#openavengers

PIETRO MAXIMOFF — a.k.a. QUICKSILVER — OPEN!

“ I’m freaking QUICKSILVER!!! And you can eat my freaking dust!   ”

Pietro is the oldest of the Maximoff twins by amazing 12 minutes, a fact he never lets his younger sister forget when convenient. They were born in Sokovia, one of the more or less forgotten places in this world, where disasters happen and no one notices until some big news outlet decides to make a scandal out of it.

That happened after a bombing, an intense one. Pietro’s introduction to one of the biggest names in current history was made by a mortar shell, the one that struck the apartment which housed his family. It killed his parents and stuck the twins under a bed for two days waiting for rescue, ten-year-old Pietro covering Wanda with his own body to make sure she was safe. It was a Stark mortar shell.

Orphans and full of despair, they were recruited by Hydra at a public protest, volunteering to their experiments in order to obtain whatever advantage they could in their new life. After Hydra took a huge hit, they decided to try their luck with Ultron, the other alternative to hit the man who destroyed their family once and for all.

When this last try proved to be an attack on mankind and not simply one man, brother and sister begrudgingly left Ultron to join the Avengers, still distrusting anything that had Stark involved. That did not change Pietro’s determination though, he sacrificed his life to save a small boy and Clint Barton’s life, only to be saved by Helen Cho’s work, the Cradle, a year after the events of Civil War. He has joined Captain America’s side since.

Abilities:

Superhuman speed, with the physiology to support and sustain his body at incredible speeds, including increased metabolism, stamina, and reflexes. This also awards him extreme force generation and improved thermal homeostasis.

Quick intellect - is able to think at a greater speed than most - and a skilled fighter, especially in hand-to-hand combat.

JAMES “RHODEY” RHODES --- a.k.a. WAR MACHINE --- OPEN!

“Okay, Tony. Let's see what this new toy of yours can do...”

When James Rhodes was in college, he met Tony Stark, typical rich kid who loved to splash cash. But something James managed to pick up on that most ignored about Stark was Stark’s intellect and sense of humour. The two of them became fast friends, bouncing ideas off of each other and getting into trouble (although it was more likely that Stark was in trouble with James bailing him out of it). Even when James joined the US Air Force, his friendship with Stark continued to grow. James managed to get Stark a weapons consultancy position with the Armed Forces whilst being one of the few advisers Stark actually listened to (sometimes).

James, commonly referred to as Rhodey, quickly worked his way through the ranks of the Air Force to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He was an accomplished pilot, flying many successful missions as well as commanding them. His path crossed with Captain Carol Danvers many times and while the two of them didn’t always agree on strategy, they did have a great deal of mutant respect for each other. Rhodey accompanied Stark on a trip to Afghanistan but it was during that trip that Stark was kidnapped. Rhodey nearly went out of his mind with worry for his best friend and headed the search party himself. He didn’t rest until Stark was found in the desert. He was surprised to learn the details of how Stark escaped and even more surprised to learn that Stark had created a new suit that enabled him to fly and to fight forces against peace. Rhodey may have disapproved of Stark’s methods but Rhodey was one of his loudest defenders.

Rhodey’s loyalty to Stark was rewarded (if one can see it that way) with a super suit of his own. Rhodey took on the mantle of War Machine and used his suit to serve his country overseas. There was a short period when he was redubbed the Iron Patriot but Rhodey doesn’t like to talk about that. Rhodey earned his place on the new Avengers team, led by Captain America, and he believed that the Avengers were a force for good. That is until the Accords were introduced.

The Sokovia Accords divided the Avengers. Rhodey was convinced that the Accords were going to do good not only for the Avengers but for the civilians they were trying to protect. Rhodey was so sure of that belief that he fought his former team mates over it. During the course of the battle, Rhodey was hit and fell out of the sky. He sustained life-threatening injuries; he survived but he was now paralysed. Stark is helping Rhodey recover and regain the use of his legs with the assistance of robotic prosthetics. Rhodey might not be flying for the moment, but he will never give up the fight for what is right.

Abilities:

Accomplished pilot with expert knowledge in weaponry and strategy.

Skilled marksman and survivalist.

When using the War Machine suit, he is capable of flight, as well as being equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry.

THE VISION --- OPEN!

