Grey is a Jerk

[davidj]

Wouldn't not killing each other (at least not without an elaborate death trap) be a default part of the arrangement between the agencies?

[Erika]

Come come, people, join in on this discussion! I see you all lurking there...

[formerly]

I think I will disagree to an extent... I'm assuming that most villains who are actually villainous, we've seen one in-comic example before, have no problems with killing heroes.

Of course, heroes themselves can't kill. Them's the breaks.

[paranoidspy]

I've always been suspicious of Grey.

[fauvem]

Grey could be morally grey.

[MalkavianMarine]

Why did that Villain leave me alive ? Does he expect me to owe him a boon? Does he want me to know he could have killed me at any time ? Is it a relative ? These are questions Grey (and the Hero Agency) are probably asking. Personally, I would have expected an unknown villain/henchman to leave me there to die. He's evil for all I know.

Putting Coldfire on a "priority arrest list", if nothing else, gives the Hero agency a chance to interrogate him and potentially get answers to these questions.

[davidj]

So far what we know about the understanding is that it involves Villain Agency affiliates not attacking Hero Agency installations and Hero Agency (and the government itself) going easy on henchmen, (and probably Villain agency functionaries like Agent Black). In addition, the two agencies have an arrangement by which they negotiate arch-enemies for their clients.

A hero who has a registered arch-enemy can tell other heroes and sidekicks to stay out of stopping the arch-enemy. Presumably the registered arch-enemy hero is who the Hero Agency always calls when his villain is on the loose or acting up. This gives a reason for the Joker to not actually kill Batman, because if he ever does, then he's suddenly up for grabs and can find himself trying to punch out Superman or Green Lantern instead.

Now despite his paper-shuffler status, Agent Grey apparently is a hero on paper, and would like to think of himself as one in reality. I mean hey, he is tougher than Illumina after all. So apparently his logic is that Coldfire might save his life in the hopes of getting a wimpy arch-nemesis.

But...henchmen don't get arch-nemeses in the first place. What self-respecting hero would accept a mere henchman as his arch-enemy, even if the henchman is far more capable than the average villain? Ordinarily a henchman presumably wouldn't even have the authority to decide to kill a hero. After all, that might start an all-out inter-agency war so by rights it should be above their paygrade.

So Grey knows darn well that there's nothing suspicious about his not being dead, although it may be a little surprising to him that he didn't wake up captured by whatever villain is calling the shots since that villain is throwing down with the Hero Agency.

Therefore Grey has to be upping the ante just because he's still butt-hurt that a henchmen worked him over effortlessly.