is immune to attacks or magic that attempt to "unbalance" his or her chi. The original talisman had been broken which caused those who used it to split into good and evil versions of themselves who could be reunited by reuniting the two halves of the talismans. It is said by Shendu that the Tiger talisman maintains the balance off all the other talismans powers preventing him from being destroyed by having absorbed them.

If I Had The Twelve Talismans of Shendu

I wouldn't tell anybody about the talismans. Once people know you have them they want to use them. Of course I might cultivate a small trusted circle of friends that I might distribute them to on a case by case basis but probably not. People I already trust would get to borrow them but even that would be rare. It would have to be people I would trust with that secret. I would want to keep that I have magical talismans secret. If someone discovers me using super powers I would want them to think that they are innate powers instead of external.

The ROOSTER talisman

I'd keep this talisman with me all the time. I love the idea of being able to move things around by will alone. Also I love that it would permit me to hover over water permitting me to explore places that can only be accessed by water or by air. Like I said before exploration is a big thing with me. I like to explore new places. This talisman would come in handy with the work I currently do cleaning out houses so I can paint them and get them ready to be rented. Some people are really disgusting and don't clean up after themselves. It would be nice to not have to touch the garbage they leave behind and it would be faster and I assume I could do a more thorough job as well moving things by thought instead of by hand.

The OX talisman

This talisman is used for special occasions. Whereas as I love the idea of having super strength, it's a nuisance outside of the work I usually do. For kicks I would put on ancient Greek armor and get the Dog talisman and the Horse talisman and pretend to be Hercules. Then I would jump into a war and cut lose. Since I don't speak Greek or Latin it may be difficult to pull off but that's only if I actually speak to people.

The SNAKE talisman

This is another talisman I would carry with me all the time. If I'm going to do anything super human and I can't immediately disguise it I would just turn invisible and then go about doing it. Like I said I wouldn't want people to knowing about me having the talismans. On special occasions like Halloween I would combine it with the Rooster talisman and pretend to be a ghost. When I think about it combining with the Rooster and Rabbit talisman I could pretend to teleport.

The SHEEP talisman

This one I would keep for relaxation purposes or when I have trouble sleeping. If I have insomnia I can force my body to relax by leaving it. Then I can go exploring once again, this time invisible and intangible. Of course I could kill two birds with one stone and like I said in the Magneto and Professor X entry that while I was relaxing I could use my astral form to do some reconnaissance looking for missing people. Maybe even "case a joint out" if I was planning to do some work somewhere or even find places that I was planning to explore during the day.

The RABBIT talisman

A third talisman that I would always carry with me. Not so much because I always want to travel at super speed but because mixed with the Rooster talisman I could travel considerable distances quickly and be ready to help as quickly as possible. A lot of the people I like live far away from me and I could visit them more often. Don't get me wrong though, the thrill of moving at super speed is something I relish. I would be more willing to use it in combat than the Ox talisman. While moving at super speed gives you a powerful punch, these days with the advances in weapons it's more about the person who can shoot first then who can hit the hardest. Also if you can disarm someone before they can fire or attack you can keep people from getting hurt.

The DRAGON talisman

This would be the least used talisman in my collection. I don't have much use for that much raw destruction in my life. So if I was going to use it you know it's serious business. The primary use of it would be demolition. The next big use of it would be for countering things like avalanches, tsunamis and mud slides. On occasions that demanded it I would use it to destroy debris from outer space like falling satellites, large meteors or whatever else comes into the planet from outer space.

The RAT talisman

The world isn't ready for me to have this talisman. Firstly there's a statue of Paul Bunion and Babe the blue ox in the yard of a guy I know. They used to be at the logging museum in the town I live in has. I'd probably animate one of them first. That would be hilarious. There are tons of giant statues in the world to animate and let run wild. Although I think statues of Jesus and Buddha wouldn't be likely to rampage as others might. A fake second coming originating in Rio de Janeirio would be interesting to see.

The HORSE talisman

This is the fourth talisman I would always have on hand. You never know when you'll come across someone who needs healing. But it's not just that. Since it can repair inanimate objects think about this. You come to the scene of an accident. The people are alive but badly broken and bruised. They're in their wrecked car. The door can't be opened and it's leaking gas. You use the Horse talisman on the car and it's back in it's regular condition and it has stopped leaking gas. Then you use the talisman on the people in the car. This way not only is every one okay but they can now go along their way and not tie up traffic any longer than necessary. Of course I could make money having a little repair shop. Imagine how much money you can make fixing jets for airlines or doing quick repairs in homes. Of course obviously there's the money to be made as a faith healer who is actually successful. Although given my character if someone is really in pain or in imminent danger of death I would heal them without even thinking about compensation. I would just do it.

The DOG talisman

I reserve this talisman for whenever I go into new situations where mistakes can have fatal consequences. I would always use it in conjunction with the Horse talisman. Most commonly it would be used if I'm intervening on someone's behalf in a violent situation like protecting a civilian population during a time of war or during a national disaster or should I decide to participate in armed conflict. I won't lie, vanity and fear would eventually cause me to use it more and more often just because I wouldn't want to get "old" but for the time being I might even be willing to loan it out to some people telling them it's a protection talisman that can keep them from mortal harm. This is one of those talismans where you literally have power over life and death and people will be anxious to have you share it with them. So you're better off not telling people about it.

