The Superhero Training Academy is a 501c3 not for profit educational organization based in Detroit, with a mission to power up epic imagination and creative purpose in all ages.

Supervillains are discouraging, cunning, hilarious and hopeless.  

They come in every shade and size!  It's difficult to overstate their importance ~ for heroes going through the program, the villains are the antagonists that takes the journey into a real life unknown.  The most learning, magic and memories happen here.

Villains join together and choose from a spectrum of strategies, depending on the size of their absurd master plan.  "Master Villains" are part of it all, "Villains" at least half, and the "Horde" just a special guest experience. 

Spectrum of strategies

1. Sleeper cells - villains may be part of a program from the start, disguised as a hero

2. Surprise - villains interupt an everyday activity of the heroes, usually at a key moment of the heroes' journeys

3. Call to Adventure - villains steal something, take something over, etc.

4. Epic Adventure, all the villains against all the heroes

* NOTE: Villains transform back into heroes at the end

Right now, we are especially looking for help with the SUPERHERO QUEST this summer at Detroit Community School on Burt Road.

Read about the villains below to see where you might like to connect...

Read more about the art of villainry and get a sense of where you might fit in.

* Seen above (left) Mindbender introduces the villains (center) the Pickler tells kids she is turning the therapy clinic into a pickle factory (right) Sabotage hurls the heroic heart into the river

Master Villains have the master plan.  Master Villains plan undercover with the Quest Professor of the heroes.  They understand how this plan unfolds with plot twists and surprises, and the learning emphasis involved.  

They are responsible for introducing these events, giving them creative expression, orchestrating the villains, and incorporating real time feedback from the dynamic nature of play and adventure learning. 

They usually are custom composed to represent the Quest theme or an important collective challenge of the heroes.  The Discourager is a classic Master Villain, often because it can be a common pronounced behavior pattern in many learning environments.

They are larger than life and the last to transform.

Seen here: (left) Dr Mindbender challenges Pretty Butterfly (center) Villains prepare to take over the therapy clinic (left) Blingatron brings home his point about money

* Composed from specific representations of hero’s shadows, like “Miss Irresponsible”, “the Big Interruptor”, etc.

* They follow the lead of the Master Villain, but may be up to their own tricks.  They are transformed one-by-one throughout the adventure to build momentum

* They may or may not lead challenges, but always join with the villain team to add tricks and quips and layers of challenge.

Seen above: (left) Team of Total Downers taking all the fun out of the fun run, (center) the Ogres lurking in the distance (right) Masquerade confusing heroes along their path

* Hordes make up a general category of villains

* Often bring comic relief, support villains as they lead challenges

* play small parts like luring heroes with video games, blocking a threshold, adding “strength in numbers” to villain challenges.

* they are usually the first to transform back into heroes