Villain classes

We know some things about villain classes: We know that there are A, B & C class villains. Dr Reaper is off the top of the A list. Dr Diabolik, with his 17,000 kill total, is at or close to the top of the B class, and makes sure he does not get labelled A class. The only reason Squidly isn't D class is because "we don't have a D class".

To the best of my knowledge, we have not seen someone labeled as either a high C or low B class villain. Where is the dividing line? If someone with a five figure death toll is only B class, the lower end should still be pretty high. As far as I can tell, most villains should be C class. Is this correct? Also, there can't be very many A class villains, or there wouldn't be anyone left alive.

Also, who is "we"? Who assigns these classes?

Finally, we know that Deathlist has a $2 billion dollar bounty on him. Do all A class villains have similar bounties? Is that why Dr D. does not want to be an A class villain?

For who assigns the rating, I'd say it depends on which section of society you're talking about.

The MSM would have their own ratings and reasons. Dr. Diabolik has a high death count, but his idea are boring and don't sell the news very well, so he's not necessarily headline news. The ones who purposefully go for a high kill count, and are willing to or enjoy killing reporters, they get the top spot.

Insurance, companies and some governments will care more about property damage and massive theft more than a high death count. So Dr. Diabolik gets a high A, but a murder happy psychopath who leaves hundreds or a few thousand bodies of regular civilians behind them, are Low A or a high B.

Superheroes will debate amongst themselves. Hero killers will always be rated highly, but what about Diabolik, who doesn't aim to kill superheroes and never targets them unless they go after his kids, but does a lot of damage?

And regular people will almost always put someone with a high kill count at the top. Especially if its random and terrifying, like Dr. Reaper.

I had the impression that Class A supervillains were treated more like sapient natural disasters.

The Strega is an A Class threat for example. She appears and you are mobilizing a lot of heroes or very powerful heroes.

D class would be expendable mooks from the foundation

Nah really, the Dullahan in Scald-Crow is a D-List Merc.

So the Superbad's crowd doesn't rate a listing generally?

Cryptic wrote:

So the Superbad's crowd doesn't rate a listing generally?

Basically they are all C-class.

Supervillains seem to have a combination of several traits, which would land them in whatever rank you would have them.

I'm thinking of four offhand but there may be more to consider. Power, notoriety, body count, and collateral damage.

So, for example, someone like Mimeo has incredible power but no body count, little or contained collateral damage, and notoriety only among the hero set and those he's stolen from. So even though he can take down pretty much whoever he wants, he's nowhere near A-tier. He's interested in money and living the good life; not much else.

Contrast this with Deathmaiden. High power obviously, but also high body count, some but not extreme collateral damage (comparatively speaking here), and extremely high notoriety. She's definitely in A-tier.

A-tier is pretty rare, all told. Reaper of course. The Necromancer. Wulfin. Strega. Arguably, others like Deathlist or the Chessmaster.

Lots and lots of villains who may have the POWER to be A-tier have no desire to be. Gizmatic is content running Karedonia and being a mad scientist. Diabolik is a well-intentioned extremist, who's in it for principle. Lady Hydra was probably not either when she was an active villian. And so on.

Of course, low-power villains don't have what it takes even if they wanted to be A-listers.

The entire point of Villain 'classes' is the measure of the threat that they pose to the General Population, to Social Stability and Global Welfare. While their power is an issue, it is their aggressiveness and agenda that are the real determining factors. Mimeo's power level is high, but his agenda is to make some quick money and live the Good Life. Take over the world? Not his style.

Wulfin the Purifier, on the other hand, has a high personal power level, has an impressive organization behind her, and WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE EFFING WORLD. Dr. Diabolik, has the first two qualifiers, but doesn't seem to be interested in conquest or reordering the power structure. Besides, he says that thing with Toronto was a big mix-up.

Professor Reaper, the world's first and only AAA level threat, has incredible technology, a body count in the MILLIONS, a property destruction level in the hundreds of billions, and allegedly wants to kill Billions more. When the Reaper shows up, the rules change drastically

Who assigns the villain classes? It seems to be official somehow, but I am not clear how.

