Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with superhero

Leave The Mask On

The Whelk — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:56:52 -0800

Help me find music about sexin' up Superheroes! I'm running an event based on Yoe's "Secret Identity" and I need background music that references a bunch of things and/.or sounds like something The Silk Specter would enjoy. Ideally these songs should be about any or all of these things:

Superheroes/Masked Avengers

Secret Identity/Double Lives

Sex/Kink/Lust/Etc

Music from the 40s-50s greatly preferred but not necessary. I want to mood to bend more toward "wink wink nudge nudge" kinky rather than darker or more aggro sounds.

Gift Ideas for my Super Girlfriend

moonroof — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:45:20 -0800

My girlfriend wants superpowers. What should I get her for Christmas? My girlfriend is pretty into Heroes. And X-Men. And Harry Potter, Piers Anthony novels, that superhero game on Facebook, and pretty much anything with people who have super or magical powers. I asked her want she wanted for Christmas several weeks back, and she said, "Superpowers."

Now, instead of taking a chance on some radioactive waste, I've decided to put together a little kit. I've already ordered a copy of this book and , and I want to put together a box of little things like a glove with magnets in it for magnetism power, a little handheld fan for wind power, etc., for her to "try out" different powers.

So, what other things can I put in this kit that will give my girlfriend super/magic powers? Budget-friendly a plus.

Imaginary superhero/supervillain costume

jeather — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:39:29 -0800

I have a week to come up with a superhero(ine)/supervillain costume. This should not be an existing character. I can draw or paint anything, and I have access to any realistic craft or art supplies. I cannot sew more than a poorly done hem or a button. I'd prefer to be able to wear something over clothes I own: jeans, mostly black bottoms (skirts, leggings, etc). I can get a plain shirt in any colour or style. I'd prefer not to ruin bottoms but am happy to get a new top to do something to. I can also get tights of any colour etc.

I'd like the costume to be relatively clever, but since I don't know most of the people going, not too obscure. Clever is more important. I'd like it to be fairly comfortable. I do not know if this will be a shoes or no shoes party.

I'd prefer to avoid the sexy superhero genre. I am fine with being a sidekick as well. I am female, early 30s.

What would the 6 year old version of yourself put in your utility belt?

JonnyRotten — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:11:57 -0800

I want to make my son a kick-ass utility belt for Christmas. Please suggest me some awesome things to fill it with! I was in the basement working on a computer at my bench, when I noticed a old gameboy game case that looks almost exactly like a pouch on a super heroes utility belt. I think I also have several more similar cases laying around. So the idea struck me, that I would like to make my son a utility belt filled with awesome gadgets for his dress up and playing. My son is a costume / superhero fanatic, so this will be right up his alley. I'll probably pick up a tool belt for the belt portion, and then mod the pouches to fit it.

So, please suggest some cool things I can put in it.
- yes, I already read the wikipedia article on batman's utility belt.
- I would like to keep the entire project under 100 dollars.
- He is 6 years old.
- Functional and cool would be best, but non-functional imagination inspiring stuff would rock too! Just generally things he can have lots of adventures with!

Otherwise, I am really up for just about any ideas!

cartoon hero names A-Z suitable for monkeys

miagaille — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:24:25 -0800

I work in a lab with rhesus monkeys. They need names. For reasons of historical precedent and notational convenience, lab animals are usually named alphabetically, from A ("Abe") until you run out of monkeys. For reasons of awesomeness, we're naming our monkeys after spunky cartoon characters. So, please help me come up with the best comic/cartoon/superhero names for each letter of the alphabet. We currently have two monkeys: Zim and Yogi (we started from the end of the alphabet). Eight new monkeys are arriving next week, and probably more in the months and years to come. The names should be short (no more than two syllables) or have shortened forms. Both male and female names would be great. We're especially in need of the rare letters (X?); we could skip them, but that would be less awesome.

Note: no monkeys were harmed in the preparation of this AskMe, and no monkeys are maimed/killed/dissected in our lab, either. They live long, healthy lives, which is why we need good names from the start. Thanks!

