DR. KANANGA
Original Character
Power Level 5 ( 100 PP )
'Live and Let Die' (1973) wrote:James Bond: My name is B——
Mr. Big: Names is for tombstones, baby. Y'all take this honky out and waste him. Now!
ABILITIES
Strength 2
Stamina 3
Agility 3
Dexterity 3
Fighting 5
Intellect 4
Awareness 2
Presence 3
SKILLS
Athletics 4 (+6), Expertise [Criminal] 8 (+12), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise [Medicine] 4 (+8), Expertise [Occult] 2 (+6), Expertise [Streetwise] 11 (+15), Intimidation 12 (+15), Perception 8 (+10), Persuassion 6 (+9), Ranged Combat [Firearms] 2 (+5), Technology 2 (+6), Treatment 4 (+8), Vehicles 2 (+5)
ADVANTAGES
Benefit [Diplomatic Immunity (1)], Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll (2), Equipment (2), Leadership, Well-Informed
EQUIPMENT ( 10 EP )
•
Smith & Wesson Model 10 (.38 Special) Snubnose Revolver Damage 3 (
E: Accurate [1], Improved Critical [1], Ranged) [ 8 EP ]
DEFENSE
Dodge (5)
Base 2
Parry: (5)
Base 0
Fortitude: (4)
Base 1
Toughness: (3/5)
——
Will: (6)
Base 3
WORKSHEET
Attack: 5 Effect: 2 Total: 7 (Unarmed)
Attack: 7 Effect: 3 Total: 10 (Revolver)
Dodge: 5 Tough: 3/5 Total: 8/10
Parry: 5 Tough: 3/5 Total: 8/10
Fort: 4 Will: 6 Total: 10
ABILITIES [ 50 pp ] +
SKILLS [ 35 pp ] +
ADVANTAGES [ 9 pp ] +
POWERS [ 0 pp ] +
DEFENSES [ 6 pp ] =
100 PP TOTAL
Real Name: Dr. Kananga
Known Alias: Mr. Big
Occupation: Crime Lord
Education: Unknown
Date of Birth: 33 (Assumed)
Base of Operations: San Monique
Height: 6'4" (1.93 m)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Race: Human
Identity: Secret
Religion: Voodoo
Relationships: Unknown
Legal Status: Citizen of the San Monique with no criminal record.
Background:
Dr. Kananga, also known as Mr. Big, is James Bond's main antagonist in the 1973 film
Live and Let Die.
Drug baron and dictator of a fictitious Caribbean island named San Monique, Dr. Kananga is very loosely based on the villain of Ian Fleming's second James Bond novel, also titled
Live and Let Die. Like his novel counterpart, Kananga adopts the alias "Mr. Big" to conduct his illicit activities, however the novel and film versions of the character are radically different to the point of being completely different people. This build reflects the film version more than the literary one.
Dr. Kananga, operating under the alias "Mr. Big", is a business man and owner of a chain of restaurants in New York City and New Orleans called "Fillet of Soul". As Big, he is also the head of one of the most vicious street gangs in Harlem. Kananga is the de facto dictator of the fictional Caribbean island of San Monique and thus has certain diplomatic immunities in the United States easily allowing him to smuggle drugs into the country.
Dr. Kananga grows vast quantities of opium in San Monique under the protection of large camouflage nets and guarded by the apparently mystical "Baron Samedi." Using the poppies, Kananga hopes to flood the U.S. market with two tonnes of heroin distributed through his legitimate restaurants free of charge, thus forcing other drug dealers out of business. In doing so, he believes that he would double the amount of addicts, which he would be able to exploit with his new found monopoly.
Kananga attracts the attention of the Secret Intelligence Service when three british agents are killed while investigating his business. This being a James Bond movie, it shouldn't be hard to figure out how Her Majesty's Secret Service responds...
Build Notes:
Live and Let Die is probably the strangest Bond film of them all, at least in terms of tone. (It's hard to top
Moonraker for sheer absurdity.)
Live and Let Die was released at the height of the "Blaxploitation" trend and boy does it show. Gone is the international terrorism of SPECTRE or the cat-and-mouse Cold War of the Soviets and the British (and the Americans, Chinese, and Japanese) and instead we have a fairly straight-forward tale of organized crime and drug smuggling. Honestly, if you replaced Roger Moore with Richard Roundtree, this film could have been a Shaft picture... Replace James Bond with Nightwing, Daredevil, or any "street-level" superhero of your choosing and it's a great Mutants & Masterminds mini-campaign. Heck, use Luke Cage and get the best of both worlds.
More Build Notes:
The theme song by Paul McCartney and Wings is among the all-time best for the franchise, and is the only one to have any success independent of the film. Heck, it's still played by McCartney today in his concerts, gets regular air play on most Classic Rock stations, and plenty people don't even know that it came from a Bond film. The Shirley Basey theme from
Goldfinger is probably the most famous Bond theme, but it's pretty much known as just a Bond theme. McCartney's
Live and Let Die theme is a legit standalone hit.