All-Star
Military Service Record
Registered Federal Agent
athaniel Carter was an all-star high school quarterback growing up on the streets of Hudson City when he developed the unique metahuman power of Hyperkinesis and became a costumed crook. When he was put on death row after being framed for the murder of his fiancée by his partner-in-crime, Nate was offered a second chance by the U.S Government and conditioned to be a soldier, a spy and, most importantly, an undying patriot. With his checkered past behind him, a fresh start before him and all the guns, grit and determination he needs to make sure he makes the most of it all, Nate charges into battle as the All-Star, kicking ass and taking names for truth, justice and the American Way.
Though his sarcastic wit, boastful arrogance and oftentimes abrasive nature annoy his allies just as much as they endear him to them, All-Star is as much a self-sacrificing hero as any of his fellow crimefighters. Through thick and thin he's always ready to defend his countrymen from all enemies, domestic, foreign and, more often than he'd like, otherworldly.
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 2 Powers
- 3 Abilities
- 4 Equipment
- 5 Personality
- 6 Friends & Allies
- 7 Super Groups
- 8 Rogues Gallery
- 8.1 Wheezer (Raymond 'Wheezer' Ali)
- 8.2 Gazerbeam (Harry Butz)
- 8.3 The Infiltrator (???)
- 8.4 Warhawk (Senji Dojima)
- 8.5 Dr. Hemlock (Dr. Harrison Hemlock)
- 8.6 Rayo Relámpago (Carlos Mendez)
- 8.7 The Mirror (Dr. Klaus Hirsch)
- 8.8 The Quartermaster (???)
- 8.9 Copycat (Mu Tan Tsang)
- 8.10 Wildcard (Jack Queen)
- 8.11 The Pied Piper (Stanley Shaw)
- 8.12 The Soviet Supreme (Ivan Grigorovich)
- 8.13 Tyrant (Alexander King)
- 8.14 Egghead (Edward G. Garrison)
- 8.15 The Think Tank (Dr. Bartholomew Loeb)
- 8.16 Commander Propaganda (Bashir Davda)
- 8.17 The Tally-Man (Michael Toff)
- 8.18 Snakeskin (Omar Saheed)
- 8.19 Captain Hook (Horatio Fischer)
- 8.20 Payne (Issac Payne)
- 8.21 DJ Vertigo (Alphonse 'DJ Vertigo' Juarez)
- 8.22 Platinum (Christina Carmichael)
- 8.23 Vectoria (Victoria Faraday)
- 8.24 Pumpkin Jack III (Tucker Vance)
- 8.25 Artemis (Artemis Acosta)
- 8.26 Bombshell II ('Bouncing' Betty Cannon)
- 8.27 Lady Lash (Katie-Lynn Cassidy)
- 9 Weaknesses
- 10 Soundtrack
- 11 TropesFile:Astropes.png
- 12 RP Hooks
- 13 Trivia
- 14 All-Star's Adventures
- 14.1 All-Star: That's Not My Name!
- 14.2 All-Star: Scared Starless
- 14.3 All-Star: The Interrogation
- 14.4 All-Star and Sparrowhawk: Like a Bullet Through My Heart
- 14.5 All-Star: Same As It Ever Was
- 14.6 All-Star: No Place Like Home
- 14.7 All-Star: Breaking Point
- 14.8 All-Star: Ceasefire
- 14.9 All-Star: Road to the Eugenics War
- 15 Art Gallery
- 16 Comments
Biography
Nathaniel Carter was born in Hudson City to an out-of-work, heavy-drinking father and a hooker he had impregnated at a friend's stag party. Immediately hated by both his mother and his father for simply existing, he was regularly beaten by his drunken father and neglected by his mother for the first fourteen years of his life. One night, after getting hit particularly hard by his father, Nate ran out of his house and wandered down to a park to loiter by a nearby fountain. On the way, however, he ran into a local sixteen-year-old drug dealer named Wheezer, the two instantly taking a shine to each other. Wheezer, a runaway who had emancipated himself from his own abusive parents, sympathised with the younger boy and Nate relished the
opportunity to talk to someone who understood the problems he was facing.
Wheezer took the young Nate under his wing, vowing to take him with him when he left Hudson City behind. The two boys became fast friends soon after, developing a brotherly bond which would last for years. Wheezer taught Nate everything he needed to know to survive in the harsh urban environment he called home and Nate, in turn, provided the older boy with some much needed companionship. For a while, at least, Nate's childhood was an enjoyable one.
However, things in Nate's life took a dramatic turn for the worse when, after a night of heavy drinking, his father staggered home and had a heated argument with his mother. Furious and unstable, his father beat him and his mother severely leaving them unconscious in their house as he panicked and fled the scene, evading police capture and skipping town. He has yet to be found, something which haunts Nate to this very day.
When Wheezer, looking to drop off an old toy of his for Nate, stumbled upon the unconscious forms of Nate and his mother, he quickly called the paramedics and accompanied them to the emergency room. Whilst Nate recovered from his injuries, his mother had suffered internal bleeding in her brain and died in the night. Nate's father disappeared and Nate was put into foster care until arrangements could be made for his adoption. Though Nate was eventually adopted into a loving family at the age of 15 (after a year of bouncing around from foster home to foster home), he never fully recovered from what happened and remained somewhat distant towards his adoptive siblings and parents, frequently lashing out at both. He held an especially high level of contempt towards his adoptive father, Arthur, projecting his unsettled feelings of anger towards his biological father onto him.
Wheezer and Nate became much closer following the incident, their friendship developing into something of a brotherly bond. Wheezer, however, soon fell into trouble when he became involved with a mob-boss named Card Shark. When Nate graduated from high school, Wheezer talked him into a joint bank robbery to pay off his debts. Although Nate was reluctant to risk losing his football scholarship to Millennium City University, he eventually agreed to help Wheezer out.
Wheezer and Nate got to work plotting out their bank robbery in their free-time and quickly decided on a relatively low security bank. When the time came to rob said bank, however, things took a rapid turn for the worse. Whilst Wheezer hastily loaded money into a bag, Nate held a bank teller at gunpoint. Using Nate's own inexperience and reluctance to pull the trigger, however, the bank teller managed to distract him long enough to trigger the alarm system, alerting the local authorities to their actions. Wheezer, furious and panic-stricken, yelled at Nate to kill the bank teller. Nate, however, hesitated, giving Wheezer time to gather himself and reassess their plan of action.
The two partners-in-crime took what little they could and ran to their getaway car for a speedy getaway, quickly entering a high-speed chase with Hudson's police force. The combined pressures of Wheezer's yelling, the high-pitched wail of sirens, thepursuing squad cars and his own nagging guilty conscience triggered Nate's genetic mutation, causing his powers to manifest for the very first time. For Nate, time seemed to slow and the chaos swirling wildly around him faded into the very back of his mind as his power of Hyperkinesis changed the way he perceived the world around him permanently.
Nate's Hyperkinesis allowed him to make quick work of the pursuing police officers, firing his gun and pulling off almost impossible trick shots to incapacitate them. The two evaded capture and made their way back to their safehouse, where Nate quickly told Wheezer about what had happened to him. Seeing the opportunities Nate's new power could give him, Wheezer persuaded him to help him pull off a heist. Although Nate was, again, reluctant, he too saw the potential of his newfound abilities. Setting aside his dreams for the future a bit too eagerly, he took Wheezer up on his offer and decided to postpone going to college to take a year off to get rich with him.
Knowing the risk he was taking going into crime with Wheezer, Nate took inspiration from the various masked criminals and crimefighters operating in Hudson City and became the masked criminal known as the Highwayman, a reference to his use of simple pistols in all his heists. Together with Wheezer, Nate began to pull off a string off bank robberies in the Hudson City area, using his Hyperkinesis to execute daring plans, constantly evade the authorities and accumulate a small fortune.
Eventually though, Wheezer decided that it was time to expand their operation to compete with the more big league supervillains in Hudson City. He decided to branch out from bank robberies to more serious crimes and recruited a small unit of professional criminals to help him and Nate do so. One of these criminals was a hacker called Amanda Cho, who quickly won the affections of Nate. The newly assembled group took on Nate's star-theme and became All-Star and the Starlets, becoming accomplished and well-known criminals.
When Nate's gap year began to draw to a close, Arthur, suffered a heart attack after a heated argument about his secretive double life. Shaken by the death of the man who had done nothing but try to connect with him to fill the void left by his own father and deeply remorseful about the role his actions had played in Arthur's death, Nate reconsidered his life of crime. After giving it much thought, he resolved to get his life back on track to honour Arthur's memory.
Nate, with Arthur's death still fresh in his mind, discussed his desire to leave the group for college with Amanda, his now steady girlfriend. Amanda took the opportunity to tell Nate that she was pregnant with his child and supported his decision, more than willing to leave crime behind to settle down with him. Wheezer, however, was less enthusiastic about the idea.
Wheezer fumed at Nate for wanting to abandon him and pleaded with him to forget about college and stay with the Starlets on the condition that Amanda was allowed to take a leave of absence to give birth to their child. Nate turned him down, informing him that he had too much to lose to continue living a life of crime. He took Amanda and left the Starlets for good. Furious, Wheezer concluded that the only way to get Nate's head back in the game was to eliminate any distractions.
Wheezer went to Card Shark and humbly requested his aid in getting rid of Amanda and sabotaging Nate's chance to get into college. Though Card Shark agreed to do so for a fee, his methods were unexpected. As Amanda and Nate slept in the night, his men snuck in to their room and killed Amanda, planting evidence to frame Nate for her death. However, Nate awoke during their operation and fought them off, killing all but one with his bare hands. Devastated by the loss of Amanda, Nate interrogated the remaining goon and discovered that they had been hired by Card Shark to eliminate Amanda for Wheezer.
Driven by a lust for vengeance, Nate donned his All-Star costume and went searching for Wheezer, confronting him and the Starlets at their base. The Starlets refused to let him see Wheezer and ordered him to leave with threats of violence. In a fit of anger, Nate killed the Starlets in an intense shootout and went to find Wheezer, swearing on Amanda's life to do the same to him.
Nate tracked Wheezer to an abandoned chemical plant, where he had been hiding after getting word of Nate's quest to find him. Nate and Wheezer fought with Nate quickly besting his former best-friend. As he moved in to end him, Nate hesitated, giving Wheezer a chance to flee and hide from his attacker. Nate eventually chased down Wheezer and killed him by firing shots at a vat of chemicals behind him, causing them to spill out onto Wheezer and dissolve him.
Though Nate had gotten his revenge, he was quickly located by the local authorities, who apprehended him without a struggle. He was quickly sentenced to death for the murders of Amanda and the Starlets as well as his long-running list of other crimes.
Despite his own beliefs, though, Nate's life was far from over. At the age of twenty-one, after spending two years on death row, Nate was contacted by Agent Kurt White, a man who claimed to represent a government program called Project: Patriot which helped death row inmates reform by training them to be soldiers for the purpose of serving their countries. White had read a profile on Nate and his unique metahuman power and had decided to use him as one of the first subjects in the project, personally choosing him out of a list of similarly fated candidates. Although Nate was reluctant to leave his punishment behind, he ultimately decided that it presented a perfect opportunity to redeem himself.
Nate underwent intense physical and mental training for the next two years, training in a variety of martial arts and military combatives as well as undergoing advanced military training and learning to hone his Hyperkinesis. By the time his training had finished, Nate was an entirely changed man. No longer wallowing in self-pity, he had found purpose in dedicating himself to his country and learning to appreciate the value of doing what's right.
However, Nate's training wasn't truly complete until Project: Patriot enlisted him into the US Marines as a final test of his combat prowess. All-Star was pushed through the ranks to Sergeant and placed in charge of a small squad of experienced and inexperienced marines for a six month tour of duty in Afghanistan, much to the disgruntlement of many of his squad members.
Nate's first real test of leadership, however, took place when a military convoy his squad was a part of was bombarded by mortars in the deserts of Afghanistan. Though the rest of the convoy perished in the ensuing firefight, Nate was able to keep his squad's vehicle mobile long enough to escape from the threat of immediate danger. However, the damage that had been done to the vehicle ensured that it would be going nowhere else in a hurry. Nate's squad was stranded with no means of contacting their superiors in hostile territory.
With his squad falling apart from the oppressive heat and the pressure of having to stay hidden from enemy scouts, Nate realised that what his team needed more than ever was hope. Using the motor oil from the wrecked vehicle, All-Star painted a star onto the front of his uniform and led his squad fearlessly through enemy territory, single-handedly killing ten armed hostiles and inspiring his squad to follow his lead.
Though it took weeks of determination and grit, All-Star and his group of survivors eventually made their way back to a US Outpost, alerting the outpost to the ambush tactics being used by the hostile forces in the area and earning the respect of the men under his leadership and even his superiors. To them, Nate was nothing short of a war hero and, for the last two months of his tour, they followed him unquestioningly. By the time Nate's tour was over and he returned to Project: Patriot, he was ready to finally take the next step in his path to redemption.
Nate immediately jumped into service as the new and improved All-Star. His first mission was to infiltrate a biochemical engineering lab in Iraq to find and procure a sample of a lethal new bioweapon which caused rapid muscle decay. Much to Nate's surprise, the bioweapon was none other than Wheezer, who had been transformed by the chemicals which were thought to have killed him.
Wheezer, now made out of living gas, had survived his accident all those years ago and had crawled to Card Shark begging for a second-chance. From there he had worked his way up to being a successful mercenary, taking jobs left and right to be a biological weapon for his employers. Thought Wheezer thanked Nate for his new life, he resented him for his new look and for 'betraying' him. The two fought and Nate was badly wounded, his body failing him as Wheezer left him to die.
Although Nate survived his encounter with Wheezer due to the intervention of a group of travelling natives, it became clear to White and the others working on Project: Patriot that their new agent needed the right gear to back up his skill. Commissioning Steel Industries to help them do just that, the heads of Project: Patriot soon had themselves high-tech tactical goggles, specialised ammo and advanced firearms capable of giving Nate the edge he needed to best Wheezer and complete his mission.
Nate tracked Wheezer to his safehouse in South America and fought him once more, this time with his new gear. Though the fight was still intense, Nate managed to pull off a win by sucking Wheezer into a military vacuum pack, containing him long enough for the authorities to take him away.
Nate went on to take part in a number of secret and not-so-secret missions as a freelance government agent, fighting alongside soldiers, special agents and heroes alike before fully cementing himself within the crimefighting community as a member of the Protectors of the World. Now, be it as a super spy or a superhero, All-Star will always be on the front lines, fighting tooth and nail for liberty and justice for all.
Powers
Hyperkinesis
All-Star has the unique power of Hyperkinesis. His brain processes information, movement and external input at a significantly faster rate than a normal human's. It subconsciously takes in all spatial information around him, processing it at inhuman speeds and performing complex calculations and mental operations based on it. This ability allows him to to make almost-impossible split-second calculations and assessments of situations which would take even the most advanced human brain several minutes to do. Though this doesn't inherently make All-Star a super-genius, it does give him near-perfect accuracy, as he is able to mathematically work out factors such as distance, air and wind resistance, trajectory, force, friction, co-ordinates and angles of refraction in milliseconds and gives him exceptional hand-eye coordination. In addition, All-Star's procedural memory has been enhanced to superhuman levels allowing him to pick up and memorise motor skills much faster than an average human and functioning almost like a lesser form of photographic reflexes. This aptitude for quickly processing information lends itself to his marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat skills, giving him enhanced dexterity, enhanced reflexes and allowing him to analyse and read body language. All-Star's Hyperkinesis also makes him highly resistant to telepaths, who would find that reading his brain is the mental equivalent of trying to catch Usain Bolt.
Perhaps one of the most interesting and useful applications of All-Star's Hyperkinesis is the ability to throw almost anything with inexplicable force, accuracy and power, allowing him to weaponise a variety of otherwise mundane items. The exact reason for this is heretofore unknown, but All-Star is able to throw or shoot anything from rocks and pebbles, pens, paper, playing cards, toothpicks, tools, broken glass, bottle caps, frisbees, boomerangs, teeth, hard fingernails, paper balls, paper-clips, rubber-bands, needles and nails with impossible accuracy and strength, allowing them to travel distances they normally shouldn't be able to travel whilst penetrating and damaging things they shouldn't physically be able to.
- Near-Perfect Accuracy
- Enhanced Procedural Memory
- Enhanced Cognitive Faculties
- Enhanced Dexterity
- Enhanced Reflexes
- Body Language Analysis
- Resistance to Psionics
- Projectile Augmentation
SteelTech Bionic Eyes
An unfortunate on-the-job accident caused serious damage to All-Star's eyes, permanently blinding him. In order to counter the severe damage caused by the accident, Project: Patriot commissioned the construction of new cybernetic technology capable of not only fully restoring the man's eyesight but also greatly enhancing it. The result were the SteelTech Bionic Eyes, a marvel of cybernetic engineering created through the process of cloning the human eye and proceeding to use advanced nanotechnology to enhance it. Though almost completely indistinguishable from normal eyes, the bionic eyes have very subtle enhancements which lend themselves to All-Star's effectiveness and flexibility in the field. The rod cells and cone cells in the bionic eyes responsible for normal human vision have been greatly multiplied. Whilst the average human has up to 150 million rod cells in their retinas, All-Star possesses roughly 500 million. This not only gives him a spectacular eyesight, but also allows him to perceive minute details otherwise imperceptible to the human eye when used in conjunction with his Hyperkinesis and gives him the uncanny ability to see in the dark almost as easily as one would see in brilliant light. In addition, these enhancements allow All-Star to occasionally perceive imperceptible electromagnetic wavelengths and spectrums of light.