Help me with my superhero costume!

Astro Zombie — Sat, 02 May 2009 09:44:46 -0800

Help me with my superhero costume. Inspired by the fact that everybody in The Watchmen seemed to have a secret closet with a superhero costume and press clippings, I have decided that everybody in the real world should do likewise.

Now, I can't force anybody else to have such a costume, but I sure can do one for myself. But I need some help.

My superhero name is Mr. Hypnotica, and, while I have some essential ideas for the costume, I nonetheless need suggestions for fleshing it out.

Firstly, the mask. I will be covering my face with a spandex hood with eyeholes cut out, and those eyeholes will be covered with prescription swimming goggles, which not only look like a superhero mask, but also allow me to see. I have a guy who can make the mask for me, but I want it to be printed with a hypnotic spiral. Who can I go to to get a hypnotic spiral printed on a sheet of spandex? Is spandex even the best option?

The costume itself will consist of a John Lennon cap, back nehru suit, and black boots -- very Sixties. I feel like I need to accent this with some hypnotic spiral accessories. Any suggestions.

Also, I want to make use of hypnocoins. Who can print a hypnotic spiral as a lenticular 3D image on a coin shape? Any other suggestions for hypnotic accessories?

Finally, general suggestions. Obviously, my superpower is hypnosis. What sorts of things should I have on hand to accent both my costume and my superpowers? If you were to be Mr. Hypnotica, what would you want as part of your costume?

A soundtrack... FOR JUSTICE!

rmd1023 — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:02:32 -0800

GREETINGS, CITIZENS OF METAFILTER! In the noble quest for truth and justice against the forces of evil, we need ... A SOUNDTRACK. What are some good songs that are about or reference superheroes? a few off the top of my head:
iron man, black sabbath
i am superman, rem
superman, the kinks
superman's song, crash test dummies
the songs from the dr horrible musical
surfing with the alien, satriani
the theme from batman, (the who did a cover on "who by numbers", at the very least)

what are some others? and are they awesome?

this is for a long mix for a comic book shop.

thanks!

What's an interesting backstory to my character?

nimkip — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:20:47 -0800

Flex your creative muscle and help me design a superhero! Growing up my father used to always tell me, half in jest, about this great superhero he came up with. I have a friend who works as an artist for Marvel Comics, and I thought it would be great as part of a Christmas gift to have him draw a sketch of this guy, and flesh out his back story a little. Of course, this first thing he asked me was “what does he look like?” I had no idea. And really, I don't know anything about him other than his name and his superpower.

His name is Random Chance. Whenever danger is present (sort of like a spider sense I guess) his body manifests a random superpower that may or may not be useful in the current situation. It could be something traditional, like flying, heat vision, or super strength. Or, equally likely, it could be something stupid, like making things sticky by looking at them, or rapidly growing out his body hair. The point is he has to rely on his wit and creativity to apply this power in a way that will get him out of trouble. So above all else he’s an intelligence based hero.

I’m terrible at this stuff, so I humbly ask you to fill in the details. Just what does he look like? What’s his alter ego? What’s his origin story? What are his personality quirks? Does he have any notable relationships? How about his archenemy, etc? Anything you guys can come up with would certainly help piece him together. Thanks!

Help me become Moleculo - THE MOLECULAR MAN!!!

ObscureReferenceMan — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:42:24 -0800

Where can I find a generic superhero costume? Someone else's AskMe question (actually, my answer) made me decide to be Moleculo (The Molecular Man!!!) for Halloween. Trouble is, where do I find a generic superhero costume?

Google yielded a ton of Halloween costume sites, but they all have specific costumes (Batman, Wolverine, etc.). And I need a non-specific costume. Imagine Superman, but instead of an "S" on the chest, an atom symbol.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Superhero Help Needed

An Infinity Of Monkeys — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:16:43 -0800

Imagine coming up with an idea for a new superhero, but having little artistic talent. How would someone pitch an idea to a comic artist, or find a collaborator willing to draw it?

