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  1. #46
    Astonishing Member JackDaw's Avatar
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    I think one thing this thread has probably demonstrated...with practically all the key villains regarding Reed as the main enemy...is how unbalanced the story telling has been over the years between Reed and the other three.

    I’ve said a time or three that Ben has been due a power upgrade for many years past, and also well overdue making him a more effective team member in other regards.

    His strength alone made him a titan in the early days of Marvel when few super powered characters were around. But nowadays it doesn’t cut the mustard. I would like him to get some power apart from his strengh.

    And I certainly want him to become a more effective and canny fighter. He’s my favourite Marvel character, but even I’m fed up of his default mode being to yell “It’s clobbering time”, and fighting pluckily for 10 mins before being overcome.
    Last edited by JackDaw; 08-01-2018 at 11:57 AM.

  2. #47
    Fantastic Member Grim Fandango's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JackDaw View Post
    I’ve said a time or three that Ben has been due a power upgrade for many years past, and also well overdue making him a more effective team member in other regards.

    His strength alone made him a titan in the early days of Marvel when few super powered characters were around. But nowadays it doesn’t cut the mustard. I would like him to get some power apart from his strengh.
    Johnny also needs power upgrade.

  3. #48
    Extraordinary Member MichaelC's Avatar
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    Johnny needs to be less all-or-nothing. The nova-flame thing was a dumb power to give him. It forces the writers to either decide that a villain can withstand that, in which case Johnny is useless, or else have Johnny just not use his most devastating ability. Get rid of his ability to go nova, and give him more versatility.

  4. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by JackDaw View Post
    I think one thing this thread has probably demonstrated...with practically all the key villains regarding Reed as the main enemy...is how unbalanced the story telling has been over the years between Reed and the other three.

    I’ve said a time or three that Ben has been due a power upgrade for many years past, and also well overdue making him a more effective team member in other regards.

    His strength alone made him a titan in the early days of Marvel when few super powered characters were around. But nowadays it doesn’t cut the mustard. I would like him to get some power apart from his strengh.

    And I certainly want him to become a more effective and canny fighter. He’s my favourite Marvel character, but even I’m fed up of his default mode being to yell “It’s clobbering time”, and fighting pluckily for 10 mins before being overcome.
    kind of hard to give him another power without it being gimmicky. what separates him from the other super strong folks is his rocklike appearance. him shooting lasers or something would just be silly.

  5. #50

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    Quote Originally Posted by CaptCleghorn View Post
    It's painfully obvious that many of the FF's rogue's gallery need revamping and updating. Doom, especially. Both Reed and Doom underwent huge changes as of Secret Wars. We saw a new Doom in Infamous and I think most of the FF fans on this board would be happy to see the character develop beyond a mustache twirling bad guy. That should be high on Dan Slott's "to do" list.

    As to some of the "lesser" foes, the Wizard and Thinker should be brilliant. So they don't make the top 10 on the planet, but even if they're in the top thousand on a planet of over 7 billion, that's a hell of a ranking. The Wizard has a field of expertise and if he sticks roughly to that, then he can truly be in the top ten on the planet in that field. the same with the Thinker and his causation theories. their super powers are their brains and if their talents aren't expressed in a consistant manner, they lose gravitas.

    Red Ghost could just be someone fixated on old Soviet methodology. The powers and the apes are something that seemed more acceptable 50 years ago, but still nothing too silly. Plus mixing him up in the Savage Land could present possibilities if we assume he's an animal expert.

    Find what works. Using scientists with interchangeable abilities is like picking Tom Brady for a golf foursome. It might seem cool, but it's not the best way to work things out.
    they might have already done this but they could have Red Ghost die and live on in the super-apes; like find some way to split his consciousness between them. he could just give up on humanity all together since he sure isn't getting the communist Russia of his childhood back.

  6. #51
    Extraordinary Member Crimz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JackDaw View Post
    I think one thing this thread has probably demonstrated...with practically all the key villains regarding Reed as the main enemy...is how unbalanced the story telling has been over the years between Reed and the other three.

    I’ve said a time or three that Ben has been due a power upgrade for many years past, and also well overdue making him a more effective team member in other regards.

    His strength alone made him a titan in the early days of Marvel when few super powered characters were around. But nowadays it doesn’t cut the mustard. I would like him to get some power apart from his strengh.

