Some of you got impatient with the recent history lesson and said "hey Mr. Big, we're not scientists, just give us something we can use". Alright, here's some recent intel from the supervillain world.
One of my counterparts in the heroing world, the Azure Guardsman, spent several years training newbie heroes. But he fell out of favor. It wasn't anything he did. The newer breed got tired of his "old school" ways. They became convinced, as young idiots are, that the old guard had it wrong. They thought the only good villain was a dead villain, that ACTION was useless, and that the authorities shouldn't have any say in what they did because, y'know, entitlement. So he hung up the cape and retired.
What almost nobody knew until recently was that he'd taken on a new identity - the supervillain Redline. Now, nobody suspected this because frankly Redline is useless. He's somewhere on Beaver Boy's level in terms of planning and execution. And based on this, I'm starting to rethink Beaver Boy too, just in case.
Redline was the guy who would challenge new heroes, and get stomped into the dust. Only he'd get back up and try it again. He was just too stupid to stay down. And he was harmless. Civilians didn't get hurt on his jobs, he didn't cause a bunch of property damage, all that stuff. And even funnier, he'd point it out if the hero got too reckless and started smashing stuff. "Hey hey, what are you doing?" he'd demand, incredulously. "I'm just robbin' the bank here!" It was ridiculous.
But... it was effective. Nobody ever realized that what he was really doing was training this new generation of heroes. He didn't tell them why they should pull their punches or show restraint or be thoughtful, he demonstrated. He'd shame the young punks by being the villain who cared more about civilians than the hero.
So now he's turning in the cape again. He sent several of us old-timers a private message. He apparently fell in love, and he's retiring from the super world for the foreseeable future. He asked that we don't cause him trouble or try to find him or his new girlfriend. I'll make the commitment right now, and I hope everyone else will, to honor that agreement. Why? Because a well-trained hero is gold to a supervillain. Predictable heroes with self-enforced codes of restraint are always better than heroes who will go apeshit on your ass, 10 times out of 10. Out of gratitude for leaving us with a bunch of nice guys, I wish the Azure Guardsman all the best.
Showing posts with label superheroes of note. Show all posts
Showing posts with label superheroes of note. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Superheroes of Note: Asiri
Due to requests from international readers, I'm going to call attention to the leader of the Lagos Guard, a Nigerian super-team, and their leader.
Asiri
The superheroes and supervillains in Africa operate on a very different dynamic than those in America and Canada. According to my African contacts, they act more like Feudal lords and knights, patrolling a given area of turf and protecting the people who live there. The "hero" and "villain" distinction is a little looser, but mainly comes down to whether you're benevolent or not.
The Lagos Guard are the only heroic super-team operating in the city of Lagos. The city has between 17 and 20 million people and is located on the southwestern coast of Nigeria. It's a port city and is significant to the economy of the entire country. The Lagos Guard was formed to act as the city's super-protectors, and they deal a beat-down to anyone who tries to muscle in.
Asiri is the leader of the Guard. He (or she, nobody's sure, but I'll stick with "he" unless corrected) is a shapeshifter and a pretty powerful Stage 4 Child of Eve. He's an infiltration specialist and apparently has some military and command experience.
Past
According to statements made by Asiri and others, he is a member of the Yoruba people, found in the southwestern Nigerian region. His accented English suggests he was educated in America at some point, and returned to his native home later. His combat doctrine suggests that he spent some time in the Israeli armed forces.
Asiri claims that his "spiritual self" was empowered by his god and that is responsible for the source of his powers. My Lagos contact tells me that his origin story is a variation of Yoruba religious beliefs and essentially the same as several other local supers, so whether he sincerely believes it, or just claims what he does to hold the support of the people in the region, is unknown.
Position
Aside from being the team leader, Asiri is apparently also the team ninja. His shapeshifting powers let him adopt the form of anyone his enemy trusts, or at least will overlook.