The SteelTech Bionic Eyes are also capable of using electrical impulses from the brain to manipulate the focal length of his eyes, essentially allowing them to operate very much like a hi-powered binoculars and can scan and replicate the retinal patterns of others, both of which have a number of useful applications for espionage. Another more passive application of the bionic eyes is to allow All-Star to see through illusions, camouflage, the bending of light and other tricks designed to deceive the eye better than most. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, these augmentations have made All-Star an even better marksman than he previously was. With his eyes no longer holding back his Hyperkinesis, All-Star's accuracy has increased almost tenfold.
One disadvantage of the bionic eyes, however, is that the same sensitivity which makes them superior to normal human eyes makes them far more vulnerable to bright or blinding light, forcing All-Star to wear shades to reduce the risk of being completely incapacitated by a well-placed flashbang or light-based attack.
- Further Enhanced Perception
- Night Vision
- Minor Electromagnetic Vision
- Telescopic Vision
- Retinal Shapeshifting
- Minor Illusion Detection
- Further Enhanced Accuracy
Abilities
Peak Human Condition: All-Star, through intensive training and regular exercise, has reached the pinnacle of human fitness. He has all the physical prowess of an olympic-level athlete at the top of his/her game and is a physically and mentally perfect human specimen.
Master Marksman: Though his Hyperkinesis alone would have been enough to make him a formidable marksman, All-Star has also extensively trained himself in marksmanship, only adding to his already impressive accuracy. His training coupled with his power makes him arguably one of the best marksmen alive.
Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Despite his preference for more long-ranged combat, All-Star is a very competent hand-to-hand combatant and is well-versed in Jeet Kune Do, Boxing, Taekwondo and Krav Maga. On top of this, he has a second-degree black belt in the MCMAP, which provides a more brutal and practical alternative to martial arts. His most preferred style is Jeet Kune Do, though the simple and aggressive utility of Boxing, Krav Maga and Combatives usually win out. Recently, All-Star has been training under his girlfriend, Sparrowhawk, to become a better conventional martial artist.
Master Tactician: Years of military training, operations and high-school football (coupled with a naturally tactical mind) have given All-Star an aptitude for tactics both on and off the field. As such, he typically takes charge of situations and applies his knowledge of strategy and his tactical prowess to use whenever he can and is known in military circles not just for his sharpshooting, but also for his tactical mastery. Whether or not anyone takes his tactical advice into consideration, however, is another issue entirely.
Skilled Thief: Having spent most of his life growing up in Hudson City and a good portion of it being a masked criminal, All-Star has picked up an assortment of skills which have made him an all round impressive thief, especially in regards to picking pockets.
Skilled Acrobat: All-Star is a well-trained and highly adept acrobat capable of performing complex acrobatic feats when using his Hyperkinesis in conjunction with his training.
Advanced Military Training: All-Star has picked up a range of useful skills from his time spent in advanced military training. These range from standard survival skills and CQC training to advanced knowledge such as piloting jets.
Equipment
S.T.A.T.S - SteelTech Advanced Tactical Shades
Developed by SteelTech, these Advanced Tactical Shades have a myriad of features which give All-Star the boost he needs when out on the job. With all the processing power of a computer, the shades come with an advanced tactical HUD which monitors All-Star's ammo, physical condition and the environment around him, allowing him to scan and identify different objects and substances. In addition, these shades allow All-Star to lock on to targets by responding to brain-wave activity, allowing him to keep tabs on hostiles whilst in combat conditions. The shades possess Thermal, Sonar and Ultraviolet visual settings and a 'Smart-Fit' function which molds them to the contours of All-Star's face, preventing them from falling off in all but the most frantic of situations.
Perhaps his most useful and iconic piece of gear, All-Star is rarely seen in the field without his eyewear.
Dual Steeltech A001 Iron Patriot Pistols
Specially designed for use in Project: Patriot, the Steeltech A001 Iron Patriot is a revolutionary new handgun which is designed to be "smarter than the average firearm". Incorporating semi-automatic fire, manual and automatic focusing and targeting, the Iron Patriot boasts a sizable magazine capacity, a comfortable ergonomic grip, impressively long-range firing capabilities and enough stopping power to pose a threat to mid-level metahumans. In addition, an in-line sight shows the view directly down the barrel, allowing the user to be more accurate than with a standard handgun, should he need to be. The gun also has an in-built silencer, which can be extended from the barrel of the gun and an tactical light which can be toggled on and off. All of the handgun's functions are operated by an intelligent mini-computer which responds to voice commands. In short, it's the perfect flexible handgun for someone in All-Star's unpredictable line of work.
An Iron Patriot can only be operated by its designated owner, whose genetic signature is programmed into the gun's memory. Any attempt to use an Iron Patriot by an unauthorised party results in the gun releasing an electrical discharge into the wielder and locking down.
Modified Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle
When All-Star's A/SRH-C1 was lost in a battle, he quickly found that the company which once produced the hi-tech weapon had since filed for bankruptcy and ceased production. Unable to acquire a replacement for the rifle, All-Star simply decided to go back to basics with a more traditional make of gun. Now, All-Star uses a MK12 SPR as a sweet-spot between a sniper rifle and an assault rifle. The SPR is a highly versatile weapon and comes outfitted with a high-tech scope, a suppressor, a collapsible bipod and a fingerprint-identification system to prevent unauthorised use. Though the SPR only has an effective range of 600 yards in most hands, All-Star has shown himself to be very capable of using the rifle as one would a more specialised sniper rifle. He typically keeps the SPR slung over his back for quick and easy access and, though it doesn't collapse like the A/SRH-C1, he can still be very mobile whilst carrying it. The rifle has been modified to allow for full-auto and burst firing modes.
Smith & Wesson Model 500: All-Star usually carries a Smith & Wesson Model 500 revolver on his person as a back-up gun. With its abundance of stopping power and its reputation as the most powerful handgun in the world, it packs much more of a flat-out punch than his Iron Patriots, making it handy for when the chips are down or for when he just needs to terminate something with extreme prejudice. The revolver is carried in a front belt holster incorporated into his utility belt (or in a shoulder holster on his modern costume) and fires rounds powerful enough to put down elephants and buffalo. It carries five bullets in its cylinder at any given time. All-Star is capable of firing it with very little recoil and carrying it around rather casually, a testament to his often underestimated strength.
Dual Smith & Wesson M&P Shields: Although All-Star prefers his Iron Patriots, he can't always carry the rather large handguns with him, especially when he needs to conceal them. As such, he uses dual Smith & Wesson M&P Shields on missions where a larger firearm or a harder to conceal handgun would be inconvenient.
Ruger LCP: Strapped securely into an ankle holster, All-Star keeps a Ruger LCP on his person for the off occasion where he needs to rely on the lesser power of a concealed handgun to get him out of a sticky situation. Who doesn't feel safer with a bunch of guns strapped to their body?
Castor Hall N.O.M.A.D Stealth Handgun: Designed to be one of the definitive stealth-based firearms of its generation, the CH N.O.M.A.D possesses advanced technology which makes it extremely efficient at its job. With an in-built sound-suppression system that renders the weapon almost totally silent, a specialised 'Trifecta' laser-targeting system, a high rate of fire, a low recoil, disposable magazines and a comfortable ergonomic grip, the N.O.M.A.D is one of the ultimate weapons of choice for anyone from a black-ops operative to a super spy. In addition to these more combat-oriented functions, the N.O.M.A.D is also made out of a durable ceramic polymer which renders it and its contents undetectable by metal-detection devices, a quality which has ensured that it remains a military weapon with very limited production numbers. All-Star's custom N.O.M.A.D has a star engraved in its grip and has been dubbed 'The Executioner'. It is kept in a metallic case and is only used by All-Star on the most morally incriminating missions due to its unique ammo system and subsequent untraceable nature.
Remington Model 870: In more recent times, All-Star has been known to carry and use the Remington Model 870 as a combat shotgun. Though All-Star prefers to wield more accurate and rapid firearms, he can't deny the utility of having a gun which physically embodies the essence of 'back the fuck off'. The Remington Model 870 is usually slung at All-Star's waist for quick and easy access, provided he's actually carrying it at all. Sometimes he pumps it with one hand and it's awesome.
Accuracy International AS50 Sniper Rifle: For times when he needs a sniper rifle with a little more range and a lot more oomph, All-Star uses an Accuracy International AS50. With an effective range of approximately 1500 metres and a lightweight, transportable and ergonomic design. the AS50 is the perfect companion for the sniper on the go. It can be disassembled in less than three minutes and serviced without tools.
Dual Heckler & Koch MP7s: All-Star prefers his Iron Patriots in most circumstances but the lightweight Heckler & Koch MP7 is both more capable of punching through body armour when using standard rounds and is, according to All-Star, the height of gunslinging fashion. As such, he owns two.
M249 LMG: Though All-Star has always valued quality over quantity when it comes to firearms, he holds onto his own personal M249 for that every once in a while when you need to riddle everything around you with bullets. Relatively lightweight, durable and effective, the M249 is everything one could want from a light machine gun: an unstoppable killing machine.
M32 MGL: The M32 MGL, or the M32 Multiple Shot Grenade Launcher, is a lightweight six-shot grenade launcher All-Star uses on occasion. Although intended primarily for offensive and defensive use with high-explosive rounds, with appropriate ammunition the launcher is suitable for anti-riot and other security operations and All-Star's particular M32 is capable of firing High-Explosive, HEAT, Irritant, Pyrotechnic, Tear Gas, Knockout, Incendiary, GLIMPS, Sound, Rubber and Beanbag canisters/rounds.
M72 LAW: Kept more as a souvenir and keepsake than anything else, All-Star's M72 LAW was given to him by an old Marine friend as an unconventional parting gift after his time in Afghanistan. Still, the M72 LAW is a rocket launcher and, as such, has its uses as an anti-tank weapon. The tank doesn't necessarily have to be a mechanical one, either.
PSE TAC 15 Crossbow: Though he considers his guns to be far superior and more viable in most cases, for times where All-Star requires absolute silence at the cost of reload speed and fire rate, his PSE TAC 15 Crossbow is always waiting in the wings. The crossbow comes with a variety of custom-made arrows. These arrows come in Standard, Armor-Piercing, Broadhead, Impact, Explosive, Timed Explosive and Shock. All of them hurt.
Dual SteelTech M151 Gorgon Stun Guns: With his trick ammo effectively being retired, All-Star has recently found a notable lull in his arsenal when it comes to the matter of non-lethal incapacitation and, since kneecapping and rubber bullets can only go so far, he has recently begun using dual SteelTech M151 Gorgon Stun Guns, a freshly developed make of high-tech stun guns which promise much more effective and long-term non-lethal incapacitation. Powered by a stabilised energy core modelled off of the energy used by the retired superhero scientist known as Gorgon, the SteelTech M151 Gorgon Stun Gun harnesses and concentrates that energy to place anyone on the receiving end of one of its blasts in a state of 'petrification', temporarily freezing them in a state of living rigor mortis and effectively rendering them incapable of movement or coherent thought. Each Gorgon Stun Gun is capable of loosing twelve shots before requiring a power cartridge change and can be set to petrify a target for up to five hours. Though the Gorgon Stun Gun is non-lethal by design, it can cause instant brain death when fired point blank with maximum incapacitation settings at a target's head.
SteelTech BOX Energy Rifle: The latest in a line of weapons specifically designed to combat high-powered metahuman threats, the ST-BOX-ER is a high-powered energy based weapon capable of firing concentrated blasts of weaponised electromagnetic pulses at a target through the use of three barrels working in conjunction with one-another. These pulses are capable of accelarating its target's structure at a molecular level, allowing it to cause near crippling pain to even the sturdiest of bricks. The weapon can be altered to increase the width and power of the blast to suit the wielder's needs. Whilst the ST-BOX-ER is, at its core, a non-lethal weapon made to incapacitate powerful metahuman threats, an extended blast from it can cause lethal rupturing within the body and can even lead to the liquefaction of organs.
'Memento Mori': When All-Star ventured into a powerful interdimensional artifact the Polychronon with Adapto, this one-of-a-kind sidearm was an unexpected byproduct of the Polychronon's reality altering powers and All-Star and Adapto's own desires. Though not what he wanted or expected, 'Memento Mori' (named after the Latin saying uttered by Adapto after the experience) is actually an interdimensional space-time conduit. Drawing on energy and forces from a host of different and varied universes, Memento Mori is able to adapt to whatever threat All-Star faces with the energy best suited to eliminate that threat. Be it hellfire from a demonic plane, celestial energy from some forgotten land or concentrated atomic blasts from a constantly erupting world, Memento Mori lives up to its name by drawing on that power to remind even the strongest foes that anyone can die. So far, the source of Memento Mori's advanced technology or the inner machinations of the weapon itself are unknown, something which doesn't seem likely to change in the near future, as the weapon only seems to function properly in All-Star or Adapto's hands and directly counters any attempts to breach its surface.
'Moxie': The Vietnam Combat Bowie (or Moxie, as All-Star affectionately calls it) is All-Star's personal favourite knife. Be it an average day of crimefighting or a recon mission in the tropics, All-Star always has Moxie ready to rip and tear through anything in his way. Crafted from a lightweight, but extremely durable, metal alloy and possessing a custom-made quick release sheath which makes it difficult for attackers to draw it in a brawl, Moxie is as close to a ballsy killing machine as a knife can get.
Dual M48 Hawk Tactical Tomahawks: Useful both as tools and weapons, the M48 Hawk Tactical Tomahawks are a great addition to All-Star's arsenal.
Butterfly Knife: With a stainless steel blade, aluminium finished handles, an ABS sheath and a whole lot of style, All-Star's butterfly knife is almost too stylish to use as a weapon. Almost.
Throwing Knives: All-Star usually keeps a row of steel throwing knives tucked into sheathes embedded in the straps of his leg holsters. These knives, the pinnacle of aerodynamic technology, make useful and effective ancillary weapons and are engraved with stylish stars so that All-Star's enemies know who straight up wrecked them.
Mini Grenades: Compact and ready-to-use grenades which prioritise portability and quantity over power and strength. Come in seven varieties: Concussive, Flash-Bang, Smoke, Explosive, Tear Gas and Incapacitating Agent (Knockout).
C-4: All-Star always has a few blocks of C-4 on hand for breaching-and-entering. Its malleability and ease of use makes it useful in a variety of situations. You just can't have enough C-4.
Proximity Discs: Compact, adhesive and volatile, these hand-sized discs feature state of the art motion detecting technology which enable them to detect any movement within a preset area and detonate when an outside threat of significant size, shape and body heat passes through its sensory range. Along with the range of its motion detection, the size of a proximity disc's area of effect and the parameters for detonation can also be set. Proximity Discs can also be thrown for immediate detonation.
SteelTech H520 Grapnel Gun: Compact, collapsible and lightweight, the SteelTech H-52 Grapnel Gun is a recent military invention which promises to grant greater maneuverability to infantry operating in mountainous and urban environments. The Grapnel Gun works by vacuuming air into a high-pressurised compartment and releasing it to fire a hyper-tensile nylon cable with a Kendrium-tipped hook. The line can then be pulled in via a powerful motorised spool system to either pull the wielder upwards or to pull the targeted object towards them. In addition to its primary grappling line function, the Grapnel Gun is also capable of firing a secondary hyper-tensile nylon cable from its upper barrel. This zip-line, once fired, can be detached from the gun in order to embed the wielder's end of the line into a sturdy object, at which point the gun itself can be converted into a pulley. Currently being tested in limited numbers by the US military, All-Star has procured one for himself as a 'birthday present' from Agent Kurt White.
Aerosol Gas Canisters: Pocket-sized aerosol gas canisters containing various types of gas. The portability and concealability of these canisters make them extremely useful in a range of potential situations. Each canister contains one of six types of gas: Knockout, Laser-Detecting, Corrosive, Coolant, Bug Repellent and Mace.
Bolas: Used by hunters and gatherers from as far back as Pre-Colombian era, All-Star prefers to use his numerous sets of bolas as weapons, non-lethally incapacitating his foes with them.
Strangulation Cord: All-Star keeps retractable strangulation cord on his person at all time, extracting it from its roller whenever the dirty deed of strangulation needs to be done. The wire, made out of a hyper-durable nylon polymer fashioned by Steel Industries, is capable of choking even super durable throats with enough force.
Rebreather: A small rebreather no bigger than a harmonica. It allows All-Star to breathe in low-oxygen conditions and gives him a resistance to gas-based attacks. Given their small size and tendency to be lost or damaged, All-Star usually carries several.
Trauma Kit: All-Star typically carries a well-equipped trauma kit in one of his pouches. The kit contains a supply of bandages, dressing, a tourniquet, duct tape, Quik-Clot, nitrile gloves, lubricating jelly, a cold pack, anti-bacterial wipes, SAM splints, a penlight, some medical tools, several useful drugs, a skin stapler and disinfectant spray. Having received some training as a combat medic, All-Star uses the kit to keep himself - and, occasionally, allies - up and running in emergency situations.
The 'Shooting Star': After saving a car dealership owner from a gang of chop shop running car thieves, All-Star was given a good deal on the most prized car at the dealership: Crystal Red 2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible with white racing stripes. Lovingly named the 'Shooting Star' by its owner, All-Star's Chevy has no particularly specialised features: it just looks really super awesome and goes really super fast. All-Star would quite literally make love to this car if he society would allow it.
