Are there bad characters in fiction as in they were bad ideas?

[FanboyStranger]

I never read Tyroc's first appearance, but he seemed to me one of those characters that could be revamped without too much effort. Just dial back the "angry black youth" trope and give him a new costume. I think he could work as well as any "sonic scream" hero.

He pretty much was revamped during Levitz' pre-Flashpoint run. Levitz originally disliked the character because of the whole separate island origin, but later, he began to see how much potential the character had.

Also, Tyroc, while not an integral part of the cast, was well used in the 5 Year Gap. He eventually became Vice President of Nu-Earth.

[Paradox]

ed2962 should know it just took calling him Troy:

I never read Tyroc's first appearance, but he seemed to me one of those characters that could be revamped without too much effort. Just dial back the "angry black youth" trope and give him a new costume. I think he could work as well as any "sonic scream" hero.

He was fine in V5. He was the Vice-President, then President of Earth. They DID manage to include him without mentioning much of his embarrassing back-story, though.

EDIT: Coke to Fanboy Stranger above.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

"Paste pot Pete: He must have been high, drunk, Delusional or all three to believe this wasn't a garbage or putrid name and used it. There is further undeniable evidence it was putrid whenever spider man reminds him he once used this putrid name which pisses him off.
Also spider man laughed when he first introduced himself."

I've never had a problem with the character, or his admitedly silly name. I mean, come on! This is in the tradition of all those "ridiculous" villains that populated FIGHTING AMERICAN in the early 50s. And, from the SAME writer. And try to remember, Pete started out as a JOHNNY STORM villain (not a Spider-Man villain). This isn't the F.F., this is the far more light-hearted SPINOFF show!

One of Johnny's "arch-enemies" was The Wizard, a brilliant scientist & inventor who had everything anyone could possibly want-- intelligence, success, money, fame-- and only turned to crime because he was JEALOUS of a teenager. Really. That would be like if Cher became a super-villain because she was jealous of Britney Spears.

One of THE highlights of the JOHNNY STORM series was the 1st time Pete teamed up with The Wizard. They broke jail together, but instead of being partners, The Wizard kept talking DOWN to Pete and trying to treat him like a LACKEY, while talking him to death. Dick Ayers wrote that one, from a Kirby idea. It was hilarious! And not the sort of thing you'd seen in the F.F. book.
Attachment 11065

The name is idiotic and the fact that he changed it along with getting pissed off when spider man brings it up shows he's aware it was a lame name much like I don't doubt people are Embarrassed that they paid money to see batman and robin in theaters.
I suspect that maybe they didn't think he would be a reoccurring character so they decided let's go with a lame name.

I realize he's mainly a fantastic four enemy, and human torch but doesn't change he's still fought spider man and other super heroes.

Asbestos man
He decided to use a costume of a material that is known for giving people cancer. He was a one trick pony as he decided to make no adjustments or planning when fighting human torch in the rematch which proved disastrous for him as he was easily defeated by human torch when he used his powers to consume all oxygen in the air.
He was revealed to be living on a oxygen tank as the super abestoes suit is revealed to be toxic . Still embarassing even though understandably most were ignorant of how dangerous asbestos was during the time he was created.

[CSTowle]

You know what's kind of a stupid name when you think about it? Superman. Least original name/concept ever. Or how about Ghost Rider? Never seen him riding a ghost. That'd be something. Instead it's always with the motorcycles and leather with him/her. Is he supposed to be a ghost? I thought he was a demon. Terrible name. Or what about Wonder Woman? Conceited much? Also, about as original as "Superman". Mr. Fantastic. What an ass. I could keep going on and on and on, but the point is in a world of superheroes the names are just a part of the silliness (along with the costumes, the origin stories, and the idea of solving problems with fists or eyebeams). You're either on board for it or you're not. Paste Pot Pete made more sense when anyone knew what the hell a paste pot was.

[MyriVerse]

It's hard to believe that anyone ever thought Scrappy Doo was a good idea.

Aww... there's never enough Puppy Power! I truly do not understand what people's problem is with him.

