!!!WIP - A rework of the page is in process!!!

Appearance

Dr. Kaufmann is tall with the build of a man who exercises regularly. He usually has his shoulder-long black hair neatly combed and slicked back, preferring to wear it in a ponytail. He could be considered handsome if it weren't for his ghastly pale skin, the prominent dark circles under his eyes and the highly visible veins on his neck. To make matters worse the stress of his work and lifestyle have given him wrinkles and gaunt features which make him look older than he actually is. Another prominent feature is a large streak of white running through his otherwise black hair, covering up a large scar on his scalp. Surprisingly enough - given his line of work - he does not have any other noticable scars. He prefers to dress very classily in private and occasionally also sports expensive business suits on missions (which usually means that he needs a new one after the mission).

His common outfit on missions consists of a white dress shirt and black dress pants, both made of a special reinforced nanoweave fabric which allows these clothes to withstand certain amounts of kinetic force. Underneath it he wears a state-of-the-arts kevlar vest for additional protection. He also sports black leather gloves with hidden metal inlays to protect his hands and act as knuckledusters as well as black dress shoes with a special sound-dampening sole, metal tips and a hidden spring-loaded blade for emergency use. He also wears crimson-tinted shades equipped with a combat HUD, target identification software and several switchable vision modes. They are made from a reinforced material to prevent them from breaking easily in combat situations. He completes his outfit with a crimson-red tie and a long black scarf, usually loosely wrapped around his neck to hide the prominent veins. In the colder months of the year he also sometimes wears long dark trenchcoats with many hidden pockets to store additional equipment. He is also rarely seen without his briefcase. It is a silver-gray metal briefcase reinforced with a ultra-lightweight coating of titanium and has his personal emblem etched into one side: The Rod of Asclepios with a leech instead of a snake wrapped around it.

History

Dr. Kaufmann's past is as mysterious as the doctor himself is. Some people claim that about five years ago he just showed up in Millenium City, selling his skills and talents to the highest bidder. People who dig deeper usually dont find out anything than rumors and contradicting stories. Some claim that he must have been part of some secret government project of the GDR of East Germany with the goal of creating the perfect secret operative. Others claim that he isnt even human, but some sort of vampiric freak of nature who got exiled by his brethren for being able to walk during the day and lacking other typical vampire weaknesses. Others claim that he was a simple physician in Berlin who snapped during the carnage of Dr. Destroyer's attack on the city and started killing the metahumans who hadn't managed to protect his family from Destroyer's robot legions. Some rumors say that he has a certain resemblance to the prime suspect of a series of murders of about 30 superheroes and supervillains all over the world, but no law enforcement agency ever has had any hard evidence (or managed to capture him). Often he shows up with some sort of legal coverage or official papers, which nobody has until now been able to prove to be forged.

The mysteries dont stop there though. What exactly is Dr. Kaufmann doing in Millenium City? Is he a highly skilled mercenary and assassin who will work for anybody? Is he the top enforcer of a secret global conspiracy of government officials, tycoons and crimelords? Or is he simply a rich thrill-seeker with a slightly murderous streak? Nobody knows for sure and Dr. Kaufmann usually brushes questions about his past or background off with a smirk and a smug comment. Most often heroes (and villains) will encounter the doctor swooping into the action with a mission he wants to accomplish at any cost necessary. Sometimes his current goal coincides with theirs and the doctor makes for a formidable ally and at other times their goals will be incompatible and then the doctor makes for a truly threatening foe. Any any case he will usually disappear into the shadows with an arrogant smirk and a sarcastic comment as soon as his mission is finished.

Personality

From the few times he has worked in a team with heroes, villains and individuals from various organizations it has become clear that he is not an easy person to have around. Apparently he considers himself to be a professional first and foremost and he takes his work very seriously. That leads to a rather stoic and impersonal approach to other people. What's also apparent is that he is quite arrogant. He seems to have a rather dismissive attitude towards anyone he does not consider his equal in skill, intelligence or simply style.

This boils down to a distinct sarcastic streak whenever he can get away with it, for example towards occasional henchmen or enemies on the battlefield who usually get the worst of it. Some people say that he is even more precise with his insults than with his sniper rifle. Others also claim that he can have surprising and extreme mood swings, going from cool and consummate professional to throwing temper tantrums that would even make Grond take a few steps back. Chances are that you will never see this side of him when dealing with him though. If he has too, he can be humble, charming, friendly and sometimes even downright flirtatious but always with an ironic smile.

"Powers"

The Doctor has once been described as being able to break a man's neck in a crowded room, shoot two more people and vanish before anyone knows what's going on. That is actually a pretty accurate description. Dr. Kaufmann claims to be one of the deadliest men on the planet and with his skills, experience and equipment in mind, few people doubt the deadly part, but some are not so sure about the man part...

Skills and Abilities

• Genius: Even though there exist no official documents to prove it, the doctor is certainly close to being a genius. His mind is as sharp as a razorblade, he has invented and continously improved countless strategies and tactics to deal with his enemies, he picks up new skills very fast and is incredibly cunning, easily outsmarting most people he meets.

• Vast Common Knowledge: Dr. Kaufmann claims to be an actual medical doctor. Nobody can really confirm or disprove it, but he seems to have an excellent educational background. This has also proved useful on missions. Or did you know you could kill certain vampires by stealing his left sock and throwing it over your shoulder into a river which flows eastwards?

• Medical Expert: Similarly Dr. Kaufmann at least seems to have received extensive medical training, which goes along well with his natural resourcefulness and intellect. He is a veritable genius when it comes to the practical application of the knowledge in his chosen field of work too...

