Got me. The only characters I have whom the city knows murdered someone before becoming heroes were pardoned in exchange for information and helping the city afterward.
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
The only hero that I have that murdered someone before becoming a super hero is a serial killer possessed by the spirit of one of his victims who forces him to do good.
Which he hates. 
In my head, Azuria keeps a close eye on him in case he should manage to free himself. That's how I justify it.
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
Is your beef with heroes who killed someone in their past, or vigilante heroes like the Punisher who continue to kill people?
As for the "past murder" theme, I would guess that killing someone accidently with a power-manifestation wouldn't count too harshly against them. Paragon is very used to super powers and mutants, so I'm sure their laws have stuff in there to deal with that.
As for intentional killings, well I don't know about that. I mean, as long as nobody finds out then it wouldn't be a problem. But if City Hall KNEW about it, then that's a little harder to explain. Perhaps it's a mentality of "if we arrest them we're going to have a super-powered fight on our hands. Get them in the system where we can more easily control them"
Now heroes who continue to kill people (criminals) I have no explanation for. I s'pose as long as it's able to be put down even vaguely to self-defense, maybe the courts tend to look the other way. I'm not sure. Having no murderous heroes myself, I haven't really considered it. 
Both, Really. I understand if something happens in the interim.
If the character is taken into protective custody in the aftermath of the incident, is taken care of and evaluated before getting a license that's -fine-.
But so many bios I read go just from the murder directly to 'I am a hero, now!' Without any explanation. No arrest, no parole, nothing. It comes off as 'Oh. You killed your parents. HERE! Have a Hero License!' Which just makes my brain-meats hurt.
-Rachel-
Well a lot of the whole 'leveling up' process is either A) learning to use your abilities, or B) getting clearance to actually use them.
We're assigned "Security Levels" so I'm thinking it's possibly both.
And yes, I do have a character (my main) who put her abusive boyfriend through a cinder-block wall, to ward off his attacking her. The dangers of newly-empowered people acting in self-defense.... of course, she didn't kill him, but she may as well have - he was rendered paralyzed from the neck down. And yes... aggravated assault charges were considered... but dropped when the DA saw HIS rap sheet and decided that "no jury would convict."
I see the problem... but then again, what with the limited bio space and the badly written concepts running around, I try not to analyze too deeply.
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Rachel, a lot of the people you see with character descriptions like that tend not to write here...
As you said, it lacks depth, it lacks realism, and it's very unlikely that it would happen in even "Comic Book World."
Just rest assured that most of these concepts don't get past that initial character biography, and those that do either don't get very far or better have a damn good reason as to how the character avoided a jail sentence.
As for myself, I have a character who recently was arrested for murdering Council soldiers in the streets of Steel Canyon. I'm not exactly sure where I'm going to take it, but a court room is most likely in his future.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Grey speaks the truth. For every unpunished accidental murder, there exists a mstically bound demon girl who was forced to do evil by the Circle of Thorns, even though she wasn't really evil, and now she's out to show the world she's a good person.
Laugh at it, ignore it, move on.
There's only so many letter-spaces in those bio fields.
Personally, what bugs me more than non-realistic justice systems, is that nine of ten biographies read:
____________ is a mutant. Their powers came out one day when his wife/GF/sister/brother/parents were killed. ____________ now uses their powers to avenge their murdered______________ .
So much slacker-itis. Don't want to create an origin for the powers, well, they were always there, because of biology and DNA, check. Why do they fight, well, it's because they got johnny! check. I think this outcome really is the only thing I consider Stan Lee & Marvel's greatest disservice to people everywhere. Once 'mutant' became the origin story for power, reason, look, & feel, pandora's box of diseases was opened for all to partake.
That, and TV really has had a profound effect on creativity.
__________________
whiny woman: "don't you know that hundreds of people are killed by guns every year?!"
"would it make ya feel better, little girl, if they was pushed outta windows?" -- Archie Bunker
There's two things here: the style choice these characters are going for and their sync with the game world.
As far as the style choice goes, the schtick you're seeing is the old trope of "Deep, brooding soul with dark and troubled past seeks redemption through good deeds for the mistakes he's made in the past. Which he's really, really sorry about now. Really." There's a lot of that going around. Most of my characters have something screwed up in their past, but usually nothing violent, just something that drives them. Most players who opt for the "dark past" motif either assumed the character avoided being caught and lives secretly with the guilt (again, brooding) or that he lives as an outcast because of it. I can fault them for being unoriginal, but not for their effort. A lot of people think violence is the only way to add a serious note to their characters.
But as far as these ideas syncing with the game world's "Hero License," I actually think you've got the stick by the wrong end.