Well, as with so many things, it depends. At the D, C and for the most part, B levels, these rankings are decided by Law Enforcement Organizations, pretty much by informal consent.

At level D, we're talking about yoyos with silly outfits and some gimmicks. The Los Angeles Crips pose more of a threat to the average citizen and the general welfare than the Squid does. Local Police handles these clowns.

At level C, we're talking competent career criminals with access to metahuman traits or exotic technology or top-of-the-line training, who pose an immediate danger to the average citizen, and are a threat to everyday police. They are handled by local police, but the State Police (or State Troopers or Highway Patrol) have dossiers on them, and the case is shared with the FBI if they move over state borders. The FBI freely shares files with INTERPOL, the RCMP and the Mexican Federales, and with New Scotland Yard, the French CID and other foreign police agencies on a case by case basis.

At level B, we are talking about dangerous individuals with SOTA or beyond technology, City-level threat personal metahuman abilities or backup organizations that equal or rival a National Guard division. These cases are handled by the FBI with assistance by local and state level police agencies. When a B-level supervillain is known to be operating the state governor is routinely alerted with requests for mobilizing the local National Guard. Level B supervillains have full-time case officers at the FBI and equivalent international LEOs. Note that the FBI has Crawford and a team of Special Agents putting Chez Diabolik under 24/7 surveillance, despite the fact that Jadis and Mal don't spend a lot of time there. Why? Because it's what they can do.

At level A, we have individuals who pose a clear, present and ongoing threat to Global Peace and Stability, and are regarded as too potent for conventional Law Enforcement to handle. This is where the kid gloves come off. An A ranking is imposed by the UN Security Council. There are a raft of very nasty, but generally agreed necessary, measures attached to an A ranking. Upon verification that an A rank supervillain is in a jurisdiction, it is treated as a State of Emergency, and Martial Law is routinely installed. In the United States, Posse Commitatus is temporarily suspended for that locality, the Armed Services are put on high alert, the National Guard is mobilized, and local Superhero teams are given special clearance. Sovereign Nations harboring an A-rank supervillain risk censure in the UN, suspension of normal relations with other nations, and possible military action, Even Karedonia and Wallachia don't (admit to) harbor A-rank supervillains. A-list supervillains routinely have entire divisions of LEOs dedicated to tracking and researching their backgrounds, agendas, associations and possible plans. The US, Russia, China, and NATO each have special military outfits specially outfitted and trained to deal with that individual and their backup organizations. Financial institutions that handle the fiscal matters for an A-list supervillain and/or their organization risk immediate forfeiture of ALL their holdings, pending a review.

And finally, there's Professor Reaper, the first and only AAA rank supervillain, a category created especially for him. All of the measures instituted for A rank supervillains apply, with Top Priority. There is a special body of international agreements known as 'The Reaper Protocols', that expedite immediate reaction to whenever the Reaper appears. Most famous of these protocols in the offer of free passage to any individual, regardless of Wants or Warrants, for three days after the Reaper Incident, even if that individual was in jail or prison for capital crimes, IF they actively resist the Reaper or assist local authorities in repelling the Reaper. In other words, if/when the Reaper shows up, they will release imprisoned supervillains if they act against the Reaper. If they agree and simply up and run, it's understood that when they're captured again, they won't be imprisoned, but simply gunned down like dogs.

The point of the ranking system is to determine what the appropriate level of budget, manpower, support and priority that individual merits. Hey, these people have to worry about budgets. Dr. Insidious and the Squid barely rate more attention than a low-level street gang. A detective investigating a C list supervillain can expect an office, reasonable priority, backup from SWAT, and will have a rundown on local superheroes who have faced that perp. There will be a task force to bringing down a B-list supervillain and/or their backup organization. An A-list supervillain has international task forces devoted to bringing them in, and get immediate top priority. And Prof. Reaper? If the Reaper showed up in Tokyo, Godzilla would get shunted down the level of priority.