• Criminology: Over the course of his career the doctor has apparently learned much about modern criminological methods. Together with his intelligence this knowledge about crime scene investigation and forensic medicine have proven useful for him on many occasions. He can make any kill look like suicide.

• Hacking: He claims to be no expert in this field, but over time he has gotten some experience with common security protocols, which allows him to infiltrate many locations without the need for specialized equipment.

• Tactician: Whether it is his natural intellect or just years and years of experience on and off the battlefield, the Doctor has an uncanny grasp on strategies, tactics, plans and using his enemies' weaknesses against them in the most effective way possible. Still, when working with others he takes the role of the leader of a team only hesitantly, preferring to work from the background.

• Multilingual: Dr. Kaufmann has been reported to speak several languages, including German (apparently his mother language), English on a native speaker level, Spanish on an advanced level, Japanese on a basic conversation level, Russian on a basic conversation level and bits of French.

• Assassin Training: Anyone who has ever seen him in action has no doubt that the doctor is a deadly opponent. He seems to have been trained in the ins and outs of military combat and tactics along with extensive training with various common and less common weapons like sniper rifles, handguns, revolvers, submachine guns, shotguns, explosives, knives, throwing knives... and quite a few more. Years of travelling the world as an assassin, undercover agent and secret operative have granted the him vast knowledge in nearly every aspect of stealth operations, from espionage, stealth, disguises, surveillance, infiltration, exfiltration, crime evasion, assassination to how to mix a damn good martini. He claims to have fought and survived in some of the world's harshest environments against many extremely dangerous individuals and organizations, superpowered or not.

• Stubborn Bastard: Whether it is a coping mechanism for a secret inferiority complex, a good bit of hidden insanity or something else, the doctor is extremely stubborn if push comes to shove. He ignores pain that would incapacitate others and resists telepathy and other attacks on his mind from all but the strongest invaders.

• Martial Arts: The doctor has once said that he does not like melee combat, preferring the quick, precise shot of a sniper rifle or the subtle, clean work of a well-placed poisoned glass of water. Nobody knows if that was one of his sarcastic jokes, because the doctor is a quite competent and deadly melee combatant, who is apparently well-trained in several martial arts and other close-combat techniques. Though his fighting style seems to be a bit hodgepodge, some distinctive moves have suggested that he received training in tradtitional Western Boxing, Sambo, Muay Thai Boran and Brazilian Knife Fighting.

• Marksman: There are people who shoot better than he does, no doubt. But not many. The doctor possesses an incredible proficiency and accuracy with firearms. Shots that would be all but impossible for common people are not really a challenge for him and "easy" shots he can pull off almost without looking.

• Disguises, Deceit and Dirty Fighting: Possibly the his most dangerous skill. When the doctor has a job to do, he does not f*ck around, but will do everything to win. He will take hostages, create morally-challenging scenarios for foes, exploit his enemies' personal tragedies and weaknesses, pervert medical knowledge, hire henchmen, utilize disguises and generally use every single dirty trick in the book. Some could say he wrote some chapters in said book. He also knows that kicking a girl in the crotch works.

That Other Stuff

Dr. Kaufmann claims to be a completely normal baseline human. While he is certainly not able to fly, throw fire from his hands or read minds, some people claim to have witnessed certain signs that make the doctor's claim dubious. For a normal human he seems just a bit too strong, lugging around his giant anti-materiel rifle a bit too effortless and punching a bit too hard. He seems a bit too resilient, taking hits that should put him down for a long time. His wounds seem to heal just a bit too fast to chalk it down to a good metabolism. He seems just a bit too perceptive with his incredible accuracy, precision and reaction time. Sometimes he seems to run, dodge and jump just a bit too fast to be just excellent training. And last but not least: He seems to move from shadow to shadow and between pieces of cover just a bit too smoothly and quickly, almost appearing to be teleporting small distances when nobody is looking directly at him. So, is it possible that he isnt quite baseline? Maybe there is some truth to the rumor that he is somewhere between human and vampire? Maybe there was some sort of super-soldier project in his background? Or maybe those abilities are the result of a continous abuse of illegal combat drugs? Or are those claims of inhuman feats nothing but exaggeration of his skills by witnesses?

Weapons & Equipment

• Hexenschuss: A heavily customized and upgraded Heckler & Koch Mark 23, mostly used with silencer. Various upgrades, accessories and additional gimmicks make it a deadly all-around weapon and quite dangerous even against superpowered enemies when wielded by someone like Dr. Kaufmann.

• Schreckschuss: A heavily customized and upgraded AMC Auto Mag. This handgun is the pinnacle of firepower in a small package. This weapon is powerful enough to blow the heads of normal humans clean off and even punch very nasty holes into werewolves and other highly resilient targets.

• Blattschuss: This weapon may be one of the most advanced anti-materiel rifles on earth and is the doctor's pick for long range combat. It has incredible firepower, a laser triangulation system, a high-powered scope with several vision modes and the options to outfit it with a laser sight and a bipod. Despite its impressive size it is extremely light-weight and accurate and can be disassembled and carried in a briefcase. In the hands of a marksman like the doctor it becomes extremely deadly, even against superpowered individuals. Reinforced glass, common tanks and even most forms of standard power armor provide no shelter from Dr. Kaufmann's favorite weapon. Rumors say that it is based on the Truvelo .50 BMG Caliber Rifle.

• Ammunition: The Doctor uses a wide variety of different ammunition.

- Normal Rounds: Including standard, full metal jacket, hollow point, armor piercing and incendiary.

- Depleted Uranium Rounds: Very expensive and very powerful.

- Remote-Triggered Explosive Rounds: Hold a powerful fordite charge, which can be detonated remotely.

- Poisoned Rounds: Break open upon penetrating the target and release a deadly mixture of poisons.

