Characters: Umbra
Real name: Umbra
Occupation: Agent of chaos
Identity: Not known to the public
Legal Status: Wanted by global law enforcement for acts of terror and crimes against humanity
Place of Birth: Unknown
Known relatives: Legacy (father), Anisa Okoro (a.k.a. Glitch, half-sister)
Group Affiliation: The Factory
Powers and Abilities: Umbra possesses many different superhuman abilities as a result of the traits passed down from his "genetic mother," the Aztec "goddess" Itzpapalotl and his father Legacy. He was also subjected to many genetic and surgical enhancements at Legacy's hands.
Umbra is a telepath who possesses the ability to read and project thoughts; control minds; mentally subdue opponents and affect memories.
Umbra can emit beams of immensely powerful concussive force from his eyes, an ability Itzpapalotl also exhibited. He can accesses "The Dark," a fundamental component of the energy that holds the universe together to fire these beams of black energy. Umbra's eye beams were powerful enough to demolish an apartment building in Quito, Peru, during a battle with T.A.S.K.
Umbra also possesses large feathered wings that protrude from his back that allow him to fly. Using solely his wings, Umbra can maintain a top speed of 90 mph for almost 6 hours of uninterrupted flight.
However Umbra can also manipulate gravitons and anti-gravitons (particles that carry the force of gravitational attraction and repulsion) around himself. By decreasing the pull of gravity on himself, Umbra can fly at supersonic speeds, using his wings for steering and maneuvering.
Umbra is superhumanly strong and durable. His armored hide resembles that of his mother's and has been additionally reinforced as a result of Legacy's bio-engineering. He can lift approximately 50 tons and has shrugged off impacts from exploding U.S. Navy Tomahawk missiles and tank shells.
Origin: Umbra is the son of Legacy and a clone of an ancient goddess.
During the Kao War thousands of years ago, gods clashed in deadly combat and pantheons were torn asunder as brother fought against brother. Legacy, an empowered human, stood with his adopted father Kao in his hate-fueled crusade to remake the world. Many gods were swayed by Kao's words and gathered to his cause. Among them was the dread goddess of darkness Itzpapalotl. Legacy was immediately taken by her beauty and fearsome nature and loved watching her strike terror into their enemies before savagely gutting them with her wings of night. The sound of her beautiful voice singing songs of death and woe while gleefully slaying opponents entranced him. His obsession with Itzapapalotl was the closest thing Legacy had ever felt to true love and he professed his feelings to her -- only to have her laugh in his face for daring to speak of love to a being so high above his pathetic human station.
In the final battle of the war, Itzpapalotl was seriously injured by Amaterasu and lay dying on the blood soaked battlefield. As Kao's forces lost ground and broke in retreat, she was discovered by the fleeing Legacy, who she begged to end her suffering. Legacy instead took her, broken and bleeding and fled to one of Kao's hidden strongholds where he managed to save the night goddess' life using Kao's advanced science (although she lost her abilities would be crippled for the rest of her life). However Itzapapalotl soon found that she was both patient and prisoner as her savior demanded her love as reward for what he'd done for her.
Over the next hundred years Itzapapalotl would attempt many escapes until she eventually managed to end her own life by exposing herself to the lethal radiation of the stronghold's power core. She left behind a charred corpse and a journal of her time under Legacy's "tender" care. Enraged and hurt, Legacy refused to let it end and used genetic material he had harvested from the goddess he loved to create a clone. Unfortunately he was not as skilled as his teacher (cloning a goddess took a level of knowledge Legacy had not yet attained) and his first clone was a monstrous disaster….as was his second ... his third ... and his fourth ...
Decades passed and after much trial and error, Legacy successfully created an Itzapapalotl clone -- who (like the original) refused to love him and soon committed suicide. Considering the entire enterprise a grand failure, Legacy decided to abandon his quest to recreate the night goddess.
One night fate stepped in.
Centuries prior, Legacy had carelessly disposed of one of his earliest clone failures and this forgotten creation woke up. This clone had matured for a much longer period than any of his previous attempts and emerged in near perfect condition. To Legacy's delight the clone's main fault was that its memories were damaged and while she remembered that there was love between herself and Legacy, she did not remember that she that she did not return her creator's affections. Soon enough the Itzapapalotl clone became Legacy's lover and in time pregnant with his child.
Unfortunately the clone wasn't strong enough to endure childbirth and died bringing Legacy's son into the world; a son the clone named Umbra before breathing her last. Shattered, Legacy swore never to clone Itzapapalotl again and destroyed all of her remaining genetic material. He could also not bear to be around the child -- a living testament to his loss and failure, so he left Umbra in the care of his servants. Occasionally he would return to observe the boy's abilities, experiment or perform some manner of (often excruciatingly painful) bio-modification on him. It was during one of these visits that Legacy discovered Umbra's telepathic gifts. It was also during one such visit that he heard his son sing. The child possessed the same beautiful voice as his genetic mother; a rapturous voice that enraged Legacy so much that he performed surgery on the boy to remove his vocal cords so he would never hear that sound again. After that Umbra communicated solely through telepathy.
In his teen years Umbra became his father's envoy and at times a terrible extension of Legacy's will; often engaging in excessive violence and cruelty to gain his master's favor -- and love. When the Alliance (a group that promotes itself as a logistics and support organization for superhuman criminals and organizations) sought Legacy's assistance for their takeover of the South American island nation of Jerhlat, it was Umbra that Legacy sent to them. It was Umbra that decimated Jerhlat's military and killed the nation's President. It was Umbra who set the hospitals ablaze.
Umbra now sits at Legacy's right hand; a somber and vitally important member of the Factory, whose loyalty is seemingly beyond question. However events have unfolded that may change the status quo. Umbra has become fascinated with his half-sister Glitch (a member of T.A.S.K.); a blood relative who has escaped the pain and suffering of being Legacy's scion. Umbra has also located and is reading the original Itzpapalotl's journal ...
Written by Damion Gonzales
Character design by Sean Isaakse