When we started this game, there were three members of the as-yet-unnamed superhero group, and none of them seemed to be all that heroic. There was Focus, a psychic soldier of S.H.I.E.L.D. whose lack of leadership and social skills made one question how in God's name he ever received the rank of Captain; there was Rock, a mutant teenager who was technically too young to be part of any military organization, but the fact that his mutation made him almost impervious to harm (especially when he grew angry) somehow got him around this loophole; and Waffleman, a bizarre, otherworldly human(?) who exhibited an almost alarming lack of restraint and/or common sense.
At first these three were just there for training, but after a successful mission or two Nick Fury decided they were fit enough to become their own squad under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s banner. The group chose the name "The Avengers", though they were never quite sure what it was exactly that they were avenging. But somehow they made it work, and the Avengers quickly became a staple of S.H.I.E.L.D. In fact, what started as what many called the "B-Squad" soon proved themselves capable of completing missions even the Ultimates had trouble with, such as when a terrorist group lead by an al Qaida agent known as the Red Skull took control of the Triskelion, the massive complex that serves as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. But the adventures of the past might not come into play too much (at least at first), so I'm going to go back to the current and former members of the Avengers.
Of the inital three, Rock and Waffleman remain. Focus decided to retire from the adventuring life to tend to his family, so he won't be joining us in the game (though he may make a cameo or two as an NPC).
Rock, as I said before, is a teenage mutant. His real name is Brock Heller. His power is similar to the Hulk's, though rather than grow stronger the madder he gets he instead gets "tougher". In other words, he begins any fight already practically bulletproof, but the longer he fights the more resistant to harm he becomes, until finally you just simply can't hurt him from the outside (he is still weak to mental/psychic attacks). He is also superhumanly strong and can grow in size to 20 feet tall, increasing his power but making it difficult to fight in cramped spaces. Though young, he has grown as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and has been through some very traumatic experiences. Chief among these was when he was captured and brainwashed by the Red Skull to attack his teammates, though it was eventually learned that his mind was "transmitted" into a robotic body so that, should said body be destroyed, his captors would not lose the original. Rock seemingly sacrificed himself to save millions of lives, but thankfully this sacrifice was actually his robotic shell.
If that was confusing, fear not: it is. The fact that this happened to Rock, yet he's still a fairly happy-go-lucky guy, should be a testament to his strength of character.
Waffleman, on the other hand, is a poster child for confusion. First off, you need to understand that there have so far been two different Wafflemen that have served on the Avengers, both from other dimensions. Technically, however, we've run into a whole mess of Wafflemen from various dimensions, and every single one of them tends to be a little on the crazy side. One thing remains the same, though: they all possess a bizarre, alien amulet. For some, this amulet is the source of their powers, and this was the case for the first Waffleman who was a part of the group. For others, the amulet keeps their power in check, which is the case for the second Waffleman. Confused yet? Wait, it gets worse.
The first Waffleman was physically changed by the atmosphere of our dimension, and he became a different hero altogether named Vector. Vector's body radiated energy, and though he could focus this into powerful energy blasts he had to wear a suit to keep it from simply destroying everything in sight. Vector eventually left for dimensions unknown, which did help simplify the Waffleman dilemma...somewhat.
The second Waffleman, however, is just plain bat-guano crazy. Under normal conditions (normal for him, anyway), he claims his real name is Rockstar McBangarang, but when wearing a power dampener (the only thing that seems to help him "think clearly") he responds to the name Oswald "Ozzie" Dios. As the player of Waffleman has informed me, it's not that he's insane, but rather he "can't filter his thoughts". In other words, every possible thought he could have at any given time is indeed flying through his head, and having to filter through these is what gives him the appearance of insanity. Many a time has S.H.I.E.L.D. questioned why they allow Waffleman to be in active service at all, but then the GM on high says "Because he's a Player" and all military logic is abandoned for the good of the game.