- Acid Rounds: Work in the same way as the poisoned rounds, but hold a potent acid instead.

- Blessed Silver Rounds: Made out of blessed silver, these are used against supernatural targets.

- Hypervelocity Rounds: A special magnetic flux core allows these bullets to utilize the geomagnetic field of Earth to accelerate to incredible speeds, which allow them to penetrate almost every type of protection. Devastating in conjunction with the Marker Rounds. Limited numbers.

- Phaser Rounds: These bullets contain a small teleportation generator, together with a simple AI. Those two devices allow the bullets to identify obstacles and 'phase out' before hitting one, effectively bypassing armor, forcefields and other barriers. Limited numbers.

- Marker Rounds: These bullets contain an array of monomolecular barbed hooks which activate upon penetrating the target, causing the bullet to be firmly stuck. A powerful magnetic beacon then activates, effectively 'guiding' any further bullets towards the target. Limited numbers.

• Explosives: When discretion is not necessary, the doctor prefers explosives to take care of his targets. Almost all explosives he uses are fordite, which has impressive destructive power, even against the most heavily defended targets. The Doctor uses grenades, mines and (his favorite) remote-triggered bombs. He also uses non-lethal explosives, mostly flashbang, smoke or tear gas grenades.

• The Incisor: The Incisor is Dr. Kaufmann's favorite (and only) melee weapon. It seems to combine aspects of a bowie knife and a surgical scalpel. It is outfitted with a silicone grip and the blade is made of cryogenically treated surgical steel coated by a layer of questionite dust. Additionally it has been perfectly calibrated and balanced for the doctor, making it a highly dangerous weapon in his hands.

• Syringes: The needles of these stainless steel syringes have been reinforced and cryogenically treated, allowing them to pierce metahuman skin in most cases. The syringes themselves are filled with various deadly poisons or anesthetics, most of them adjusted to be able to affect metahuman metabolisms too. Dr. Kaufmann uses commonly known poisons, but has created some specialized ones to deal with metahuman enemies, like...

- Stranglehold: Stranglehold, created of a chemically enhanced version of the common poison ivy's toxins causes rapid respiratory shutdown along with causing painful pharyngal contractions, making it impossible for the target to breathe. It's not unheard of victims of Stranglehold to suffocate in the span of less than a minute.

- Whiplash: Whiplash is an artificially enhanced version of the neurotoxin of the box jellyfish. It amplifies nerve conductivity to extreme levels and causes the thermoreceptors of the target to work on overtime, causing such extreme pain that even moving becomes unbearably painful for the target. The doctor uses it to capture prey alive.

- First Blood: First Blood saturates the bloodstream of the target with an experimental chemical that causes extensive haemolysis and thins the blood of the target to an extreme level, causing rapid exsanguination. The target's blood runs from every wound and orifice in a horrifying display of Dr. Kaufmann's medical genius. He likes it for the psychological shock value.

- Liquid Fire: There is no universal solvent, but Liquid Fire comes very close. Held in magnetic suspension in a specially designed syringe, because he has not yet found any container that could hold it, Dr. Kaufmann uses this potent acid to dissolve the most heavily secured locks, armors and ultimately metahuman flesh and bone.

- Nightmare: Eager in his attempts to weaponize everything he knows, the doctor created this poison as a method of instant psychological warfare. This artificial neurotoxin hyperstimulates the part of the brain responsible for the fight-or-flight response. The target is overcome by an overwhelming sense of panic and fear without any obvious reason. In some reported cases the psyche of the victim actually invented some sort of dreadful imagery to justify the feeling, sometimes involving demonic apparations of Dr. Kaufmann himself. He finds the thought highly amusing.

• Combat Drugs: Though they have devastating long-time effects on his body (and mind), the doctor utilizes combat drugs and stimulants freely in battle to give him that little advantage he needs. He is certain that his own medical genius will prevent him from sustaining any long-lasting damage from the drug abuse. It's still unknown if he is right about that. Commonly used by him are...

- Blitz: This combat drug increases alertness, improves concentration and enhances reaction speed by drastically speeding up the communication between the left and right brain halves. Taken in small doses for short periods of times, it is mostly harmless, but extended use can lead to paranoia and anxiety attacks. The doctor uses it to boost his already impressive reflexes and dexterity in combat to even higher levels.

- Serenity: This drug is a potent cocktail of morphine and amphetamines. A single shot of Serenity is enough to surpress the pain from nearly any injury without the side effects usually associated with similar substances. Serenity has to be handled with great care, as it is highly addictive. The doctor uses it in anticipation of a particulary hard battle, to prevent any sort of pain to interfere with his combat performance.

- Berserk: Berserk is a drug that stimulates the adrenal gland of the user with acetylcholine, causing it to substantially increase the adrenaline production. Users feel an almost instant boost in strength after taking it, along with increased aggressiveness. Berserk is easily overdosed and can lead to fatal heart attacks. The doctor uses it to surprise his enemies with a sudden burst of strength and speed.

- Prometheum: Prometheum, named after the Titan who endured an eagle eating his liver every day, saturates muscle fibres and makes them extraordinarily resistant to the stress and tension of use, allowing the user to exert himself greatly for a certain amount of time. Unfortunately the pain that this drug surpresses comes back in full after the effects wear off. The doctor uses it to ensure that his combat performance isn't hindered by exhaustion.

• Microfilament Wire: A length of very sharp but still very durable microfilament wire, the doctor keeps the wire on a coil under his sleeve. His gloves can emit a tiny electric charge which activate magnetic properties in the wire and allow it to stick to his fingertips. That way the he can handle the deadly wire without danger of hurting himself. The doctor uses the wire as a garrote, whip or to set up traps.

