Angel (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Angel
aka Warren Kenneth Worthington III

Prowess 4
Coordination 6
Strength 5
Intellect 4
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 9

Powers
*Flight 6
*Damage Resistance 7 (Limit: falling damage only)
*Supersenses 1 (Eyesight)
*Healing 8 (To use this power, he must bring his freshly-shed blood into contact with the target’s injuries. The potency of Angel’s blood is such that he can raise the newly dead.)
*Regeneration 4

Warren is sometimes able to tap into the Archangel powers and persona originally created for him by Apocalypse. When in Archangel mode, he has techno-organic metal wings and blue skin. His wings have Blast (neural disruption) 6.

Specialties
Aerial Combat (Master +3 bonus), Leadership

Qualities
*Wealthy! Like, really wealthy.
*Loves the ladies.
*Joins a lot of teams.

Background

 Borrowed from Classic Marvel Forever:

Heir to the Worthington fortune, Warren Jr. learned to hide his mutation early. However, a fire at his private school dormitory led him to use his flying power to rescue his fellow students. To conceal his identity, Worthington wore a long, blond wig and a long nightshirt so he looked like an angel. The rescue was successful, and Worthington became a costumed adventurer in New York City under the name of the Avenging Angel, which brought him to the attention of Charles Xavier. Xavier made Warren one of the first five X-Men, though the true nature of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters was kept secret from Warren’s wealthy parents. During this time, Warren tried to woo Jean Grey, but she chose to date Cyclops instead. Following the deaths of both his parents and the recruitment of the “new X-Men”, Warren left the team and went to the West Coast with his girlfriend Candy Southern. There he used his fortune as head of Worthington Industries to finance a super-team called the Champions. He was also a sometime member of the “non-team” known as the Defenders.

Warren later helped the X-Men infiltrate the Hellfire Club, in which he held membership, just before the emergence of Dark Phoenix, and fought with his teammates in the futile effort to save her from the Shi’ar. He stayed with the X-Men for a while after Dark Phoenix’s death, but was constantly irked by Wolverine, whom he regarded as an unstable psychotic. Finally Warren left in disagreement over Wolverine’s remaining with the team, and returned to his business dealings.

When the real Jean Grey was found in Jamacia Bay, Warren called his old teammates together and founded X-Factor, a team of purported mutant hunters who in reality captured mutants in order to train them to use their powers without harming people. They also operated as the “X-Terminators,” supposedly outlaw mutants who did the jobs X-Factor couldn’t.

During the Mutant Massacre, Angel was ambushed by the Marauders, and his wings were impaled by Harpoon. Although his wings might have been salvageable, Warren was betrayed by his friend Cameron Hodge, who had them amputated. Angel was so distraught that he attempted to commit suicide by crashing his jet. At the last moment, however, Angel was approached by Apocalypse, who offered him his wings back in exchange for service. Angel agreed, and was transformed into Death, Apocalypse’s fourth and strongest Horseman.

After a pitched battle with his old X-Factor teammates, Warren broke free of Apocalypse’s control, and returned to X-Factor as Archangel. During this phase he had razor-sharp techno-organic wings which could be folded into various configurations, and whose feathers could be thrown. The feathers were coated with a paralyzing nerve toxin. Angel has always had extremely keen eyesight, comparable to that of a hawk, as well as a unique physiology with hollow bones and an enhanced musculature that allows him to fly. Much later, during his escape from the X-Mansion, Sabretooth viciously slashed the metal wings, and Warren was out of commission for a while.

Some time later, Warren went into some wracking convulsions, and suddenly, his original feathered wings returned, as if they broke out of the metal wings. What impact this will have on his life as a hero is unknown, as is his status vis a vis Apocalypse, who may have engineered this from the beginning. Warren has retained the blue skin from the Archangel transformation. Angel basically left the X-Men after his wings returned, in order to convalesce. However, her returned to save the Mannites from Death III at Phoenix’s request.

