Kinetik
About
It took some convincing, but Kinetik has now joined the Champions as their fifth member. In some ways, he’s still uncertain of his worth within the group. He knows he’s good at one-on-one fights, but he’s not sure how much use he’ll be to the Champions when they go up against larger groups. On his own, however, facing down one or two villains, he’s absolutely sure of his abilities to succeed. It’s ironic, since he’s actually a wonderful tactical addition to the Champions and he’s slightly overconfident in one-on-one encounters – at least when it comes to major supervillains.
He is a genuinely good person, and a pretty laid back guy. He’s very proud of his part in defending Millennium City, and he’s very protective of all its citizens. He does have a soft spot for his best friend, Sapphire, though. He’s pretty sure she doesn’t need his protection, but he’s always there for her.
Background
Brendan Grant never expected to be a superhero. He certainly never planned on becoming a Champion.
He was born to a working class family in Detroit. His mother, in particular, encouraged him to study hard so he could go to a good college and make a better life for himself. All seemed to be going according to plan. He won a merit scholarship to attend the University of Michigan, where he intended to study Chemistry. Before he had a chance, though, the Battle of Detroit happened.
Both of Brendan’s parents died during the Battle of Detroit, trying to get their children to safety. In that goal, they succeeded. Brendan and his younger brother and sister survived. Without their parents, though, the younger kids in the family would have to go into foster care. Brendan wasn’t about to let that happen. So he gave up his dream of college and took a job working for Dew Chemicals. He kept the family together, supporting them on his salary.
While at Dew Chemicals he was lucky enough to work for Luther Beckett, a brilliant man who just happened to be on the cutting edge of bio-tech and chemistry. Luther, living up to his reputation for brilliance, quickly recognized Brendan’s potential. He took the younger man under his wing and essentially treated Brendan as his apprentice. Soon Brendan was Luther’s top aide.
It was an accident one late night in the lab that turned Brendan Grant into a superhero. A fire broke out in one of the neighboring labs, releasing an extremely potent cocktail of gasses from several different experiments. By the time Brendan realized what was happening, he’d already been exposed to the fumes.
It took several days in the hospital for Brendan to recover, but when he did he discovered he had superheroic abilities he’d never even dreamt of before. The chemicals that had infiltrated his body during the accident worked a mutagenic metamorphosis on him. He now had super human speed. Not only could he move impossibly fast, he could also think faster than any normal human. His body also generated a protective aura that protected him from the dangers of friction.
With such superpowers, his next actions were no surprise. He named himself Kinetik and became a superhero. His parents had died in the Battle of Detroit, trying to protect him and his sibling. So had countless superheroes; the only reason he was alive was because of those combined efforts. So he would follow in his parents’ footsteps and use his abilities to protect others. Since his transformation he’s become a well known local hero. For the most part, he’s kept himself to facing down single villains or small groups. His many successes caught the eye of the Champions.