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I'm going to start this off with a Caveat that this is my personal opinion based around the type of writing I both read and write.

I have begun to notice a trend on many Original Characters, or 'OC's for short, appearing here in what I like to call the Deviant Art Comic Universe (DACU). What I'm talking about is Omega Shock Syndrome. Omega Level was a term first coined by Marvel Comics when talking about a few of their mutant characters that had near god like abilities. However the term quickly found its way into other comic books moving from Omega Level Mutant to Omega Level Character. Now here in the DACU we have started to routinely see characters of such immense power that in any standard super hero setting; DC, Marvel, Image, etc, that this new character could take on the greats without any problem.

Now the idea for many of these characters starts simple enough. A creator will take many of the powers and abilities they admired from other characters in any number of genres and put them all together in a new package. The initial idea in itself is cool, but a good portion of the refinement stops there and the creator immediately moves forward with other parts of the design; costume, backstory, etc. Now this happens in almost any genre, especially in fan fiction. For example if you read about a young wizard in the Harry Potter universe who is suddenly more powerful that the cannon characters themselves you may have encountered a 'Mary Sue' en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue Often this character is recognized as an author insert or wish-fulfillment. Nominally known as a 'Gary Sue' for the male equivalent.

In comics however these types of home grown Omega Level Characters can easily be detected if they have just been created and already have the ability to easily defeat cannon characters from the major comic universes such as Superman, Thor, and the Incredible Hulk. Now a common reasoning heard is that the creator wanted to create someone on the same level as such famous characters. My personal problem with this as a writer is that many of the pantheon of known heroes did not start out anywhere near their current form. Superman for example did not start out anywhere near his current form. Instead his character has grown and changed over time since 1938, almost 80 years of evolution. And Evolution that not even the writers always stay consistent with. The Incredible Hulk also didn't start out anywhere near his current potential losing battles routinely to other superheroes like The Thing from the Fantastic Four since his creation in 1962. Thor was attached to a walking stick to teach him humility. He wasn't his own character until 159 issues into his own series. And if the comparison stopped there it might be alright. In there way heroes like Superman, Thor, and the Hulk all have know weaknesses and a deck of Villains that will take them through the ringer. Many of these new characters however don't have either a weakness, or they have one so minute that the chance of it actually taking part in a battle is minuscule, or the menagerie of opponents to show growth and struggle.

And that brings us to the next problem of many of these Omega Level Characters, no opponents. For most comics the hero has a plethora of opponents, some super powered and some in there everyday life. A great example of this would be Spider-man. Both Peter Parker and Spider-man had their number of foes. Flash Thompson the school bully, Curt Connors both professor and bad guy with a reptile fixation, and lets not forget about the Green Goblin, a villain that was Captain America and Iron Man rolled into one, but also the father of your best friend. And his villain guest list is one of many. Look at any major comic book character and take a long list of their opponents. Many creators when creating their characters rarely take the time to create opponents. This character can live in the heart of a Super Nova, withstand the blast of a Manhattan sized asteroid, and survive the crushing weight of your friend's fat sister. Let's face it, even the Hulk would get out of the way of your friend's fat sister.

This very lack of opponents has created animosity here on Deviant Art between creators. Sometimes with words, Sometimes with lists, sometimes with art. But it has still had a negative effect on the DACU as a whole at times. And why you might ask? Because people are genuine dicks? No, well not most the time. Creators want to see their characters in action. And without a suitable opponent they begin searching for one from fellow creators. Your character can survive the weight of a Fat Sister?! Ha! My Character bench presses at least three fat sisters!* Therefore my character will easily defeat your character. These events have lead to bad things being said to friendships torn apart.

Lastly, as mentioned before, there is no story. It is wonderful that a creator has a whole story line in their own head. That means absolutely nothing if it can't be read, seen, or heard otherwise. It might as well not exist for all intents and purposes. As mentioned previously none of the mainstream characters that are famous today started in their current forms. They became the heroes that are beloved to the public over time while overcoming momentous task again and again. The idea isn't that they walked in, beat down their opponent in two panels and then walked out. It was overcoming impossible odds at the hand of a superior foe. And in that struggle is the heart of the story. Facing adversity head on, knowing that if something goes wrong, everything could be lost. Rarely have I seen any of the new creators with the Omega Level Characters take a serious look at what their character must persevere through, what challenge was greater than the character themselves.

"I've created a superhero that even God can't defeat." Great, so where is the challenge in that? By creating a character so strong you've taken away the difficulty of being exciting, with a reader on the edge of their seat wanting to know how the hero will save the day. If you look at which heroes have the most comics it isn't the super powerful ones. They each may have their own title, and maybe be in another group book, but the characters that have the most titles are usually the ones that have the most struggle. For DC comics that's Batman, for Marvel that's Spider-man. Think about that for a second.

Now my own personal recommendation may annoy some, but break it up. If a creator has a character that has several super powers, break it up. I don't think heroes should start out with more than 2-3 powers. They may gather more over time, but for starters, no more than 3 max. For Villains the sky is the limit, they are supposed to be stronger. They represent what is to be overcome. Create several different combinations from the listed powers, you will come up with several interesting heroes with just a few powers alone. Think about a heroes motivations. For example many Spider-man villains had similar starts as Spider-man, but there motivation was different. Why does your character do what they do? And think about the genesis of your character. What is the origin of your character?

Now as I contended with my starter, this is my personal opinion. No one has to agree with it at all. But perhaps it has given you some food for thought. I have tried not to offend anyone, and if I have I truly apologize. I may add a few more morsels to this in the future, but for now I bid you adieu.

- Wayne

* (Note: As of writing this I have seen no character cannon or OC that can bench press three fat sisters and live)