'Liberty Belle'
'Confiscated' from a group of international terrorists during a coordinated attack on the Barlowe Building, 'Liberty Belle' - or 'Belle', for short - is a state-of-the-art combat ready Grav-Bike outfitted with a number of original offensive and defensive features as well as a number of custom features put in place by Nate in his spare time. Though 'Belle' was badly damaged when Nate first got his hands on it, Nate has since spent a hefty amount of time repairing and modifying it (with the help of his more technologically proficient friends) and treats it almost as if it were his own child, regularly maintaining it and lovingly personalising it. With its exceptional speed, extensive firepower and an abundance of sentimental value, 'Liberty Belle' is one of All-Star's most prized - and useful - possessions.
- Aluminium Composite Hull Plating
- Onboard Flight/Targeting Computer /w Built-In Communication System and 'Crybaby' Combat Warning Function
- Dual Side-Mounted Particle Cannons
- Dual Retractable Gatling Guns /w Specialised Anti-Materiel Ammunition
- Back-Mounted Anti-Air Turrets /w Specialised 'Stormbreaker' Anti-Air Ammunition
- Six Compressed Medium-Range Tactical Missiles
- Four High-Powered Long-Range Tactical Missiles
- Thirty-Two Smart Micro-Missiles
- Two 'Bunker Buster' Air-To-Surface Missiles
- Titanium Cable Grappling Line Launcher
- Defensive Shield Projector
- Optional Voice Command System
- In-Built Stealth Technology /w Low-Power 'Silent' Feature
- Advanced Electromagnetic Safety System keeps rider mounted in the event of turbulence or elaborate combat maneuvers
- In-Flight Stabilisation System negates the negative effects of G-Force and allows rider to maintain control of the bike
- Numerous Storage Compartments
- Capable of reaching just below supersonic speeds when pushed
- Synced to All-Star's left bracer, allowing him to control it from afar
- Middle segment detaches to form an escape pod in case of emergency
- Fully-stocked mini-bar built into back segment
- Horn which plays 'Yankee Doodle' when blared
- Retractable Cup-Holders
- In-Built Chick Magnet
Personality
First and foremost, All-Star is a soldier, and a good one at that. Disciplined, cautious, sociable and quick-witted, he has earned himself a position of respect for his levelheadedness, near-uncompromising dedication to his country and kindhearted nature. All-Star genuinely cares for those around him and, despite not thinking of himself as a costumed hero, regularly goes out of his way to help them. For all his good qualities, though, All-Star is arrogant, brash, snarky, cynical and, oftentimes, aloof. He is practically the embodiment of someone who is overconfident to an almost reckless degree. In short, he's something of an asshole, quick to emphasise or make known his impeccable accuracy and versatile skill set and has a penchant for callously mocking his enemies with scathing comments and remarks. Despite this, however, his arrogance is pretty artificial. He puts up a front as someone who is rather overconfident in his abilities to mask his insecurities about who he is and his own self-worth. Behind-the-scenes, he often questions his own usefulness as a 'crimefighter' and truly believes that if he isn't the very best marksman around, he doesn't even deserve to fight alongside most costumed crimefighters, some of which have powers which make him obsolete. As such, he constantly gives off the air of someone who always has something to prove, which can also be due to the relationship with his parents and a history of being abandoned unless he proved himself useful.
Despite this, All-Star almost always remains calm, jovial and flexible, even in the face of danger, balancing out some of his more negative personality traits with an abundance of charm, wit and general friendliness. His laid-back personality is as much the result of a need to keep himself calm as it is the reason he's able to keep calm. However, there is a hidden dark side to All-Star. When carrying out missions of a personal nature or pushed to his limits, All-Star can be cold, merciless, remorseless and single-minded, qualities which his employers believe add to his aptitude.
All-Star is also a gigantic flirt and a shameless womaniser. Most of the time, he can hardly be in the same room as an attractive woman without making a pass at or playfully flirting with her. Despite the inherent chauvinism in his womanising ways, All-Star genuinely respects women and deeply cares about any who happen to have a distinct influence on his life, only refraining from engaging in long-term romantic relationships with them due to his line of work, his past failures, his own insecurities and a belief that most of the women he gets with could do better than him if given the chance. He also believes that life is for living and that romance can be a fun fling rather than anything worth settling down for. However, this approach to romantic relationships makes All-Star somewhat insensitive about the feelings of his partner and is responsible for his bad track record with commitment.
That same self-sabotage can be just as easily applied to All-Star's non-romantic relations, as he can often be sarcastic and blunt towards his friends and acquaintances out of a fear that once they get too close to him, they won't like what they find and will abandon him like his father and many of the children and potential adoptive parents. In that regard, he can be very childish in the way he displays affection, preferring to insult, joke and mock rather than be open about how he feels. Despite his nonchalant approach to friendship, though, All-Star deeply cares about those he considers friends and is deeply-influenced by what they think of him.
When not working, All-Star has a host of hobbies and activities outside of helping out Uncle Sam. He's a gun nut and loves to collect them just as much as he loves to go down to the shooting range and practice with them. He is also a very talented cook and harbours a secret love of preparing meals. All-Star is also fond of Sherrera's and often goes there to fleece people out of their money playing darts. As far as sports go, he was the star quarterback in high-school and now follows both football and basketball. All-Star is a fan of old westerns, kung-fu movies (particularly those starring his idol, Bruce Lee) and cheesy horror movies and is partial to jazz and rap music. In fact, he's perfectly capable of cutting a mean rug when necessary. He's apprehensive towards certain aspects of Japanese culture (particularly ninjas), despite loving sushi.
All-Star gets along well with most actual heroes and has become something of a de facto liaison for superhero relations in some circles. He is largely accepted by the superhero community as a member of its ranks, although being called a hero simply embarrasses him.
Friends & Allies
(OOC: This section has been cut down to help make the page a little less lengthy. If your character's no longer on the list, it don't mean I don't still love you, baby.)
Agent Kurt White (NPC)
All-Star's handler and perhaps his closest friend, Kurt White was the one who personally sought out and enrolled him into Project: Patriot. It was Kurt that oversaw his training and taught him everything he knew and he still continues to act as a manager of sorts to the government agent. Prior to meeting All-Star, Kurt was a freelance government agent who severely damaged his left leg on a mission and was forced to take a 'desk-job', as it were. Although All-Star still doesn't know Kurt's real name, the two are close and trusted friends.
There is not much that is known about Kurt's past other than the fact that he was the driving force behind Project: Patriot. Regardless of his shady past, however, Nate trusts Kurt as both a friend and a mentor and the two are always able to rely on each other.
Adapto
Though All-Star and Adapto had shared interactions in the past and were relatively amicable towards one another, a recent trip to a fractured universe created through the power of the Polychronon led to both All-Star and Adapto gaining control of the unknown artifact at the same time, creating a link between their consciousness and sending them to another plain of existence. There, All-Star and Adapto bonded and made a shared decision to undo the damage to the Megaverse done by the Polychronon, restoring reality to its natural state. Despite no longer being 'one', however, their time sharing a consciousness has developed their understanding of one another and led to a developing friendship.
Canadian Fist
All-Star and Canadian Fist have something of a love/hate relationship. With both often being on the receiving end of the other's jabs and quips, they're much more compatible on the battlefield than they are off of it. All-Star trusts Canadian Fist to have his back at all times when he's out on the field and makes sure to have her back just as much.
Desperado
All-Star is on friendly terms with Desperado and the two have often gotten into debates about who the better shot is. Despite All-Star's insistence that he is, in fact, the better shot, he secretly acknowledges that Desperado is just as good a shot as him and respects the man almost as much as he respects people like Riptide and Virgil, despite the fact that he has yet to forge a bond as deep with him as he has with them.
Paradigm
All-Star enjoys Paradigm's company and likes to think that she enjoys his too. Though All-Star is friendly towards the majority of his fellow Protectors, he sees Paradigm as the one he's friendliest with (with the obvious exceptions of Sparrowhawk, Zelara and Riptide). The two often trade banter and playful flirtation with one another and All-Star has made it a habit to constantly remind her that she's madly in love with him.
Riptide
Riptide and All-Star have an odd relationship built as much on camaraderie as it is on thinly veiled contempt for one another. All-Star cites that Riptide is one of his best friends because he's just as much of an asshole as he is and Riptide often says words to the same effect (when not stating that All-Star is the bigger asshole). Ultimately, All-Star trusts Riptide both on and off the battlefield and couldn't think of anyone else (of the same sex) he'd rather go out for a drink with.
Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk and All-Star share a professional and romantic relationship. On the field, the two make excellent partners and, off the field, they have recently begun casually dating one another. Although All-Star is willing to commit himself to the relationship, he is somewhat put off by Sparrowhawk's distant and standoffish nature, which causes him to have frequent doubts about his relationship with her. Despite that, though, he genuinely cares for her and the two definitely have a chemistry.
Virgil Landekl
All-Star and Virgil are good friends and occasional lovers, with both having rather similarly liberal views on sex, romantic relationships and life in general. Though this would cause most people to think that they're little more than fuck buddies, All-Star cares deeply about Virgil as a friend and would, as with most of his friends, do almost anything for her. They frequently hang out together. Plus he doesn't find her eyes all that creepy.
Zelara
All-Star and Zelara are fast friends, despite their widely different perceptions and cultures. All-Star has taken it upon himself to teach Zelara the ways of Earth in a more laid-back and modernised way than UNTIL and enjoys spending time with her on the whole. Though the intrepid alien girl soon developed a crush on All-Star, he had no choice but to turn her down. Nevertheless, the two have remained good friends.
Super Groups
Rising Force 
An elite field-agent training initiative, Rising Force was founded by the Blue Bruiser, Asgrim and Zion under the official designation of UNTIL Initiative Six in response to the Qulaar invasion. With UNTIL coming to realise that a rapid response unit would better help prevent future loss of life under such wildly unexpected circumstances, Rising Force was created for the sole purpose of training its enlisted operatives, heroes, agents and metahumans from all different walks of life, to function as a unit and to protect a still comparatively vulnerable Earth from anyone who would endanger it. After disbanding a few years back for a number of reasons, Rising Force recently resurfaced and has been making steps towards establishing its place in the world ever since.
When All-Star injured his leg during a narrow brush with death whilst on a mission, he came to the realisation that, contrary to what he would have others believe, he couldn't take on any and all threats by himself. Even with Sparrowhawk at his side, All-Star knew that if he really wanted to make a significant impact on the world, he would have to get more deeply involved with the same heroes he was quick to distance himself from in the past. Persuading a supportive Sparrowhawk into joining him, All-Star signed up with Rising Force on a whim and has committed himself to helping the newly reformed team get back into the swing of things - though his nonchalance and readiness to question Asgrim's leadership skills would convince anyone otherwise.
Though All-Star's busy lifestyle has often made him unable to participate in some of the team's many missions and training sessions, he gets along well with a number of its members, from old friends like Zelara and the Canadian Fist to newer ones like Ada Clover. As far as the team itself goes, his opinions are often mixed. Whilst he does feel that the team has potential in places, he's not entirely convinced that Asgrim is the right person to bring that potential out of it.
His short-lived time as a member of Rising Force came to an end with the founding of Protectors of the World, which mandated that he leave the former group so as not to impede his ability to work with the latter.
Protectors Of The World
Created when the heroine Sparrowhawk, seeking to create a more proactive strike force of seasoned heroes, came to UNTIL to request the ability and funds to go ahead with such a project. Though Sparrowhawk, already having connections within the organization, found this to be a relatively difficult task, she persevered and, eventually, sought All-Star's aid in forming her unit: The Protectors Of The World. Looking to support his partner by helping her in bringing the concept to fruition, All-Star readily left Rising Force and the two began the arduous task of reviewing both notable and up-and-coming heroes that would mesh well both personality and power wise, bringing in a range of familiar and unfamiliar candidates to create a unified force dedicated to the protection of Earth and all its inhabitants.
The Protectors currently have their headquarters in the upper penthouse levels of the Barlowe Building. The levels have been renovated to act as living quarters, a functional training area and meeting area. It also houses a state of the art laboratory and gymnasium. Their headquarters is also outfitted with a larger version of Sparrowhawk's 'Mother' artificial intelligence computer system as well as Portal. Portal, which is accessed via the Mother computer, creates doorways within select areas of the world that have been predetermined and routed. Portal locales are situated across most main cities on Earth, barring a few countries that have not had previous agreements or sanctioned by UNTIL.
Though All-Star is officially the field leader of the Protectors, he very much views the group as Sparrowhawk's project and prefers to work alone or with her on most occasions. In addition, he feels somewhat awkward leading a group of unknown elements such as superheroes and is reluctant to fully embrace his leadership role. Regardless of these feelings, however, he has no real qualms with working with a bigger group of crime-fighters and is more than willing to commit himself wholly to the group when the time comes. He gets along with his fellow Protectors for the most part, but tends to refrain from staying at the Barlowe building for too long.
Enforcers Of The World
Rogues Gallery
(Lovingly compiled and filed up by All-Star's case officer, Kurt White. He knows what a rogue is.)
Threat Level Key:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Wheezer (Raymond 'Wheezer' Ali)
Powers/Abilities: Gas Mimicry. Gas Manipulation. Avoiding Fart Jokes.
Occupation: Mercenary-For-Hire
Likes: Hating All-Star
Hates: All-Star
Wheezer is a tricky one. He's a ghost from Nate's past and we all know how much the guy hates talking about his past. From what he has told me, I know that Wheezer was a childhood friend and one of the most influencing people in Nate's life. We studied him the last time we managed to capture him (with a vacuum cleaner) and found that every single particle in his body had been metamorphed by some unknown chemical procedure. As a result, he has the ability to literally change himself into any gaseous substance he so chooses, with the only limit being his lack of scientific know-how. I've seen this guy turn into a cloud of agent orange to kill an entire platoon of soldiers. I've seen him huff and puff and blow a stream of chlorine gas right at my face (I'm okay). He's the real deal. And whenever he's involved with something, Nate makes it his own personal mission to take him down. Whatever their history, it's deep. One thing I've noticed, though? He's one of the only enemies Nate almost always hesitates to put down.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Gazerbeam (Harry Butz)
Powers/Abilities: G.A.Z.E Armour allows for the emission of Kinetic, Heat and Particle blasts from eye-blaster. Also boosts physical condition to just-above peak human levels. Having all this and still not being able to make people take him seriously.
Occupation: Career Criminal (Member of the Star-Smashers)
Likes: Winning
Hates: Losing
Gazerbeam, Gazerbeam, Gazerbeam. Where do I begin with Gazerbeam? The guy has potential and lots of it. He's got a suit of power armour which could potentially take down a tank, a genius-level IQ (Who doesn't have one of those in this business?) and an uncanny ability to keep on swinging no matter how down the chips look. But, regardless of all of that, he almost constantly fails or slips up. Why? Because, at the end of the day, he's a clumsy, uncoordinated nerd with anger issues. He used to be an ex-engineer named Harry Butz (Not even kidding) before his little research team got downsized by Steel Industries. That's when he decided that he was the chosen crusader of the 99%. He also decided that he was the 99%. All of it. So what was his next logical step? He decided to take the suit of armour he had been working on, snatch up a ridiculous name (Gazerbeam? Really?) and start knocking off banks. For a while, he was actually kind of successful. Then he robbed the National Bank of Millennium City and decided to take a hungover Nate hostage. That didn't work out too well for him, to say the least (Search 'Supervillain Defenestration' on Youtube, then search for the Sparta remix). Since then, he's taken it upon himself to be a thorn in Nate's side whenever he gets out of prison. Nate likes the challenge but I don't like the paperwork.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
The Infiltrator (???)
Powers/Abilities: Exosuit can bend light for active camouflage alter genetic material to allow wearer to take on the appearance of another. Can perfectly replicate sound. Skilled hand-to-hand combatant, spy, assassin and hacker. Oscar-Worthy Actor.
Occupation: Professional Spy-For-Hire
Likes: When a plan comes together
Hates: Meddlesome people who stop a plan from coming together
The ultimate man of mystery. No one we've found has any idea who the Infiltrator is or where he came from and even fewer people know how to find him. All we've really been able to surmise is that the guy appeared on the espionage scene late 2009 and has been making a big name for himself as a 'Spy-For-Hire' ever since (Think evil Solid Snake). That suit he's wearing is what makes him a real problem. The thing allows him to bend light to turn invisible or rewrite his genetic code to allow him to shapeshift (Think eviller Mystique). We first ran into him when he kidnapped and impersonated one Agent Kurt White (That's me) in order to get closer to Project: Patriot in the hopes of finding out all its secrets. He would've gotten away with it too if All-Star hadn't noticed the fact that my imposter lacked all my charming traits and witticisms (I love the guy, really I do). All-Star knocked the guy from a chopper in a fight to the death, but his body was never found. A few months later, he impersonated a hot bar floozy when he was providing security for Russian terrorist Vladimir Patowski at the same time we sent Nate in to find out what he could about Patowski. They got to second base before the Infiltrator tried to strangle Nate to death (It was creepy for everyone involved). Nate survived and ended up bringing Patowski down, but the Infiltrator escaped again and has popped up all over the place since then. Whenever he tries to kill Nate, he claims it's all business but neither of us buy it; The guy's insane.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Warhawk (Senji Dojima)
Powers/Abilities: Exceptional Marksman. Skilled Hand-To-Hand Combatant. Possesses an insane number of trick arrows.
Occupation: Mercenary-For-Hire
Likes: Bows. Like the ones he uses.
Dislikes: Guns. Like the ones All-Star uses.
