SuperGuardian/Character History
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Contents |
Antiquity
Alexander was born on January 7, 416 B.C. to his mother Korinna and his father Diokles. They named their only child Alexandros. He was born on Keos Island, Greece, during the Peloponnesian War.
He had a typical childhood for a kid in ancient times. His father, who had been tutored when he was young, educated him as he grew up. His parents were peaceful people and disliked the ongoing war. They did their best to raise him to be peaceful and kind like they were, instilling in him a strong moral code.
In the Spring of 394 BC, at age 22, he and three friends decided to go on a voyage, much like the story of Jason and the Argonauts they had been told when they were young. Even though they were older now, it was still a dream they planned to fulfill. They had always wanted to visit Mount Olympus and considered trekking across the mainland, but with the Corinthian War now under way, doing so was far too risky. Instead, they decided to stick with their original plan and sail their way to Olympus using the small boat they had built during the summer of 395 BC. Since they were going to be sailing far from home anyway, they decided to visit another Mountain first, Mount Athos. They would go to Olympus last. Athos was second on their list of places to visit and if they were ever going to go, now was the time to do it. They didn’t know if the fighting would stay on the mainland or if it would extend to the seas. If it did, they would have to cancel their voyage until the fighting stopped, and that could take many years. Getting even further away from this new war was yet another impetus for making the trip now.
They loaded their modest boat with supplies and set sail early in the morning. They were able to make it to the island of Skyros in four days and nights. After resting for a day, they set sail once more only to be knocked off course by a sudden storm the next day. It took them a full day, but they were finally able to get back on track. After four nights and five days at sea they finally came ashore near the base of Mount Athos, close to where the modern day monastery of Agiou Pavlou is located.
Instead of staying in one of the small towns nearby, they camped out on the shore. During the middle of the night they were awakened by a small earthquake that last for a few minutes. The next morning the four of them decided to explore the mountain. Alexander wanted to hike up the west side of the mountain while the others had different ideas. After agreeing to meet back at camp later, the friends split up. Two went north together, the other went south along the shore, which left Alexander alone to begin his trek.
Hiking up the steep slope was no easy task, and after climbing a little over 2,000 feet, Alexander stopped to rest. The view of the mountain and the sea were nice from this vantage. After resting for half an hour, he began to hike further up the mountain. He came to a sheer wall and turned south, to see if there was a way around it. The wall finally came to an end and he climbed up onto a small flat area. As he turned left, he saw an opening that was partially blocked off by a large vertical stone behind the entrance. There appeared to be a tunnel in the side of the mountain and the opening to it had been sealed up by the stone. He went to investigate and saw that the rock had been moved. From the looks of the ground, it had been moved very recently. More than likely the earthquake that occurred last night was the reason why it was no longer in place. He pushed on it with all his might, but the stone was simply too large and heavy for any one man, and most likely several men, to move it.
Alexander looked into the tunnel and in the distance saw light. With his curiosity piqued, he decided to check it out and see where it led. It took a lot of effort, but he managed to squeeze through the opening. He traveled down the long tunnel toward the light until he came out into a large enclosed area that was the shape of a circle. The light was in fact the sun, which was beaming in from a small hole in the top of this room.
He looked around and something on one of the walls caught his attention. The light was dim in that area so he went to have a closer look. It was a carving of a figure and one that appeared to be a female. There were more of them to the sides, not far from the first one he discovered, along with some symbols. It didn't take Alexander long to figure out that these were petroglyph's of the Greek Gods, along with their respective symbols. Five of them were female and six were male. The one he first saw was Hera, the queen of the gods. Only the king of the gods, Zeus, was missing. Surely whoever had carved these had not left Zeus out on purpose.
Alexander turned to face the east and saw a light. At first he thought it was the sun reflecting off of something, but after getting a better look at it he realized it was another light altogether. Directly above it was the carving of Zeus. To his left was an eagle, and in his right hand was a thunderbolt pointing down at the light. Alexander's attention went back to the light, which was a brilliant white color that shone out of a few thin cracks in the mountain wall. It seemed to be inside the very mountain itself. He tried in vain to figure out what this light could possibly be. Given where it was at and the carvings, could this be the light of the gods? Or perhaps it was a part a thunderbolt hurled down by Zeus himself. The king of the gods was above it, after all. He walked toward the light and put his hand out to it. He could feel a comforting warmth radiating from it, one unlike any he had ever felt before.
