These are some intriguing ideas indeed! Teridax toothpaste sounds like a unique way to build up a technical firm, and Heroes' personal lives sound like a fun path to explore. Also, Von Ness' acceptance of bribes, as well as Aldus' involvement make a lot of sense. Poor, poor Nex and his sudden non-existence. I've had this sneaking hunch for the longest time that Von Ness/Von Nebula is not the only member of the Wave I villains to have once been associated with Hero Factory. Most of the criminals of that era whom the Heroes arrest seem to hold some kind of personal record with Stormer, and seem well acquainted with his presence. I know that someone on DA did a strip a quite a while ago about Corroder's past with them(Which I've sadly never been able to refind), but to me Xplode was always the more likely candidate as he seems to have a particularly strong disliking for Stormer, and a deeper desire than the other secondary villains to see him downed. Granted, this is mainly for the purpose of establishing that Stormer is quite talented and has been at his post for a long time in the lives of young heroes and citizens alike, but it still struck me as an interesting turn of events that could have been exploited. Secondly, the cool-headed portion of Splitface's two personalities was also a Hero. Here's where things get really murky in my own personal territory, more like fan fiction and less just straight theory. I have this pet thought that once upon a dream, the 'Hero' side of who would become Splitface was a condescending and unpleasant, but outwardly popular team leader at Hero Factory. He had a tight-knit and talented team, but only about four of them, himself included, were ever recognized for their efforts. Amongst the forgotten was a lowly demolitions expert who, despite his knack for strategy and seeing the big picture, was constantly the butt of everyone's jokes due to his position. But with the rise of new up-and-comings such as Preston Stormer, the team was forced to share the spotlight and even work together with others. Actually run missions with rookies?! How humiliating! Or at least so thought the team leader. And what was worse yet- this 'Stormer' fellow actually took the time for the losers in the group. Meanwhile, the demolitions expert felt hopeful; here at last was someone who would listen and understand, someone who might be able to stand up for those crushed beneath the limelight. Things seemed to be looking up... But a mission gone awry changed everything. The demolitions expert gave advice- the ground was too unstable, he said, and no one member of the party should go after the criminal without backup. The team leader, in his typical fashion, ignored this and ordered the demolitionist to plant explosives throughout an exposed quaza mining site that ran straight beneath the villain's lair. Furthermore, he split up the team, which included the rookies Stormer and Von Ness, in order to comb the territory more effectively. He found the crook, a battle ensued in the lair's lab, where the combatants were surrounded by illegal chemicals and caged mutations of the local wildlife, and in the heat of things the leader ordered the explosives fired, thinking they were safely out of range and hoping that the sound would throw his quarry off. The demolitions expert, who had laid the charges with hopes of preventing another argument between them, but not anticipating their actual use, protested, climbing down into the mine to deactivate them. But a member of the team freshly returned followed the insistent cries of his leader, and activated the explosives, igniting the mine with the demolitionist still inside. The aftershock tremors shook through the unstable ground, and the lab was torn asunder, all of its chemicals and equipment enveloping Hero and villain alike. The two beings were merged, becoming Splitface. The demolitionist, meanwhile, unbeknownst to the crew, survived the subsequent fiery cavein and remained conscious long enough to see the team leave without him, without even bothering to search for him. I imagine one of the last conscious memories he retained was of a young Stormer simply walking away, without a glance in his direction. In the mine he lay, exposed for an uncalculated amount of time to the raw quaza and other elements lodged there, some of which bore naturally explosive properties. Gradually they warped his physical form, as well as his mind, and he too began to change. Crystals charged with unstable energy grew from his body, and, left alone in the dark with nothing but his anger and frustration to keep him company, he chose to blame Hero Factory and his former bastion of hope, Stormer, for all that had happened. Why did they do nothing to protect the lesser Heroes from the abuse they suffered beneath their peers? Why did no one even bother to search for his remains? How could Hero Factory, a beacon that shone outwardly for hope and good, be so deceptive and hypocritical of its own teachings within? When he at last did manage to gather his strength and crawl his way to the surface, he vowed to wipe out the cancerous plague that was Hero Factory, or at least be as big of a thorn in its side as he could manage. Taking the name Xplode as a mockery of all the cruel jokes at his expense, he outfitted himself with new armor and began a lasting reign of sabotage and thievery across the galaxy, earning a reputation as one of the most wanted criminals still roaming. As he viewed Stormer as a sort of physical manifestation of the Factory's hidden evils, a broken promise tempting others with its lies, his acts became more of a personal vendetta against the Hero, and he sought to destroy him at every turn, partly as a demonstration, a cutting of one of the snake's many heads, and partly for personal revenge. Stormer, simply doing his duty, continued to suffer through it, simply bringing the maddened mutant to justice again, and again, and again... Also, is it just me, or is Mister Makuro awfully prejudice about why he tosses someone out of the Factory? I mean, wanting to at least try to fit yourself with a quaza core, or chickening out in a major fight are not reasons to be labeled criminals and banished from the immediate galaxy. Sure, being discharged is one thing, but sent packing from the planet? Accepting bribes and being in on villainous schemes would surely be of much more merit than simply,"Oh. You messed up. Now I give you zee boot!" Because if some of these fan cannons are not true in one way or another, I'd also hazard a guess that Mister Makuro is not the wise, benevolent leader he seems to be. Tossing someone out into the far depths of space with a restraining order is not how to deal with psychological problems in your staff!