Stoked to see where this is going. Poor Ethan is really, really low on morale, he couldn’t catch a break for a veeeeeery loooooong time.
Member
Saixak
7 months ago
Oh, this is going to get worse before it gets better.
TamTroll
7 months ago
I seriously hope nobody in-universe goes “You’re a bloodthirsty murderer! you monster! you didn’t need to kill him!” if Ethan decides to kill the Troll.
It’s plain as day that it’s the safest, sanest option here. Anyone who seriously tries to reprimand or shame Analog for it should be checked in the head.
Weirdly enough, this is circular logic. Self-defense is not murder. Nor is justifiable homicide in defense of others. Murder has its own definition. Not all killing are the same. Not all are unjust.
While I totally agree, there’s a problem… The The Troll is not “he”anymore, it’s “them” (in plural). Ethan would need to start a blood hunt to scare the group enough to make the survivors stop.
This is basically the “Should Batman kill the Joker?” question. The Joker has brutally killed countless people, and tortured others into insanity. Every time he’s locked up, he escapes next Wednesday, and the cycle starts all over again. Someone should obviously kill the Joker.
I don’t think the Troll is quite on the same level (yet), but still. If Ethan kills him in the defence of the innocent hostages, that seems more than justified.
Ethan Killing someone is also way above anything he’s ever done. He was in a huge, horribly guilty mood for ages when he dropped the Troll in the first place. He almost quit heroics. It would take a lot to drive him to actual murder now. He’s never even been very action-oriented.
Fun fact. Batman has finally had it with the joker and is willing to let him die and/or be killed. Harley quinn finally made the dark knight see that the joker can not and should not be saved. Joker knows this too. He knows batman is done with “the game” as he puts it and is willing to let it end.
You think that the binary options here are that 0: the troll should be killed without a trial by jury; or 1: the troll is a good person and doing the right thing?
The dude is an absolute danger to society and has put multiple innocent lives in mortal peril multiple times on purpose.He has promised to do so again, and has shown absolutely zero remorse about doing any of it, he finds it funny. He’s been shown to ruin lives with words alone, and escape containment even while under guard.
In what world can he be alive, and also not an active threat?
Dunno, looking at the actions of troll, he reminds me of the qanon cult. That’s when we get into “which ditch do we leave the body, as a public service and personal closure” territory. Internet cultists like that have little scruples, will happily destroy lives, and breed ptsd. I stated it once, I stand by it. The only question with troll is “what caliber?”
The appropriate response from Ethan is to tell the other heroes in the city where the rooftop is. To beat a Troll you need to ignore him, and let the “site admin” in this case Captain Prime, etc, “block” them.
It’s plain as day that it’s the safest, sanest option here You don’t just kill someone unless there is clear imminent threat from them. This isn’t Gotham. Capturing and putting this guy away for his crimes is entirely possible. And while he did attempt to murder to people how many has the Troll killed? What has he done since escaping? People are acting like annoying Ethan for the past issues is some sort of capital offense. It is not the safest sanest option here, that’s ludicrous to say. We don’t even know if this is the real Troll or not!… Read more »
That depends, do you actively have the president with you right in that moment? Because the fact that he specifically says “Hostages” Implies that he actively has them right now. in this moment. While he is making that broadcast. People are in danger at the same moment he is threatening them. He wasn’t saying “i will FIND people and take out my trauma on them”, he’s saying “i will take out my trauma on people who i currently already have.” If you had the President captured in the room with you and you said “I’m going to kill the president”,… Read more »
Have you ever seen anything in real life where they just roll up and start shooting in a hostage negotiation? There’s hours/days/weeks of negotiation before violence is undertaken unless the hostage taker starts hurting people.
Ethan’s grip slipped, the Troll fell, and he used that perceived injury to rally a ton of followers. Possibly they’re people like Emily, who are just *done* with superhero shenanigans. But this isn’t just a terrorist; it’s a cell.