The PIG talisman

I would use this talisman at night a lot because of it's thermal vision capacity. It would go out at night and be able to see things. It would take time for me to get used to it though. Thermal vision lets you see through things you normally can't see through because those objects block visible light. It's not the same thing with heat. Only insulators would make it difficult to see through things. I would always carry this one around with me during the winter. You never know when you'll need to build a fire. Also I would learn to cook with it. Not just out of being to lazy to use the oven but because it would be an excuse to develop fine control over it. If you can cook a meal without burning anything then you know you have great control over the heat beams. Plus I would use it like a wood burning kit making designs in leather and wood. Another way to make money. Can you tell I'm an adult, trying to find ways to cash in on every super ability I possess.

The MONKEY talisman

My favorite toy. I would use it not only to explore in the forms of different animals but I would use it to "sculpt" realistic animals that I would sell. You gotta make money somehow. I'd also use it to teach lessons to people who think it's fun to abuse animals. Spend time as a dog and then next time you think about beating one you'll at least have walked a mile in its paws and may not be so quick to be so abusive to animals. Of course then there's some good old fashion "divine justice". Spending sometime as an animal was a way for a lot of people who displeased the gods to spend their time. I'm thinking about Lykan (wolf) and Arachne (spider) as examples. Although I'm not of the judge, jury and executioner type I'm not above putting people in "prison's without walls".

The TIGER talisman

Having spiritual balance is a serious bonus. A balanced spirit rarely if ever gets sick. They tend to be highly resistant to chi manipulating spells and attacks from creatures like chi vampires. However the biggest bonus is the state of mental health that someone with balanced chi has. I would use the talisman to help bring balance to people in emotional distress or who have mental illnesses. It could probably be used to break the influence of mind control on a subject or possibly to even undo the effects of post dramatic stress disorder. This is also one of the talismans I'd always have on hand.

Talisman Combinations

I've listed most of the combinations of talisman's I would use while describing the talismans the most commonly being the combination of the Rooster, Rabbit, Snake, Horse and Tiger. I'm not a healer per-say but flying around as an invisible guardian angel being able to fix things and help people is something I like.

Now if I wanted to play "avenging angel" I'd use all of the talismans. Then I'd transform myself into whichever animal would most strike fear into the hearts of those I'm avenging against and do what needs doing. Imagine poachers being run down by a super rhino or super elephant or bear. Imagine a spider taking down bank robber or being "The Dog That One The War". Now there are other crimes that I won't be so graphic as to explain how they would be avenged but you can imagine it I'm sure.

I think if the Monkey talisman allowed you to become extinct animals imagine becoming an avenging allosaurus. As close to a dragon I guess you could get. I may go by the identity of "Terrorsaurus Rex" that would be awesome. Hmm that has me thinking of the possibilities. Imagine a flying seismosaurus (130-170 feet long weighing about 30 tons) shooting "fire" from it's mouth.

If I had the money for it I might get an angel motif suit of armor made that would hide my face and go out as an avenging angel that way.

I might go around playing at being either a were-wolf or were-bear using the Monkey, Dog, Horse and Ox talismans.

I would disguise myself as a wizard using the Snake, Rooster, Horse and Monkey talismans.

I would build shelters and do landscaping using the Ox, Horse, Monkey and Pig talismans. I'd use, the Ox for moving materials and basic building. I'd use the horse to repair broken materials. The pig for any welding that needed doing and the monkey to decorate as necessary.

I'd use the dog, rabbit and pig talismans to create a potential super hero identity. Maybe I'd call myself the "Rocket."

I might create a huge statue that I can ride in and use the rat talisman to animate it. I'd carry the horse talisman with me to fix it if it gets damaged.

Mostly though like I said earlier I use the Rooster, Rabbit, Snake, Horse and Tiger with me and be an invisible guardian angel.

Thanks for reading.

If I Was A Composite Super Being.

I got my inspiration for this particular posting because of characters like the Composite Superman who had the combined powers of the Legion of Superheroes and the plethora of Super Skrulls that showed up during the "Secret Invasion" story arc in Marvel Comics.

I distinguish composite super beings from "power mimics" like the Super Adaptoid or Amazo who gain their powers from being exposed to other super beings because they only have the specific power sets of a specific group of super beings and cannot just acquire more like the two androids mentioned can.

For me the appeal of a composite super beings is similar to the appeal of power mimics. When you have the combined powers of a super team you can use it in ways that individual team members can't no matter how cooperative they are. Like the Super Skrull combining Mr. Fantastic's stretching with the Thing's superhuman strength to use the super strength in places where it's difficult to reach. Something the two can't do as individuals. Mr. Fantastic can reach but he lacks the super strength. The Thing has the strength but lacks the reach.

For my group to draw super powers from I choose the U-Foes from Marvel Comics. Since K'lrt the original Super Skrull possesses the combined powers of the Fantastic Four, I thought I'd go with the super villain equivalent of the Fantastic Four, the U-Foes.

