Stern's future and the MCU.

[Stern]

So, I 've been writing in Blackhawk, California (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22447) with Stern. Started on a whim. Then the more I wrote Stern and saw how the situation was getting away from him, I got an idea.

I've been mentioning in a lot of my posts that Stern is overworked, stressed, and frustrated about his Unit. With procedures, rules, and regulations, not to mention the strong prejudice against mutants, I realized that Stern would feel impotent. How can he stop crime against mutants when any jury in the state would immediately side with the nonmutant criminal who cries victim that the mutant cop when crazy on him and brutally beat him or mentally/emotionally abused him?

So I thought this might be an interesting hook for Stern and the other members of the Mutant Crimes Unit as well. The MCU Captain finds himself wishing he could be just as vigilante as the X-Men, (kind of like when he was considered legally dead), but he has an image to uphold, and people who look for his leadership.

So Stern has to overcome these feelings, start thinking, and figure out when and where to risk his and the MCU's public image for the sake of real justice and find out when or if it pays off at all.

This is just the vaguest idea for now, but I thought it might be interesting to explore.

[John Jackson]

It's certainly an interesting idea.

I did find the Blackhawk thread a little incongruous. Elsewhere, you've made reference to the fact that Stern is a guy burdened with responsibility; that he's stressed and overworked. And yet here he is, making more work for himself by zooming into a crime scene before there's any indication of mutant involvement at all. If you contrast that with the way that Shield handled his arrival in the Freight Train to Los Santos thread, or how the team was brought in during You Can Hide, But You Can't Run, it shows a very different approach to policing: Detectives are meant to be the second wave, whereas Stern showed up before the first wave even got there.

I think there are a few things that you should perhaps bear in mind while planning this out:

First of all, why is Stern the Captain? I know why he is from an OOC perspective; but in-character, why did he end up being the one in charge over an older and more experienced Detective like Shield? It would be interesting to see some more threads where Stern is doing his job properly, demonstrating that he actually is capable of being a responsible Captain and police officer before you start going too rookie with him.

Secondly, like you mentioned in the PM you sent me: being a vigilante doesn't work like it does on TV. Having been in law enforcement, Stern knows this. What is the motivation that tips him over the edge, and makes him want to stop trying to work within the system?

Third, who is there to keep Stern in line? Rookie cops need someone to chew them out from time to time; rookie Captains don't have that luxury, which is why there aren't many of them around. Who is it that is actually going to try and force Stern to stay within regulations - who is "the man" that he is sticking it to? Are you looking to find that influence from somewhere higher up in the LAPD, or are you looking for his subordinates to try and reign him in?

And lastly - you mentioned in your PM that you are hoping that this will create some new writing opportunities. How so? Will it be a case of MCU riding on the coat tails of Stern's personal journey, or are you expecting this to have an impact on all of the other characters as well?

[Stern]

Stern's the Captain because the LAPD wanted someone from the NYPD to come help start their MCU. Stern was young, but kind of experienced, and eager to move up the ranks. He showed capability in dealing with other mutants (his apprehension of Flux being most prominent on his resume).

I think most of his push towards working outside the system stems from his time trying to survive his "exile." It's more direct. It's simple. Stern thinks he's mad because of how police procedure and American law works, but really he's mad at himself. It's kind of a Bookdock Saints mentality. He's not interested in arrests per se. At his worst, he's just looking to eliminate scum from the face of the planet. He needs to mature.

As far as who keeps Stern in line, I guess that would be the police commissioner. I don't know who that would be. Like I said before, Stern's not trying to rebel against anyone. He just wishes he could do things differently. Probably at first, if he gets out of hand, his subordinates would try to get him to control himself. But if that didn't work out I could definitely see them going over Stern's head.

Perhaps later, (due to Stern being a rookie Captain) he will need to be demoted within his own department for a while and play second in command to a more experienced Captain. If Shield or even Jackson were to suddenly be in charge of Stern, the shift of power would definitely make an interesting story.

Most of what we've discussed so far seems to make enough stuff to write with.

Optimally, I want the MCU to stay unaffected by Stern's behavior. Stern can get fired, suspended, demoted, (and with a happy ending, promoted again), but most of the stuff that Stern experiences as far as his feelings and how he handles things will only really affect him. Stern's problems will affect the other characters and the MCU, but won't make or break his fellow officers' careers as far as their affiliation with the MCU is concerned.

Gosh, I hope that makes sense.

[Shield]

If you want someone who isn't afraid to call Stern out on bucking the system, Shield could certainly fit the bill. I've actually aged him over my original concept because I thought the MCU could use a little more seasoning, and detectives ought to have a bit of experience under their belts. I could see him acting as a voice of conscience, especially since he's already made his stance on vigilantism pretty clear to Tom. He's also probably the only member of the LAPD who could actually physically restrain Stern.

For that matter, we could still set up Zero as an antagonist for Stern if you're still interested in that. He's still up to his mysterious mutant-hunting tricks.

[Stern]

I think Shield would be great for keeping Stern in line. If things get really bad, I could see them having some sort of scuffle. If Shield's powers can keep light from escaping his force fields, then he is exactly the kind of person that needs to be looking over Stern's shoulder.

I think Zero has potential, but until I get something more solid, I don't know how that would go down.

[John Jackson]

I'm not sure there's necessarily a difference between rebelling and doing things differently. If you aren't going to follow the rules, you're rebelling against them. Stern might not see it that way, but I'd wager that the people running the LAPD would see it in that kind of black-and-white fashion. One of the big points of MCU is to have mutants operating within the system: as soon as a high-profile mutant starts bucking proper proceedure, they're not going to stand for that. "The man" is going to want to step in.

Having Shield try to rein him in over the short term would definately work. It's pretty interesting that Stern and Shield have exactly opposite perspectives on vigilantism. However, I definately think it's worth considering the addition of a higher-up person (not necessarily the Commissioner: perhaps someone from Internal Affairs would fit the bill?) who can pull rank on Stern.

Jackson definately isn't Captain material: that's the main reason I had a separate desk jockey character in New York. Shield would definately be a good potential replacement though... or, hell, if you went down something like the Internal Affairs route for Stern's authority antagonist, you could even sit that guy in the chair.

[Stern]

Internal Affairs would be the more plausible route. Really, it should be the police system that brings Stern down, if he falls far enough to be asked to step down. I don't know how that character would work, but there should be plenty of research involved.

Also, isn't Veronica undercover for the brotherhood as Officer Hu? That adds a certain twist as well if the brotherhood get involved in antagonizing Stern as well.