Alexander stared at the light, mesmerized by it and the warmth he felt on his hand. Only the shaking of the earth snapped him out of his stunned state. Another small earthquake was hitting the area and Alexander had to regain his balance. Even with the quake occurring, it was hard for him to take his eyes off of the light. As the quake continued, the cracks in the wall began opening up. The warmth became heat, almost too hot to bear, and the light began to pulse out from the widening cracks. He backed up a few steps as fear suddenly began to sink in. More rock fell away from wall, forming roughly the shape of a cat's pupil, and the light pulsed out again. This time the pulse was massive and the light engulfed Alexander completely.
Alexander awoke some time later, ten feet away from where he had been standing before. His eyes focused on the sunlight streaming in from the top. The last thing he remembered was the mountain opening up and the light blinding him. He sat up and checked himself for any injuries but couldn't find any. Even his chiton showed no signs of being damaged. He looked up at the sunlight and could tell by its dimness that it was getting close to sunset. Alexander stood and looked at where the white light been. The rocks had fallen and covered it up, obviously due to the quake. He walked over to the wall and put his hand to where the light had been. It was faint, but he could feel warmth coming from it. That meant the light was still there, it was just hidden now. On the ground nearby was the image of his feet. Somehow they had been printed onto the floor and made lighter than the ground around it.
He looked around the area one last time and reluctantly decided he should head back. He had to tell his friends about what had happened and what he had saw. He ran down the tunnel and came to the stone partially blocking the entrance. Even though he knew it would be in vain, he was in a hurry and gave the stone a hard push. To his astonishment it moved. Alexander wasn't sure that actually happened, so he tried it again. He grabbed the stone with his hands and pulled backward. It slid across the ground, leaving an indented trail in the soil. He dropped the stone and ran out of the tunnel. Did that really just happen?
He decided to test out his new level of strength one more time and in the process seal up the entrance to tunnel so nobody else would find it. It had been sealed up before, probably by whoever made those carvings, and it was probably for the best if it was sealed again. He blocked off the entrance with some boulders which he moved rather easily. Once he was satisified that the room and the light were protected from discovery, he made his way down the mountainside. As he did, he wondered if perhaps he was dreaming. It all seemed too fantastic to truly believe. He kept waiting to wake up at any moment but that never happened. He made it down to the base of the mountain and as he stopped to look back up at it, he realized he wasn't tired. He should be tired, shouldn't he? Or maybe it was just easier going down the mountain than going up it. His uncertainty was shrugged off and he went to rejoin his friends at their camp.
Initially, he had wanted to tell them about the room he had discovered, the carvings of the gods, and especially the light. But after discovering his new-found strength and realizing the room was most likely meant to remain hidden, he decided to keep it a secret for the time being. He needed time to think about things. They were already questioning why he had returned so late, making them wait hours for him.
They remained at Mount Athos for a week. Strangely, no more earthquakes occurred while they were there. Alexander wanted to return to the room he had found, but stayed with his friends, further exploring the area. Perhaps one day he would return, but if he did, it would be alone. The week went by and they sailed off to Mount Olympus. After five and a half days on calm seas, they landed not far from the mountain.
Alexander found it hard to stop thinking about what had happened at Athos, even though they were at the mountain of the gods. It remained in his thoughts for the two weeks they stayed. During their time at the mountain he prayed to the gods, asking for their divine guidance on what to do with his knowledge of the room and the light. He waited patiently for some kind of response, but didn't receive any before they left and sailed back home to Keos.
It was a good thing they both left for their voyage and returned home when they did. The Corinthian War extended to the seas not long after they arrived back on the island. While the battles were going on, Alexander would go off to remote parts of Keos by himself and test his new-found super strength. Along the way he discovered another new attribute he had: invulnerability. He came to believe that what had happened at Athos was part of a divine plan for him. Everything happened at just the right time: their arrival at Athos, the earthquakes occurring when they did, the stone being moved from the entrance, and then the mountain opening up to release the light as he stood in front of it. It was impossible that it was all a series of coincidences. It had to have been divinely brought about. While he believed the gods had given him gifts, they had not yet told him what to do with them despite his repeated prayers asking for guidance.