In combat, Asiri will either use his powers to emulate an enemy's trusted subordinates and sow confusion, or transform into a monstrous form and fight on the front lines.
Personality
Asiri is a tough, no-nonsense sort of super. His military training, personal life, and education all point to a guy on a mission. His teammates, and commentators who have seen the Guard on action, report that he doesn't really have an "off" switch - he's always doing the job, and always serious.
Powers
Asiri can shift any or all of his body into any reasonably biological form. He can copy anything he's personally familiar with, or invent a shape on the fly. Since his strength, speed, and other physical traits are based on his body's composition, he can adjust his physical abilities as well as his form.
He can gain or lose significant amounts of mass. This isn't a super big deal for Stage 4 - find anyone with a serious enough healing factor, cut off their finger, then ask yourself just how it grew back. Asiri just does it a lot faster than many supers.
It's said that he's a student of psychology, theology, and mythology, and uses his education to construct forms designed to terrify specific targets, or to manipulate them. Specific information is scarce on the ground, for obvious reasons, but it seems plausible.
Problems
Asiri's biggest problem at this point is his disconnect from humanity, especially mundanes. If he has a home life, friends, lovers, or anything else, he's never given any evidence of it. To some villains, this sounds like an advantage - no attachments means no vulnerabilities. In a hero's case, though, it means he's got to come up with his own motives for fighting, and he's unlikely to feel any compassion for people he can't connect to.
As the leader of the Lagos Guard, he has a level of visibility and accountability that makes it possible to track him down, or at least find a date and time where you know he'll have to be.
Asiri
The superheroes and supervillains in Africa operate on a very different dynamic than those in America and Canada. According to my African contacts, they act more like Feudal lords and knights, patrolling a given area of turf and protecting the people who live there. The "hero" and "villain" distinction is a little looser, but mainly comes down to whether you're benevolent or not.
The Lagos Guard are the only heroic super-team operating in the city of Lagos. The city has between 17 and 20 million people and is located on the southwestern coast of Nigeria. It's a port city and is significant to the economy of the entire country. The Lagos Guard was formed to act as the city's super-protectors, and they deal a beat-down to anyone who tries to muscle in.
Asiri is the leader of the Guard. He (or she, nobody's sure, but I'll stick with "he" unless corrected) is a shapeshifter and a pretty powerful Stage 4 Child of Eve. He's an infiltration specialist and apparently has some military and command experience.
Past
According to statements made by Asiri and others, he is a member of the Yoruba people, found in the southwestern Nigerian region. His accented English suggests he was educated in America at some point, and returned to his native home later. His combat doctrine suggests that he spent some time in the Israeli armed forces.
Asiri claims that his "spiritual self" was empowered by his god and that is responsible for the source of his powers. My Lagos contact tells me that his origin story is a variation of Yoruba religious beliefs and essentially the same as several other local supers, so whether he sincerely believes it, or just claims what he does to hold the support of the people in the region, is unknown.
Position
Aside from being the team leader, Asiri is apparently also the team ninja. His shapeshifting powers let him adopt the form of anyone his enemy trusts, or at least will overlook.
In combat, Asiri will either use his powers to emulate an enemy's trusted subordinates and sow confusion, or transform into a monstrous form and fight on the front lines.
Personality
Asiri is a tough, no-nonsense sort of super. His military training, personal life, and education all point to a guy on a mission. His teammates, and commentators who have seen the Guard on action, report that he doesn't really have an "off" switch - he's always doing the job, and always serious.
Powers
Asiri can shift any or all of his body into any reasonably biological form. He can copy anything he's personally familiar with, or invent a shape on the fly. Since his strength, speed, and other physical traits are based on his body's composition, he can adjust his physical abilities as well as his form.
He can gain or lose significant amounts of mass. This isn't a super big deal for Stage 4 - find anyone with a serious enough healing factor, cut off their finger, then ask yourself just how it grew back. Asiri just does it a lot faster than many supers.