Background

Simon Utrecht was a wealthy and unscrupulous business man with a hunger for power. In pursuit of power he convinced Mike Steel an engineer, scientist and pilot to pilot the privately owned spaceship he had built and take them plus Ann Darnell a life support specialist and her brother James a fuel propulsion expert into outer space in an attempt to reproduce the event that gave the Fantastic Four their powers. The mission was somewhat of a success. Bruce Banner the incredible Hulk's scientist alter ego managed to return them to Earth before the mission was scheduled to end when he discovered what they were trying to do. This left them with unstable powers . It was only after James was further exposed to "cosmic rays" that his powers were stabilized then he could use his power over radiation to stabilize the powers of the others. From then on they were the U-Foes.

Descriptions

Vector

After being mutated by cosmic rays Simon Utrecht now has white eyes and no hair. His skin is now a variety of shades of yellow and orange arranged in strange patterns.

Ironclad

After being mutated by cosmic rays Mike Steel is now over six and a half feet tall, weighing over 600 lbs. with white eyes and metallic skin. Another noticeable feature of his is that the top of his head is a relatively flat surface instead of being round like a normal skull.

Vapor

After being mutated by cosmic rays Ann Darnell still has essentially her normal look when she is in human form which is that of a five and a half foot tall, average build woman with long brown hair and green eyes. In her gaseous forms her appearance varies by the gas she becomes but when her eyes are visible they are white.

X-Ray

After being mutated by cosmic rays James Darnell is a human shaped, purple colored radiation field with no hair and with what appears to be white eyes.

Powers

As a composite super being you can mix and match the powers of the composing super beings or use only individual's power sets at a time or none at all.

The following is the individual powers of the members of the U-Foes:

Vector

He has the power to telekinetically repel matter and energy directing it away from himself. He can use it to do things like: repelling objects to send them flying as deadly missiles; releasing concentrated blast of energy as an attack; and even using his telekinesis on the ground to propel himself away from it allowing him to fly.

He's powerful enough to flay most of the Incredible Hulk's skin and muscle tissue from his body. He also used it to repel the structure of reality within the 'Crossroads' nexus which he claims makes him capable of hurling worlds. However the Hulk has managed twice with incredible effort to move through Vector's repulsions to physically attack him. He was at least once able to block and repel the attempts of various super humans and allies of the Incredible Hulk to locate him while they were kidnapping and torturing him. That includes magical attempts by Doctor Strange and Tony Stark's and Reed Richard's tracking technology.

Ironclad

He has a metallic form or possibly metallic skin after the fashion of the Thing's rocky hide with tremendous durability and resistance to harm. He can go toe to toe with the Incredible Hulk for prolonged periods of time. He can also conduct heat through his skin hot enough to burn objects and people he touches. He also has superhuman strength permitting him to lift from the ground over his head at arms length somewhere between 85 and 90 tons. If he has super human stamina it's probably like the Thing's who can exert himself for up to 24 hours before getting tired.

He can also increase or decrease his own weight/mass, to hover in the air or to "crush like a mountain".

Vapor

She can transform her body into any form of gas from pure elements forms to complex compounds (mixtures of elements). She can resume her solid form for a brief periods of time. In her gas forms she's essentially immune to most forms of harm but she is vulnerable to chemical reactions that would affect the chemical-form she is in. The Hulk once beat her by spraying her with oxygen while she was hydrogen. She became water. She can also be harmed by different types of energy, such as lightning and her brother's radiation as well as being affected by strong atmospheric phenomena like intense winds or sonic booms.

X-Ray

His physical form is permanently transformed into a living energy field of "quasi-solid radiation". This form can fly and hover as well as emit various wavelengths of radiation including a form of concussive force blasts capable of hurting the incredible Hulk. He can also produce "negative gamma rays" that can transform the Incredible Hulk back into Bruce Banner but it only lasts so long. He had to keep bombarding regularly to maintain the effect. He also has the ability to turn invisible. He is mostly intangible and consequently invulnerable to most physical harm. However he can still be harmed by attacks that disrupt his energy fields such as items made of lead or vibranium (a fictional metal found in the Marvel Universe). He can also be defeated if he's drained of his radiation.

Both X-Ray and Vapor can still speak and retain their mental attributes and personalities despite being in non-human forms. Even most of their sensory capacities like vision, hearing and touch.

If I Was A Composite Super Being

For this particular combination of super beings I'd get investors together and create a pilot project of a city "powered" by me.

With X-Ray's Powers

In the morning if nothing else was going on that needed my attention I'd spend my time charging batteries with my radiation powers. Possibly having an array of solar panels converting the radiation I'm emitting into electricity. Alternatively I could just heat up some water causing it to turn turbines.

I'd also be the primary decontaminator using my radiation powers to destroy harmful organisms introduced into the city. Of course I could use my powers to generate microwaves and become a massive cooking center as well.

With Vapor's Powers

I'd use my gas shifting form to fight fires and to troubleshoot construction problems. With a little bit of medical training I could probably learn to use my gas form to mimic gasses that might help heal people or at least to disinfect or to sedate people. Vapor has proven capable of soothing Ironclad after she accidentally began corroding him as an acidic gas. Hell maybe I'd learn to do minor cosmetic treatments like chemical peals.

