The Glorious People's Vanguard: Earth-S Korean Metahumans

[redsycorax]

I've just finished the first reconstructed story about Earth-S's North Korean metahumans, providing some background detail, personality and motivation to the "Scarlet Vampire", whom I've now renamed (in Korean), "Drinker of Blood" or Saengmyeong-Sul, and provided with historical underpinning. Using Captain Marvel Adventures 140 (January 1953) as source material, I've explained why his Scarlet Vampires supported the North Korean regime and why they attacked the allies in January 1953.  This will be the first of a series of stories retelling the Korean War North Korean metahuman adversaries stories from their own perspective, which are collectively labelled the "Glorious People's Vanguard" (which isn't a formal organisation, but a retrospective description):

5earths.proboards.com/thread/2019/tales-glorious-peoples-vanguard-saengmyeong

[redsycorax]

Here's my second reconstructed "Glorious People's Vanguard" tale. This time, I've delved into the past and provided an origin account for the "Great Red Brain". Who turns out to be not so committed to the Pyongyang regime as the aforementioned Scarlet Vampires and who manages to survive what was inaccurately* described as a 'fatal' encounter with the Marvel Family (Marvel Family 80 (January 1953), which it managed to manipulate into freeing it from Pyongyang. Incidentally, it also means that the Marvel Family didn't murder a sentient being, which might trouble those of us with contemporary sensibilities about killing and bloodshed, as well as heroic moral standards. I've even managed to interpolate the Red Vulture into the story as an incidental party, which I will expand upon when I get to that particular story. 

*From the North Korean and twentieth century vantage point, the Great Red Brain might have seemed to have perished. But...

5earths.proboards.com/thread/2023/glorious-peoples-vanguard-geueleiteu-beulein

[redsycorax]

The third reconstructed "Glorious People's Vanguard" story is now up. I've managed to provide some clues about the Red Vulture's background and motivation, and what happened to him after the Marvel Family had captured him. While he might seem a vicious piece of work, there is a reason for his behaviour, even if that doesn't excuse his actions. And I manage not to romanticise either side of the Korean War conflict- whether North or South Korea. The Red Vulture dies at the end and is viewed as a martyr... but there are some implications about why the Marvel Family were able to apprehend him and take him prisoner. I think I've done a good job here. See what you think:

5earths.proboards.com/thread/2024/glorious-peoples-vanguard-dogsuli

[kaiserleomon]

Very interesting to know about this, I think it could even be really cool if other countries in the world of Earth-S also had super teams of heroes, such as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, People's Republic of China, South Korea, Japan, India, England, France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Iraq among others countries that on Earth-S could have their own groups of superhero protectors!

[kaiserleomon]

One thing I was thinking about was the possibility that The Glorious People's Vanguard wasn't a group of corrupt heroes. They could be like The Winter Guard from Russia and the Tiger Division of South Korea from the Marvel Universe or even the Justice League of China or The Great Ten from DC Comics and they could be formed by legitimate heroes later in their stories and they could have members who would truly have pure motivation and actually want to do good. I mean, it's not because they are a group of superheroes from North Korea from the Earth-S Universe that they need to be all automatically "evil". The North Korean people nor the heroes who protect them deserve to be judged because of rulers like Kim Jong-il and the orders and abuses of tyrants who come to power. Just as the Russians do not deserve to be judged by the actions of Vladimir Putin and the people of Lebanon do not deserve to be judged by the actions of the extremist group Hamas, I think that perhaps it could even be interesting if, later in its history, The Glorious People's Vanguard gained members that they would be true superheroes and that they would be allies of the Marvel Family. What do you think of the idea?

[johnreiter902]

One thing I hope is touched on is that the Mile-High Mongol is the only member of the Vanguard who maintains a traditional secret identity, as a private in the Korean Army.

[dans]

I used to think that most people could separate what they thought about citizens of another country from what they thought about the rulers of that country. (not so sure any longer...) Anyway, just because someone was on the other side in a war doesn't automatically make that person evil. And not everyone who acts as commanded by a superior of some kind supports everything that superior does (unless it's a cult).

I always enjoy stories were two heroes of different ideologies are in battle, and then, one of them (usually the one who is supposed to be 'the bad guy') risks their life to save a bystander (who usually is one of the 'enemies') and the other decides that they don't really need to be fighting and maybe they can find common ground...

[redsycorax]

In answer to Kaiser's question above, the "Glorious People's Vanguard" wasn't actually a formal organisation of North Korean metahumans in the early 1950s. The term was retrospectively used to describe the various metahumans and action heroes that provided assistance to their country during the Korean War. As for their moral compass, it depends. Ironically, the Scarlet Vampire is probably the most patriotic of the informal group. He loves the Korean peninsula and his vampire community have lived there for centuries. He and his vampire community are memoralised and hero-worshipped in modern North Korea. The "Great Red Brain" actually wasn't that dedicated to North Korean communism. The Red Vulture is a darker figure. He's ruthless when it comes to enemies of his regime, but there's a reason for his brutality. Added to which, the North Korean regime doesn't exactly have a warm relationship with some of them, no matter what it might pretend and in the case of the Red Vulture, the feeling is mutual. I've left it so that at least some of the Glorious People's Vanguard have descendants in the present day.

