Tropes exhibited by characters in World War X
Czernabog
The Slavic 'dark god', who appears in a manner rather similar to his appearance in Fantasia (an enormous winged black demon). Appears to combat the Nazi invasion of Russia. His physical body is destroyed in the battle with Nidhogg, but he lives on as a disembodied voice ordering around his minions. Koschei is his appointed champion and proxy, and he commands an army of demons and evil spirits.
- No Indoor Voice: HE'S LIKE MOST GODS THAT WAY. Except for when his physical form is gone, at which point he speaks in people's minds.
- Orcus on His Throne: He towers over the battlefield, summons great hordes of undead abominations, and... defends Slavic territories.
- Thanatos Gambit: He wrestles Niddhogg still so Wotan can attack, destroying them both. However, it only destroyed his mortal shell, sending him back to wherever it is he lives.
- The Voice: Killing off his physical form sends him to who-knows-where, from which only his voice is heard.
Sleipnir
The Steed Of Wotan, an eight-legged divine talking horse who Wotan left behind as his proxy. He is nominally on the Nazi side, but doesn't appear to care much for them. Not that it matters, seeing as at least some of the forces are in a state of cease-fire.
- Cunning Linguist: Has displayed the ability to gain instant mastery over other languages simply by looking at a native speaker.
- Sizeshifter: Frequently changes size to fit the situation.
Koschei The Deathless
Koschei is an enormous, silent, supernatural Slavic warrior. He cannot be killed outright by normal means, and serves as Czernabog's proxy in matters outside of Russia.
- Demonic Possession: Possesses Comissar Chabal in order to do anything.
Wotan
The Norse All-Father, Wotan was called down to assist the Nazi forces in the fight against the Russians. He accidentally released Nidhogg, and disappeared shortly after the dragon was sealed in the underworld again, leaving Sleipnir to act in his stead. He has turned up occasionally afterwards, either in person, by possessing Sleipnir, or speaking through a flock of crows. His son, Baldr, was used to power Erzengel. This caused him to return and beat Samyaza to within an inch of his life before feeding him to Nidhogg.
- Demonic Possession: Frequently does this to Sleipnir, sometimes against the latter's will.
- Enemy Mine: At first he and Czernobog fight each other. Then when he summons Niddhogg and it decides to disobey him, he and Czernobog must join forces to kill it.
- Eye Beams: Two variants—the typical energy blast, which fires from his intact eye, and a swarm of crows and ravens which he launches from his empty eye socket.
Rusalka
A Russian water fairy, Rusalka was placed under Eavle's mental control. After she encountered Sleipnir, she was freed and helped the combined Russian and Nazi forces to kill Eavle and destroy Erzengel. She has been following them ever since. She controls the element of water and ice.
- The Fair Folk: She's a water fairy. And fearsome when angry.
Einsatzgruppenfuhrer Ziegmund
One of the Nazi commanders during the battle, he joined the main party after ceasefire was declared. He is an nigh-skeletal vampire sorcerer paladin.
- Clear My Name: He is framed for an assassination attempt on Hitler. He goes about correcting this by fighting his way through the Reich.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Finds Eavle's work repulsive and disgusting.
- Lean and Mean: Described as almost skeletally thin.
- Our Vampires Are Different: Has fangs, superhuman reflexes, and can transform into a flock of bats at will.
Samyaza
A Fallen Angel who was working with Eavle. He was nearly killed by Wotan and then hurled into Nidhogg's domain, where he will be sealed for all time. He was working for Samael, and it is his death which sparks Samael's involvement.
- Angelic Abomination: Has five faces and wings covered in dozens of eyes.
- Bee-Bee Gun: The swarm of demonic insects that he stole from Baalzebul and placed under his control, which he uses for both attack and for stealing the power of others.
- Bloody Murder: His blood, it burns!
- Fate Worse than Death: After getting the everloving crap beaten out of him by Wotan, the All-Father tears open an entrance to Nidhogg's domain and hurls the demon in, allowing the dragon to use him as a chew toy until the end of time.
- Light Is Not Good: Loves to impale people with shafts of light, often keeping them alive: they are Forced to Watch as he does terrible things to their loved ones.
- Our Angels Are Different: A horrendous abomination with five faces and wings covered with dozens of eyes.
- Smug Snake: His plan, while sound, failed to account for several things, chief among them the fact that Wotan might actually come down there in person to beat the crap out of him once he learned that Baldur was powering Erzengel; this wound up getting him killed.
Dr. Novikov
A Russian scientist, Novikov appeared during the battle with Erzengel. He utilises all manner of high-tech gadgets and inventions in battle.
