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Ingame References

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Overview

Much like Easter Eggs, the "City of" franchise is filled with slang and references to outside material. Some times these take the name of a zone, or an issue update. Other times a contact will be a wink towards one of the Developers favorite shows or games. While these may seem similar to Easter Eggs, they're usually not hidden, just requiring knowledge of the outside material.

Issues

City of Heroes Issues are traditionally named after chapters in various books

Badges

  • The exploration badge, Around the Bendis Badge, is likely named after Brian Michael Bendis, a comic book writer best known for the cop/superhero series, Powers and work on various Marvel titles.
  • The exploration badge, Doc Whedon Badge, is likely a reference to Joss Whedon, a writer best known for the Buffy, the Vampire Slayer television series. Whedon has also been a comic book writer, working most recently on Astonishing X-Men for Marvel comics. The "Doc" portion is reference to Doc, a another character in Whedon's Buffy series.
  • The Achievement badge Malleus Badge seems to refer to the Malleus Maleficarum.
  • The Exploration Ace Badge mentions that the hero is named Mustang. The text has been changed at some point and I remember that same hero being called Corsair. Both names come from American fighters which saw considerable action during WWII in the Pacific theater: Mustang and Corsair.

Story Arcs and Missions

The Clockwork Captive

In The Clockwork Captive story arc, during the Rescue the kidnapping victim before the Clockwork can move him mission, a note can be found with 'CVX-1701 junction RVB-0070' written on it. The registry number for the starship Enterprise from the Star Trek TV and movies series is NCC-1701.

Steal a Goldbrickers Rocket pack

In Steal a Goldbrickers Rocket pack story arc, the leader of the Goldbrickers is The Torch. Furthermore, you deliver the rocket pack to Dr. Flammond. Both of these are references to the movie Top Secret!.

Break Out

In the City of Villains Tutorial, you must rescue the Arachnos Operative Jenkins. This is a reference to the infamous World of Warcraft Character Leeroy Jenkins.

Police Band Missions

  • Rescue Dr. Philo - The text states that the Engineer for UHF station 62 was kidnapped. The manager George reported him missing. This is a reference to the Weird Al Yankovic Movie U.H.F. Incidentally, when the doctor is led to the exit, he comments, "My work here is done", which is the same line the doctor uttered in his last scene in UHF.
  • Rescue Mr. L. Jenkins - The text states that you must rescue an office worker "Mr. L. Jenkins". This is a reference to the infamous World of Warcraft Character Leeroy Jenkins.
  • Rescue L33t Sk1zzl3s - When you have finished rescuing him, he says "Wait till I tell everyone on Dotslash about this.". This is a reference to the news site Slashdot.
  • Rescue Ayn Race - The text states that you must rescue novelist Ayn Race. This is a reference to the author Ann Rice who wrote Interview with a Vampire. Reference is made in the mission text that the supernatural elements of her novel are "too real" to be made up.
  • Rescue Stephen Duke - The text states that you must rescue novelist Stephen Duke. This is a reference to the author Stephen King. Reference is made in the mission text that he was in a car accident; the real King was in a severe auto accident.
  • In one of the police band missions the phrase "All Units: The Use of excessive force in the apprehension of villain_name has been approved"; is a reference to the movie The Blues Brothers.
  • Rescue Betty Jo Bialaski - Betty Jo is a character in Firesign Theatre's Nick Danger skit. When rescued, she says, "Just call me Nancy, everyone does."
  • Rescue Dr. Frank N. Scott - When you reach the hostage, the following dialog happens:
Wing Raider: We already know that the ritual begins with a jump to the left.
Dr. Frank N. Scott: I won't tell you a thing.
Assault Jump Bot: Yes, and then a step to the right.

When aggroed, they yell:

Wing Raider: Dr. Scott! Hero Name!
Dr. Frank N. Scott: Hero Name!
Assault Jump Bot: Hero Name! Dr. Scott!