It's said that he's a student of psychology, theology, and mythology, and uses his education to construct forms designed to terrify specific targets, or to manipulate them. Specific information is scarce on the ground, for obvious reasons, but it seems plausible.
Problems
Asiri's biggest problem at this point is his disconnect from humanity, especially mundanes. If he has a home life, friends, lovers, or anything else, he's never given any evidence of it. To some villains, this sounds like an advantage - no attachments means no vulnerabilities. In a hero's case, though, it means he's got to come up with his own motives for fighting, and he's unlikely to feel any compassion for people he can't connect to.
As the leader of the Lagos Guard, he has a level of visibility and accountability that makes it possible to track him down, or at least find a date and time where you know he'll have to be.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Superheroes of Note: Illumina
Not every hero is a brick or a strong-man. There are some heroes who have a purity of heart, a strength of will, and an indomitable courage.
These are the heroes who, by Odin, piss me off more than anyone else in the world.
Illumina
This lady has been around for only a few years, but she has a scary, scary power. The only thing that keeps her from being the strongest super on the planet, as far as I can tell, is that she doesn't want to be. Instead, she's made it her life's work to help people in need, redeem the "lost" (you and me, folks), and otherwise go around being an interfering busybody.
Past
Illumina claims that she's an angel sent by God to Earth to save the planet, so uh, yeah. I guess that puts her origin story in the book of Genesis. More seriously, nobody's sure about her prior to her advent as a super. The usual suspects have been working to ID her, since she doesn't bother wearing a mask, but there's been no matches yet.
Position
Illumina seems to prefer the team medic role when she works with others. She'll heal anyone who's injured, protect people from attack, that sort of thing. She likes bold, self-sacrificing sorts of moves. When operating solo, she's fully capable of fighting at Stage 4 levels. She's primarily a physical fighter at these times, rather than using energy blasts or force fields.
Personality
She really is the nicest, sweetest girl you'll ever meet. She's got that calm attitude that comes from being able to dish out a beat-down to anyone, but she's pretty non-violent. She gives off that martial artist vibe, so I think someone trained her at some point.
It's pathetically easy to take advantage of her better nature, but she'll always tell you she forgives you, and she doesn't seem to hold it against you. It's weird. I keep waiting for her to just snap. I can't really hate her either, though I really have tried.
Powers
Illumina's primary power is terrifying. She can jack powers from defeated supers - those who have been exhausted and injured - but the jack is permanent. That super goes back down to Stage 0 and stays there. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it never wears off. She apparently can't adopt everyone's powers, so not everyone is vulnerable, but still.
Aside from that, she's able to impose a healing factor on other supers, even mundanes. This is her go-to power for most encounters.
She's picked up a package of secondary abilities over the few years she's been in operation - always from villains who went and actually killed people. I think that's kind of her line that you don't cross, because she can heal anyone who isn't already dead and so probably doesn't care.
Problems
The biggest restraint on Illumina, right now, is Illumina. She's unwilling to siphon powers from people she thinks can be redeemed (which is a lot of people), and she won't hurt anyone unless they're actually hurting someone else at the time.
I made it clear to her during our last run-in that I wasn't about to turn goody-goody for anyone, but I was smart enough to talk that shit after I got out of her trap. I don't know how our next encounter will go, and I don't plan to find out.
She's clearly a nutcase for acting like she's an angel, but that delusion hasn't affected any of her other thought processes.
These are the heroes who, by Odin, piss me off more than anyone else in the world.
Illumina
This lady has been around for only a few years, but she has a scary, scary power. The only thing that keeps her from being the strongest super on the planet, as far as I can tell, is that she doesn't want to be. Instead, she's made it her life's work to help people in need, redeem the "lost" (you and me, folks), and otherwise go around being an interfering busybody.
Past
Illumina claims that she's an angel sent by God to Earth to save the planet, so uh, yeah. I guess that puts her origin story in the book of Genesis. More seriously, nobody's sure about her prior to her advent as a super. The usual suspects have been working to ID her, since she doesn't bother wearing a mask, but there's been no matches yet.
