JohnnyChany

THE XAVIER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT PART 3 TEAMS AND SET-UP The Alpha Flight team of Guardian, Sasquatch, Northstar, Snowbird, and Shaman mingled around the Blackbird hangar waiting for their names to be called in Xavier and Magneto’s impromptu tournament. The team of Canadian superheroes were both annoyed and excited by their invitation. GUARDIAN: I had thought there might be some emergency for Xavier to call out to us like this. To think it would just be an offer for competitive sparring. Part of me feels like we should just reject this and go home on principle. NORTHSTAR: I am fairly enthusiastic about the whole situation. I feel like we can really show off what we can do to these other groups. Although, it does feel strange being here without my sister. SNOWBIRD: I too miss Aurora’s presence. SASQUATCH: I imagine Puck will feel pretty salty about not being invited as well. GUARDIAN: Why this specific group of five of us was chosen may soon become apparent. In the meantime, I will try to follow in Northstar’s enthusiasm in representing the best that Canada has to offer in this event. A 7-foot-tall muscular woman with metallic golden skin and golden hair approached the group with a smile on her face. LIFEGUARD: Welcome Alpha Flight. My name is Heather Cameron, but you may also call me Lifeguard. I am working with Professor Xavier for this tournament and have been instructed to bring you to the Danger Room. Your first teammate is scheduled for action next. Shaman greeted Heather with some familiarity that Snowbird took notice of. She and the other members of Alpha Flight followed them to the Danger Room. Sasquatch was particularly curious about Lifeguard’s physique. SASQUATCH: Is your mutation similar to that of Colossus’s. LIFEGUARD: Not really. My body has reactive metamorphosis. It will morph and change to best help anyone in danger. SASQUATCH: Meaning? LIFEGUARD: If I have to grow wings to fly someone to safety, my body will grow wings. My skin also makes me invulnerable to many dangers as well. SASQUATCH: Fascinating. LIFEGUARD: It’s one of the main reasons the Professor asked me to help. He liked the idea of having someone nearby to step in and save someone should the need arise. You know, if things get too rough. Which I must say is more of a concern with some participants more than others. Alpha Flight arrived at the entrance of the Danger Room and saw the first group that one of their members would square off against, the New Mutants. The team consisted of Cannonball, Sunspot, Magik, Magma, and Dani Moonstar. Yet, there was someone else there that caught Alpha Flight by even more surprise. GUARDIAN: Heather? Standing on the opposite end of the new mutants was Guardian’s wife, Heather Hudson, in her Vindicator costume. VINDICATOR: Hey everyone. GUARDIAN: What’s going on? LIFEGUARD: A little surprise addition. You see, originally the Professor and Magneto had Shaman scheduled to participate in this first fight, but once I read up on his abilities I pleaded with Xavier to let me ask him to join me in helping any potentially injured combatants. His pocket dimension medicine bag would be so useful and so I reached out to him. Shaman smiled at Lifeguard. LIFEGUARD: Magneto agreed on the condition I find an even better replacement. Which is when my former teammate, Sage, stepped in and we were able to find the perfect replacement. We flew this Heather out here on short notice after she graciously agreed. VINDICATOR: I can’t wait. GUARDIAN: What makes you the perfect replacement? A green hologram of Magneto appeared above them. MAGNETO: She is to face Magik, Illyana Rasputin. Illyana versus Shaman would have been a battle of Shaman’s earthly sorcery against Illyana’s Limbo magic. However, Vindicator with her suit brings in a fascinating science versus magic dynamic. Also, to add further intrigue into the fight, Vindicator was given her mystical sword, Scell, from her Nemesis incarnation, granting her the ability to teleport and superhuman durability on top of the abilities given to her by the suit. How her mystical sword will fare against Illyana’s Soul Sword is something I can’t wait to see. Magik smirked. MAGIK: My curiosity is piqued. CANNONBALL: Illyana, just remember when you are in there that at the end of the day we are all still on the same side. MAGIK: You don’t have to worry about me, I know I’m not going against some interdimensional demon just some government hero from Canada. VINDICATOR: Charming. MAGNETO: Magik, Vindicator, step forward, and may the better warrior win.

