Major Mauler
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Major Mauler | |
| Player: @Dao Jones | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Tanker |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Major Dean Mitchell, US Army (ret) |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 88 (b. August 20th, 1919); apparent age 32 |
| Height: | 6'4 |
| Weight: | 220lbs |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Blonde |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Full-time licensed super-hero |
| Place of Birth: | Springfield, Indiana |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | None living |
| Known Powers | |
| Kinetic amplification; includes personal invulnerability and energy-enhanced melee combat | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Beyond using his kinetic field to fly, Major Mitchell is also an athlete in peak human condition, and is well-trained in various hand-to-hand combat techniques. | |
| Equipment | |
| Various technological devices provided to his super group The Valiant. | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Birth of a Soldier
Dean Mitchell didn't consider himself unusually patriotic before December 7th, 1941. A recent college graduate studying political science and engineering, he, like many of his fellow Americans, was stunned by the attack on Pearl Harbor engineered by the Japanese war machine. Against his family's wishes he enlisted in the US Army, where he received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant and was shipped overseas to participate in the European campaign. His service was noteworthy, earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star w/ Valor in the Battle of Kasserine Pass, and a Silver Star as a member of the Ranger battalion that captured Point du Hoe on D-Day. After WWII he remained with the US Army, serving as a line officer in the early years of the Korean War.
Project Mauler
In 1952, Captain Mitchell was re-assigned as a military liaison to "Project Mauler", a weapons test site in the Bikini Atolls. The project focused on "nucleo-kinetic amplification"; the ability to project massive force via kinetic energy backed by nuclear power. The process was unstable, however, and during a test fire of the reactor an overload occurred, threatening destruction of the lab and the project. Well aware of the catastrophic possibilities should the core breach, Dean and a few scientists attempted to shut down the reactor, risking their lives to prevent a meltdown. As alarm klaxons wailed, Captain Mitchell enacted a last-ditch effort: reversing the process of kinetic acceleration could in theory siphon enough energy from the core to maintain stability until further safety protocols could be executed. Literally pushing the last scientist free of the core control room before sealing himself in, he executed his desperate gambit. Against all odds... it worked!
Witnesses would later tell him of the explosion. An eruption of the core spilled radiation past the walls of the control room, but before it could wash over the scientists on the surface it stopped; frozen in place, like an ice sculpture. Reports indicated that in fact the energy wave was active, but in a state of complete static suspension. Efforts made to pierce the bubble resulted in the deaths of two people, as the field halted all kinetic activity within it. Unable to safely navigate the strange field, and unsure of its stability, the government decided to encase the entire structure in several feet of lead and concrete, and bury it deep beneath the ground. As the project was top secret and no body could be produced, Captain Mitchell was listed as "killed during the commission of his duties". Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and a posthumous promotion to the rank of Major, Dean's ultimate fate would remain unsolved for the next fifty years.
A Blast from the Past
In 2002, bombardment during the First Rikti War struck the sealed bunker, rupturing the lead and concrete seal trapping in the radiant explosion. The island, unoccupied save for a radio relay station, was witness to a strange sort of miracle; rather than an explosion welling up from the depths, a single man in a ragged military uniform climbed out of the blasted wreckage. Glowing with a kaleidescope of power, the strange glow attracted the attention of the small Rikti dropship, which circled back for a strafing run. As the craft closed in the figure leaped mightily, alighting atop the craft, and with one mighty punch shivered the ship to flinders. Wreckage and hero plummeted to the earth, but the energy discharge had attracted the attention of the relay station staff. Investigating the wreckage the soldiers made an amazing discovery: Captain Dean Mitchell, declared dead half a century ago, was alive! And what's more, he had changed.
It took four years of re-education, training, and acculturation before Major Mitchell left the scientists assigned to study his new condition. In an uncharacteristic display of generosity, the U.S. government gifted him with 50 years' worth of pension at the rank of Major, and allowed him to retire from active duty with honors. Unsure of what to do, but aware that his new gifts and lease on life should be spent wisely, Dean relocated to Paragon City, Rhode Island; there he would become one of that city's bright lights against the darkness of evil.
Powers
By the best guess of modern science, Major Mitchell's body had been saturated in the radiation explosion, then halted in perfect stasis for fifty years. He has gained the ability to manipulate kinetic fields in his close proximity, amplifying and decreasing them at will. While not physically stronger than a normal human at peak fitness, Mitchell can easily augment his strength to several times beyond normal by amplifying the motion of his arms. Likewise, he can channel the minute movements of his body into devastating strikes via the redirection of kinetic energy generated by his motion. Theoretically there is no limit to the amount of mass Major Mitchell could lift; in practice, he is limited by the amount of kinetic energy an object possesses. He could, for example, catch and throw an aircraft carrier - approximately 60-70,000 tons - if one were dropped or falling (thus generating kinetic energy). He could not, however, lift that same carrier sitting in dry dock. His ability to fly is also based on this effect: by jumping slightly before "take-off", he generates momentum which is then translated into forward motion and maintained by redirection of the gravitational pull beneath him.
Interestingly, Major Mitchell's kinetic amplification is not strictly force-feedback. The internal act of conversion subtly changes the outputted energy. Tests indicate that the output is only partly physical in nature; there is also a portion of the energy emitted as delta rays. Foes struck by Major Mitchell's punches have reported temporary disorientation and nausea following a strike; this effect is attributed to the secondary energy emission.
He can also affect incoming energy that comes into contact with his person. He has demonstrated significant resistance to physical attacks, including punches and bullets, and lesser resistance to other energies, such as fire, radiation and light. He has minimal resistance to toxic attacks (he can deflect a projectile, but has no exceptional resistance to skin-contact or airborne contaminants) or psionic energy.
A strange side effect of his time in stasis has yet to be fully understood. While Major Mitchell's life signs, bodily functions and cellular activity all appear normal, his rate of cellular decay has been slowed far below normal human rates. Current estimates project that, barring accident or change in condition, Dean Mitchell's remaining lifespan will be measured in centuries, not decades.
Major Mauler
As a licensed super-hero with level 50 Security Clearance, Major Mauler has been a player in many of Paragon City's major events. He has been tapped by members of the Freedom Phalanx to lead task forces on their behalf, and has been awarded reserve membership in their organization. He has fought and won significant victories against all of the major villain groups in Paragon City, and has been awarded over 300 badges for his service. Via his Omega Level Clearance, he learned early on of the truth behind the Rikti forces; when they returned to Earth he was one of the first to join Vanguard in the fight against the invaders. When not actively defending Paragon City, Major Mauler works with Longbow as a combat trainer; he also maintains his military ties, and does occasional promotional work for U.S. Army recruiting.