Position
Illumina seems to prefer the team medic role when she works with others. She'll heal anyone who's injured, protect people from attack, that sort of thing. She likes bold, self-sacrificing sorts of moves. When operating solo, she's fully capable of fighting at Stage 4 levels. She's primarily a physical fighter at these times, rather than using energy blasts or force fields.
Personality
She really is the nicest, sweetest girl you'll ever meet. She's got that calm attitude that comes from being able to dish out a beat-down to anyone, but she's pretty non-violent. She gives off that martial artist vibe, so I think someone trained her at some point.
It's pathetically easy to take advantage of her better nature, but she'll always tell you she forgives you, and she doesn't seem to hold it against you. It's weird. I keep waiting for her to just snap. I can't really hate her either, though I really have tried.
Powers
Illumina's primary power is terrifying. She can jack powers from defeated supers - those who have been exhausted and injured - but the jack is permanent. That super goes back down to Stage 0 and stays there. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it never wears off. She apparently can't adopt everyone's powers, so not everyone is vulnerable, but still.
Aside from that, she's able to impose a healing factor on other supers, even mundanes. This is her go-to power for most encounters.
She's picked up a package of secondary abilities over the few years she's been in operation - always from villains who went and actually killed people. I think that's kind of her line that you don't cross, because she can heal anyone who isn't already dead and so probably doesn't care.
Problems
The biggest restraint on Illumina, right now, is Illumina. She's unwilling to siphon powers from people she thinks can be redeemed (which is a lot of people), and she won't hurt anyone unless they're actually hurting someone else at the time.
I made it clear to her during our last run-in that I wasn't about to turn goody-goody for anyone, but I was smart enough to talk that shit after I got out of her trap. I don't know how our next encounter will go, and I don't plan to find out.
She's clearly a nutcase for acting like she's an angel, but that delusion hasn't affected any of her other thought processes.
Apparently she's in a romantic relationship with a Polish super, alias Scrapper, who operates in New York state. He manipulates iron, which is cool, but he's not at her power level. Threatening him to get to her is a possibility, but you better have balls of iron yourself if you try it.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Superheroes of Note: Bluescreen
Today's hero is another well-known, well-respected super. Villains hate him, but at least we can trust him to be consistent.
Bluescreen
For anyone who's been living under a rock for the last ten years, Bluescreen is a nationally registered law enforcement officer with ACTION, former astrophysicist, and professional superhero. His eyes glow blue, and a similar light radiates from the interior of his body - nose, mouth, even a faint trace from his skin.
If you watch television, you've seen this guy. Despite the glow, he's the public face of law enforcement's superhuman division these days, what with the American All-Stars collapsing. He also makes guest appearances on shows like "CSI". He's appeared on "Cosmos" with Neil deGrasse Tyson, as a science consultant on superpowers.
Past
His bio claims that he's a former astrophysicist who worked at a radio observatory. One day the facility was struck by something, which he thinks was an alien radio transmission, and the computers and electronics blew out. He claims to have lost consciousness, and when he came around he was glowing. After discovering his powers, he joined the cops out of a sense of civic responsibility.
Position
Bluescreen is the brick on any team he's a part of, thanks to his force fields. He's got a lot of experience in the field since joining up with ACTION. He's pretty intelligent, so they usually put him in command in the field. He's got a knack for diplomacy and conflict resolution, which helps.
He loves any chance to get back into science, so if there's someone else who can take charge, he'll usually step aside and fall into the role of science consultant and adviser.
Personality
Bluescreen is motivated by a sense of duty to society. In a recent interview, he says he was inspired by classic space opera and sci-fi serials depicting heroes who save civilization. As a science fiction fan, he found himself drawn to astronomy and astrophysics from a young age.