Killing The Troll absolutely causes people to say “You murderer!” because that’s exactly what The Troll wants. That’s what all trolls want. They want to get you so upset that you do something stupid and angry. If Ethan murders The Troll, it’s not just a terrorist cell; now he’s a martyr, and this is a movement.
If Ethan just kills the Troll, it almost certainly would be justified, but ONLY because Tim’s has established The Troll as an unambiguously evil and dangerous individual. But since the Troll is a caricature of real-life people, and murdering him in fiction would invariably make a statement regarding how to kill his real-life counterparts. And as cathartic as it may be to imagine, we can’t do that in real life. In reality, there is no all-powerful writer to guarantee that an individual is irredeemably evil or an otherwise-incurable threat to society. People that evil can and do exist, but we… Read more »
Crestlinger
7 months ago
This would be an Awesome way to find Zeke with bodies as a peace offering.
Smith
7 months ago
Honestly hoping he brings some sort of recording device, camera or otherwise, to make sure he has a record of what ACTUALLY happens…. Otherwise…
Why? The troll already will have the roof covered and streaming the thing, he will never confess it is a trap or something alike in live, he wil fix to his victim script and if something doesn’t go as planned and kill the hostages, will be Analogue fault
Kind of like when they released the January 6 surveillance and half the country still thinks the insurrectionists were the good guys?
Matt Braddock
7 months ago
I’d love to see a Zeke Ex Machina.
I know Tim’s not that kinda writer, but still. I still remember the “You’re not that guy. I’m that guy” scene from The Expanse, and I can’t stop thinking about it when it comes to Ethan and the Troll.
He really needs an Amos.
That scene is awesome and cemented to me why Amos was great. People see him as a violent uncaring person but when his friends and those he value are threatened even with moral danger he’s quick to do what is needed.
Well remember the troll had that green liquid so he’s planning something for sure.
I think that the Zeke arc isn’t done yet, but if they do show up. I think it will be to remind Ethan that he taught them what morality is when he’s about to lose control and become the fallen hero.
In addition, Zeke and Ethan’s history and views of humanity are on the polar opposite. Ethan grew up naive and in wonder of everything humanity achieved, and only started seeing the greys and the darks of being human once he started the superhero work.
Zeke on the other hand, only knew the detestable aspects of humanity until they met Ethan.
For Ethan, taking a life, no matter what the person has done, is inconcievable.
For Zeke, or most AI in general, it’s like removing a damaged part or deleting a computer virus. A rational step to prevent further damage.
xrogaan
7 months ago
The best path of action, right now, is for Ethan to leave the city for the Bahamas or Tahiti. Take a vacation for a couple month, make the the troll be somebody else’s problem. The troll just wants a reaction, something, anything.
Mine just kept poking at me and causing problems even when i tried to ignore them or leave them alone.
Took me completely leaving the community altogether to make it stop, and that’s only because i couldn’t see it anymore. for all i know they kept at it for years to come.
It’s worked well enough for the oil and whaling industries. They generally don’t rise to any sort of bait from the environmentalists, and as a result we apparently gladly let them carry on.
Imagine this is a cops vs criminals situation and one criminal calls out one detective. What should you do? Remove that one detective and bring the full force of others. They’re a liability.
Remove the leverage the criminal has. Remove their possibility for strategy.
Ethan has NOTHING special over the Troll. No kryptonite or anything. From a strategic view he isn’t necessary.
Captain Prime herself said the Troll drove one super to quit, and another to self-termination.
This isn’t his first rodeo.
Mr. X
7 months ago
One thing I don’t understand is why is the Troll so popular with the public? I mean, he’s a terrorist. Why would anyone trust a terrorist over a superhero? Isn’t it illegal or at least looked down upon to follow or support a terrorist?
I don’t think he is that popular with the public. He only has a small cult following of other trolls and wannabe terrorists. This media coverage isn’t because they think he’s great and telling the truth, it’s just reporting on a video a wanted terrorist is releasing.
