Name:Johnathan Michael Waid
Nicknames:Angler Fist
Damp Devil
Deep Dark
Fist Face
Jack
Alias:Devil Ray
Age:28 Years Old
Sex:Male
Appearance:His face is almost like the sheet of paper beneath your masterpiece, where some of the ink bled through and you can faintly see every detail of it's creation. The major difference is that the artist would would've used a razor blade instead of a paint brush, and left scars in lieu of ink. His complexion is not unlike a pancake that has only begun to cook. And his oily black hair has bangs that sometimes dangle in front of his eyes like the feet of someone sitting on the edge of a bridge.
His superhero outfit consists of a skintight scarlet jumpsuit that resembles a combination between spandex and dolphin hyde. It only vaguely resembles the color red when exposed to harsh, direct lighting. Otherwise a contrasting set of symmetrical gray regions decorate the outfit, with the same inconsistent bumpy texture as the finished product of an amateur spray painter, or a bull shark. His mask is a continuation of the same scarlet and gray pattern with holes cut for the eyes and mouth.
Powers/Skills:Agility: As a result of a decade of practice he can push his body to the farthest reaches of human dexterity seen on the television show American Ninja Warrior and beyond.
Aquatic Breathing: Thanks to his mutation, his lungs have the ability to strip water ingested of its oxygen before exhaling the excess hydrogen.
Combat Style: Boxing, kendo, and a grab bag of cinema inspired martial art strikes influence his fighting style.
Echolocation: His brain has been partially rewired in order to prioritize auditory input and analyze it in a way that can paint a picture not unlike visual stimuli.
Electrolocation: Similarly, his mutation slowly influenced his anatomy to grow new glands that would be able to create fully immersive pseudo-visual input.
Lubricant Secretion: He is capable of secreting a lubricant slime all over his skin, that penetrates most types of clothing and reduces friction greatly. It is very useful for increasing velocity underwater, or for making it nigh impossible for a foe to grab hold of him.
Night Vision: In low light conditions his vision becomes more sensitive to light overall, however his perception of color nearly disappears in such darknesses.
Backstory:Jack was raised in a lower class family by an adoptive father who had never reported his lack of biological connection to the government. He had no way of knowing that his own "real" father was out there somewhere or, more accurately, already in his grave. He was an excellent student, but struggled in the social department. He always had a very special looking way of traveling, he'd often put his hands on the ground when he was moving quickly, almost like a gorilla. So ostracism was inevitable. And reclusion was consequential.
So he had not received a single visitor, his father aside, when he was placed in the hospital by a chemical substance he chanced across while taking a spontaneous and ill-advised swim in the Gotham Bay. His suffering was best summarized as a few hours of "Hell, but worse". A temporary burning sensation plagued his nerves and delicate, juvenile psyche before subsiding and beginning a series of mutations. As fate would have it, he swam into a field of an experimental, discarded retrovirus designed by an ambitious but irresponsible geneticist.
Years of self-experimentation ensued, with Jack steadily becoming more and more familiar with the quirks of his own anatomy. Something key that he discovered was that he could breathe underwater. This led to his temptation to help himself to however much he could carry of whatever was around him in the boats stationed around the bay. By lifting off of the boats in this unconventional way, he was able to make a significant contribution to his household, that he imagined impossible otherwise.
Coming to the bay at nights, he witnessed a menagerie of illicit activities. But how could he, in good conscience, speak against them when he shared in their wrongdoing? He couldn't answer for himself, so he gave up looting the boats and instead swapped to fighting criminals. It was a daunting undertaking, to place himself in harm's way against more muscular men who were not the slightest bit afraid of hurting him. So, before he knew how to fight, he would lure them to the river and reduce their effectiveness before rendering them unconscious.
He spent the completion of the next decade duking it out with public enemies on land and under water. In that time he had became an associate of other Gotham area vigilantes, even making trips to neighboring Blüdhaven and beyond.
Motivation for joining the League?:As a means of affecting a greater change in the world than he had been. One where he can be on the front lines of the ever raging battle between good and evil, tranquility and disruption. To become a buffer between positive change and disorder.
What do you bring to the League?:I'll be the first to acknowledge he has a lot of overlap with pre-flashpoint Nightwing, with capeless acrobatics and fisticuffs set in front of the Gotham area. But a key difference is his relationship with water. It doesn't quite make him as effective as an Atlantean under the water and he isn't quite on the same tier of the Bat family when on land, though very few individuals ever do reach that level. But his sensory abilities are an asset that would likely gain the League an edge in unknown territories.
NotesHis weapon of choice is a custom built rod that has a grapnel on one end. Using pressurized air, it sends an extremely durable tip and line forth, usually digging into whatever object it impacts. Alternatively it can be released and used as a whip. A button built into the handle minimizes the possibility of serious injury by retracting the tip.
Creatively speaking, this is the descendant of an idea I had to bring Marvel's ultimate Ray Connor into a hybrid Marvel/DC universe without making him completely redundant of Matt Murdock. Instead partially associating him with Aquaman and Atlantis. Though I haven't quite done that here. This character owes A LOT to both Daredevil and Aquaman, or more accurately Black Manta.
Jack always pretended to be an Atlantean when asked about the source of his abilities.
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