And when rescued, the hostage says:

Dr. Frank N. Scott: If they'd pried that ritual from me, it could have opened a time warp, or worse!

The entire exchange is a reference to The Rockie Horror Picture Show, which includes a Dr. Frank N. Furter, and a song called Time Warp with the lyrics "It's just a jump to the left / And then a step to the right", and an scene with characters calling each other's names.

Zones and Places

  • Brickstown Some of the names seem to be related to the legend of Gilgamesh.
    • Dark Waters seem to be referred to one of the parts of Gilgamesh' travel. Water is very important in the Gilgamesh myth, and the tunnels under Brickstown are full with water here as well.
    • Mashu Bridge is related to the Mashu tunnel.
    • Ziggurat is an old Babylonian construct.



  • Dark Astoria
  • Some neighborhoods seem to be named after directors of horror films
    • Raimi Arcade is named after Sam Raimi
    • Romero Heights is named after George A. Romero
    • St. Eligius Medical Center is named after the hospital from the TV Show St. Elsewhere
    • Toffet Terrace - may be an alternate spelling of Tophet, which is an unpleasant place, or another name for hell.



  • Kings Row - This area is named after a street near Cryptic's Headquarters.


  • Mercy Island
    • Darwin's Landing is named after Charles Darwin, whose theory of natural selection is often summarized as "survival of the fittest" - very fitting given the way Lord Recluse treats Mercy Island as a test to remove those too weak to live up to their destiny.


  • Nerva Archipelago
    • The very zone is named after the Roman Emperor Nerva. According to an NPC in City of Villains, "Nerva was a Roman Emperor who selected his heir rather than choosing a blood relative".
    • Agincourt, the Longbow massive base, seems to be named after the battle of the same name. Notice the role of the English longbow during the battle.
  • Perez Park, and it's various neighborhoods and badges, are named after various famous comic book creators.


  • Peregrine Island
  • Some of the neighborhoods seem to be related to the DC hero Aquaman:
    • Curry Cove seems to be named after Arthur Curry, the civilian identity of the hero.
    • Mera Heights seems to be named after Aquaman's ex-wife, Mera.
    • Tempest Quay seems to be named after the current heroic identity of Aquaman's former sidekick Aqualad, now known as Tempest.
    • Nelson Borough can be related to the DC hero Dr. Fate, but is just as likely to be named after the renowned British Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson.


  • Rikti Crash Site neighborhoods are named after battles where the American Army has been present:
    • Bloody Lane comes from Antietam during the American Civil War.
    • The Bulge (battle of), also called the Ardennes Offensive was the last offensive from the Nazi army during WWII.
    • The DMZ comes from the DeMilitarized Zone, from the Vietnam War.
    • Little Round Top was the place of one of the actions during the battle of Gettysburg, in the American Civil War.
    • Point Du Hoc action was part of the Normandy Landing during WWII.
    • Pork Chop Hill is related to the battle of the same name which took place during the Korean War.
    • Sunken Road seems to refer to the Antietam Battle as well.



  • Striga Isle
    • Striga might refer to the Striga Plant which is a parasitic plant that is found in parts of Africa and Asia. This parasitic nature can be found in Council Vampyrs that have the ability to drain life from their targets, while strengthening themself.



  • Terra Volta neighborhoods seem to refer to 1930's pulp comic characters:
    • Carter Engineering refers to John Carter.
    • Challenger Technology may refer to Professor Challenger from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.
    • Gordon Trench refers to Flash Gordon.
    • Walker Energy refers to Christopher "Kit" Walker, secret identity of The Phantom.
    • Rogers Industries refers to Buck Rogers.
    • Savage Waste Disposal refers to Doc Savage.
    • The very name of Terra Volta (The land of Volta) can be related to Alessandro Volta, developer of the electric battery.