THE XAVIER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT PART 2 TEAMS AND SET-UP The original X-Men team of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Archangel gathered together near the fountain in front of the Xavier Institute. JEAN GREY: It’s been awhile since we’ve teamed, just the five of us. BEAST: If it is to be a series of one on one encounters, it is more of a grouping then a team. CYCLOPS: At this stage that is true, but I have a feeling there will be more to it after that. I’m here to win, I hope you all feel the same. ICEMAN: I just want to know who I’m facing. The fivesome was then joined by Xavier’s former Hellfire Club spy, the brilliant and calculating Sage. SAGE: I may be able to help with that, Bobby. ICEMAN: When did you get here? I don’t remember seeing you during the lineups. SAGE: I was enlisted, along with a few of the others, by Xavier and Magneto to help put together this thing. JEAN GREY: Who better to help organize this many mutants. SAGE: That was their pitch. I was also able to come up with most of the matches between each team. Wanted to make sure that each one had a unique connection. Speaking of which, it is your team’s turn. Follow me. The group followed Sage to the Danger Room entrance where another team, X-Men Blue, were already waiting. Cyclops smirked at the sight of Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Psylocke, and Jubilee. CYCLOPS: I was hoping this is where we’d start. This one or Storm’s unit. It’s a shame that this isn’t team versus team, it would be a bit of a challenge, but I’d like our odds. Wolverine unsheathed his claws. WOLVERINE: I was thinking the same thing. SAGE: Just a reminder it’s just going to be one member from each team in this fight. All the rest of you will square off with members of other teams. WOLVERINE: So what’s it going to be, me and Summers? I can go for that. SAGE: That matchup was considered, but no your opponent is not going to be Scott. WOLVERINE: Oh no, it’s me and Jean, isn’t it? SAGE: No, Logan, this grouping isn’t about you. Psylocke stepped forward. PSYLOCKE: Then it must be me versus Jean, a battle of telepaths. SAGE: Also incorrect, Betsy. Neither you nor Jean is competing in this fight. JUBILEE: That rules out Psylocke versus Archangel in a former lover’s quarrel. Then who is it? There is history here between all of us X-Men but I can’t think of any other obvious connections. SAGE: The two fighting in this round will be Archangel and Gambit. WOLVERINE: What? What connection is there between the rich boy and the cajun? Rogue’s eyes widened with realization, and she was angered. ROGUE: Ah know what it is, and I already don’t like this if these are the kind of connections we are going for. JUBILEE: I don’t follow. JEAN GREY: It’s their shared history as the horseman of death for Apocalypse. SAGE: That is right. I will say this is one of few pairings that I had nothing to do with. This choice was all Magneto’s. BEAST: Perhaps Magneto’s thought process was that this indirect reminder of their traumas would bring out the best in them while also confronting their inner demons. ROGUE: I still don’t like it. GAMBIT: No need to fret, chere. Gambit remains as cool as a cucumber. Reminders of my troubled past are nothing new. ARCHANGEL: Agreed. I’m actually looking forward to this one on one. GAMBIT: No complaints here. Just be mindful with your razor-sharp steel shards, mon ami. Or Gambit may forget he is in a friendly skirmish and respond accordingly. ARCHANGEL: I’m just going to go for the win, nothing more. SAGE: Warren Worthington, Remy Lebeau, step forward, your time in the danger room has come. Archangel and Gambit stepped forward into the Danger Room which immediately transformed into a rocky seaside cliff.

Cool matchup. Happy to see Lori Quaid in a setup, what a character. Have yet to see Dial of Destiny.