- Doomed Defeatist: Subverted. He will loudly exclaim that everyone are going to die horribly, but he'll soldier on regardless.
- MacGyvering: He constructs a tracking device in a very short amount of time from minimal materials, and later modifies it to produce a laser. Powered by cake.
- The Professor: Builds robots, weapons systems, and teleporters, but is definitely a good guy.
- Took a Level in Badass: He originally had to hide behind other characters and his robots, but is getting better. For example: taking on the Fenrisbrod with a handheld laser.
Fade (John Proudfoot)
The head of the Blackwatch, a Canadian Magical Native American special forces team who arrived on Gibraltar to aid the war effort. Over the course of his mission, Octavian kills all the Blackwatch except Fade. He was responsible for summoning the Wendigo otherwise known as Jade, his sister.
- Not So Stoic: Was The Stoic from the first few pages of his appearance until the above killing, whereupon he began to act much more human.
Gaueko/Gaueco
The first of the Basque Pantheon to appear, Gaueco is a god of night, darkness and black magic. He appears as an armoured humanoid with a wolf-like helmet, but transforms into a massive armoured wolf when pushed. He was originally a hound belonging to Hecate, but broke away and was adopted by Mari and Sugaar.
- Dark Is Not Evil: He has dominion over the night, and has the title, "Lord of the Black Magic". He also fights for the allies.
Mari and Sugaar
The two main players in the Basque Pantheon, Mari and Sugaar are a pair of Basque weather gods. Mari appears as a human, while her husband Sugaar is a snake composed of electricity.
- Energy Being: Marisugaar is a massive humanoid composed of lightning, and Sugaar is composed of lightning.
- Fusion Dance: Can either enfuse Gaueko's armour, or fuse together into a gestalt Energy Being.
- Shock and Awe: They are gods of storms, so this is a given.
San Martin Txiki
A diminutive old man who walks with a cane. His appearance is deceptive, however, and he is actually a trickster god and Mari's son.
- Flower Motifs: Not quite, but chestnut leaves are a major motif of his.
- Super-Speed: His top speed is unknown, but he can outrun every character seen thus far easily.
- Trickster Archetype: And his first appearance is intended to seem not unlike the fables surrounding the archetype.
Heracles and Hercules
The Greek and Roman Classical heroes, returned to life. Depending on who you ask, Heracles is either a rugged and manly warrior or a heathen barbarian, and Hercules is either civilised or an effeminate pansy. Either way, they are both enormous, nigh-invincible warriors. While Heracles is nominally on the Allied side and Hercules on the Roman, they tend to go off and do their own thing most of the time.
- The Big Guy: Twelve feet of brawn, bone, and (in Heracles' case) beard.
- Manly Facial Hair: Heracles has a manly beard, but Hercules is clean-shaven. Hercules thinks of it as a Beard of Barbarism, Heracles thinks of Hercules as an effeminate prancing manboy.
Centurion (later Tribunus) Octavian Lexitus
The Roman Centurion commanding the defence of Gibraltar. He was nearly killed in a fight with Fade and the Wendigo, but was repaired and returned to the battlefield. He is infected with the Wendigo's corruption, but he takes a drug, Vestium, which counteracts it's effects, at the cost of causing him to burst into flame whenever he takes it. He was promoted for his valiant, and almost successful defense of Gibraltar and currently commands the garrison at Granada.
- Accidental Misnaming: Called things like 'Octagon' and 'Octopus' by the Allies.
- Arch-Enemy: To Fade, after he kills all the family he has left. Except Jade.
- Malevolent Masked Men: Wears a gold mask to cover up various disfiguring injuries. His first appearance wearing it is when he kills a large portion of the crew of the Oberon.
Mars
The Roman god of War, Mars doesn't quite live up to his reputation. While he is definitely a threat, he is also a completely insane Cloud Cuckoo Lander more notable for his extreme eccentricity than his battlefield prowess. He is backed up by the Martians, a group of jetpack-wearing elite legionnaires with lightsabers and odd names (Mers, Murs, Mors, etc.).
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Gets derailed very easily, mostly because he forgets that he is a god, and so chases after mundane things.
- I Call It "Vera": His sword is named Harry.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Harry, and the wheels of Mars' tractor, are coated with "Insta-Gore". It's Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
The Wendigo
A cannibalistic Native American spirit, the Wendigo was released by Fade to wreak havoc on the Romans. This backfired spectacularly, with the Wendigo proving a serious problem for both sides. The Wendigo wields powers over the cold and ice, can eat others to increase in size and power, turn other into Wendigos, and can regenerate from almost any injury. Revealed to be Fade's sister, Jade, who was cursed. She is returned to her original state but retains her ice powers. She vows to atone for the lives she's taken. Is currently being manipulated in some way by Loki.