With Vector's Powers

I'd use my telekinetic repulsion power for landscaping which would not only include digging up the ground but aerial surveying as well. Depending on where the city is built, I may use it to repel bad weather or for plowing snow. Whatever it would take to make construction go smoothly. I could transport a lot of material just simply pushing them or by keeping them in balance over my head while I "carry" them to their destination. Also I'd be great at demolition.

On the less serious side I'd spend sometime on beaches helping kids who can't get their kite's to fly either because they can't or there's just not enough wind. By the same token I could push a lot of kids on the swings at once. Geeze can you tell I'm an uncle and babysit way too often.

With Ironclad's powers

I think in terms of what I can do to build a city as a super strong guy with armored hide I'm thinking it would go along the lines it would the way I described it under Mr. Incredible except with the lack of super speed it would take longer. For another difference Ironclad's weight/mass control power would allow me to walk on structures that would normally be too weak for me to walk out on. I've gone through roofs and off of them. It's not good.

In Combination

Here's where as composite super being shines. The first example to come to mind is the combination of Vapor's and X-Ray's powers. Transform into gas, enter a person's system and use radioactive blasts to treat cancer at the actual site of the disease instead of damaging the rest of the system along the way.

I could combine Vector and Ironclad to create a living cannonball of myself. I could more readily carry a heavy load with Ironclad's powers and use Vectors' to get myself into position to place the load where it needs to go.

I could use Vapor's powers to infiltrate a building undetected or without damaging it so I can retrieve a kidnapped person. Then from there I could use the rest of the U-Foes powers to fight my way back out with the kidnap victim in tow. Using Ironclad's powers as my base to make sure if someone sneaks up on me I'm at least with some protection and then I could use Vector's and X-Ray's powers to fend off the kidnappers and their "associates".

Since neither Vapor nor X-Ray can really handle solid objects in their gas and radiation forms I could use Vector's power to over come that limit in those forms in the least to push solid objects around.

Mixing Vapor's and Ironclad's powers makes for one hell of a wrestler. If you can't break out of a hold with brute force you can just turn into a gas to escape.

The point is the combined powers of a super group is awesome.

Thanks for reading

If I was Birdman

Background

Birdman's exact background is debatable. All that is known for sure is that Ray Randal (Birdman) was given superpowers to be the Egyptian god Ra's emissary on Earth. If nothing else that meant he had to fight for justice as a superhero. How he got his costume and when exactly he became a secret agent seems unspecified.

Description

Birdman has your typical superhero built and has large blueish feathered wings. He wears a golden bodysuit with black trunks, a blue cowl with black mask, a yellow helmet and collar with red and black wristbands, ankle bands and belt.

Powers

Birdman's most obvious power is derived from his wings. He can fly but he doesn't need to flap his wings to do so. They seem more to be a conduit for whatever force permits him to fly. He seems easily able to keep up and give chase to highly advanced flying vehicles and is agile enough to evade fire in arial combat.

Essentially his power is to absorb and use solar energy. Aside from powering his wings it also grants him "super might" which essentially means super strength and durability but can refer to an overall enhancement of his physical attributes. He's at least strong enough to bind a circus strongman in his own barbell and can throw a slagged metal cannon. He's stronger than Birdboy and Birdboy can easily break out of chains as long as he is charged with solar energy. As far as durability goes he can readily survive being hit by heavy weapons artillery but not without being momentarily stunned or knocked unconscious by it. Even if he is injured like most super beings with super strength he recovers quickly enough, in his case possibly due to exposure to sunlight healing him.

Aside from physical enhancement solar energy permits him to project solar rays from his hands that he can use as raw heat or as light capable of blinding a target. The rays are powerful enough to completely destroy metal cannons and other forms of advanced military weapons and vehicles. He can also create solar shields which are also centred around his hand. He can use them as a personal shield or make them at least big enough to protect half a dozen people. The shields are far better at resisting heavy weapon artillery than his body is. Since they offer superior protection they're usually his main form of protection. They are often either a transparent, glowing red or invisible until struck.

Birdman's weakness is that he requires solar energy to use his powers. Although he does actually store solar energy in his body he requires exposure to sunlight to recharge himself. If he's in a room or similar place cut off from sunlight he only has what energy he has stored in his body to power himself. Typically that means his powers quickly dwindled to normal human levels during combat. Conceivably he can preserve his power by functioning at a normal human level. All the instances where I've seen him trapped without sunlight were after taxing combat or if drained of his solar energy by a machine.

If I was Birdman

If nothing else I'd have to figure out my wardrobe. What do you wear when you have wings? Of course super strength usually comes with a sculpted physique so I probably wouldn't be bothered by going topless. Even if it didn't come with a sculpted physique it wouldn't be long before I'd be nice and sculpted anyway. I imagine being an emissary for a an ancient god keeps you busy.

A secret identity is out of the question since the wings can't be hidden for the long term. You can wear a mask but unless you withdraw completely from your original life, the enemies you eventually accumulate will know who your loved ones are and go after them.

