Dead character in the past

So I recently rented The Wild Bunch via Netflix, and I got inspired to do an Affectionate Parody of the Dark Age Of Comics. Essentially, the heroes were a team for a few years. In 1996, one team member was killed in action.

Several years later (i.e., today), one of the members, currently working for their universe's equivalent of SHIELD/FOXHOUND, is asked to bring the team back together for one last mission. (This character is a hybrid of the Midnighter and Nick Fury).

The team:

• An "artificial" vampire (basically a female copy of Morbius)
• A powerful psychic (since there were barely any psychics around back then, right?)
• A strong guy, a la Savage Dragon or Badrock
• A techno-organic shapeshifter (essentially a knockoff of Warlock from the New Mutants)
• A cosmic-powered hero (basically a herald of Galactus, turned down to about 40%)
• A quasi-mystical hero (this one will probably need some more work)

The thing is, I'm blanking on what archetype the dead hero(ine) could be.

Since this is an Affectionate Parody, there will be a few Take Thats at comics from that era ("Big shoulderpads and 400 pouches? What the heck was I thinking?")

BTW, this universe isn't one where the team is the only group of superhumans on Earth. There have been costumed heroes since the Fifties, so there are some references to other heroes. Also, Reed Richards isn't THAT useless, so things are a little more technologically advanced than this world.

edited 11th Aug '12 10:49:58 AM by RedneckRocker

I want to say someone like Batman or Superman, but I don't know if that would fit with the current team or the tone you're going for.

Basically, the idea is to show how the methods used by heroes back during the Liefeld days 20 years ago are a bit different than the way comics are these days. The plan is that at first, the former heroes are a bit out of their element (due to their 16-year break), but eventually, they begin to adjust. (Sorta like how the first Austin Powers movie ended, before the Sequel Reset).

As for the dead hero, I picture him or her dying the same way as Peter Dubois from Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves: Choosing to stay behind due to injury, to hold off the threat they were against, while the rest of the heroes manage to escape.

Go with a Wolverine-type character. A violent anti-hero who could take a lot of damage. You could even have references to the character's extreme popularity and his influence on other heroes of the time.