Do you want statesman to return?

[Enchantica]

I found a way for statesman to return within the story arc content, should he return. i pray you say yes but...

[Enchantica]

I was doing the story arc's and I found a very cool way Statesman can return to life. Bring a great story arc to the game! 

[Maelwys]

Spoiler Alert: He faked his death and changed his name to Sandwichman; and is enjoying a happy retirement behind the counter at the local deli.
 

 

[Greycat]

Let him stay dead.

 

No ire towards the character or Jack, whose character it was, but I kind of like the whole "hey, others have this, you can rest now" that was portrayed in it. Let him rest.

 

Psyche, on the other hand, should come back and Gibbs-smack Manticore.

[Darmian]

1 hour ago, Greycat said:

Let him stay dead.

 

No ire towards the character or Jack, whose character it was, but I kind of like the whole "hey, others have this, you can rest now" that was portrayed in it. Let him rest.

 

Psyche, on the other hand, should come back and Gibbs-smack Manticore.

I agree....although a few Flashbacks here and there where a player could interact with him and get to know him a bit might be nice.  So that his death actually means something.

[BlackSpectre]

There were rumors... that Paragon studios had planned on bringing Statesman back, but not the real Statesman. He's dead. Emperor Cole, living in Primal Earth, decides to take up the hero's mantle...

[starro]

1 hour ago, BlackSpectre said:

There were rumors... that Paragon studios had planned on bringing Statesman back, but not the real Statesman. He's dead. Emperor Cole, living in Primal Earth, decides to take up the hero's mantle...

AMA with Devs circa 2012 

 

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/19qbHHrRmifxGPz60-_ApLNiwOmF5QVEMrXHgB1Nrd4o/mobilebasic?pli=1

[Skyhawke]

1. Lets the poor guy rest, he's paid his dues for almost a century,

 

2. His absence helps pave the way for our characters to become the new "greatest hero" (in their respective universes).

[Snarky]

[Snarky]

[Octogoat]

45 minutes ago, Snarky said:

 

Bring him back as zombie statesman.

[starro]

2 hours ago, Octogoat said:

 

Bring him back as zombie statesman.

That was part of an in-zone event for Halloween I wrote up once.  Something triggers the familiar zombie event, but with a twist as members of the Freedom Phalanx, recognizable NPCs  and lore related zombified characters show up in the zombie horde with the final battle 1-6 members of the Zombie Freedom Phalanx.    The defeat of the final Zombie Big Bads frees them of the zombie curse, sends them back to zombie dimension or dead characters like Statesman are laid back to rest until the next time the zombified heroes walk the earth.  

 

Source Inspiration: Legion of Super-Heroes #47 (Issue)

Edited November 30 by starro
i write horribly.

[Glacier Peak]

I see Statesman every time I login. 

[tidge]

I prefer 'evergreen' content, as opposed to having Lore that requires changing/evolving story arcs. I find that some of the missions for Incarnate content, or "Who Will Die?" are perfectly fine and can be enjoyable, but I strongly dislike the way they changed the Lore. "Warning: this mission takes place after Issue ___" is something I'm allergic to. I prefer content that can be played organically on any character. I strongly dislike what Live did to Praetoria and Galaxy City, and I'm not crazy about what was done to Dark Astoria.

 

Of the Live stuff that told an 'arc', yet reset things at the end... I rather like The First Ward.

 

Anyway, the above rambling is my "no vote" explanation.

[lemming]

4 hours ago, BlackSpectre said:

There were rumors... that Paragon studios had planned on bringing Statesman back, but not the real Statesman. He's dead. Emperor Cole, living in Primal Earth, decides to take up the hero's mantle...

Yep.  Though I do hate the idea.  Redemption arcs are cool, but that one was a bit much.

 

"They're just minor war crimes, it's not like he sold drugs to kindergartners while dressed as a nun."

 

*hides terminator badge*

[Luminara]

Looking back at Stateman's sum contribution to the story...

 

He had to be rescued, and he was a task force contact.

 

Yeah, no reason to resurrect him.

[Scarlet Shocker]

Nobody ever really dies in comicbook universes!

 

Even Warlock came back!

