Super Eleven

A story idea I’ve been pondering lately: A story about a group of supervillains pulling a movie-style heist.  Not sure what they would be stealing, and honestly they would probably have to be relatively weak to make the plot work, but there’s also the issue of what kind of security would exist in a world where super criminals are a known and expected contingency and how they would get around them.

If it was as snarky and stylish as the film, this could be a lot of fun.

Maybe the group are second-rate supervillians with somewhat limited powers. If they can team up to steal the Jewel Encrusted Macguffin right out from the Museum Exhibit Floor, when the Museum is guarded by the Assistant Heroes Guild, the Bad 11 get to become the Henchmen of the Ultravillians Collective.

The story introduces the ridiculously complicated next security step that makes it impossible for anyone to walk out with the Macguffin. Then, it introduces the next villian's powers, which happen to be just what you need to infiltrate that one next step.

Who are the real masterminds playing strategic chess, with both groups in the Museums as their super-powered pawns?

What happens when the old love triangle issue between women in the Robbery Club flare up, and they lose their timing at the elevator which triggers the alarms?

Netflix made a cartoon about something similar, it is called Super Crooks. Maybe it can help inspire you.

Margot Robbie is set to star in a new Oceans Eleven film, and aren't we pretty sure she already has superpowers?

deadline.com/2022/05/oceans-eleven-film-...ner-bros-1235028419/

So what kinds of powers would work for this? Anyone?

Super vision and hearing detects IR detection and  illuminator beams, see in darkness and through walls to find entry points.   See into lockboxes and safes to inspect contents and easily open combination safes    Hearing to detect heartbeats of guards, ultrasonic proximity sensors, ultrasonic warnings from small animals lizards or insects.   Possible to communicate with small animals.
Alien DNA or possible android that can suppress human constant dropping of DNA in skin and hair cells, exhaled and perspired gasses, and evaporating fluids that can be used for scent detection.  A doglike sense of smell and taste could detect, track scent of  individuals and /or chemicals, food, drink. The Terminatrix used this to identify a blood sample from John Connor.  From scent in a room, identify who was there recently and if they were under stress, and where they were in the room.  IR vision could also see residual temperature if their seat or table was warm from body heat.   From smelling breath they could know what was eaten, and and diseases with a characteristic scent like covid or cancer.  A complementary ability would be ability to instantly mimic any scent this might play havoc with scent trackers like bloodhounds.   Aliens with this ability might greet each other with sequences of coded scents.  To increase range maybe they use some kind of optical spectrometry to view chemical composition at a distance like humans see color.

With those incredible senses they could locate their target deep within an secure guarded building and look for the easiest way to enter the building.
Superstrength could probably allow a forced entry, but that would be considered a rude display, almost certain to be identified.  A more difficult goal would be an undetected entry and exit, replacing the real item with a convincing replica.  Teleportation would make things too easy. 
Ability to detect and emit electrical impulses through wires and wireless, would allow monitoring of unshielded cables for alarm and video, tracking and monitoring users from their cell phone signals,  possibly  even the stingray superpower that allows creating a fake cell signal and mimicing whoever the user was calling, or possibly generating fake data.  Could super Margot/Barbie have all of these abilities, or would they spread out over different team members like Suicide Squad or any of the team theft/mission flicks?

examples
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_theft
Netflix Super Crooks
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Crooks

An example of a superpowered thief would be the character Wraith (Jennifer Maloy) from the "WILD CARDS" series of novels. which became intangible and could go through walls, being able to float so as not to use stairs or elevators.
An example of this is in the third book of the series.

See this link:

Un ejemplo de ladrona con superpoderes, seria el personaje Wraith (Jennifer Maloy) de la serie de las novelas "WILD CARDS". la cual se hacia intagible y podia atravesar paredes, pudiendo flotar para no usar escaleras ni ascensores. 
Un ejemplo de esto esta en el libro tercero de la serie.

Ver este enlace:

www.wildcardsworld.com/characters/wraith/


 

I meant what could be used for this kind of thing while not letting them win without effort?

A variant would be that his superpowers allow him to enter from anywhere and have full control of the blow to be made. but when he is carrying out the robbery. their superpowers either don't work or mess up the hit. Even going so far as to put his escape at risk.
Una variante seria que sus superpoderes le permiten entra de cualquier sitio y tener todo el control del golpe a realizar. pero cuando va realizando el robo. sus superpoderes no funcionan o fastidian el golpe. Llegando incluso a poner en riesgo su huida.

Woodclaw wrote:

I'm going against the grain here, but since most heist movie focus on the skills of each character, rather than some kind of innate talent, it would be much more interesting to see how these super-thieves work some apparently ineffectual powers into their plans.
 

I agree. Have crooks with not quite super-duper powers, that would put them in the bench-warming farm leagues for DC or Marvel. But just a little bit of power per crook is enough that with great teamwork, overcoming their well justified suspicion of each other, they can get the job done. Each power seeming to be of negligent use for the crook to get away with a crime like this on their own.