    And I certainly want him to become a more effective and canny fighter. He’s my favourite Marvel character, but even I’m fed up of his default mode being to yell “It’s clobbering time”, and fighting pluckily for 10 mins before being overcome.
    Quote Originally Posted by Grim Fandango View Post
    Johnny also needs power upgrade.
    I agree. Both Ben and Johnny are well overdue for a power-up.

    Quote Originally Posted by MichaelC View Post
    Johnny needs to be less all-or-nothing. The nova-flame thing was a dumb power to give him. It forces the writers to either decide that a villain can withstand that, in which case Johnny is useless, or else have Johnny just not use his most devastating ability. Get rid of his ability to go nova, and give him more versatility.
    I liked Nova back when it was a last resort that usually finished things, but now everyone and their grandma can withstand it. Also Johnny's flame is so easily extinguished it's ridiculous, him and Ben need to be heavy hitters again. The FF should rival the other superhero teams in terms of power.
    Be sure to check out the Invisible Woman appreciation thread!

  7. #52

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Overlord View Post
    Is that list wrong? Again you keep on complaining about Doom, but you do not seem to acknowledge that most people on this forum really like Doom.
    how would that benefit me or contribute to the discussion? it won't change my opinion of the character any more than i'll change your impression of the Wizard. it's all personal preference. but you act like characters like the Wizard and Trapster are doomed simply because they don't meet your standards. they've been around for decades and not just in the books. I'd argue that they are characters that people like; whether they are A-list or not. you know who is really popular? Venom. why? is it because of his background or because he looks cool? go ask a kid why they like Venom. I bet they don't talk about his motivation.

    Quote Originally Posted by The Overlord View Post
    Look feel free to like any character you want, but if you do not like Doom
    I don't. the Wizard's religiousness was caused by a tumor, btw.

    Quote Originally Posted by The Overlord View Post
    Doom and Reed have invented things time machines, has Wizard ever done anything on that level.
    that's something he wouldn't be allowed to do because it would step on Doom's toes. there is a nostalgia-based villain hierarchy that is enforced by the writers. but it's also a really lame invention that can only be used in the most hackneyed of plots. Wizard, in one of his first outings, physically impersonated Johnny Storm. he created a device that can alter people's personalities. he can launch someone into space with a handheld disc. he wears gloves that allow him to match the Thing's strength. he cloned himself. there's a reason why he was recruited for the Intelligencia.

    Quote Originally Posted by The Overlord View Post
    Doom lauched the whole Baxter Building into space, its not Wizard has the market cornered when it comes to inventive traps.
    but you don't care about feats, right? you only respect elaborate backstories.

    Quote Originally Posted by The Overlord View Post
    Alright, but can you then acknowledge that giving characters like Wizard and Trapster a back story might make them more interesting?
    I don't think it matters. I'd rather know who they were dating or what they watch on Netflix. bad upbringings are a dime a dozen.

    Quote Originally Posted by The Overlord View Post
    But then what the stakes with the Wizard? If he wins, he may kill or humiliate the FF, so what, every villain tries to kill the FF and I do not see him as being in their league. Especially when he intentionally limits himself by trying to take on the FF with teams that are on average less powerful then the FF and do not have the same level of team work and do not have a numbers advantage. Wizard never changes his tactics, so the FF have his number every time.
    he recruits new members to his frightful four all of the time. why would you assume that the tactics haven't changed?

  8. #53

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Overlord View Post
    I am not expert writer hired by Marvel, but when he was suffering from a mental breakdown, he kept on mentioning God. Why is that? Is he religious or was he religious? Were his parents religious, were they good or bad people? Did he reject his parents religiousness as he grew older, only to remembrance it at his lowest hour.

    That's why the mental breakdown was a wasted opportunity, it could have given us greater insights into the character, but it was resolved in such an unsatisfactory manner, it really told us nothing, it have developed him much more, but instead it went no where.
    it was always meant to be temporary. he wouldn't have lasted as a villain if he were just religious nut. this happened to a number of characters during this period; namely an entire branch of A.I.M. it would just be a retread of Graviton's arc. I'm glad that they ditched it. what was more interesting was his interest in cloning himself to see if his villainy was nature or nurture. I, personally, won't lose any sleep over never seeing Bentley's parents or his childhood. he's done plenty of "insightful" stuff over his career. he's the kind of person that would, after being rejected, artificially inseminate a woman and keep her captive until she had his child. he then discarded that child because he thought that she wouldn't develop superpowers. and it was important to him to thwart Sandman's attempts to reform. he has plenty of quirks to explore. if you want to take issue with someone, it's the people who aren't exploring that stuff or using it to their advantage.

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