“Well, I was born yesterday.”

Vision was supposed to be the perfect form for Ultron; Ultron being the creation of Tony Stark as Stark tried to find a way to protect the world from harm. Ultron’s mission became skewed and twisted and Ultron believed the best way to protect the world was to destroy it. His vision included a synthetic body made with vibranium with his consciousness inside of it, powered by the stone that was once in Loki’s spectre. But Avengers stole the body before Ultron could transfer himself inside of it. Ultron’s vision became Stark and Banner’s vision instead, assisted by Thor to make Vision come to life.

With J.A.R.V.I.S.’s programming as his basis, Vision became the Avengers’ powerful ally in the fight against Ultron. Vision was able to lock Ultron out of the internet, preventing his escape. Vision fought against Ultron’s army and eventually the Avengers were victorious in stopping Ultron’s evil plans. When the battle was over, Vision was able to speak to Ultron one last time. He stated that while humans were odd, it was a privilege to stand beside them. With this in mind, after the last of Ultron’s drone robots had been destroyed, Vision chose to stay with the Avengers and become an official member of their team.

Vision learned much about and from his team mates but still struggled to understand the intricacies of human behaviour and manners and how to handle people. That is not to say he didn’t get on with his fellow Avengers; he did and they formed fond and deep attachments, especially between he and Wanda Maximoff. Wanda was one of the more patient of his colleagues and she taught him a lot in how to act around humans. But when the Sokovia Accords were brought in, Vision immediately saw the sense in them. The Avengers needed order for them to be as effective as possible. He tried to convey this to the others but some of them, like Steve Rogers, did not agree.

Now the team is split and Vision is unsure of the future. He has remained in the Avengers compound, assisting Lieutenant-Colonel Rhodes in his recovery from his injuries (which Vision had caused during a slip in concentration). And he finds himself worrying for the fates of his former team members who are now fugitives. Vision firmly believes that the Accords are the best route forwards for teams like the Avengers and he doesn’t understand why some people do not agree. Tony Stark has yet been able to explain it to him. Humans really are truly odd.

Abilities:

Density manipulation: Vision is able to change the density of his body. He can make himself either weightless and transparent or heavy and utterly solid.

Energy beam: from the Mind stone placed on his forehead, Vision is able to shoot beams of pure energy.

Flight, high level of intellect, and superhuman levels of stamina and reflexes.

DARCY LEWIS --- OPEN!

“I am not dying for 6 college credits!”

Darcy Lewis had to take an internship as part of her college credits for her undergraduate Political Science degree. Out of the internships on offer, she picked an unlikely one: assisting astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster with her latest project. It didn’t matter to Darcy that Jane’s project had nothing to do with Political Science, all that mattered was gaining 6 credits and getting the internship done and out of the way. As it turned out, Darcy was the only applicant to Jane’s project and she was hired. Neither Darcy nor Jane could have expected what happened next.

And what did happen next? How about the arrival of Thor, a being from another part of the cosmos who managed to prove a large chunk of Jane’s research about bridges to other dimensions? Darcy found herself caught up in Thor and Jane’s hi-jinks which included risking her life when this big, metallic looking, death-bot turned up in the tiny New Mexico town where Darcy and Jane were staying while Jane conducted her research. When all of the dust settled after that, Darcy realised that she wasn’t prepared to go back to a ‘normal’ life when her internship was over. 

She finished her Political Science degree at Culver University and as soon as she could, she rejoined Jane and officially become Jane’s best assistant. The two of them moved to London for the next part of Jane’s research and of course, Thor had to drop in again and make everything more interesting with explosions, wormholes, and dark elves. This escapade gave Jane a huge advantage with her research and next thing Darcy knew, they were travelling all over the world with talk of Jane possibly receiving a Nobel Prize for her work (which Darcy was totally going to take some credit for).

Right now, Darcy is in New York and on ‘loan’ to Tony Stark as he tries to pull what’s left of the Avengers back together. Jane is in deep research mode and decided Darcy might benefit from a change of pace. Plus Darcy gets to stay in an ultra-sweet apartment in the Avengers compound which is an upgrade to camping out in the middle of nowhere while Jane star-gazes and mutters to herself about coordinates and star positions. Darcy does have her work cut out for her as she assists Tony and the other super-heroes hanging out at the compound. And then there’s all those phone calls from Secretary of State Ross that Tony keeps ignoring... 

