VERB
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| That's what's happening! | |
| VERB | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Tanker |
| Security Level: | 50(+3) |
| Identity | |
| Real Name: | Verb |
| Known Aliases: | the Man of Action |
| Nationality: | All American |
| Occupation: | Hero |
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City, RI |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | None |
| Physical Data | |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | appears to be in late 20s |
| Height / Weight : | 8' 0" / 300 pounds |
| Eye / Hair Color: | Brown / Black |
| Known Powers | |
| Invulnerability, Super Strength, Flight Laser Eye Beams, Supa-Cool Breath, Summon Honeys | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Unstoppable, big eater, speaks Jive | |
| Equipment | |
| None | |
| Can you dig it? | |
| Updated: 6/30/2019 - Player: @Megajoule | |
A verb expresses action, being or a state of being.
(A verb makes a statement!)
Yeah, a verb tells it like it is!
Contents |
Affiliations
After flying solo for most of his career, VERB recently became an associate member of the Do-Gooders. He jokes about being the "rooster in the henhouse," but to his chagrin, most of the "fine ladies" in the group are completely uninterested in him.
Both before his disappearance and since his return, VERB has had a rivalry with his "successor", the Back Alley Brawler. Usually it's just talk and kidding around, but there are hints of something darker under the surface, and the two have actually come to blows a few times.
Personality
VERB is "bigger than life" in every sense. He's bold, fearless, upbeat and charming, and loves each and every one of his fans. He's also arrogant, impatient, loud, casually sexist, and vain; a glory-hound and a show-off. In many ways he is an anachronism, a relic of a bygone age when swaggering macho men could pat a woman on the rump and call her "baby." His personal charisma is such that he can still get away with such behavior most of the time.
His usual expression is a cocky grin, directed at his allies, his opponents, or the nearest young child or attractive lady. Even in the thick of a fight, he acts like he is taking it easy or just fooling around. When he does get serious, his fury is like a force of nature - implacable and powerful, but cool and focused, unlike the wild rages of some strong types.
Powers
VERB offers no explanation for the source of his powers, claiming to have always had them. He usually scans as baseline human, though some have claimed he must be a mutant, a magical being, or even some kind of alien.
Invulnerability
VERB is incredibly resistant to physical force. He laughs at most melee weapons and conventional small arms fire; even artillery shells, Rikti plasma bolts and energy discharges from Crey power armor that would kill an unprotected man or blow a hole through tank armor merely injure him. He can stick a hand into a blast furnace, be frozen in a solid block of ice, or stand in the middle of a nuclear reactor without ill effects - indeed, he has done all of these things. His invulnerability extends to his costume; it is possible to cut his bodysuit, tear his cape, or break his signature sunglasses, but only with specialized tools or extreme force.
Super Strength
VERB is also inhumanly strong, able to lift and carry a maximum weight somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 tons (even while flying) and deliver blows of earth-shaking power. He is one of many metahumans with the still poorly-understood ability to pick up a large and heavy object as a unit, without the object suffering structural failure and collapsing under its own unsupported weight.
Additional Powers
Flight
VERB can fly, with no visible means of lift or propulsion and a top speed just under Mach 2 (he is careful not to exceed 100 mph in populated areas). He is capable of reaching Earth orbit under his own power, though he requires an oxygen supply.
Laser Eye Beams
VERB is able to project beams of red laser light from his eyes (and through his sunglasses, with no apparent harm to them or reduction in power). These beams are very accurate, since they hit whatever he is looking at.
Supa-Cool Breath
VERB can produce a super-cooled stream of air from his mighty lungs that can literally freeze foes in their tracks. [Judgment: Cryonic]
Summon Honeys
With a snap of his fingers, VERB can summon two attractive women in brief and/or form-fitting attire to his side(s). These "honeys" proceed to fawn over and cling decoratively to him, and will sometimes engage lesser foes with insults and slaps. [Lore: Seers]
Abilities
VERB is in top physical condition. His muscle development and definition are the equal of any professional bodybuilder. His stamina, in particular, appears to be inexhaustible; he shows little need for sleep or even rest, and is always on the move, always doing something. When he isn't bringing bad guys to justice or preventing catastrophes, he's helping with the reconstruction of the city, visiting fans, and taking part in community outreach. He is able to consume remarkable amounts of pie, hot dogs, etc at various charity contests. He is also fluent in the vanishing urban dialect of Jive.
