Codename Devilfish

Personality

"The Devil is a liar, Juliette." -- Codename: Devilfish after selling his lover to her enemies

Codename: Devilfish's personality is mercurial at best, and bipolar at worst. He is a liar through-and-through; always masking his true intent. He trusts no one but his dog. Even his oldest friends couldn't tell you the first thing about the man under the mask, beyond a dark sense of honor and calm, exacting demeanor. He is dedicated and driven in his personal life, and never lacks for courage.

As an assassin, Devilfish has a reputation for staunch professionalism, remaining collected, and clean kills. His methods for killing are always intensely personal for his victims, and often tailor-made to suit their life. To Devilfish, killing is as much a spiritual act as it is a physical one, and robbing someone of a peaceful death or an understanding of what is to come is a far greater crime than dealing them a fatal blow. He does his best to limit killing to only his target, and ensures any innocents injured in his assassinations receive the highest quality of health care.

He is an artistic soul crippled by a life and education filled only with killing and torture. In spite of everything that he has suffered through, he only has noble intentions in mind for the world, though he cares very little about the means to reach his ends. He plots, schemes, kills, and dreams for the day when he won't have to close his hand around anything but the hand of someone he loves.

Abilities and Assets

"Killing is an artform. My body is the painbrush, and blood the paint." -- Codename: Devilfish on his profession

• Melee fighting: While only human, Codename Devilfish is a veteran of countless combat encounters, and he's survived by knowing how to use whatever he gets his hands on. He is a practitioner of both aikido, tae kwon do, and kung-fu. He has always stayed true to his Impervium ninja-to, but Devilfish is capable of improvising to lethal effect, and has with items such as chain saws, rusty iron chains, shovels, and blow torches.
• Danger sense: Codename Devilfish has gone through brutal, unforgiving training that has honed all of his senses to almost supernatural heights. A sound can alert him to danger behind him, and the twitch of a hand can betray the presence of a concealed firearm. He reacts pre-emptively to all attacks, effectively dodging them before they're even completed.
• Espionage training: The same training that wrought his danger sense gifted Codename Devilfish with the ability to infiltrate any facility. He is also fully capable of stealing or sabotaging any data or objects as necessary for the sake of the mission. He is sometimes hired by security contractors and the United States Government to test out new security systems by pitting his knowledge of infiltration against the system. There's no system that's beaten him... yet.

Codename Devilfish's old stealth suit with CreyTech holo emitters on shoulders, art by @tomanton

• Photographic muscle mimicry: By simply observing others, Codename Devilfish can surmise how exactly they walk, talk, and perform nigh-impossible aerial acrobatics. Using his dark cunning, Codename Devilfish can mentally bridge the gap between what is known and what is plausible, effectively allowing him to emulate someone's mannerisms and physical feats so long as it is within the realm of human capability. Logically, the more he observes someone, the better he is at "being" them. This also helps with his danger sense. People who he has specifically emulated include Ozell One, Black Starbeam, the Vortex Cor Leonis, and Crimson Cutlass.
• "Chameleon" Stealth Suit: The Chameleon suit is a modern day active camouflage prototype bodysuit. The suit's material "absorbs" surrounding color and subtly changes its patterns to match it. This makes Codename Devilfish functionally invisible with the assistance of his training.
• CreyTech Holo-Emitter: Originally created as a Crey scientist's bid to change his looks and get a career in acting, the Devilfish uses it to mask his true identity under instantly false faces.

History

GOD DAMN IT

Associates

• The Dread Aces: Codename Devilfish's first true team was the Dread Aces, and to this day he seems somewhat loyal to them.
  • The Crimson Cutlass: Captain of the Dread Aces, and the world's most notorious modern day pirate.
  • Jet Nitro: The only person who "got" Codename Devilfish was fellow professional soldier Jet Nitro. She was as professional as he was, and given the free-spirited, idealistic, untalented pirates aboard the Cutlass' ship, Codenmae Devilfish was surprised she didn't suffer an aneurysm.

• Symphony Labs: Codename Devilfish's current employer is Dr. William Bravura, a rogue Crey Industries geneticist.
  • Stylet-Doux: Opus Eight has shown some measure of infatuation with Codename Devilfish, but the mercenary's refuses to buckle. Codename Devilfish has been shown to actually trust Opus Eight, and has begun answering her questions in regards to his origins and beginnings. He is still training her in the art of assassination, and she still compliments Codename Devilfish's talent and ruthless efficiency.
  • Billet-Doux: Opus Nine is more independent and fierce than her sister, and Codename Devilfish respects that. She seems to have a keen interest in who Codename Devilfish is rather than what he does. He has spent more time with Billet-Doux, and she seems to be more talented at assassination and espionage than her sister. He is murderously protective to Billet-Doux, going so far as to execute a member of his most recent employer to prove his loyalty.
  • Dr. William Bravura: The Good Doctor is, if nothing else, an interesting individual. His creations are beyond the normal level of lab constructs, possibly due to his desire to be seen as an artist rather than a scientist. Though Codename Devilfish has never met him personally, Bravura's desire to create for the sake of the beauty in the creation rather than greed or power seems to calm Codename Devilfish down and make him loyal, in some way.

• Rogue Isles Villains: Devilfish is well-respected (for the most part) by his fellow black masks, and has several successful business relationships with them.
  • Adept Shrike: Shrike is Devilfish's fellow professional assassin, and they have a mutual respect for the strong points that the other brings to the business. Their relationship borders on teacher-student some days, but Devilfish always keeps in mind that Shrike is his equal in spite of the age gap between them.
  • Darwinist:
  • Phanto: The Master of Deception dances with the Devilfish on the thin line between friend and foe. Devilfish has the utmost respect for Phanto's startling intellect and determination, but finds his obsession with The Challengers and superheroes in general disquieting and an obstacle in the way of what the man is truly capable of.
  • Baron Blitzman: They both love money and power, and have worked well together in the past.

Enemies

• Paragon Heroes: Many heroes profess a certain admiration for Devilfish's cunning and valor, and he is more than willing to bleed alongside them to pull the world away from the edge of destruction, but a killer is still a killer. Devilfish is at odds with Paragon's best and brightest, even on his most heroic day.
  • Aglow:
  • The Crux Enigma
  • Zex
  • Praetorian Ako
  • Red-Havok
  • Pathrunner
  • Impact
  • Johnny Turbo
  • Misboner
• United Underworld

Did You Know...

• That the name Codename Devilfish is a reference to the Devilfish troop transport from Warhammer 40k, specifically its Dawn of War incarnation?
• That this character was inspired by Deathstroke, Taskmaster, Spymaster, the Punisher, and Snake Eyes?
• That Codename Devilfish wants to be a lounge singer in a casino, and plays the piano proficiently?