I'd have to have a secret identity since I would be obliged as the emissary of Ra to fight for justice. I'd wear a face hiding helmet instead of a mask and cowl. Alternatively I could do like Birdman did and pass some of my power onto a sidekick. Preferably a woman so we can maintain a romantic liaison. That way if we don't maintain secret identities at least we can protect each other and we can help each other protect out other loved ones.

Okay I'm getting too hung up on the secret identity thing. Given that I'm solar powered I'd live in an aviary or at least a large solarium nestled in a mountain. I'd have to maximize my exposure to sunlight. I'd probably equip my aviary/solarium with ultraviolet lights in hopes that it would act as artificial sunlight and help keep me charged at night or whatever kind of light it is that they use to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. Heck in my attempts to keep myself absorbing sunlight at night I'd probably come up with some new therapy for that disease.

In terms of how I'd administer justice I might offer my services to intelligence communities on a freelance basis. I'd probably establish some kind of ties with the United Nations. With limits of course. Politics are politics no matter the country involved and I wouldn't want my power misused.

When I think about it. What would be the definition of justice? Would I be compelled by Ra to destroy a fishing boat owned by a major corporation because it leaves no fish for food for the village who sold it it's fishing rights not realizing the consequences. Or would I be compelled to squash a rebellion if said village tried to drive off the boats so they can have food to eat because they entered into a contract and must now honor their end of it? Would I be compelled to take out the CEO of a company because their company's business practice led to the death of people. Heady stuff Justice is. It would be something I would have to play by ear.

Thanks for reading.

If I was Hellboy

Background

Hellboy is the demonic off spring of the demon Azzael and the witch Sarah Hughes. He lay dormant in the castle in which he was conceived until summoned by Grigori Rasputin. As with all evil plans in a character's origin story, Rasputin's plan went wrong and Hellboy or Anung Un Rama (his true name) ended up appearing in a different area then expected and was discovered by Trevor Bruttenholm who raised him as his own son and helped mold him into the hero he is today.

Description

Hellboy is a large (7 feet tall, 400 lbs), muscular red demon with horns and all and a thick powerful tail. His right hand from his forearm up is a larger, textured stone forearm and hand with three fingers and magical runes all over them.

Powers and Paraphernalia

Among many supernatural features he has from being a demon Hellboy has impressive superhuman strength and is said to be able to lift 10 tons from the ground to over his head but his limit isn't really known. He is capable of uprooting a tree and throwing it at an opponent as well as being able to throw around opponents who weigh in excess of 500 lbs. Aside from his super strength he has the mandatory resistance to injury commensurate with that strength and can take severe beatings by large monsters receiving only minor injuries. He has charged someone using an MG-42 machine gun taking its bullets directly to his chest and was still able to get close enough to destroy it. His stamina is also greater than human permitting him to fight for hours at a time. He is also capable of adapting to hostile environments after some time and exposure.

His primary defence is his supernatural healing ability permitting him to recover from injuries that would be fatal to a human being such as a sword through the chest. Unlike in the movie he's not immune to fire but his healing rate is so quick that sometimes it seams that way. He is also noted to have a super human sense of site permitting him to see things further away than a normal unaided human can. He also has an enhanced sense of smell that he can use to track and locate targets whose scent he has acquired.

His aging process is different than a normal human. He started off by aging faster than normal but when he hit maturity he seems to have stopped aging all together.

Aside from his physical attributes he has an innate understanding for ancient and magical languages.

His right hand is the "Right Hand of Doom" with is in fact the right hand and forearm of the angel Anum. Although it is an incredibly fantastic hand to hand combat weapon its main ability is to unlock the prison of the Ogdru Jahad and control them once they're released.

Despite his powers Hellboy is vulnerable to magical control from spells and rituals using his true name or those meant to control the Right Hand of Doom. The Right Hand also comes with another problem. It's size and strength makes it difficult to use delicate, modern devices. Although he's right handed he uses his left hand to perform most of his "normal" tasks.

Aside from his natural powers he tends to carry a number items with including magical charms and holy relics as well as modern military items like guns and grenades.

If I was Hellboy

Instead of being a fake demon like with Darkoth the Death Demon, in this case I'd be a real demon...well a half-demon anyway. I'd live that up. I wouldn't shave back my horns like Hellboy does. I'd want the full effect. I would then find myself a small town and strike a deal with its representatives and offer it my services in return for anonymity and tribute. My services would consist of keeping wild animals out of the town, driving off "dangerous" strangers, finding people who are lost, basically using my powers in the towns service as long as they maintain their part of the bargain.

I'm just not a bad guy at heart. I love helping people. I'm no one's fool though. That's why I would charge a tribute. I wouldn't want people thinking I'm some kind of push over and I don't believe supernatural intervention should be done without a price. I don't necessarily mean financially. I just mean that if you have supernatural intervention instead of doing something yourself there should be a consequence so that you appreciate what has been done for you.

In my role as protector demon I'd probably go around naked as well. When you have cloven hooves and a big tail what would you wear anyway? Of course I'm sure someone in the town would be handy with a needle and thread and could make me some clothes. Hell I'm sure someone would offer it just to keep me from being naked. Yeah probably.

