Name: The Universal


Real Name: Dr. Adam Armstrong


Identity: Known


Appearance:




In his civvies


Before the accident & wearing G-Eps


Age: 37


Height: 6'


Birthplace: New Amsterdam City, NA


Powers:



Origin: From early in his childhood, Armstrong's parents knew their child was of above average intelligence; however, they lacked the income to afford any special testing for their son, and so he carried on through his schooling at a regular pace. Although Armstrong found the work incredibly simple and was often in trouble for correcting his teachers in front of the class, he never realized just how above average he was.

That is, until he received a scholarship to attend New Amsterdam State University, and eventually found himself under the guidance of the brilliant Dr. Jonah Jackson. Jackson was amazed at Armstrong's brilliance, and financed him through his Ph.D studies. Receiving a doctorate in theoretical physics three years later. Armstrong joined Jackson in his lab full-time.

Since the accident involving Janet Goodman, Dr. Jackson had neglected his Gyroscopic Energy Production System in favor of other projects. Naturally, Armstrong was drawn to the forgotten project, and, after studying it intently, suggested they re-start the project.

Armstrong reasoned that, with certain modifications, the G-Eps might be capable of expanding its energy-locating functions into creating a minuscule wormhole to another point in the universe, locate a small-but-powerful portion of energy from the universe's expansion, and redirect that energy to provide power to an external device.

G-Eps was slimmed down into a user-wearable form, cutting its energy use tenfold, and modified to fit its new purpose. Confident in the project, Armstrong volunteered himself to try out the new system. Jackson was reluctant to agree, still fearful from his previous attempts at running G-Eps. But Armstrong won out in the end, explaining that, of all the scientists in the world, Armstrong understood the working of G-Eps better than any, including its inventor, Dr. Jackson, so if their options were to either test the machine with Armstrong, or never test it.

G-Eps was powered up and appeared to be successful, opening up a tiny wormhole at the edge of the universe. But all was not well. Attempting to harness the power of the expanding universe, the suit drained power from the entire lab, then the university, then the city. The black-out made the 11:00 news. Even after the city was out of power, G-Eps continued to take in energy, finding it inside the wormhole and transferring it into the suit.

This second lab explosion did not simply take Dr. Jackson's leg, but his life, although no remains were ever uncovered. Armstrong, however, was left alive... However, the wormhole created by G-Eps did not reach the point the scientists had expected. It had, instead, been an inter-universe wormhole, reaching into a universe that mirrors our own. The suit continued to pull energy from that universe into itself, pulsing the energy into the body of Dr. Armstrong.

The result was a universe parallel to our own, existing inside the physical form of Adam Armstrong.

Armstrong now wears G-Eps, it being the only force keeping the universe inside of him, preventing it from colliding with our own, causing unthinkable catastrophe.

Dubbed "The Universal" by some, Armstrong's power is theoretically limitless, as he commands the power of an entire universe. However, Armstrong's physical form is not without its limits, and he must work hard to maintain a balance. Although small expulsions of power in the form of energy beams are completely bearable, any large use of his power could have untold effects upon Armstrong's body and mind.

Armstrong also has seemingly unlimited knowledge of this universe's workings, as he is connected with its twin. However, that is not to say that he constantly maintains this knowledge.
Imagine yourself, across town, wondering about the inner workings of the modern combustion engine. You pull out your cell phone or PDA and search for the information on Google or Wikipedia. Now imagine that instead of your PDA, you're searching with your mind, and instead of looking at Google, you look at the fundamental functions of the universe. It's something like that.

Armstrong is also able to combine this knowledge with his energy expulsion to affect the physical properties of the universe around him. He is but a thought away from creating a personal doorway in military-grade titanium.

Armstrong has a long, successful relationship with the USC government, using his vast knowledge and abilities to help further their research, both military and domestic, using the funding to expand his lab, which sits below his penthouse in the heart of New Amsterdam.


Personality:

A simple equation: ( + ) / = The Universal

Armstrong is generally affable, although he has a tendency to push a conversation over everyone's heads without realizing it. Few people have become close to Armstrong, and some of those who do know him well suggest that he may have a slight messiah complex.

Although well-respected for his mind, his physical appearance post-accident is still shocking to most. A celestial scar tears across his head, cutting through his hair, and he is forced to always way G-Eps components. His body appears only a a swirling mass of stars and planets. This has lead to his becoming somewhat of a recluse, although he still attends events hosted by the country and city's upper echelon.

Because of his close relationship with the USC government, Armstrong officially condemns all costumed vigilantism. Also because of this relationship, the USC government looks the other way when rumors circulate that Armstrong has been off adventuring once again.


Hero History: