Superhero team name

[The Fury]

So, against my better judgement I decided to give writing fiction a try. In particular I decided to write about superheroes, going for something semi-serious but self-aware in tone. One thing I've been trying to do is acknowledge most of the classic superhero tropes, which of course would include superhero teams. However I find myself with a bit of a creative block when I tried to come up with a name for a super-team. I guess this is a good time to start seeking the advice of people smarter and more creative than me-- so Playground, what would you name a super-team?

If it helps to know the details of said super-team, they operate primarily in the Western United States and their members consist of the following: A sort of Green Hornet expy and his sidekick, a woman that can control rocks and dirt, a guy with four arms and super-strength, and a guy with eye-beams and hover-skates.

[ThinkMinty]

One, I wanna know more about the Green Hornet guy and his sidekick. Do something fun with the dynamic, like having them be lovers or something.

Anyways, just about any adjective-as-a-noun will do.

For example:

The Phenomenons

Or just take pre-existing superhero adjectives and use 'em that way. That's how The Incredibles got their name, probably.

So, here's a few that are not, to my knowledge in use to the point of being off the table. Some of them might be kinda corny, but anything gets good with enough repetition.

The Terrifics
The Talents
The Magnificents

Etc, etc.

You could always go with something like The Fighting Capes. Or branch out into Sports Team Name Logic, and just tie 'em to a location and a mascot/theme. I'm currently voting for The San Francisco Treats if you go with that, because it's also a **** pun. There's even precedent because RISD named their sports teams The Nads so that people would yell "Go Nads!" at their games.

You just have to think about what one of the characters would name them, or failing that, what someone else named them, then it stuck.

...this and the other cape thread is makin' me want to pick up my capepunk thing again.

[The Fury]

One, I wanna know more about the Green Hornet guy and his sidekick. Do something fun with the dynamic, like having them be lovers or something.

I'll admit that the characters on the team are sort of thinly sketched at this point, though there is a little more I could share about the Green Hornet guy and his sidekick if you're really curious. He's called "The Wraith" and he's a hero that's been around since the 1950s. The accepted in-universe explanation is that The Wraith trains successors to carry on the Wraith name and that's what the current Wraith is doing with his sidekick, a young man named Conroy. Conroy usually gets nervous when anyone asks about him becoming the next Wraith.

In reality, the current Wraith actually is the original from the 1950s and he's actually some form of undead. Conroy is the only one that's actually in on this.




Anyways, just about any adjective-as-a-noun will do.

For example:

The Phenomenons

Or just take pre-existing superhero adjectives and use 'em that way. That's how The Incredibles got their name, probably.

So, here's a few that are not, to my knowledge in use to the point of being off the table. Some of them might be kinda corny, but anything gets good with enough repetition.

The Terrifics
The Talents
The Magnificents

Etc, etc.

I like the Magnificents. Though the adjective thing could get a little silly if someone decides to go Silver Age Marvel announcing the team-- "We are... THE MAGNIFICENT MAGNIFICENTS!"

On the other hand, I'm certainly not against silly.

[Lethologica]

Does this group have a stated agenda? How does society view them?

[ThinkMinty]

I'll admit that the characters on the team are sort of thinly sketched at this point, though there is a little more I could share about the Green Hornet guy and his sidekick if you're really curious. He's called "The Wraith" and he's a hero that's been around since the 1950s. The accepted in-universe explanation is that The Wraith trains successors to carry on the Wraith name and that's what the current Wraith is doing with his sidekick, a young man named Conroy. Conroy usually gets nervous when anyone asks about him becoming the next Wraith.

In reality, the current Wraith actually is the original from the 1950s and he's actually some form of undead. Conroy is the only one that's actually in on this.



I had an idea involving a superhero who's been around for centuries and nobody knows if he's the same guy or if it's a series of successors because the costume covers everything.


I like the Magnificents. Though the adjective thing could get a little silly if someone decides to go Silver Age Marvel announcing the team-- "We are... THE MAGNIFICENT MAGNIFICENTS!"

On the other hand, I'm certainly not against silly.

Silly is what makes cape stories work. You can still have depth, but you need a certain whimsy to make people comfortable with superpowers, which is why the bright costumes work better than the leather fetish club ones in totality. Some characters might be able to pull it off, but most superheroes need the colorful outfits.

You could always have people call 'em "The Superlative Magnificents!" because Superlative sounds impressive without knowing the meaning, but then it IS if you know what Superlative means.

...huh. I'm gonna have to call the JL-equivalent in the cape thing I have on the back burner "The Superlative Society". They've got a talking pegasus, an enigmatic guy with phantasmal powers, a lady who's like a very intense female Batman, and I forget the rest because I misplaced the notes.

[The Fury]

Does this group have a stated agenda? How does society view them?

As far as a stated agenda, they're crime fighters. Their main thing is thwarting supervillains and looking cool while doing it. They might not respond to what they deem "lower tier threats" though.

Society at large mainly sees them as the good guys-- unlike some super-teams like the X-men that a lot of people fear and mistrust. This team though, they can openly hang out in a bowling alley in full costume and nobody would really mind. Some people might even ask for their autographs. One of the main characters actually approaches them in this way so she can try out for the team, (she doesn't make the cut.)



Silly is what makes cape stories work. You can still have depth, but you need a certain whimsy to make people comfortable with superpowers, which is why the bright costumes work better than the leather fetish club ones in totality. Some characters might be able to pull it off, but most superheroes need the colorful outfits.

Oh, absolutely. My favorite superhero stories are the ones that are at least a little silly. Maybe it's just me, but I actually think that dramatic moments in sillier stories can work better. Though I feel like bright costumes are less about making people comfortable and more about informing the characters wearing them.



...huh. I'm gonna have to call the JL-equivalent in the cape thing I have on the back burner "The Superlative Society". They've got a talking pegasus, an enigmatic guy with phantasmal powers, a lady who's like a very intense female Batman, and I forget the rest because I misplaced the notes.

Are you going to write new notes for it? Maybe losing the old notes offered you some insight about which characters were the most memorable.

[ThinkMinty]

Are you going to write new notes for it? Maybe losing the old notes offered you some insight about which characters were the most memorable.

I started doing it after this thread came up, because waiting even longer would mean even more memory lapse. I remembered the speedster guy well enough that they weren't generic speedsters, and that semi-retired old people supers are hilarious and where a setting's obligatory overpowered characters should go, thus the telekinetic who's pretty much a wizard due to how many tricks he figured out.

[The Fury]

I'll admit that the mental image of a cranky old telekinetic is pretty funny. Maybe he levitates his dentures around and makes them talk.