After that mission ended, he returned home, but when he was attacked in his own home by a doppelganger who turned out to be a Skrull, he and his girlfriend Psylocke rejoined to X-Men to hunt down Death III, whom it turns out was really Wolverine. During the fight with Logan, Angel became more and more ruthless, until he was overcome by a transformation that left him with glowing wings and hair as well as psionic abilities. He used these abilities to track down War I, who had once again become a parapalegic. Meanwhile, he fought off Logan, who had broken his brainwashing but was still very angry. Warren explained that he had become the embodiment of hope, and then used all of his psionic power to heal War I. The extra power that Apocalypse had allowed him to have then dissipated. Warren then spent a few months splitting his time between running the business empire he inherited and part-timing with the X-Men teams.

After breaking up with Psylocke and her subsequent leaving the X-Men with the team hunting for the Destiny Prophecies, Warren again joined the X-Men full-time. With Professor X’s revelation to the world of his mutancy and the re-starting of the Institute, Archangel has also taken a more public role in his CEO persona, speaking to the G8 summit about mutants in the world economy as well. However, Warren still goes on missions with the team, and has taken a greater leadership role. On a recent mission, Warren was captured by a mutated Black Tom, who drained the mutants of their life energy. Somehow, this effected a genetic change, and Warren’s skin turned white again, erasing the last vestiges of his servitude to Apocalypse… More interestingly, Archangel’s blood now contains a transferrable healing factor, which he used to save Husk’s life when she was wounded by Maximus Lobo and a community of mutant werewolves. Maximus Lobo fought the X-Men and nearly killed Worthington and the junior X-Men member Husk. The two barely escaped and only survived from the brink of death with the help of Worthington’s healing powers. Maximus Lobo revealed that he was involved in the murder of Worthington’s father, in part so that he could create a dominate subspecies of mutant werewolves operating out of Lobo Tech. Maximus Lobo ultimately defeated himself by allowing Lobo Tech to explode rather than concede defeat to the X-Men.

Fyre (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Fyre
aka Kelly “Tech” Kane

Prowess 3
Coordination 5
Strength 4
Intellect 4
Awareness 3
Willpower 3

Stamina 7

Powers
Fyre can transform herself into an alemental body. In her normal form, reduce all physical attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.

*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Fire) 7 (Extras: Aura, Blast, Flight)

Specialties
Science, Technology (Expert +2 bonus)

Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Bad Luck
*Peacekeeper by nature

Background

The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.

Fyre was the one that most often tried to mediate disagreements among the quartet. Known as “Tech” by her friends, she allegedly was good at repairing and working with technology though we rarely got to see that in practice.

Watr (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Watr
aka Dennis Swan

Prowess 4
Coordination 5
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 3

Stamina 8

Powers
Watr can transform himself into an alemental body. In his normal form, reduce all attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.

*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Water) 7 (Extras: Aquatic, Blast, Flight)

Specialties
Science

Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Irrational Attraction to Protecting the Waterways

Background

The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.

Watr travels by riding a spout of water and he frequently reminds people that water can, over time, destroy even the most powerful of foes. He frequently spars with Ayre, whom he thinks is often insensitive.

Ayre (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Ayre
aka Baron Cotter

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 3

Stamina 8

Powers
Ayre can transform himself into an alemental body. In his normal form, reduce all attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.

*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Air) 7 (Extras: Blast, Flight)

Specialties
Aerial Combat, Science

Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Egotistical
*Ladies Man

Background

The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.

Ayre is possibly the most unlikeable member of the team – he’s arrogant, makes inappropriate jokes, and considers himself to be a ladies’ man. Baron is the first to call out Urth when he feel that Dwight is taking himself too seriously.

Urth (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Urth
aka Dwight Godd

Prowess 5
Coordination 3
Strength 8
Intellect 3
Awareness 5
Willpower 4

Stamina 12

Powers
Urth can transform himself into an alemental body. In his normal form, reduce all attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.

*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Earth) 8 (Extras: Damage Resistance, Blast, Flight, Burrowing)

Specialties
Leadership, Science

Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Slowly losing his humanity
*Devoted husband and father

Background

The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.