As for friendship with the Marvel Family, I must confess I'm a little shocked about how bloodthirsty Captain Marvel and his companion seems in the original late Golden Age stories, even given Cold War anti-communism. In the original Red Vulture story, he throws a meteor at the Red Star space station, destroying it. In retconning it, I've made sure the station is empty, having been already evacuated. I've also had the Marvel Family not kill the Great Red Brain at the end of that story. Seriously, these depictions of the Marvel Family are not the ones that I'm used to. They'd probably get pulled up sharply by the Wizard Shazam these days if that happened, and rightly so. With great power comes great responsibility.

As for John's point about the Mile High Mongol, there are some interesting questions about how secret anyone's 'secret' identity would be in a totalitarian society. Still, this took place during the Korean War, when the surveillance capabilities of the current Kim regime were not fully developed and had to deal with wartime disruption. I'm leaving the Red Crusher until last, I think.

[redsycorax]

As you can see from the stories I've published about the Glorious People's Vanguard, Dan, the "Glorious People's Vanguard" have a range of personalities, motivations and origins. Which brings us to the fourth story. Mail Hai Choegang-Ui Mong ("Mile High Mongol") was a fearsome North Korean warrior giant and one-time adversary of the Marvel Family. However, his abilities have a tragic side effect and dark secret. Beloved as a patriot by his North Korean comrades, Mail Hai Choegang-Ui Mong/Jae Mong pays an awful price for his wartime exploits, breaking the heart of the woman who loves him...

5earths.proboards.com/thread/2026/glorious-peoples-vanguard-mailhai-choegang

[kaiserleomon]

Jan 18, 2024 23:55:25 GMT dans said:

I used to think that most people could separate what they thought about citizens of another country from what they thought about the rulers of that country. (not so sure any longer...) Anyway, just because someone was on the other side in a war doesn't automatically make that person evil. And not everyone who acts as commanded by a superior of some kind supports everything that superior does (unless it's a cult).

I always enjoy stories were two heroes of different ideologies are in battle, and then, one of them (usually the one who is supposed to be 'the bad guy') risks their life to save a bystander (who usually is one of the 'enemies') and the other decides that they don't really need to be fighting and maybe they can find common ground...

I also think the same way. It is not because the people and superheroes of a country that are portrayed as being "the other side" do not mean that these people and the metahumans who represent them automatically support the acts of their rulers nor automatically agree with everything these leaders do.No people in the world can be blamed for the orders and abuses of cruel and corrupt rulers.The people who make up a country are one thing, their rulers are another.

I believe that superheroes are heroes no matter what country they belong to and that even when they are placed in antagonistic positions in which they are forced to confront each other, they can still always question whether their motivations and beliefs are valid and seek a middle ground in which can do good and that they can come together to help each other do a common good and that together they can make the world a better place

[kaiserleomon]

Jan 19, 2024 0:09:46 GMT redsycorax said:

In answer to Kaiser's question above, the "Glorious People's Vanguard" wasn't actually a formal organisation of North Korean metahumans in the early 1950s. The term was retrospectively used to describe the various metahumans and action heroes that provided assistance to their country during the Korean War. As for their moral compass, it depends. Ironically, the Scarlet Vampire is probably the most patriotic of the informal group. He loves the Korean peninsula and his vampire community have lived there for centuries. He and his vampire community are memoralised and hero-worshipped in modern North Korea. The "Great Red Brain" actually wasn't that dedicated to North Korean communism. The Red Vulture is a darker figure. He's ruthless when it comes to enemies of his regime, but there's a reason for his brutality. Added to which, the North Korean regime doesn't exactly have a warm relationship with some of them, no matter what it might pretend and in the case of the Red Vulture, the feeling is mutual. I've left it so that at least some of the Glorious People's Vanguard have descendants in the present day.

As for friendship with the Marvel Family, I must confess I'm a little shocked about how bloodthirsty Captain Marvel and his companion seems in the original late Golden Age stories, even given Cold War anti-communism. In the original Red Vulture story, he throws a meteor at the Red Star space station, destroying it. In retconning it, I've made sure the station is empty, having been already evacuated. I've also had the Marvel Family not kill the Great Red Brain at the end of that story. Seriously, these depictions of the Marvel Family are not the ones that I'm used to. They'd probably get pulled up sharply by the Wizard Shazam these days if that happened, and rightly so. With great power comes great responsibility.

As for John's point about the Mile High Mongol, there are some interesting questions about how secret anyone's 'secret' identity would be in a totalitarian society. Still, this took place during the Korean War, when the surveillance capabilities of the current Kim regime were not fully developed and had to deal with wartime disruption. I'm leaving the Red Crusher until last, I think.