Name this comic

fearfulsymmetry — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:22:49 -0800

A while back I remember reading a review of a comic/graphic novel. It was a superhero story but from the point of view of an ordinary person/people. From what I can remember it told the story of the effects on an apartment building and its inhabitants from the consequences of a battle between two superheros... where what happened to the apartment building (blown up? knocked down? heavily damaged in some other way?) was a throw-away panel / plot point in another comic.

Anybody know what it was?

And, no, it's not Marvels.

Xander Cage + James Bond?

Anonymous — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:22:04 -0800

Resources for thrill seekers and general superhero/spy training in Texas? I've decided to go through a second childhood. And I'm gonna learn how to do all of the things I've always wanted to learn how to do but there's no reason to learn because, come on, I'm a twentysomething secretary living in a small suburb of Dallas - there's no logical reason for me to learn this stuff!

....... but i still want to learn how to do these things!

Instead of looking independently for a place to rock climb, a place to learn how to shoot and learn swordplay and knives and learn how to speak Russian or Serbian and swimming and martial arts and learning to ride a motorbike and learning how to do a 180 AND a 360 in a car and all of that kickass shit... are there any resources that I can use to find various places, instead of me scouring the net, looking for not only legitimate places but also references?

The only thing I can generally find is "thrill seeking", but that's extreme sports - and while I would love to learn to snowboard, I don't want to limit myself to just sports.

(Asking anonymously because my friends read AskMeFi and will call me an idiot for wanting to learn all of this cool stuff.)

Help me find this missing superhero story from the interwebs!

lizzicide — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:03:09 -0800

Help me find the alternative superhero story I read online four years ago. Features a side character stuck in a time loop and a possibly unwilling superhero possibly named Bob. - I read this story online sometime between 2002 and 2005.

- Pretty sure it was told in first person from the point of view of the superhero.

- Pretty sure the character's name was Bob or Bill - Definitely something boring-sounding, considering the guy had super powers.

- Part of his super power affliction might have been that he was physically unable NOT to help a citizen in distress, but I'm not sure of this. It may be that he would be teleported helplessly to the scene of a crime and forced to assist in that way. The attitude of the character was definitely not pro-heroism, i.e. he expressed little interest in helping others, or perhaps saw it as futile.

- One of other characters in the story kept on getting stuck in a time warp / time loop of his own device, possibly because he was trying to ward off his own death by popping out of the sequence of events just before it occurred.

- There's a slight chance that the entire citizenry was made up of superheroes, or at least people with super powers.

- It was hosted on a website with a black and red background, and the text itself was black on red. It was presented as a series of chapters, I believe, and may not have been finished at the time I was reading it. For this reason, I think it may not have appeared in print at any point.

As with most of these questions, the details are half-remembered and may be mixed in with things from other stories I've read, but I'd be very appreciative if anyone can help me solve this mystery.

In search of superheroine costume ideas for a wedding

dolface — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:05:55 -0800

Looking for superheroine costume ideas. My girlfriend and I are going to a wedding where everyone is being asked to dress as a superhero of some kind. It doesn't matter if the superhero exists as a character or not, they just have to exist in someone's mind. The problem she/we are having is that there just aren't a lot of cool female superheros out there, and the one's who are out there are done to death and mostly cheesy.

So here's where we're trying to get:
Smart/sciency (she has a masters in frogs)
Involves big stompy boots
Spandex or fishnets encouraged
Might date Particle Man (my costume)

Ideas about where to look for stylish costume ideas would also be most welcome.

What's this crazy movie called?

Venadium — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:23:46 -0800

Asking for a friend: can you help name this ridiculous superhero movie about some guy exposed to radiation? OK, so a friend of mine remembers watching this movie as a little kid, but can't remember what it was called. From what he can remember, it's about some guy who gets exposed to radiation of some kind while on an island. After he gets exposed, he gets super powers which allow him to run really fast and other superhero-like stuff. When he gets exposed there may have been a color-inverted shot of a rocket exploding or taking off. But, if he sees a certain color (maybe pink?), he loses his powers. At the end of the movie, the Gov't just removes every pink object from the world so the guy wont lost his powers.