Abilities:

University graduate - she is an expert in Political Science since obtaining her degree at Culver University.

Scientist - after working with Dr. Jane Foster, Darcy has picked up enough scientific knowledge to notice patterns and irregularities in data.

Basic self-defence knowledge, including how to use a tazer.

RICHARD “RICK” JONES --- OPEN!

“I guess I'll never be a super-hero.”

Orphaned at a very young age, Richard “Rick” Jones found himself being bounced from orphanage to orphanage because of his bad behaviour and tendency to rebel against his elders. He found himself at a state institution called Tempest Town. He continued to be a troubled and rebellious youth and as such gained the attention of the head of the institution. As punishment for his trouble-making, the administrator smashed Rick’s most treasured possession: his late father’s guitar. Rick ran away from the institution and spent the rest of his childhood and most of his teens drifting through various towns in the Southwest.

When Rick was 16, he obtained his driver’s license and saved enough money to get himself a second-hand car. Prompted by one of his friend’s dares, Rick drove out into the desert to a bomb testing range. His friend chickened out of going actually into the testing range, but Rick went ahead anyway. He was moments away from being blasted by a new bomb’s radiation but he was pushed into safety by Dr. Bruce Banner. Banner took the hit of radiation which mutated his genetic structure, causing him to transform into a monstrous beast called the Hulk. 

Feeling responsible for what happened to Banner, Rick decided he wanted to help Banner in any way he could. Banner was rather reluctant to accept Rick’s help at first but the two of them formed a strong friendship over the years. Rick often assisted Bruce avoid the authorities who were after him and the Hulk, hacking into high-security databases to change information on Bruce’s whereabouts. Rick also sought out support for superheroes like Bruce before the Avengers were formed. When they were, Rick was one of the first to volunteer to help them with their efforts but was turned away.

These days, Rick continues to assist Bruce avoid the glare of people like Secretary of State Ross while also using his skills to become known as the hacktivist called The Whisperer. The Whisperer is known for leaking top secret information from organisations like SHIELD to the public, focusing on the Sokovia Accords. Rick has a hunch that Ross wants something other than world peace and for all the super-powered beings to get along and he will not stop digging until he finds out what Ross is up to and reveals it to the world.

Abilities:

Skilled combatant and accomplished gymnast.

Computer skills, including hacking high-security databases like SHIELD.

Talented musician and song-writer.

DR ELIZABETH “BETTY” ROSS --- OPEN!

“Protect me? Protect me from what, Hulk? The only thing I'm afraid of... the only thing that is hurting me... ...is you.”

Elizabeth “Betty” Ross was the only child of General Thaddeus Ross and his wife, Karen Lee. Karen died when Betty was a teenager. In his grief, Betty’s father shut her out and sent her away to boarding school because according to him, the army base on which he lived was no place for a young woman. Betty stayed away from her father until she had graduated college. Then she returned home while in search of a new research job. This was when she discovered how controlling her father was of her life and the two of them often argued about what was best for her.

Betty met Dr. Bruce Banner through a project her father was working on: the creation of a new bomb that used gamma radiation. Almost instantly there was a strong connection between Betty and Bruce which General Ross immediately resented. The General tried to talk to his daughter and put her off falling for Bruce but his attempts failed. Betty and Bruce grew closer and closer until a romantic relationship began.

But then when it came for the new bomb to be tested, disaster struck. In his efforts to prevent a young kid by the name of Rick Jones being blasted by the bomb, Bruce ran out in the testing field and was then blasted by a huge amount of gamma radiation. This turned him into a new monstrous being called the Hulk. Betty witnessed the whole ordeal. After that day she did not hear from Bruce for a long time, until one day he returned to the university at which Betty was a professor, needing help. Betty didn’t hesitate to help Bruce. Bruce had to go on the run again shortly afterwards but Betty still held out hope that one day she would see him again.

Betty continues her work at Culver University as a professor and researcher. She keeps her eye on the news for any sightings of Bruce or the Hulk and keeps records of when he was involved with the Avengers. She refuses to share this information with her father, who is now the Secretary of State and the main instigator of the Sokovia Accords and she has very little contact with him. Betty believes the Accords can work positively for everyone, but not while her father is involved.