It’s not about supporting their beliefs or stances. It’s about egging them on. Everybody loves to watch a shitshow, and the show must go on. Basically the Green Goblin speech to Spiderman from the first Toby McGuire movie. We love a hero, but love watching a hero fall more.
Ummm.. yeah, just look around IRL. It may not be all the public but there’s always someone willing to trust, follow, and support a person that others consider a terrorist. Sometimes art mirrors life, other times life mimics art.
Daniel
7 months ago
Do Ethan respawn if his character get assassinated and his sanity points drops to 0? Let’s find out!
Kaitensatsuma
7 months ago
And this is where you call in the police and news helicopters to come along and catch them in the act both literally and figuratively.
Kenju
7 months ago
Smart thing to do is just not show up. Ethan isn’t a Government sanctioned hero, and taking the bait is just going to escalate things. Ignore the Troll and he’ll do stupid stuff that puts him on a significantly higher threat level. That opens the door to more permanent solutions.
That, or Ethan could do something out of the blue and unexpected, like swing up to the buildings rooftop and ‘accidently’ slip then fall to his death. That would take the wind out of Trolls sails if he laid low for awhile afterwards.
No the troll will just post about how stupid and incompitant Analog is and when he shows back up the entire thing would make him look bad. WHOPPER was right, the only winning move is not to play.
That’s the point, he WOULDN’T come back, not for awhile. Way I see it Troll is getting after Analog and D-Pad because they are literally all that is left for him to mess with.
Excluding Death Blood, whom he likely has never antagonized for a VERY obvious reason.
“Fall to his death” could work… but not accidentally. Troll’s already driven one hero to suicide, I’m sure he’d love to do it again. So, give it to him. Ethan shows up, tells the Troll “you win, keep the cameras rolling” and offs himself spectacularly. Then Ethan respawns, catches the Troll off guard, and takes him down.
LordCirce
7 months ago
“I’ll have no choice but to act out my trauma on innocent hostages”
Ah, the trauma-baiting lies of an irredeemable abusive asshole. ‘Oh, my childhood was soooo sad. So, if you try to leave me or disagree with me, my trauma would make me hurt you or hurt myself or hurt the kids. Whatever lie I can come up with to try and twist things to make my calculated and reasoned abuse your fault’.
pookysgirl
7 months ago
Calling it now: Ethan goes alone, but Zeke shows up, complicating the hostage situation.
The Legacy
7 months ago
Out of all the supers, it makes the most sense for him to go. After all, he can simply reset whereas the troll camp. Makes you wonder if he’s going to hug the troll and jump off the building together in forgiveness… and Ethan wakes up. The ultimate troll by Ethan to defeat the troll once and for all.
Tsuhna
7 months ago
Eth-I mean Analog should go (after gluing and/or stapling his mask on-), say he has nothing to apologize for, but if it makes The Troll feel better, Analog will take the hostage’s place, the worst The Troll can do is kill Analog, which to Analog is an inconvenience at most.
I think Ethan is right. It’s often stated the only way to win against a troll is to not play. I think Ethan has some sort of plan to allow the Troll to do whatever he wants to him and show how futile his efforts are when dealing directly with someone instead of indirectly. I hope so, anyways. I’m honestly a bit more annoyed than entertained at the whole concept of a “Troll” as a villain and would like to see something satisfying come out of it.
Quilla
7 months ago
As someone who has dealt with a lot of online trolls and a smear campaign against me…this is so well written. You literally cannot win against trolls, no matter what you do. Often ignoring them is the least bad option but even then you’re not really winning. And it’s so, so damn demoralising.
I’m both excited to see where this goes and dreading it
Ocramot
7 months ago
I mean, Lucas, seriously you think this *could* be a trap? I expected better from you.
Lord Foxxy Foxington
7 months ago
And this is why you kill the crazy freaks the first chance you get.
Bobbobingtonthethird
7 months ago
There’s a certain murderhobo robot running around right now just itching for a reason to strangle a dude.
