Reptile (@Ulyssestorms)
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AmericanMother: Gloria Williams (deceased)
Contents
Biography
Origin: Dehumanized
Throughout the years the villainous organization known as VIPER has conducted numerous experiments with the goal of strengthening their forces. But sometimes these undertakings ended up doing more harm than good. One such case was Project Reptile. The purpose of this particular program was to grant human subjects the ability to transform into a reptilian form at will while also retaining their intelligence. This would give VIPER an army of superhumans who were much more stable and effective than Ripper, with the trade-off being reduced destructive potential. Dr. Samuel Solomon headed the project. He ordered that random citizens be plucked off the streets of Millennium City's Westside area. A few missing persons wouldn't raise much alarm in a place that was currently wracked with gang war. And, Dr. Solomon reasoned, none of these people had much of a future anyway. One of these unfortunate people-turned-test subjects was fifteen-year-old Trevor Williams. On his walk back home from his part-time job, Trevor was hit with a tranquilizer dart and hurriedly carried into a van as he lost consciousness.
Trevor was taken to a testing facility that was beneath a wilderness preserve miles away from civilization. He woke up on an operating table with Dr. Solomon grinning sinisterly at him. They experimented on him for weeks and kept him in a delirious state with regular drug injections. He only had vague recollections of his time in the facility, but retained the vivid memories of other test subjects dying in great pain. Trevor was the only subject who survived the dangerous process. On the final day of the project he metamorphosed into a reptilian form with physical abilities far beyond that of a normal human. But not all had gone according to Solomon's plan as Trevor's intelligence regressed to a primal level and he behaved like an aggressive, feral beast. Solomon ordered his guards to dispatch the failed experiment. Just as he broke free of his restraints, a storm of bullets tore through Trevor and he fell lifeless to the floor. But in mere seconds the wounds had healed and the bullets were pushed out of his body. The creature sprung back up and attacked the men who had treated him like a rat and tried to kill him. Every fiber of his being urged him to finish them off. But even in this monstrous state Trevor was more human than them. He did not sink to their level, but he did make sure they would never forget him. He fled the compound after wrecking it along with all the research they had done.
The traumatized teenager spent the next several days in the wilderness, making his way back home. His memories of this time are also blurry, but he recalled hunting animals to survive, taking shelter in sewers and avoiding squads of VIPER soldiers. Eventually he made it back to Millennium City. Trevor woke up in his human form in a Westside alleyway. He rummaged through some trashcans and dumpsters to find makeshift clothes and took the comfortingly familiar walk back to his family's house. Once he arrived he saw that the door was ajar and rushed in. He found his mother and father shot dead. Trevor collapsed to his knees and mourned their death. But he could not grieve for long. Trevor knew VIPER and Dr. Solomon were responsible and vowed to take revenge on them. Ever since, Trevor has used the powers Dr. Solomon forced on him to fight crime, protect the innocent and wage war on VIPER as the superhero known as Reptile.
Skills, Abilities and Equipment
Metamorphosis
Trevor's genome was drastically altered by VIPER. He now possesses reptilian DNA that lies dormant within his genetic code until triggered to manifest. Trevor has shown the ability to control this transformation up to a certain point. Past that point, his brain degrades in key cognitive faculties and Trevor loses his sentience. The trade-off is a similar increase in power. In all three stages of the metamorphosis, Reptile possesses superhuman physical capacities and a very efficient regenerative healing factor.
The initial stage has a sort of bicameral mind, in which Reptile's animal instinct and Trevor's intellect are at odds but in relative unity. The more physically demanding and dangerous an environment, the more that instinct overrides intellect. The second stage, which is much more reptilian, is bestial but possesses a childlike curiosity and retains basic human functions. His saliva becomes acidic and scales grow over his exterior. The final stage has very little trace of humanity and looks like an abnormally large snake with arms and legs. Biological imperatives are all that matter to Reptile in this form.
Genius Intellect
Trevor is gifted with an IQ of 200, which he scored on an official test at the age of 14. This, along with his consistently excellent academic performance, particularly in science subjects, earned him a scholarship to a prestigious science-centered high school in Millennium City's Downtown area. The new school nurtured Trevor's intellectual appetite and developed them even further. Upon graduation, he was offered a scholarship to Millennium City University's science program. Trevor deferred the enrollment until Fall 2017 and is currently in his freshman year, dual majoring in Biology and Physics. It was with his knowledge of biochemistry that Trevor was able to concoct a serum that would allow him greater control over his transformation. This is how he is able to retain a certain amount of control over himself during stage one. Trevor also utilizes various gadgets and other inventions of his own design to help him with life both on and off-duty. This includes the highly durable costume that he sports as Reptile. Its size changes in accordance with his body.
Misc.
- Reptile & Powerline: A Reversal in Polarity - short fiction depicting Reptile's first encounter with Powerline.
- Although he develops a forked tongue in the initial stage of transformation, Reptile does not speak with a hiss. It is in the second stage that this speech pattern develops, although his bestial mind possesses just enough intelligence to speak simple strings of words. In the third stage he loses the ability of speech altogether.