Businesses and Billboards

  • Benedict Tech, a tech store in game that specializes in prosthetics. The name Benedict references a character from Roger Zelazny's The Chronicles of Amber novels, who lost an arm and had it replaced with an artificial one.
  • City of Gyros is, of course, a play on "City of Heroes".
  • Cooke's Electronics a technology store is a refernce to Fry's Electronics, an electronic retail store.
  • In Front Steakhouse billboards can be seen in the city. This is a reference to Outback Steakhouse.
  • Red Beast drink billboards can be found in Paragon City. This is a reference to [Red Bull] energy drink.
  • Scheherazade signs can be seen in several zones of Paragon City. There is no clue about the meaning of those signs as of today.
  • Up-N-Away Burger is a play on In-N-Out Burger, a fast food restaurant in the western part of the US.

NPCs

  • Agent McClane and Operative Gruber, the contacts of the Winter event 2005 seem to be based on the characters of the same name from the film Die Hard.
  • Aleister Crowley, also mentioned in many of the Magic enhancements, was a real life person as well: Alistair Crowley. He was a magician who was involved in the Golden Dawn in turn of the century England, and led a rather scandalous life.
  • Dr. Aeon: The Latin word Aeon, also spelled eon or æon, means "age," "forever," or "for eternity". [1]
  • Clive Loveking is a parody of H. P. Lovecraft, and refers to several of his works when you meet him in a police band mission. His name also references modern horror authors Stephen King and Clive Barker.
  • Ganymede is from Greek Mythology, the most beautiful of mortals.
  • Agent Gally Ido and Hugo Figures are references to the Gunnm manga by Yukito Kishiro, translated into English by Viz as Battle Angel Alita. Gally is the name of the cyborg heroine ("Alita" in the translation) and Daisuke Ido is her adopted father, while Hugo ("Yugo" in the original manga) and Figure Four ("Fogia Four" in the manga) are the closest thing she has to romantic interests.
  • General Hammond in Firebase Zulu seems to be named after the character of the same name of Stargate
  • Gordon Stacy is a police captain you can find in Brickstown as a contact. His named seems to be composed of two famous police characters in comics: the first would be Commissioner Gordon, from Batman, and the second would be Captain Stacy, father of Gwen Stacy, first girlfriend of Spiderman.
  • Hard Luck, the Golden Giza enforcer, seems to have a well-hidden reference here: during one of his missions you will be asked to save his brother, whose surname is "Luciano". Hard luck himself is know for his bad luck, making him an Unlucky man. And he's involved with the Family deals. This makes him a gangster who could be called "Unlucky" Luciano. "Unlucky" Luciano --> "Lucky" Luciano
  • Johnny 23, a Prisoners boss is named after a prisoner character on the film Con Air.
  • J.P. Mason, a Prisoners boss is named after Sean Connery's character, John Patrick Mason on the film The Rock.
  • Pirates: The Rogue Isles are mentioned as a nest of thieves and pirates at one time. Many of the pirates mentioned in missions and badges were, in fact, real:
  • Protean, the villain who killed Manticore's parents, takes his name from the god Proteus
  • Rasputin, the monk, is mentioned by the Paragon Times as the mentor of the infamous Baron Zoria, founder of the Circle of Thorns.
  • Isaac the Bartender gets his name from Bartender Isaac Washington on the show The Love Boat
  • Serafina is said to be a Djinn.
  • Technician Naylor (aka Portal Technician Grant Naylor), Grant Naylor is the "name" of the author of the BBC's Red Dwarf series. In actuality, its the last names of the two writers combined as if it was one person. - Wikipedia entry on Red Dwarf
  • The Artist Formerly Known as Claire, a Carnival of Shadows boss refers to Prince's name fiasco, The Artist formerly known as Prince.
  • Vizzini, a Shadow Shard Task Force boss is a reference to the character on The Princess Bride. Need verification on spelling and which task force.

Police Band Detectives

New Faultline

And a number of Lost bosses encountered on her story arc (all characters from Wacky Races):


In Doc Delilah's storyline you fight:

Both from The Princess Bride. Someone will need to watch the arc closely to see if either Fezzik or Inigo Montoya also pop up in the arc. :)

Enemy Groups

  • Arachnoids:
    • Widdershins: Widdershins means anticlockwise which was considered unlucky to travel in that direction.