Urth has a different personality when in his superhero form – he speaks in old-fashioned language (“‘Tis a tragedy that befalls us!”) and seems to be losing his humanity as time passes. He is said to be the most powerful member of the team and often takes the lead in the field.

Dark Angel (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Dark Angel
aka Shevaun Haldane

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 6
Awareness 4
Willpower 7

Stamina 10

Powers
1. Shevaun’s costume is actually part of the Fabric of the Universe. It is bonded to her on a molecular level and may not be removed, however she is able to store it in a pocket dimension and call it to her when needed. The costume has become a part of her and grants her the following powers:
*Flight 8
*Phasing 7
*Telepathy 7 (Extra: Mental Blast)
*Mystic Blasts 8 (Extra: These bolts ignore body armor but not force fields)
*Force Field 7
*Cosmic Awareness 10
*Dimensional Travel 8 (Extra: Thanks to her experience in doing so, she may access the Realm of Dead Superheroes automatically)
*Time Control – Travel 10 (Limit: Tiring)
*Absorption – Magical Energy 7 (Limit: Energy absorbed in this fashion is actually sent through the void which is her costume and arrives in a sub-dimension contained therein. She tries to avoid doing this too often as it can cause harm to the sentient races that live in the sub-dimension)

2. Armor – Comprised of a number of metallic devices which are attached to the Fabric that she wears, the armor provides no additional defensive bonuses. It does, however, help regulate her power flow and prevents her from accidentally using too much energy. Towards the end of the series, Shevaun dispensed with wearing the armor at all, preferring to trust her own instincts when using her powers. Without the armor, all powers gain the Limit: Burnout.

3. Graviton Phase Blaster – Blast 9, Time Control 8 (Can speed up time for a target or slow it down)

4. Gadgets 5

Specialties
Mental Resistance (+1 bonus), Occult – Hi-Tech Mysticism (Expert +2 bonus), Science (+1 bonus), Technology (Expert +2 bonus), Weapons – Guns (+1 bonus)

Qualities
Hunted by Mys-Tech
Earth’s Mistress of Hi-Tech Mysticism
Can call upon the Realm of Dead Superheroes for help

Background

Daughter of Mys-Tech board member Ranulph Haldane, Shevaun found herself orphaned after her father was killed by the demon Mephisto, who had granted Ranulph and the other Mys-Tech board members immortality in exchange for meeting certain quotas with regards to souls sent to Hell. When Ranulph attempted to circumvent this agreement, Mephisto slew the man while Shevaun watched from afar.

As the Chief Researcher for Mys-Tech, and the most accomplished Techno-Wizard on the board, Ranulph made sure that his daughter’s education in the art of Hi-Tech Mysticism was second to none. Though he kept secret from her the details of Mys-Tech’s connections to Shevaun, she felt responsible for the evil her father and his friends committed and swore that she would see Mys-Tech destroyed.

This vow was made possible by the intervention of a being known as Dark Angel, the Angel of Death. This being appeared before Shevaun and donated a fragment of the Fabric of the Universe, which attached itself to her flesh and became her costume. Contact with such a powerful element of the universe opened her mind to new possibilities and granted her enormous cosmic powers. As Hell’s Angel, Shevaun battled the forces of Mys-Tech for many months, gaining tutelage under Prof. Xavier’s X-Men and forming a close friendship with Betsy Braddock. She frequently adventured alongside a Guide from the spirit realm at this time and spent a good deal going to and from the Realm of Dead Superheroes where she sometimes gained aid.

Eventually, Shevaun came to the conclusion that Dark Angel had manipulated her and not told her certain details of her powers intentionally. As a result, she abandoned the name he had given her (Hell’s Angel) and chose Dark Angel instead. Why she’d choose the Angel of Death’s name as her own when she was, in fact, angry at the being is open to debate – the real life explanation, however is a bit easier to understand: Marvel Comics was threatened with a lawsuit from the Hell’s Angels motorcycle organization and they elected to simply rename Shevaun.

