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I just read Day of Vengeance for the first time and my favourite part was when Detective Chimp is trying to think up a name for the team they are putting together to fight The Spectre. They eventually pick The Shadowpact, which I think is a pretty cool name. But one of his suggestions is 'The Oblivion Bar's All-Star Discount Hero Squad and Goodtime Travelling Bingo Show' which I reckon is much, much better.

Which teams could do with a new name because theirs is too boring, or you can think up a better one?

Which teams' name was bad right from the start, because it was just ridiculous or didn't really describe the team at all? Or it's just too plain?

I'll start. I loved Kurt Busiek's 'Power Company', but not because they were any good. I always thought their name sucked, because 1) They really, really weren't powerful at all and 2) they sounded like they wouldn't win many fights, but if your house needed re-wiring they might be able to pop round in their van and give you an estimate for repairs.

Thoughts? ( It doesn't have to be good guys, villains count too)

I know it's heresy, but the Avengers. I mean, how many of their missions actually involve getting revenge against someone or something?

Avengers was picked because it sounded cool. In that way its like a band name. But yeah, mostly it isnt very literal.
The Fantastic Four isnt bad, just really self centered on Reed's part...calling himself Mr. Fantastic intimates the team is "his".
A good name would have been Challengers of the Unknown, but Kirby used it about 4-5 years earlier.
Not very helpful, but, i'm sleepy...

I think the Avengers and the Defenders could do with a name swap. Or maybe have the Avengers take the Champion's name, because Champions reflects them better.


Titans never really said much about the team, I think Young Justice works better.

Justice League and Justice Society and Legion of Superheroes are, I think, the gold standard of names. Well, the 'of America' bits on the first two would be more fitting, since they're global from day 1, but aside from that they're good.

The Avengers as the Champions is pretty good!

How about New Warriors instead of Teen Titans/Titans?

Oh, the Power Company could have just gone with Heroes For Hire.

I hate The Future Foundation, both as a concept but mostly the bad name - it reminds me of some naff 1990's trance band or something. I imagine them dancing round waving glow sticks and getting loved-up on e's.
Brotherhood of Mutants originally called themselves the Brotherhood of EVIL Mutants, in case people were too stupid to realise they were bad I guess.
Squadron SUPREME always seemed a big stretch for me, considering Hyperion was their big hitter and then way, way, way down the line come all the rest. 'Squadron Slightly Above-Average with our Big Guy who we Hope doesn't Decide to Break Up the Group and Go Solo'.

Originally posted by Endless Mike
I know it's heresy, but the Avengers. I mean, how many of their missions actually involve getting revenge against someone or something?



your thinking of the 1st example.

They don't really fit definition 2 either, though. Like most superheroes, they're first responders.

An example of a team that actually 'avenges' would, say, be X-Force. "A bunch of mutant's greatest enemies have been resurrected by Bastion? Let's kill them all again, no waiting for them to strike." Or the Authority.


Originally posted by riv6672
The Avengers as the Champions is pretty good!

How about New Warriors instead of Teen Titans/Titans?

I'm not sure... neither the Titans nor the actual New Warriors tend to be the most war-like team.


New Warriors is a name I'd expect of a lot of Norse or Amazon characters.

Originally posted by Q99
They don't really fit definition 2 either, though. Like most superheroes, they're first responders.

An example of a team that actually 'avenges' would, say, be X-Force. "A bunch of mutant's greatest enemies have been resurrected by Bastion? Let's kill them all again, no waiting for them to strike." Or the Authority.
.

Except that's not really avenging with that X-Force example

Avenge has more to do with setting something right which has wrong, To Correct an imbalance.

Originally posted by Q99
I'm not sure... neither the Titans nor the actual New Warriors tend to be the most war-like team.


New Warriors is a name I'd expect of a lot of Norse or Amazon characters.