• Doppelganger: This useful little device known as the Doppelganger is a high-tech holographic projector. The doctor uses it in combat to trick and deceive his enemies. It has a wide range of pre-recorded situations and movements of Dr. Kaufmann available, complete with audio and video. One of his favorite tactics is to let one of his holograms 'shoot' at the enemy, while he synchronizes his shots with the hologram from a completely different direction, confusing the enemy and bypassing shields, armor and other defenses.

• Assassin's Outfit: While he prefers not to get hit at all (which works most of the time), the doctor's usual clothing is made of a reinforced nanoweave fabric, which allows it to withstand certain amounts of kinetic force. For additional protection, the Doctor wears a state-of-the-arts Regor kevlar vest beneath it. The clothes also have limited thermal regulation abilities, which allow the doctor to wear them in moderately hot or cold enviroments, but extreme conditions still require him to wear specialized clothing. They also house numerous pockets and secret compartments to hold his equipment. His gloves are made of resilient black leather and contain tiny compartments of metal to protect his hands and give his punches a little more force. His shoes are also made of black leather, but with a special sound-dampening sole, metal tips and a hidden spring-loaded blade. The doctor's scarf houses a hidden rebreather. All of his clothes are flame-retardant to a certain extent.

• Assassin's Shades: These crimson-tinted shades are a marvel of technology and allow him spectacular feats of accuracy. They are equipped with an advanced combat HUD, target identification software, several vision modes, including night vision, thermal vision and sonar vision and have magnifying properties, allowing the doctor to perceive even miniscule details accurately. They are also made from a reinforced material to prevent them from breaking easily in combat situations. The Doctor possesses several designs purely for style.

• Cell Phone: While many superheroes and villains prefer wrist computers, the doctor likes it oldschool in this field. His cell phone is a standard business blackberry improved in numerous ways by unknown experts. It is heavily encrypted and features a satellite uplink as well as an universal detonator for the doctor's explosives. It also houses an encrypted access link to his personal databases, a web-browser, GPS and a unique almost hack-proof operating system. It also has a high-tech version of Tetris.

• Other Equipment: The Doctor also sometimes uses other, more common equipment. He possesses a notebook with the same capabilities as his blackberry, high-tech binoculars with similar vision modes as his shades, an extremely powerful flashlight with UV capabilities, a lockpick set, questionite zipcuffs stolen from Special Unit Omega of the MCPD, a small rebreather, duct tape (of course), a multi-tool and several other more or less useful gadgets. Most of his equipment (along with his sniper rifle if he brings it with him) is carried in a reinforced steel briefcase with his personal logo (a leech wrapped around the Staff of Asclepios) etched on the side.

• Ghost Touch: Early in his career the doctor figured that something which put most professionals behind bars - fingerprints - would not be a weakness for someone like him. He smoothened the tips of his fingers in a painful procedure using specialized biological acids, so his fingerprints disappeared forever. The tips of his fingers are now completely blank and leave no fingerprints at all.

• Killer Skin: A professional is nothing without his equipment, but sometimes you just cant bring your briefcase full of murder tools with you. The doctor found an ingenious, but horrifying way around this problem. Making a small incision on a suitable part of his skin, the doctor was able to insert some small pieces of equipment under his skin and let the wound heal, creating a subdermal pocket to hold that item. Currently the doctor has four of them. One on his left thigh holds a high-tech lockpick and two on the inside of his upper arms hold a capsule of emergency combat drugs each. Nobody knows where the fourth subdermal pocket is and what it holds though.

Weaknesses

Despite his own claims, the doctor is not without weaknesses.

• Not So Super...: Dr. Kaufmann might be one of the world's deadliest men and maybe he is not fully human, but his power level is actually quite low compared to most metahumans. In terms of raw power he is still quite far down on the food chain.

• Combat Drug Addict: While they are his trump card, they are also a big weakness. They have some uncomfortable side effects, have to be dosed carefully and the withdrawal symptoms can be severe. Not to mention that they are also anything than easy to acquire.

• Enemies: During his time in the business, the doctor has made a lot of enemies, heroes and villains alike. There are many individuals and groups who would love to get their hands on him and then make sure nobody else ever does again.

• Big Ego: Arguably the doctor's greatest weakness is the fact that he is incredibly convinced of his own superiority - intellectually and otherwise towards... everyone. And he goes out of his way to prove it, which often makes his jobs much, much harder than they would have to be.

• Lonely at the Top: At least the doctor thinks it should be. Not only does he mistrust most people on principle, his arrogance and conviction of his own superiority also often prevents him from accepting help from his true allies, even when it would maybe be wise to do so.

Accomplices

((Should this category be edited with one of your characters? Tell me!))

"Janine"

Nobody knows who Janine is, but she seems to act as Dr. Kaufmann's mission control and handler. He has been observed to communicate with her in a nontypical casual style, suggesting some kind of personal relationship. Otherwise not much about her is known, except for the fact that she seems very capable at whatever her responsibilites exactly are. Dr. Kaufmann himself refuses to divulge any further information about her in front of mostly anyone.

The Middle Men, Organizers of the Mercenary Underworld

((OOC Note: The Middle Men are not my invention, but that of @swedsman. Ask him for more info!))

The Middle Men are a curious organization that handles a worldwide bounty hunter network known as the Bounty Board that works to bring contracts and clients closer to the actual bounty hunters. The Middle Men themselves work as messengers and liasons, taking the contracts from client anonymously and passing them onto an interested "Contractor", which is a universal name for mercenaries, contract killers, soldiers of fortune and bounty hunters used by the Middle Men. Once the contract is completed, the Middle Men pick up the money from their client and hands it over to the bounty hunter. If the client refuses to pay... well, then the Middle Men will give up their identity to the unpaid contract killer. That is the only time they will give out the client's identity. They all dress in a similar manner, fit for someone in mourning. A man only known as Smiling Man seems to be their de facto leader. All of them are believed to have been former assassins, and while noone can be certain they are indeed a force to be reckoned with and not to be taken lightly. That said, there seems to be few records of their actual work.

