I have posted, by my count, 150 characters based on rock and pop songs. Most have superpowers; many have super abilities like Batman or Black Widow.
Some of the characters I considered, however, I ended up not fleshing out for one of two reasons-- they didn't have interesting-enough powers or abilities, or there simply wasn't very much information about them in the song to begin with.
Some of the characters I considered, however, I ended up not fleshing out for one of two reasons-- they didn't have interesting-enough powers or abilities, or there simply wasn't very much information about them in the song to begin with.
And some, I didn't come across or remember until after I had made my self-imposed limit of 150. In fact, I keep coming across more potential entries the more I listen to music.
Further, every superhero universe needs its side characters-- significant others, co-workers, neighbors, etc. (think of NPCs in video games)-- and these could make some interesting ones, if someone wanted to work on them. I don't, though.
But... I thought I should still list them in case anyone did. Obviously, there are potentially tens of thousands more, even with my original rule that the character should be based on a well-known song, or at least a song by a well-known performer.
Here they are. I didn't think they would "work," that there was enough information about them in the song to fully flesh them out, or that they were "super" enough to count-- but I thought I should mention that they had been considered.
Mr. Wendal (Arrested Development)
Plastic Fantastic (Jefferson Airplane)
Madman ("Madman Across the Water"/ Elton John and "Hotel California"/Eagles)
Barnacle Bill the Sailor (Louis Jordan)
Tyrant (Judas Priest)
Miss Atomic Bomb and Mr. Brightside (The Killers)
Apeman and Artificial Man (The Kinks)
Green Tambourine, a superpowered object (The Lemon Pipers)
Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett)
Further, every superhero universe needs its side characters-- significant others, co-workers, neighbors, etc. (think of NPCs in video games)-- and these could make some interesting ones, if someone wanted to work on them. I don't, though.
But... I thought I should still list them in case anyone did. Obviously, there are potentially tens of thousands more, even with my original rule that the character should be based on a well-known song, or at least a song by a well-known performer.
Here they are. I didn't think they would "work," that there was enough information about them in the song to fully flesh them out, or that they were "super" enough to count-- but I thought I should mention that they had been considered.
Mr. Wendal (Arrested Development)
Bungalow Bill, Maxwell ("Maxwell's Silver Hammer"), and Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
Plastic Fantastic (Jefferson Airplane)
Madman ("Madman Across the Water"/ Elton John and "Hotel California"/Eagles)
Barnacle Bill the Sailor (Louis Jordan)
Tyrant (Judas Priest)
Miss Atomic Bomb and Mr. Brightside (The Killers)
Apeman and Artificial Man (The Kinks)
Green Tambourine, a superpowered object (The Lemon Pipers)
Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett)
The Fat-Bottom Girls (Queen)
The Karma Police (Radiohead)
Telegram Sam ("Purple Pie Pete"/T Rex)
By-Tor, Snow Dog, and Force Ten (Rush)
Baby Driver and The Child ("Save the Life of My Child"/Simon & Garfunkel)
Soul Man (Sam & Dave)
Graceland Man ("Graceland"/Paul Simon)
Daniel Cowman (Regina Spector)
Guitarzan (Ray Stevens)
The Hounds of Winter (Sting)
Walking Man (James Taylor)
Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood)
Babyface and Drowning Man (U2)
Top Jimmy (Van Halen)
The Magic Bus (The Who)
Sy Borg (Frank Zappa)
C.C. Rider aka See-See Rider (various)
Here are some more that might actually work, but I'd have to read through the lyrics more to know. If I ever get around to posting another 50 to make it an even 200 or 250, I'd start with these:
Dream Weaver (Gary Wright)
Jack (who "Was Every Inch a Sailor") (traditional)
Troglodyte and Luther the Athtropoid
She's not There (Zombies)
War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
The Loner (Neil Young)
Sharp-Dressed Man (ZZ Top)
Dark Lady (Cher)
Helpless Automaton (Men at Work)
The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)
Seventh Son (Willie Dixon)
Locomotive Breath, Steel Monkey (Jethro Tull)
Bell in Franklin's Tower (Grateful Dead)
I'm Looking Through You (Beatles)
Half a Boy, Jetpack Boomerang (Nick Lowe)
Penthouse Pauper, Sinister Purpose (CCR)
Deacon Blues, Midnight Cruiser, Razor Boys, Show Biz Kids, Charlie Freak, Doctor Wu, Kid Charlemagne, Babylon Sisters, Third World Man, Jack of Speed, Negative Girl, Pixeleen, Godwhacker (Steely Dan)
Boney Bones (Louis Prima)
Tiny Dancer, Well-Known Gun (Elton John)
Girl U Want (DEVO)
Black Magic Woman (Fleetwood Mac/Santana)
Estimated Prophet (Grateful Dead)
Stiletto (Billy Joel)
Wicked Messenger (Bob Dylan)
The Seeker (The Who)
Spoonman (Soundgarden)
Penthouse Pauper, Sinister Purpose (CCR)
Star Rider, Head Knocker, Spellbinder (Foreigner)
Shadow Captain, Cathedral (CSN)
Crash McBean (Velvet Underground)
Pachuco Cadaver (Captain Beefheart)
Supersonic Rocketship [vehicle] (The Kinks)
Others (Faces)
Windy (The Association)
Captain Groovy and his Bubblegum Army
The Trooper (Iron Maiden)
I Cheat the Hangman (Doobie Bros)
Ragin' Eyes (Nick Lowe)
Green-Finned Demon (Hawkwind)
Green Mararishi (Peter Green)
Willie the Wimp (blues standard)
Voodoo Child (Hendrix)
Switchblade 327 (Brian Setzer)
Hunter of Invisible Game (Springsteen)
Sugar Magnolia (Grateful Dead)
Holly Holy (Neil Diamond)
Robot Man (Scorpions)
Ballroom Blitz [Man in the Back, Girl in the Corner] (Sweet)
Highwayman (The Highwaymen)
Minstrel of the Dawn (Gordon Lightfoot)
Hoochie Coochie Man (blues standard)
If I Wanted To (Melissa Etheridge)
Yama Yama Man (1909 [possibly racist character])
Spoonman (Soundgarden)
Penthouse Pauper, Sinister Purpose (CCR)
Star Rider, Head Knocker, Spellbinder (Foreigner)
Shadow Captain, Cathedral (CSN)
Crash McBean (Velvet Underground)
Pachuco Cadaver (Captain Beefheart)
Supersonic Rocketship [vehicle] (The Kinks)
Others (Faces)
Windy (The Association)
Captain Groovy and his Bubblegum Army
The Trooper (Iron Maiden)
I Cheat the Hangman (Doobie Bros)
Ragin' Eyes (Nick Lowe)
Green-Finned Demon (Hawkwind)
Green Mararishi (Peter Green)
Willie the Wimp (blues standard)
Voodoo Child (Hendrix)
Switchblade 327 (Brian Setzer)
Hunter of Invisible Game (Springsteen)
Sugar Magnolia (Grateful Dead)
Holly Holy (Neil Diamond)
Robot Man (Scorpions)
Ballroom Blitz [Man in the Back, Girl in the Corner] (Sweet)
Highwayman (The Highwaymen)
Minstrel of the Dawn (Gordon Lightfoot)
Hoochie Coochie Man (blues standard)
If I Wanted To (Melissa Etheridge)
Yama Yama Man (1909 [possibly racist character])
Invaders, The Prisoner, Children of the Damned (Iron Maiden)
And here are even more, which I came across just by listening to music I hadn't heard yet. I haven't sorted these because I haven't had time to read through the lyrics. But some could be genuinely super-powered or super-abiliy-ed, some could be great villains or NPCs... and then some, it might turn out, just won't work at all. But I thought I'd list them anyway, just in case:
The Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson)
The Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson)
The Fang (Nervous Norvus)
Wild Man, Seventh Son, Swinging Machine (Mose Allison)
Hell in High Heels (others?) (Iron Maiden)
Gangster of Love, Space Cowboy (Steve Miller)
Snowbird (Anne Murray)
Blow Top Blues (Dinah Washington)
Blow Top Blues (Dinah Washington)
Mr. Pleasant, Wonder Boy (The Kinks)
...and here are some bands I have yet to look into:
Maroon 5
notinhalloffame.com
Maroon 5
notinhalloffame.com
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