In one of the largest gatherings of mutants in the school’s history, 50 heroes connected to various teams related to the X-Men gathered at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Archangel, Banshee, Beast, Bishop, Cable, Cannonball, Captain Britain, Cerise, Chamber, Colossus, Cyclops, Dani Moonstar, Dazzler, Emma Frost, Feral, Forge, Gambit, Guardian, Havok, Hollow, Husk, Iceman, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Kylun, Longshot, M, Magma, Magik, Meggan, Multiple Man, Nightcrawler, Northstar, Polaris, Psylocke, Rachel Summers, Rictor, Rogue, Quicksilver, Sasquatch, Shadowcat, Shaman, Shatterstar, Snowbird, Storm, Strong Guy, Sunfire, Sunspot, Warpath, and Wolverine all came together upon the lawn in front of the X-Mansion. WOLVERINE: What the hell is going on? Why were all summoned here? NIGHTCRAWLER: While it is always nice to see so many familiar faces, I must agree mein friend. The call for us to come here was a bit vague for so many of us to be brought in one place. STORM: I trust the professor has a good reason. EMMA FROST: He better. BISHOP: Maybe it’s the formation of a new mutant colony? A giant green hologram of Professor Xavier appeared above the collected group. XAVIER: Not quite, but I am well pleased to see that you all made the effort to be here. CYCLOPS: Why are we here? A large hologram of Magneto appeared next to Professor Xavier. MAGNETO: To train, but to also have fun. It is no secret that the threats we face are never ending and always escalating… XAVIER: But that doesn’t mean we can't have fun while we hone our abilities. MAGNETO: To wit, Charles and I have devised a tournament so that you may push yourselves to your limit while enjoying some competition. XAVIER: All of you will be divided into 10 teams of 5. The first thing you will notice is that you have a shared history with your four teammates. All 10 teams were carefully chosen and crafted. MAGNETO: Each member of your team will have a one on one skirmish with a member of a different team in the Danger Room. Whomever emerges victorious will earn a point for their team. No team will have more than one matchup against the same team. Every team will be vying for the most points. STRONG GUY: What does the team with the most points win? MAGNETO: You shall see, but trust me it will be worth it. JUBILEE: I think I’m still a little hazy on how this works and what we are doing. XAVIER: Patience, my child, all will be made clear once the tournament begins and you see for yourself. Before that though, we must announce the teams. MAGNETO: I will let you lead off Charles. XAVIER: The first team will be composed of my original students, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Archangel. MULTIPLE MAN: Heh, who didn’t see that coming? MAGNETO: The second team will be the second batch of X-Men to join Charles from all over the world and make a GIANT impact. This team is Storm, Nightcrawler, Banshee, Colossus, and Sunfire. WOLVERINE: I think you are forgetting someone, bub. COLOSSUS: Da, and Yoshida was not with us for very long. XAVIER: We have not forgotten you, Logan. We have another team in mind for you. But first the next team, the Uncanny X-Men, we will have Bishop, Forge, Kitty, Dazzler, and Longshot. MAGNETO: Now we get to you, Wolverine. You will be on the X-Men Blue team with your former X-Men Blue teammates, Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke, and Jubilee. Ah, the memories of our battles against one another. JUBILEE: Yes!! My team is awesome! XAVIER: The New Mutants team will be headed up by Cannonball and Dani Moonstar. It will also include Sunspot, Magik, and Magma. MAGNETO: Emma Frost will form a team with her former Generation X students, Chamber, Husk, M, and Hollow. XAVIER: Captain Britain, you will lead the Excalibur team with four of your first members, your wife, Meggan, Rachel Summers, Cerise, and Kylun. MAGNETO: Cable, Shatterstar, Feral, Rictor, and Warpath will comprise the X-Force team. XAVIER: Havok, you shall be partnered with your original X-Factor teammates, Polaris, Quicksilver, Multiple Man, and Strong Guy. MAGNETO: Last, but not least, the most obvious team, made up from Canada’s best mutants and heroes, Guardian, Sasquatch, Snowbird, Northstar, and Shaman of Alpha Flight. XAVIER: You may take a moment to reconnect with your teammates before we begin. MAGNETO: Time is of the essence, though, so as soon as you are ready, we would like Storm’s team and X-Factor to make their way to the Danger Room, so that we can begin with our first match. The two holograms disappeared. Chatter rose up from the large assortment of heroes as they shifted around into their teams. The talk was a mix of excitement and confusion, and some even wondered aloud if mutant mind powers may be involved in getting everyone to agree to this so quickly. Still, there was a thick air of anticipation in the air. The Giant-Sized X-Men team and the X-Factor team made their way to the Danger Room while eyeing one another. The hologram of Professor Xavier reappeared. XAVIER: We thought we should start with a rather obvious matchup. You will soon realize that all the pairings we have picked will have some sort of connection and this is one is no different. Guido Carosella, Piotr Rasputin, please step forward. Strong Guy and Colossus separated themselves from their teams and stood next to one another. STRONG GUY: Time to find out who is really the strongest, huh? Alright I’m down. COLOSSUS: Da, good luck to you, Guido. Let us have our fight start off this tournament right. Both men stepped into the danger room which quickly transformed into an abandoned factory. MAGNETO: Begin.