Abilities:

High level intelligence.

Successful adademic career in the field of biochemistry and cellular biology.

Basic knowledge of hand-held guns.

AMADEUS CHO --- a.k.a. MASTERMIND EXCELLO --- OPEN!

“You're working for the bad guys. So no more fooling around. Here's why I came: The Hulk needs help. And no matter what he's done or you've done... you're still his friends.”

Amadeus Cho is a Korean-American teenager, born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. From a very young age, Amadeus displayed above average levels of intelligence and as he grew older, his intellect grew with him. His sister, Madame Curie Cho (otherwise known as Maddy) was also extremely gifted and the two of them together excelled through school and education. Amadeus often took on special projects of his own, pushing himself to learn more and more, faster than most teachers were able to keep up with.

When Amadeus was fifteen, a contest to prove who were the smartest people was announced and Amadeus couldn’t resist entering. He won, but his win put a target on his family. The contest was a ruse for another genius to seek out his competition and eliminate them and now he had the Cho’s family address. Amadeus and his sister, Maddy, lost their parents when their home was destroyed in an explosion. Amadeus and Maddy managed to escape by running away. Amadeus ran straight into another genius, Dr. Bruce Banner. Banner and his alter ego, Hulk, protected Amadeus and the two of them became friends.

Since becoming friends with Banner, Cho and his sister hid from the authorities in one of Banner’s safe-houses in Arizona. SHIELD in particular have a lot of interest in Amadeus because of his intelligence and talents for inventing and computer programming, viewing him as a potentially valuable asset. Cho, instead, preferred to use his talents to help Banner stay safe from the authorities, particularly after the incident in South Africa when the Hulk had to face-off with Iron-Man in his hulk-buster suit.

Now that the Sokovia Accords have been introduced and is now being enforced, Amadeus Cho is on the list of unregistered super-powered beings, despite not actually possessing any super-powers. He is on the list because of his connection to Banner and his refusal to cooperate with SHIELD. Cho continues to outsmart the authorities and helps Banner whenever he can.

Abilities: 

Super-genius intelligence - his mind operates like a super computer capable of rapidly and without mechanical aid perform an infinite number of unimaginable complex and simultaneous calculations.

Skilled hacker.

BOBBI MORSE --- a.k.a. MOCKINGBIRD --- OPEN!

“ Avengers Assemble! As in get your asses up and let's go! "

Barbara Morse, otherwise known as Bobbi, was born and raised in San Diego, California, USA. She excelled in school and showed an amazing talent for the sciences, in particular biology and biochemistry. She pursued these topics at college and earned her Ph.D. at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Along the way she was also recruited as an agent by SHIELD and was tasked with recreating the super soldier serum that created Captain America. This project was short-lived however and Morse was put to work as an agent of SHIELD under the code name Agent 19.

Bobbi’s path crossed with fellow agent, Clint Barton, and the two of them became romantically involved. The two of them got married but their marriage was not destined to last forever. Following inconsolable differences the two of them divorced but remained on good enough grounds to continue working at the same intelligence agency. Bobbi has worked with many notable SHIELD agents, including Natasha Romanoff, Melinda May, and Maria Hill.

Before SHIELD fell, Bobbi was working undercover at a Hydra science facility as part of the security team. She broke cover to save another SHIELD agent’s life and retreated back to SHIELD. After the fall of SHIELD, Bobbi stayed close to Maria Hill and eventually moved to the brand new Avengers compound to work with Hill in the training of new recruits and in the rebuilding of SHIELD as a reputable intelligence agency.

Yet again Bobbi’s life has been disrupted as the Avengers tore themselves apart over the introduction of the Sokovia Accords. Bobbi, despite not being close to him any more, was worried about Clint when he and the rest of the so-called ‘Team Cap’ were imprisoned and often wonders if they’re all safe now following their escape. She wouldn’t be too surprised to find Clint and the others back on US soil even though they are now fugitives from the law. Bobbi will follow orders but she’ll also do what’s right for her friends.

Abilities: 

Superhuman enhancements: after being injected with a formula, she now possesses superhuman strength and regenerative healing factor.

Skilled acrobat, spy, and martial artist.

Excelled knowledge in the biologial fields of science.