You're describing the Hero License as something that explicitly authorizes superpowered individuals to do things ordinary citizens aren't allowed to do. While the backstory of Paragon City mentions legalizing superpowered vigilantism that's not to say that the "Hero License" a character is issued has anything to do with their being explicitly approved to participate in ways others aren't. The website just says that vigilante action is legalized as long as they follow the same restrictions as the police (which in real life would translate into a civil liberties nightmare, but that's the one point you just gotta let slide in CoH).
I consider the license as more of a monitoring and tracking protocol. Think about it like this; in the firearm license background check, if you fail the background check you don't get to own a gun. That's not an option here. The fearless Captain Adam Atomic (aka Adam Assaultcharge) can shoot radioactive bolts out of his elbows and the rest of us just have to live with that. He can be a vigilante or he can be stockbroker, same as any other citizen. The difference is, because of the whole radioactive-elbows thing he's required to register with the city as a superpowered being.
The issue isn't whether or not its ok for this guy to run around with super powers. He is already running around with super powers and in this city people aren't persecuted for being superhuman. The issue isn't whether its ok for him specificly to be a vigilante. The city's already made up its mind that if you want to try to be a hero you're free to try (and if you screw up they will send someone after you nonetheless).
But if you have hero-level abilities you have, say, 60 days to register with the relevant branch of superhuman management bureaucracy (remember those first contacts in Atlas Park?) or you will be subject to arrest and/or sanction for failing to comply with city safety ordinances regarding super-powered beings. Which coincidentally means making sure that the authorities have your name, your current alias, your picture, a list of your notable abilities, and (I assume) your fingerprints and a DNA sample.
The only thing your "Security Level" authorizes you to do which normal people can't do is walk into exceedingly dangerous areas where most people would get themselves killed, which is mostly a way of protecting the vigilante himself.
Now, certain individual contacts choosing to trust ol' Adam with important tasks is a bit of a stretch but they might not know about it or they might not care.
[ QUOTE ]
____________ is a mutant. Their powers came out one day when his wife/GF/sister/brother/parents were killed. ____________ now uses their powers to avenge their murdered______________ .
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As far as the style choice goes, the schtick you're seeing is the old trope of "Deep, brooding soul with dark and troubled past seeks redemption through good deeds for the mistakes he's made in the past. Which he's really, really sorry about now. Really." Most players who opt for the "dark past" motif either assumed the character avoided being caught and lives secretly with the guilt (again, brooding) or that he lives as an outcast because of it. I can fault them for being unoriginal, but not for their effort. A lot of people think violence is the only way to add a serious note to their characters.
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It isn't the violence that bothers me about the trope, either. Violence in and of itself can be played for a wide variety of emotions. What bothers me, is apparently how little it takes some people to become the local Friendly Neighborhood Mysterious Protector in Black. Angst and remorse are valid emotions, but they need to be proportional to what causes them. Angel, of Buffy fame, spent a good century killing people in as many brutal and insane ways as he could. His feelings on the matter are justified. Billy Blaster, who accidentally killed his best friend when his powers suddenly manifested, and so now fights for truth, revenge, and to honor that friend's memory? He's doing to mystique what Caligula did to that dog. He is [censored] drama.
I believe my only hero like that is my main. In his case he started as a villain, and later becomes a hero after the first Rikti Invasion with a pardon from Statesman clearing the way politically. Public trust was an issue later dealt with.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
This is a recurring theme I've seen more often than I'd like. a Hero character's history includes violent, often aggravated, assault which leads to murder.
Either the character lashes out at bullies or long-time enemies and destroys them or they accidentally kill their most cherished love/Best Friend/Parents when their powers go haywire.
So here is my conundrum. As a Hero a player character is, essentially, a powered police officer. Harsh, but true! You're given a license by the Paragon City government which empowers you to go out and fight crime legally on the city's behalf.
So why are Felons being given licenses without question? MOST of these Murder/Manslaughter player characters just describe coming to Paragon immediately after or before the event and signing up for Hero Work without a word to the interim.
Ever gone in for a gun license? YOu get to go through a nice long background check to make sure you're not a psycopathic killer. Cops do the same thing, but they also get psychiatric evaluations. Heck, even people applying for the job of High School Janitor get the same thing.
If you're going to the government for licensing or employment there will be inquiries made into your history/life/credit/criminal record.
So what makes it different for Heroes? Because they're MORE powerful than a gun, nine times out of ten? That certainly makes no sense. Because they're upstanding pillars of the community whom children everywhere should look up to? SURE! But not when they've murdered or committed multiple counts of manslaughter...
I can understand the idea of a villainous character who's been in prison for a while given a probationary duty in community service. That's fine so long as they are ASSIGNED to a supergroup of people who constantly keep an eye on them and help to rehabilitate them. That makes sense!
But characters who've murdered or killed without a backward glance whom the government hands licenses to without asking.... That makes no sense at all.
Thoughts?
-Rachel-