I have not seen the anime so I will go with the consensus. Good matchup.

Cameron Poe approached airport security with his wife, Tricia, and his daughter, Casey, in tow. As they got closer, Cameron briefly hesitated. “What’s wrong, daddy?” asked Casey. “I know it might sound silly, but I’m still a little uneasy about getting back on a plane. I thought I wouldn’t be, but it’s hitting me hard now,” Cameron answered. “But this isn’t some prison plane, it will be full of normal people,” Tricia insisted. “It might seem hard at first but I think this trip will really be good for all of us, help put the past year behind us;.” Cameron Poe looked at his wife tenderly and nodded. Just as he started to walk again he was quickly approached by three police officers. “Is there something wrong?” asked Tricia. “Sir, I’m going to need you to get down and the ground and put your hands behind your head,” the officer demanded. “What?” The police officers drew their weapons. “Down now!” Cameron was very confused, but complied and went to the floor. “Daddy?” Fear and anger rose up inside Tricia. “What is going on here?!?” “M’am are you an accomplice to this criminal?” another one of the officers asked. Tricia was indignant. “My husband is not a criminal. He served his time, this is a mistake.” "It's okay, honey," Cameron said in an assorted tone. "Just stay calm. I'll sort this out. Take Casey and wait for me." Cameron allowed himself to be handcuffed and lead away. He sat alone for what felt like an eternity in an interrogation room until finally the door opened and in walked a man with dark hair and a nice suit. “Hello, Mr. Poe, I am FBI Special Agent Sean Archer,” the man said. “What the hell? The FBI? This whole thing is a big misunderstanding. I am not a criminal, I served my time and was released,” stated Cameron. “I know. I am well aware of your exploits, Mr. Poe. I read your file. You are an honorably discharged Army Ranger who served eight years in prison for accidentally killing a man in defense of your wife. You were on that infamous prison transport airplane that crashed in Las Vegas last summer. By all accounts, you are a true hero.” “Then why am I here?” Cameron asked with annoyance. “I must apologize for that,” Sean replied. “It was simply a case of mistaken identity. The officers that arrested you were convinced that you were a terrorist for hire by the name of Castor Troy.” Cameron Poe was confused. “The actual Castor Troy is in custody in a coma, but that isn’t exactly common knowledge,” Sean explained. “When I saw your picture I had to come see for myself. I have to admit the resemblance is amazing.” “That’s all fine and good for you but am I free to go now?’ asked Cameron. “I have my family waiting for me and a vacation to go on.” Sean Archer sat down across from Cameron. “Actually, I was going to ask for your help. Before we took him down, Troy admitted to planting a bomb in the city and we are running out of time to track it down.” “That’s horrible, but what does that have to do with me?” “As I said, Castor Troy is in a coma so we can’t ask him and the only other people who know are his crew who also won’t talk to us,” Sean informed. “They also don’t know that we have Castor in custody so if we can get someone to ask them that they think is Castor we may have a shot to stop this,” Cameron immediately shook his head. “No, no way. I don’t work for the FBI.” “I know, I know. I wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t desperate and I wouldn’t ask you if I thought you couldn’t handle the danger. But look at you, you took down a plane of escaped convicts,” Sean declared. “I almost missed out on being with my family before, I can’t risk doing that again,” Cameron insisted. “I get it. I’m a family man myself. I… I lost my son because of Castor Troy. I’m afraid I could lose my daughter, Jamie, because of him. I don’t know where that bomb is, it could be by her school. You have a daughter, Poe, what if we find out the bomb is located by her school or somewhere nearby where she is but it’s too late to stop it?” The thought of losing Casey hit Cameron Poe hard in the chest and he got emotional. “You can’t be asking me to do this. You shouldn’t be asking me to do this.” “I know I shouldn’t, but I am.” Cameron Poe reluctantly agreed to help. Poe’s family went ahead on their planned vacation and Cameron promised to join them as soon as he could. Sean Archer took a couple of days to help Cameron fully transform into Castor Troy and Cameron was able to successfully infiltrate Castor Troy’s hideout. It took another couple of days for the henchmen to fully believe he was Castor, but once they did, they resumed their bombing mission. As soon as he was alone in the hideout, Cameron called Sean with the information that he learned. When he looked at his phone, Sean was already calling him. “You have to get out of there now!” Sean shouted. “What?” “Castor Troy woke up and he escaped custody. The whole operation is compromised. You need to get out of there before they realize you aren’t who you say you are.” Cameron hung up and turned around to see the very man he had been imitating. Castor Troy chucked. “Would have never expected to run into myself. What other tricks is Archer hiding?” "Don't do anything crazy," Poe warned. "Shows how little you actually know me." Both men grabbed for their guns and jumped for cover as a shootout began.

