Champions' Character Analyses

kaosarcanna

Hey, all.

Just for fun, I found myself thinking about the official members of the Champions team, and decided to give my take on their personalities and characterizations. I'm not familiar with the PNP material so I'm sure a lot of what I'm about to write could never be canon, but this is just my ideas based on what we've seen in game so far:

Defender: the fact that he's James Harmon IV suggests to me that he comes from money. Your typical family does not use the same name for four generations unless they've got a heritage they feel particularly proud of. The game says that James witnessed the Fall of Detroit-- was he actually IN Detroit when it happened? Perhaps his family is the Champions' Earth's equivalent of the Ford Automotive Family and had a large business and social presence in Detroit. Either way-- if he DID come from a life of wealth and privilege, watching Destroyer's attack on Detroit would have been particularly horrific for a youngster used to his world being a safe one. Creating the persona of Defender could be his reaction to that-- if his world was ever going to be threatened again, he WOULD be there to take care of it. He wanted control.

Now Defender's personality is renowned in the game for being ... goofy. We know that young James was a fan of the Foxbat TV Show-- which seems to have been analogous to the Adam West super hero show of the 1960s. It's entirely possible that James based his personality of Defender-- consciously or unconsciously-- on the Foxbat actor.

Offhand I can think of two reasons for that.

It may be that James is trying to put the public at ease. "Yes, I'm wearing the most powerful in existence this side of Dr. Destroyer, but I'm a good guy and I would never use it for evil purposes. You can trust me for my heart is pure."

Alternatively, James may have a personality disorder of some kind. He acts the way he does in his armor because he's unsure of himself in social situations. He literally doesn't know how to talk to people. If that's the case, his constant chattering about texting with Witchcraft during Unity Missions may just be his way to deal with the (to him) extremely stressful situation of having to work with a stranger he doesn't know and yet still come across as the steadfast capable hero he wants the world to see him as.

***

Witchcraft: The white sheep of her family, Bethany is one of the hardest working heroes of the Champions setting. She's all over the place. Investigating her sister's machinations in the Desert. Guiding you through a confrontation with DEMON in Millennium City. Backing you up in Demonquake and Aftershock.

Whatever her power level is compared to Dr. Ka, Caliburn, Dweomer, Drifter and the rest, the fact is that she's probably the hardest working sorcerer on the planet.

Ironically enough, I think her evil family probably has a lot to do with her achievements. I'm sure her family expected great things from her, and let Bethany know that-- she just had a different defination of what it meant to be a "great" sorcerer than her family did. To a large extent, I feel like she's overcompensating for her past.

On the other hand, she may just be a natural overachiever. That could be a reason a romantic relationship with Defender works out so well-- for all that he's a scientist and she's a magic user, they are both committed to personal excellence and self control.

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Ironclad: he's an iron-covered alien gladiator from outer space with a voice like Michael Dorn's Worf and is just as inclined to speak about honor and the glory of battle. I do feel that he's a good guy and that wants to do the right thing-- and has a strict code of honor-- but the whole Forum Malvinium event suggests another side to his character:

He's addicted to fame.

Before he came to Earth, Ironclad was known and respected throughout the galaxy. He was a living legend. And the fact is, he misses that life to a greater or lesser degree. Hence,he voluntarily takes part in gladiatorial combat-- even to the extent of fighting against the heroes of Earth he's worked with in the past. True, he makes a point of cautioning Duratok not to harm us, but the fact remain he's doing something that he knows that Defender probably wouldn't approve of or he wouldn't have kept it a secret from everyone.

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Kinetik is the character I don't have much of a feel for. He seems to have a close working relationship with the police as we see him standing with the cops in Millennium City. He has some trouble acting and talking at a speed "normal" people can understand as he comments on that when we talk to him. In the Vibora Bay Apocalypse he's the one Champion who isn't standing still. He's pacing the mansion while waiting for action.

He's also pretty self-sacrificing-- he surely could have saved himself with his great speed but instead he takes the blast that Valerian Scarlet intended to use on you. It's mentioned in his biography that he's the newest member of the team and feels a little unsure of his place.

***

Sapphire: Ironically enough, Sapphire seems to have an inferiority complex. During the Apocalypse she calls herself the "Weakest" member of the Champions-- a claim that doesn't seem accurate at all as we see her more than holding her own against the Quilarr in the invasion of Millennium City and if you've ever fought her bewitched self in Vibora Bay you know just how powerful she can be when she lets go. She's not only a world famous super hero, she's also a famous pop singer known all over the planet.

And yet, I believe she DOES feel that she's a lightweight compared to the other Champions.

Defender built his armor. Witchcraft spent years perfecting her magic. Ironclad learned his skills fighting countless battles under alien stars. Even Kinetik has taught himself how to use his speed in hand to hand combat.