I'd most likely live in a basement somewhere so I can hide while "friendly" strangers are around. I'm sure it would be one of the requirements in the contract between me and the town. I'd make sure a clause in the contract would define nighttime as my "time to prowl". That's probably when most of the towns people would be getting in trouble anyway. "Mr. Demon my child snuck out can you bring her home for me please. I think she's with Billy down at Miller's pond." Then I'd sneak up on the two and scare the snot out of them then when they's calmed down let the daughter know that her parents are looking for her. Although I'd be really surprised if someone asked a seven foot tall demon to go looking for their daughter who snuck out at night.

Thanks for reading.

If I was Impala

I'm referring to the Pre-Crisis of Infinite Earth's version of the character. He's one of those characters whose conversion to the Post crisis continuity that doesn't really capture my imagination.

Background

While he was alive in either continuity M'Bulaze was an optimistic and apparently politically minded Zulu warrior who seems to have discovered one day that he could out run and out jump the impala, the animal after which he named himself. He was later recruited by Dr. Mist into his Global Guardians.

Description

M'Bulaze was a tall and athletic Zulu who wore what would appear to be traditional Zulu warrior garb. I'm no expert on the Zulu but I'll go with that description.

Powers

M'Bulaze is said to be able to out run and out jump the impala. The average impala can run at 50 mph and can jump 30 feet across and 8 feet high. Since He is said to be able to jump 20 feet high then all things being equal I'm going to assume based on that he can jump 75 feet across and run at 125 mph. How long he can run for is unknown but he has kept up with the Flash who relies almost exclusively on his running abilities to get around. However he did acknowledge that the Flash was holding back on his behalf. All that to say is that he can probably run at his "cruising" speed for several hours before needing to rest. How long he can sprint for I don't know.

As I do with most of these characters I assume they have the requisite secondary powers that lets them use there powers without hurting themselves out of hand. So I assume M'Bulaze has at least a better than normal reaction time and coordination when running or jumping and probably some enhanced resistance to injury so he doesn't kill himself or seriously injure himself if he trips at top speeds or if he doesn't land quite right.

If I was Impala

Running at super speed and super leaping is a fun little set of super powers but what do you do with it? You become a professional athlete. What else are you going to do? I mean you can become a cop. It would help to be really fast and mobile to catch fleeing criminals. Of course you could join the military too. You make a great weapon delivery system. You can get your weapon in place before your target could be ready. However like I said before, I'm not really a violent guy. I prefer to enjoy the thrill of the speed of the run and the short "flight" of the super leap.

When I say I'd be a pro-athlete I'm thinking soccer. You get to run around and jump over people to get to the goal and the field is so long and wide. Also I'm taking into account that I'd likely have super human strength in my legs so my kicks should be more than professional caliber. As a side benefit it would satisfy my competitive side and it would help me keep my stamina up. Of course with super running and super leaping I'm sure I'd find ways of keeping my stamina up just because it would be fun doing it.

When I think about it I could have used having Impala's powers as my solution to my Spring Heeled Jack as superhero dilemma instead of the Oz formula solution. I would just have to put on a weird mask and dress up like a "gentlemen" and I'd be set. Now mind you since I'm on this train of thought I'd probably carry two guns with me. A couple of automatic hand guns. Probably spring mounted blades in my boots and up my sleeves to go with it. That would be pretty cool. Evil doers beware. But it's not really my style. If I'm going to take up arms I'd do it as a cop or a soldier. If I was going to be altruistic with these powers I'd spend my time running along the highway looking for stranded people and bringing them gas for there cars or running a spare tire back to them or in the very least bring them food and water until help arrives.

Like I said I think this is a really cool power set but I don't know if it's the kind of life changer that others I've written about are.

Thanks for reading

If I had Jack O' Lantern's Magical Fairy Lantern

Since there are several comic book characters named Jack O' Lantern I'll take this opportunity to specify that I'm referring to Dan Cormac of the DC Universe, member of the Global Guardians.

Background

The magical fairy lantern of Jack O' Lantern was a magical gift of the fairy queen Maeve because of his kindness to fairies in general such as allowing a leprechaun he got to go free without taking its pot of gold and his friendship with the Fir Dhearga (a type of fairy) Fergus.

Description

The magical lantern is a dark purple, spherical lantern including a handle to carry it. It has eyes like a Hallowe'en Jack O'Lantern but lacks their nose and mouth.

Powers

The fairy lantern gives it's user the power to duplicate any effect the Irish fairy folk can do. This includes but probably not limited to the following powers: flight, flame projection (normal or faerie-fire), teleportation (self and others), super strength, the ability to create fog, shadows, and illusions. It also can be used for low-level telekinesis such as controlling small objects or to induce sleep (normal or magical). The Lantern can also create or dispel powerful localized weather effects. It can also produce blinding flashes of light and personal forcefields as well as having the ability to permit its user to temporarily duplicate him or herself (it is however difficult and strenuous to perform). It can also permits its user to shrink him or herself or others and can imprison shrunken targets in itself (it contains a small pocket dimension for just such an occasion).

