Hercules Beetle (@PoochieHellhound)
Coming soon, to a Champions RP near you.
Contents
Background
Nicolas Barnes is a mutant. Being a mutant, he was unaware of his powers until they manifested when he was in his teens. They didn't manifest in an act of sudden heroism or a tale of tragedic injury. It was just a sudden event in a time of great stress and exhaustion, an event of nausea and dizziness that culminated in him transforming into a giant beetle. He wasn't alone when this happened, oh no, he was with his parents and two sisters when it happened, and even more people were around them on the crowded street in Manhattan, New York; including one kid in his class. Everyone were frightened, nay, terrified by the boy's harrowing transformation, while the boy himself was not much more than just confused.
That confusion lasted until the family had gotten him to the hospital under the belief that he had been caught with some horrible disease. He had to stay in the hospital for several days, and of course his teachers had to be informed. This later spread to the students, and many were afraid that he had turned into a monster. The doctors could find nothing wrong with him, and came to the conclusion that he had mutated genes, and that they were the cause of this. Nicolas would be under medical supervision to make sure that his genes wouldn't cause any health problems for him.
It was thusly found out that this mutation wouldn't cause him any problems, and as such he was let go under the terms that he would be put on files with PRIMUS in case he turned out to do any harm in the future. His parents agreed to those terms, as they didn't have much choice if they wanted him to roam free. Nicolas had no say in this, which was one of the reasons that the whole event was later perceived as traumatic and requiring therapy to be able to move on from. The therapy went on for three years, leaving him at the age of 19 once he was done with it. During the first part of those three years, Nicolas experienced problems with making friends and keeping up in school. He fought through it, however, and it ended up being worth it once he left High School at the age of 20.
Nicolas pursued a job as a machine operator, knowing that he didn't want a job where precise movements was necessary, and also knowing that he might have to leave his post at a moment's notice if he starts feeling a bit beetle-y. He has gained a lot of control over his powers, however, and is even able to use them for good when heavy lifting is necessary and he doesn't want to go get his machine. However, he wasn't long in that profession before the Qulaar invasion caught his attention. Seeing how the aliens looked like insects, and attacked the planet in his own country, he started to feel the need to intervene. So that's when he started to fight crime in New York, as the mighty Hercules Beetle. He never made much of a name of himself in New York, but he soon realised that he could do more than what he was doing.
So that brings us to 2013, July. Hercules Beetle decides that the time has come to make himself known as a hero, and as such sits down with PRIMUS to make a complete ASPRA registration as a hero, including a comm device and questioning that resulted in the text you are now reading.
Personality
Nicolas has never had a problem with saying what he thinks. As he became closely related to insects, he realised how every life counts in several respects. As such, he has spent a lot of time learning how to hold back, and prefers to do things like saving people from crumbling buildings rather than take out crooks on the street. Thanks to this, among other things, Nicolas has a sense of chivalry and honour that few others have, which not everyone would think when they first see him. It has also lead to him having troubles physically assaulting someone that he doesn't personally dislike, and if he hasn't seen evidence of their malevolence personally he will be reluctant to attack them.
Powers
Hercules Beetle has the ability to transform himself into a giant Hercules beetle. This gives him several superhuman abilities.
Superstrength
Hercules beetles are the strongest animal relative to their size on the planet. They can lift up to 850 times their own weight, giving Nicolas the ability to lift up to 130 metric tons, and still be able to move.
Exoskeleton
The transformation includes a thick, tough exoskeleton growing onto Nicolas' body. This grants him a high level of protection, being bullet proof and very difficult to penetrate by physical means.
Flight
Hercules Beetle can fly at speeds up to 80 MPH, but his flight is not the most precise and he rarely does it in very small or narrow areas.
Wall-Climbing
As a human insect, Hercules Beetle can climb walls and other surfaces that others can not.
Screeching
Hercules Beetle can emit a loud, high-pitched screech through rubbing the bottom of his wings against the back of his legs. This screech is capable of shattering windows and rendering enemies defenseless.
Weaknesses
Fire
Being a giant bug, Hercules Beetle has an inherent weakness against fire, and his wings easily catch fire.
Any non-physical attacks
Beetle has no inherent protection against non-physical attacks of any sort. He is fairly strong mentally, but he can be broken down by pretty much any type of elemental, energy-based or mental attack.
Slow/Unprecise
When not flying, Beetle isn't much faster than any normal guy, and when flying he isn't good at doing quick turns or the like. For that reason, he can be outrun or outmaneuvred.
Only physical attacks
Hercules Beetle can only actually do physical damage to opponents, even his sonic screams is technically physical damage, even though that can be used to stun enemies as well.
Comments
Some opinions of other heroes about Hercules Beetle.
