Riff Raccoon
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History
Mutated animal creations in the Midwest?! Strange things happen when the maniacal Doctor Moreau is involved - or, in this case, indirectly. Back in the 80's, Hemming Franz, a then-assistant of Moreau's, stumbled upon some alien nanotech research. Knowing his mentor would likely take all the credit and tired of being a lackey, Franz saw the opportunity to make his own way. With the nanotech and some borrowed research, Franz escaped in a hi-tech jet, traveled the world gathering specimens, and then chose to hide in the middle of nowhere (or perhaps where a dart hit a map) - the small, unassuming city of Mapleton, Indiana. It was there he set up his own organization, the Twin-Helix Corporation.
With his own version of Moreau's technique, combined with biological application of the alien nanotech, Franz began to turn these animals into his own beast people. His plan was to eventually create his own army and conquer the world. Finding direct mind control did not lead to as efficient of subjects as free will, he used various technique to brainwash and "program" his creations to serve his cause. One of Franz's techs, Adam Rockwell, became fed up with the cruelty he saw, so he helped free a number of the finished subjects who had not yet begun programming.
Among the youngest of these subjects was a raccoon that had been captured in South Dakota's Black Hills. Adam had named the critter Crawford after his own middle name. Still practically a pup, Adam took him to Mapleton's sheriff Warren Grey. The sheriff was known to have an unwavering sense of justice and was already very suspicious of Twin Helix. Adam told the sheriff everything he knew about Twin Helix and, knowing Franz would be after him, asked Warren to raise the raccoon (secretly, the scientist hoped the act would one day lead to Crawford taking down Franz's vile operation). It was the last time Adam Rockwell would see the raccoon, but he later pulled strings while still a fugitive to help the raccoon and some of the other escapees get official American citizenship.
The secret of Crawford's existence soon became public but distrust and mockery led to him spending much of his youth hidden with his adoptive father. When he felt Crawford was old enough, Warren told the raccoon about his origins, Twin Helix, and Doctor Franz. Some years later, as a young adult, the racc decided to move to Millennium City. Maybe in that famous heroic city he could one day find a way to shut down Twin Helix, which had since seemingly disappeared from Mapleton and relocated. There was the additional bonus of his unusual physical form being less unusual in such a city of superheroes.
Once in Millennium City, Crawford Grey took a groundskeeper job at a city park and created an alt-rock bank called Pest Control as a hobby. The intent was to try and live a normal life while watching for any possible leads about Twin Helix. After stopping a random mugging, however, he realized he could help do more - he would become a full time crimefighter. As most heroes did, even though he didn't or couldn't have a secret identity himself, Crawford gave himself a hero name, based on his love of music, Riff Raccoon. His decision to become a hero was complicated by the arrival of Franz's personal enforcer, the Exterminator. He was to bring the escaped raccoon subject back alive for programming or, failing that, end him. Exterminator went after friends and allies of Crawford's and concocted maniacal crime sprees in attempts to trap the new hero. Ultimately, after many showdowns, Riff Raccoon was able to send the enforcer to jail. But, in the aftermath of that journey, he realized he was in a very different place than when he had first came to town. The people had come to know his as a protector of Millennium City, it was no longer about his own personal vendetta - it was about doing his own small part to try to help save the world.
Appearance
Five foot tall anthropomorphic raccoon - some proportions are more similar to a human than his original species but his DnA is completely converted from his original raccoon form (he is not a human cross-species, as he'd be quick to tell you). Slightly brownish gray, black mask and tail stripes, some white facial patterns and muzzle - what is to be expected of a raccoon. Forest green eyes. His wardrobe, much of which is specially tailored, skews a bit towards grunger "style". For crimefighting, he does often wear typical superhero-style garb but anything too tight or restrictive is uncomfortable against his fur coat.
Personality
Plenty. The self-proclaimed Raccoon Commander is very (vocally) proud of what he is and his abilities, much to the chagrin of most - even more frustrating is his ability to always back up his boasts. Despite having a supportive human father figure, his mistreatment by others in his youth (likely along with unconscious memories of Franz's experiments) has left him with a mild disdain of humanity. That said, he is fiercely loyal to those he has let close to him and he will help any person (human or otherwise) who needs his assistance. Partially because of a true sense of justice instilled in him by Sheriff Grey's example, Riff's sense of morality is strong but he is also definitely not above bending the rules if it is necessary to save lives. Outside his crimefighting, which he takes fairly seriously, Crawford Grey is a party animal. He loves rock music, video games, and food (seafood is his favorite but he is omnivore in the most literal sense - but, no, he doesn't eat actual trash, so stop with the jokes, ok?!). Feral instincts and motivations do exist in his mind but he has long since learned to balance them comfortably even though he can sometimes be temperamental and exciteable. TL;DR - classically heroic badass with a heart.
Powers and Abilities
While his senses and reflexes are much more acute than a human's, he doesn't have any major typical superpowers specifically from his genetic engineering. The nanotech in his system, however, does provide him with minorly enhanced regenerative abilities and seems to slow aging to some degree (it is unknown how much, yet). From being a raccoon, his senses and reflexes are very acute, as mentioned, particularly his tactile sense. His hands are sensitive to things a human's might not notice and his manual dexterity is extraordinary - he is additionally, per his nature, completely ambidextrous. With training, both on his own and from his adoptive father, he honed his agility and tracking abilities. He is capable in various forms of armed and unarmed combat but loathes firearms, preferring non-lethal melee weapons or sometimes just his own claws. He was recently gifted an amazing high-tech guitar that he now also uses as a weapon. Natural cunning boosted to a human level intellect created a mind that is able to plan and react tactically nearly on an instinctive level. While it often seems (perhaps intentionally) that he is a loose cannon, he always has a plan. He plays guitar and sings for his band Pest Control - but that is *almost* never a helpful skill while fighting crime.
Allies
Jake Jackson aka Punchline
Another of Doctor Franz's creation. The hyena was not subjected to the typical programming of Franz's subjects because he was not assigned to the field but to a tedious clerk job in the offices that oversee the various shell companies that fund Twin Helix. It was a humorless, dead-end existence until Jake heard that a subject of Franz's who had escaped years prior had become a celebrated hero in Millennium City - that subject being Crawford Grey. Jake was inspired and managed to successfully manage his own escape. He tracked down Crawford in Millennium City and told his story. The two became quick friends and Crawford even invited him to play bass in his band Pest Control. The hyena has acted as something of a sidekick against the Exterminator at times - especially since Jake was one of the enforcer's targets - so Crawford recommended he officially become a hero. So, Jake hit the gym and then hit the streets as the fist-fighting hero Punchline. Jake's mellow, easygoing attitude is something of a counterpoint to his oftentimes brash and boisterous raccoon ally.
Warren Grey - Now retired as sheriff, Warren still unofficially acts as an investigator in Mapleton, Indiana and officially as a respected member of the city council.
Dr. Adam Crawford Rockwell - Current status unknown, but Crawford still holds him in high regard for rescuing him from a likely terrible fate.