Wayland Talos, Underworld Weaponsmith

Wayland Talos is THE man you want to go to when you need a perfectly calibrated blaster rifle, a set of razor-sharp knives with questionite coating or a custom hoverdisc and dont want to worry about the legal intricacies of such gadgets. He is an arms dealer, inventor and technological consultant, who is eager to sell his wares and services to the highest bidder, especially if that bidder shares Talos' hatred of superheroes. Earlier in his life, Talos' wife Maria died in a terrorist attack a group of superheroes was unable to stop, because the terrorists were much better prepared and armed than the heroes expected. Talos blamed his wives death on the incompetent superheroes and let his hatred consume him. Subsequently he lost his job as a technology designer due to his obsessive hatred and brooding, which he also blamed on the superheroes. He was determined to get revenge on the so-called heroes who ruined his life and began to use his immense technological expertise to provide criminals, terrorists and anyone else who would fight against superheroes with weapons, gadgets and equipment. While none of Dr. Kaufmann's standard equipment seems to be made by Wayland Talos (or any other known black market supplier), he is known to have contacted the weaponsmith on several occasions for more exotic or specialized equipment.

Enemies

'Surprisingly' enough, the Doctor has made some enemies on his travels and missions, some of them good guys, some of them bad guys, some of them somewhere in between. The following individuals are still active and more or less dedicated on making the Doctor's life more difficult.

((Should this category be edited with one of your characters? Tell me!))

The Competition

The mercenary underworld is a dangerous place. Alliances are formed, then break up after a single quarrel. Partnerships are established before both partners stab each other in the back over the earnings of a job. Codes of honor are held up high, then discarded as the situation makes it necessary. Profits are shared brotherly, before everyone is out for himself again. Nothing is for sure in this world. People change sides faster than bullets and who is your friend today, might be your enemy tomorrow.

Devana Hawke, the Doctor's Personal Rival

Is a super-powered do-gooder constantly throwing a monkey wrench in your schemes? Need them taken down quietly? For the right price, (and if she's interested) Devana Hawke will take on the assignment. Not one to simply go in guns blazing, Devana will take her target down at the most opportune time. Usually when the target is at their weakest, physically and mentally. Whether it means orchestrating situations to break down heroes or get to them through their loved ones, Devana always completes her assignments by any means necessary.

Devana Hawke, master archer and recent addition to the Millennium City supervillain community is quite possibly the one person on earth the Doctor hates the most. Just like him, she is an assassin specializing in superhuman targets and the two instantly disliked each other over the simple fact that they were stealing each other's business. Since then their professional rivalry has grown into an absurd hatred and subsequent cold war, which turns searing hot instantly when they see each other. They have been fighting their personal little war in the criminal underworld of Millennium City ever since.

Bladed Jack, Mistress of Knives and the Cult of Blades, the Doctor's Great Mistake

There are some people you shouldnt kill. The man who is now known as Bladed Jack is one of them. Nobody remembers his real name. He was once an unimportant employee at a high-tech corporation in Millennium City who was assassinated by the Doctor, because he discovered the shady deals of the higher-ups in the corporation. Unfortunately, the night of the assassination was one of the first times a Blood Moon was shining over Millennium City. The resident magical energy caused by the cosmic event somehow reacted with the subconscious magical abilities of the employee and brought him back as a vengeful revenant a few days later. Driven completely insane by his undead status, he called himself Jack Knives and has made it his goal in unlife to get revenge on the Doctor and help the rest of mankind to 'ascend' to his plane of existence. His undead nature grants him exceptional physical abilities, great prowess with all kinds of bladed weapons (which he just picked for the terror they cause) and the ability to raise the people he kills as his undead servants. He started his revenge by convincing the suicidal telekineticist Melinda Rosefield - an outcast for her whole life due to her powers - to start a cult. Glad for a purpose in life the bipolar woman obeyed her 'master' and the Cult of Knives was born, a strange mix of biker gang and death-worshipping secret society. Officially led by Melinda Rosefield - who trained herself to use her abilities to fight with a huge number of knives at once and subsequently called herself the Mistress of Knives - it serves mostly as a recruitment pool for Bladed Jack's gang of undead enforcers. They've been terrorizing Millenium City out of the shadows ever since along with being a thorn in the Doctor's side.

Dr. Isabelle Locke AKA VIPER-A, the Mysterious Adversary

Who is Dr. Isabelle Locke? What's sure is that she seems to be a high-ranking VIPER scientist, who specializes in combining modern scientific methods with more mystical and esotheric practices. She claims to have managed to find a remnant of the legendary Serpent of Eden and utilize its power. Her ability to transform herself into a weresnake at will (she calls herself VIPER-A in that form) seems to confirm that claim.

But why is she an enemy of the Doctor? Did they work together on an unfortunate scientific project for VIPER? Did they meet during the Doctor's travels and crossed each other? Or is their enmity the result of a disastrous love affair? Neither of them will tell when asked. Fact is, when they meet there is bound to be bad blood.