He waited for that divine guidance for a year and still his prayers went unanswered. It was then that he revealed the secret of what happened to his parents. Since the gods were silent, he asked them for their advice. Should he use his new abilities to help Athens and her allies win the war against Sparta? Doing so could make the fighting end sooner. But perhaps the gods would frown upon his involvement in the war. His parents certainly frowned on the idea of him using his powers to help in the war. The outcome of such battles should be left up to the gods, his father told him. At least until they revealed otherwise to him. He should instead use his powers for good and to help people, not help cities who were constantly at war with one another. But, he should not make it known he had abilities gifted to him from the gods. He should not seek out fame and glory like so many others who waged wars did. And if it were discovered that he had god-like abilities, people may begin to think of him as a god which would no doubt anger the real gods and bring their wrath upon him. Alexander took this advice to heart and abided by his parents advice.
Two decades passed and while his parents and friends got older, he noticed that he wasn't aging like they were. They noticed it too. Had the gods also made him immortal like them? The answer came in the affirmative two more decades later when he looked at his reflection in a pool once again. He remained the same while everything and everyone else around him changed.
Two of his friends from the voyage fell ill and died. While he had been at their bedside, helping them fight the sickness as best he could, he never contracted their sickness despite being in contact with them. Before their deaths he revealed to them what happened to him on Athos. Two years later his mother would pass on from old age and his father did the same two years after her. Other people that he knew began to pass away as well.
All that remained of the life he knew was his one surviving friend from the voyage. He had considered getting married like his friends had, but now that he knew he would outlive his wife, he couldn't bear the thought of loving someone only to watch her age and pass away while he did not. He had already watched his parents and almost all of his friends leave this earth before his eyes and that was painful enough. Being in love with someone would hurt far greater when she eventually died. He didn't want any part of heartbreak and pain of such magnitude.
His last friend passed away five years later, leaving him completely alone for the first time in his life. After that, it didn't take much to convince himself to leave Keos.
"Return To Athos"
He repaired the small ship he and his friends had built over fifty years ago, then stocked it with supplies and sailed off to Athos in 344 BC, just two years after the Third Sacred War ended. He didn't need to stop and rest because he no longer grew tired and that combined with his super strength enabled him to make the long trip from Keos to Athos in just three nights and four days.
Going up the mountain was easier this time, even with him carrying all of his supplies. He reached the entrance and found it still blocked off, exactly as he had left it over half a century ago. Once inside the room he could feel the slight warmth coming off of the wall which meant the light was still there somewhere beyond the wall.
For almost a hundred years he remained on Athos, guarding the light, waiting for the divine guidance he had sought for so long. During this time he would discover other new attributes about himself: heat and cold didn't affect him anymore, he no longer had to sleep unless he wanted to, and his need to eat was almost completely eliminated. Even with his decreased sustenance requirements, he would occasionally go to the shore to fish.
When he was lonely he would visit one of the small towns nearby and catch up on the events taking place in the world. It was on one of these trips to town that he heard of another Alexander. He was called Alexander III of Macedon, later to be known as Alexander the Great. In 334 BC their paths almost crossed as Alexander the Great and his army passed to north of Athos on his way to conquer Persia.
Alexander was more than happy to remain in what called the "shrine of the gods" while men carried on with their battles and wars. He prayed every day, again asking for guidance on what to do with his powers, but once more they were only met with silence. Maybe the gods did have plans for him, but not at the moment. He did have forever it seemed, so it was likely not his time to do whatever it was they wanted him to do. When they needed him they would reveal his purpose to him. Then again, perhaps the skepticism regarding the gods was right. Maybe... no. He shouldn't think such blasphemous thoughts. And so he waited, patiently, for whatever the gods had planned for him.
In 253 BC, he was returning to the shrine after a morning of fishing at the shore when the earth began to shake. This quake was much stronger than the two that had previously occurred on his first visit. He ran up the mountain toward the entrance only to stop when he saw some of the white light rise out of the opening in the ceiling of the room. The mountain erupted violently, sending Alexander flying back and knocking him unconcious.
He awoke with large pieces of rock laying atop him. The sun was directly overhead which meant it was now midday. He had been unconcious for several hours. A good chunk of the west side of Athos had been levelled. Surprisingly, he wasn't in any pain and had no injuries, despite being knocked out by the massive blast. The only thing that was damaged was his chiton. Alexander pushed the rocks off of him and made his way up the mountainside. He searched for where the room had been, clearing the area of large boulders in the process. Finally, around sunset, he found what little remained of the room. There was a faint glow of white light from beyond the wall, but it was dim, and he couldn't feel the warmth from it anymore. He sealed up the room with many of the boulders, making it impossible for anyone but him to get to it and blocking the light from escaping and becoming even dimmer, perhaps even going out. At night, after his work was finished, he made his way into the nearest town.
