Superhero Picker
Who gets the splash page?
Who is on the page?
Tap heroes to add or remove their panel (up to 12).
Not which hero already exists — which one you are about to be. Shortlist the powers you would actually want, press Make the Splash, and an action burst goes flying from panel to panel across the comic page. It settles on one, the rest of the page greys out, and your panel bursts open into a full splash page.
- Drawing prompts
- Playground roles
- Story building
Not which hero exists — which one you are about to invent
Most superhero pickers hand you a name off a list you already know. This one hands you a power, because that is the part you can actually build on. Land on Shapeshifter and you have a character to draw, a role to play and a problem to solve. Land on Tech Genius and you have a hero with no powers at all and a much harder job.
How the comic page works
Tap powers on and off, or type your own. The page relays itself around whatever is left.
A BAM travels panel to panel, slowing as it goes. Every panel it crosses jolts.
The page greys out and your panel bursts open to fill it, action lines and all.
The twelve archetypes, and what each one costs
Almost every hero ever written is a variation on a small set of powers. What makes them interesting is never the power itself — it is the thing the power cannot fix. Use the right-hand column as the seed for your character.
| Archetype | The power | The built-in problem |
|---|---|---|
| Speedster | Outruns everything | Cannot slow down for the people who need them to |
| Powerhouse | Strength without limit | Every solution is a blunt one |
| Telepath | Reads minds | Knows exactly what everyone really thinks of them |
| Tech Genius | Builds the answer | No powers — if the gear fails, so do they |
| Shapeshifter | Becomes anyone | Slowly loses track of who they started as |
| Master Archer | Never misses | Brings a bow to a superpower fight |
| Mystic Sorcerer | Bends the rules | Every spell has a price, and it always comes due |
| Winged Flyer | Freedom of the sky | Useless indoors, and a target outdoors |
| Shadow Stalker | Never seen coming | Trusted by nobody, including the other heroes |
| Elementalist | Commands nature | Cannot use it anywhere near bystanders |
| Gadgeteer | Right tool, every time | Only as good as what they packed this morning |
| Anti-Hero | Gets results | Nobody wants them at the celebration afterwards |
A note on the artwork. Every icon here is an original, generic power symbol — a bolt, a bow, a pair of wings, a wrist device, a toolbox. Nothing depicts or imitates any licensed character design or logo. Character names are shown for identification only and remain the property of their respective owners; this is an unofficial fan tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Ways people use it
- Invent an original hero. Take the power and the problem next to it, and you already have a character with a conflict.
- Drawing challenges. Draw the power rather than a copy of someone else's character.
- Playground and party roles. Settles the "I want to be the strong one" argument before it starts.
- Tabletop and improv. Roll a hero type and play the whole scene as them.
- Writing prompts. Give the power to someone who absolutely should not have it.
Why the power matters more than the costume
Ask a room of children what superpower they want and nobody hesitates. Ask which hero they want to be and they will name whoever they saw most recently. The power is the part people genuinely have an opinion about, and it is the part that makes a story move — a character who can fly has different problems from one who can read minds, before either of them has a name or a cape.
It is also the part you are allowed to own. Nobody invented flight or super strength; they are shared furniture that every generation rearranges. Starting from an archetype means whatever you build next is yours.
A fair pick, every time
No panel on the page is luckier than another. The winner is drawn uniformly over positions using your browser's cryptographic random generator before the burst moves, the heroes are shuffled into fresh panels on every run, and the burst is sent to each panel's exact centre with nothing clamping how far it can travel — so a corner panel comes up exactly as often as a middle one.
More hero and character pickers
After specific characters instead of powers? Try these:
- Want the Marvel roster? Spin the Marvel Character Picker.
- Prefer DC? Try the DC Character Picker.
- Just the powers, in more detail? Roll the Superpower Picker.
- Fancy the other side? Run the Villain Picker.
- Want more? Browse all random pickers.