Yes, I noticed that you made this fact very clear in your stories with the Glorious People's Vanguard redsycorax, they are not a formal organization but rather a group of different metahumans who acted at different times during the Korean War. I was referring to perhaps there are heirs of these characters in the current times of Earth-S who would be true heroes and who would have good relations with the current Marvel Family. They could even be heirs to the members who served over the years in the Korean War and who would currently constitute a formal organization of metahuman superheroes in North Korea. I would also think it would be cool for groups of superheroes from other countries to appear in the Earth-S Universe, perhaps formed by counterparts of heroes such as Red Star, Godiva, Crimson Fox, Fire, Ice, The Olympian, Wild Huntsman, Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), Maya, Iman, El Gaucho, Jolt, Gloss, Golem, Doctor Mist etc. but I understand that this may not be possible because then we would have to take truly existing superheroes who appeared in Fawcett Comics comics and who currently they would be in the public domain to use them in these groups and this would probably not always be viable. Other than that, I think your work is fantastic. Congratulations .

[redsycorax]

Thank you, Kaiser. In one or two cases, yes, there are heirs/heiresses of the original Glorious People Vanguard members, although at present, they're limited to the Scarlet Vampire (there were other patriotic North Korean vampires who didn't join the core Scarlet Vampire protagonist), as well as a daughter of the Mile High Mightiest Mongol (aka Mile High Mightiest Mong in the story). Whether there were others remains to be seen. One thing is note is that they don't all share the same motivations or commitment to North Korea. However, in these cases, given that the original Scarlet Vampire and Mile High Mightiest Mong were indeed North Korean patriots and the Marvel Family intervened against them and their country in the past, there may still be bad blood in this context. Pyongyang is a dictatorship, remember.

[kaiserleomon]

Jan 19, 2024 22:16:01 GMT redsycorax said:

Thank you, Kaiser. In one or two cases, yes, there are heirs/heiresses of the original Glorious People Vanguard members, although at present, they're limited to the Scarlet Vampire (there were other patriotic North Korean vampires who didn't join the core Scarlet Vampire protagonist), as well as a daughter of the Mile High Mightiest Mongol (aka Mile High Mightiest Mong in the story). Whether there were others remains to be seen. One thing is note is that they don't all share the same motivations or commitment to North Korea. However, in these cases, given that the original Scarlet Vampire and Mile High Mightiest Mong were indeed North Korean patriots and the Marvel Family intervened against them and their country in the past, there may still be bad blood in this context. Pyongyang is a dictatorship, remember.

It's my pleasure to be able to comment ! I'm happy to know I would really love to be able to see heirs to the heroic legacy of the other members of this super team of Korean heroes who would be noble and heroic and that despite the dictatorship of the Pyongyang regime, they would legitimately seek to do good for North Korea and that they would be allies of the Marvel Family despite this not being well regarded by the regime, having legitimate heroes of the North Korean people supporting the Family of American Heroes and helping them save the world sounds good in the eyes of the world media and helps to divert global public opinion from the commands and abuses of the ruling dictatorship of North Korea and the new Glorious People Vanguard would serve to give the impression that at least with the North Korean heroes things were going well and they were truly worthy metahumans who would take on the legacy of their predecessors in the present and form a new version of the original Glorious People Vanguard. Who knows, maybe heroic heirs to the legacy of Scarlet Vampire (perhaps an eastern North Korean Half-Vampire or Dhampir version of Blade from the Marvel Universe supernatural scythe against the powers of darkness of the Universe of Earth-S who would love the people of North Korea and want to protect them from the powers of the dark world), Mile High Mightiest Mong, Great Red Brain (morally much more noble and heroic version of the original character and could maybe be a woman), Red Vulture (version much more morally worthy and less dark of this character who would be a truly brave hero, not merciless) etc? I would also find it incredible if by chance there could be Earth-S counterparts to the Global Guardians with superhero equivalents of : Seraph, Bushmaster, Olympian, Jack O'Lantern, Impala, The Little Mermaid, Doctor Mist, Tasmanian Devil, Rising Sun, Owlwoman, Thunderlord, Tuatara, Godiva, Wild Huntsman, Fire, Ice, Red Star, Cascade, Centrix, Fleur-de-Lis among others but I understand that maybe this is not currently in your plans here at the DC 5 Earths Forum nor is it possible at the moment do that, so it's okay with me.

[kaiserleomon]

I would also think it would be really cool if, as a counterpoint to The Glorious People's Vanguard, the South Korean government created its own group of metahuman superheroes to ensure a balance of powers with the group of North Korean metahumans and that they would be counterparts to Earth-S of South Korean superheroes like Mystek / Seong Barclay, who would have a much greater and more central importance, would be a more imposing and majestic character and who at least here would not need to die a futile and gratuitous death.

[redsycorax]

It's an interesting thought, but unfortunately I'm readapting a series of original 1950s stories from Marvel Family Titles and I'm afraid none of them had South Korean metahuman characters on the Marvel Family's side during episodes set during the Korean War. Still, it's probably certainly the case that during the Cold War, there probably would have been a metahuman component to the Cold War Korean peninsula conflict. It'd be interesting to see what might have occurred afterward, given the presence of several metahuman wartime threats to the territorial integrity and security of South Korea.