  • Arachnos: It is no surprise that many of Arachnos' troops take their names from different kinds of spiders:
    • Wolf Spiders: Wolf Spider.
    • Crab Spiders: Crab Spider.
    • Blood and Night Widows: Black Widow Spider.
    • Tarantulas: Tarantula Spider.
    • Mu Mystics are, of course, related to the mythical nation of Mu, which seems to be based on the real life legend of Mu.
      • Hequat would seem to be an alternate spelling of Hecate, Greek goddess of witchcraft.
    • Lord Recluse himself is related to the deadly Brown Recluse Spider.
    • Ghost Widow may be referred to the Black Widow Spider as well.
    • Scirocco and Ice Mistral take their names from different kinds of wind instead: Sirocco and Mistral.
    • Captain Mako and Barracuda take their names from deadly sea predators: Mako and Barracuda.


  • Banished Pantheon: several kinds of enemies from this villain group have their own real life histories:


  • Clockwork: some of the soldiers of this group are named after XIX century computer engineers:
    • Babbage is named after Charles Babbage.
    • Tesla soldiers are named after Nikola Tesla.
    • Besides, some of the bosses you can find during the Synapse Task Force are named after famous cannons:


  • Circle of Thorns:
    • Behemoth can be referred to a Biblical demon.
    • Succubus are female demons from the medieval legends.
    • Baphomet is a demon of uncertain origins, and apparently connected to the Knights Templar.
    • Caleb
    • Lilitu comes from the Mesopotamian legends. Notice the legend about her having to kill her children.
    • Ermeeth would seem to be an alternate spelling for Hermes, Greek god of (among other things) invention, boundaries, and travellers.


  • Coralax: During the story arc "Calystix the Shaper", a history of the cult is mentioned. One of the chapters matches perfectly with the events related in The Shadow over Innsmouth, from Howards Phillips Lovecraft. Perhaps the whole group is based on the Deep Ones.





  • Gold Brickers
    • King Midas, the leader of the Gold Brickers, takes his name from King Midas in Greek Mythology who turned everything that he touched into gold.


  • Longbow: the heroic militia whose name comes from the reach of its influence, seems to be named after the bow of the same name, also renowned for its reach: The English Longbow
    • Ballistas, the Longbow heaviest hitters, are named after a siege machine which is, basically, a powerful crossbow.


  • Luddites: This group actually existed during the XIX century:



  • Praetorians seem to take their name from the Roman guard corps of the same name which was tasked with the protection of the Emperor. It's a fitting name for this group: notice the table of relations between the Emperor and his guards here.


  • Red Caps are a malevolent kind of goblin in the British myths.
    • Jack in Irons comes from the British myths.




  • The Cabal:



  • Trolls:
    • Caliban - The name of Julius Caesar's sword, also a character in William Shakespeare's "The Tempest". Wikipedia's page on Caliban.
    • Grendel, the former leader of the Trolls, is related to the being of the same name in the poem Beowulf.



  • Unseelie Court are part of the fairy myths from the British Isles. The Unseelie Court means "Unholy Court". [3]


  • Warriors seem to be based on the street gang of the same name of the film The Warriors.


  • Wyvern takes its name from the mythological being of the same name. Talons, fangs and stings are parts of that being.