Bakhtosh
7 months ago
Does Ethan still have the number of the hero with all of the guns?
night
7 months ago
God, this self-agrandising superhero crap is corny! Awful. I’m out until the decent stuff come back.
But if you do that, the door will have double the chance to smack you in the ass!
Robert 'CockRoach' Archer
7 months ago
So ageless long time reader (started reading OG CAD just after the 3rd or 4th original comic got published!) Finally decided to post a comment. I’m wondering if Ethan might not use the trolls live broadcast to counter-troll him? Make it seem like the troll killed him and others etc or something? I cant remember if the troll knows of Ethan’s respawning power or not?
Robert 'CockRoach' Archer
7 months ago
Also since I opened up the posting can of worms. Another thought? What if in a wicked twist of plot Tim were to have Emily or Lila (sp?) be secretly feeding the Troll info? It’d be a wicked twist, though not sure Tim would do that or not I think?
KillerDragon989
7 months ago
I REEEEEEEEALLY hope Zelle shows up on that rooftop and drops the troll off the roof saying ‘He’s my toy! Not yours!’ ?
ThatMageGuy
7 months ago
Still people out there thinking that the Troll doesn’t deserve to be put into a bodybag?
Straitjacket, definitely. Prison uniform, probably. Bodybag? Not necessarily. If he dies, he becomes a martyr, and we have an anti-superhero cult to deal with. Put him on trial, publicly broadcast, expose in detail all the horrible deeds he has done to show how terrible a person he is, and once his fame is destroyed and supporting him is considered godawful for every thinking human being, then he can be thrown in a cell without internet access and the key can be thrown away. Death is something he wants. Rotting away in a cell forgotten, is his worst nightmare.
Locke
7 months ago
Love that subtle touch of green on the neck and ears, can’t wait for the (potential) reveal that the troll is a goblin. Oh, and not saying it’s the right move, but were I in Ethan’s shoes I’d find a way to leave Deadpo….*ehem* Deathblood a voicemail and say “The troll said your guns are compensation for a tiny weiner~” and let the problem sort itself out.
Charlie
7 months ago
Uh oh… is this Ethan’s cliff edge? Going villain or vigilante would be an interesting character low before having a redemption arch or intervention/face-off with his old friends.
Maz
7 months ago
Calling here. The solution will be Zeke comes in to eliminate the troll in a twisted thank you to Ethan, while also revealing his intention to wipe out humanity in front of the news outlets.
Mousio
7 months ago
Oh wow! This went way shittier than i imagined.
Kinda hope Zeke gets involved with this. Like, he still holding a grudge, but tries to get rid of the troll so as to “repay” Ethan caring about him, so afterwards they’ll be “squared” and he can go on and destroy the humanity with a clear conscience, etc, etc.
But Ethan would stop him offing troll on the grounds that this is his mess (Ethan’s), and he doesn’t want it to be pushed onto Zeke to have to deal with it, again.
Gotta wait and see.
24
Stoked to see where this is going. Poor Ethan is really, really low on morale, he couldn’t catch a break for a veeeeeery loooooong time.
Oh, this is going to get worse before it gets better.
I seriously hope nobody in-universe goes “You’re a bloodthirsty murderer! you monster! you didn’t need to kill him!” if Ethan decides to kill the Troll.
It’s plain as day that it’s the safest, sanest option here. Anyone who seriously tries to reprimand or shame Analog for it should be checked in the head.
But of course, application of the death penalty by a single man that is both judge, jury and executioner is really the best answer.
And we wonder why the world is sinking straight back into fascism and far right ideals. Brilliant.
When I am defending innocent people from a murderer, I am putting him in the ground.
And if those innocent people are your loved ones, you’ll be thanking me.
No I won’t. I do not think I will ever thank a murderer.
Weirdly enough, this is circular logic. Self-defense is not murder. Nor is justifiable homicide in defense of others. Murder has its own definition. Not all killing are the same. Not all are unjust.