He tends to get caught up in his role. He's definitely more flamboyant and larger-than-life when acting as a superhero, when compared to his public statements when not crimefighting. Seriously, the guy talks like a suit when on camera: "The Meyers legislation offers the most promising reduction in recidivism among Stage 2 offenders, which is why I urge the Senate to send it to the subcommittee immediately for consideration." Now compare that to: "Scourge of Seattle! Stand down, or fall down - choose quickly!"
He's definitely a straight shooter. If he says you're going to walk out of the bank in trade for the hostages, you'll walk out. He's been known to put up force fields to keep snipers from shooting villains while talking things out. That said, if you betray his trust, he will screw your life up. Geode found this out the hard way by hurting some hostages. One twelve-minute beatdown later, he was unconscious and Bluescreen didn't have a scratch on him.
Powers
Bluescreen can create and reshape translucent blue force fields around his body. The closer the field is to him, the stronger and more controllable it becomes. The Transhuman Capability Catalog tentatively assigns him as TCC F12, unified electromagnetic force control, but there's definitely some weird shit that he does which isn't electromagnetic.
He's impressively skilled at shaping his fields. We've seen him do any or all of the following things:
Bluescreen typically makes nonlethal attacks, either using field-enhanced strength or compression bubbles. He reserves his force blades for inanimate objects, vehicles, and the like.
Problems
He's a well-known G-man and basically will never have a secret identity ever again thanks to his body's glow.
He's put away a few powerful villains, who I know from personal experience are itching for payback. If they ever team up to take him down, it's going to be a legendary fight.
Bluescreen
For anyone who's been living under a rock for the last ten years, Bluescreen is a nationally registered law enforcement officer with ACTION, former astrophysicist, and professional superhero. His eyes glow blue, and a similar light radiates from the interior of his body - nose, mouth, even a faint trace from his skin.
If you watch television, you've seen this guy. Despite the glow, he's the public face of law enforcement's superhuman division these days, what with the American All-Stars collapsing. He also makes guest appearances on shows like "CSI". He's appeared on "Cosmos" with Neil deGrasse Tyson, as a science consultant on superpowers.
Past
His bio claims that he's a former astrophysicist who worked at a radio observatory. One day the facility was struck by something, which he thinks was an alien radio transmission, and the computers and electronics blew out. He claims to have lost consciousness, and when he came around he was glowing. After discovering his powers, he joined the cops out of a sense of civic responsibility.
Position
Bluescreen is the brick on any team he's a part of, thanks to his force fields. He's got a lot of experience in the field since joining up with ACTION. He's pretty intelligent, so they usually put him in command in the field. He's got a knack for diplomacy and conflict resolution, which helps.
He loves any chance to get back into science, so if there's someone else who can take charge, he'll usually step aside and fall into the role of science consultant and adviser.
Personality
Bluescreen is motivated by a sense of duty to society. In a recent interview, he says he was inspired by classic space opera and sci-fi serials depicting heroes who save civilization. As a science fiction fan, he found himself drawn to astronomy and astrophysics from a young age.
He tends to get caught up in his role. He's definitely more flamboyant and larger-than-life when acting as a superhero, when compared to his public statements when not crimefighting. Seriously, the guy talks like a suit when on camera: "The Meyers legislation offers the most promising reduction in recidivism among Stage 2 offenders, which is why I urge the Senate to send it to the subcommittee immediately for consideration." Now compare that to: "Scourge of Seattle! Stand down, or fall down - choose quickly!"
He's definitely a straight shooter. If he says you're going to walk out of the bank in trade for the hostages, you'll walk out. He's been known to put up force fields to keep snipers from shooting villains while talking things out. That said, if you betray his trust, he will screw your life up. Geode found this out the hard way by hurting some hostages. One twelve-minute beatdown later, he was unconscious and Bluescreen didn't have a scratch on him.
Powers
Bluescreen can create and reshape translucent blue force fields around his body. The closer the field is to him, the stronger and more controllable it becomes. The Transhuman Capability Catalog tentatively assigns him as TCC F12, unified electromagnetic force control, but there's definitely some weird shit that he does which isn't electromagnetic.
