In the chaos created by the Qularr invasion of 2009, Rodney Duelleck stumbled upon an experimental body suit with the appearance of hard rubber stashed in the basement of his otherwise-mundane workplace. Without much time to think, he decided to put it on under his regular clothes in hopes that it would be enough to protect him if he ever encountered one of the insectoid aliens in person.
Far afield from the attack's epicenter as he was, Rodney still found himself within crowds of panicked citizens wanting to escape to safer parts of Millennium City-- some of whom mistook the man for an actual costumed superhero. While initially displeased with the insistence of the masses that he should "take on the bugs at the front line", he eventually was convinced to take charge of evacuating the area.
With most of the civilians escorted to safety, Rodney turned his sights on a group that had fallen behind with the Qularr giving chase! In his attempt to rescue them, he was gunned down with several blasts of alien energy, which incinerated his clothes. The efforts of heroes returning from the heat of the action saved him from meeting an untimely end.
During his recovery, Rodney was told that the body suit indeed protected him from the brunt of the assault he took, but the energy caused a hidden nanite lattice within the suit to overcharge itself and effectively fused the material to his skin... and the process did not stop there. Over time, much of Rodney's body-- his muscles, bones, even his blood-- began to take on properties of the "rubber" the suit was made of!
Advised by doctors that attempts to remove the suit would probably kill him, and with some encouragement from a few people he had saved with his unintentional heroics, an emboldened Rodney decided that he would find a way to use his condition and resulting "powers" for good. Within a few months, he debuted as the Wheelman, and dedicated himself to protecting Millennium City as a true crime-fighter.
He remains unaware, however, that his actions have cast a long shadow: the suit was, in fact, a prototype model of body armor created by ARGENT. Seedier sides of the company keep watch over Rodney's activities as a crimefighter, biding their time and resources in case he turns his attention to them...
The Wheelman's build is mostly lean and athletic, yet adapted to his unique powers and unorthodox mode of travel. He seems excessively broad at the shoulders and lacks depth in his torso area.
Relishing in his role as a hero, role model, and sometime celebrity, Rodney exudes a confident attitude in both public and private life. He's proud yet kind, almost to a fault on both counts, but he does know when to keep up his guard around others. He's also a noted jokester when it comes to making tire and vehicle-related puns, and tends to mockingly disapprove when anyone else beats him to it.
