Settings and Worlds

[Damselbinder]

I suppose this is a question as much about superhero fiction in general as it is about peril stories specifically, but I'm still curious: what kind of settings do you guys like for superhero stories? To illustrate what I mean, here's a couple of examples:

Melting Pots
Partly because of their mish-mash history, your big two comic book universes are a complete melting pot of different fantastical elements. Marvel has scientifically altered super soldiers fighting alongside cosmically empowered spacemen, psychics, people doing literal magic, genetic mutants, robots, aliens, vampires, ghosts, scientific accidents, and actual, mythological gods.

Just Superhumans
The television series Heroes would be a good example of this. The world is completely mundane: no aliens, no monsters, no gods, no ghosts, no ghouls. People with superpowers are the only supernatural thing in the world, and though the cause of their abilities is left mysterious, the various interactions between certain powers tend to suggest that they're all caused by one thing.

One Superhuman
Worlds where only our hero is a superhuman, or perhaps them and max. 1 archenemesis. At the very least, superhumans are so rare that their existence is not known to the public. The Incredible Hulk series or the Ben Affleck Daredevilmight be examples, though I don't imagine this one is too popular with writers since it limits the kinds of adversaries our hero can face.

Superheroes, but no powers
Watchmen if you ignore Dr Manhattan; many versions of the Batman story; the film Kickass. There's crime fighters in colourful outfits beating up ne'er do wells, but no one has any supernatural abilities.

[Abductorenmadrid]

With my "Supergirl & The Broker" set I am trying to keep the world with just one superhuman in it (at least for the good guys' side). Yes, I have a "Spider girl" in that world too, but for all her gifts she not anywhere near the power level of a "Super". I also have a mind/memory viewing/manipulating character who is also pretty limited in ability. I prefer to keep things limited and streamlined because I find having many "Supers" would just make things too easy to fix. Human sidekicks are a means to expand the heroine's reach, pass on information or be the source of adventure. They are also mortal and can be put in danger.... a means to blackmail a heroine, perhaps!

[sneakly]

I like to have special rules. For example, in the world of Batman TV show, you weren’t allowed to use a gun to kill the heroes. In my stories I like worlds where the elimination of the heroine has to become some sort of perverse art project. Or the heroine can’t, for some reason go to the police. In my novel, Bridgett Bonds is framed for murdering her record producer, so regardless what happens to her she has no choice but run with her would be assassins hot on her trail. I love a good fetishy costume and smart, skills and pluck Andre the preferred powers. I love WW and supergirl, but when they are too super, authors tend to make them punching bags, which is not really my thing.

I also like to have interesting villains, they can be as much fun as an interesting heroine, sometimes more so. Having a billionaire crime boss is not nearly as interesting as billionaire crime boss with A knife throwing fetish.

And lesbians, sadistic lesbians, you can’t miss with sadistic lesbians... sadistic knife throwing lesbians....