Ah, ok. Being literal, eh?
How about "Young men & Wen who used to be Sidekicks and some random Teen Agers with a Short Life Expectancy" for the Titans, and "Not Really New because all of them had been around for Years before Teaming Up and One Actual New Character who's kind of Batman Lite Heroes no one Knew what to do with so they gave them to Nicieza" for the Warriors?

Alpha Flight could go with The Defenders, since thats what they're purpose was when conceived by the Canadian Govt.

What about The Invaders?.......they don't literally invade other countries .

Good point!
The Allied Forces?

Doom Patrol. How much actual 'patrolling ' did they do?

And what about the key words in bunch of these teams - 'league', 'corps', 'society', 'squad/ron', 'legion' etc. Does the choice of moniker effect the 'feel' of the group? And is it only villains who would call themselves a Syndicate, because it sounds sort of illegal? I mean, "Justice Syndicate" sounds a bit like they might be dispensing justice but taking a few bribes in the process.

Originally posted by riv6672
Ah, ok. Being literal, eh?
How about "Young men & Wen who used to be Sidekicks and some random Teen Agers with a Short Life Expectancy" for the Titans, and "Not Really New because all of them had been around for Years before Teaming Up and One Actual New Character who's kind of Batman Lite Heroes no one Knew what to do with so they gave them to Nicieza" for the Warriors?

Alpha Flight could go with The Defenders, since thats what they're purpose was when conceived by the Canadian Govt.

Riv, you clearly have a talent for this. What's the funniest alternative name you can come up with for the Avengers?

"The Better than but not as Popular as the X Men And Yes they stole The Beast after WE made him Cool but Thats Okay because our One Movie kicked Their Entire Franchise's Ass Corps"?

Originally posted by riv6672
"The Better than but not as Popular as the X Men And Yes they stole The Beast after WE made him Cool but Thats Okay because our One Movie kicked Their Entire Franchise's Ass Corps"?

I can't wait to see that on the next movie poster

The Invaders- weren't they WW2? I.e. created to help re-take Europe? It loses relevance after the war, but that's at least one invasion.

Originally posted by riv6672
Ah, ok. Being literal, eh?
How about "Young men & Wen who used to be Sidekicks and some random Teen Agers with a Short Life Expectancy" for the Titans, and "Not Really New because all of them had been around for Years before Teaming Up and One Actual New Character who's kind of Batman Lite Heroes no one Knew what to do with so they gave them to Nicieza" for the Warriors?

Alpha Flight could go with The Defenders, since thats what they're purpose was when conceived by the Canadian Govt.


Well, they don't *have* to be literal, but if they're descriptive I do expect the descriptions to somewhat fit.

Alpha Flight's a pretty good name. To me it implies quality, that they're a top shelf team.


Hm, a good name for a not-so-great team: The Global Guardians.



Originally posted by wuleecat
Doom Patrol. How much actual 'patrolling ' did they do?

And what about the key words in bunch of these teams - 'league', 'corps', 'society', 'squad/ron', 'legion' etc. Does the choice of moniker effect the 'feel' of the group? And is it only villains who would call themselves a Syndicate, because it sounds sort of illegal? I mean, "Justice Syndicate" sounds a bit like they might be dispensing justice but taking a few bribes in the process.

I think it does affect the feel.


'Society' gets a wider, 'we do more than just fight' feel, which is fitting since back in the day they were almost everyone, and nowadays they have the old guard, new guard, and younger heroes that're being mentored by the above.

League gives a sense of organization, but less of a sense of the non-crime fighting efforts. This is a group of different heroes leaguing together for justice.


Syndicate has a business vibe. It says you're either in business (akin to heroes for hire), or, alternatively, 'business' in the mafia sense (aka what all the 'syndicate' teams are).

Squadron has a bit of a military vibe to me. "We're a combat unit," type thing.

Legion.... well, it means there's a lot of them, which is certainly accurate ^^

Too literal? No such thing!

The Frightful/Fearsome/Fatal Four all serve as possible alternates to each other ^^