- The Atoner: Intends to pay for all the many lives she's taken.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Repeatedly stated to be interested in [[folder:Fade]], her brother. Octavian is squicked.
- Heel–Face Turn: After Paul Bunyan turns her back into a human.
- Human Resources: It's explicitly shown to get larger—and more powerful—with every human it eats.
- Nigh-Invulnerable: Damn thing is really hard to kill.
- Samus Is a Girl: The Wendigo is actually Fade's sister, Jade.
- Self-Made Orphan: Stated to have killed its parents as its first victims.
Briareos
A Hecatonchire (a type of giant with one hundred arms), Briareous was imprisoned by Oranos. Zeus offered to release him in exchange for help, but stabbed him in the back and left him behind. Loki releases him to rain destruction on Gibraltar during the Armistice. He leaves amicably, but it is discovered that he was merely another pawn in Loki's plan to enslave Zeus, who he releases off-screen in an attempt to gain retribution. His current fate is unknown.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Being a Hecatoncheir, he's got a hundred of them.
Zeus
The Greek supreme god of the sky and thunder, Zeus and his Pantheon were overthrown by the Romans. He was, until recently, chained under Mount Olympus, but was released by Loki, only to be bound into his service. He has since been freed, then escape from Tartarus, and is currently on the beach in Granada, brawling with Jupiter.
- Captured Super-Entity: He has been bound to the Well-Dressed Man's service as a result of Loki's Abstractor Spheres; understandably, he isn't happy about this. Because the Well-Dressed Man's control is absolute, he can go from perfectly erudite and amenable to trying to kill everyone in the vicinity at the drop of a hat. Now that the Well-Dressed Man has been defeated for the time being, Zeus is free of has been freed of his control...only to end up imprisoned within a cell in Tartarus by his treacherous brother Hades. Of course, the joke's on Hades; turns out that Pluto has absolutely no qualms about keeping both Olympians locked up down there whatsoever. Needless to say, Zeus' mood has only soured.
- Forced Transformation: In addition to frying people, Zeus can use his lightning bolts to brand people with an Omega glyph that will forcibly transform them into an eagle, a bull, or an oak.
- Green Thumb: Can control oak trees, and breaks out of Tartarus by causing one to grow so large it burst through the roof of the underworld and ruptures the beach at Granada.
- He's Back!: The King of the Gods is free, and stronger than ever.
- Took a Level in Badass: From dangerous comic relief to lethal battlefield god.
Jupiter
The supreme god of the sky and thunder, Jupiter shares many powers and traits with Zeus. He was responsible for the rise of the Roman Empire and the destruction of the Olympian Pantheon. He has appeared to return Zeus to his prison.
- Evil Counterpart: He's a counterpart of Zeus, and is perfectly fine with the Romans' atrocities.
- Large Ham: MY FINAL FAVOUR TO YOU WILL BE ENDING YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCE!
- Shock and Awe: He's a god of lightning and thunder, what did you expect?
General Shinshiro Kenji
The Japanese general in charge of the island of Mindanao, Shinshiro is a man with enchanted armour and light-based powers. He is killed at the end of the Mindanao arc; after being caught in the fallout of a mini-nuke he commits suicide rather than suffer a slow death by radiation poisoning.
- Light Is Not Good: Wears white clothing and has light-based, seemingly holy powers...which he uses to one-shot people.
- Meaningful Name: Means White Death.
Susa-no-O
The Japanese sea god, Susa-No-O patrols the seas around Mindanao and kills any invaders. He is incredibly angry and ill-tempered. However, he is killed by Samael, who uses a ritual to deprive him of all his power and the belief which sustains his existence.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Several allied fighters assault him with lasers, doing little more than sting him. His reaction? To smash them to bits with a freaking hurricane and cut the rest of them in half.
- Taking You with Me: Attempts to kill Samael by blowing up the oil rig Samaeal was casting the ritual that killed him from. It doesn't work, but disrupts Samael's ritual.
Tsukihime Kasumi
A Miko operative of the Showa Shogunate, Tsukihime infiltrated the Australian HMAAS Triumph disguised as a civilian. She is thwarted in her attempts the kill the Captain, and is abducted by Samael. She later returns as a brainwashed servant of Samael, and tries to bring down the Seiryuu and take all its power. She is once again thwarted, but she transforms into a Nephilim during the attack. She has shown some signs of rebelliousness, but not enough for Samael to worry about it.