Waffleman's powers are just as random as he is. He can fly, heal quickly like Wolverine, and charge any object into an explosive (a la Gambit). His most versatile power, however, is what he calls "Pocket Universe". Through a whole slew of psuedo-science I couldn't even begin to explain, Waffleman's body was transformed into some kind of dimensional nexus, making him a gateway to pretty much every other plane of reality. The only thing keeping this nexus from sucking in everything around it is his amulet (the whole "containing his powers" thing). When he removes the amulet, the nexus grows, mixing our dimension with pretty much every other one out there and, in general, making crazy random things happen. While wearing the amulet, Waffleman can control and direct this "weirdness" into pretty much any effect he wants, though not to the degree that it would work were he to just abandon the amulet. This "being a nexus" thing is undoubtedly what causes his bizarre thought patterns, and just adds to the strangeness of his existence. If you need and/or want a better explanation, you're best to just ask Waffleman himself.
Now, there have been other members of the Avengers that have come and gone, and though they may not become an important part of our game I feel I should at least mention them, if only to give you some frame of reference.
Chief among these was Zex, a mutant whose only real power was a "danger sense" (i.e. Spider-sense) and some enhanced physical attributes. However, he was also a highly-skilled ninja, and in fact the best combatant on the team. Just before he left he was promoted to Captain and effective team leader of the Avengers, though he decided to retire in favor of teaching his own martial arts school. He is technically now listed as "reserve member", meaning he might return to action if the situation calls for it. But most of his demons have been put to rest, and his call to adventure has grown quiet in recent years.
Next came Ravir, Focus' sister. She was an expert thief who could teleport and drain the energy of others. When S.H.I.E.L.D. became an international organization (in our game, not the Ultimate continuity, so don't go trying to wiki it), she left to join S.H.I.E.L.D.'s branch in Japan.
Voltage is Focus' wife. She was never technically a member, though she did help the team when the Red Skull took over the Triskelion. She is now concerned with her and Focus' son, Able.
Mr. Ball is, as far as I'm concerned, in the running alongside Waffleman for "strangest member of the Avengers". Mr. Ball, or "Catball" as some of us came to call him, was an anthropomorphic cat from another dimension. He was immensely obese for a cat (hence, ball-shaped), though this seemed to be in stark defiance to the tiny wings on his back that, somehow, actually worked. In fact, since Mr. Ball's limbs were so tiny in comparison to the rest of him, he usually preferred flying to walking. His main abilities came from the fact that he was an accomplished sorcerer, though he also possessed a sonic "caterwauling" attack, some tranquilizer darts (we're still not sure quite how he could throw them with his stubby little arms), and some magic sake. Yes, you read that right. Magic sake. Ask Waffleman, he had some.
Dancing Crow was another magic-user, though his abilities were more specific. A Native American shaman, Dancing Crow could commune with the dead and speak telepathically, as well as command some of the elements. He could not, however, actually speak, hence his mind-related communication upset its share of people. He did not stay with the Avengers long, only playing a role in their final mission before going back into hiding, mostly due to the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. does not want the public at large to know that magic exists. Mutants, robots, and superpowered fiends are already enough trouble, but tell them that someone can just "learn" how to reshape reality? Forget it. It would be all-out panic.
Ruby Teer was a woman whose powers actually came from a curse. She was able to take on the wounds of others and then heal herself quickly, as well as manipulate the emotions of others. The truth of her curse and its origin came to light in the last mission the Avengers took part in, which I will describe in greater detail in a future post, as it does have much to do with the current state of things.
And, finally, we have Seth DeSavre, formerly known as Luminance. He is still an active member of the Avengers (he's my character, actually), and will be playing a fairly large role in the game. Seth was born a mutant, and when his powers to control and manipulate light, as well as exist as light himself, developed he accidentally killed one of his classmates. Distraught and shunned by his friends and family, he was taken in by S.H.I.E.L.D. and made a member of the Avengers, serving alongside them with a happy-go-lucky attitude that hid the pain of his past. The Avengers soon became his new family, and he even fell in love with Ruby Teer. This love, unfortunately, would prove to cost him a great deal as well as change him in ways no one could have suspected. But that story ties into the Avengers' last official mission, and that is a story that deserves a post all its own.
In the meantime, for the next post, I will try to detail some of the folks who work with the Avengers from behind the scenes. There aren't a whole lot of them, but they do play some important roles, and chances are you will run into them yourselves in the course of our game.
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