Weapons and Equipment

Many of the weapons found in the hands of the City of Heroes/City of Villains groups and characters are real:


  • Melee Weapons
    • Handclaws are used by groups such as the Tsoo Bronze Leopard school, the street gang of the Praetorian Bobcat and even the Arachnos Blood Widows.
    • Daggers are used mostly by mystical groups.
    • Sai is a rare weapon which can be found in both Tsoo and Praetorian ninjas groups.
    • Kama is another of the weapons also almost exclusively used by the Tsoo.
    • Machete is the standard hand to hand weapon of the mercenaries Sky Raiders, also used by some Luddites.
    • Tomahawks are found in the hands of the undead soldiers of the Banished Pantheon.
    • Broadswords are found in the hands of the Warriors, Heroes, Luddites...
    • Scimitar sword is used by the Circle of Thorns and the Snakes.
    • Katanas are a common sight among the Tsoo. Out of them, only groups like the Knives of Artemis or Chimera's ninjas use them.
    • Bayonet is still in use as the standard hand to hand combat weapon for the troop of the Nemesis Army.
    • Shillelagh are used by some Luddites.
    • Taser is available to both players and the Malta Group.


  • Ranged weapons
    • Molotov cocktails are used during riots caused by groups such as the Scrapyarders of Sharkhead Isle. They are favored by the arsonist Hellions as well.
    • Caltrops are not a "true" ranged weapon but can be thrown a short distance. Used by Knives of Artemis and Praetorian ninjas.
    • Shuriken is an oriental weapon which can be uncommonly found in game. Only stealthy groups such as the Knives of Artemis or those with an oriental background like the Tsoo use this weapon.
    • Darts are used often by the same groups which use shurikens. Rather than hurt the darts, instead, tend to poison or sleep the target.
    • Long bow is the only kind of bow currently in game. Found in the hands of foes with a stealthy nature or medieval/mythic background, or even in the hands of street gangs with old ages tastes such as The Warriors. Also, bows are the signature weapon of the group Wyvern, but I'm not sure about the kind of bows this group use.
    • Crosssbow can be found often in the hands of the same groups which use long bows, and for the same reasons.


  • Firearms
    • Revolvers can be found extensively very early in game in the hands of many criminal groups. This is the most basic firearm. The game uses a simple model for this weapon, so it's impossible to determine the model the devs used, or even if they used one. In the high level game only the Malta Group Gunslingers seem to use a version of this weapon.
    • Desert Eagle is a fearsome high caliber pistol often found in game as Heavy Pistol. Used by street gangs, security forces public and private, and even by Longbow.
    • Shotguns can be found commonly in the hands of high rank members of street gangs or low level paramilitary. This is a potent, destructive weapon designed for close combat range, do not confuse it with a rifle.
    • Uzi Submachinegun is often found in the hands of many street gangs in Paragon City filling the role of Submachinegun. Paragon Police Detectives and private Security forces make use of it as well.
    • Thompson submachinegun this 30s' classical is found in the hands of the Family thugs exclusively. Often shown with the bulky and unpractical drum magazine.
    • Muskets are another of those old-fashioned weapons the corpses of the Banished Pantheon use exclusively. Anyways the weapon more than a musket looks like a pistol.
    • MP5 Submachinegun often fills the role of Advanced Submachinegun in game. Used by paramilitary forces, mercenaries and well-funded security forces.
    • Lee-Enfield Rifles are used by the poor souls the Banished Pantheon uses as reanimated corpses. Despite the name, the model looks much more like an Enfield rifle.
    • M16 Assault Rifle is the rifle found in game fulling the role of Assault Rifle. It is always presented with what appears to be an grenade launcher below the barrel. Despite of this, many enemies don't use any kind of grenades and fire the rifle only. Found in the hands of high level members of street gangs, private security forces and the Paragon SWAT among others.
    • SCAR assault rifle is a last generation assault rifle which can be found exclusively in the hands of the Paragon Police Ghosts.
    • Gatling Gun A miniaturized version of this weapon is used by the Nemesis Support Troops, in a strange weapon which combines both a flamethrower and a Gatling gun.


  • Equipment
    • Night vision googles are used by hi-tech groups such as the Malta Group and the Knives of Artemis.
    • Pickelhaube is the name of the famous German spiked helmet still in use by the Nemesis Army.
    • The helicopters used by Longbow to go and come from disputed (PvP) zones seem to be russian Mil Mi-8. Besides, during one of the missions from Peter Themari in City of Villains your character will be sent to Skyway City to save Olivia Darque. There you can see the Blood Bay helicopter: For some reason, the model is not a Mil Mi-8, but a fearsome Mil Mi-24.