I've known Nate longer than I've known most people in my life (Pet tortoise excluded) and have been in this game even longer. I can honestly say that there are very few people I've met who I'd refer to as his equal when it comes to being a marksman. Warhawk (AKA Senji Dojima, in case you forgot to read the title of this dossier) is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of those people. The guy is practically Nate's equal and opposite. Nate uses guns, Dojima uses a bow. Nate grew up poor and orphaned on the streets of Hudson City while Dojima, the heir to the Dojima Weapons Development fortune, grew up with a silver spoon (Or, more accurately, ten silver spoons) in his mouth. Nate spent his youth pulling himself out of the gutter with sports while Dojima spent his youth pulling himself further into the gutter with compromising snapshots and controversy. Nate's life fell apart when his fiancee was killed, Dojima's life fell apart when his father was assassinated. And, while we managed to snatch Nate up and turn him into a weapon for good, the ninja clan responsible for producing Daddy Moneybags' assassin snatched Dojima up and turned him into a weapon for vengeance (It's always 'ninja this' and 'mecha that' in Japan. It's why I refused that transfer). Only difference is Dojima opted to kill his sensei, lash out on his own and become a (Very, very angry) mercenary. Regardless of any differences or similarities in their 'origin stories', however, Nate and Dojima were practically instant enemies when they came face-to-face during an attempt by Dojima to assassinate a corrupt CEO we were keeping tabs on. Now, I don't think Nate would give a damn about some slimy, back-stabbing businessman under any other circumstances, but if Dojima put an arrow between the guy's eyes, we wouldn't have been able to get a bead on his accomplices and superiors. So Nate ended up risking life and limb to save a horrible human being and, in the process, made an enemy out of a brooding mercenary (It's like he's a giant acne-riddled teenager) who hated everything the guy represented (Not a bad first encounter as far as Nate goes). Though Dojima's pretty much moved on from that failure and both he and Nate have developed some sort of respect for one another, the guy still sees Nate as his anti-thesis and Nate (Poor sap that he is) has a nasty habit of running into him an unhealthy number of times (Most of these chance encounters ending in a hail of bullets and arrows). The two have a complex relationship and I'm pretty sure they've saved each other's lives more than once (Which usually warrants a friend request on Facebook, at the very least) but, as of right now, I doubt you could put them in the same room and expect both of them to walk out unharmed.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Dr. Hemlock (Dr. Harrison Hemlock)
Powers/Abilities: Brilliant Biochemist/Botanist. Genius Level Intellect. Great Gardener.
Occupation: Leader of Eco-Terrorist Organisation G.A.I.A
Likes: The Discovery Channel
Hates: All the other channels
You may not remember this, but the good Dr. Hemlock was actually a friend of mine. We went to college together (Woo, Princeton) and were relatively close. Even then, Hemlock was obsessed with global warming and the environment. If he wasn't protesting some pharmaceutical company or cleaning up oil spills, he was tending to his (Admittedly delightful) garden or studying. By the time we graduated, most of us could see Hemlock had grown bitter, especially since nothing he did seemed to change the fact that mankind just wouldn't stop destroying nature. When I went with Nate (Who had invited himself) to my college reunion, we could both see Hemlock was planning something. Nate did some snooping around and found a bomb loaded up with deadly plant spores (That was a very bad sign). Though we managed to get everything under control, Hemlock managed to sneak out in all the chaos. At first, we were stumped as to why Hemlock would try to gas a room full of nerds and worn-out party animals (Well, I was stumped; Nate didn't care). We figured out it was just a test-run when Hemlock tried the same thing on ARGENT's HQ in Millennium City by crashing a blimp into it (Oh, the humanity). Now, nobody likes ARGENT but we weren't about to let everyone inside get gassed to death. Nate managed to get on the blimp and take down Hemlock's ragtag group of eco-terrorists, punch three of Hemlock's teeth out (I counted) and set the blimp down in an empty field. Hemlock went to prison, after that, but he was quickly sprung by sympathisers (Who would sympathise with this psychopath?) and went on to start his own little organisation of like minded eco-terrorists called G.A.I.A (Guardians Against Industrial Aggression) and has been violently crusading for the rights of plants, animals and everything in between (Not humans, but you can't please everyone). He's dangerous, charismatic and very, very intelligent (I can't believe I signed this jerk's yearbook).
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Rayo Relámpago (Carlos Mendez)
Powers/Abilities: Generation, Emission and Absorption of Electricity. Able to 'supercharge' his own body to increase his strength, durability, endurance and speed. Can deal drugs to people.
Occupation: Drug Baron
Likes: Making money
Hates: Wasting time
Rayo Relámpago. The shirtless wonder himself. When a meta comes crawling out of the floorboards (Is that racist?) and decides to up and take over a sizable part of Mexico's drug trafficking business in the span of no less than three months, you know he's trouble with a capital 'T'. Which would be why we sent All-Star in as quickly as possible in the hopes that he'd be able to give us some information on the mystery man of the drug trade and his meteoric rise to the top (Meteoric is my word of the day). However, Nate being Nate, he ran into some trouble and ended up getting thrown into a cage match with none other than (You guessed it) Rayo Relámpago. Nate barely survived according to medical reports and he was out of commission for a month (Would've been two if he wasn't so scared of hospitals). First thing Nate did after getting out was (You guessed it) go back to Mexico to take Rayo Relámpago on one more time. Only that time he won (Yeah, I was surprised too). Rayo Relámpago (Do I really have to type his entire stupid name every time?) spent a few months in a high-security prison and Nate spent a few weeks banging Mexican chicks in four-star hotels (I spent a few days doing paperwork). Everybody won, right? Not right. Rayo Relámpago escaped and went straight after Nate. The guy wanted his bustling business back and killing the guy who put him away seemed like the smartest stupid thing to do. Nate pulled off a (Narrow) victory again, though and Rayo Relámpago got a few more months at a higher-security prison. Since then, Rayo Relámpago has been in and out of the big house, but his little criminal empire has been going strong, much like his hatred for (You guessed it) Nate. Are those things on his chest tattoos? Because I think they light up.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
The Mirror (Dr. Klaus Hirsch)
Powers/Abilities: Mirror Suit allows him to manipulate light and sound around him to create realistic illusions. Able to travel through and trap people in mirrors via pocket-dimensional technology. Can do that neat infinity mirror trick.
Occupation: Criminal Mastermind and Mercenary-For-Hire
Likes: Mirrors
Hates: Seven years of bad luck
German engineering: impressive even when it's evil (And in this case it's very evil). You've probably seen stacks of files and reports on the Mirror, because I know I have. He was a megalomaniacal, solipsistic, manipulative German physicist before he decided to ditch his team and set his sights on being an evil prick (Pardon my French). This guy has a role to play in almost everything, from international terrorism to human trafficking and everything in between. He uses a hi-tech suit (Jumpsuit?) with a mirror built into it and a helmet which is also a mirror (Just in case you forgot that this guy has a thing for mirrors). This gear gives him the uncanny ability to be an illusion-casting pain in the ass. As if that wasn't enough, he's also tricked out with gadgets (Which, of course, are mirror-themed) and a laser pistol. A laser pistol. Clearly this guy means business. Though he's officially always been hired help, we've always suspected that he's got bigger plans for himself. Our suspicions were confirmed when he literally tried to assassinate the political leaders of Russia, England, China and the U.S.A all at once (Overreaching, much?) and with the sole intent of establishing himself as a threat to all of our hides. If it wasn't for Nate infiltrating his operation and shutting it down from the inside (like a gun-totting health inspector), he may have actually killed one of them. After that whole incident, the Mirror has flip-flopped between deadly gun-for-hire and deadlier evil mastermind. We've been trying to keep tabs on him but, as one would expect from an illusionist, he's hard to pin down. Nate's confident we can stop him. Me? I'm not so sure.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
The Quartermaster (???)
Powers/Abilities: Competent Hand-to-Hand Combatant and Marksman. Extremely Well-Connected. Rich. Powerful. Could sell stripes to a zebra.
Occupation: International Arms Dealer
Likes: Capitalism
Hates: Pacifism
TThe Quartermaster. Now this one took a little research. Turns out that there's been a Quartermaster from way back in the Renaissance era (The one with the courtesans and art). A single man who dedicated his life to dealing arms. The first Quartermaster was a wealthy noble whose main source of income was the renting out of mercenaries and the sale of weapons. At some point, this noble decided that it was (For whatever reason) very important to ensure that his descendants would continue the 'family business' so that the world would never be without a Quartermaster selling weapons behind the scenes. So he went and got a family crest designed (It's actually pretty cool), accumulated as much money as he could before he died and taught his son everything he knew about war profiteering. And that son went on to do the same to his son. And that son went on to do the same to his son. You probably get the idea. However, at some point, the bloodline just came to a dead end. It can only be assumed that a Quartermaster decided to skip out on having kids and instead went with taking someone under his wing (Anything to make our jobs harder). The current Quartermaster is an unknown, like the ones before him (Turns out masks are designed to hide your identity). What we do know about him is that he's smart, cunning, savvy and everywhere. He's been caught selling arms to Al-Queda, the North Koreans, revolutionaries, mercenaries, supervillains and even to aliens (Don't ask why an alien would need AK-47s). Nate first ran into him while rescuing a bunch of POWs in Afghanistan (He took pictures, so check his Twitter). The guy was out there selling a wanted terrorist an orbital cannon. Nate took the terrorist out and destroyed the orbital cannon codes, but the Quartermaster was gone by the time he was done. His type are usually the last to arrive and the first to leave. Although Nate's met the Quartermaster several times since then, our favourite arms dealer has always been untouchable in one way or another. If he isn't being backed by power armoured bodyguards, he's rigged an entire block with explosives. If he isn't able to slip out during a skirmish, he's always got a chopper hovering nearby (Or twelve). He's definitely near the top of our most wanted list.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Copycat (Mu Tan Tsang)
Powers/Abilities: Adoptive Muscle Memory. Eidetic Memory. Expert Martial Artist. Skilled Assassin and Spy. Real nifty with a pair of sai.
Occupation: Chinese Spy and Assassin
Likes: Sadism
Hates: Men
One part patriot, one part master spy and all sadistic bitch (Again, pardon my French), Copycat is, for all intents and purposes, a Chinese version of All-Star (Only a little bustier). Our intel tells us that Mu Tan Tsang (That's her name) grew up on the streets of Hong Kong, picking pockets and stealing food to survive. When she started getting older, she moved onto harder crimes like armed robbery and breaking and entering. Eventually, she wound up pissing off enough authority figures to get thrown in jail for the rest of her life. At least, it would've been the rest of her life if the Chinese government didn't find out she was a meta (Positive discrimination, I know). Instead, they decided to train her to use her mrtahuman talents to the fullest against the good old Americans (Feeling the love, yet?) and started crafting her into a genuine weapon. I forgot to mention, she has the power to accurately mimic any action, skill or talent just by getting a good glimpse at it (I think that edges Nate out, but he wholly disagrees). Anyway, they turned her into a weapon, slapped her on the ass and said 'Go spy for us' and she leapt at the chance (I really do not get patriotism. No offence). She may not have tech on-par with the Infiltrator (See above) but she more than makes up for it with skill, cunning and devotion to her job. Nate's run into her a few times on missions and has even fought her on occasion. So far, he hasn't been able to beat her (Unless you count that time they slept together as a victory. Nate does) but he's got high hopes. As far as Chinese spies go, Copycat is one of the best and one to look out for. She also has a weird thing for torturing other people, so, yeah, that's weird.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Wildcard (Jack Queen)
Powers/Abilities: Skilled Hand-To-Hand Combatant and Marksman. Expert Thief. Weaponised Deck of Playing Cards. Snappy Dresser.
Occupation: Professional Thief
Likes: Poker
Hates: 52 Card Pick-Up
Now there's just not much I can say about Wildcard. When someone's a well-known thief who dresses in a snazzy white suit, wears a bowler hat and throws exploding playing cards at people, first impressions pretty much speak for themselves. I mean, throwing weaponised playing cards at people must have made him a face to remember, alone. As if that wasn't enough, he actually got really good at thieving. Really good. Now, that's a late bloomer if ever I saw one. He went from knocking off banks to knocking off casinos in no time. Hell, these days he seems to knock casinos off exclusively (You know how his type get about themes). He usually walks right into a casino, plays a few games of poker (He's good at it, too) and strolls back out with tens-of-thousands, more if he feels in the mood for a good heist. According to our records, the only time he's ever lost at poker was to Nate, and that was because Nate was cheating (He's kind of a dick). Didn't stop Wildcard from taking it to heart, though. We can almost always expect to encounter him when we send Nate to anywhere with a casino and he loves going out of his way to outsmart him (Not that hard, really. Nate's a moron). The guy's a psycho with a love of theatrics, though. That makes him dangerous to anybody.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
The Pied Piper (Stanley Shaw)
Powers/Abilities: A flute which allows him to control vermin and anyone under the age of 18 for some reason. That's literally it. Seriously.
Occupation: Being Homeless
Likes: Flutes, apparently
Hates: 'No shirt, no shoes, no service' signs
This is a homeless guy. This man is homeless. Everything about this man screams homeless. He has no home. He is homeless because he has no home. He is a homeless man. Why is he homeless? I don't know. Who knows? I don't know, but he is homeless now and there's nothing that can be done about it. For some reason this homeless man also has a flute which seems to be capable of manipulating the minds of vermin and minors (Two of the most weak-willed creatures on the planet). Aside from that, he is very much homeless and he has no home because he's homeless and he has no home. I'm really grasping at straws, here. Why are you making me write a report about a homeless man who Nate punches in the face every so often? It's not my place to ask questions, but this is a homeless man. A homeless man. What the hell?
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
The Soviet Supreme (Ivan Grigorovich)
Powers/Abilities: Able to alter his centre of gravity and redistribute to different parts of his body to devastating effect. Skilled Greco-Roman Wrestler. Knows where to find red pants in the 21st century.
Occupation: Self-Proclaimed 'Flag-Hunter'
Likes: Soviet Russia
Hates: 'In Soviet Russia...' Jokes
What is the modern day obsession among the most moronic of morons with latching onto cultures they know next to nothing about and completely altering their lives based on their limited scopes of knowledge on said cultures? You've seen these kids who get all wrapped up in Japan, right? Well, The Soviet Supreme is like that but with Soviet Russia. Ivan Grigorovich used to be a circus strongman touring Russia (Of the non-Soviet variety) before he decided to turn his talents to 'furthering the Soviet agenda' (In his own words). Bragged that he could withstand any impact and break anything with his own two fists. Of course, what most audience members didn't know was that Grigorovich could only do those things because he was a meta with the unique ability to alter his centre of gravity (And I thought Nate's powers were specific). At some point during his illustrious career, he decided that he would take his loyalism to Soviet Russia to new extremes. He donned a goofy costume and decided to wage war on the past enemies of Soviet Russia in the most literal way possible: He literally travels the world hunting down and fighting (Sometimes killing) heroes and villains wearing flag-themed costumes. Funny thing is, he was pretty good at it too. He took down flag-wearers from places such as Germany, China and Britain before moving onto America, where he made a name for himself by dropping some rookie hero called the Freedom Fighter (Wore his underpants on the outside) from a 20th floor window. After that, he mangled Liberty-Man's spine and smashed Commander Stars and Private Stripes' heads together so hard they exploded. That's when he moved onto his next target: Nate (Because no one was expecting that). He came after Nate hard, but he managed to pull through and actually won somehow (Seriously, don't ask me how). Grigorovich got shipped off to a high-security prison back in his homeland and we thought that would be the end of it, which only made his escape from the high-security prison all the more irritating. Since then, he's shown that (Unlike most people Nate humiliates) he knows how to move on with his life and is still dodging the law and hunting flag-wearers all over the world. Every now and then, though, Nate's name makes its way to the top of his list again and he comes after the poor schmuck like a freight train (Only twice as loud). Nate's managed to survive thus far, but who knows how long it'll be before his luck runs out.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Tyrant (Alexander King)
Powers/Abilities: Wears a hi-tech 'crown' capable of manipulating the minds of others. Skilled at crafting mind-controlling technology. Has a really freaky moustache. Real freaky.
Occupation: Crime Lord
Likes: 16th Century England
Hates: 21st Century England
What kind of total asshole do you have to be if your own men wouldn't follow your orders without the use of mind-control? You can go ahead and ask Alexander King that question (Don't do it, he'll mind-control you). Before he became a crime lord and a wearer of ridiculous headgear, King was a struggling inventor working out of a tiny research lab in England (The weather is probably what made him turn evil). Most of his work was turned down by the not-crazy scientists working with him because it seemed eerily focused on mind-control (Shocker). So what did King do? Well, he told them to go screw themselves and controlled their minds, forcing them to construct more mind-controlling doohickeys for him pro-bono. As if that wasn't enough, he decided that he didn't want to sell his inventions to the military anymore and went into crime (Original move there, slick). Now, I don't need to tell you what happens when a guy who can control minds decides he wants to be the head honcho of all organised crime in the island nation of England. Wasn't long before he took his mind-warping expertise 'across the pond' and onto our shores and started forcing kingpins all over America to jump off of their rooftops (The real tragedy was when the fat ones crushed parked cars). This, naturally, got our attention and we sent Nate in to find out what was up. A week of snooping and a few hours of fighting against his sudden urge to shoot himself in the face later, Nate took King down and broke his influence over his little gang of criminals. That's when he earned himself the nickname 'Tyrant' in the criminal community (The most upstanding and organised community there is) and got a one-way ticket to a high-security prison. But, when a guy can create mind-controlling devices out of a few scraps (He's seriously like an evil MacGuyver), prison doesn't really cut it for too long. He's been in and out of the clink so many times he's gotten to know Wesley Snipes on a first-name basis. Trouble with a capital T (See what I did there?) and a bunch of other capital letters to boot.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Egghead (Edward G. Garrison)
Powers/Abilities: Super-Genius Level Intellect. Egg-Themed Gadgets and Weaponry. Egg puns out the freaking ass.
