Dang. I think I need some explanation here. Can someone do me a "So there's this Beast, right, and..." For Those Who Came In Late thing, much like happened with Haus' exposition on The History Of Comic Characters?
Tom pretty much nailed it.
In the original X-men, Beast was basically a chipper, brainy guy who was kinda husky... but really, really nimble, to the point where he was always hanging off buildings by his toes. Basically like a talking monkey character, only not exactly a monkey. A cross between a talking monkey and Einstein.
Then he started taking "mutation accelerator" serums, which made him more bestial. So he's kinda like a brainy, sweet Hulk. Transformation into the not-quite-human, but *intentional*. There's an element of self-sacrifice there, but also an element of being a Renaissance man (while the Hulk is more bipolar & just divided).
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I hate to say this, because it'll come off all superior which is not how I mean it, but Rage is totally Batmite.
If you think about it, Batmite's pretty awesome -- I mean, capable of going anywhere and, at times, altering the structure of reality itself. That's like a Spectre-class power there.
Only he's a big fan of the serious, hard-headed vigilante Batman, and most of the time Batman just doesn't get it. Just gets annoyed, rather than consumed with wonder. Often for good reason, too. Still, Batmite is a reminder that *humor counts*.
Plus, her approach follows Tom's principles about fixing the world vs. helping the world. Batmite is sometimes cast as a villain (changing the status quo).
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There's a Cholister match that's just slipping through the tentacles of my mind. I know I had it once, and I got there via the wrestling superhero lady in Love & Rockets. She's sort of an actual superhero, only in the fractured world of Los Bros Hernandez, she's more of a TV star. And the favorite auntie of some of the more central characters.
I can't remember her name, and it wasn't her specifically I was thinking of -- someone who followed from the same kind of archetype in some way. Dammit.
Irene Adler? I can't remember.
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There has to be a Plastic Man around here somewhere. Not sure who. Plastic Man is interesting because
a/ ...he's a reformed criminal (His relationship to law-n-order is just a fraction more respectful than Batmite's -- more of a fan than a follower, if you get my meaning). It's almost like he became a hero for *kicks*.
b/ ...he's capable of disguising himself -- in fact his regular face is an alteration of his *original* face, as Eel O'Brien. He sort of disguises himself as Eel O'Brien to infiltrate his old gang in some stories. There's something fiction-suity about that.
c/ ...because he's so flexible, he's basically capable of beating Superman in a fight. Oh yes, I said it. The ultimate geek-out. But it's true. He's not harder or stronger, but he's pretty much infinitely flexible. He's always morphing into things like airplanes or clotheslines or end tables... or an infinitely stretchable ziploc bag, say. Just big enough to fit a Kryptonian in.
d/ ...he's frequently misunderstood, often because of his criminal past. (At least he is in early stories. Later on, he gets a badge, mainly because he keeps pestering the local police chief.)
Good Lord, I halfway think I've described Bendt Chromeo/~BC~. How peculiar.
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Kegboy reminds me of Starman but I'm not sure why. Some sort of regular guy-meets-cosmic power kinda thing. Starman's basically just this dude who has a stick that harnesses power on the level of the Silver Surfer's. But isn't like agonized over it, or even particularly alienated. Kegboy's contributions in Magick are along those lines, I think.
There's something alien about the visuals, but not incomprehensible.
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I was hoping for Mystique though. She's my favorite. Mmmmmmm.