Prior to his heroics as the Cyberspace hero Coderunner, Tyler was (and still is) a professional White-Hat hacker, testing various security programs for a multitude of cybersecurity software firms. Even before putting his skills to use in this way, his affinity for computers drove him to write and test various programs on his own free time, effectively teaching himself the skills he utilizes to this day. While he is self-taught, he did eventually go through the trouble of attending college to earn his PhD in Cybersecurity, though this was done mostly as a formality.

Thanks to his skills and knowledge as a Cybersecurity specialist in conjunction with his technopathic psionics, Tyler quickly became one of the best in his field, his hacking prowess helping bring forth many improvements in several of the security programs in use today. However, he always felt like he was missing something - missing the means to make a true difference. No matter how good a firewall or encryption gets, there will always be a way to crack it - a fact Tyler knew all too well thanks to his line of work.

As a result of this, he often found himself fantasizing about directly diving into cyberspace and thwarting cybersecurity threats before they strike. A distant and impossible dream, it seemed... until the day his Self-Digitization powers kicked in. Bewildered, he initially believed himself to have fallen asleep at his desk and drifted into a lucid dream, but soon realized that what he was experiencing was indeed real.

Whilst getting used to his newfound powers and figuring out what he would be capable of, he found himself zipping though Cyberspace at just the right moment to notice a Black-Hat breach attempt directed at the MCPD's database. Seeing this as a call to action, Tyler promptly made his way to the scene and intervened. Thanks to the malicious hacker failing to anticipate outside intervention, Tyler was able to easily stop the Black-Hat in their tracks. However, the remote nature of the attack combined with the use of a network of proxies meant that the culprit would be difficult for Tyler to track down - and that it would be much easier for the hacker to cover their virtual tracks.

Even so, Tyler couldn't help but feel like this was a dream come true: With his new powers, he believed he could make a far bigger difference for the better. While he wasn't able to locate and bring the malicious hacker to justice that day, he still thwarted their plans and prevented a potential cyber-disaster. From that point on, Tyler took up the mantle of a hero and donned the moniker of Coderunner, becoming a vigilant force for good within the realms of both real space and Cyberspace.

Tyler was born with psionic powers specially attuned to machines and computers. With these powers, also known as "Technopathy" or "Cyberkinesis", he is able to remotely interact with and somewhat manipulate machines with only a thought, and can even read what they're about to do next - much like how a typical telepath can read and interact with the minds of other living beings. His technopathy also allows Tyler to see/sense radio waves and other forms of wireless communication, thus enabling him to zero in on a device's location from a distance.

This power is always active, though Tyler can shift its focus as needed, and can even 'tune it out' if he has to. While his psionics can't initiate interactions with other fully-organic minds, the simple fact that they are present does help him resist most forms of psionic intrusion, though his mind can still be breached by powerful telepaths determined to do so.

As his most recently-awakened power, this is what defines Tyler as Coderunner: Self-Digitization. He can turn himself into a construct of pure data capable of manifesting in real space or uploading himself into nearby computerized systems and networks. The fact that he can do so without technological assistance sets him apart from the typical Decker or Netrunner, though the end result could be considered more or less similar in cyberspace. Tyler is also capable of flight and superspeed in this form.

While in this form, however, Tyler happens to trade one susceptibility for another: He becomes completely impervious to traditional organic telepathy in this form, but other technopaths/cyberkenitecs will be able to breach his mind in this state - provided they manage to overpower his own psionic resistances, of course. This also means that if he ever does end up mind-controlled in any way, toggling this form will more than likely break him free of it in most cases.

Tyler typically keeps a spare laptop or two with him at all times, using them for both his work as a Professional White-Hat Hacker and as a means of performing a multitude of other tasks as needed, such as decoding encryptions, encrypting files, and writing his own programs. He always maintains a clean installation on these laptops and makes sure to never leave any personal information or important data on them, ensuring very little is lost should any of these laptops ever end up missing, stolen, or even hacked by a third party.

In addition to these laptops, Tyler keeps a set of USB storage units with him that contain all of the programs he uses on a regular basis, isolated from networks and computerized systems until he needs them.

With his extensive knowledge of coding and cybersecurity, Tyler has written a plethora of different programs - many of which having been designed to stress-test various forms of security software. He has also typed up a wide selection of programs for his direct use when he digitizes himself, though the vast majority of them only actually work while he is in cyberspace.

At their most basic, these 'Supplementary Programs' give him some form of digital equipment or weapon for him to use, such as a laser sword. These programs vary greatly in complexity and function, however, and are often limited only by Tyler's imagination - and programs that are not self-target effects or equipment-type code are typically unusable in the physical world. He doesn't see this limitation as much of a problem, though, as most of his heroics usually happen in cyberspace.

While his identity is far from secret, Coderunner is a fairly low-profile hero thanks to the fact that most of his heroics occur in cyberspace, and as such his deeds as a hero tend to fly under the radar for the most part. His heroics may not get much press coverage, but anyone keeping tabs on what happens in cyberspace or in the world of cybersecurity will likely have learned of Tyler's deeds as Coderunner.

Coderunner's concept takes inspiration from Tron and the Cyberpunk genre, but the spark that brought the character to life occurred while the player @Bluslate was listening to the song "Digital Shadow" by "Miracle of Sound", the lyrics of said song also influencing part of Coderunner's kit. One could consider this song to be Coderunner's theme in some sense thanks to this fact.