Characters: Crater
Real Name: Cree Atkinson
Occupation: Criminal, superhuman terrorist
Identity: Unknown to the general public
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record
Place of Birth: New York, NY
Known relatives: Terrence Atkinson (father); Reid Atkinson (brother); Shawna Atkinson (mother, deceased)
Group Affiliation: Crooklyn Kidz; The Factory
Powers and Abilities: A significant portion of Crater's body has been replaced by advanced mechanical parts. As a result Crater exhibits superhuman strength, durability, stamina and speed. Crater possesses an electronic eye which is capable of greatly increased vision and perception of various energy wavelengths. Her mechanical parts hide a wide variety of accessories, such as an electric stun web, concussion mines, harpoons and grappling hooks/lines. Her primary (and favorite) weapon is a charged particle cannon (right arm); capable of destroying a tank with a single shot. She is also outfitted with two mini photon emitters (left arm).
Origin: Cree Atkinson and her brother Reid were born to a fairly average middle class African American family. Her father owned a small residential construction company in Brooklyn and her mother was a kindergarten teacher. As a child Cree gravitated to various tomboyish pursuits and excelled at sports and martial arts, often competing with and winning against older and bigger children. Her younger brother tried to follow in her footsteps but lacked Cree's natural athleticism and competitive drive.
She would have probably gone on to a career in professional sports had her mother not succumbed to pancreatic cancer. The effect on the family was devastating as Cree's father struggled with the economic fallout from his wife's medical care, the demands of his business and the added responsibilities of a single father. Reid was the first one to fall through the cracks; becoming involved with a group of neighborhood boys committing petty thefts. Eventually he became part of a larger and much more criminal gang. Cree knew of her brother's descent into criminality and would spend hours on the streets searching for him. One night she confronted Reid and other gang members and a brawl ensued. She and the gang's leader P-Money were arrested. Admiring her toughness, P-Money tried to recruit her but she refused.
Cree's arrest and the revelation of Reid's gang activities weighed heavily on their father's mind and his distraction led to an accident at work; a blow to the head rendering him comatose. Child Services quickly moved in to place the children into protective care, care from which Reid promptly ran away. Fearing her brother would end up hurt or worse Cree joined him -- both of them staying in the abandoned apartment P-Money's crew used as a hangout. The first night there, Cree was attacked and jumped into the gang.
At first Cree was adamant in her refusal to be part of the gang's illicit activities but upon learning how much her father's medical care cost, her attitude toward them changed. Soon Cree found herself deep in the gang's illegal business, where she excelled at planning robberies and moves against rival gangs. She and Reid would send their cut to the hospital to cover their father's bills. Cree's success at planning crimes angered P-Money, who began to see her as a threat to his leadership -- especially since Cree wouldn't get involved with the gang's drug trafficking.
Eventually P-Money tried to force Cree to become part of his drug business; threatening to harm her father if she didn't help him. The tense standoff in the unconscious man's hospital room ended with Cree promoted to the rank of the gang's new leader....over P-Money's bullet riddled body. He survived but was no longer welcome in Brooklyn and no longer a member of the "Crooklyn Kidz."
That was the night that Cree Atkinson became Crater.
Under Crater's leadership the gang prospered and grew in members....even as her name grew in notoriety and she became colder and more violent. Crater's only weakness, the comatose parent whose care was paid for by her crimes, remained a closely guarded secret.
Crater and the Crooklyn Kidz embarked on a violent expansion campaign and the streets of Brooklyn became a war zone; the violence leaving many innocent victims in its wake. One such victim was Lucas Rodney, brother of Leon Rodney (who would go on to become the hero known as Lightning Rod). Crater's takeover of Brooklyn gang activity was so absolute that larger crime syndicates would seek her permission if operating within the confines of "her borough." This was how Crater met [REDACTED].
Crater became part of [REDACTED]'s overly elaborate scheme to acquire the T'Adari staff and smuggle it out of the country without alerting T.A.S.K. As the scheme fell apart and super powered combatants entered the fray, Crater and her gang found themselves battling the likes of O.G. Knight, Meridian and [REDACTED]; using technologically advanced weapons supplied by [REDACTED]. During that incident's final battle Crater was severely injured in an explosion and lost [REDACTED]. Her unconscious body was stolen from an ambulance by [REDACTED], who took her to be remade as a cyborg by the terrifying Brother None.
Now as the cybernetic monstrosity known as Crater, she seeks revenge against the one she blames for her terrible plight, the teen hero Lightning Rod.
Written by Damion Gonzales
Character design by Sean Isaakse