Very nicely done sir. The thought and effort put into this really shows. Although some of the color changes made it a little difficult to read, at least for me. As much as I like Two-Face I don't think I can pick him here.

Inspired by some of the creativity posted already, I tried something a little different. My entry

Mike Nelson strolled onto the bridge of the Satellite of Love, greeted by the sight of Crow and Tom Servo engaged in a heated debate. "You take it back, Servo, you take it back right now. Mickey Mouse is the epitome of joy and happiness! He has brought smiles to millions of faces worldwide," Crow exclaimed. Tom Servo shook his head. "You're deluded, Crow. Mickey Mouse is nothing but a symbol of corporate hegemony, a tyrant in disguise, seeking to control and commodify every aspect of our lives!" Their bickering came to an abrupt halt as Mike entered the scene. "What's going on here?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow at the feuding bots. Crow turned to Mike, his golden beak twitching with indignation. "Mike, you gotta settle this. Is Mickey Mouse a benevolent icon or an imperialistic tyrant?" Mike chuckled and shrugged. "I don’t know if I have an answer. I can see both sides of the argument." His demeanor then changed as the inanity of the argument served as another bitter reminder of his day to day to life on the Satellite talking about nothing. His eyes fell on the flashing button in front of them, signaling an incoming call from Pearl Forrester. Mike pressed the button, and the screen flickered to life, revealing Pearl, Bobo, and Brain Guy, their faces grinning with mischief. "Hello, Satellite of Love! Ready for today’s experiment?" Pearl's voice rang out, dripping with malicious glee. Mike exchanged resigned glances with Crow and Tom Servo. "What do you have for us this time, Pearl?" Pearl leaned in. Her eyes gleamed with ill intent. "Since you seem to have Disney on the brain, I've got the perfect movie for today's feature. Get ready, because I promise it'll be a magical ride to a land full of wonder!" Crow briefly perked up. “That sounds promising.” “Today's feature presentation is the 2015 flop, Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney, Britt Robertson, and Hugh Laurie. A bright teenage girl and a bitter old inventor are whisked away to another dimension where futuristic minds are gathered to bring about the technology of tomorrow. High off the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean, the House of Mouse decided to see what other theme park attractions they could bleed for a buck on the big screen, and well you'll see the results," she announced. “Because why settle for a Disney classic when you can have a critical disaster?” Crow hung his head in disappointment, his hopes for a Disney marathon dashed by Pearl’s sadistic choice. “We don’t have time to be sad, we’ve got Movie Sign!” Mike noted. Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo filled their way into the theater and to their seats. Their silhouettes partially blocked the lowest portion of the screen. As the title card for the movie flashed across the screen, Mike and the bots began making commentary with their trademark sardonic banter. "Tomorrowland, the dreamland of the procrastinators. We promise to get there.... eventually." "I personally can't wait for the film adaptation of my favorite theme park experience, the line for the last churro." "Do you think the casting director took it as a challenge to find a kid who looks the least like George Clooney?" "Challenge accepted and challenge completed!" "Girl! Girl! Stay calm you've trained for this day." "Who at Tomorrowland came up with the novel idea of luring a young nerdy shy inventor