While I totally agree, there’s a problem… The The Troll is not “he”anymore, it’s “them” (in plural). Ethan would need to start a blood hunt to scare the group enough to make the survivors stop.
if ethan kills the troll in any other way than self defense, then ethan deserve jail, period.
This is basically the “Should Batman kill the Joker?” question. The Joker has brutally killed countless people, and tortured others into insanity. Every time he’s locked up, he escapes next Wednesday, and the cycle starts all over again. Someone should obviously kill the Joker.
I don’t think the Troll is quite on the same level (yet), but still. If Ethan kills him in the defence of the innocent hostages, that seems more than justified.
The Joker isn’t real. He escapes Arkham and authorities with essentially divine assistance from the writers.
That situation is entirely contrived and not a good ethically quandary in the least to apply to other situations.
Not only is the world in this comic more competent there are more powerful superheroes around.
okay sure, but The Troll isn’t real either
Oh man, if only there was a writer in this story.
Ethan Killing someone is also way above anything he’s ever done. He was in a huge, horribly guilty mood for ages when he dropped the Troll in the first place. He almost quit heroics. It would take a lot to drive him to actual murder now. He’s never even been very action-oriented.
Fun fact. Batman has finally had it with the joker and is willing to let him die and/or be killed. Harley quinn finally made the dark knight see that the joker can not and should not be saved. Joker knows this too. He knows batman is done with “the game” as he puts it and is willing to let it end.
So you agree with the Troll? You think he’s a good person and is doing the right thing then?
Because i honestly can’t think of any other valid reason as to why you would think that.
You think that the binary options here are that 0: the troll should be killed without a trial by jury; or 1: the troll is a good person and doing the right thing?
Touch grass
The dude is an absolute danger to society and has put multiple innocent lives in mortal peril multiple times on purpose.He has promised to do so again, and has shown absolutely zero remorse about doing any of it, he finds it funny. He’s been shown to ruin lives with words alone, and escape containment even while under guard.
In what world can he be alive, and also not an active threat?
> In what world can he be alive, and also not an active threat?
In a world where the penal system isn’t completely incompetent.
In real life, what’s the percentage of serial/mass murderers who escaped prison?
No need to kill someone to make them not an active threat.
Now who’s the troll?
Dunno, looking at the actions of troll, he reminds me of the qanon cult. That’s when we get into “which ditch do we leave the body, as a public service and personal closure” territory. Internet cultists like that have little scruples, will happily destroy lives, and breed ptsd. I stated it once, I stand by it. The only question with troll is “what caliber?”
The appropriate response from Ethan is to tell the other heroes in the city where the rooftop is. To beat a Troll you need to ignore him, and let the “site admin” in this case Captain Prime, etc, “block” them.
FINALLY someone is talking sense here. The answer to trolls is not to play their game, but still take concrete action to address them.
P.s. why is everyone arguing with someone named “TamTROLL”, I mean, talk about obvious.
Respectfully, that’s unrelated. My username is more based on the fictional species, like the ones you can find in Warcraft and D&D.
It’s plain as day that it’s the safest, sanest option here You don’t just kill someone unless there is clear imminent threat from them. This isn’t Gotham. Capturing and putting this guy away for his crimes is entirely possible. And while he did attempt to murder to people how many has the Troll killed? What has he done since escaping? People are acting like annoying Ethan for the past issues is some sort of capital offense. It is not the safest sanest option here, that’s ludicrous to say. We don’t even know if this is the real Troll or not!… Read more »
The dude JUST threatened hostages on live TV. and that’s not even counting his past crimes.
How is this not a clear imminent threat?
If someone said that in front of you in real life would you be justified in shooting them? Do you think you would go to jail or not?
It’s not imminent. If I say: “I’m going to kill the president” a secret service officer can’t just blow my head off right there and then.