He's impressively skilled at shaping his fields. We've seen him do any or all of the following things:
- Flight, by levitating his body via force field.
- Personal armor and defensive barriers to protect himself and others and provide temporary life support.
- Force blades and edged shapes to cut through tough objects.
- "Compression bubbles", consisting of a spherical force field wrapped around a volume of air. The field is shrunk, greatly increasing the pressure inside. When he releases it, the blast of air causes tremendous outward pressure.
Bluescreen typically makes nonlethal attacks, either using field-enhanced strength or compression bubbles. He reserves his force blades for inanimate objects, vehicles, and the like.
Problems
He's a well-known G-man and basically will never have a secret identity ever again thanks to his body's glow.
He's put away a few powerful villains, who I know from personal experience are itching for payback. If they ever team up to take him down, it's going to be a legendary fight.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Superheroes of Note: Mack Atlas
Since I talked about several supervillains of note, some of you wrote in to ask about the heroic side of the equation - in other words, what heroes are out there, and what's "the best of the best"? I know what you really want to know - "is my hero a world-beater or a wimp" - but I'll answer anyway, if only because some of these guys deserve a shout-out.
Mack Atlas
This guy is not a hero in the conventional sense - he doesn't fight villains (or anyone else) and he doesn't really stop crimes in progress. That said, he's one of the world's best and most renowned superhumans on the side of law.
Let's just say this right now: Mack is probably the world's strongest man. There is no weight he has been unable to lift so far. Everything he's ever failed at lifting failed because it broke under its own weight, not because he was unable to provide leverage. When properly reinforced, he's been capable of lifting battleships and moving (small) mountains.
Mack works with California's Metahuman Task Force (MTF). The state of California has been a model for superhuman relations, and I wish their program would go nationwide. Basically, the MTF hires supers, then does everything it can to let them focus their powers and ignore the small stuff. MTF members don't pay taxes, get preferred parking, a million other little benefits that basically let them show up and do their stuff.
Past
The MTF worked with Federal and state agencies to bury their employees' pasts, for privacy. So what little is known about Mack is what the man himself has said. He was apparently born and raised in California. He's about 42 chronological years old (based on some savvy analysis of musical tastes and cultural touchstones, done by our late lamented Professor Pulsar) and looks about 20.
Mack is one of the charter members of the MTF. There are no reports of his activities prior to the formation of that group, which is surprising because he's a freakishly built guy and couldn't really hide if he wanted to.
Position
Mack is the MTF's go-to guy for construction, repair, and rescue work. He has decades of experience in lifting heavy stuff and avoiding the secondary effects of doing so, like triggering cave-ins. He's not a combat type by any means and avoids fighting.
When coordinating rescue efforts, Mack usually likes someone else to give the orders, but he'll advise and make suggestions as needed. He wants to be up close to where things need doing, and says that a director of operations should have some distance to be able to see the whole scene.
Personality
He's an outgoing, likable guy who enjoys talking. He's one of the most respected supers on the planet because of his workmanlike attitude and refusal to get sucked into hero-vs-villain struggles, politics, or other similar bullshit.
Mack apparently has a girlfriend, but doesn't talk about her. That said, I am pretty sure that any villain who found her and hurt her would be lucky to be caught by a hero. If that guy got caught by the rest of us, we'd see to it that he deeply regretted doing that shit. Nobody wants Mack to come looking for a fight.
Powers
Mack Atlas is classified by the Transhuman Capability Catalog as TCC Q3. His body has some unknown substance bonded to the cells in a symbiotic relationship. He has incredible amounts of energy and frankly terrifying levels of physical strength and durability. If he's not Stage 5, then he's definitely at the very high end of Stage 4.
He has been known to tank 120mm howitzer shells to the face, and survived a bombardment from an American battleship unscathed (no, they weren't aiming at him deliberately). He's fallen from orbit, had a mountain collapse on him, and derailed a freight train by punching it. Most villains are grateful that he just loves to lift and fix things, because if he got a hold of one of us, that would be the end of that.