Der Bogenschütze (The Archer), the Doctor's First Enemy

Der Bogenschütze is one of Germany's most well-known and respected superheroes. His secret identity is that of Ivo Baldner, heir to a wealthy family, who owned a company specializing in the design of vehicles. In his youth Baldner was a womanizer and party animal, not caring about responsibility or what was wrong or right. His only real interest was archery, a skill he mastered at the hands of several coaches who thought he could be Olympic material if he’d only commit himself to training. But Baldner had no interest in competition, preferring to practice alone in the large woods on his family’s estate. When he fell in love with a woman - Charlotte - who rejected him for his irresponsible and carefree nature, he decided to turn his life around by becoming a superhero, stylizing himself after the British superhero Scarlet Archer who freed his grandfather and many more out of a concentration camp in 1945. Calling himself der Bogenschütze he set out with a few trick arrows he designed himself to do good and impress Charlotte. He had a few unqualified successes, but when he presented them to his beloved, he discovered that she had became entangled in a relationship with the supervillain Fallensteller (Trapper). In the subsequent running battle between Bogenschütze and Fallensteller Charlotte was killed by the villain and after Bogenschütze finally managed to defeat the supervillain, he realized while he mourned for his beloved that his reason for becoming a hero was a wrong one. He reaffirmed his commitment to being a force for good in the world and has not wavered since.

Der Bogenschütze was the first superhero that the Doctor ever fought. Back then the Doctor was still inexperienced and the only thing he had going for him was the Aderlass Serum. Der Bogenschütze soundly defeated him and the Doctor only barely escaped. Even though the Doctor and Bogenschütze have not seen each other since then, Bogenschütze sometimes thinks about who that young villain was and what he might be doing at the moment, while the Doctor has not forgotten about the humiliation of that first battle with a superhero and sworn bloody revenge. Some day at some point the paths of the Doctor and Bogenschütze will cross again and now victory doesnt seem to be so certain for the archer...

Spiderling, the Matriarch of Spiders

A peculiar contract made it necessary for the Doctor to work together with a team of heroes, much to his dismay. Undercover he joined the heroes to help investigate the case of a disappeared SWAT team in the Duskview apartment complex near the docks of Westside. Not only did they find lots and lots of cobwebs inside the apartment complex, but also residents too terrified to leave their rooms of 'something stalking the halls at night'. For the Doctor this contract was beyond annoying. Not only did he have to skulk around in a dirty, low-class apartment complex, he also had to do it together with a group of superheroes he considered 'more than unprofessional' to use his least insulting thought. It all got worse when they were attacked by a huge swarm of spiders, led by their monstrous matriarch Spiderling. After a series of unfortunate incidents during the battle, like one of the heroes sending the Doctor falling down a set of stairs accidentally, Spiderling was still defeated. The finishing blow against the arachnid antagonist was struck by a at that point very angry and very annoyed Doctor, who used a well-placed high-powered explosive to bring a good part of the apartment building crashing down on Spiderling. She has been assumed dead since then, but is she? And if she still alive, did she take exception to being blown up with a thermobaric mine?

A Listing of the Doctor's Most Important Hits

- Mr. Grey / British Vigilante / Master Martial Artist, Gadgets, Master Detective / Neck broken

- Stone Judge / US Superhero / Earth Manipulation, Stone Body, Super-Strength / Headshot with handgun (Bullet coated with questionite dust)

- Phoebus / Demon of Fear / Fear Manipulation, Darkness Manipulation, Assorted Demonic Powers / Burned to death with flamethrower (Using blessed fuel)

- Fahariel / Angel of Death / Enchanted Scythe, Death Magic, Assorted Powers Of An Angel of Death / Poisoned with a flask of 'Water of Life'

- Supreme / US superhero / Super-Strength, Super-Thoughness / Headshot with sniper rifle (Bullet coated with questionite dust)

- Blaster / US superhero / High-Tech Firearms, Master Marksman, Technological Genius / Throat slit with scalpel

- Lamia / Ex-VIPER Superhero / Serpent Mage, Sibling Empathy / Blown up with fordite explosive

- Naga / Ex-VIPER Superhero / Serpent Mage, Sibling Empathy / Strangulated with microfilament wire

- Echidna / Ex-VIPER Superhero / Serpent Mage, Sibling Empathy, Immortality Talisman / Driven to suicide after the death of her sisters

- Brimstone / Demon Superhero / Fire Magic, Enchanted Battleaxe, Assorted Demonic Powers / Shot to death with handgun (Bullets filled with holy water)

- CLASSIFIED / CLASSIFIED / CLASSIFIED / CLASSIFIED

- Father Edward / British Superhero / Holy Magic / Strangulated with microfilament wire

- Kolro / Ancient Vampire Lord / Assorted Vampiric Powers, Darkness Manipulation, Black Magic, Soul Manipulation, Immortality / Unknown (*)

- Captain Eagle / US Superhero / Super-Strenth, Super-Thoughness / Blown up with thermobaric explosive

- Girlscout II / Captain Eagle's Sidekick / Master Martial Artist / Headshot with sniper rifle

- Princess Love / US Superheroine / Magical Girl / Killed with poison injection

- Solar / French Superhero / Pyrokinesis, Photokinesis / Killed with poisoned drink

- Ionizer / Japanese Superhero / Electrokinesis / Killed through poisonous gas and several severe bone fractures

- Mina 'The Bloody Rose' Rose / New Shadows Supervillain / Assorted Vampiric Powers / Unknown

- Forgemaster / Retired Superhero / Power Armor / Headshot with handgun (Outside of armor)

(*) Kolro's death is especially notable. This supervillain was known to be absolutely and completely immortal. It is not known how the Doctor managed to kill him. This shows well that this hitman is as resourceful and dangerous as he is insane.

Comments & Rumors

Do you have anything to say about this mysterious assassin? Rumors, gossip, leads for other heroes? Here's the place for it.