This would probably have been made some time in the 80's, though I guess late-70's is possible too. This is something I'd usually know about but I'm drawing a blank here, I've definitely never seen it but it doesn't even sound familiar. Can anybody help us out?

Can't remember the title for an old superhero movie.

krisak — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:52:25 -0800

I'm looking for a superhero movie or TV show from the 70s or 80s. I can't remember the title or much of the plot, but I do remember one key premise. First off, I'm pretty sure it's not Greatest American Hero, specifically because part of the premise was that when the hero in the suit sees the color red he loses his powers. I watched the first season of GAH recently and that didn't seem to be part of the premise.

Other than that, all I really remember was a scene where the hero was running alongside a car, talking to the driver, when he spots a red building (barn?) and loses his power.

Just a bit short of x-ray vision...

mphuie — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:34:06 -0800

Did my optometrist give me semi-superhero vision? I recently went in for an eye exam, current glasses are 3+ years old. My optometrist told me that my prescription has barely changed, and in some tests told me that I have 20/15 vision.

However, when I went to pick up my new glasses, everything was extremely sharp, even from long distances. The first thing I noticed was the texture of optometrists skin , then looking in the mirror at my face noticed all sorts of things that I'd never noticed before. (I guess my skin isn't as good as I thought)

Its like the sharpness knob got turned to 11, everything is crystal clear. Lighted signs at night are especially beautiful, and when I arrived home, I almost got a sensory overload seeing how pretty the carpet fibers looked.

Whats going on? Did my all previous optometrists give me regular 20/20 glasses and this one gave me 20/15? (does that make sense? or is even possible?). I was expecting to get a headache from the new prescription, but no issues over from last night and this morning.

Shazam! It's...Superbug? Fantasmaworm?

cuddles.mcsnuggy — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:25:26 -0800

Halloween filter: Seeking ideas for a name and back story for a bug/caterpillar/worm costume. Difficulty: Must be "Super." I'm having the devil of a time coming up with a schtick for Halloween. The setting; A super hero slash super-villain party at the home of dear friends in 2 weeks. There will be up to 90 people in attendance. So it's important to be impressive. My costume: The Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, re-appropriated. (I made it for another theme party earlier this year.) It's basically a long tube dress made of sparkly bright lime green lycra. It has 6 sparkly purple arms (8 if you count my real arms). On the back are 6 decorative purple pointy things evocative of those, um, pointy things that caterpillars sometimes sport...just to add a bit of panache. It's a pretty neat costume actually. I will be adding a helmet with some sort of logo and bobbling antennae, fabulous bug-eye glasses, and a short cape.

So, dear Mefites; any ideas on how to make a green and purple caterpillar "Super"? Either a hero or bad-guy character is fine. I need a Super name and back story (ie: what's my super power or my method of evil, etc.). Preferably not an existing character from comics or cartoons but willing to explore options. I'd sure appreciate any help brainstorming!

Your peanut-butter-eating days are over, miscreant

Tuwa — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:54:57 -0800

Obscure children's fiction filter: What's this DC superhero book I read in the 1980s? I read this book in the 80s about either Batman or The Flash--I can't remember which--which had the superhero trying to figure out how things were being stolen from somewhere (a museum? I don't remember). If I'm remembering right, part of it involved the villain sneaking through the city by way of manholes, and either the villain or the superhero could run exceptionally fast and had to eat a lot of peanut butter as a result. (I think it was probably the villain; I seem to remember the superhero finding empty peanut butter jars for awhile and wondering what was going on.) Sure, it sounds perfectly ridiculous, but it is superhero fiction.

The book, if I'm remembering right, was small: maybe 4" x 5"; as a kid I remember thinking it was sized right (?). (And yes, I know it's odd that I can remember the small size but not even who the book was about ... I'm willing to accept that I can't find the book again because I'm conflating several storylines into one.)

