The Specials

Membership: The Strobe, Ms.Indestructible, Amok, the Weevil, Power Chick, Deadly Girl, Minute Man, Alien Orphan, Nightbird, US Bill, Eight, Mr.Smart;
formerly Stretchie Boy (deceased), Kid Guppy, Valiant Lass, Zip Boy, Hardcore Tommy, the Knockout Artist, Captain Elastic, the Purple Nurple, Strong Girl, Morsel

Purpose: To defend the innocent

Affiliations: The Crusaders, Verdict, The Femme Five, Sunlight Grrrll, Zip Boy

Enemies: Eurofag, the Birkenstock, the Manatee, Quack, Ubermensch, Vulcan the Firelord, Young Stuff (Crystal, Darcy, Kaitlin, Heather, Meadow), the Malignant Six, Arcanos from Arcturus

Base of Operations: Kansas, USA

First Appearance: The Specials (2000)

History: "We may not be the prettiest, or the smartest, or the most powerful. But we don't exist for the beautiful people of the world! We're there for the oddball, the rebel, the outcast, the geek!" The Specials are the world's sixth or seventh best superhero team.

Comments: Created by James Gunn.

Not as good as regular superheroes, but slightly better than you. At least, that's what the tag line for the movie said.

Thanks to Eduardo Diniz and Michael Norwitz for additional information about the team members.

The Strobe

Real Name: Ted Tilderbrook

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Superhero

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies: Unknown

Known Relatives: Minute Man (brother); Ms.Indestructible (wife)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: U.S.A.

First Appearance: The Specials (2000)

Powers/Abilities: Can shoot laser beams from his hands.

History:

Ted was a twenty-two year old college student and I, his brother Tim, was thirteen. One night we snuck into an abandoned photo-processing plant "on a goof." We were unaware that that supervillain Dr. Malevolent was using the abandoned plant as a laboratory (he was out at the time). Ted and I were tiptoeing across a ceiling rafter when Ted slipped and plummeted into a giant vat of experimental radioactive fluid. I tried to help him out but I only weighed sixty pounds (I was little for thirteen) and I toppled in after him. Eventually, we escaped from the vat and we collapsed outside the plant. Our skin was burning. It hurt. We had both fallen into comas when an ambulance delivered us to St. Dominic's hospital. There, Ted was pronounced dead but resuscitated. While "dead" Ted had a vision of God - that he was chosen to do God's work on earth. He said God was white and had sort of an oval-shaped head, but what he looked like wasn't the important thing and I should quit bugging him about it. Anyway, when we came out of our comas we found that both our bodies were suddenly enhanced with superpowers. Ted had the idea that was should don costumes and became The Strobe and Minute Boy, and it was neat.

Comments: Played by Thomas Haden Church

Ms. Indestructible

Real Name: Emily Chandler Tilderbrook

Identity/Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Superhero

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies: Unknown

Known Relatives: Ted (the Strobe, husband), Tim Tilderbrook (Minute Man, brother-in-law), Kid Comet (uncle), Gray Matter (cousin)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: U.S.A.

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Completly invunerable body, with the exception of her eyes.

History: A mutant from a family with a history of costumed heroism, Emily Chandler's powers kicked in when she reached puberty.

Comments: Played by Paget Brewster

Amok

Real Name: Caspar Drake

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Superhero, ex-emissary of Tyrannos, van painter

Affiliations: The Specials, formerly Tyrannos, Sinister Swarm

Enemies: Formerly the Crusaders

Known Relatives: Denny Terrio (uncle)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: U.S.A.

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Able to generate anti-matter blasts, flight.

History: High school dropout Caspar Drake was chosen by the world eater Tyrannos to be his emissary, transformed into the superhuman Amok, and sent to annouce to planets that Tyrannos was coming to eat them. However, after spitting in his boss' eye, and forgetting to warn a few planets because he was too busy slacking off, he was fired. Returning to Earth he joined the Sinister Swarm, but they were captured by the Crusaders and Amok was sent to prison for three years. Nominally rehabilitated, upon his release he joined the Specials.

Comments: Played by Jamie Kennedy

The Weevil

Real Name: Tony Sierra Jr.

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Superhero

Affiliations: The Crusaders, formerly The Specials

Enemies: Unknown

Known Relatives: Tony Sierra (Weevil, father)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: U.S.A.

First Appearance: The Specials (2000)

Powers/Abilities: Weevil powers - notably "weevil agility". Able to walk on walls, superhuman strength, superhuman leaping.