"Dr. Kaufmann, or simply "The Doctor" is considered the 5th best assassin in the world according to the Bounty Board, ranking just behind Jack Knife, Tallyman, Andres Panthanatos and of course, Taipan. He's closely followed by the likes of Devana Hawke, Mechassassin, Iroslav Vargas and Killshot, competing with the latter over the title "Meta Hunter", given to the assassin who has taken down the most metahumans in their careers." - The Middle Men

"Guy needs to remember what got him where he is today. He's holding himself back from what he's -really- capable of." - Clownface

"Zis man is a Monster, ich vill be on zee vatch for him, und ich vill stop him, ich does not vish for anymore lives to be taken." - Fräulein Uber

"I've heard rumors 'bout this bloke, a very messed up individual. 'ell I remember when I first met the bastard, and all I remember 'bout him is his sellin' of organs from personally killed metas... Still, apart from that I've heard he is a capable combatant. He just best watch it, comin' for his spot on the board." - Killshot

"He has a reputation, even if he tries to keep it quiet. Impressive. One day, we might have to see who is the better assassin, if a contractor so wills it." - "Crow"

Other Stuff

Trivia

• Dr. Kaufmann is not fond of any jokes comparing him with vampires.

• Dr. Kaufmann is even less fond of any jokes regarding his codename and a certain time-travelling doctor.

• Dr. Kaufmann is also not fond of any jokes regarding... Hell, just dont make any jokes on his expense.

• Dr. Kaufmann smokes. His favorite brands are Gauloises, West and Peter Stuyvesant.

• Dr. Kaufmann's favorite movie genre are horror movies, especially those involving ghosts, monsters and demons. While watching those movies he likes to think about strategies and plans, which would be used to kill or defeat the fictional monsters, just in case he encounters something like that in real life. In fact he really wants to see what happens if you force the girl from 'The Ring' to watch her own video.

• Dr. Kaufmann loves playing chess, but sucks at it.

• Dr. Kaufmann once caused an earthquake in Timbuktu. He is moderately sorry for it.

• Dr. Kaufmann is a very heavy sleeper. He once missed a turf battle between the New Purple Gang and the Cult of the Red Banner going on right next to his apartment. He also likes to sleep very long on his free days, often waking up at 1 or 2 PM. Despite this, he is quite the morning person if he needs to get up earlier.

• Dr. Kaufmann and his secretary Janine Golami were married for 8 hours. It was during a trip to Las Vegas. Both of them dont like to talk about it, courtesy of the fact that they both cant remember much of it.

• Dr. Kaufmann is very proud of the fact that during his long career in The Business he has never broken a single bone. However he has strained several joints, sprained his ankles numerous times, has been stabbed in several body parts, once caught an extraterrestrial cold, suffered from insomnia for 3 months after a battle against PSI and has been injured in many more more or less amusing ways.

• Dr. Kaufmann's birthday is April 18th.

• Dr. Kaufmann once managed to convince an alien warlord that his personal rival's underwear drawer is a 'strategically sound ambush position'. Devana Hawke was not amused.

• Dr. Kaufmann once killed a man using a trumpet, a cactus and a dropkick. He doesn't like to talk about it.

• Dr. Kaufmann is an average cook and prefers to go to restaurants or even fast-food chains whenever he can. His potato salad is surprisingly delicious though.

• Dr. Kaufmann is turned on by red hair on women.

• Dr. Kaufmann's normal, unarmored business suits tend to have a spectacularly short lifespan. Somehow they always end up burned, ripped, dunked in strange liquids or otherwise ruined after two weeks at the latest.

• Inspiration for Dr. Kaufmann included Mr. 47 from Hitman, Albert Wesker from Resident Evil, Luke Valentine from Hellsing, Kiritsugu Emiya from Fate/Zero, Mr. Teatime from Hogfather and Hush from the Batman-verse.

• Three songs for the Doctor:

- Supremacy - Muse

- After The War - Mono Inc.

- Sent To Destroy - Combichrist

• Should there ever be a Champions Online Live-Action Movie, my picks for the actor of Dr. Kaufmann would be Adrien Brody, Justin Theroux or the German actor Jan-Josef Liefers.

Tropes

Appearance

• Sharp-Dressed Man - Do you see that outfit? The tie has probably cost more than your whole equipment.

• Sinister Shades - While he has several good reasons not to take his shades off in public, he actually likes wearing them just to look intimidating and mysterious.

• Scarf Of Asskicking - Nobody really knows why... And nobody has dared to ask yet...

• Skunk Stripe - The Doctor firmly refuses to talk about it, but his voice and eyes betray a certain anger and sadness when this topic is brought up.

• Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette - Long nights filled with secret operations, battles and other shady activities along with a diet mostly consisting of cigarettes and coffee have taken their toll on the Doctor's appearance. The Aderlass Treatment doesnt help.

• Tainted Veins - And here's yet another reason why the Aderlass Treatment is generally a bad idea.

Personality

• Deadpan Snarker - It's his way of dealing with the world. After all he thinks he is...

• Surrounded By Idiots - ...and often quite vocal about it.

• Smug Snake - In case you did not notice: He thinks he's better than you.

• Insufferable Genius - The problem here is: He is better at many things than most people, giving his ego at least some justification.

• Consummate Professional - In spite of his arrogant disdain for most people, he tries to appear as a professional and businessman most of the time. Leads to...

• Cold Sniper - ...this. The Doctor will shoot you without blinking twice and have forgotten about it moments later. It's just business.

• Wicked Cultured - Among the many things he enjoys are jazz music, modern art, fine wine or whiskey and feeding innocent metahumans to a swarm of mutant leeches.

• Neat Freak - "Wait, wait, wait... Did you just get blood on my suit? DID YOU JUST GET BLOOD ON MY SUIT?"