The book struck me as somewhat dark at the time but I'd like to track it down and read it again just for kicks.

... Also/alternatively, is there some authoritative source about children's books DC has published? I'm at a loss on how to even begin searching this one; freeweb search engines are being no help whatsoever.

They need a job to support their dream

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:47:20 -0800

A person wants to be a superhero, but is not superrich. What kinda job can they hold to support themselves, assuming their expenses (Rent, food, utilities, retirement fund, single, no kids, no car or debt) are about $1400 a month? They live in a major city. This is for a piece of fiction. The superhero is not rich and has no rich friends/family etc. They're not in it for the money. They don't want to do anything illegal or even immoral. They don't want to use their powers to work for someone 'cause they want to be totally indie with their super-hero shtick (that and there was a bad experience doing suphero work for someone else). Part of their power is a fast healing time or invulnerability to cut down on those pesky doctor bills, visits and questions.

Please don't mention Spiderman and his freelance photography which consisted mostly of him taking pictures of himself. That was silly, as anyone with a lick of sense should have figured it out. I'm going for real life, something practical. The superheroing occurs during the night and day, so it can't be a straight 9 to 5.

This person wants to spend most of their time superheroing and as little time as possible working, but would like to be interesting work, if possible.

Suggestions for the Super Canon?

roger ackroyd — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:21:58 -0800

[Comic Filter] I was recently offered a job that requires a working knowledge of popular American superheroes from the 1930's onward. I've always been a fan of the darker comics (Hellboy, Sandman); now I need to know the difference between Green Lantern and Green Arrow. What should I be reading? Graphic novels, websites, and popular histories would all be helpful. (I intend to dig up my beloved copy of The Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics next time I visit my parents.)

What was the name of the worst superhero ever?

Terminal Verbosity — Mon, 14 May 2007 11:24:18 -0800

Who was the bouncy superhero? I had a comic some years ago featuring a superhero whose only superpower, so far as I remember, was the ability to bounce off of things. He wasn't stretchy like Reed Richards, just highly resilient. I clearly recall him falling down a rocky chasm, bouncing harmlessly off the sharp crags. I'm not certain on this, but I believe his suit was mult-colored though predominantly blue and he wore goggles of some sort.

He' has to be the stupidest non-satirical superhero with the most ridiculous superpower in comics history, and I'm struggling to recall his name. I mentioned him to a comic-geek friend and he looked at me blankly; I'd love to show him proof that I have not gone mad. Anyone?

Make me a better Batman

freston — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:46:50 -0800

So I'm going to a party at the weekend in my off-the-shelf classic grey Batman outfit. Please suggest accessories to zazz up my appearance: bonus points given for cheap, cheerful and creative ideas.

80s Super Hero Program?

starr226 — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 14:40:47 -0800

Does anyone remember an older (80s) live action TV about a group of people with super powers? I have a terribly, terribly, terribly vague recollection of it. I seem to recall one guy could shrink and one could freeze things. I also seem to recall them all wearing the same jumpsuit. It may, honestly, have only been a TV special but I recall a short series that I may have made up on my own.

I use to be a superhero

nadawi — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 12:49:27 -0800

It's time for my boyfriend's birthday and I need clothing advice. [The boyfriend needs to stop reading and friends should probably skip it]

On his birthday I dress up like a superhero (or, really, comic book character). First it was Wonder Woman and then Supergirl. This year I want to blow his socks off, do something clever and inventive, and for added difficulty my budget is VERY small.

To accomplish the first two outfits I just bought the pajama sets...tight tee shirt or tank top and panties with stars or thong with the Superman symbol. I definatly want to break out of that mold this year. I know The Baroness and Poison Ivy are on the wishlist but I kind of want to wait to do The Baroness just right and I don't really know how to accomplish Poison Ivy.

So what have you dressed up as? What do you wish your woman would dress up as? How do I score sexy points while also scoring nerd points?

I have two weeks.