Every-man
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| I am Every-man. Every man...is me. | |
| Every-man | |
| Player: @Holiday | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 31 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Jason Marsh |
| Known Aliases: | The Urban Ninja, Justice, The Cerebral Crimefighter |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 23 |
| Height: | 6' 5" |
| Weight: | 220 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American, Mixed European descent |
| Occupation: | Paragon City Detective, Organized Crime Unit (Independence Port Precinct), Costumed Crimefighter |
| Place of Birth: | Kings Row, RI |
| Base of Operations: | Steel Canyon, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Robert Marsh (Father) |
| Known Powers | |
| None | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Martial arts expert, supreme athlete, exceptional detective, brilliant tactician | |
| Equipment | |
| "The Crime Belt", body armor, special communications unit | |
| The strength of Every-man proves too much for many. | |
The unwilling target of an unprecedented amount of ret-cons and story changes, the Every-man is designed with my favorite comic book character, Batman, in mind. His orginial incarnation went from being a homage hero, to a violent Punisher type hero, to the hero with a tortured past. Finally, his story got so muddled and complicated to continue, so I killed him off.
This is the story of the new Every-man, Jason Marsh. Jason Marsh is the young protege of Kyle Steel, the original Every-man. Jason can be the proper Batman tribute character Every-man was intended to be, but can still retain is own personality, making him a unique additon to the City Of Heroes mythos.
You really wanna get in the mood for Every-man like I do? Listen to this while you read!!!
Contents |
Personality
Jason Marsh is a man of honor and trust. He was taken in by Kyle Steel, the first Every-man, on his twenty first birthday. Before that, he was raised on his streets. Lashing out at an overprotective father, Jason has a rebellious nature about him. He questions authority, an trait that helps him sometimes, but hinders him most.
Jason learned trust from his stint in the Skulls, but he learned honor from Kyle Steel, and the Paragon Police Department. Jason is a dedicated individual, and once he sets his mind to something, he pursues it with vindiction. Contrary to this, however, he has some apprehension about filling in his mentor's large footsteps.
He has now taken up his predecessor's cause for justice, a comfortable role, as the Every-man is largely considered a street-level crimefighter. A self-proclaimed hero of the people, Every-man specifically targets gangs and organized crime. He particularly dislikes the group The Family. Every-man has made countless efforts to disrupt the inner workings of The Family to varying degrees.
Powers
A hero of Natural origin, Every-man has no superpowers or metahuman abilites to speak of.
Abilities
The Every-man has many abilities he uses at his disposal on his Campaign Against Crime.
Martial Arts
"One...never be defenseless..."
Jason has always had an aptitude for hand-to-hand combat, largely due to his father's days as a boxer. Over the years, the orginal Every-man had blended a variety of styles into his own unique fighting style he called, "Everyfighting". Everyfighting is a mesh of karate, tae kwon do, caporeira, aikido, and flat out street fighting. The result is a crafty and vicious style of fighting that can confuse and crush opponents.
Kyle Steel taught this style to Jason Marsh, and now he uses it in his nightly campaign to carry on his mentor's legacy
Super Reflexes
"Two...to combat crime, one must perfect the body, temper it to withstand those who would show you no mercy..."
Thanks to hours and days of grueling training, Every-man is an Olympic level gymnast, and has superior hand/eye coordination. He is the pinnacle of human fitness. His reflexes are able to dodge opponents blows and bullets with ease. Jason can dodge just about anything you throw at him, which enables him to get out of practically any situation.
It took many weeks for Jason to get to the level of agility of his mentor, but now he can bob and weave with the best of them.
Stealth
"Three...criminals can not avoid justice when they never know it's coming..."
The Every-man is a master of stealth, especially with in the urban landscape, which is why most call him the Urban Ninja. Thanks to the tutelage of his mentor, Jason can sneak into practically any establishment, slip past any guard, and foil any security system. He uses his stealth to approach enemies without alarm. He also uses his stealth to quickly retrieve items or info without having to resort to attacking those who guard it.
Detective Work
"Four...the greatest weapon against crime is the mind..."
The Cerebral Crimefighter was trained by one of the greatest analytical minds on the planet. The orginial Every-man was able to piece together clues and information, even better than those with psychic powers.
As such, he trained Jason to always be observant, always think things through. Every-man usually out-thinks his opponents before he actually engages them in physical combat. This is why Kyle was promoted to head of the Major Crimes Unit in his precinct at Independence Port, and why his protege can now claim the mantle of the Cerebral Crimefighter.