Occupation: International Criminal
Likes: Egging Enemies
Hates: Egg On His Face
Before I go into detail on this one, I'd like to assure you that we take our jobs very seriously and that this report on Nate's rogues is in no way some sort of ridiculous prank. Please keep funding us so we can keep beating up weirdos with ridiculous themes and concepts for the good of Americans everywhere (But mostly in America). You've probably noticed by now that this particular rogue is wearing a costume which makes him look very much like an egg. That is because he is wearing a costume for the express purpose of looking very much like an egg. Despite the obvious lapse in judgement Eddie Garrison had when he decided to go into crime looking like the Easter Bunny's chosen herald, the guy has a super-genius level IQ (Which means he's even smarter than smart, just so he can be even more special) and was born into more money than most of us would see in their entire lives (Most of us, anyway). Ever heard of the phrase 'Money can't buy happiness'? Well, Garrison is living proof of just how true that little chestnut is. His dad was an oil tycoon and his mother was the CEO of a major software development company. He had toys, friends and a servant for everyday of the week, but none of that really made the poor bastard feel any less empty inside, especially given the fact that he was born looking uglier than a horse's ass on a hot day and with a head shaped like an egg (Gee, I wonder where he got his little nickname from?). If that wasn't enough, he also got a raw deal with a nasty little speech impediment which made him pronounce 'ex' as 'eggs' (I don't think I've ever met anyone more screwed over by life). Naturally, he got picked on. A lot. By the time Garrison was out of Harvard with a major in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Business, he was just about ready to snap at the whole damn universe. Still, that didn't make it any more surprising when he went Columbine on his research lab after one whispered insult too many. 8 dead, 16 injured and one disturbingly calm culprit without the common decency to just off himself. The media had a field day with that one and, once the whole mess was thought to be over and done with, most everyone agreed that Garrison should rot in a prison cell for the rest of his life. Except Garrison, that is. He went from going off the deep end to going off the deeper end once the prisoners got his hands on him. Apparently, he could take all the beatings and 'extracurriculars' in the world, but once they started calling him Egghead and pelting him with the stuff? Let's just say things got a little worse (Even though they got a lot worse). Garrison busted out of prison on his own steam, killed 5 inmates in an act of revenge and started answering to Egghead and Egghead only. He threw his stupid outfit together, made a bunch of ridiculous gadgets (See: Egg-Bazooka) and branched out to crime to get the respect he figured he deserved (Swell plan). Since then, Egghead's proven to be very capable of accomplishing that little goal. With eyes and ears everywhere and all the intelligence he needs to make sure those eyes and ears do their jobs, he's probably one of the most elusive and dangerous criminals on our Most Wanted List and is almost always at least two steps ahead of anyone dumb enough to come gunning for him - and you'd have to be pretty dumb to even consider it with the power and connections he has. Luckily for us, it doesn't get much dumber than Nate Carter.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
The Think Tank (Dr. Bartholomew Loeb)
Powers/Abilities: Super-Genius Level Intellect. Power Armour. Good at, like, all the sciences.
Occupation: Scientist-For-Hire
Likes: Science
Hates: When All-Star refers to beating him up as 'Braining' him
When one of your foes is a robot brain in a jar, you've really got to start asking yourself whether or not this is really what you want to do with your life (At least, that's what I tell Nate whenever I get the chance). Dr. Bartholomew Loeb (Why do so many of these people have ridiculously ironic names?) was born rotten. From the moment he first started walking to the day he graduated from his Ivy League university with full honours, Loeb's been a selfish, vindictive little worm out only for himself in this world (Which can probably be said for every single person in this gallery). It says a lot about your personality when you immediately leap into the world of organised crime the very second you step out of one of the most prestigious educational institutes in the country, tragic sob story be damned. It says even more about your personality when, using your mastery over science, you start selling doomsday devices and experimental weapons to the highest bidder so you can spend the profits on making yourself into a freaking brain in a jar (No, seriously, what the hell?). No one's quite sure what convinced the 'good' doctor Loeb that the human body was merely holding him back or why he did it (I'm gonna go with 'crazy') but, at some point about a year or so back, Loeb disappeared off the face of the Earth and came back looking like a cheesy sci-fi villain and calling himself 'The Think Tank' (Hoping he didn't just do it for the pun). So, now a brain suspended in science-goo strapped into a hi-tech suit of power armour, Loeb stepped up his game and entered the big leagues, selling his services as a nerd to the highest bidder and making a lot of messes he sure as hell wasn't going to clean up himself. Now, normally, we leave this sort of insanity to the capes (I think the Flea is available?) but, when we found out about the guy making a thermonuclear warhead for one of America's enemies, I think it became pretty clear that he had to go down ASAP. Nate and a group of black ops boys managed to take Loeb to school and shut down his operation, but our cerebral friend managed to slip away at the last second (Exploding bases. We really should see those coming) and has been dodging and weaving us ever since, giving the boys upstairs quite the headache (Too soon?). Just another problem for the pile for Nate.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Commander Propaganda (Bashir Davda)
Powers/Abilities: Voice can manipulate the emotions of others. Extremely well-trained soldier and military leader. Has a name that no one can say seven times fast.
Occupation: 'Freedom Fighter'
Likes: Hate-Filled Speeches
Hates: Yes
Commander Propaganda. There is a name that is extremely fun to say, as far as names go. The man himself? Not so fun. Before he glued himself to a soapbox and rode around the world on his high horse, Bashir Davda was a traditional, old-school 'soldier-of-fortune'. He devoted his entire life to travelling the world, killing people, learning how to kill people better and getting paid large sums of cash to kill people (This is a guy who clearly knew what he wanted from life) and he was, irrefutably, one of the very best. He was intelligent, relentless and, most importantly, always professional (Much like yours truly, but without the fiery hair of passion). So professional, in fact, that he was able to keep his own radical viewpoints and ideas under wraps at all times. That is, until, he retired from his long life of killing people and decided to pursue a lifelong dream of his: becoming a globetrotting freedom fighter (Yes, seriously). the thing is, Davda had grown pretty disillusioned with the world around him during his time as a mercenary. He'd seen countries crumble to dust, rebellions crushed within seconds and dictators strung up by their own intestines (Very colourful, that last one) but what he hadn't seen was permanent, revolutionary change, and he did not like that one bit. So instead of joining Amnesty International like a normal person, he decided to go and have some of the greatest scientific minds money could buy play Build-A-Bear with his body, giving him the power he felt he needed to become the 'voice of change' he felt this world deserved (He really should have kept an open mind about the Amnesty International thing, if you ask me). Armed with the ability to complete telepathic control over the emotions of those around him. In a few short months, Davda went from war-torn country to oppressive dictatorship, giving lengthy speeches and pointing his riled up civilian zombie armada at the enemy. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Well, it wouldn't be if Davda himself wasn't a devout anti-meta, anti-alien, anti-government, anti-capitalist, anti-religious, anti-authority, anti-everything hatemongering ass. So, what happens when you give a disgruntled and opinionated old bastard the power to control people with angry rants (Aside from a profound sense of regret)? You get public enemy number one; a psychopathic 'freedom fighter' fighting against everything freedom stands for and one of the most potentially dangerous individuals on the planet (Charlie Sheen notwithstanding). Yeah, the good commander is intimidating, but we've got one thing he doesn't: much, much bigger guns and more guns where those guns came from (Gunland, probably). What, were you expecting me to say Nate?
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
The Tally-Man (Michael Toff)
Powers/Abilities: Exceptionally Talented Mathematician. Skilled Marksman and Hand-To-Hand Combatant. Can make crime 'funducational'.
Occupation: Mercenary-For-Hire
Likes: Math
Hates: Haircuts
You know, I've always secretly suspected that math was evil (And not just because it's the only subject I got C in) and there's no better way to support this belief than with Michael Toff aka the Tally-Man (Like the old song by whatshisface, remember?). Michael Toff was born with a natural penchant for mathematics and was doing long division by the time he was 7 and calculus by the time he was 10. Coming from the tiny island nation of Jamaica, he was quite the celebrity there (And all Kim Kardashian had to do to get famous is take off her clothes). The Jamaican government spent valuable resources trying to turn him into their favoured son and his family raked in bucks every time he blew someone away on a quiz show. By all rights, the kid should've have grown into a respectable egghead making six figures a year. And he probably would've if he didn't spend his time behind the scenes developing a complete detachment from humanity and putting math on an ideological pedestal. As he got older, Mikey (Because that's what I'm calling him now) started to think of everything as mathematical equations for him to solve. He went from finishing complex sums on a chalkboard to counting the number of times certain behvaioural patterns popped up in his peers and using that information to categorically learn everything about them (Definitely not creepy in any way, shape or form). Despite graduating from Princeton at the top of his class and getting offers left right and centre, Mikey was anything but satisfied with the way his life was going. To this day, we're still not sure what made him turn to being a mercenary (Again, I'd personally go with 'crazy') but, if his ramblings can be in any way believed, his decision was all about wanting an 'intellectual challenge'. So, Mikey Toff went from a brainy kid from sunny Jamaica to a cold and calculating (emphasis on the 'calculating') mercenary specialising in heists, assassinations and 'tactical consultation' and using math to do it. You have to imagine what it does for business when you can rob an international bank dry in less than an hour, read the enemy like an open book and walk into high-security facilties because you calculated the exact time each patrolling guard spends looking the other way to the nanosecond. When Toff started calling himself the Tally-Man, he ran into Nate and not only correctly calculated the exact number of bullets he could fire before running dry but also discovered a recognisable pattern in his thought process in a hand-to-hand fight. Needless to say, he kicked Nate to the curb without even firing more than one bullet (Talk about emasculation. Seriously, ouch) and all because he had managed to come up with a mathematical formula for beating him beforehand (Now who said advanced math had no real world applications?). Although Nate recovered and hasn't run into the Tally-Man since, the poor guy's never forgotten the freaky bastard's last words to him: 'I've got your number' (Generic, but understandably effective).
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Snakeskin (Omar Saheed)
Powers/Abilities: Brilliant Herptologist and Chemist. Possesses a wide range of self-made poisons and drugs. Owns a ridiculous number of pet snakes.
Occupation: International Drug Dealer
Likes: Looking At Snakes
Hates: Looking Like A Snake
I'm really starting to see a trend in the number of esteemed scientists who decide to turn to lives of crime after major life-changing events. You'd think at least a couple of them would just see a therapist or something (Or at least just blow their brains out). Omar Saheed was a childhood friend of Nate (From way back when the two were orphans in the system) and an expert on snakes before a little accident ended up horribly scarring him beyond recognition. The guy was always a little shifty, according to Nate (Because non-shifty people don't specialise in snakes). He was determined to win a Nobel Prize for his one-of-a-kind snake venom derived drugs and always seemed willing to go to any length to ensure he'd get it. So when he tried to hire a group of criminals to help him capture and dissect the last living specimen of an endangered species of snake, Nate found out and took it upon himself to try and stop his friend from making a horrible mistake (Not that going into the science of snakes wasn't a horrible mistake). It didn't work out so well. Saheed drugged Nate with a non-lethal snake venom and left him hallucinating on the floor of his laboratory. By the time Nate recovered, Saheed was meeting the poachers at an abandoned warehouse (Do criminals ever not want to meet at abandoned warehouses?) and a few steps away from getting his stupid ass shot for being a few bucks short of the asking price. Nate stormed the place and took out the poachers, but failed to save Saheed from the ensuing fire (He still beats himself up about that). When Saheed recovered from his injuries and saw what the fire did to him, he flipped his lid and ran off, blaming Nate of course. With his rep in shambles and his face in even worse shambles, Saheed turned to the same organisation he'd hired his poachers from and offered his services as a drug-maker (Of course, he might've just watched 'Breaking Bad' and assumed it'd be a blast). Flash-forward a couple of years and Saheed, now calling himself 'Snakeskin', resurfaced as one of the most successful drug dealers in the game and Nate's newest target (Can you say 'uh-oh'?). Saheed somehow managed to capture Nate during his mission and reveal his identity to him before pumping him full of a lethal poison and leaving him to die in agony (So, yeah, he was still a little pissed). Though Nate succeeded in defeating Saheed and getting the antidote, he hesitated to off the guy just long enough for him to slither away (Rimshot). Since then, Nate's accepted the fact that Saheed was his fault and his responsibility and has sworn that the next time they meet, he's 'cleaning up his mess'.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Captain Hook (Horatio Fischer)
Powers/Abilities: Weaponised Mechanical Hook For A Hand. Skilled Mechanical Engineer. Possesses a moustache more flamboyant than Nate's.
Occupation: Career Criminal (Member of the Star-Smashers)
Likes: Right-Handed Activities
Hates: People Who Are Familiar With 'Peter Pan'
Nate knows a lot of interesting people. Just when you think his little black book of scumbags and psychos can't get any more packed, another freak crawls out of the woodwork and barges his or her way into his life. Take Horatio Fischer, for example. Fischer used to be an underpaid and underachieving engineer making a few bucks on the side as a handyman (The irony isn't lost on me). Now, when you're holding onto a degree in mechanical engineering and still living in a crappy one room apartment above a convenience store you're going to reach a breaking point sooner or later (Usually sooner). Fischer's came when he got in an accident on the job and ended up losing his left hand, which was made even worse by his employer's refusal to compensate him and the fact that any case he tried to make went down like the Titanic in court. Rather than drown himself in enough booze to flood a small island, Fischer decided to get a little proactive (As proactive as a one-handed ex-handyman can get). He managed to throw together a weaponised mechanical hook for a hand out of virtually nothing (I think the really amazing part is that he managed to do it with one hand) and went out to take the money he felt he deserved from his employer. If it wasn't for Nate being there to complain about a bum job they did on fixing his TV, he'd have gotten away with it too. Fischer kicked up a fuss and made a hell of a mess before he got taken down and got a few years in prison for his troubles. But, as you can imagine, keeping a mechanical engineer capable of putting together dangerous weapons using salvaged pieces of scrap (And a few rubber bans, of course) wasn't too easy. Once he got out of prison, Fischer started living a life of crime as Captain Hook (Ridiculous, right?) and has put his expertise into 'engineering' complex heists and jobs to steal back the cash the world 'stole' from him (He actually does a surprisingly awful pirate impersonation).
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Payne (Issac Payne)
Powers/Abilities: Life-Support Helmet grants immunity to pain. Skilled and Experienced Hitman. Makes Darwinism ridiculously evil.
Occupation: Unemployed (Unless being a psychopathic killer is a job, now)
Likes: Nothing
Hates: Inability To Like Things
Now this is a tragic chapter of Nate's past coming back to bite him in the ass if ever I saw one (And I've seen plenty). Issac Payne was probably one of the most important individuals in shaping Nate from the man he was years ago to the man he is today. Why? Because Issac Payne was one of Dollar Bill's number one assassins and the man who led the squad of hitmen who sneaked into Nate's apartment at the dead of night and put a bullet right between his late fiancee's eyes (Matter of fact, I think he's the one who pulled the trigger). When Nate woke up and blew them all away, Payne was the only one left with his insides still inside. Nate managed to scare information on who ordered his fiancee killed out of Payne before shooting him at point-blank in the forehead. What Nate didn't know was that that didn't kill him. In fact, Nate's single bullet severely damaged Payne's brain and left him unable to feel anything on an emotional level. When the paramedics rushed in to find Payne bleeding out on Nate's floor, they rushed him to the nearest hospital and Dollar Bill paid top dollar to make them save his worthless life. The eggheads managed to save Payne's life by placing what was left of his head in a top-of-the-line helmet (Schematics have been sent to you) which completely wiped out the guy's ability to feel pain, too. So, what happens when an ex-hitman wakes up after a eight year coma without the ability to feel any internal or external sensation at all? You get a point if you said he loses his mind. The last emotion Payne ever felt was pants-shitting fear as he looked up at the eyes of his would-be killer and he held onto that final emotion with a grudge (They always hold grudges). Payne became more and more detached from humanity as time went on and his therapy sessions were going nowhere. Eventually, just snapped. Slaughtered every sad son of a bitch unfortunate enough to walk across his line of vision and broke out of prison to find more people to kill. He managed to rack up a kill count nearing the hundreds before Nate tracked him down and took him down. Since then, Payne's condition has only worsened. As far as he's concerned, all other living creatures have the significance and right to live as weeds and he'll just keep stamping them out until he feels something again (Don't hold your breath). The courts can't touch him due to his condition and he's too high-profile to disappear down in Hudson. The only person who could do the job is Nate and he blames himself for everything that's happened to Payne, so I doubt he's ever going to pull the trigger. Payne was one of Nate's greatest mistakes, and he knows it. Only time can tell what he'll do about it.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
DJ Vertigo (Alphonse 'DJ Vertigo' Juarez)
Powers/Abilities: 'Spinmaster' Bracers emit high-pitch and high-frequency sounds which induce vertigo, nausea and migranes. 'Spinmaster' Bracers can also be used to deflect projectiles and cause hallucinations. Can drop a beat and drop a hero.