[Yoru-hime]

From a storytelling perspective, Statesman had to go. It's hard to ever make anyone else feel like the star of the show when you've got a nigh-omnipotent face of the franchise who absolutely everyone (readers and characters alike) knows will come swooping in to overpower the situation if it truly becomes dire. I feel like part of the advantage Marvel has over DC is that they don't have to constantly wrangle with the "What about Superman?" question for every story that reaches a certain scale. Yes, Marvel has some truly heavy hitters but none of them are as central to the universe as Superman is in the DC space.

 

Personally, I didn't like the way Statesman was portrayed. He was basically Superman without the humanizing influences of the Kent family and ironically ended up more removed from humanity than the character who was born on another planet. The only way I'd want to see Marcus Cole revived would be with a fraction of his original power. See how he adjusts to having to genuinely lead others rather than being an unstoppable force of nature and law unto himself.

[SeraphimKensai]

There's more player agency with the Superman equivalent character dead. There's a reason for heroes to flock to Paragon City without his presence.

[Go0gleplex]

I'd say bring 'A' Statesman back...though the original is long toast and stays that way. Someone new taking up the mantle (kinda like Green Lantern or Wildcat)  and being a focal point of hope in a time where shadows are growing in the cracks left behind. Is it Cole subbing in or yet another hero clone from one of several groups known for doing so or just a young hero with similar powers, etc.? The old arcs are there...but any of those three points contain potential for many more new arcs. And then there's the potential for trying to retake Praetorian Earth from Hamidon and its minions or just rescuing survivors from the ruins such as those that had been hanging on in First Ward despite the big kaijuu orbiting overhead. 

[Scarlet Shocker]

I would love to see Marcus Cole, formerly Statesman come back but a powerless version. A city leader, a representative of Paragon, a diplomat, a statesman if you will. His years of experience would be invaluable, even without his powers. Perhaps the Well of the Furies, realising he was no longer alive took its power back from him leaving him with minimal powers but he would still be a titular figure to guide and mentor younger (player) characters - and occasionally need rescuing.

[Ukase]

For me, Statesman is still alive. I cannot count how many comics I've read, and shows I've watched where someone was presented as dead, only to find out it was some other person or entity that merely resembled them enough to fool those who needed to be fooled. 

Just because the game shut down before this sinister plot-twist was unraveled for us doesn't mean my reality isn't the way things are. 

But in all seriousness, his echo in my temp tray is enough to suit me. The real States doesn't do squat for me. The Echo is at my beck and call. 

[dtjunkie]

Bring him back! Only Uncle Ben stays dead.

 

 

[Sanguinesun]

Statesman should stay dead and not just for story/lore reasons but also due to his association with Jack Emmert who deserves to not have more recognition through such a rez to his signature toon representing himself.

[Techwright]

3 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

I would love to see Marcus Cole, formerly Statesman come back but a powerless version. A city leader, a representative of Paragon, a diplomat, a statesman if you will. His years of experience would be invaluable, even without his powers. Perhaps the Well of the Furies, realising he was no longer alive took its power back from him leaving him with minimal powers but he would still be a titular figure to guide and mentor younger (player) characters - and occasionally need rescuing.

 

I had much the same line of thinking.  Bringing him back at the same level of power, same everything...no.  To me that leaves two options, both of which I find intriguing:

1. Bring him back in either a powerless or lower-powered status.  @Scarlet Shocker gives a good powerless description so I'll not dwell on that.  "Lower powered" to me has plenty of story options.  For example:  The game introduces a new NPC hero that integrates into the ongoing story.  His back story is a mystery. He has no memory and limited power, and for some reason is not recognized by anyone, though a sense of familiarity persists.  Like any player, he works his way up the skills ladder, and we encounter him periodically in this process with his story gradually opening up.  Eventually, a major story both unlocks his memories and recognition by those around him.  However, he's not the elite power of old.  Instead, this time, he's taking the "slow" path towards Incarnate power, avoiding the trap of the "fast" path as before.  His rediscovered memories are his real asset.  He may rejoin the Phalanx, but in an advisor's capacity, and more likely as an auxiliary member. 

2. We get him back but in a flashback zone like Chimerora.  Something like 1930s Paragon City at the start of the Freedom Phalanx.  He's every bit as powerful, but young, and rough around the edges with experience.  This also gives us a chance to meet and interact with his wife: Lord Recluse's sister and Ms Liberty's grandmother.