The Collective (Freedom City)

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In the Freedom City campaign setting sourcebook of the comic book themed Mutants and Masterminds roleplaying game, one of the potential threats superhero characters could face is The Collective, a hive-mind of mutated cockroaches. Because it is a collective organism, the Collective can be almost impossible to eradicate, making it a recurring villain in the game.

The mutant roaches of the Collective can absorb energy, usually in the form of electricity, to boost their reproductive rate tremendously. It is adaptive, taking on the characteristics of its greatest foes (Man) and remembering specific enemies, such as the Atom Family who have thwarted the Collective on several occasions. Its goals are simple; to find a suitably hidden nest with a sufficient energy source, and breed until the world is covered with the Collective.

The Collective, in comic book terms, would be loosely similar to the Marvel Comics villain Swarm, but the closest analogy is the "Roach Coach" from The Powerpuff Girls.