That depends, do you actively have the president with you right in that moment? Because the fact that he specifically says “Hostages” Implies that he actively has them right now. in this moment. While he is making that broadcast. People are in danger at the same moment he is threatening them. He wasn’t saying “i will FIND people and take out my trauma on them”, he’s saying “i will take out my trauma on people who i currently already have.” If you had the President captured in the room with you and you said “I’m going to kill the president”,… Read more »
Have you ever seen anything in real life where they just roll up and start shooting in a hostage negotiation? There’s hours/days/weeks of negotiation before violence is undertaken unless the hostage taker starts hurting people.
I’ve seen cops roll up and shoot a CHILD within 5 seconds of telling him to drop the toy gun, but maybe we live in different countries.
I’m sorry, but you’re wrong.
Ethan’s grip slipped, the Troll fell, and he used that perceived injury to rally a ton of followers. Possibly they’re people like Emily, who are just *done* with superhero shenanigans. But this isn’t just a terrorist; it’s a cell.
Killing The Troll absolutely causes people to say “You murderer!” because that’s exactly what The Troll wants. That’s what all trolls want. They want to get you so upset that you do something stupid and angry. If Ethan murders The Troll, it’s not just a terrorist cell; now he’s a martyr, and this is a movement.
The problem is… ETHAN himself is unsure if his grip REALLY slipped… or if he let go himself. That is the true problem here.
If Ethan just kills the Troll, it almost certainly would be justified, but ONLY because Tim’s has established The Troll as an unambiguously evil and dangerous individual. But since the Troll is a caricature of real-life people, and murdering him in fiction would invariably make a statement regarding how to kill his real-life counterparts. And as cathartic as it may be to imagine, we can’t do that in real life. In reality, there is no all-powerful writer to guarantee that an individual is irredeemably evil or an otherwise-incurable threat to society. People that evil can and do exist, but we… Read more »
This would be an Awesome way to find Zeke with bodies as a peace offering.
Honestly hoping he brings some sort of recording device, camera or otherwise, to make sure he has a record of what ACTUALLY happens…. Otherwise…
Why? The troll already will have the roof covered and streaming the thing, he will never confess it is a trap or something alike in live, he wil fix to his victim script and if something doesn’t go as planned and kill the hostages, will be Analogue fault
Kind of like when they released the January 6 surveillance and half the country still thinks the insurrectionists were the good guys?
I’d love to see a Zeke Ex Machina.
I know Tim’s not that kinda writer, but still. I still remember the “You’re not that guy. I’m that guy” scene from The Expanse, and I can’t stop thinking about it when it comes to Ethan and the Troll.
He really needs an Amos.
That scene is awesome and cemented to me why Amos was great. People see him as a violent uncaring person but when his friends and those he value are threatened even with moral danger he’s quick to do what is needed.
https://cad-comic.com/comic/infernal-demons-p25/
Well remember the troll had that green liquid so he’s planning something for sure.
I think that the Zeke arc isn’t done yet, but if they do show up. I think it will be to remind Ethan that he taught them what morality is when he’s about to lose control and become the fallen hero.
Plot twist! – This version of the troll broadcasting IS Zeke.
In addition, Zeke and Ethan’s history and views of humanity are on the polar opposite. Ethan grew up naive and in wonder of everything humanity achieved, and only started seeing the greys and the darks of being human once he started the superhero work.
Zeke on the other hand, only knew the detestable aspects of humanity until they met Ethan.
For Ethan, taking a life, no matter what the person has done, is inconcievable.
For Zeke, or most AI in general, it’s like removing a damaged part or deleting a computer virus. A rational step to prevent further damage.
The best path of action, right now, is for Ethan to leave the city for the Bahamas or Tahiti. Take a vacation for a couple month, make the the troll be somebody else’s problem. The troll just wants a reaction, something, anything.
The right move is not to act.
how many times has that worked?
Honest question.
leaving the trolls alones? It worked for me very well. But my troll wasnt a murdering sociopath tho
damn, lucky you then.
Mine just kept poking at me and causing problems even when i tried to ignore them or leave them alone.