Unfortunately, the town had been almost completely destroyed by an avalanche of boulders. He traveled to the next town over which was still standing. The people in this town had seen what had happened. They and the people that remained in the other towns were frantically packing up everything they owned. They believed the gods were angry with them and were leaving Athos for good. Alexander was hesitant to leave the mountain, but perhaps this was a sign that it was time for him to move on. The people in the towns left the following morning. Alexander reluctantly did too, and the area around Athos became abandoned for centuries.
1350 - "London And The Black Death"
Alexander wandered the known world for over a millenium and a half, helping out where he could. During that time, the Greek gods were copied, renamed and became the gods of Rome. The Roman Empire rose up to become one of the greatest empires ever, but like all others, it too eventually came to an end. Religions were forgotten, new ones were created, and polytheism was largely replaced by monotheism.
It was a strange thing to watch how the gods of old were forgotten and replaced with new ones. The very gods he had once prayed to were now relegated to mythology. He had stopped waiting for an answer to his prayers for guidance long ago and in the process had become agnostic. He didn't believe in the new monotheistic religions either, regardless of how widespread they were. They were just as nonsensical as what he had once believed in, if not moreso. Instead, he continued to follow his parents advice along with his own moral compass.
One thing that had not changed was the wars mankind continued to wage against one another. Even religious wars took place now. Admist all of this, Alexander continued to wander. He never remained in one town or city for longer than 20 years. The people would notice he wasn't aging and he didn't want the kind of attention it could bring if that discovery was ever made. During his travels he sought out other people like himself, especially another immortal. Unfortunately, his search always turned up empty.
He traveled to London in 1350 and came upon not only a new language, an early form of modern English called Middle English, but also the plague that was ravaging much of Europe at that time. Alexander picked up the new language as best he could while helping the sick people of London. He knew he would be immune to it and freely assisted everyone he could. It was hard to watch people suffer and die while he remained in perfect health, but it gave him a greater appreciation for life, and for his powers.
By the end of 1350 the plague had subsided and left millions dead in its wake. He had seen enough death for awhile and once more began wandering the world. Unfortunately the plague would later return in areas across Europe at different times and once more Alexander stepped in to help those in need.
1800s - "The Girl With The Red Hair"
He returned to England in 1817 and traveled the country. In 1825 he met a girl named Liora. She was one of many in the crowd at Darlington to watch the world's first public passenger railway. She was a beauty, with long wavy red hair, green eyes and she was 20 years old, just 2 years younger than he was before the light changed him and he stopped aging.
Knowing he probably shouldn't, he introduced himself to her. The two instantly got along and began seeing one another regularly. Many times in the past he had met women he could've easily fell in love with, but he knew what would happen if he did. He still wanted no part of such pain. It led him to shun love and suppress his feelings. But this time he let those feelings in. Maybe he was tired of fighting to hold them back or maybe she was the right one for him. Either way, he fell in love with her and confessed the feelings he had to her. She admitted she felt the same way about him and their relationship grew.
But sometimes, things just aren't meant to be. He believed in being open and honest, so he told her about his powers. He demonstrated his super strength and told her about being immortal. After she got over her amazement, she begged him to take her to Athos so she could become like him. Alexander refused because he didn't want to put her life at risk. The light had transformed him, but she might not be so lucky. Now that he knew the light wasn't of divine origin, he wasn't about to put her in harm's way. He had gotten lucky but such would probably not be the case for her. He didn't even know if the light was still there. He hadn't been to Athos in over fifteen hundred years and anything could've happened to it by now. It might have even dwindled and went out by this time.
Even if the light was still there, he was unsure if letting her have such powers was a good idea, despite his love for her. She was angry at him for a couple of weeks but they eventually got back together and reconciled. He held on to the hope that love would win out. Ultimately, though, he realized that she did not truly love him. She was just staying with him in the hope he would one day take her to the light and let her gain powers like his.