A True Everyman
"And finally...of course, always be prepared. Paragon is full of surprises. And I don't like surprises." ~Kyle Steel
Every-man chose his moniker for a reason. Jason has been trained to be capable of perfoming any task set before him. He is a true Jack of all trades. Every-man can disarm bombs, perform emergency medical operations, pilot airplanes, fix automotive engines, sew clothing, etc. etc. In addition to those multiple talents, Every-man is multi-lingual, an accomplished diver, weaponsmith, tactician, escape artist, scientist, criminologist, and driver. His multitude of talents enable him to handle any situation, no matter how inane, no matter how bizzare.
Equipment
The Everyman Look
Every-man is one of the few heroes out there who fights crime in jeans and a hoodie. Jason has taken up his predecessor's former costume, wearing black jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt not only as a camoflauge method, but also to keep freedom of movement. Wearing "normal" clothes also conveys a sense of kinship with the common man, someone people can relate to instead of a figure clad in symbolic spandex or armor. Jason also wears combat boots that are padded to soften his lands when jumping off rooftops.
The Right Suit For The Job
While the Every-man may wear normal clothes, that is not to say he isn't protected. Almost all variations of the Every-man suit have some form of armor. Each suit is designed for maxiumum protection, as well as being practical enough to use.
Standard Under Armor
Every-man wears special body armor under his normal attire. His upper body is protected by a vest, while his lower body is protected by armor that covers his pelvis, thighs, and knees. The armor is made of a special Kevlar/Nomex blend. The armor also features special plates that are positioned over key areas. The plates are made of an impervium alloy that protect from most caliber bullets, and blades, and the like.
Riot Gear
When the situation falls beyond the normal capacities of the standard suit, Jason breaks out the "Riot Gear". The Every-man Riot Gear is similar to the standard costume, except this is more heavily armored. The Riot Gear can handle the highest caliber bullets, and even protect against minor superhuman punches. The gear is fire-proof, chemical resistant, and has low electrical conductivity. It also has an air filter for hazardous environments.
E.L.I.T.E. Suit
The E.L.I.T.E. (Efficient Lightweight Impervium Tactical Exoskeleton) Suit was the last line of defense in the orgininal Every-man's Campaign on Crime. The latest in high tech body armor, the servo-powered suit merely enhanced Every-man's natural strength, speed, and defenses to super-human levels. The E.L.I.T.E. Suit was powered by rechargeable fuel-cells, and had a fully contained breathing apparatus, a kinetic force-field which could take high-intensity energy blasts and superhuman impacts, and featured CO2-compressed piston boots which enabled Kyle to leap through the city without the aid of his grappling gun.
This suit was used as a last resort, and was destroyed by the criminal mastermind, Han Tzu.
Nicky "Patches", a.k.a. Nicky "The Fist"
"Ain't nothin' that goes down on da docks dat I don't know about..."
Nicky Patches was an alter-ego created by the orgininal Every-man to infiltrate the underworld to obtain unfettered access to the criminal information pipeline. Ironic as it may seem, "Patches" was a low-level enforcer for the Family, with ties to the Hellions, the Warriors, and a select few other denizens of the underworld and was fully trusted by all. When undercover as Nicky, Kyle used a thick Brooklyn accent, and wore a fake scar over his right eye accompanied by an eye patch. Nicky Patches was an invaluable source to Every-man and helped him stop crimes before they were even committed.
It is rumored that Jason is working on his own undercover I.D.
The Crime Belt
The Every-man has a special belt, the one item of apparel that has hardly changed at all over the course of it's 10+ years of service. The tear-proof belt carries Every-man's various tools of the trade. The belt is also lined with a homing signal in case of emergencies. The various items Every-man carries with him in his belt include:
- The Skyline: A grappling hook/acenscion unit used to traverse city skyscrapers and scale high surfaces.
- Throwing Shuriken: Some tipped with body numbing chemical agents, these are used to disarm or disable opponents.
- Gas and Flash Grenades: Used as distractions, or as advantages in a fight.
- Digital Binoculars(With Still-Capture Function): Used to survey the enemy.
- First-Aid Kit: For healing battle wounds.
- Lockpick/Tool kit: For entering locked doors and gates, or making quick repairs on the fly.
- "The Stick": A unique item, it is a pair of nunchucks, that when pulled tight, connect and extend to become a rigid bo staff.
- Portable Power Drone Unit: Developed by Freedomn Corps, this floating drone augments localized kinetic energy, increasing the power and damage of the blows Every-man deals. This helps him take down enemies more efficiently. However, the drone is fragile, and easily destroyed.
