Story: The Henchman

A long time ago, I had an idea for a story about a boy in a world where the word "hero" had lost its meaning. Everyone was a hero for doing something as small as throwing away litter, so the boy became an evil overlord to remind everyone what being a hero really meant.

Years later, the world morphed into a superhero universe where anyone could get powers. The story morphed and grew, and so did the world. A second superhero story insinuated itself in the lore. Then a third. The one story became a multi-generational saga. And then I rewatched The Incredibles. Still one of the best superhero movies out there, and that's coming from a die-hard Marvel fan.

I'll bet you just thought of one of two lines when I mentioned The Incredibles:

1) "Honey, where's my supersuit?"
or
2) "NO CAPES!"

Aah, Edna Mode. One of the most colorful characters in the whole movie, and completely and totally human. The common human who the heroes depended on, like Alfred and Lucius Fox. And this got me thinking: In all the superhero worlds we know, the story's 99% of the time about the heroes or maybe, rarely, their girlfriends. There's never any focus on the regular people affected by a world full of superheroes, and it's such a shame, because these characters just make the world so much richer. You don't see the obsessive teen fangirl who'll go to any lengths to meet her favorite superhero. You don't see the crooks coping with their captures. And you never, ever see the henchmen.

God, I love henchmen. Have you ever seen Venture Brothers? I cannot tell you how much I love that we actually got a close-up look on the lives of two of them. I love that they were major characters who had an effect on the lives of their villains instead of just being faceless cannonfodder. There are people behind those masks, men and women with lives and motivations and families and friends.

So when I got the idea for a short story about a henchman who meets his dream woman during speed dating and then discovers she's his boss, I had to write it. And now I've posted it as my first online writing sample for you to read. You can find it here on Wattpad. Please take a look, and I hope you enjoy it.