Making MHR Characters: Free Spirit (ANOHotMU #4)

I think it's the Popeye forearms that really sell
the character.

There are problems with the Captain America mythos. Yes, he has The Falcon, one of the first African American superheroes in Marvel . . . who later turns out to be hiding a past of drug-dealing and pimping because, to summarize the reasoning in the relevant comics, he's black. Really, that's pretty much the reason given.

He fights Nazis and neo-Nazis, including a clone of Adolf Hitler in a peaked hood who went by the name "Hate-Monger."

His mythos can, at times, make one deeply uncomfortable but, really, most of it pales in comparison to the Femizons. Appearing in the early 90s (*shakes fist at 90s Marvel, again*), they were a group of female superheroes and supervillains lead by Superia, sometimes know as Mother Superia, and were dedicated to wiping our subjugating all men and making the world into a global matriarchy.

It takes a daring woman to wear
a costume that literally
highlight her crotch like this.
(This is Mother Superia)

Enter one Cathy Webster, a winsome but clumsy young woman who elects to take some subliminal therapy intended to bolster her personal confidence and her overall physical dexterity. Unbeknownst to her, it will also make her hate men because of course it does. Thankfully, she quits before the whole program is complete - no shortcuts for Cathy Webster, no sir - and so she only kind of feels ambivalently hostile toward men.

Wanting to track down the woman who'd turned her into a man-hater, she naturally donned a leotard and chased off into the desert after her, eventually allying with Cap and some of his hanger's on who fought Superia, Count Zemo and a few others before bringing this painful, painful chapter in Cap's history to its merciful end.

Aside from her problematic origins, Free Spirit's kind of a cool character - nearly the physical equal of Captain America, she fits nicely into a protege role, but currently the Marvel Universe doesn't really seem to have room for her.

In building the character, I was torn between the desire to ignore her dumb and gross origin story, but eventually decided that it actually gave her an interesting flavour. I think this is a pretty capable character, and a good PP generator, although I would not suggest that she be brought into conflict with, say, Purple Man.

Free Spirit

Affiliations

Solo 1d4

Buddy 1d6

Team 1d8

Distinctions

Cap’s Loyal Friend

Independent Spirit

Woman In A Man’s World

Superia Conditioning

Enhanced Reflexes 1d8

Enhanced Stamina 1d8

Enhanced Strength 1d6

Focus: If a pool includes a Superia Conditioning power, you may replace two dice of equal size with one die +1 step larger.

Limit - Save Vs. Machismo: Step up social stress inflicted by +1 step to take 1 PP.

Limit - Subliminal Sensitivity: Step up complications related to mind control by +1 and take 1 PP.

Acrobatics Master 1d8

Combat Master 1d8

Crime Master 1d8