Its user can telekinetically control it even when it's not in his or her hand, which allows him or her to summon it to him or her. He or she can encase the lantern in faerie-fire and hurl it at opponents, calling it back to his or her hand afterwards.

I'm going to assume it can also be used to shed like light a regular lantern.

The power of the lantern is weakest at midday and at its strongest at midnight. Also the lantern can only be used by the person it is given to.

If I had Jack O' Lantern's Magical Fairy Lantern

If I had the Jack O' Lantern's magical Fairy Lantern I'd start by doing search and rescue. I know it's not that creative but if you have a lantern the most obvious thing is to use it at night or in dark places to explore or to find things. If I find lost people I would just shrink them down and store them in the lantern until I get them to safety and then I'd set them free. Of course I could just stay with them until more people come and find them by following the big illusory sign I make pointing out where we are.

During the winter I'd patrol the highways and backroads looking for people who are lost or stranded. In the "cold, cold north" death is only a few hours a way if you're not prepared. I can see myself flying along in the dark night sky using the lantern as a spotlight to find any unlucky travellers. I love travelling the highway at night. It would be especially cool if I could fly.

It wouldn't be long before I become the crazy "old guy" who lives on a small island in the middle of a lake who offers his magical services for a fee. "We need to make sure the weather is nice for our wedding day. Well for a 'donation' that guy who lives in the middle of the lake will make sure of it." Then I'd stand vigil with my lantern for the day making sure the weather was clear.

Now I would be neglectful if I didn't use "Fairy Power" to do Fairy things. You know, use the lantern's illusory powers to make people think I've turned them purple or put to straight guys to sleep and then place them so it looks like they're kissing then teleport them to a place full of people then wake them up again. Yeah I know immature but I don't care. Fairies are known for their "playful" mischief and why should I break such a fine tradition.

Hallowe'en would quickly become my favorite holiday. The least I would do is walk around pretending to be THE Jack O' Lantern. The man not good enough for Heaven but not bad enough for Hell, condemned to walk the Earth as a lantern carrying ghost. If I caught people doing really bad things I'd use the lantern's many powers to set them straight. Imagine some kids stealing candy finding themselves enveloped in shadow while an image of a headless figure swears to punish them for eternity unless they return the candy.

I think it would come down to me being "He who lights the way". When people are lost, the lantern and I would be there to light the way. Both metaphorically and literally.

Note: The data for this posting comes from the DC Nation web site.

If I was Brian Davis

Background

Brian Davis is an "Evolved Human" from the "Heroes Universe". Not much is known about his history but his telekinetic ability is stolen from him by Sylar who kills him and is later mimicked by Peter Petrelli who later has it stolen from him by his father Arthur. What is known about him is that he was afraid of his power and was looking for a way to get rid of them which is how he got caught up in Sylar's clutches.

Appearance

Brian was a blond, glasses wearing frumpy man.

Powers

Brian Davis was a telekinetic who never developed his power. However by seeing Sylar and Peter's use of his telekinetic power we can get a sense of just how powerful he would have been if he had.

Sylar has used it to shield himself from gun fire, perform successful brain surgery and supplement his strength and leaping ability. He can use it to manipulate people like puppets or manipulate dozens of objects at once and use them as projectiles. He has also used it to support himself off of the ground so he could quietly sneak up on people. His most powerful use of Brian's telekinesis was when he flipped over a F.B.I. prison transport and then stopped it cold as it skidded towards him.

Peter's most taxing use of it was when his future self tore open a secured vault door which seems to have been pushing the upper limits of the power since it caused him to bleed through his nose. On the fine control side under future Sylar's tutelage he was able to repair a broken pocket watch by use of telekinesis alone.

Both have used the power to restrain people.

If I was Brian Davis

Well, firstly I would train like mad with my telekinesis and if you know me well enough you know I would get good at using it as a means of personal flight. Even if I couldn't fly cross country with it I would make sure I can use it as a quick escape method or to carry me over hostile terrain. To satisfy my sense of drama I would learn to use it to simulate water walking and air walking.

Also I have watched far too many cartoons and movies about martial arts not to find a way to incorporate it into my martial arts skills including but not limited to imitating techniques performed in them. I'd have my own version of the Kamehameha Wave from Dragon Ball, the Buddha Palm from Kung Fu Hustle or Darth Vader's choke hold from Star Wars.

On the non-violent side I would once again be using a super power to express my art. I would learn to draw and sculpt telekinetically. If not for the sheer joy of art then to refine my fine control of the power. There is a lot of clay in the town I live in and especially at my sister's cottage. I could practice to my hearts content. Not only that I tend not to use pencils below a certain size. Learning to draw with telekinesis would save me money in pencils in the long run.

On Hallowe'en I'd probably often go as some kind of superhero. Superman for sure in the first year. In the following years I might go as a wizard or an angel or a demon. Anything that could fly and move things with their minds. But that first year I would go as Superman and really play it up. I'd use my telekinetic power to simulate his super strength, invulnerability, flight and super breadth.