Sapphire was BORN with her powers. She didn't have to do anything to earn them. I think she still sees herself primarily as an entertainer rather than a super hero because she's not entirely sure she deserves to be one. Her money and fame notwithstanding, she feels like the least successful, least talented, of her fellow Champions.


Just my thoughts and attempts to flesh out the character of the Champions a little more. What do you guys think?

theravenforce

Hmm,

Interesting thoughts.

Here's my little bit, I'm not going to launch in a psych eval or a character analysis...just some random points...


Defender: CO did a good job with making Defender, someone you'd poke fun at but still be able to take seriously (to some extent). I think this is most apparent in Fatal Err0r when you read the text that Defender sends through as well as the option to just completely ignore him like:



He seems to have a decent persona switch in the sense that a lot of what he says and how he acts (i.e. Resistance missions, Waterfront Watcher mission among others) suggests that he really sticks to his identity as a "mild mannered civilian with a massive company" but when he is Defender he's able to live up to an expectation. I mean, Harmon's great-grandfather, the first James Harmon, explored the wilds of Africa. James II was a fearless member of Eliot Ness's "Untouchables" during the Prohibition era, and later became a solo crime fighter well into the late 1930s. Defender's father, James III, earned the Medal of Honor for his service in World War II. He later quintupled the family fortune by turning Harmon Industries into a top-notch defense contractor.

Growing up James IV (Defender) didn't feel much like a hero. He was mostly into electronics and build computers, and he proved particularly gifted in this field. His father had told him since childhood that he was expected to accomplish great things, and for a time James thought that he could satisfy his father's wishes by making a technological breakthrough that would make the world a better place.

So add that to the events witnessed at the Battle of Detroit, and you get Defender as it was kind of like a childhood dream / fantasy turned reality which fulfils his desire to live up to his father’s wishes and helps make the world a better place.
He does mention in game that he wishes he could have done more during the Battle of Detroit, so I think as much as 'we' take the mickey out of Defender, his persona there is what he believes to be the heroic ideal or rather what a hero should be in all circumstances. However, the VB Crisis does show that he can still be human, but it takes a heavy loss for him to show that side. So he's got a lot of strength there I guess.

I think he's fine speaking to people, even if he has to pretend through it. I think his ideal is to be in the armor most of the time and deal with business when business is on the table.

I will add...lore wise, Defender may be popular, but his armor isn't near "the most powerful this side of Dr. Destroyers" but I gather it is impressive.

Another thing, by the time you run UNITY missions, Defender would likely consider you a good ally at least, considering how many times you are meant to have worked with him or his team, so I've always viewed that as him letting his guard down a bit.

As for his personal life, I would imagine he's just either incredibly private or has the potential to be quite emotionally vulnerable...but that's thinking a bit too deep lol.

Side note: I do like his voice actor's voice, sounds appropriate.


Witchcraft: Witchcraft has always irritated me, but over time and much deliberation, I've come to have a respect for her. I used to think her in game portrayal made her seem horrifically inept and pathetic. However, learning more about her and just seeing her around more and working through content, made me appreciate her a bit more.

Both her and Defender seem like quite shy people who don't really do well in the spotlight but put on a brave face anyway.

Witchcraft has a lot of power but either doesn't utilize it or realize it (yet), and I think that is largely intentional, so I can respect that.

I did find her lack of presence in Vibora Bay kind of bad, but Dr. Ka and Caliburn more than make up for it.

Side note: Witchcraft's voice actor(s) does a good job, I can't recall who it is, but whoever voiced her in Aftershock did a good job.

Ironclad: This guy is quite funny.
I would say Ironclad is more addicted to combat and the ‘glory of battle’ than actually being famous. I always got the impression he escaped the arena and crashed on Earth, so I think there’s an ambition in him to experience more in life than heroing and fighting.
His struggle with technology as highlighted in Fatal Err0r seems to suggest he’s a bit technologically challenged but considering his intel he passes to Steelhead regarding the Roin’esh, I see him having some parallels to Thor, in that he may not fully understand Earth and human ways, but when it comes to topics he has some knowledge on, he excels.
I also like that he is teased about ‘being friends with’ Major Fulani Okonkwo…

Kinetik: I think he’s quite quiet and smart.

Probably feels quite a bit of pressure to fit in, in the hero scene and into a high profile group like the Champions. Also considering that he never really planned on being a hero, he was more in line to be a chemist.

You don’t really interact with Kinetik much outside of those missions in City Centre, which I think is a shame, would have been nice to see him elsewhere in the game.

Also I don’t think I’ve ever had him as a companion in UNITY missions…which is odd considering we get Foxbat.

Sapphire: I’ve always liked Sapphire, but the power set she was lumped with (since no pure energy set) kind of fit but didn’t.