Occupation: Career Criminal (Member of the Star-Smashers)
Likes: Being A Playa
Hates: Playa Haters
I've always found it interesting looking back on what these super-criminal types used to do before they went Froot Loops (Or Cocoa Puffs, as the case may be), but Alphonse Juarez is probably one of my favourite cases. The guy was born a decent person in indecent circumstances, complete with an abusive father and a dead mother. The only thing that ever really kept him going was his dream of becoming a famous disc jockey someday, a dream he took every possible step to realise. Juarez auditioned for talent shows, built up his street cred and probably even blew a couple hundred guys to try and achieve his goal. Hell, he even managed to record and sell a few singles under the name 'DJ Vertigo'. Unfortunately for him, though, life almost always gives you lemons (And, more often than not, it conveniently leaves out a recipe for lemonade); Juarez managed to fall in with an even worse crowd than the one he usually ran with, and by worse crowd I mean Egghead (Because getting buddy-buddy with a guy who wears an egg on his head is such a good idea on paper). Back then, we were pretty close to getting our hands on Egghead and had sent Nate to find him and bring him in (Scrambled or Alive), so Egghead (Being the morally reprehensible coward that he is) decided that he needed a distraction to allow him to slip off of our radar. It just so happens that Juarez was one of the desperate nobodies willing to throw themselves in harm's way for an empty promise and a few bucks. He, along with the others who had answered Egghead's call to arms, was given a highfalutin piece of hi-tech weaponry and a costume and ordered to pose as a 'debuting supervillain' by wreaking havoc throughout Westside, keeping Nate and any other heroes off of Egghead's back. Juarez was reluctant, but at the end of the day he made the decision to don the 'Spinmasters' (I don't get it either) Egghead had given him and make an ass of himself, a decision which got him thrown in prison for a few months. Now, you'd think that'd only give him a nice backstory for his music career, right? Wrong. Turns out one of the guys hired to cause a distraction was a psycho who used his weapon to butcher an innocent kid right in front of everyone watching, giving the others a bad reputation. Juarez couldn't find work to save his life, which made his new career path pretty clear to him (And anyone else paying attention). Going to Egghead and getting him to reproduce his weapon and costume, Juarez became DJ Vertigo and has been resorting to crime to make a quick buck every now and then ever since.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Platinum (Christina Carmichael)
Powers/Abilities: Super-Strength and Durability. Mobile Invulnerability. Can scare me into not making a joke.
Occupation: Career Criminal (Leader of the Star-Smashers)
Likes: Riches
Hates: Rags
Ten years of experience as a field agent and a dozen shiny medals would tell anyone that I'm not the kind of guy who scares easy. And when I say I don't scare easy, I mean I don't scare easy (Starting to get a little repetitive, I know). That having been said, Christina Carmichael, a.k.a Platinum, gives me a serious and incurable case of the heebie-jeebies. That woman is bigger, stronger and much more aggressive than any man on Nate's 'naughty list'. As far as her history goes, Carmichael is pretty cut and dry. She was born to a broke family that had been abandoned by a deadbeat dad when she was a little kid. It wasn't long before she figured her only way out of poverty was to turn to crime (Because it's not like crime doesn't pay or anything). Carmichael spent most of her adolescence picking pockets and conning idiot tourists before falling into harder crimes after her first stint in juvie (Of course, 'hard' may be putting it lightly). It wasn't long before she found herself in some serious trouble with the sort of people you don't want to get into trouble with. Looking to pay off her debts, she agreed to be a test subject for an experimental suit of power armor which had 'fallen off the back of a truck'. The power armor was a one-of-a-kind made by the late Dr. Cipes and was supposed to give the wearer superhuman strength. Well, it did give the wearer superhuman strength. Only problem was Carmichael found it much easier to put on than it was to take off, since Dr. Cipes, paranoid old coot that he was, decided to build a (Very questionable) failsafe into it. So, the bad guys now had an extremely disgruntled woman wearing a double-breasted tank and literally no way of controlling her (Very poor planning on their behalf, by the way). I don't think anyone was particularly surprised when she put everyone responsible for her predicament in the ICU and began rampaging through Westside like a one-woman mob. They were probably a little more surprised by the fact that Nate managed to MacGuyver up a way to stop her (Especially since he used science to do it). Since then, we've had some of our best people try to shut down Cipes' failsafe and crack the suit open. Seeing as how Carmichael has since gone on to not only start a life of metahuman crime as Platinum, but also found a group of supervillains dedicated to snuffing Nate out (See: Star-Smashers), I think it's safe to assume they haven't had much luck.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Vectoria (Victoria Faraday)
Powers/Abilities: Low-Level Super Speed. Enhanced Reflexes and Perception. Somehow still manages to get caught.
Occupation: Career Criminal (Member of the Star-Smashers)
Likes: The Wind In Her Hair
Hates: The Bugs In Her Teeth
It should be no surprise to anyone that huge stacks of money can buy you a lot in life: fast cars, fancy clothes, happiness, the works. So, with money opening the door to so many precious commodities, it only seems natural that some people would use it to procure one of the most valuable commodities on the planet: superpowers. Victoria Faraday was a young lady with no shortage of disposable income. After all, she was the hard-drinking party girl heiress to the Faraday Oil Company fortune She's probably more famous for being in the tabloids every other week, though). Faraday was always a thrill-seeking troublemaker. If she wasn't caught sneaking out of a party with two guys on her arms, she was being charged with either a speeding ticket or disturbing the peace. The only thing that really kept her out of a minimum-security prison was her daddy's bucks and the media circus' obsession with her decadence. So, when the new hot topic came along and her father cut her off after one fine too many, it was only a matter of time before Faraday got a little dose of reality to the tune of joining the rest of us down in the 99% (Which may be a little hypocritical of me considering what I pulled in last year). Penniless, talentless and possessing all the real-world experience of a fluffy pillow, Faraday got desperate quick. So she crept into her dad's estate under the cover of night, stole his Black Card and went on a super-powered shopping spree down in the Black Market (I guess she must've figured the most glamorous and exciting way to make it on her own was by resorting to super-crime). Somehow, she managed to walk on out of it all with a vial of experimental super serum without anyone so much as kidnapping and/or murdering her (I think criminal scumbags are getting soft, personally). The serum, once ingested, played mix-and-match with Faraday's genes and gave her low-level super speed. So, what's a teed-off princess capable of running faster than a speeding locomotive do for her first gig as a super-criminal? Steal from her own father, of course (I guess she just forgot about the fact that she had already done that). So, with a nifty new super-power at her disposal, she sped over to one of her father's banks and proceeded to pull off a robbery with all the forethought and skill of a toddler and wound up getting tossed in 'real' prison for her troubles (It would've been funny if she wasn't bawling like a baby when they caught her). Nowadays, Faraday goes by the name of Vectoria and has definitely toughened up a little. She was almost a complete threat when she eventually ran into Nate (He shot her in the ass with a tranq dart and made her crash into a dumpster) and is pretty competent when her B.F.F, Platinum, is bossing her around. Even her powers seem to be slowly evolving (That, by the way, is something to keep an eye on). For now, though, Vectoria is just Paris Hilton on super-accelerated crack: no fuss, no muss.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Pumpkin Jack III (Tucker Vance)
Powers/Abilities: Weaponised Flying Broomstick. Pumpkin and Halloween-Themed Weaponry and Gadgets. Very finely tuned evil laugh.
Occupation: Career Criminal (Member of the Star-Smashers)
Likes: The Smashing Pumpkins
Hates: Smashing Pumpkins
It's true what they say about giving power to the powerless: sometimes it's nothing but a recipe for trouble (Unless a close relative dies to balance it out). Tucker Vance was a textbook underachieving slacker before he was given his 'power'. A high-school dropout living off of a pizza delivery gig, his only prior offenses mostly revolved around under-aged drinking and marijuana. The guy was 18 years old and going absolutely nowhere in life when he had a chance encounter with one of the late Adam Blake's (That's Pumpkin Jack II, in case you haven't read the file) safehouses after running his bike off-road. Somehow, Vance managed to break into Blake's hidey-hole without running into any security measures and was naturally surprised to find an arsenal of Blake's old weapons, suits and gadgets waiting for him. After that, Vance visited Blake's safehouse whenever he got the chance (Looking at his attendance logs and performance reviews, it seems he got the chance a lot) and screwed around with the crazy bastard's tech for shits and giggles (The goon probably even invited a naive girl or two back there to score some action), which probably would've worked out fine for everyone if he didn't get fired for being awful at his job. Problem with that was, now that Vance had an entire safehouse of dangerous technology at his disposal, he could think of better ways to get back at 'the phonies' than by teepeeing their houses. Motivated by revenge (And a few beers, I'm willing to bet), Vance donned Blake's Pumpkin Jack get-up, snatched up as many of his weapons as he could and went over to blow his ex-boss' stuff to kingdom come (And back again). It's a good thing his sleaze-ball of a boss had Nate for a next door neighbour (Depending on who you ask), since the guy not only managed to save his ass, but also managed to take Vance down. So, Vance ended up getting off with a little under a year of community service (Makes sense, since all he really did was wreck his apartment), Blake's gear was seized by us and the case seemed pretty closed for the most part. That is until Vance decided he couldn't cope with being a talentless nobody again and decided to use a GPS tracker he'd stolen and kept from Blake's safehouse to find one of his other ones. With another motherload of advanced weaponry at his fingertips and a grudge against 'you know who' (Nate just can't get a break with these guys), Vance became the third Pumpkin Jack and dedicated the rest of his days to getting rich quick and making Nate's life as inconvenient as he could (On the plus side, he did get his life together. In a manner of speaking).
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Artemis (Artemis Acosta)
Powers/Abilities: Enhanced Physical Condition and Senses. Minor Healing Factor. Skilled Hand-To-Hand Combatant, Hunter, Tracker, Marksman and Acrobat. Animal Communication. Has an inexhaustible collection of very pointy knives.
Occupation: Hunter-For-Hire
Likes: Knives
Hates: Difficult Prey
Hunting has never really been a sport I'm fond of. The concept of a smarter and oftentimes stronger individual preying on a defenseless creature for jollies has always seemed cruel to me. Of course, there are some people who'd (Violently) disagree with my opinion and this stand-up girl is one of them. Artemis Acosta had her humble beginnings as the infant daughter of a couple of struggling criminals trying to make ends meet out in Hudson City (That one with all the struggling criminals trying to make ends meet). Those humble beginnings, however, came to an abrupt and tragic end when her parents sold her to a human trafficking slave-trader to pay off a few debts (The worst my folks ever did was ship me off to Boot Camp). The poor kid spent her childhood being shipped around the world and forced to work (Or worse) for its biggest scumbags. Things took a turn for the better when she wound up in the care of an eccentric hunter named Ludwig Waltz who was pretty famous at the time for going out of his way to hunt endangered species into extinction. As it turns out, Waltz sympathised with the troubled pre-teen and decided to kill her handlers and take her under his wing, teaching her everything he knew about the 'art' of hunting. By the time she hit 18, Acosta was a pro: she could track a fly through the Amazon Rainforest and still be back home in time for dinner. Problem was she was a little too good, which made her a little too bored. So (Rather than take up knitting) she decided to take Waltz and trot around the world searching for a living avatar of the Greek goddess of the hunt so she could kill it and claim a reward from said goddess (I don't know if they read about it in some sort of crackpot magazine or what). After a long period of searching, she found it in the form of a white tiger (I'm sure PETA had a field day). To her surprise, however, the tiger (Or avatar, I suppose) started telepathically communicating with her, telling her that the only will way to prove herself as a true hunter and receive the goddess' gift was to slay the most dangerous game she knew, which was (Awkwardly enough) old Ludwig Waltz. Acosta killed Waltz without a second thought and got her reward in the form of animal-like senses, enhanced physical abilities and a newly developed fondness for hunting other human beings (Personally, I would've preferred it if she returned that last gift). So Artemis, with the blood still fresh on her hands, emerged on the scene as a self-proclaimed 'man-hunter' and started hunting (And usually killing) people for the highest bidder. After a while, though, even hunting armed men got to be boring so, naturally, she started moving onto the big game: superheroes. So, when a number of vigilantes operating in Hudson City mysteriously disappeared while Nate was visiting family there, one situation led to another and Nate quickly found himself in Acosta's sights. It was a pretty intense affair, but Nate (through a mixture of dumb luck and dumber luck, I'm sure) managed to pull of a win and send everybody's least favourite hunter packing. She got away, but so did Nate and that, apparently, didn't sit well with her. Now, Acosta will pretty much stop at nothing to mount Nate's head on her wall and, though she's had other quarries since, the poor guy is at the top of her to-do list.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Bombshell II ('Bouncing' Betty Cannon)
Powers/Abilities: World-Class Demolitions Expert. Possesses an arsenal of varying explosives. More unstable than most of her explosive mixtures.
Occupation: Career Criminal and Terrorist/Bombmaker-For-Hire (Honorary Member of the Star-Smashers)
Likes: BOOM, KABLOOEY and AAAAOWWGODSOMEBODYHELPMEI'MONFIREMYEYESAREBURSTINGAAAAAAAH
Hates: THINGS THAT AREN'T EXPLODING RIGHT FUCKING NOW
Now I'll admit that in all my years serving military and federal service I have seen very few things as immensely satisfying as a well-done explosion. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a grown man on the wrong side of thirty who enjoys watching things explode every now and then (I still enjoy loud action films with Bruce Willis in a tank top). However, a love of explosions eventually reaches a point where it becomes a little too ridiculous (Or downright psychotic) and I think most people tend to draw the line before that point. Betty Cannon (Couldn't make this up if I tried) is definitely not most people. See, there's loving the smell of napalm in the morning and there's LOVING the smell of napalm in the morning and I'm pretty sure you can guess which one she falls under. Cannon made her start as a demolitions expert for the U.S Army. Her service record indicates that she was pretty good at her job, too. That is until she accidentally discharged a rocket launcher and killed an entire tent of military leaders meeting to discuss strategy. So, ultimately, it came down to a relatively simple choice for Cannon: stick around and get court-martialed for involuntary manslaughter or lose her shit and start blowing everything up. She picked the latter (Though, in her defense, she probably had an itty-bitty mental break). Cannon blew up her entire battalion and ran to side with the international terrorists she was supposed to be fighting, offering her services in exchange for protection. That whole set-up worked for a couple of months until she blew them all up too. Then she blew up a small village, a farm and a fast food restaurant before returning to America and blowing up her house (I think it's safe to say that there was a point where she became a little less than reasonable). From there, Cannon blew up the old Bombshell - an old enemy of some vigilante with a fedora - and took her name, becoming a terrorist and bomb-maker for hire (So she at least found an outlet for whatever the hell her problem is). Nowadays Cannon is a favourite of every mob boss and low-level supercriminal looking for a cheap explosion and has even been a member of the Star-Smashers (Or she was until she blew their hideout up). She's still into explosions, though.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Lady Lash (Katie-Lynn Cassidy)
Powers/Abilities: Magically Enchanted Whip. Low Self-Esteem. Possesses the most ridiculous costume ever. I use the word 'ridiculous' a lot in these reports, don't I?
Occupation: Career Criminal (Honorary Member of the Star-Smashers)
Likes: Whips
Hates: Her father, probably
If you had told me a year ago that I'd be filing a report on a super-criminal who makes Gazerbeam and the Pied Piper look like legitimate threats, I would've laughed in your face (And, considering the confidentiality of these files, I probably would've shot you in the head). Katie-Lynn Cassidy was your average good-for-nothing trailer trash girl with a deadbeat dad, an alcoholic mom and a series of poor decisions in life lying ahead of her. When she was 18, she ran away from home with her boyfriend (Who was, in all likelihood, named Chad) to pursue a career as a supermodel in Millennium City. A year later, her boyfriend had left her for someone else and she was working the night shift at Darren's Pizza (Though some of the customers probably didn't mind snapping pictures of her). Now most people, by this point, would've wised up and ran back home to the safety and comfort that only a tiny trailer full of cheap furniture can give you. Cassidy, however, decided to stay a couple of years to further pursue her dreams of stardom. Two years later, she was an unsuccessful escort (And an embarrassingly kinky one at that). By this point, even Cassidy had the brains to figure out that things weren't working out for her and she was one bad day away from leaving Millennium City for good when she 'serviced' a client who found himself short on cash afterwards. Turns out the client was a two-bit spellcaster and, in order to pay Cassidy off, he enchanted her dominatrix whip, giving it mystical properties (I'm literally dying of laughter right now). Armed with a magical whip capable of stretching, binding and cleaving cars in two, Cassidy decided to take the fortune she felt she was owed by robbing the First National Bank of Millennium City as Lady Lash, a magical dominatrix lady in size 6 pumps (And that's if you're really trying to make it sounds not-stupid). She got to 'hand me the money over the counter' before Nate, on patrol for his gig with the Protectors, shot a rubber pellet at her ass and sent her into a fit of sobbing (I recall him feeling kind of bad about it afterwards). Now, Lady Lash has toughened up a bit (Thanks in no small part to her new boyfriend, Gazerbeam) and can at least put up half a fight before she gets curb-stomped for her troubles.
Threat Level:
| ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ | ██ |
|---|
Weaknesses
Stress: Whilst All-Star's Hyperkinesis enhances his accuracy, reflexes and procedural memory beyond that of a normal human's in most cases, heavy stress can have the inverse effect, making him far less competent than the average person.
Insecure: Although he is a highly skilled and near-perfect marksman who openly brags about it, All-Star harbours hidden feelings of inadequacy about his power and how useful it makes him, especially when working alongside superheroes.
You're Gonna Carry That Weight: All-Star's done a lot of bad in his life and has taken more than a few lives. Though he likes to pretend it doesn't bother him, his self-loathing, despair and deep-seated regret occasionally bubble to the surface.
As Vulnerable As A Human: Due to the highly-specialised nature of his power, All-Star is, for all intents and purposes, a normal human. This makes him vulnerable to all the external and internal hazards that most people would be vulnerable to.
I SAID I NEVER MISS, GOD: Missing a target is a big deal for All-Star. As such, he can be somewhat obsessive compulsive about hitting his mark, occasionally slightly losing focus and his cool when he misses. That having been said, he has managed to get a better handle on this particular shortcoming.
