Unusual Heroes

[Daeval]

So I'm running a pen and paper Superheroes game soon, using Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition, for a bunch of players who aren't necessarily huge comic nerds. They're of course familiar with and fond of the staples, like Superman, Batman, Spiderman, the popular X-men, etc. But before they start creating their own heroes, I'd like to briefly introduce them to a few characters they may not have heard of. Preferably, these would be characters with backgrounds, origins, or abilities that are interesting or not really obvious superhero fare.

 

So my question for you all is who are your most memorable not-hugely-obvious heroes (or villains)? They don't have to be comic book characters - video games, books, movies, and whatever else are all fine influences. They don't have to have "super powers" either - Batman and the Punisher don't have any powers, nor do countless martial-arts masters, etc. And finally, they don't have to be from any particular time or place - ancient fantasy characters are cool too, as long as they're interesting.

 

A few that I've got already:

 

Darkhawk [unusual collection of abilities]

Ashitaka [Your average fantasy warrior with a twist that gives him personality and justifies his power]

El Santo [A fun, and locally relevant (I live minutes from the Mexican border), alternative to the obvious Kung-Fu Master]

Bill the Butcher [Villain, combines incredible charisma with crazy knife skills]

[Wizard]

Fing Fang Foom.

 

He'll put you in his pants.

[Sturmvogel]

Vlad Taltos

[Elazul Yagami]

mysterio?

 

morlun