Soon I Will Be Invincible: Difference between revisions

{{tropework}}

A novel by Austin Grossman about a world where [[Superhero|superheroes]] exist and have been around since [[World War II]]. The setting is an [[Affectionate Parody]] of both the [[Marvel Universe]] and [[The DCU]], and like these two is decidedly in the realm of the [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]], with everything from magicians to aliens. Most of the characters are a [[Captain Ersatz]] or a [[Satire, Parody, Pastiche|pastiche]] of [[Superhero|superheroes]] and superhero tropes.

While the world is [[Planet Eris|fairly insane]], most of the characters act like regular people do, making them in effect [[Straight Man|Straight Men]] to the bizarre milieu they inhabit.

* CoreFire: An [[Captain Ersatz|ersatz]] [[Superman (Franchise)|Superman]], who is one of the few truly invincible heroes in this world. He and Doctor Impossible are [[Arch Nemesis|nemeses]]; Doctor Impossible was the one whose [[Freak Lab Accident]] created him, though CoreFire [[Unknown Rival|doesn't know this]] {{spoiler|until the end of the book}}. Implied to be a [[Jerkass]].

* Damsel: A [[Half-Human Hybrid|half-human]] [[Legacy Character|legacy hero]], whose weather-god father married a [[Green-Skinned Space Babe]] and who leads the New Champions. Something of an [[Captain Ersatz|ersatz]] [[Composite Character|composite]] of Donna Troy/Wonder Girl (second-generation [[Flying Brick]] heroine who in her Troia days had a glowing [[Deflector Shields|deflector shield]], who spent years feeling overshadowed by her more famous predecessor) and [[Ms. Marvel (Comic Book)|Ms. Marvel]] ([[Flying Brick]] with alien DNA and hardass-leader attitude, who spent years feeling overshadowed by her male counterpart). But at the end of the book {{spoiler|add aspects of [[Storm]] and [[Aquaman (Comic Book)|Aquaman]], gaining [[Elemental Powers]]-- which further reflect Troia and Ms. Marvel, who both underwent a [[Re-Power]] or two in their long and [[Continuity Snarl|tangled histories]].}}

* Elphin: A literal fairy who has a [[Blade Onon a Stick|magic spear]] and can control the weather. Fatale, for one, thinks her story is ridiculous {{spoiler|for most of the book}}. Seems to be based loosely on characters like [[The Mighty Thor]], who claim to be immortal mythical or religious beings, but people doubt their legitimacy.

* Blackwolf: An [[Captain Ersatz|ersatz]] [[Batman (Franchise)|Batman]], whose [[Badass Normal]] demeanor comes from [[Disability Superpower|autism]]. He and Damsel were once married, until the widely publicized breakup of the original Champions.

* Rainbow Triumph: Blackwolf's nominal [[Kid Sidekick]], even though they don't get along very well. Has [[Super Strength]] and [[Super Speed]] thanks to implants keeping her alive, but must take medication every few hours or she'll die painfully. Corporate mascot for her father's biotech firm. Would remind one of any of several superheroes under the age of 15, with a little self-destructive child actor thrown in. Most particularly Carrie Kelly (Earth 31 Robin) and, somewhat presciently, Damian Wayne, the current earth 1 Robin (in that she requires cybernetic/transhuman augmentation from her wealthy parents' corporation to survive).

* Mister Mystic: The resident magician, who is somewhat estranged from the team (he often just pops up when needed and later disappears into whatever magical realm or brownstone he inhabits). Something of a cross between Marvel's [[Doctor Strange]] and DC's Zatara and [[The Phantom Stranger]]. Other than CoreFire himself, it can be argued that this is the guy Doctor Impossible hates the most, since Magic can't be explained by the science the Doc [[For Science!|holds most dear]]. It's commented that depending on who you ask he's either the most powerful member of the team or a trick-based [[Badass Normal]], reminiscent of [[Doing inIn Thethe Wizard]] [[Depending Onon the Writer|approaches to magical characters]].

** Interesting version of this occurs with Baron Ether, who is confined to supposedly isolated house arrest for the remainder of his life by his [[Arch Nemesis]] the Mechanist. He never breaks out but people keep breaking ''in'' to talk to him. [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] by him at one point:

{{quote| "I don't know how you people keep getting in. I think the Mechanist must be a bit out of date."}}

* [[ColourColor-Coded for Your Convenience]]: Damsel's forcefield acts as a full-body mood ring.

* [[Conqueror From the Future]]: Minor villain Polgar, the President of the United States in an alternate future, who comes back to take over when he is deposed. One of Blackwolf's theories about Dr. Impossible is that he is a past version of Polgar. This is probably a [[Shout -Out]] to Kang the Conqueror, the [[Ur Example]] of this trope, who was previously (and erroneously) thought to be a future version of [[Doctor Doom]].

* [[Irony|Cosmic Irony]]: {{spoiler|1=Impossible tracks down the joke-villain Pharaoh's hammer so he can fight off CoreFire, finding it (and the Pharaoh) at the centre of a spreading patch of ice in Costa Rica, from the CoreFire/Pharaoh battle. Later, Lily tells him that she once did go to the future and saw the world-destroying Blight of her fake [[Backstory]]: it started at the hammer in Costa Rica, and by removing it for his [[Evil Plan]], Doctor Impossible inadvertently saved the world.}}

{{quote| "You really are new to this, aren't you? There's no way he was going to stay down for long."}}

* [[Disability Superpower]]: Blackwolf's uber-planning and analytical skills are due to a form of autism. Several of the other heroes are also shown to suffer adverse effects from their abnormal physiology (Feral's back problems, Damsel's digestive problems). [[Lampshade Hanging|"There's a fine line between superpowers and a chronic disease."]] Fatale notes that you have to live with these powers, the cyborg parts or half-human biology or whatever every day and not just when they come in handy.