with the attention of a pretty girl? They really are geniuses over there." "I had already forgotten that Diet Coke Jennifer Lawerence was starring in this picture." "Is it really accurate to say starring in this picture? Wouldn't it be more apt to say contractually obligated to this picture?" "We've got the blue light special in aisle 8, suckers!" "If you aren't intimidated yet, wait until we turn on the flashers." "I'm just going to come out and say it. Clooney was more convincing with the bat nipples." "She is easily the most charming propagandist recruiter that I have ever come across." "Yeah and she kicks butt. A major win in my book." "I will follow you anywhere, Athena." "I'm sorry, but the diagnosis for a record setting 18th time this week is Lupus. How would you like to die?" "You know the thing that made Dr. House so engaging was that he was a witty, funny, asshole. They have managed to bring over only one of those traits with this guy." "Mike, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable. I feel like somebody needs to stop this and the proper authorities need to be contacted." "She isn't actually a little girl you know; she is a machine. She is probably older than he is." "Is that supposed to make it better?" "I don't think it is a romantic look anyway, more of an appreciation and fondness for their past and their connection. It's kinda sweet." "Don't defend this, Nelson." After the credits rolled, Mike found himself alone on the bridge of the Satellite of Love. “A hidden rocket in the Eiffel tower that no one had ever noticed before, how absurd. What was that about?” he mused. Suddenly, Athena from Tomorrowland approached him, holding out the Tomorrowland pin. "Mike Nelson, would you like to do some real good in the world with your robotic engineering genius, or are you content to make friends to poke fun at movies with?" she asked, her voice calm and serene. Mike blinked, thinking it was some elaborate joke. "Crow? Tom Servo?" The robots appeared, equally surprised by Athena's presence. Crow gasped. “Whoa! Athena’s here. How did you pull that off, Mike?” Mike was confused. “You guys aren’t behind this.” Tom Servo shook his head. “No, not even a little bit.” Mike regarded Athena. “You are actually here and actually real?” “As real as you are,” Athena replied with a smile. “I have come for you, Mike Nelson. Just as you have just watched this movie about us, we have been watching you and want to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime.” Mike was quiet for a moment as he absorbed what was happening. “So you know, I didn’t actually create Crow or Tom Servo or Gypsy, that was a guy named Joel,” he finally stated. “No need for modesty, Mike, we have seen you maintain and even improve upon the robots here. But you could be doing so much more. That is unless you are content to spend the rest of your days mocking movies in this isolated space prison.” Mike was taken aback. “I… I don’t know what to say.” Panic began to rise inside Tom Servo. “I know what you should say, no. Say no and step away from the adorable little British android.” “You can’t abandon us now, Mike. You just can’t. It’ll be like Joel all over again. We’ll develop a complex,” Crow pleaded. Mike looked back and forth between his robotic pals and Athena and her Tomorrowland pin, unsure of what to do.

Enjoyed the unique setup of this. Going with the defenders if nothing else because they have more legendary characters on their side.

I'm going Thanagarians

Very creative write up, I enjoyed it.

I agree that you appear to have an interesting thing starting with an eclectic mix of characters. I'm intrigued.

Who is the superior Polaris and Vertigo duo, the Marvel women or the DC men?