Weaknesses and Limitations
VERB loves attention and can't resist a spotlight or a photo op, which has sometimes been used to lure him into traps. His attitudes, mode of speech, personal style and much of his technical knowledge are forty years out of date; he is equally inept with computers and women who don't swoon over his macho persona. His physical invulnerability does not extend to mental attack or influence.
Equipment
VERB has little in the way of gear or personal possessions. He has replaced his original Freedom Phalanx communicator (the size of a deck of cards, but heavier) with a common cell phone of the most rugged model he could find, ignoring most of its special functions.
Character History
VERB, the Man of Action, appeared from nowhere in the middle of the 1970s. At first it was believed that he was merely an actor hired to appear in a public service announcement. Then people began to see him flying around town in his bold red and blue costume, thwarting criminals and rescuing innocents. He seemed indestructible, unstoppable, always on the move, pausing only to sign autographs and pose for the cameras. For such a public and popular figure, especially among the black community, little was known about him; he deflected most questions about himself and his origins with a joke and a grin before dashing off to perform some other good deed.
During the Rikti invasion of 2002, when Paragon City needed heroes more than ever, VERB suddenly reappeared in the thick of the battle. He still had the same chest-baring costume, the same lantern jaw and cocky grin; in fact, he didn't seem to have aged a day. He fought without fear, helping to hold the line against the Rikti, even throwing himself in front of other heroes to take plasma fire for them. He was believed KIA on three separate occasions, only to turn up at the rally point the next day without a scratch. After the invasion was stopped at its source by Hero-1 and Omega Team, VERB turned the strength of his broad shoulders and bulging biceps to the Herculean task of rebuilding the shattered city... an effort which continues to this day.
VERB cannot account for his twenty-year absence. "Maybe I was thrown forward in time, or trapped in suspended animation, or something like that. Stranger things have happened. All I know is, one minute I was back there, and now I'm here. Now if you'll excuse me, I got other things to do."
Early in 2007, Crey was able to very publicly frame VERB for possession of stolen drugs. He was arrested but managed to escape into the city's underground. Hunted by the law, he was forced to abandon his usual brightly-colored persona and draw on other aspects of himself. He was ultimately successful in clearing his name and bringing those responsible to justice. (This story is still being written; all that is available at this time is the trailer.)
Now a certified Hero of the City, VERB shows no sign of stopping or even slowing down. He's taken up the fight against the Rikti again, continues to help with the rebuilding of Overbrook and Baumton, and assists the Freedom Phalanx and the Do-Gooders when they have need of him. Wherever the action is, he'll be there.
His Secret
VERB is not, technically speaking, real. He is a manifestation of the collective unconsciousness, a tulpa, a dream or wish given physical form - in this case, the wish of the ghetto for "a Statesman of our own," someone who would be more responsive to them and their problems than the all-white Freedom Phalanx of that time. As the struggles and gains of the 60s gave way to the troubles and disappointments of the 70s, this desire passed some sort of threshold, and VERB was born full-grown. A jive-talking muscleman in a cape, he was just like Statesman, only black... and thus totally badass.
VERB is on the job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, because he has no other identity or purpose. He does not need to eat or drink (though he does both for photo ops) or sleep; nor does he age. As long as people believe in him and need him, he is immortal. Each apparent "death" and miraculous return only adds to his myth and makes him harder to permanently destroy. Of course he'll come back - he always does.
Fame is fickle, however. VERB disappeared because people stopped paying attention to him or found other outlets for their need and belief. He returned when he was needed again. His spotlight-seeking and camera-hogging is partially because that is how people expect him to act and partially because of a vague awareness that he needs celebrity to maintain his existence.
VERB has pieced together that he is different from most people, but believes this is simply "what a hero is." Naturally, he has never wanted to be anything else. It is unclear whether he actually possesses free will.
Trivia
- In-game, his name is actually "V E R B" - the other way was already taken. (Oh well... a short name like that looks better spaced-out on a marquee anyway. Right?)
- The dates of VERB's previous career - 1975 to 1985 - correspond to the original run of the Schoolhouse Rock shorts on ABC.
- In the hypothetical Virtue movie, his voice would be provided by Samuel L. Jackson (or, if he's not available, by Greg Eagles).
- VERB has visited Cimerora, where he was even more out of time and place than usual, with predictably comic results. ("Decius, what does the large Nubian mean by 'jive turkey'?")