- Hero Comm Unit: A device designed by a grateful contact, this item is a communications catch-all. It serves as a videophone, a digital camera with video function, a GPS tracking device, a holographic police band scanner, and a mobile internet device. It comes with a detachable ear piece for hands free usage.
- Paragon City Hero I.D.
- And various miscillenia...
The Crate
Located in Independance Port, The Crate is Every-man's base of operations. For more information about The Crate, see here.
Weaknesses and Limitations
Only Human
Despite being an exceptional athlete, Jason Marsh is merely human, and has the same frailties humans are known to have. Despite promises of a battered body, and a good sense to realize that his mentor's Campaign on Crime may eventually kill him, Every-man bravely presses on.
Doubtful Protege
Jason is one of the many heroes in Paragon City carrying on the legacy of a name that was handed down to him. Jason sometimes fears he isn't living up to his predecessor's standards, or is sullying the name of the Every-man. Kyle Steel held himself up to extremely high standards, and Jason struggles to follow in those large foot steps.
Affiliations
The Every-man has crossed paths with many of Paragon's elite, and many of it's seedier elements.
Friends
Every-man currently has no solid affiliations with anybody, save for the members of the Paragon Police Department, his partners in his precinct, and the various contacts he has made throughout the city.
He is friendlier and more open than his predecessor, but currently stands alone in his newfound crusade for justice.
Enemies
Any-man: The Any-man is a dangerous criminal mastermind, an evil that knows no bounds. A dedicated anarchist, Any-man believes that life should be every man for himself, survival of the fittest. His world is chaos, where Every-man's world is order. He seeks to test this new Every-man in ways he never thought possible. Every-mans' Joker.
The Conundrum: Conner Nudrum was a FBI profiler, a man with a gifted mind. He could solve any murder, unearth any motive, piece together the information with the smallest of clues. When the FBI fired him for accepting bribes, he lashed out. He now uses his skills to plot unsolvable crimes. He pushes Every-man's detective skills to the limit. Everyman's Riddler/Penguin.
Jack Grizzly: A brutish thug who was looking to make a quick buck, Jack Behr volunteered for an experimental procedure that spliced human DNA with animal DNA. Having his genes mixed with that of a North American Grizzly Bear, the experiment worked too well. Jack is now a half-man/half-bear hybrid. He's inhumanly strong with powerful forearms and jaws, and has enhanced senses. Grizzly is arguably the Every-man's strongest foe. Every-man's Killer Croc.
Robyn Blynd: Robin Thompson is a bookish sales clerk by day. But by night, she unleashes her wild side as the sexy and dangerous cat burglar, Robyn Blynd. Robyn is an odd villian as she doesn't steal for profit. She merely steals for the thrill of it. She has found the ultimate thrill in the Every-man, a dangerous cat and mouse game that will end unfavorably for one of them. Every-man's Catwoman.
History
The following is the history of the current Every-man, Jason Marsh. The previous Every-man, Kyle Steel, had a very convoluted history which doesn't make much sense anymore. The only thing one needs to know about the orginal Every-man is that he had a troubled past, and was a Taoist, worshipper of the Yin and Yang.
This is how one man becomes Every-man.
Rough Start
Jason Marsh was born into a single parent household. His mother unfortunatley died giving birth to him. Jason was raised to the best of his ability by his father, Joseph, in King's Row. Joe was a prize-fighter, and a decent one at that. Joe wasn't around as much as he would've liked for Jason, but he always managed to scrape together enough money to keep him and Jason with a roof over their heads, and food on their table. It wasn't much of a roof, and the food wasn't the best, but they managed.
In his early adolescent years, Jason grew tired of struggling for each meal. He turned to crime to earn an extra few bucks. Living in King's Row, he eventually ran with the wrong crowd, and joined up with the Skulls. He would argue with his father. This isn't how he wanted his son to grow up. Jason found himself in a downward spiral, with no end in sight.
That changed with the intervention of the Every-man.
Turning Point
Jason was part of a Superadine raid that was broken up by the Every-man. Every-man was shocked at the boy's tenacity and rage towards others. He was clearly unhappy with his live. Every-man put Jason to the floor, looked him dead in the eye, and said four words that would change his life forever.
"You're better than this."
It was a revelation for Jason. He was better than this. He shouldn't be mugging people and stealing drugs to get money. He should have an honest job that would help support him and his father.
Jason returned home to his aging, and now sickly father, and came to his bedside. He vowed to make up for all that he'd done. He'd go straight, he'd get a real job, he'd make a difference in this city. At age 19, Jason enrolled in Paragon Community College, and decided to get a career that his father would respect, and one that would help him redeem himself.