Other items and Artifacts

  • The Bands of Shu seem to be currently in the hands of the Malta Group.
  • Hand of Omega is an item from the longest running Sci Fi show in the world, Dr. Who, and shows up in the police scanner missions.
  • The Jewel of Enki can be found in the hands of Hellions.
  • Form 27B/6 - The Supergroup Registration form is Form 27B/6. Form 27B/6 is the Ministry of Public Works' "Authorization for Repairs of Domestic Living Quarters by Licensed Repair Technicians" form in Brazil.
  • Li Tieh Kuai is often mentioned in the Natural/Magic dual origin enhancements. Li Tieh Kuai is Iron-Crutch Li, one of the eight immortals of Taoism. He was apparently fond of out of body experiences, and one of his students found him apparently dead, and cremated his body. When he returned, he had to take over the body of a crippled beggar, while of course keeping his magical kung-fu powers; thus the Iron Crutch.
  • Nectanebo, often mentioned in the Magic origin enhancements. There were two pharaohs of Egypt: Nectanebo I and Nectanebo II.
  • Oscillator Overthruster - The Science/Tech Dual-Origin enhancement for Intangibility Duration is the Oscillator Overthruster. This refers to the oscillation overthruster, a device was used to allow for passage through solid objects, by accessing the "8th Dimension", made up of all the empty space in matter. This device is from the film, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
  • The Platonic Solids - A mission against the Warriors will make you encounter The Platonic Solids, which exist in real life.
  • The Scroll of Bokol is mentioned on one of the hero police scanner missions. It's clue description reads, "This scroll was penned by those who believe that life here began 'out there', in the depths of space. It talks about the lost colonies of humanity that are supposed to live among the stars." This is a reference to Battlestar Galactica and the planet, lords, and colonies of Kobol.
  • The Sforza Horse, which you can find in a mission against the Family, could be seen in the film Hudson Hawk.
  • Tome of Tormvodel - In Ghost Widow's patron arc, she asks villains to retrieve the Tome of Tormvodel, a book she plans on using to restore her to her human form. Tormvodel is an anagrammed reference to Lord Voldemort of the Harry Potter books, a dark wizard bent on securing unmatched power and achieving immortality through the practice of the Dark Arts - interestingly enough, his name is an anagram in itself.
  • An Ushabti can be found in the hands of the Hellions during a low level mission.

Police Band Items

  • The Book of K'Gar - The text describes this as an alien holy book that cannot be interpreted until the year 2260. This is a reference to Babylon 5, a story which takes place between 2258 and 2262 AD (which includes the year 2260), and one of the main characters is named G'Kar. More specifically, it refers to an actual book written by said character G'Kar, which was, incidentally, written in 2260, and was referred to by the same name.
  • A Dragoon Ball - The text states that this object is one of seven, which, when brought together, will summon a calvaryman who will grant a wish. This is a reference to Dragon Ball, a Japanese franchise that involves seven Dragon Balls which will summon a wish-granting dragon when they're brought together.
  • Long John's Silver - The text states that you must recover "Long John's Silver". This is a reference to the fast food restaurant Long John Silvers.
  • The Oxygen Destroyer - The text states that you must recover the Oxygen Destroyer. This is a reference to the original 1954 Godzilla movie where the device was used to defeat Godzilla.

Salvage

  • Inanimate Carbon Rod - "In Rod We Trust" - This is a reference to Deep Space Homer, an episode of the Simpsons where Homer loses employee of the month to "an inanimate carbon rod". The caption on the medal that the rod receives is "In Rod We Trust".
  • Orichalcum can be found as Salvage in the hands of the Circle of Thorns.
  • Protonium will drop off several villain groups as Salvage.
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