• Sophisticated As Hell - "...good, listen: I understand the necessity to vomit blood when injected with this kind of poison from a medical, professional as well as from a personal point of view. But that is MY SUIT, ASSHOLE!"

Personal Philosophies

• Muggle Power - The Doctor does not like metahumans. A good part of it is indeed not his, but his parents fault. But he has still enough contempt for them himself...

• What Measure Is A Metahuman? & Van Helsing Hate Crimes - ...which leads us to this. He views all metahumans as pathetic weaklings who do not deserve their powers and success and are far beneath him. And with that attitude it's no wonder that he treats them as such, no matter if dealing with superheroes or supervillains...

• He Who Fights Monsters - ...which leads us to this. There's no doubt that the Doctor is worse than many vampires, ghouls and werewolves you will ever meet.

• Pragmatic Villainy - The Doctor once refused to kill a defenseless heroine. Why? Because he might get a contract on her later.

• Mad Doctor - He sees the Hippocratic Oath more as a Hippocratic Suggestion. Not harming people would be counter-productive to his interests anyway.

• Pride - And here we have the Doctor's leading motivation for everything he is doing: His ego. Painfully obvious for everyone who has talked to him more than five minutes too.

• Corporate Samurai - Repeat after me, folks: "It's just business, nothing personal... unless it is."

Skills

• Professional Killer - He's one of the best available.

• Badass Abnormal - Exhibit D: A genius doctor injected with a super-serum and trained to be one of the deadliest men on earth.

• Combat Pragmatist - This is the Doctor's philosophy of fighting. Shoot them in the back , then shoot them again while they are down and then shoot the corpse for good measure.

• Lightning Bruiser - The Aderlass Serum allows him to punch you across the room before you can even react.

• Dodge The Bullet, Flash Step & Neck Lift - Aderlass Serum. Get yours today.

• Dangerously Genre Savvy & Seen It All - He has seen something like this back then in Malta already.

• Crazy Prepared & Flaw Exploitation - He has many other skills and weapons, but at the core this is how he wins his battles. Study, learn, exploit, kill.

• Improbable Aiming Skills - His favorite weapons are firearms and once he has the target in his sights, the client can already start transfering the money in 99 % of all cases.

• Firing One Handed - He trained for this. You can use the other hand to hold your blackberry and check your mails for example.

• Knife Nut - Well, those scalpels arent for show.

• Deadly Doctor - He did not study this stuff for nothing. Knowledge of anatomy, pressure points, weaponized medical tools, use of poisons, abuse of painkillers, combat drugs and more. You can make it far with a proper education.

• Fights Like A Normal - If he uses the full effects of the Aderlass Serum against you, feel honored. He doesn't need it against most opponents.

Weapons & Equipment

• Handguns - He has two: The 'Hexenschuss' comes with a silencer and the 'Schreckschuss' is just freaking huge.

• Sniper Rifle - The 'Blattschuss'. If I were you, I wouldnt ask if he is compensating for something.

• Depleted Phlebotinum Shells - The Doctor uses a wide range of ammunition, up to and including holy acid rounds, just in case he ever encounters demonically possesed robots. You never know.

• Razor Floss - The good old wire garrote, staple of assassins since the dawn of time. Now available with microfilament.

• Static Stun Gun - The Doctor has two of them built into his gloves.

• Handbag Of Hurt - The Doctor's briefcase has doubled as a melee weapon from time to time in addition to its other uses.

• Psycho Serum - The Aderlass Serum, Ladies and Gentlemen.

• Handy Remote Control - The Doctor likes to detonate his explosives with one of these, along with an arrogant smirk.

• Absurdly Sharp Blade - Most of his specialized 'medical' tools fall in this category.

Quirks

• Sickly Prodigy - The Aderlass Treatment is constantly eating away at the Doctor's health and by extension also his sanity. Ironically enough he is fully aware of that fact, but unable to do anything about it.

• Human Resources - ...but the Doctor is constantly trying to improve the Aderlass Treatment by experimenting with different kinds of metahuman blood and tissue. The donators arent always volunteers though. Sometimes he also simply sells the organs he doesnt need on the black market. There's always some mad scientist paying for spare parts.

• Professor Guinea Pig - For the Doctor it is standard procedure to test most of his combat drugs, experimental painkillers and new versions of the Aderlass Treatment himself. If it were not for the fact that he needs metahuman blood and body parts for his research, nobody would have any reason to bother.

• Rant-Inducing Slight - The Doctor has a lot of patience and nerves of steel, but when one of those happens the result is usually pretty impressive...

• Foreign Language Tirade - ...and one of those. While the Doctor speaks fine accent-free English, he tends to slip back into his native German when he gets really, REALLY angry.

• Extended Disarming - Dont ask him to drop his weapons unless you've got half an hour or so.

• Must Have Nicotine & Must Have Caffeine - He's addicted to both. As if the Aderlass Serum wasnt bad enough already...

• Noodle Incident - The Doctor has some of those in his past. He generally doesnt like to talk about them.

• Workaholic - The Doctor takes his job, his research and his reputation (and himself) very serious, rarely giving himself time to relax or have fun...

• Manic Pixie Dream Girl - ...which his secretary Janine is trying to change.

• Weirdness Magnet - Probably not remarkable in Millennium City, but this trope drives him mad at every occasion. How are you supposed to work if there's always some alien invasion getting in the way of your contracts?

• Horrifying The Horror - The Dogz and New Shadows of Vibora Bay are deathly afraid of a creature they call 'The Silver Doctor' because of the silver scalpels it uses to hunt and kidnap vampires and werewolves alike. Hmmm...

• Not That Kind Of Doctor - Although he is knowledgeable in many subjects this happens very often. Oh, and by the way: No, he is not and has never been in possession of a Sonic Screwdriver.