After this realization he left her and England behind, and travelled east into northern Russia where he stayed in a remote village. The climate was subarctic, which he found fitting because it matched his newly-frozen heart. It was bad enough he had lost his faith in the gods long ago, now his faith in humanity was almost completely shattered. He sank into a deep depression. It wasn't just the broken heart, although that was the catalsyt. It was all the other negative things he had experienced in his long life that finally became too much: never-ending battles and wars, plagues that wiped out a lot of innocent people, senseless violence, innumerable injustices, the bad treatment of good people, corrupt leaders, and all of the suffering and hopelessness. He stopped traveling the world, quit helping people, and let the sadness overtake him. One day blended into countless others as he lived in the village, letting the world and time pass him by.
There is a light at the end of all dark tunnels, and his came in 1835. He slowly began to come out of his depression and began travelling Russia. While he was still a little depressed, he was much better than he had been and he could finally see that things were going to be alright. Going through what he called his own 'personal dark age' made him mentally stronger and he was ready to begin helping people in need once more. He visited St. Petersburg, then a month later went to Moscow.
The next fifty-five years were spent exploring, and in some cases re-exploring, Europe: Romania, Austria, Italy, and many other countries. He revisited some areas he had discovered in his earlier travels and became fond of. He eventually ended up near Keos and decided to pay his birthplace a visit before exploring elsewhere. Being back on the island was great. It had stayed the same, yet it had changed also, like himself in a way. The spot where his home used to be now had a bigger, modern home with a new family living there. Perhaps because he was a little homesick, he stayed on Keos longer than he had originally planned, a year, before moving on.
1900s - "Arrival In America"
A new century had dawned. Alexander had heard about America in his travels and wanted to see this young country in the New World. In a way, it was like starting over for him. New century, new world, new beginnings. A sense of optimism filled him as he came ashore onto this new land in 1901. Coincidentally, his ship pulled into Paragon City port, which is where he first set foot in America.
He stayed in Paragon City for many years, watching as the city grew even larger. He left in 1908 and began travelling the United States, going west to New York which was his second stop as he explored. Just six years later World War one began. Thankfully it lasted only 4 years, a very short time compared to the some of the wars that took place in Ancient Greece and elsewhere. Still, it was evidence that mankind's old habits of destroying one another still manifested themselves from time to time.
It was during the Great Depression that he first heard about Statesman fighting crime in Paragon City. He seemed to have similar powers like his. Needless to say this intrigued him and he made his way back to Paragon City to have a look for himself. As Statesman and other heroes with strange powers battled crime, he kept an ear to the radio and read The Paragon Times, keeping up-to-date with the events. He was inspired by them, but felt that he was not yet ready to step out into the limelight like they had.
In 1939 World War two started and by 1940 the Great Depression was coming to an end. Things were getting better for the country and economy, a trend that would continue. In 1941 the United States was drawn into the new war. As groups of superpowered beings on both sides entered into the conflict, something he was still opposed to, he left Paragon City and traveled south.
1950s - "A New Love"
He arrived in Virginia in 1951. A year later, while still in Virginia, he met a beautiful girl with brown eyes and long brown hair. Her name of Emily Adams, age 24. She was on her way home from church when they literally bumped into one another. Naturally he apologized and the two began chatting. She was very nice and easy to talk to. They could sit and talk to each other for hours which lead to them seeing one other regularly. Before he knew it, love once again started to spring up as the two began dating.
To say that he was hesitant to do the whole love thing again, especially after what happened the first time, was an understatement. He could've tried to block his feelings, but once more he found he didn't want to. Therefore, he resolved to take things slower and be more careful this time around.
When he eventually told her the truth about him and his powers, he was pleasantly surprised to find out she was nothing like Liora. She didn't want him to take her to Athos so she could possibly become like him. She was happy the way she was and accepted him for who he was. While they were different from each other, especially with him being agnostic and her being a Christian, they got along very well despite their differences. It was proof that opposites really did attract.
In 1953, the same year that the Freedom Phalanx became the first legally recognized superhero group, they got married. Before doing so, however, he decided to become an United States citizen and that meant he had to think up a middle name and last name for himself. Long ago he had stopped using Alexandros and started using the popular Latinized version of his name, Alexander. Neither 'of Keos' nor 'son of Diokles' could be his legal name, despite the fact that he was called that in Greece before being changed and before surnames came into being. His father had been a big influence on his life as had his mother, so he wanted to incorporate them somehow. Emily helped him think up the name that would eventually become his full, legal name. He took his father's name as his middle name and since he liked the Latinized form of his mother's name better than the Greek version, he would use Corinna instead of Korinna. Emily came up with the idea of combining Keos with her name and thus his full, and legal, name became Alexander Diokles Corinos.