Career Choice
Jason took the entry test for the Paragon Police Department. He finally was accepted on his third try. Jason made himself an example for others to follow. He worked the hardest, trained the hardest, did everything to his full abilities. He didn't want to be a disappointement to anyone ever again.
A good cop, Jason rose through the ranks quickly. Serving for a time in the King's Row precinct, Jason's gang experience helped nab several high-ranking Skull leaders. In the eyes of many, Jason had made a complete turn around, but that wasn't enough for Jason. He still felt guilty, still felt like he owed himself. He worked harder.
Jason eventually advanced through the ranks and became a detective. He was transfered to where the PPD felt he was truly needed, to the Independence Port precinct. It was here he worked under the head of the Major Crimes Unit, Kyle Steel. Kyle, also known as The Every-man.
Protege
Kyle had been keeping his eye on Jason, ever since he joined the PPD. He admired the boy's tenacity. Kyle didn't realize he could make such a difference in someones life, what he had strived to do during his 15+ year career as a hero. Kyle was also getting old, the nightly barrage of crime and evil taking it's toll on his body. He would need help sooner or later. Kyle revealed his identity to Jason, and took the boy under his wing.
In the coming months, Kyle taught Jason everything he knew. How to fight. How to think. How to adapt. A grueling training regimen, Jason pushed himself to exceed his mentor's expectations. This is what would redeem himself. Jason would be a hero. He would be the man his father wanted him to be.
Kyle began taking Jason out with him on his nightly Campaign on Crime. Jason experienced the rush of being a superhero in Paragon City. Jason finally found purpose in his life, a purpose he could be proud of, as a partner to one of the city's unsung heroes.
But Jason wasn't being trained as a partner.
He was being trained as a replacement.
Prodigal
Years of moral conflict and physical abuse had taken it's toll on Kyle. He longed for peace, but his quest for justice and redemption would not let him rest. He was approached by his old arch-nemesis, Han Tzu. Han had also come ot hte end of his rope, and offered a suggestion: a final battle, to the death. Kyle somberly agreed. Jason had only found out about this a moment too late.
Attempting to save his mentor, Jason rushed to where the conflict was to take place...but he did not get there fast enough. Han Tzu and Kyle, locked in mortal combat with katanas, stood together in shock. Kyle had stabbed himself through the gut, and impaled Han through the heart. The two foes finally got the best of each other.
As Kyle lay dying in Jason's arms, he told him not to worry. In death, Kyle finally found the peace he was looking for, the balance he sought. Good had eradicated evil, and the balance was restored. Kyle claimed it was up to Jason to carry on the fight.
"You are my fresh start...my new slate...you are...Every-man".
And with that, Kyle died. He was given a decorated police officer's funeral in Detroit. At his grave, Jason swore never to let Kyle down, that as long as he lived, there will always be an Every-man.
For it is the right of Every-man to have justice, in an injust world.
Current Events
Kyle Steel died on Halloween, October 31st, 2008. Since then, Jason Marsh is doing his best to live up to the Every-man legacy. He has had much success, tying up the loose ends on Kyle's last case, participating in a Rikti invasion of Steel Canyon, and defeating two of Kyle's old enemies, Jack Grizzly, and the Conundrum.
New threats have arised, however. The Crey Coroporation has held this city in it's evil grasp for too long. Also, a new female cat burglar is terrorizing the upper class, robbing them of their prized possesions. Jason is tackling each threat head on.
He is unaware that an even more sinister threat is on the horizon, one that threatens to destroy him, and this city, in a wave of madness and chaos.
IC Trivia
- Jason Marsh lives in Steel Canyon, in the same building that once was the home to Apex, and the War Witch.
- Most of the criminal underworld believes the Every-man is dead. This has made the Every-man an urban legend, a hooded ghost in the night that preys upon the unjust.
- Jason is responsible for the Trophy Case that nestles in the corner of The Crate. He believes the orginial Every-man's accomplishments should be honored.
- While masqurading as the Every-man, Jason drinks Kyle's favorite tea. However, when in normal attire, he is partial to drinking Sam Adams.
OOC Trivia
- Long considered my main RP character, it is only recently that Every-man has been getting into the swing of things.
- Every-man is an homage to Batman. He was created to be similar to the character, without being a blatant rip off. This has become extremely hard to pull off!
- In the Every-man movie, Kyle Steel would be portrayed by Jason Statham (with a hair piece). Jason Marsh would be portrayed by Josh Hartnett.
- Every-man's villians are all some form of a Batman villian.