Regardless, Shevaun aided several other heroes in defeating Mys-Tech during the so-called Mys-Tech Wars and then proceeded to aid Death’s Head II in repelling the destruction of Earth. She still lives in her father’s castle in Darkmoor, England and continues to protect the Earth from threats both magical and technological.

Blackwing (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Blackwing
aka Charley Bullock

Prowess 5
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 8

Powers
*Costume – Damage Resistance 2, Gliding 4
*Utility Belt – Gadgets 3

Specialties
Aerial Combat (+1 bonus), Athletics (+1 bonus), Investigation (+1 bonus), Law (Expert +2 bonus), Martial Arts (Expert +2 bonus), Stealth (+1 bonus), Technology (+1 bonus)

Qualities
*Wants to inspire others
*Trained by Wildcat

Background

This DC Comics character appeared in 1981, and was seen but briefly. He existed on Earth-Two.This means that in his world, Batman had been a Golden Age  hero who had since grown old and retired. His daughter the Huntress (Helena Wayne) had succeeded Bruce as a vigilante.

This continuity ceased to exist with the Crisis on Infinite Earths but it could be intriguing to have another version of Blackwing exist somewhere in the multiverse.

Charley Bullock grew up as a kid on the streets of Gotham City. He was searching for a direction in life in a city where the Batman was seemingly everywhere. During his teenage years, he met Ted “Wildcat” Grant, and the two subdued some local troublemakers.

Ted, as is usual for him, invited Charley to join him at his new gym, and became his unofficial mentor. This, along with growing up watching the exploits of Gotham’s premier crime fighter in his early years, greatly impressed young Charley.

These influences gave Charley’s life a purpose : helping the less fortunate. The clincher came when Charley defended a local store owner from some extorting thugs. When the owner asked Charley what could be done, particularly without Batman, it all clicked for the young man.

Attending law school, he was soon accepted as a junior partner (and top-notch researcher) to the law firm of Cranston, Grayson and Wayne. Here, he met Helena Wayne and, soon, would come into contact with the Huntress.

When the criminal named Karnage broke into the office, looking for Charley’s boss Arthur Cranston, this motivated him to pursue even loftier goals. When a shopkeeper that Charley knew was attacked by gang members of the crime boss named the Boa, Charley proceeded to make a costume and a whole new life as the costumed crusader known as Blackwing.

Unfortunately, his first (and only recorded) case proved unsuccessful. One thug ripped his glider harness with his belt and Bullock was taken captive by the Boa’s gang. However, he later freed the Huntress from the deadly embrace of one of Boa’s snakes, and had the presence of mind to record evidence that could be used against the Boa and his men.

Motormouth (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

MOTORMOUTH
AKA Harley Davis

Prowess 3
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 7

Powers
*MOPED technology: Dimensional Travel 8, Energy Detection 4, Danger Sense 4
*Sonic Scream – Blast 7 (Extra: By humming at a low pitch, Motormouth can use ultrasound to see through solid objects)

Specialties
Athletics (+1 bonus), Sleight of Hand (+1 bonus), Stealth (+1 bonus)

Qualities
*”#$&* you!”
*Best friends with Killpower
*Mys-Tech Sucks!

Background

Harley was orphaned at age 11 and grew up as part of a gang that lived in the East End of London. They lived by foraging and stealing what they needed to survive. Her incredibly foul language earned her the nick-name Motormouth. When she was seventeen Harley was discovered by Laarson, an agent of Mys-Tech, the shadowy organisation. Harley was a candidate for his M.O.P.E.D (Mind Operated PErsonal Dematerialization) technology. This allowed people to jump between alternate realities. The MOPED unit was disguised as the pair of training shoes, which Harley found and tried on.

At the same time, Laarson was being executed by Mys-Tech’s Techno-Wizards and agents were sent to find the MOPED units. In order to save her and the units, Laarson’s subordinates activated the technology and sent her to another universe.

While still on the run from Mys-Tech, Harley was sent to a future where the world was covered in shopping malls. It was here she purchased a Soni-Muta 500 Unit, a microchip that allowed her to mentally tune into any radio station she wanted. This would later give her her sonic scream. Harley returned to her own universe and was capture and put to work by Mys-Tech. She escaped after a mission to Tokyo, Japan. She had to make a random jump and ended up on a planet named Tekron. Killpower, an agent of Mys-Tech was sent to find her.