I think initially when she started, she felt inadequate. But those feelings went away with time, only resurfacing when most of her team had died or were in a bad way. Also don’t forget she saw Witchcraft die, so yeah…

She seems to have done pretty well for herself and is a hero in her own right now.

Each member of the team has their own insecurities and weaknesses. Sapphire came from an entertaining background, so she’s primarily a performer. Her powers only manifested during an attack on her concert, she didn't know she always had powers.

bulgarex

The PnP game books go into great length about the background and personality of these characters, far too much to transcribe here. The Champions genre book describes the heroes as they were during the start of their careers, while Champions Universe tracks their development after years of adventuring experience. Some of what you postulate matches with those precedents, others differ. Just to address a few key points:

James Harmon IV not only comes from a monied background, but from a long line of adventuring heroes. James I started the family fortune exploring Africa, James II was a member of Eliot Ness's Untouchables, and James III was a Congressional Medal of Honor war hero. So Defender feels a lot of pressure to live up to his family tradition. That's complicated by his keeping his super identity secret from his family to protect them, so they think his absences from his family's company show lack of commitment to their ideals of hard work and public service.

James didn't originally want to be a hero, preferring his scientific studies (he was a child prodigy), but was inspired by the sacrifice of superheroes at Detroit (which he only witnessed on television) to secretly build his first armored suit and begin a crime-fighting career in New York, later moving to the new Millennium City. Today he's devoted to his responsibilities as a superhero and leader of the Champions, both with the team and the public.

Drogen Lar was a patriotic young soldier in the military of the alien Perseid Empire, when a laboratory "accident" showered him with a molten experimental alloy, transforming him into the metal-clad superhuman we're familiar with. But Lar learned the accident had actually been deliberately staged to attempt to create a superhuman soldier. Lar was repulsed by his superiors' dishonorable manipulation, and stole a spaceship to head for the legendary planet Malva, where he had heard a powerful warrior could earn rich rewards as a gladiator. Drogen Lar had much success on Malva, but over time the Malvan arena descended into increasingly bloody spectacle, and cheating to win become more common. The disillusioned Lar finally had a chance to escape by seizing a Malvan ship, but he didn't understand its controls enough to steer it, and eventually crashed on Earth.

Although Ironclad has acclimated himself to society on Earth, his background and appearance has kept him from forming strong social bonds with anyone outside the Champions.

Kinetik was born Brendan Grant, a Detroit native. He was on the verge of attending college on a scholarship, when the Battle of Detroit killed both his parents. With younger siblings to care for, Grant took a full-time job at Dew Chemical, where he became friend and ultimately assistant to a brilliant chemist, who taught him as well as a college degree. One night a fire at Dew exposed Grant to chemical fumes which imbued him with superhuman speed. Wanting to keep others from going through the losses he had, he began to fight crime in Millennium City.

Kinetik is the most laid-back of the Champions, but he knows he's a role-model to the black community, and takes that very seriously, doing a lot of community outreach.

Corazon Valenzuela began singing as a child, and was a star by her mid-teens. She was 17 when one of her concerts was attacked by criminals hoping to hold her for ransom. Unfortunately for them her mutant powers surfaced under the stress of the attack. She decided she could use her new powers as more than just an entertainer, and took the name Sapphire from the color of the energy she projected. As both a superhero and a singer, her fame has skyrocketed, but she has slowed her music career to focus more of her time on heroing.

Sapphire is the most outgoing Champion. In her youth she had a bit of insecurity which led to her showing off a lot during combat early in her hero career. While she's mostly gotten past that she often can't resist playing to the crowd with a flashy move.

Bethany Duquesne and her twin sister Pamela grew up outside Detroit, offspring of two members of the powerful occult conspiracy, the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. Both sisters showed great talent for magic, but Bethany was unwilling to follow the malevolent agenda of the Circle and fled. She found refuge with the Trismegistus Council, the premier "white" magic organization, and later joined the Champions as Witchcraft. (Pamela proved uncontrollable and also left the Scarlet Moon, becoming the supervillain Talisman. Talisman has clashed with her sister repeatedly, and grown to hate her.)

Early in her career Witchcraft was shy and retiring, doubting herself because of the "taint" of her evil upbringing. Her successes have mostly overcome that, and her romance with Defender has helped (even though James Harmon continues to be uncomfortable with the idea of magic not being rationally understandable).

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bulgarex

Among powered-armor heroes, Tetsuronin is considered the premier, yes. His armor has shown itself to be a match for the Warlord's one-on-one. But Defender has upgraded a lot over the years, and isn't all that far behind Tetsuronin today. He might even be able to claim second place among that class of hero.

But all powered armors pale next to Dr. Destroyer's.

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