- What are your legacies rules? What are its traditions? How do they differ from what the public expects of your legacy?
The Orloff Legacy is very much one of service and protection of the people. However, Alexei, the original Vanguard and progenitor of the Legacy has created a tradition of the exercise of excellence for Vanguard. The carrier of the Vanguard mantle is expected to be not just a super-hero, but pre-eminent among their peers.
- What keeps Vanguard going despite her feelings of being thrust into the role too soon?
This is a question that Irina asks herself constantly. She can't imagine taking on the Tangee by herself. However, those around her help give her the confidence to go on. The team is an important part of her determination to go on.
- How was it that Irina's father stopped General Winter? What happened when other heroes tried to stop him? Why was Vanguard's presence necessary?
General Winter was a personal nemesis for both earlier Vanguards. A new millennium threat in post-communist Russia. His first appearance was to steal Alexei's powers for his own. Rendering the original Vanguard powerless and forcing Sergei to take up the mantle. On top of that, Winter proved to be difficult to deal with as a threat. He had a large network of extremist followers and was able to operate secretly.
However, after stealing Alexei's power General Winter's prestige came to be more based on his personal power and projection of a very Russian machismo, a trait that the previous and current Vanguards understood very well.
Sergei was eventually able to bait Winter into a one-on-one fight. It came down to a bare-knuckles super fight between Winter and Vanguard. When Winter was defeated his cause was abandoned and various world governments were able to clean up most of his extremist followers.
- What can you tell me about the other members of Vanguard's legacy? How was Sergei captured? Is Alexei judgmental about Vanguard or is it something else? How did Katarina become a possible member of the legacy despite not having the Orlov name?
Sergei Orloff was captured in the Battle of Halcyon city, one the last heroes resisting, he was overwhelmed by supers fighting for the Tangee.
Alexi is definitely of the Silver age of heroes that considered themselves powerful enough to meet any threat no matter how powerful and is more than a little judgemental of the subsequent generations of supers and especially of Irina's generation, who he considers to be not ready yet.
Katarina is Irina's younger cousin, the daughter of Sergei Orloff's sister. Although Katarina's mother did not manifest any of the Orloff family powers. Katarina is showing signs of being a hero in her own right. Her powers are mainly flight and energy projection.
Being raised away from the direct influence of the family patriarch (Sergei) has given Katarina freedom and confidence that Irina doesn't seem to have developed.
Regardless, of where she fits in the Legacy, Katarina expects that she will put on the mask at some stage soon, why not as Vanguard if Irina can't handle it?