Playing against ambuscade the other night, I couldn't help thinking what he'd be like as a hero. What kind of cards would he have in his hero deck, what additional or new backstory would explain his current stance as a hero, and what mechanics would be introduced that would maintain the feel of the Ambuscade villian while offering something new to the current hero roster.
Then today, I found this little nugget from Adam on a thread discussing competition in Sentinels, and the specific example of trying to use villain decks as hero decks: "Balance becomes a substantial issue at that point, if you were to use the same deck. Villains becoming heroes is a classic comic trope and we'd love to simulate that in-game somehow, but we won't do it if we can't do it well." (source: http://sentinelsofthemultiverse.com/forum/topic/cooperative-games-ftw)
So the gears have been turning - what about that future that Visionsry came from, or another future she's only glimpsed, could things have worked out differently there and one of the villains we've been facing down actually figts as one of the sentinels? The 12 year-old working away at the mill of my imagination can only wildly hope that >G has this same idea and is preparing a complete expansion that offers us some classic villains as new heroes and classic heroes as new villains (tell me the "angrier" Legacy from Visionary's timeline does not look downright maniacal).
If we are so lucky, what villains would you want to see as heroes? and how do you think they might play?
Personally, I'd love to see Baron Blade, having equipment cards that worked like his villain mechanic - each came in with a small number of hit points, and each would lose one point at the start of BB's turn, dealing him damage when they're destroyed, but if he can fulfill certain conditions before thy're destroyed (play certain combo of cards, acquire X number of cards in one round, etc.), he can replace them with some shiny invention. So essentially, a big risk character with some ridiculous equipment, and as a player, you'd have to decide which finished equipment you're going for, the giant exoskeleton that makes you a tank, the platform that allows you to manipulate the environment deck, the supercomputer that floods you (or your allies) with cards, or the shrink ray that makes specific targets easier or harder to pick off.
But what ideas do you have?
p.s. I imagine this post echoes some of the legal, intellectual property issues raised by the create a villain contest, and if no one minds, I make the above statements under the same conditions and understandings presented by GreaterThanGames for that contest. Feel free to use my ideas however you'd like - I make no claim to them, now and for eternity.