Presenting an evil organization

SYSTEM: ANY

So I was thinking of the organization I want to replace VIPER or any actual snake-themed organization in Strange City, and I want it to have the following:

• Identifiable costumes
• A focus on some aspect of comic-book-themed villainy
• A commander with a notable name

From an adventure point of view, I want a recurring group that does things and there's some in-world explanation why they keep doing it, because really, Cobra Commander should have hung up his snake tattoo long ago.

...and this came to me.


It's an organization. For now, we'll call it SKULL, but I don't know what that stands for, so it might change. The organization's founders have a clearly-defined market:

Wannabe supervillains.

Specifically, the kind who attempt to set up organizations to overthrow the world. You know, the kind that superheroes defeat on a regular basis, because their ideas are not top-notch. Maybe even half-baked.

They've set up a franchise operation, and they will help you create your evil organization. (There might even be a multi-level marketing aspect to it, where you get to sponsor a new evil organization.) They have many, many features that you can buy for your organization, and they get a cut of your income until you reach a certain threshold.

For buying in, they provide:

• Name recognition. Everybody knows and fears SKULL.
• Standard weapons and tactics.(Uniforms and weapons for twenty are included in the initial franchise fee, and you can always buy more from them.) Tactics are written in the Skin-Bound Book (their manual of policies and procedures), but you can buy training.
• Access to someone who will sell you a base.
• Computers, a link, and encryption.
• A cool name, like Commander Dread, Commander Plague, Commander Panic, Commander Destruction, chosen when your group is founded.
• Stationery and the facilities to break into local broadcasts and interwebs. (Check on YouTube: there are over twenty-five world domination threats stored there, from the last four years. There is a SKULL channel, and part of the Dark Web is devoted to it.)
• Two jobs by an established SKULL supervillain team.

You can also buy a base, and they will build one for you. The exact mechanism depends on your local geography, but they do have an automated borer robot that will dig out one of eighteen floorplans for you and put the exterior in place for an underground base. They actually have construction teams who will come in and do the interior for you, and it only costs a bit more. Plus, you don't have to kill them afterward; they're already bound by oath.

The Skybase is popular and based on reliable blimp technology, though more expensive than it used to be (because of the helium shortage). Only a few Islebases are available, but they're quite swanky.

Escape vehicles are essential, but do cost extra.

There is also an insurance company to insure your minions. Once you're caught, of course, coverage ceases.

Depending on your interests, you might want to buy laboratories to research That Which Man Was Not Meant To Know, or to research giving minions super-powers. (If you have enough money, you can buy a supervillain team for after those first two jobs.)

Basically, they can provide at a ridiculous markup anything you need, customized and with the SKULL logo.