** [[Science-Related Memetic Disorder|Malign Hypercognition Disorder]].

* [[Distressed Damsel in Distress]]: Doctor Impossible complains about how kidnapping the same woman repeatedly gets kinda boring after a while. And she never realises who it is, which hurts.

* [[Everything's Better Withwith Princesses]]: Damsel's mother was one. Technically, Damsel is too, according to her passport.

* [[Fight Clubbing]]: [[Super Villain|Supervillains]] and minor heroes have underground gladiator battles; Dr. I got his start brawling as Smartacus, Count Smackula (no relation to [[Codename: Kids Next Door (Animation)|Count Spankulot]]) and other stage names.

* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]: [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]]; {{spoiler|Damsel, one of the [[Half-Human Hybrid|Half Human Hybrids]], reveals that she was [[Mix -and -Match Man|made in a test tube]], due to the fact that her alien mom couldn't have a baby with her human dad because "she wasn't even a mammal" and she has several problems with biochemistry}}.

* [[Here There Were Dragons]]: Fatale points out that there was a [[Golden Age]] of [[Superhero|superheroes]] in her time, followed by [[The Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver]] and [[The Bronze Age of Comic Books|Bronze]] ages each not quite living up to the glory of the last, and suggests that she's part of the "rust age". Also poor Elphin's [[Backstory]] is being ordered to stay behind when the rest of the fairies [[Ascend to Aa Higher Plane of Existence|returned to Arcadia]], leaving her to watch the world move on.

* [[Hope Spot]]: {{spoiler|Dr. Impossible comes so ''very'' close to winning, but he still lost in the end. [[Rooting for Thethe Empire|Dammit]].}}

* [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain]]: For all his genius and resources, Doctor Impossible is a comic book [[Super Villain|evil mastermind]] played dead straight, his cape and boots, his robot minions and his [[Death Trap|deathtraps]] faintly ridiculous in the cold light of day. And, since [[Status Quo Is God]], the heroes always win, making him quite literally a loser.

{{quote| "I remember those nights, planning technologies that didn't exist yet, outsider science, futurist dreaming, half-magical. The things I could do outside the university setting, now that I didn't have to wait for the pompous fools at the college! I was building another science, my science, wild science, robots and lasers and disembodied brains. A science that buzzed and glowed; it wanted to do things. It could get up and walk, fly, fight, sprout garish glowing creations in the remotest parts of the world, domes and towers and architectural fever dreams. And it was angry. It was mad science."}}

* [[Mix -and -Match Man]]: {{spoiler|Damsel}}

* [[New Powers Asas the Plot Demands]]: Dr. Impossible's Power Staff. What can't it do? It can fire energy, absorb energy, reflect energy, make him fly, make him invisible to cameras, neutralize laser tripwires, spray knockout gas... At one point, he bemoans that he's never mastered the art of building things small, but he does himself a disservice. He has a massive arsenal built into something the size of an umbrella.

* [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain]]: {{spoiler|Dr. Impossible unwittingly saves the world by taking the Pharaoh's hammer away from where it was warping the local landscape, and would have created "the Blight" of Lily's future.}}

* [[Noodle Incident]]: Many of Doctor Impossible's previous [[Evil Plan|Evil Plans]], "The Meta-meta Virus. Army of fish. Army of fungus."

* [[Playing Withwith Fire]]: Nick Napalm, a supervillain who started out as a lawyer before developing his powers and becoming a [[Pyromaniac]].

* [[Punny Name]], with a faint aftertaste of [[Steven Ulysses Perhero]]: Mister Mystic's real name is William Zard. Wi-Zard, [[Don't Explain the Joke|GET IT?]]

* [[Shout -Out]]: Along with the obvious [[Captain Ersatz|Ersatzes]], the [[Backstory]] for Regina bears a striking resemblance to ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]''. It even includes the part of the Narnia story that causes a [[Broken Base]] within the fandom - one of the chosen children being excommunicated from it for vague and unfair reasons.

* [[Stock Phrases]]: Doctor Impossible is full of them, and seems [[But Thou Must!|pathologically incapable]] of ''not'' using them while in public. His internal narration, on the other hand, is perfectly normal.

{{quote| "[I] built a whole new class of defenses to deal with his ability - trip wires, gases, immobilizing foams, areas of the complex that could seal instantly if I even suspected he was inside them. Then I'd pour everything I could think of - poisons, sonic vibrations, mutant bees - until something worked, until he fell unconscious and stopped moving, precipitated out of the air like a spirit." }}

** This is an important part of how the world of Heroes and Villains plays out. What was, for Dr. Impossible, a narrow escape calling on all his resources after he was jumped in the street, is a humiliating defeat at the hands of a collected and hyper-competent enemy to the supers and a [[No -Holds -Barred Beatdown]] of the heroes to the media.

* [[Who Dares?]]: Almost a [[Catch Phrase]] for Doctor Impossible.

* [[You Can't Thwart Stage One]]: Dr. Impossible has a few encounters with the Champions, together or individually before while he's still trying to put his [[Evil Plan]] together, but the final battle doesn't happen until he's in his [[Supervillain Lair|lair]] with his [[Doomsday Device]], having announced his intentions to the world.

* [[Zeppelins Fromfrom Another World]]: Dr. Impossible concedes that his Battle Blimp was [[Never Live It Down|a bit much]], but it sure put him on the map.