Problems
Mack is a very nice guy, and hates to see people get hurt. Villains have threatened civilians to get him to let them escape, and thankfully for them nobody got hurt. He can definitely be manipulated by threatening innocent bystanders.
He's also nearsighted, which is very weird. The super-mutation normally fixes problems like that, but not in his case. His regenerative powers keep trying to grow cells over any contact lenses, so he has to resort to glasses to see clearly. This is by far the most hilarious thing a lot of villains have seen in a long time.
Mack Atlas
This guy is not a hero in the conventional sense - he doesn't fight villains (or anyone else) and he doesn't really stop crimes in progress. That said, he's one of the world's best and most renowned superhumans on the side of law.
Let's just say this right now: Mack is probably the world's strongest man. There is no weight he has been unable to lift so far. Everything he's ever failed at lifting failed because it broke under its own weight, not because he was unable to provide leverage. When properly reinforced, he's been capable of lifting battleships and moving (small) mountains.
Mack works with California's Metahuman Task Force (MTF). The state of California has been a model for superhuman relations, and I wish their program would go nationwide. Basically, the MTF hires supers, then does everything it can to let them focus their powers and ignore the small stuff. MTF members don't pay taxes, get preferred parking, a million other little benefits that basically let them show up and do their stuff.
Past
The MTF worked with Federal and state agencies to bury their employees' pasts, for privacy. So what little is known about Mack is what the man himself has said. He was apparently born and raised in California. He's about 42 chronological years old (based on some savvy analysis of musical tastes and cultural touchstones, done by our late lamented Professor Pulsar) and looks about 20.
Mack is one of the charter members of the MTF. There are no reports of his activities prior to the formation of that group, which is surprising because he's a freakishly built guy and couldn't really hide if he wanted to.
Position
Mack is the MTF's go-to guy for construction, repair, and rescue work. He has decades of experience in lifting heavy stuff and avoiding the secondary effects of doing so, like triggering cave-ins. He's not a combat type by any means and avoids fighting.
When coordinating rescue efforts, Mack usually likes someone else to give the orders, but he'll advise and make suggestions as needed. He wants to be up close to where things need doing, and says that a director of operations should have some distance to be able to see the whole scene.
Personality
He's an outgoing, likable guy who enjoys talking. He's one of the most respected supers on the planet because of his workmanlike attitude and refusal to get sucked into hero-vs-villain struggles, politics, or other similar bullshit.
Mack apparently has a girlfriend, but doesn't talk about her. That said, I am pretty sure that any villain who found her and hurt her would be lucky to be caught by a hero. If that guy got caught by the rest of us, we'd see to it that he deeply regretted doing that shit. Nobody wants Mack to come looking for a fight.
Powers
Mack Atlas is classified by the Transhuman Capability Catalog as TCC Q3. His body has some unknown substance bonded to the cells in a symbiotic relationship. He has incredible amounts of energy and frankly terrifying levels of physical strength and durability. If he's not Stage 5, then he's definitely at the very high end of Stage 4.
He has been known to tank 120mm howitzer shells to the face, and survived a bombardment from an American battleship unscathed (no, they weren't aiming at him deliberately). He's fallen from orbit, had a mountain collapse on him, and derailed a freight train by punching it. Most villains are grateful that he just loves to lift and fix things, because if he got a hold of one of us, that would be the end of that.
Problems
Mack is a very nice guy, and hates to see people get hurt. Villains have threatened civilians to get him to let them escape, and thankfully for them nobody got hurt. He can definitely be manipulated by threatening innocent bystanders.
He's also nearsighted, which is very weird. The super-mutation normally fixes problems like that, but not in his case. His regenerative powers keep trying to grow cells over any contact lenses, so he has to resort to glasses to see clearly. This is by far the most hilarious thing a lot of villains have seen in a long time.
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