Power levels are an issue with MHR so some compromises may need to be struck to avoid Players pitching too high or too low during Character development.

MHR does not immediately appear to have an explicit power level or ranking system for the characters that appear in the datafiles section of the book. Which is not to say that with some careful retro-engineering, one cannot work one out, just that it appears that they are attempting to allow for a selection that does not immediately appeal to those who min/max. In fact, some criticism has been levelled at the eventual ‘sameness’ of characters in play so it will be interesting to watch this debate develop over the course of the game.

The most obvious initial discussion needs to be around how overtly powerful the PCs are (hence the Alex Ross art of the Avengers, although Thor looks like he is wearing a bra on the outside of his armour), and where the Campaign is expected to be pitched.

Despite remonstrations that ‘it probably won’t matter’, some heroes (the aforementioned Thor) are just too powerful (and too silly) to be trolling around Harlem, New York City in the heart of Manhattan Island. After reading around the topic, I discovered that MHF is a hybrid of another product called Cortex (which is apparently also the basis for the upcoming revamped Firefly/Serenity system).

Reproduced here are the suggested Power Levels for game play – my suggestion is for Characters that meet the ‘Regional’ descriptor:

• Local characters are either just starting out or have profoundly limited powersets. They will most frequently deal with small-time criminals (“Street Heroes”) or be in training for higher-powered teams (e.g., X-Men trainees).
• Regional characters are entry-level with a pretty good power range, have extensive pre-game training, or are experienced heroes with a limited power range. They will either handle problems all over a major city or may pursue specifically relevant stories all over the world (common for mutants).
• Global characters have had pretty extensive experiences before the start of play and commonly have a broad selection of powers to match. They deal with crises all over the world and may periodically go to other worlds or planes.
• Cosmic characters have reams of back story, extensive powers, and tons of training. They frequently have to spend substantial amounts of time off-planet to find threats significant enough for them and/or are solo heroes that often deal with threats that would stump whole teams of less experienced characters.