Originally Posted by
Sutekh
We've seen way, way too many nameless, faceless genin ganked off for them to seem remotely plausible, in even a fantastic place as the Marvel universe. Every young adult male in Japan has to be a freaking member of that 'secret organization' of fanatical cultists willing to pledge their souls to a demon. Plus, adding to their weirdly fake nature, they vanish like video game 'bodies' when killed, which makes them seem even more like not-real-people.
I can see two ways in which the Hand could seem a bit more plausible, and credible as a threat.
One, more jonin, the higher rank non-novice ninja, who aren't nameless faceless mooks, but have personalities, names, faces, perhaps even a sense of style or infamous reputation, favored weapons and tactics, perhaps magical irezumi tattoos and other fun personalizing traits. More like Kwannon was said to be, pre-body swap, an assassin with some limited psychic potential she could use to enhance her abilities to stalk and kill her targets. The notion that the Hand has irezumi tattoo artists, able to place magical tattoos infused with demonic power, like the ability to blend into shadows when not moving, or a mamushi viper's venom injected by a touch, or to breath a blast of flame into a target's face at close range, could also make these jonin, the only ones who would earn such magical tattoos, more distinctive, and serve as a source for them to sometimes have minor 'super powers' without themselves all being mutants or sorcerers.
Two, the genin we've seen, all identical, all dissolving into red smoke, dying by the *hundreds* without it ever seeming to depopulate the Hand's resources or reputation in any meaningful way, or discourage other young men from joining this laughably ineffective suicide cult, could be discovered to not be actual people at all. Either they are conjured by Hand ritualists, or even more relevant for their popularity in the X-franchise, a single mutant kept *very* safe in a hidden fortress in Japan has a power similar to Madrox, able to make endless copies of himself, all in his fighting prime, even though he is now an old man, kept alive by the Hand using drugs and magic and advanced science, because they've never found another to replace him, and they treasure his ability to pump out endless squads of disposable genin footsoldiers, that evaporate into red smoke when 'killed.' Over the decades, he's gotten both paranoid and terrified of personal danger, and yet also so, so tired of this life. He feels what happens to his genin creations, and so has felt himself stabbed through the heart by Wolverine's claws (among many other deaths) dozens upon dozens of times, even if he himself has never been within a mile of the man. A part of him is terrified that Wolverine will someday fight his way to his safehold, and kill him one last time. A part of him is ready for that day...