Soldier, Not A Hero: As a military man, All-Star does things a lot more rigidly than the average hero. Whilst this can have its advantages, it often causes hesitation when dealing with legal grey areas and means that he'll sometimes unquestioningly follow orders from his government superiors.
Hello, Nurse: All-Star has a natural weakness for the ladies and, whilst a pretty face and a few flirty words don't completely disarm him, they do cause him to drop his guard a bit in the right conditions.
Razzle-Dazzle: One of the drawbacks of All-Star's bionic eyes is an enhanced sensitivity to light. Though he wears shades at all times to combat this, he can be quite vulnerable to light when not wearing protective eyewear.
Soundtrack
1. Freedom - Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton
3. Gotta Knock A Little Harder - The Seatbelts
4. Fire Dance - Dizzy Gillespie & Lalo Schifrin
5. One Finger Snap - Herbie Hancock
6. Hang Up Your Hang Ups - Herbie Hancock
7. P.M. Or Later - The New Breed
8. You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
9. Fire Dance - Dizzy Gillespie & Lalo Schifrin
11. Look At Me - Annonymos ft. Taz
16. I'll Take It All - Joss Stone
18. Guns & Roses - Paradise Lunch
19. Outer Limits - Michael Z. Gordon and the Marketts
20. Vanishing Point - Michael Z. Gordon and the Marketts
Appearance
Bald Of Awesome - Having overcome some personal demons in order to face a dangerous new threat, Nate has recently shaved off his playful haircut in favour of a more serious and intimidating look.
Badass Beard - You've got to respect the Van Dyke.
Cool Shades - Nate is virtually never seen in public without his shades on. Though he claims this is simply a fashion choice, wearing them actually provides him with a number of tactical advantages and protects his sensitive eyes from blinding light and flashbangs.
Scarf of Asskicking - All-Star has a thing for scarves, for some reason.
Chest Insignia - See that huge star on his chest? It's actually there to draw fire, since it's made out of a lightweight metal and is, therefore, more resistant than the rest of his outfit.
Personality
Deadpan Snarker - All-Star is a cookie-cutter deadpan snarker, constantly making quips, making sarcastic comments and tossing around playful insults at enemies and allies alike. He claims its one of his many tactics to keep him extremely cool-headed and focused in combat whilst also claiming it keeps the enemy unfocused and makes them sloppier.
Dissonant Serenity - Due to the adverse effects stress has on his Hyperkinesis, All-Star has taught himself to remain surprisingly calm and unflappable in combat, even making casual jokes as his enemies fire at him. He states that the secret to his particular brand of combat tranquility is to picture everyone around him stark-naked the moment combat starts, something he's gotten quite good at over the years.
Friendly Sniper - Despite his exceptional skill at it, All-Star finds sniping to be a very boring job. As such, he'll often make jokes to himself or others.
Determinator - All-Star is probably one of the only people on the planet who genuinely thinks he could take down Dr. Destroyer with a handgun, down an entire alien armada with a sniper rifle and beat a demigod in an arm-wrestling match. When everyone finds themselves with their backs against the wall and up against impossible odds, All-Star is the guy that says 'Come on, guys, we can take 'em' whilst (for the most part) genuinely believing it.
The Cynic - All-Star can accentuate the negative with the best of them, justifying his cynicism by claiming that his entire life has centred around chipping away his faith in humanity. Despite his cynicism, though, All-Star does care for the people around him and can be just as optimistic as his cohorts when necessary.
Handsome Lech - All-Star is something of an off-handed skirt chaser, shamelessly flirting with women regardless of whether or not they're on his side. When he does get involved with them, however, his inability to commit or to tear himself away from his work tends to get in the way of a stable relationship. In the same vein, a lot of his flirtation is merely friendly.
Awesome Ego & Smug Super - Despite the fact that All-Star's arrogance and constant praise of his own abilities can be annoying, many find it difficult to genuinely refute the fact that he is exceptional at what he does.
Jerk With A Heard Of Gold - Arrogant, brash and cynical, All-Star generally comes off as a bit of an asshole (and he is). However, beneath his layer of dickishness, he is kind-hearted, loyal, determined and willing to do anything for a cause he believes in.
Inferiority-Superiority Complex & Stepford Snarker - His cocky demeanor and constant snark are actually defense mechanisms, though, as he uses them to make up for his crippling feelings of inadequacy, depression and guilt. This is most noticeable in his desire to be the world's best marksman, as he feels having exceptional aim is the only thing that makes him unique in comparison to other more powerful crimefighters and that, without it, he'll be worthless to everybody.
Unfazed Everyman - As a government agent and a soldier, All-Star often finds himself a fish completely out of water when teaming up with heroes against threats such as demigods, sorcerers, aliens and giant robots. Nevertheless, he gets the job done and does his best to remain unfazed by all the casual weirdness around him.
Jerk Jock - All-Star usually comes across of something of a jock, mocking and belittling intellectuals, casually throwing around terms such as "nerd" and "geek" and being a bit of a bully at times. However, those that get to know him soon find that he's actually a much nicer and more thoughtful person.
Black And Nerdy & Closet Geek - Though he loathes to admit it, All-Star is a bit of a nerd. He's a huge fan of comic books, a regular comic-con attendee and a passionate fan of sci-fi.
Book Dumb & Smarter Than You Look/Street Smart - All-Star is average/below-average when it comes to academics and often comes across as the stereotypical meathead soldier. However, whilst All-Star isn't much of an academic, he is a highly-resourceful, deeply cunning and quick-witted individual and is surprisingly good with practical problems, largely due to his Hyperkinesis. He also makes up for his lack of academic ability with street smarts.
Friend To All Children & Big Brother Instinct - All-Star has a certain way with children, little girls in particular. Whenever he has to deal with children, he usually manages to come across as more social, understanding and authentic than his co-workers and usually comes off as less of a caring adult and more of a big brother to the little ones. This extends to teenagers and even full-grown girls Nate sees as too childish, young or innocent to sexualise, such as Impsblood and Anarchy.
Nice Guy - Whilst All-Star is by no means a moral paragon or a beacon of justice and all that is right, he tries to be a generally friendly, well-rounded and upbeat guy, despite his cynical sense of humour.
Action Hero & Guile Hero/The Face - All-Star usually attempts to deal with his problems diplomatically with the application of levelheadedness and charm, but sometimes you just have to punch someone to make progress.
Morality and Philosophy
Hitman With A Heart - All-Star may, for all intents-and-purposes, be a government-approved hitman, but he rarely lets his sense of duty get in the way of his sense of justice.
Anti-Hero - All-Star is a Type II or a Type III, depending entirely on the company he's keeping and the enemy he's up against.
The Heart - All-Star prides himself on always trying to remain as level-headed, down-to-earth and understanding as possible. As such, he'll always be the first person to remind those around him of the importance of doing what's right and the last person to carry out a personal vendetta if he can help it. After all, the best way to win a fight is to win a heart.
Chivalrous Pervert - Though All-Star readily pervs out on any relatively attractive woman within a certain radius of him, he genuinely respects the majority of the women in his life and would never do anything he perceives as crossing a line or make them feel too uncomfortable.
Knight In Sour Armor - All-Star doesn't kid himself about the true nature of mankind and the state of the world around him but, rather, uses it to justify exactly why he has to keep doing the right thing in a world that's largely forgotten what the right thing is.
Neutral Good - All-Star is a Type 1.
Combat and Skills
Crazy Prepared & Hidden Supplies - All-Star is infamous for keeping firearms stashed and hidden in his house, his car and even in his pillow. When questioned about the ludicrous amount of firearms he keeps in case of emergency, he's quick to justify his extreme paranoia.
Combat Pragmatist & Pragmatic Hero - When it comes to a choice between taking the enemy down quickly and taking him/her down fairly, All-Star has already fired his weapon.
Trash Talk - All-Star often jokes that his perfect accuracy works with insults too, and cites trash talking his enemies as one of his favourite things about his job, stating that he sometimes prepares some quips in advance for the sole purpose of using them when the time is right.
The Gunslinger - A mixture of a Type A and a Type D, All-Star can shoot the tail-feathers off of a parakeet before most people even reach for their weapons.
Improbable Aiming Skills - All-Star once hit six free-falling targets whilst plummeting to his death as an explosion resounded loudly above him and still had the time to shoot loose a parachute pack, deploy it and land precisely at the coordinates of his rendezvous point. He only used three bullets. His insane aiming skills are his pride and joy and he has a policy of 'if you've got it, flaunt it' when it comes to them.
Guns Akimbo - All-Star's favourite method of dispersing many bullets amongst the unjust.
Improvised Weapon - Despite having a preference for guns, All-Star can turn almost anything into a dangerous, or even lethal, projectile weapon. His proficiency in doing this sometimes means that he gets sent on espionage and assassination missions with little more than a pack of toothpicks, a pen and some gum.
Boom, Headshot! - There's nothing All-Star loves more than a well-executed headshot, lethal or no. He's also quick to note that all his headshots are well-executed.
Kneecapping - If he needs to be non-lethal, All-Star almost always goes for the good ol' fashioned kneecap shot.
Superhero Packing Heat - Though All-Star would be reluctant to call himself a "superhero", he does pack a lot of heat.
Fights Like A Normal - Anyone unaware of All-Star's metahuman power would just assume that he's a normal human being with exceptional aim, due to its subtle nature.
Heart is An Awesome Power - That having been said, most people often balk at All-Star's power of "having really good aim". That usually comes to a stop when he pulls the trigger.
Weak, but Skilled - All-Star takes on metahumans, vampires, zombies, aliens and robots using nothing but his unique power and diverse skillset. And guns. A lot of guns.
Underestimating Badassery - Fighting alongside people who can fly, punch through walls and shoot fire from their hands, All-Star is often underestimated or scoffed at by his enemies. This is a very stupid thing for them to do, as they soon realise when he shows them just why he's capable of fighting alongside these heroes.
Brilliant, But Lazy - All-Star's Hyperkinesis has tonnes of hidden potential which could be harnessed with the right mental training. Due to the nature of his metahuman ability, All-Star could potentially become one of the smartest men on the planet, develop a danger sense or read body language at an extremely detailed level. Certain scientists at Project: Patriot have even stated that, with the right kind of training, he could develop powerful telepathic and telekinetic abilities. However, All-Star is more than satisfied with his Hyperkinesis as it is and is reluctant to bother wasting time expanding on it.
Electronic Eyes - All-Star's recent near-fatal accident has forced him to use bionic eyes in order to restore his lost sight.
Ace Pilot - Though you wouldn't know it immediately, All-Star is a very skilled and very well-trained pilot, having spent a year in the Air Force shooting planes out of the sky. Though he is technically only proficient with fighter jets and regular human planes, he can apply the fundamentals of flying to hi-tech aircraft and some alien ships. He's a pilot of the Bushwhacker style.
Indy Ploy - Despite having the tactical acumen to plan ahead, All-Star tends to favour making it up as he goes along.
Made Of Iron - All-Star has shrugged off hits no ordinary human being should be capable of taking throughout his long career through sheer determination and strength of character.
Eagle Eye Detection - All-Star's Hyperkinesis and Bionic Eyes allow him to detect and notice things most people would not with relative ease. In addition, the man himself has a keen eye for detail.
Kryptonite Factor & Logical Weakness - Whilst stress can be detrimental to anyone in battle, it is especially dangerous to All-Star as it severely impacts his Hyperkinesis, making him far less effective than the average person. Scientifically speaking, this makes perfect sense; Since All-Star's brain works and processes at a much faster rate than even the sharpest minds, it is only natural that the psychological and biological effects of stress would have a heightened effect on his hyperactive brain.
Walking Armory - All-Star is pretty much sold to his superiors as being a one-man assault squad.
Quirks
Finger Gun - All-Star is ridiculously fond of this gesture, using it and its onomatopoeic accompaniment as a threat, a show of arrogance, a greeting, a farewell, a post-combat celebration and even as a password. He first started using it as a teenager as a means of celebrating touchdowns and goals made during football games.
Gun Nut - All-Star is, rather unsurprisingly, a huge fan of firearms. He keeps a sizeable stash of them locked away in his penthouse both to collect them and to use them as a security measure.
I'm Not a Hero, I'm... - ...A government agent. All-Star dislikes being lumped together with heroes, mostly because it embarrasses him due to his insecurity and uncertainty on what it means to legitimately be a hero. Unfortunately, though, with an outfit like his he is very often mistaken for one.
Genre Savvy - All-Star often loathes getting involved in superhero affairs, knowing from personal experience that doing so will inevitably lead to him fighting some ridiculously powerful threat that's usually way out of his league. An avid comic book fan, he knows a number of comic book conventions and isn't averse to bring it out.
Competition Freak - As an ex-jock and an avid sports fan, All-Star loves himself a challenge and often gets too wrapped up in achieving victory. He has something of an obsession with proving himself to be the world's greatest marksman and doesn't take losing well in general.
Workaholic & Married to the Job - Much to his horror, All-Star's entire life now seems to revolve around his job as a freelance agent for the U.S government, leaving no room for committed relationships, family or, in some cases, happiness.
Really Gets Around - All-Star's co-workers and friends often jokingly call him "Bimboy" due to his reputation for sleeping around extremely often, with most of his short relations with women ending horribly. All-Star takes offense to this, despite the fact that he doesn't seem too keen on stopping his womanising ways.
Real Men Hate Sugar - All-Star can't stand sweet food and desserts to the point of nausea. Chocolate Chip Chelsea, please stop handing him cookies.
Catch Phrase - "Aw, jeez."
I Thought Everyone Could Do That - All-Star occasionally has moments where he solves complex mathematical problems in seconds, awkwardly stating that he didn't realise the problem was complex at all.
Beserk Button - Although All-Star is usually a pretty mellow individual, one thing that sets him off more than anything else is watching a defenseless woman get beaten up. Though he's fought and even killed a few women in his time, watching a defenseless one take hits instantly sparks up memories of his childhood.
Beware The Nice Ones & OOC Is Serious Business - Whilst Nate is generally an amiable, albeit showy and over-confident, guy, pissing him off too badly can have rather unexpected results. Once All-Star stops making snarky remarks, cracking wise and hyping himself up, things get real.
Obfuscating Stupidity - Though All-Star is by no means stupid, he is relatively uneducated and slightly ignorant of certain things. However, despite his constant affirmations of his own lack of intelligence, anyone who really knows him would easily suspect that he's definitely not as unintelligent as he would have everyone believe.
Weirdness Magnet - Though giant robots, zombies, dragons, aliens, extra-dimensional beings and crab-people are standard fare to most superheroes. All-Star, as a government agent, definitely finds the weirdness of it all off-putting and finds himself getting wrapped up in it far more often than not.
Amazon Chaser - All-Star has a thing for strong women, with all of his long-term romantic relationships being with women who could 'kick his ass'.
Super Window Jump - ALL-STAR THAT'S NOT WHAT WINDOWS ARE FOR.
Germans Love David Hasselhoff - Though All-Star isn't particularly popular in America or its neighbouring countries, he has garned an inexplicable level of popularity in Japan and even has merchandise centred around him. This makes virtually no sense.
The Alcoholic & Never Gets Drunk - All-Star likes the drink and makes no show of hiding it. His frequent drinking is, however, countered by his Hyperkinesis, which he typically uses to drink people under the table for money...
Drunken Master - ...He even claims to be a better shot when he's drunk.
Oral Fixation Fixation - All-Star can usually be found chewing gum or carrying several sticks of it on his person. This is because he finds that chewing gum helps him to maintain the state of level-headedness needed to keep his Hyperkinesis in tip-top shape and every little advantage helps.
Background and Events
Parental Abandonment - One's dead, the other's missing.
Upbringing Makes The Hero - Were it not for Wheezer and the influence he had on his life, All-Star never would've made it past grade school and he most certainly wouldn't keep pushing himself to be a good person.
Loser Son Of Loser Dad - All-Star's childhood in Hudson City was marred by his father's reputation as a local drunk who was in-and-out of prison on a regular basis. No one outside of Wheezer expected anything out of him until he took up sports.
Better Than New - In order to restore his sight after an accident blinded him, Steel IOndustries replaced All-Star's damaged eyes with custom-made bionic ones, not only returning his sight but granting him a host of new abilities.
Heroic Vow - After the murder of his fiancee and the ensuing chaos that followed, All-Star promised himself that he would no longer allow temptation and greed to lure him down the path of corruption with two simple words: 'No more.'
Dark And Troubled Past - At least half of that list can be applied to All-Star's backstory.
Expository Hairstyle Change & Important Haircut - In reaction to a shift in responsibilities and priorities caused by a radically life-altering event, Nate decided to get rid of his boyish, patterned haircut, shaving himself bald to better represent his new approach and the burden caused by his new responsibilities. His choosing to abandon his old hairstyle is representative of his active decision to leave behind his identity as an arrogant, immature jokester and fully commit himself to his role as a leader of the Protectors.
Character and Motivations
Captain Patriotic - He'll fight for his country. He'll wear its colours. He'll even die for it. Despite all his issues with America, its current state and its chequered past, All-Star loves his country and would do anything for it and its people.
Military Superhero - All-Star in a nutshell. He spent his early years fighting alongside the USMC.
The Atoner - The sole reason All-Star decided to take Project: Patriot up on their offer was to atone for his past sins and to make up for all the damage he had done as a criminal.
Two First Names - Nate Carter. Nate. Carter. Nate Carter.
Screw The Rules, I'm Doing What's Right - All-Star's philosophy on most things. If he feels it's the right thing to do, he's doing it, consequences be damned.
Butt Monkey & Break The Cutie - Nothing ever seems to go right for All-Star, at least not for any extended period of time. His whole life has been one horrible and deeply scarring event after another, as if the universe is out to crush him on an emotional level. He tries not to let it get him down, though.