I look at Nekra and Mandrill and for the life of me, I cannot see how no one saw the blatantly horrific racism involved.

[Don C]

Can't get a much worse idea than Lightning Comics' Bloodfire, a character who gains superpowers by contracting HIV.

[Michael P]

Can't get a much worse idea than Lightning Comics' Bloodfire, a character who gains superpowers by contracting HIV.

How about Crimson Plague, about a woman whose blood is toxic, and who therefore becomes a walking death cloud every 28 days?

[Don C]

How about Crimson Plague, about a woman whose blood is toxic, and who therefore becomes a walking death cloud every 28 days?

Not Mr. Perez's best idea, no.


(I think I still have that book, somewhere.)

[JCAll]

Can't get a much worse idea than Lightning Comics' Bloodfire, a character who gains superpowers by contracting HIV.

How about Snowflame, the villain that draws his power from Cocaine?

[FanboyStranger]

How about Crimson Plague, about a woman whose blood is toxic, and who therefore becomes a walking death cloud every 28 days?

It might not be the best idea in the world, but it was a pretty great sci-fi book. I feel it's Perez' best work as writer/artist.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

How about Snowflame, the villain that draws his power from Cocaine?

What about the blue snowman?
It's a woman dressed as a blue snowman pretending to be a man. Rather hilarious given that she isn't a man.

But how damn unoriginal Nfl Superpro.

His costume involved that of the logo of the nfl, a uncreative costume, and his comic book involved that of football puns, football kind of villains, and references. It was called one of the worst comic books I believe by the Chicago tribune, and he hasn't made a appearance in more than 12 years.
He was a bust along with his comic book. A major criticism was plot holes why did he thieves burn the NFL merchandise instead of not make money off of it.

He basically seemed like let's make that super athlete with a sports related theme but without the negativity of steroids.

Again of you Have to change 60 percent of a character or more that they're barely recognizable as the same character it's basically admitting they're a failure that needs a makeover no different than failing bars in bar rescue.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

Arm fall off boy, the walrus, white rabbit, condiment king, and others would qualify if they weren't intentionally created to be lame.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

Aww... there's never enough Puppy Power! I truly do not understand what people's problem is with him.

I look at Nekra and Mandrill and for the life of me, I cannot see how no one saw the blatantly horrific racism involved.

Maybe the hate comes from they remind people that scooby doo wasn't a good movie and scrappy as the villain was a failure. They could have had a better villain but that's not the only reason why scooby doo was a bad movie which included daphne becoming another Buffy.

[Don C]

Maybe the hate comes from they remind people that scooby doo wasn't a good movie and scrappy as the villain was a failure. They could have had a better villain but that's not the only reason why scooby doo was a bad movie which included daphne becoming another Buffy.

Not to get off topic, but the 2002 Scooby Doo movie was originally intended as almost a parody of the old cartoons. Velma was supposed to be a lesbian who had a side thing with Daphne, Shaggy was a stoner and Fred and Daphne always teamed up so they could go off and have sex. When the movie was being edited, they thought, why not try it as a straight Scooby story? Some of the parody still made it into the movie--Shaggy's girlfriend is named Mary Jane--but most of it was cut. It's a shame. I think that would have been funny.

[Hellion]

I'd make a case for Voldemort. I love the Harry Potter series, but Voldemort was always the weakest link in my opinion. In a series filled with incredibly fleshed-out characters, why does the Big Bad come across as being disconnected to the point of autism? Really sorry if that last sentence was offensive, but that's the best way I can describe it. Voldemort has never wanted friends, never felt or had an inclination to feel love or remorse, fears his own mortality, and truly believed he was the only one who could access the Room of Requirement even though the evidence in the same room he hid his Horcrux in suggested that for centuries students at Hogwarts knew how to access it.

None of these things are ever really explained. We are just left to believe that Voldemort was born that way: a monster who believed he knew more than anyone else around him. I get it, I'm used to one-dimensional villains, but it feels like an odd fit for the rich characters that populate the Potter world. I would've liked to have known more about Voldemort's psychology, what made him the way he was. I refuse to believe that evil people are just born like it. People become what they are by being shaped by their experiences in life.