All the fun aside I wouldn't wear a costume like a super hero. I would definitely be useful and use my telekinesis to stop crimes I was exposed to. I would do it subtly so I wouldn't be discovered doing it. I would cause improbable but not impossible things to happen like fleeing criminals might find themselves tripping over their feet or a victim struggling against their attacker might hit them harder than they could believe possible. Okay I may occasionally dress like a magician from time to time just for kicks and maybe to perform magic for charity or for some extra cash but not in any serious sense.

Thanks for reading.

If I Had Taken the OZ Formula

Background

OZ is a formula invented at OsCorp owned by Norman Osborn (of the Marvel Comics Ultimate continuity). It was created in an attempt to reproduce the Super Soldier serum that created Captain America. It has been responsible for a number of people developing super powers in that Comic Book Reality. Spiderman, Spider Woman, Scorpion, Tarantula and The deformed Spiderman Clone have their powers due to Spiderman being bitten by a spider who was exposed to the OZ formula. Doctor Octopus also derived his powers from the "Oz Explosion" however his powers are completely different from anyone exposed to OZ.

Powers

Although it can be "modified" to give different powers as with Spiderman, Oz typically bestows its recipient with the ability to transform into a monstrous goblin-like creature. The goblin form bestows on it's taker super human physical attributes including super stamina, agility and reflexes but most notably super strength and healing and the ability to project fire. Norman Osborn could roughly lift 10 tons from the ground to over his head. His son Harry might be even stronger. Harry also has armor-like skin that can repel bullets and he can regenerate lost skin and teeth in moments. As far as fire projection goes Norman threw fireballs that he generated while Harry could project fire blast from his hands and even cause himself to burst into flame without harm to himself. Wether or not Mary Jane has any fiery powers remains to be seen.

Although never mentioned I assume since they all seem to have glowing eyes that the goblin form also comes equipped with cat-like night vision.

The goblin form at least for males is about 7 feet tall and weighs half a ton. I'm not sure the size for females but according to Mary-Jane's listing in the Marvel wiki she didn't change size but I'm assuming that was an error. The goblin form's coloring varies from individual to individual. Norman Osborn is green skinned with feral eyes while his son Harry is yellow skin with red eyes and Mary Jane Watson is covered in red hair and also has feral eyes). Although Mary Jane is covered in red hair the male goblins seem devoid of any hair. Regardless of gender the goblin form has a demonic appearance including horns, claws, fangs and pointed ears.

Oz can cause mental illness in some people as it did with Norman Osborn and Otto Octavius but it hasn't so far in anyone else. It could be that these two men were on the verge of these problems and the exposure to Oz was just the push needed to bring the illness to full bloom.

I should note that while people who are exposed to unmodified OZ can become a monstrous goblin creature Otto Octavius instead gained the ability to control metal with his mind and possibly enhanced intelligence without any need to transform instead of also becoming a goblin.

If I had Taken the Oz Formula

The Oz formula is my answer to my Spring Heeled Jack posting problem. I couldn't find enough information on the comic book versions of him but the Oz formula gives me a solution. Spring Heeled Jack was a figure of the real world's 1800s Britain who was said to be a demonic creature or someone disguised as a demon noted primarily for his super human leaping ability. According to later accounts he also had clawed hands and the ability breadth out a blueish-white flame. If I had taken the Oz Formula I would assume the role of a super hero version of him.

I'm not sure exactly how I would appear in goblin form but going with the theme of taking on the coloring of different goblins from Marvel's mainstream reality I'm going to take the coloring of Menace. So I would be a greyish color with yellow eyes. She also has pronounced horns so my horns would also be more than just small protrusions like Norman and Harry but useable as weapons like Mary Jane's seemed to have. I'm going to assume that I would have some fire based power as well and since I'm going with the Spring Heeled Jack theme I'm going with the ability to channel a fiery blast through my mouth. Not fiery breadth but a fiery blast that just happens to be focused from my mouth.

Would I wear a costume I don't know. Given the size change that occurs transforming into an Oz goblin, I don't know if I would even bother to wear clothes in that form. Changing would be a pain in the ass but mind you since I would be going out at night on purpose to patrol I could take the time to have some kind of outfit made. However if I have to transform on the spot I'm just going to have to go naked or maybe wear some kind of really stretchy material.

The point is I'm going out as "the leaping bane of crime" or "Dark Jack" as I would call myself. Mind you where I live the crimes are mostly boot-legging and the occasional theft. Mostly misdemeanours rather than actual violent crime that require superhuman intervention. I would really be spending most of my time intervening in human animal interaction or finding people lost in the woods. At best I'd be "scaring people straight".

Of course, I could move to a more urban area where there is more violent crime. The thing with looking like a monstrous goblin is that you're going to invoke hostility and if your in an environment with higher rates of violence then it might not matter what I intend. I'll have to fight more than I care to. Since I wouldn't be invulnerable I would have to transform into my human form to protect myself from those who might decide to hunt me down.

Of course I could take videos of myself and post them on Youtube and claim I have footage of the actual Spring Heeled Jack. It's a good way to make money. Like if had Sasquatch's powers I could claim to be an expert and get invited to speak at conferences and write books and make documentaries. That would be awesome. I'd still patrol at night though. The footage would have to look spontaneous and I like helping people out.

Thanks for reading.