Overt Operative - Whilst All-Star is a secret agent, he is by no means 'secretive'. Whilst he keeps a tight lid on the specifics of his work, he openly tells friends and allies that he's an agent for the U.S government and doesn't particularly make much of an effort to create elaborate fake identities for himself whilst spying.
Forgiveness - A major part of All-Star's character is his struggle to forgive himself for his past sins and his willingness to forgive others for theirs.
Superhero Sobriquers - All-Star is occasionally referred to as 'The Star-Spangled Sharpshooter', 'The Gunslinging G-Man' and 'The Precise Patriot'. He also (boastfully) refers to himself as 'The Best From The West', 'The MVP' (Most Valuable Protector), 'The Bespectacled Badass' and 'The Honcho of Headshots', but those don't really catch on (probably because of the 'boastfully' part).
Bald Black Leader Guy - Due to a recent haircut, All-Star is bald, black and a leader guy.
Possessions
Cool Bike - All-Star's hover-bike is his pride and joy, even more so than his favourite firearms.
Wall Of Weapons - All-Star's apartment has a secret room stacked to the brim with firearms and firearm accessories.
Utility Belt - All-Star's belt contains pellet grenades, small gadgets, useful objects, spare ammo, a spare pair of shades, his various keys, his wallet and some Skittles.
Profession
Code Name - All-Star is actually just a codename coined by Kurt White to an originally unimpressed Nate Carter.
The Commissioner Gordon - As something of a 'de facto' liaison, Nate often finds himself helping out members of the superhero community as a representative of his superiors or on his own steam.
Fad Super - All-Star is an example of an in-universe Fad Super in the sense that Project: Patriot's secondary goal was to appeal to patriotic ideology by portraying its agents as classic flag-themed patriotic do-gooders.
One Riot, One Ranger - The reason All-Star is usually called in to single-handedly pull off missions better suited to entire squads is because, usually, it's more cost-efficient. The morale boosting aspect of having a single flag-wearing asset topple entire terrorist cells is also a factor.
Relationships
Feel free to add to this section if you think it's missing a relationship trope between All-Star and one of your characters.
Battle Couple - All-Star and Sparrowhawk are close on and off the battlefield.
Heterosexual Life Partners - With Riptide.
Just Friends - With Zelara.
Friends With Benefits - With Virgil.
Virtriolic Best Buds - With several of his friends, Vivi, Riptide and Canadian Fist, especially.
Salt And Pepper - He's a laid-back, snarky sharpshooter with a quick wit and a rugged charm. She's a sensible, level-headed crimefighter with fighting skills to pay the bills and an intellect to match. Together, they fight crime!
Guys Smash, Girls Shoot - Inverted with Sparrowhawk. All-Star hangs back with the guns whilst she rushes in with the batons.
Legion Of Doom - Tired of All-Star getting in the way of their various heists and jobs, Gazerbeam, Captain Hook, DJ Vertigo, Platinum, Vectoria and Pumpkin Jack have formed the 'Star-Smashers', a group of villains-for-hire who specialise in keeping All-Star off of the backs of more important criminals and frequently work together to pull off larger-scale crimes. Though the group hasn't thus far succeeded in getting rid of All-Star, they have a hotline, a dental plan and an annual picnic.
Friendly Enemies - All-Star can be surprisingly amicable towards DJ Vertigo, Vectoria, Wildcard, Warhawk and The Pied Piper. Were they not frequent enemies, it wouldn't be too hard to believe that they were friends.
Worthy Opponent - Though Warhawk doesn't actively pursue or challenge All-Star and disapproves of his nature, allegiance and weapons of choice, he sees him as his equal and is all too enthusiastic about fighting him when they encounter one another.
RP Hooks
- All-Star frequents Sherrera's Bar, often spending his time drinking and fleecing other bar patrons out of their money by playing darts.
- All-Star is an avid video gamer and a fan of First-Person Shooters, often playing them online in his spare time.
- All-Star is a sports fan and will openly discuss it with anyone.
- As a Freelancer, All-Star is at the U.S government's beck and call and gets assigned to a number of jobs which involves working with the likes of UNTIL, PRIMUS, the FBI and even the United States Military.
- All-Star is a top-class chef, having taken up cooking as something of a hobby.
- Whilst he is privately trained, All-Star most commonly identifies as a U.S Marine as it's where he spent most of his time serving his country during his first year as a freelancer.
- All-Star became something of a folk hero amongst the US Marines for leading a group of survivors from the site of a mortar ambush and through enemy territory to a nearby base camp.
- All-Star can't help but appreciate a good gun.
- Are you a woman who frequents social spots and is currently dating around? Odds are you may have been on the receiving end of All-Star's flirtatious nature in the past.
- All-Star spent a lot of time serving with the U.S Army and the U.S Marines during his first year on Project: Patriot in 2007.
Trivia
- All-Star really does get around. He has had (often brief) flings with Virgil Landekl, Adriana Seymour, Emily Caine, Natasha Roy, Claire Thompson and is currently in a long-term relationship with Alexandra Harper
- All-Star is a bit of a gamer. His favourite genre is, predictably, First-Person Shooters and he maintains a very high position in a number of in-game leaderboards, claiming he holds back.
- All-Star absolutely loathes magic and anything to do with it. Whilst he doesn't outright disbelieve in it like other magic-haters, he believes that absolutely nothing good comes of it and that magic would not be sorely missed if it were to disappear from this world.
- In his younger years, All-Star suffered from asthma. This is partially what motivated him to take up sports as a method of "beating" it.
- All-Star speaks fluent Chinese and Spanish, having been forced to learn both to communicate with his Chinese and Mexican adoptive siblings.
- Despite his impeccable marksmanship, All-Star has pointedly avoided using a bow like others with his particular talents. His reason for this is simply that he believes bows suck.
- All-Star is a secretive sort of nerd. He has an impressive comic book collection he keeps hidden away and secretly idolises heroes, despite vehemently denying being one himself.
- For some reason or another, All-Star is occasionally mistaken for General Freedom and other patriotic heroes by ignorant civilians and heroes. This is a source of chagrin for him.
- All-Star often whistles or hums the song 'Yankee Doodle', especially when put under stress or in the middle of intense combat.
- All-Star is a huge fan of Bruce Lee and adopted many of his philosophies growing up. This is largely what motivated him to learn Jeet Kune Do.
- Hawkeye + Bullseye + Captain America + Roy Harper + James Bond + Deadshot = All-Star
- The closest approximation to All-Star's voice and body actor is David Ramsey.
- All-Star has never had a successful long-term romantic relationship. All his romances have ended horribly for him, the other person or everyone and anyone involved.
- All-Star is a man-child at heart. He still wakes up when he can on Saturday mornings to pour a bowl of cereal and watch a cartoon or two.
- All-Star has a large collection of sports memorabilia he's been accumulating since he was 15.
- All-Star's penmanship is atrocious. Like, doctor-level atrocious.
- All-Star is slightly lactose-intolerant. Too much cheese makes him all phlegmy and it's not a pretty sight.
- All-Star suffers from what is most likely a minor case of Nosocomephobia, the fear of hospitals. That having been said, he'd be the first one to insist that its simply a case of hospitals making him 'antsy'.
- All-Star is ambidextrous.
- All-Star owns a pet military-trained war dog which he recently inherited from an old ex-Navy SEAL friend after his death. The dog, named Bullseye by his previous owner, is a battle-worn German Shepherd and, though he has most definitely seen his prime, he is far from being decommissioned and is still a fiercely loyal and resilient companion. Unless you're All-Star, in which case he will refuse to do anything you say. Bullseye currently resides at the Barlowe Building, the headquarters of the Protectors of the World, as All-Star's building doesn't allow large pets.
- All-Star is inexplicably popular in Japan.
- All-Star has always been something of an alcoholic. He frequently drinks for the sake of drinking but is kept coordinated by a superbly his Hyperkinesis. In other words, his brain processes the alcohol so quickly that it takes much longer for him to get drunk.
All-Star's Adventures
All-Star: That's Not My Name!
A huge battle is being waged throughout Millennium City. Guess who's late for the party? It's not General Freedom.
All-Star: Scared Starless
There's nothing to fear but fear itself. And maybe bullets.
All-Star: The Interrogation
Ever had one of those days where you woke up in the nude to a bunch of buff guys interrogating you? Nate has.
All-Star and Sparrowhawk: Like a Bullet Through My Heart
It's Valentine's Day and Nate can't quite decide what to get Alex. Don't worry, it gets more interesting.
All-Star: Same As It Ever Was
Have you ever wondered what it is that made Nate the man he is today? No? Whatever, here's a story about it in seven bite-sized chunks*: I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII
*Story chunks may or may not be bite-sized. Please do not try to eat story chunks.
All-Star: No Place Like Home
Nate pays a visit to his hometown of Hudson City. It's awful.
All-Star: Breaking Point
Stranded in Venezuela with no gear, no back-up, a frightened little girl depending on him and an entire terrorist cell out to put him six feet under, Nate Carter is on a mission that'll change his life forever. With the world closing in on him and a shadowy conspiracy threatening to swallow him whole, can Nate prove once and for all that he really is as good as he says he is?
Covers All-Star's recent week-long absence from the Protectors of the World
Chapters: I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII
All-Star: Ceasefire
A day can mean anything to anyone. To Nate Carter, a particular day in his life stands out among the rest and tells a story of memories, promises and moving on.
All-Star: Road to the Eugenics War
Nate and Riptide meet at Mercy Hospital to discuss plans and consequences in the aftermath of Sparrowhawk's betrayal, concluding with a firm resolve.
Art Gallery
Guns? Check. Pouches? Check. Stylish Neckwear? Check. All-Star's ready for anything when he's wearing his standard outfit!
Sniper? I hardly know her.
He shoots people often.
Very often.
It's kind of his thing.
All-Star's latest costume is a more modern spin on his patriotic theme with a militaristic slant. Far more durable and well-equipped than his standard outfit, this modern costume has a neat little belt with a star on it. That's nice. Isn't that nice?
Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
That sure is an angry face.
All-Star assuming the regulation patriot stance.
Nate Carter...
- Nate Carter 2.JPG
...Has an unusual fashion sense, to say the least.
Dual STA001 Iron Patriot Handguns
The MK12 SPR
The Smith & Wesson Model 500
The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield
- Ruger lcp 2.jpg
The Ruger LCP
The Castor Hall N.O.M.A.D Stealth Handgun
The Remington Model 870
The Accuracy International AS50
The Heckler & Koch MP7
The M249 LMG
The M32 MGL
- LAW.jpg
The M72 LAW
The PSE TAC 15 Crossbow
The STM151 Gorgon Stun Gun
The ST-BOX-ER
'Memento Mori'
'Moxie'
The M48 Hawk Tactical Tomahawk
The STH520 Grapnel Gun
The 'Shooting Star'
It's all about style. (Art By Avionetca)
Every time he salutes the sky turns into a flag. (Art By Daggerpoint)
Lift weights everyday. (Art By Eric Guzman)
He'll probably end up getting billed for that. (Art By Eryck Webb)
Explosions have damn fine asses. (Art By Eryck Webb)
James Bond doesn't say 'Aw Jeez', but whatever. (Art By Eryck Webb)
In his combat ready onesie. (Art By Eryck Webb)
Why does he need a rifle AND a crossbow? Because sometimes you just really need to shoot people in as many ways as possible. (Art By Taclobanon)
This isn't what it looks like. (Art By Kenpudiosaki)
Okay, so that's another window. (Art By Kenpudiosaki)
Haha! Windows are for breaking! (Art By Kenpudiosaki)
I can neither confirm nor deny the fact that All-Star is aiming at a window. (Art By Kenpudiosaki)
I whip my scarf back and forth. (Art By Phil Cho)
That one time All-Star got really drunk and woke up in the late 18th century. (Art By Ravietta)
All-Star and Sparrowhawk pose as the universe implodes around them. (Art By Rose McClain)
Not Pictured: Star-Patterned Underoos (Art By Suppa-Rider)
And they said taking a rifle on safari was a dumb idea. (Art By tohdaryl)
Take that, unidentified off-screen enemy I was too cheap to pay extra for! (Art By tohdaryl)
Why is he wearing his current day shades during his origin story? Why you ask? WHY?! (Art By Tovio Rogers)
You know, this whole window thing is gonna bite him in the ass at some point. (Art By Zachula)
Falling To Your Death: Now With 100% Less Windows! (Art By Zachula)
THIS IS AN AGGRESSIVELY PATRIOTIC THING THAT IS HAPPENING. (Art By Zachula)
Comments
"He can be a bit of a bastard, but for what it's worth, he's a good guy. Puff the Gun-Toting Dragon, eh? I bet people are gonna start usin' that some time..." - Snowtalon
"Nate underestimates his true value, regardless of how boastful he comes across to others. I'm a better person for having met him, and that's not something I say about many. A partner, an ally, a friend... and much, much more." - Sparrowhawk
"All-Star? He's pretty cool actually. Don't have a single problem with him. We got similar viewpoints, come from similar backgrounds, and not to mention, he's got a helluva shot. He's alright in my book." - Anarchy
"My opinion about Nate changed. I still haven't spent much time with the guy, but he's once told me something that's been sort of shifting in my head for a while. He said something about his skills defining who he was. That not being the best about what he does would make him lose his identity... That, kind've opened up an old wound of mine. And I kinda, sorta freaked out at him." She pauses for a moment. "I apologized, later on. But yeah, he and I got a little something in common, on that, I think. I'd have to chat with him about it at some point." - Natasha Roy
"Having worked with All-Star a few times recently, I'll admit he's rather rough around the edges at first, but he's cool-headed and determined to get the job done - some things I can't say about some of my powered colleagues." - The Peacemaker
"Almost as good a shot as I am. ..Almost. Other 'n that he takes his job seriously and handles his shit 'n that's more or less all ya can ask for." - Desperado
"An excellent ally. He is accurate, carries the right equipment to allow for a high degree of versatility on the battlefield and is quite capable of handling his job. He doesn't seem to know the difference between an android and a robot, however." - Doll
"A big mouth, but his heart's in the right place." - Thundrax
"He's always wearing sunglasses. I think he has light sensitive eyes or something. And he said I was childish! I'm not not childish... right?" - Impsblood
"He's a hater with a silly mustache. Come on bro, don't be like that." - Zee
"He is a fun person with a love for living life. I always enjoy the time I spend with him. I do not think his facial hair is creepy, either." - Greymist Wanderer
"General Freedom? He's an alright guy, I guess, but I always thought he was like, bigger, you know? And angrier. Less shooty, too. Oh well!" - Dohwa
"Nate? I like Nate. He's the sort of asshole you like having around because he makes you feel better about yourself." - Riptide
"Handsome, professional and he really knows how to wear his guns and moustache. He's not as good with women as he likes to think he is though." - Demoness
"Definitively not the 'shoot first and ask questions later' type, as evidenced by his taking advantage of an opponent being surprised in order to... ask them questions. But yeah, he does seem to like his guns. And dislike other peoples' kneecaps." - Snow Leopard
"Terrible taste in facial hair and his inability to recognize that I'm a woman aside, he's definitely someone I know I could rely on in a fight. He strikes me as the sort to not let something as silly as being outclassed ever take the fight out of him. And if he's half as good as he thinks he is..." - Canadian Fist
"The first true friend I made on this world, and one of the finest examples of Terran warrior-hood in- ..What? Stop giving me that look, you know what I meant!" - Zelara
"Impressive." - A note All-Star would find in his mailbox. Sender Unknown.
"World's. Dumbest. Mustache." - Blue Freedom
"Cool guy and he always is vewy fwiendly! I wike him a lot! Hi Mr. All-Star!" - Chocolate Chip Chelsea
"A real professional. Ready to face any situation that's thrown at him, even if he complains about it a little bit sometimes. All-Star's alright in my book." - Victory
"He cheats at poker." - C.O.P.
"He seems like a pretty cool guy, despite wearing sunglasses all the time. What, does he think he's a rap star or something? Er, anyway, we seem to get along pretty well. And he's pretty hot." - Ada Clover
"I can't decide if this guy is over the top or really bat shit insane from all the stories I've heard. So far he seems like a very capable field leader and an generally cool guy. And a fellow brotha who's a metahuman is always a plus in my book. Wait he's tapping Sparrowhawk?! That black sumuvabitch..." - SoulStar
"Heeeeeeeeeeees Basically the Loose cannon Captain America with Awesome Shades, WHAT MORE COULD YOU F*Bleep*ERS ASK FOR?!" - Skull
|
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Active: Captain Collider • All-Star | ||
| Inactive/Incomplete: Mach V • Science Stork • The Flea • Bearzerker • Kid Billionaire Henchman • Captain Cash • Citizen Z • The Lovecraftian Man • Screwball • Patricia Pan | ||
| Misc: Frontiersmen | ||
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Team Leader Sparrowhawk | ||
| Field Leaders: Captain Adamant • Peacemaker • Razira • Thundrax | ||
| Protectors Charter Members: African Violet • Atomac • Blue Cyclone • Blue Pheasant • Citizen 13 • Cosmic Glory • Fahrenheit • Gold Rush • Hydro Light Of Being • Lucky Shot • Marauder • Mercuriel • Oni • Sinsonte Azul • Tesseract • Wildeye • Witchery Way | ||
| Protectors Reserve Members: Aura • Noble • Psion • Wolfgirl | ||
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Director Special Agent Kurt White | ||
| Squad Leader: Agent Nate Carter | ||
| Squad Members: Agent Avakai Ty'lori • Agent Bruno McLeod • Agent Buckley Sanford Prisoner #582: Emily Demarche | ||