Unable to escape him, Harley reasoned with the agent instead. Mentally little more than a small child, Killpower was intrigued by Harley and has since been her partner. Harley was then badly injured on Tekron when a stray bullet hit her in the throat, Killpower used her Soni-Muta 500 and the MOPED technology to cure her. This not only gave her the aforementioned sonic scream, she could now travel between universes without the aid of technology. Killpower joined her in fleeing from Mys-Tech.

Death’s Head was hired by Mys-Tech to retrieve Killpower; while the two fought, Motormouth and Tuck, Death’s Head partner, went on a shopping spree on an alien planet. Motormouth and Killpower later planned an attack on Tyburn, a powerful Mys-Tech agent. Harley was able to steal their MOPED unit and nuetralize the tracking devices Mys-Tech had implanted in the duo. Tyburn survived the attack.

When Death’s Head slew the Techno-Wizards, the entire world became threatened. Motormoth was one of the six surrogates who repaired the damage done and restored the wizards. The others who took part in this were mostly powerful mystics such as Doctor Strange; Harley was part of it ‘because they needed six’ and had little part in the actual events. Killpower had been an essential part in the fight against Mys-Tech but did not remember it due to the nature of the events.

Both Motormouth and Killpower were recruited by the Time Guardian to help stop a war on the planet Eopia. The war had been caused by Tyburn and Mys-Tech agents had infiltrated both sides of the war. Motormouth was instrumental in stopping a powerful Mys-Tech agent called Collapser who had captured Killpower, her extra-sensory vision allowed her to see microfractures in his torso which in turn allowed Death’s Head to smash him.

Motormouth and Killpower later met the Hulk. The Hulk literally fell onto their dinner table after a confrontation with the villain Madman. Killpower and Hulk briefly fought, Harley’s foul language was overwhelmed and Madman kidnapped Prince Charles and dropped him off the Big Ben tower.

In the ensuing battle, which involved saving Charles from harm, Harley accidentally knocked down London Bridge. Madman escaped.

Motormouth and Killpower came under the attention of Nigel Orpington-Smythe, leader of the R.C.X. Security footage stills of the two, plus other Marvel UK heroes were shown to Captain Britain as an example of the lawless vigilantism that Smythe sought to control. R.C.X was neutralized before they became a threat to Harley.

Motormouth, like all British super-heroes, was drafted into MI13 during the Skrull invasion of Britain. When Dracula launched an assault on England, Motormouth was injured trying to defend the father of Faiza Hussain.

Stilt-Man (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Stilt-Man
aka Wilbur Day

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 4
Willpower 3

Stamina 7

Powers
All of Stilt-Man’s powers come from his battlesuit and related weaponry. Without it, his Strength falls to 3 and his Stamina is reduced to 6. His suit provides the following abilities:

* Damage Resistance 6
* Life Support 1 (internal oxygen supply)
* Growth 5 (Limit: legs only; -1 to defense and tests to hide; +1 bonus to intimidation attempts against smaller opponents)
*Resistance – Binding 9 (Stilt-Man’s armor is protected by an industrial silicone covering with prevents Spider-Man’s webbing or any other adhesives from sticking to it)
*Stun Gas 6
*Kick Attack 7

Note: Stilt-Man’s greatest success came when he nearly defeated Thor using a suit of armor enhanced with secondary adamantium. That set of armor had all the same abilities as above but the Damage Resistance was 8 and Stilt-Man’s Kick Attack was an 8.

