Challenge: Non-US Patriotic Supers

[Mehmet]

Heh, that made me laugh out loud at the office so thanks :)

Cheerio!

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Mehmet

Ah, this brings back not-so-fond memories of very uninformed caricature of a Turkish superhero - The Jannissary :)

Well, she could be an Ottoman superhero but what defines Turkey now has nothing to do with what is portrayed by that really strange caricature :)

I'll think of something along the lines of a defender of the Republic - the name "Secularion" annoyingly pops into my mind though :D

Cheerio!

How about The Wrestler. He is a great humongeous man. He was a Turkish wrestler who was given steroids without his knowledge(he is to honorable to do so on his own initiative). He found that as a result he got superpowers.
He is a gruff and stoic man but has a tender heart. And he devotes his life to wandering about Turkey seeking evildoers.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Molokh: I'm not quite sure what you mean by "archetype", as every time I see that word I start thinking "caricature" or "stereotype". If what you mean is a hero who tries to present an ideal of the nation's values, then yes.

younglorax: I tend to think of a "patriotic" hero in one of three veins: The first is one who is trained and commissioned by the government of the nation to act as its "official national hero". The second is one who is operating as an agent of the people against an oppressive government. The third is as I described above: a hero who tries to present an ideal of the nation's values.

There's a lot of room in those three for heroes across the spectrum.

Archetype and stereotype are more different in connotation rather then literal definition. But one can say archetypes would be glorifications of national imaginations, ideals and legend whereas stereotypes would be mundane qualities attributed to a culture. An English stereotype would be supercilious and talk in Oxbridgeian. An English Archetype would keep a stiff upper lip. Hornblower was an English Archetype-he kept a stiff upper lip and had a sense of Fair Play. He was not however an English stereotype-he was neither a snobbish milord, nor a piratical plunderer(he was in practice but he wasn't Jack Sparrow in personality), nor a Plucky Public School Boy. He preferred coffee to tea and rum. And he was "to clever by half". Yet he wasn't blatantly eccentric. His personality did not fit any of the stereotypes but it did fit the ideal for he was calm and self assured, chivalrous in a work-a-day rather then in a spectacular manner, and had a respect for the ideals of Rule of Law and Tradition, and Limited Monarchy.

[Blood Legend]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Now you see that's exactly what he didn't want. If you want what the French would see as a walking patriotic symbol look here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne

Wiki doesn't leave a lot to the imagination for a modern marianne superhero. Ok lets slap total pacifism on her. Now about beating up those bad guys...

Roman Superhero
Iustitia - She's either a lawyer, cop, or some form of civil servant. She has the ferocity of a barricuda, an unwavering pokerface that would sooner move for god, and a strong sense of right and wrong.

By night, she is a master swordsman of unbridled skill. With her broadsword she defends the downtrodden and with her shield, depicting the scales of justice that will divine the nature of any foe, she protects the innocent. She's famous for her blindfold, she sees, but not with her eyes. Call it Para-Radar or 360 degree vision but nothing escapes her. Her sword can cut through anything and her shield is almost, if not as strong, as Captain America's.

She'll temporarily lose her powers if an innocent should come to harm through her inaction. Permenantly if she makes it a habit. Her armor is somewhat reminescant of the roman gladiators or legionares.


Traits off the top of my head are Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents), Sense of Duty (All Mankind), Fanaticism (Justice), Unfazeable and Indominable, but not honesty. She will not obey an unjustful law. Her mundane flaws include being lonely, socially awkward , and charitable to a flaw. She's in her mid 30s, but still attractive enough to find a man, guys just cant seem to last long around her somewhat overbearing and intimidating nature. She's got a minor delusion that it's not her fault, she just needs to find a strong enough man. (of course she's a superhero so that's not going to happen as long as she's fishing from the pool of normals). She doesn't want a superhero partner because she thinks such a relationship would be silly, on par with celebrity marriage, which she doesn't view in a positive light. She lives in a decent apartment that would be a very nice place to live if she was ever home long enough to clean it.

Someone who knows modern roman or italian culture can add more flavor to her than I can. As for a mundane name. I haven't come up with one yet, I wanted a john-everyman name but Italian. Something strong and bold but subtle enough to say she can relate to almost anyone in italy.

[jason taylor]

Actually it was not until recently that Marianne was thought of as pacifistic.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Actually it was not until recently that Marianne was thought of as pacifistic.

Yes, since Marianne started out as the symbol of the French Revolution...

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Bruno

You know, that's a good one. Get the supersuit to someone with good wilderness survival skills (I like an Arctic Ranger myself, but a rural RCMP officer would be so iconic it would hurt) and make sure they're fluently bilingual, reluctant to use force, but willing to do it if it proves vital, and you've got yourself a character.

Plaid flannel shirts optional, as are tuques, parkas, or sheepskin hats with ear flaps. Practical, but optional.

What about a super-heroic comic film actor? You guys seem to have some of the best in the world (until they move to Hollywood).

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by aesir23

What about a super-heroic comic film actor? You guys seem to have some of the best in the world (until they move to Hollywood).

Dudley Doright?

[blacksmith]

How about someone connected with hockey?

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by blacksmith

How about someone connected with hockey?

*coughPost#16cough* ;)