Took me completely leaving the community altogether to make it stop, and that’s only because i couldn’t see it anymore. for all i know they kept at it for years to come.
It’s worked well enough for the oil and whaling industries. They generally don’t rise to any sort of bait from the environmentalists, and as a result we apparently gladly let them carry on.
Sad but true.
got opinions on that topic, but this is not the place to discuss it, so I’ll just leave it at that.
Sad but true.
In real life, every time. In a comic, not so much.
The city is teeming with other supers.
Imagine this is a cops vs criminals situation and one criminal calls out one detective. What should you do? Remove that one detective and bring the full force of others. They’re a liability.
Remove the leverage the criminal has. Remove their possibility for strategy.
Ethan has NOTHING special over the Troll. No kryptonite or anything. From a strategic view he isn’t necessary.
Captain Prime herself said the Troll drove one super to quit, and another to self-termination.
This isn’t his first rodeo.
One thing I don’t understand is why is the Troll so popular with the public? I mean, he’s a terrorist. Why would anyone trust a terrorist over a superhero? Isn’t it illegal or at least looked down upon to follow or support a terrorist?
I don’t think he is that popular with the public. He only has a small cult following of other trolls and wannabe terrorists. This media coverage isn’t because they think he’s great and telling the truth, it’s just reporting on a video a wanted terrorist is releasing.
yeah, well, if it happens in the usa, they have weird fetish about weird and violent people.
You might be surprised how populars terrorist are, these days
Yup, just look at support for Hamas, look at how Bin Laden’s “Letter to America” has suddenly become more popular in certain circles, etc.
It’s not about supporting their beliefs or stances. It’s about egging them on. Everybody loves to watch a shitshow, and the show must go on. Basically the Green Goblin speech to Spiderman from the first Toby McGuire movie. We love a hero, but love watching a hero fall more.
Ummm.. yeah, just look around IRL. It may not be all the public but there’s always someone willing to trust, follow, and support a person that others consider a terrorist. Sometimes art mirrors life, other times life mimics art.
Do Ethan respawn if his character get assassinated and his sanity points drops to 0? Let’s find out!
And this is where you call in the police and news helicopters to come along and catch them in the act both literally and figuratively.
Smart thing to do is just not show up. Ethan isn’t a Government sanctioned hero, and taking the bait is just going to escalate things. Ignore the Troll and he’ll do stupid stuff that puts him on a significantly higher threat level. That opens the door to more permanent solutions.
That, or Ethan could do something out of the blue and unexpected, like swing up to the buildings rooftop and ‘accidently’ slip then fall to his death. That would take the wind out of Trolls sails if he laid low for awhile afterwards.
No the troll will just post about how stupid and incompitant Analog is and when he shows back up the entire thing would make him look bad. WHOPPER was right, the only winning move is not to play.
10 point to Ravenclaw for the WarGames reference.
That’s the point, he WOULDN’T come back, not for awhile. Way I see it Troll is getting after Analog and D-Pad because they are literally all that is left for him to mess with.
Excluding Death Blood, whom he likely has never antagonized for a VERY obvious reason.
It was mentioned before that the Troll drove one superhero to suicide already and another to quit.
“Fall to his death” could work… but not accidentally. Troll’s already driven one hero to suicide, I’m sure he’d love to do it again. So, give it to him. Ethan shows up, tells the Troll “you win, keep the cameras rolling” and offs himself spectacularly. Then Ethan respawns, catches the Troll off guard, and takes him down.
“I’ll have no choice but to act out my trauma on innocent hostages”
Ah, the trauma-baiting lies of an irredeemable abusive asshole. ‘Oh, my childhood was soooo sad. So, if you try to leave me or disagree with me, my trauma would make me hurt you or hurt myself or hurt the kids. Whatever lie I can come up with to try and twist things to make my calculated and reasoned abuse your fault’.
Calling it now: Ethan goes alone, but Zeke shows up, complicating the hostage situation.