1960s - 2000 - "Happily Ever After"
The two lived happily together and settled into married life quite easily. Alexander promised not only to love her, but to guard her forever. In turn, she promised they would be together forever, one day.
Since Emily had always wanted to travel the country, and because he was accustomed to travelling, he was more than happy do so with her. He had never had a companion on his trips across the various countries, so that was a welcome change. She fit right in and both of them had a great time on their journey. They visited each of the 48 contiguous states and had a blast doing it.
In the 1970s he discovered that his powers were continuing to evolve. He was even stronger than he had been before and his need to eat had long been eliminated. Finding out he didn't need to breathe was new, however... and creepy. He also discovered another new ability: flight. It took him a little time to get the hang of things, but he eventually learned how to control it. Many times on clear, calm nights, he took Emily into the sky with him and they soared above the cities and towns. It was something they both got a kick out of.
2000s - "Answers To Very Old Questions"
Instead of focusing on the inevitable as he used to, he would live for the present and not concern himself with the future. But as Emily grew older and he didn't, he began to think about it more often. Their talks shifted from what they wanted to do to what Alexander should be doing. He mentioned how he had almost joined Statesman and the other heroes to battle crime back in the 1930s. She joked that he would look good in spandex. On a more serious note, she told him he should go to Paragon City and become a hero. He refused to leave her, reminding her of his promise: to guard her forever. He told her he could possibly make her like him, by taking her to Athos, but it was her choice. She refused the offer, remaining steadfast in her faith.
One day, while they were surfing the web, he came across a scientific article about pockets of natural energy in random spots all across the globe. As he read the article, everything fell into place and questions he forgot he had even asked were suddenly answered. The light in the mountain had been some kind of energy, most likely electromagnetic energy. The person or persons that originally found the energy, made the carvings of the gods and sealed up the room was still a mystery and likely would be forever. But, even after all this time, he questioned how perfectly timed it still seemed to him. He finally concluded that there was a natural explanation and it was not divine; it was merely a string of extraordinary coincidences. He realized how lucky he was too. If he had been any closer to the wall when the energy pulsed out he probably would've been killed on the spot. If he had been further away he wouldn't have been changed by it and lived a normal, mortal life. It was a lot to take in.
In 2002, when the Rikti invasion began, he had to rethink some of his other beliefs. He had never used his powers in a war, but this was a different war. This wasn't mankind versus himself anymore. These were aliens seemingly bent on destroying all of mankind. He felt he should join the fight, but Emily told him not to go. She had a bad feeling about what might happen if he did. Turns out she was right. Thousands upon thousands of heroes lost their lives trying to defeat the Rikti, as they were called. If he had went off to fight them, he probably would've suffered the same fate. It didn't stop him from feeling extremely guilty, though. Maybe he could've prevented the loss of at least some lives.
2010 - "Goodbyes"
Emily died peacefully of old age in 2010. She was 82 years old. Before she passed, she told him it was time to accept that being a hero was what he was meant to do with his gifts; it was time for him to step into the light. Just as he had promised to guard her forever, now it was time for him be a guardian of mankind and Earth for as long as he could do so. She made him promise not to mourn her too long; he had a job to do now. Besides, as she had said before, they would meet again one day and be together forever, in the afterlife.
2011 - "Birth Of A New Hero"
Alexander mourned his wife for months. The feeling of sadness slowly faded and was replaced by a feeling of peace. He had found the one he was supposed to be with and that was something to be happy about. Not everyone got to find the one person that completed them and brought so much to their life. And she had been right too: it was time for him to accept that he was meant to be a hero. It finally felt right.
He spent almost a year training both mentally and physically for what was to come. He read up on the criminals he would come face to face with and the heroes he might fight side by side with. He was able to greatly increase his already high level of strength and learned to control his powers to an even greater degree. Discovering that he could channel the energy inside him was another new aspect of his powers. It allowed him to increase his strength far beyond his normal range, and he could even manipulate the energy to some extent.
Finally, in late 2011, he felt ready and went to Paragon City for a third time. This time, he went to become a hero.