- Evil Makeover: One that accentuates her assets, as it were.
- Flash Step: Present throughout, though taken up a notch with her Superpowered Evil Side.
- Master of Illusion: Disguised herself as a Filipino woman in order to infiltrate the Triumph.
The Christmas Offensive Team
A group of Australians gathered together to make an elite strike force, the Christmas Offensive Team consists of: the Bushman, an unnamed Badass Normal, Victoria Marshall, a mecha pilot, Tom Latigan, a teleporting assassin, and the Old Man, a similarly-unnamed man who is a master in unarmed combat and mysticism. Fathe Christmas (see below) is their Mythic backup.
- Let's You and Him Fight: With the BLU team, over the erroneous belief they shot at the Bushman.
- Taking You with Me: The Bushman rigged his clothing with large amounts of explosives, so that if he dies, everyone in the vicinity goes with him. He doesn't intend to use it, but instead uses it to get out of sticky situations.
Father Christmas
The Christmas Offensive's associated Mythical member, Father Christmas is the famed Yuletide spirit otherwise known as Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, etc.
- Large Ham: "SOLDIERS OF THE SHOWA SHOGUNATE! YOU HAVE ALL BEEN VERY NAUGHTY!"
- Playing with Fire: By way of enchanted flaming coals.
The BLU Team
The BLU Team have been recruited to help in the war effort against the Japanese. At present, only the Spy, Pyro, Engineer and Heavy have had much effect on the story.
- Evolving Weapon: The Engineer's mech, which is constantly being added to and improved.
- More Dakka: The mech has a Gatling and plasma cannon on its arms, along with a missile pod on the back and boosters. Every available exterior surface has a level-three turret (two miniguns and a missile launcher) bolted on it. And for close combat, it has flamethrowers mounted everywhere, along with a cloaking system.
- Psychopathic Manchild: The Heavy seems a great deal more affected by the death of the Engineer than a lifetime of war would allow.
Liberty Prime
A robot deployed onto the beaches of Mindanao during the first attack, Liberty Prime was instrumental in the fall of Mindanao, holding off Susa-No-O, providing a Landing Zone for troops, and killing Shinshiro Kenji. However, during the battle of Visayas, he was destroyed by the assassin Yugure. His remains were whisked away in the aftermath.
- Humongous Mecha: Big enough to go toe-to-toe with Susa-no-O.
- Patriotic Fervour: Can inspire this in troops hailing from America (FUCK YEAH!).
Yugure
An assassin working for Naito, Yugure seemed to be fairly normal, but he was revealed to be a Shinigami when the Seiryuu's spirit engines failed, allowing him to regain his lost power. He appears to be Naito's brother.
- Brought Down to Normal: Happens before the story starts, as a result of being to close to the Seiryuu and it's spirit-stealing engines.
- The Dragon: To Naito, once he becomes the ruler of Visayas.
- One-Winged Angel: Goes into full Shinigami mode after the Seiryuu suffers engine damage.
- Speech Impediment: Stutters badly.
Kalulu
A Tanzanian hare spirit, Kalulu is a trickster. He repeatedly messes things up for both the Nazis and the British, stranding the Implacable in the Sea Of Sand and disrupting the Luftwaffe attempt to attack the Implacable. His motivations are unclear, mostly because it is impossible to trust anything he says.
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: Sharp enough to bite clean through a man's wrist, at any rate.
- Expy: This hare is essentially what Bugs Bunny would be if Bugs displayed a sadistic streak and his violent antics were portrayed realistically.
- Precision F-Strike: Delivers one to a luftwaffe officer holding him hostage with a gun to his head.Kalulu: Hey, buddy, got a little secret I'd like ta share with ya. Might help the war effort to listen. C'mere. [...] I FUCKED YOUR WIFE!!! (proceeds to bite the officer's hand off and enters freefall while under fire, dodging in such a way that the hand takes all the bullets, snaps off the index finger and gnaws on it like a carrot)
- Rage Against the Heavens: His motivation for helping the British forces reach the Ark is so that he can be free from Chiuta's rule, or so he claims.
The Well Dressed Man (Loki)
One of the main villains, The Well Dressed Man appears to be manipulating everything that is going on. He first appears during the aftermath of the Poland arc in Soviets Vs. Nazis, but has appeared elsewhere since. His true identity is the trickster god Loki, of Norse mythology, and he is out to break free of his chains and prevent Ragnarok. His physical body is in the underworld, and he appears through astral projection. He is the father of the Decurion, the Private, Hel, and the mother of Sleipnir.