History: During a trip to Egypt, paleontologist Tony Sierra Sr. ate an ancient insect frozen in amber, gaining insect powers and became the crimefighting Weevil. When his son Tony Jr. turned 14, his father gave him a bite of the same insect, turning him into the second-generation Weevil. He used his powers as a member of the Specials, before accepting a position with rival superteam, the Crusaders (who recruited him largely because they didn't have any members who wore blue, and needed one for a new line of Crusader Beanie Babies they'd licensed.)

Comments: Played by Rob Lowe

Power Chick

Real Name: Nancy Glickenstaff

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Superhero

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies: Unknown

Known Relatives: Alien Orphan (adopted child)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: U.S.A.

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Able to transform herself into whatever substances she comes into contact with.

History: After taking an unidentified drug during a Grateful Dead concert, Nancy Glickenstaff gained superhuman powers, and became the costumed crimefighter Power Chick.

Comments: Played by Kelly Coffield

Deadly Girl

Real Name: Angela McCary

Identity/Class: Unknown

Occupation: Superhero, ruler of the World of the Dead.

Affiliations: The Specials; formerly Alpha Gamma Delta sorority

Enemies: Lord Vorhu

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: U.S.A.

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Can summon and command undead monsters like zombies and walking skeletons. Can warp in and out of the underworld, transporting herself across the Earth. Able to fire protoplasmic rays from her arms.

History: University of Michigan student Angela McCary and three of her sorority sisters accidentally opened a multidimensional portal to the World of the Dead while drunkenly messing around with a Ouija board. Taken captive by the World of the Dead's ruler, Lord Vorhu, the girls were tortured and disemboweled. The last to be sacrificed, Angela took advantage when Vorhu was momentarily distracted scolding one of his demons, snatching up the sacred Dagger of the Dead he had carelessly put down near her, and cut Vorhu's throat, not only slaying him, but unintentionally transferring his powers to herself, making her the new Ruler of the World of the Dead.

Comments: Played by Judy Greer

Minute Man

Real Name: Tim Tilderbrook

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Superhero

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies: Unknown

Known Relatives: The Strobe (brother); Ms.Indestructible (sister-in-law)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: U.S.A.

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Able to shrink.

History:

Comments: Played by James Gunn.

As he is at pains to point out, it's "My-newt-man".

Alien Orphan

Real Name: An unpronounceable word of 42 syllables that begins with an "M"

Identity/Class: Extra-terrestrial

Occupation:

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies:

Known Relatives: Nancy Glickenstaff, Nancy's unidentified life partner (adopted mothers)

Aliases: Doug

Base of Operations:

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Shapeshifter, able to take on a variety of forms. If his body parts are separated, even by an explosion, they will simply rejoin.

History: Alien Orphan was an extra-terrestrial child who offended his planet's religion, and fled a death sentance in a stolen ship, eventually crashing on Earth; he was found by the Specials soon after landing, and adopted by them. Originally a gooey green glob, with practice he has learned to hold an approximately human shape most of the time.

Comments: Played by Sean Gunn

Nightbird

Real Name: Shelly Madden

Identity/Class:

Occupation:

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies:

Known Relatives:

Aliases:

Base of Operations:

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Bird Powers. Can´t fly, but can lay eggs. She can´t talk to birds, but she is certain that they prefer her over other people. Good hearing.

History:

Comments: Played by Jordan Ladd

US Bill

Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Human mutate (allegedly)

Occupation:

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies: K-Martian

Known Relatives:

Aliases:

Base of Operations:

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength, able to lift a (metric) ton.

History:

Comments: Played by Mike Schwartz

Eight

Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Human mutates

Occupation: Scientist, school teacher, wrestler

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies:

Known Relatives:

Aliases:

Base of Operations:

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: "Eight Bodies, One Mind". Eight´s mind is divided into eight different people. They can do act independently, but always think with the same mind and can see whatever the other bodies are seeing.

History: Originally eight individuals who agreed to take part in a CIA sleep study on joint dreaming, the test subjects awoke from a successful joint dream to find themselves permanently psychically bonded.

Comments: Played by John Doe, Abdul Salaam El Razzac, Lauren Cohn, Tom Dorfmeister, Chuti Tiu, Johann Stauf, Brian Gunn and Samantha Cannon

Mr. Smart

Real Name: Graham Brakhage

Identity/Class:

Occupation: Inventor, superhero

Affiliations: The Specials

Enemies: Prank Master

Known Relatives:

Aliases:

Base of Operations:

First Appearance: The Specials

Powers/Abilities: Inventive genius.

History:

Comments: Played by Jim Zulevic

CLARIFICATIONS:

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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