Specialties
Technology (Expert + 2 bonus), Aerial/High Elevation Combat (Expert +2 bonus)

Qualities
“I defeated Thor once! I’m serious!”
Considers himself one of DD’s arch-enemies
Would-be crimelord

Background
Most of this comes from Marvel.com:

Wilbur Day was a scientist at Kaxton Labs who stole designs for a hydraulic ramming device from his company out of frustration of his position in his job. He soon invented a battlesuit and tried his hand at petty villainy– looting stores and robbing pedestrians. Later on, he tried suing the company, with Matt Murdock as his attorney, claiming legal ownership of Kaxton’s original design and going so far as to accuse Kaxton of being the Stilt-Man. Eventually, Day was discovered to actually be Stilt-Man. Day, wearing the stilts but not the rest of his armored suit, used an experimental molecular condenser gun, based on another idea of Kaxton’s, to attempt to eliminate Daredevil. But in battling Daredevil, Day himself was struck by the molecular condenser’s ray and shrank seemingly into nothingness.

In fact, when the ray had condensed his matter to a certain point, Day was transported into a limbo-like “microverse”. Months later, Day and his stilts reappeared on Earth at their full size.

Constantly re-modifying and improving upon his original stilts and the rest of his battlesuit, the Stilt-Man has fought against the likes of Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Captain America. When given a special duplicate of his suit forged from secondary adamantium by Blastaar, the Stilt-Man even dared to challenge the thunder god Thor. After Thor defeated the Stilt-Man, Day’s Adamantium suit was confiscated and melted down. Day later recovered his own modified Stilt-Man battlesuit.

Subsequently, an incompetent small-time hood named Turk stole Day’s Stilt-Man suit. Turk began using the Stilt-Man suit himself, but Day told Daredevil how to defeat Turk by manipulating the gyroscopes that keep the battlesuit balanced. Turk proved inept at manipulating the stilts, bungled an attempt to kidnap Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Maxine Lavender, and was caught by Daredevil.

Day decided that after this humiliating episode, he had to do something dramatic to regain his reputation as a formidable criminal. Day broke into a Cordco factory and used its automated devices to construct an improved battlesuit within a remarkably short time. Spider-Man learned of the break-in and tackled the Stilt-Man. But when Spider-Man saw that a sonic disruptor Day had activated was about to blast Day himself, Spider-Man took the blast himself to save Day’s life. Moved by Spider-Man’s sacrifice for an enemy, the Stilt-Man gratefully took the unconscious crimefighter to safety, and then left the factory.

The Stilt-Man has often returned to crime, only to be defeated time and again. He once joined fellow villains Owl and Gladiator in an attempt to form a formidable team to take over the operations of the Kingpin, but were defeated by Spider-Man and Daredevil when they were betrayed by their teammate Copperhead to a demonic entity.

The Kingpin’s wife, Vanessa Fisk, offered Day a portion of the criminal empire once owned by the Kingpin, as the crime lord was believed to have died at the time. Day controlled the portion only briefly, as the Owl tried to capture the empire for his own and Day became convinced he should give up his costumed identity and life of crime. He hoped to confess to Matt Murdock, whose secret identity of Daredevil was leaked to the world, but Murdock denied any knowledge of who Day was, and Day left.

The Stilt-Man is one of my favorite “lame” villains – I actually think you could tell some good stories with him as one of the lead villains but from a roleplaying game standpoint, he’s a loser villain that can give lower-level heroes a surprisingly tough time!

The Torch (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

The Torch
aka August Hauff

Prowess 2
Coordination 3
Strength 3
Intellect 6
Awareness 3
Willpower 3

Stamina 6

Powers
*Fire Control 7
*Protective Suit – Damage Resistance 3, Life Support (oxygen) 1, Blast (flame) 7 (Limit: Without the suit, the Torch’s body ignites with contact to the air)

Specialties
Science (Expert +2 bonus)

Qualities
*Nazi Super-Agent
*Touchy about his appearance
*Cruel

Background

August Hauff was a famous German scientist whose body chemistry was altered to the point that exposure to the air caused his body to burst into flame. He had to wear a protective suit that could also project fire – which he could then control via his mind. The Torch was sent after Mr. Death when Otto Luther went rogue and the two of them embarked on a scheme to capture the Eye of Cagliostro in Transylvania. He soon became a prisoner in Tartarus (“The Strands of Fate,” The Adventures of Lazarus Gray Volume Six). His exploits took place in 1938.