Out of all the supers, it makes the most sense for him to go. After all, he can simply reset whereas the troll camp. Makes you wonder if he’s going to hug the troll and jump off the building together in forgiveness… and Ethan wakes up. The ultimate troll by Ethan to defeat the troll once and for all.
Eth-I mean Analog should go (after gluing and/or stapling his mask on-), say he has nothing to apologize for, but if it makes The Troll feel better, Analog will take the hostage’s place, the worst The Troll can do is kill Analog, which to Analog is an inconvenience at most.
Or put the green goo on him.
I think Ethan is right. It’s often stated the only way to win against a troll is to not play. I think Ethan has some sort of plan to allow the Troll to do whatever he wants to him and show how futile his efforts are when dealing directly with someone instead of indirectly. I hope so, anyways. I’m honestly a bit more annoyed than entertained at the whole concept of a “Troll” as a villain and would like to see something satisfying come out of it.
As someone who has dealt with a lot of online trolls and a smear campaign against me…this is so well written. You literally cannot win against trolls, no matter what you do. Often ignoring them is the least bad option but even then you’re not really winning. And it’s so, so damn demoralising.
I’m both excited to see where this goes and dreading it
I mean, Lucas, seriously you think this *could* be a trap? I expected better from you.
And this is why you kill the crazy freaks the first chance you get.
There’s a certain murderhobo robot running around right now just itching for a reason to strangle a dude.
Does Ethan still have the number of the hero with all of the guns?
God, this self-agrandising superhero crap is corny! Awful. I’m out until the decent stuff come back.
But if you do that, the door will have double the chance to smack you in the ass!
So ageless long time reader (started reading OG CAD just after the 3rd or 4th original comic got published!) Finally decided to post a comment. I’m wondering if Ethan might not use the trolls live broadcast to counter-troll him? Make it seem like the troll killed him and others etc or something? I cant remember if the troll knows of Ethan’s respawning power or not?
Also since I opened up the posting can of worms. Another thought? What if in a wicked twist of plot Tim were to have Emily or Lila (sp?) be secretly feeding the Troll info? It’d be a wicked twist, though not sure Tim would do that or not I think?
I REEEEEEEEALLY hope Zelle shows up on that rooftop and drops the troll off the roof saying ‘He’s my toy! Not yours!’ ?
Still people out there thinking that the Troll doesn’t deserve to be put into a bodybag?
Straitjacket, definitely. Prison uniform, probably. Bodybag? Not necessarily. If he dies, he becomes a martyr, and we have an anti-superhero cult to deal with. Put him on trial, publicly broadcast, expose in detail all the horrible deeds he has done to show how terrible a person he is, and once his fame is destroyed and supporting him is considered godawful for every thinking human being, then he can be thrown in a cell without internet access and the key can be thrown away. Death is something he wants. Rotting away in a cell forgotten, is his worst nightmare.
Love that subtle touch of green on the neck and ears, can’t wait for the (potential) reveal that the troll is a goblin. Oh, and not saying it’s the right move, but were I in Ethan’s shoes I’d find a way to leave Deadpo….*ehem* Deathblood a voicemail and say “The troll said your guns are compensation for a tiny weiner~” and let the problem sort itself out.
Uh oh… is this Ethan’s cliff edge? Going villain or vigilante would be an interesting character low before having a redemption arch or intervention/face-off with his old friends.
Calling here. The solution will be Zeke comes in to eliminate the troll in a twisted thank you to Ethan, while also revealing his intention to wipe out humanity in front of the news outlets.
Oh wow! This went way shittier than i imagined.
Kinda hope Zeke gets involved with this. Like, he still holding a grudge, but tries to get rid of the troll so as to “repay” Ethan caring about him, so afterwards they’ll be “squared” and he can go on and destroy the humanity with a clear conscience, etc, etc.
But Ethan would stop him offing troll on the grounds that this is his mess (Ethan’s), and he doesn’t want it to be pushed onto Zeke to have to deal with it, again.
Gotta wait and see.