- Affably Evil: Dances, jokes, and is very polite before, after, or during his schemes.
- Blood Knight: Likes to foment bloodshed simply for his own amusement.
- Cheshire Cat Grin: It even disappears like its namesake.
- Made of Air: Most attacks simply pass through him, and he recovers pretty quickly from those that actually hit.
- Me's a Crowd: Another Loki appears whenever someone successfully lands a hit on him.
- Named Weapons: Surprisingly, he hasn't actually used Laevateinn yet; instead he has relied upon Mistilteinn, a shortsword fashioned from the twig of mistletoe that killed Balder.
- Summon Magic: In addition to the Fenrisbrod, he can conjure those who have been slain or enslaved by his Abstractor Sphere spell to do his bidding.
The Private
One of the Well-Dressed Man's loyal lieutenants, The Private takes the form of a British Army Private. He is really Fenrir, the great wolf of Norse Mythology. His physical form remains bound underground in Scandinavia, and he appears as an astral projection.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: His true lupine form is massive; he is shown to exceed even Erzengel in height.
- Dimension Lord: Stated to have absolute power over the fabric of reality within his prison. Outside of it, not so much.
- Fighting a Shadow: Really an avatar of Fenrir the Great Wolf from Norse mythology.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Like in Norse myth, he is bound within an underwater cavern that he has transmuted into his own pocket dimension. Subverted, however, in that his avatar is free to roam around and cause havoc.
- Super-Strength: He knocked Paul Bunyan's axe out of the air with a single kick—and keep in mind that Bunyan's axe must be near the size of a bus, at least.
The Decurion
The second of The Well-Dressed Man's lieutenants, The Decurion takes the form of a decurion of the New Roman Empire's army. He is actually Jormungandr, the Norse World Serpent. Unlike The Private, he is free, but his true, massive form is rarely seen and lies at the bottom of the ocean. The Decurion himself is merely a projection of Jormungandr.
- Breath Weapon: In addition to poison gas, he also possesses a strange organ that allows him to shoot intense beams of heat and death from his mouth.
- Eldritch Abomination: His true form is some vast, hideous...thing that combines the traits of crocodiles, anglerfish and gulper eels, has a vast number of tentacles and countless teeth. He is only slightly exceeded in the abomination department by the Aberration, and even then he trumps it in the evil department.
Samael
A Fallen Angel, Samael was Samyaza's master. When Samyaza was defeated, Samael appeared and made a bargain with the Well-Dressed Man. His ultimate goal appears to be causing a civil war between the angels. He has succeeded. He is also experimenting with a weapon to kill deities, and has been using it against the Japanese.
- Bad Boss: Doesn't seem to mind that his loyal subordinate Samyaza is now being used as a chew toy by Nidhogg. There's a trend here.
Hecate
Hecate is the Greek Triune goddess of the night, darkness, crossroads, and magic. She originally appeared in Allies Vs. Axis, working as a freelancer for the Romans in the hopes of enslaving Gaueco, who was once her servant. She was defeated, and disappeared. She later appears and strikes a bargain with the Well-Dressed Man to attain more power, and appears to be working on a weapon with which to hijack control of other Mythics.
- Animate Dead: Animates the spirits of the dead to attack Gaueco and later the Wendigo.
- Demonic Possession: Uses it to attack the group in Soviets vs. Nazis, possessing an unknown woman and then Dr. Novikov. She attempts it on Rusalka.
- Face–Heel Turn: Leaves the Romans and joins Samael and and Loki at the end of the 'Gibraltar' arc in Allies vs. Axis.
- Me's a Crowd: Can split into three copies of herself at will.
Phanuel
An Archangel, Phanuel is the commander of the Ophanim, strange wheel-shaped angels. He appears to be manipulating the characters so they will uncover important Judeo-Christian relics such as the Ark of the Covenant or the Spear Of Destiny. Phanuel is dead and this 'Phanuel' is merely the Well-Dressed Man masquerading as him to uncover said artefacts and restart the War In Heaven. So far, he appears to have been successful, antagonising Barachiel into attacking him. However, he has been uncovered by several parties as an impostor, though the angels are not one of those parties.
- Chrome Champion: His skin is a metallic blue substance.
- Light Is Not Good: Certain actions cast doubt on his supposedly good nature, such as how he appears to have mislead Sleipnir about the Knights Teutonic and sparking off Jade's rampage. It's now been confirmed that he is in fact evil.
- Our Angels Are Different: Four wings, four arms, no legs, metallic skin, and a wheel covered in eyes growing out of his waist. That moves, and looks at people.
- The Reveal: He's just a projection of Loki.
