Relocating the Marvel Universe — Part 22 — Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA

PHILADELPHIA (Captain America, Triathalon/3D Man, Young Avengers)

In my version of the MU, Captain America has always been a resident of Philadelphia. The relative isolation of the city allows him an “outsider’s view” of Washington, D.C., and NYC, and that’s just the way he likes it. As a base of operations, Philadelphia provides Cap with inspiration to continue his mission, despite his time-flung origins. Naturally, the residents of the city are staunch defenders of the Sentinel of Liberty, and rally around him at a moment’s notice. Such support makes life especially difficult for any villain to engage Cap in a street-fight in the City of Brotherly Love,as residents are more than eager to lend a hand.
Notes: I know some might wince at Cap in Pennsylvania, but I think my reasons make sense here: He’s intentionally making himself an outsider. Sure he loves D.C. and NYC, but Philly is the birthplace of liberty, so why not have him there too.

Of course, given his far-reaching missions, Captain America is only a part-time resident of Philly. The rest of the time, the city is protected by 3-D Man (once known as Triathalon),a former Avenger with abilities that match Cap’s, though he doesn’t possess even half of the living legend’s popularity. Still, there’s a large group of Philadelphians who favor 3-D Man over Cap just because 3-D sticks to the city most of the time.
Notes: Philly is also a big town, and one man can’t do keep things under control all by himself. So, Cap is happy to have Triathalon to back him up. What about the Falcon? Oh, we’ll get to him in another state or two!

More recently, the super-teen group known as the Young Avengers has sprung up. The group, which consists of Hawkeye (the new one), Hulkling, Patriot, Speed, Stature and Wiccan. Some compare the upstarts to The New Warriors, but it’s clear that this group isn’t motivated by money, but by the thrill of adventure.
Notes: Well, not just adventure either, these guys are also inspired by Captain America. He sees this group as his “project” and monitors their activity quite closely, even though they don’t realize it.

PITTSBURGH (Angel/Arcangel, Black Widow, Bengal)

Having a great grandfather hit it rich in the Pennsylvania oil boom, Warren Worthington can officially claim to be the recipient of old money. And rather than work to expand those riches, the sole heir to the Worthington fortune has spent much of his life as a playboy … or at least that’s how it looks on the outside. In truth, Worthington has fueled much of his fortun einto research on the Mutant Gene and the funding the Xavier Institute. As the mutant Archangel, Worthington splits his time between the X-Men and his money managing duties in Pittsburgh. This has led to hundreds of Archangel sightings in the city, but relatively little in the way of any crime-fighting activities. Perhaps too aloof to deal with the city’s threats or simply too preoccupied with his role in the X-Men, Archangel is certainly a puzzle to many residents.
Notes: Arcangel isn’t very active in Pittsburgh, but that doesn’t mean that his efforts as Warren Worthington don’t make waves. Thanks to his riches, he’s got his fingers in many businesses in the area, and that means he has a keen idea of what’s going on in the city.

The Black Widow resides in the Pittsburgh area as well. When not on international or clandestine missions, she struggles to keep the down-and-out city from eating itself alive. Though hardly a physical threat to many supervillains, her expertise is in tactics, and that, more than anything, has helped her battle against super-powered criminals. Even her selection of Pittsburgh was a tactical decision, as its international airport offers her quick access to flights around the world. More importantly, she’s breached the airport’s security systems,which allows her to smuggle her equipment, her friends and her self aboard any flight she wants.

Notes: Sure this is a strange selection, but Black Widow should be played as a sneak, and “planting” her here helps nurture that. Why not NYC or LA? Well, Pittsburgh is where she likes to lie low. She eagerly travels whenever she needs to.

After multiple encounters with Daredevil and the New Warriors, the NYC-based assassin known as Bengal turned over a new leaf and went legit. Rather than train the man himself, Daredevil recruited The Black Widow to do it for him. With that, Bengal moved to Pittsburgh, where he trains with Romanov and,more importantly, serves as the city’s secret protector. Very few even know of his existence, much less his operations in the city, and that’s the way he and the Black Widow like it.
Notes: Yep, when the Widow’s away, the cat will play. Bengal isn’t into superheroing for glory. He’s in it to exact justice. He seeks no press and prefers life in the shadows.

HARRISBURG (Glorian)

Though far from a regular sight in the Harrisburg region, Glorian seems to make more appearances there than anywhere else on Earth.

As such, the gold-skinned near-god has been adopted by the residents of the region as their protector. Glorian, of course, is tickled pink at the such an idea, and always checks in on the area when he’s in earth.This survelliance has indeed led to a number of spectacular battles between him and other beings, including the Hulk and several alien armadas. As an apprentice to the Shaper of Worlds, Glorian’s influence on the area has also been felt numerous times, as he’s reshaped parts of Central Pennsylvania here and there, including dampening the effects of the Three Mile Island meltdown, warping the local geology and,according to some, retroactively creating the Amish religion. Of course, with powers like his, strange rumors are always bound to spring up.
Notes: This is MY home turf, so I figured I’d do something really strange here. Anyway, I can see more than a few strange stories popping up just by giving Glorian a place to call home.
And let me say, apparently he’s went through some changes since I last read a Glorian story. As you see at right, he’s now a bit more … uh … maniacal.
But never fear. I can reform him!

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE (Manslaughter)

The oddball vigilante known as Manslaughter appears to call the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre areas his home. A skilled telepath, the one-time Defender particularly focuses on hunting down and killing mobsters and career criminals in the greater NYC metroplex.This means that Manslaughter wanders over a five- or six-state area in his hunts. His mobility is only limited by long down-times when the strains of his telepathy wear on him. It’s during these times that he frequently appears in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre to take on local threats that barge into the area. Due to their closeness to NYC and other high-population areas, the two cities often find themselves victim to supervillians on the lam.
Notes: This area is known to be a hub of the drug trade and mafia “safe area” (at least in the MU), and Manslaughter is doing his best to keep that element (and supervillians) out. His closeness to NYC results in frequent trips there and into New Jersey. Hardly an investigator or tactitician, Manslaughter just goes in guns and powers blazing.