So apparently Tim Absath of Ctrl-alt-delete comic is running a contest for five beta keys for Champions Online, being produced by the excellent Cryptic Studios. The contest requires inventing a superhero, and here’s my entry:

Once a support technician for a tech startup, Max Kellder is now unrecognizeable. Following the clues of a new mysterious, and difficult ARG, Max trekked to a mountain range deep in the wilds of Canada. There, he discovered he was being pursued by a mysterious organization that calls themselves CROSS, an acronym for something. Desperately hiding from his pursuers, Kellder hides deep within a cave. Within the cave, he finds the entire purpose for the ARG and the whole reason CROSS is hunting him: a dark jewel, with lightning of all the colors deep within. Staring inside the jewel, Kellder is visited by a being that claims to be God, and that in finding the jewel,Kellder has proven himself worthy. The jewel Kellder had found was once the centerpiece jewel of the Ark of the Covenant, long since hidden by the Knights of the Templar. The Holy Spirit tells Kellder that he is to become one of God’s mortal archangels, representatives of His power. Though doubtful, Kellder has no choice but to accept. And from that point on, his life was never the same.

Hearing voices of both genders, young and old, and in varied accents, and seeing people no one else can see, he quickly becomes homeless, dressed in rags and living under a bridge. But when he hears the Call, he transforms in a burst of lightning to a man wearing silvery-white armor, without a helmet, and a large gold cross across the breastplate. At the center of the cross lies the black jewel Kellder found so long ago. His hair in this form is long and flowing, grey, like that of a prophet out of the wilderness. Taking the name of the organization that pursued him, and the symbol that appears on his chest, he calls himself the Cross. Wielding a longsword, Cross works at the bidding of the voices and people he sees, to bring divine retribution to those whom deserve it.

His methods are cruel, and he fights in the worst alleys and the darkest corners of the city. He brings the homeless food, and shelter, and protects the defenceless from those that would use and abuse them. The voices and people only he sees seem to have a plan for him, a plan he does not yet understand, and one he fears will despoil his soul forever.

The other heroes of the city feel he is insane, and do not believe any of his rants or prophetic visions, despite how often they come true. They also dislike the cruelty of his methods, and feel he is one to beware of.

His powers are those of the Old Testament: lightning, invulnerability, and the ability to call down a plague or curse on the most deserving victims. His only weaknesses are what the voices in his head call Black magic, the magic of Satan and his worshipppers. This brings him into conflict with other heroes that use magic as their powers, as he believes they are servants of the Great Liar, and thus not to be trusted. His voices however, insist strenuously that he should kill the blasphemers where they stand, but he resists.

Its a bit disorganized right now, but Cross is just pure awesome. He’s got the whole possible schizophrenia thing going, plus, he’s got a huge amount of doubt for being an agent of god. Lots of stuff to play on, as well as the cruelty, the “plan” of the voices and people only he can see, and the homeless factor. I can see him crusading equally against corrupt real estate developers, cruel pimps and johns, as he could crusade against more direct forms of evil. I’m already thinking of plots involving Cross, and it would be awesome to make a webcomic series about Cross.