#ultimen

HISTORY/STORY Casey Korew was raised by her single mother, Sarah, all her life in Taos, New Mexico. Unbeknownst to her, Sarah worked as a black market weapons smuggler under the alias "Incense" to provide for herself and Casey. Sarah became partnered with several other villains over the years as her metagene ability of producing various types of fog proved useful, notably helping them regularly hack and steal information from STAR Labs. In order to cover up her illegal business dealings, Sarah disguised her true profession by pretending to sell makeup products from home.

When Casey was 9, she was involved in a violent car crash that would've killed her had her own super-healing metagene not activated at that time. After this, Sarah began to back off of her smuggling business, both preferring to spend more time helping Casey with her new powers as well as worrying that Casey's powers would draw the attentions of heroes like the Justice League who then might find out about Sarah's identity as Incense if she continued to have a strong presence in the underground.

By the time Casey was 13, her self-healing power had developed strongly and rapidly, healing minor and major injuries alike in minutes or even seconds. She attracted the attention of Doctor Marcus Holden from STAR University and his assistant Elana Sabre. The two believed Casey could earn a full scholarship to STAR University through an internship in aiding them with their medical research. Casey complied, as she herself believed her ability, if exercised properly, could make her a mass organ donor in the future to those in need. Sarah worried for her daughter's safety in these experiments, but gave Casey permission to work with Holden and Sabre.

Casey worked closely with the two for years, considering them an extension of her family. Shortly after she turned 16, the three and several other individuals from STAR University and STAR Labs were invited to tour a new high-end medical research facility in Vlatava. On the way to the facility, their bus was crashed and destroyed by a mysterious individual. The man proceeded to kill everyone on board except for Holden and Sabre. He tried killing Casey by crushing her skull, but when her healing ability surfaced to heal her from the brink of death, a voice through the stranger's headset ordered him to bring her along with the doctor and his assistant. It is later revealed that the whole scheme was orchestrated by Count Vertigo, to capture Holden to exploit his research and Sabre for her metagene ability to "collapse" and crush objects like a black hole.

The stranger and his accomplice who kidnapped the trio were named Adonis and Dr. Esher. Born in the early 1700's, Esher was heavily involved in metahuman experimentation even before it became common knowledge, though his methods in provoking metagenes in humans were often more violent and torturous than what the Light had come to use in their own trafficking. Esher was a cultist obsessed with the notion of immortality, his fixation starting when his son Adonis showing extraordinary abilities at an early age. When the villagers of their home attacked and killed Adonis, scared of his powers and Esher's fascination with the occult, Esher mourned and prayed as he released his son's body into a sacred lake near the village. The lake was actually a Lazarus Pit, and Adonis's revival spurred Esher's obsessions even more. He and Adonis killed the villagers in the dead of night, and built a castle over the Lazarus Pit where they hid and experimented on those who found themselves lost in the forest for centuries.

With Casey's natural ability to "revive" herself, she became the subject for several of Esher's experiments, miraculously surviving even the cruelest punishments. During the early stages of her captivity, Casey befriended fellow prisoners Zan and Jayna, aliens from the planet Exxor who found themselves in Esher's grasp shortly after their arrival to Earth, and Tatsuya Toshio (nicknamed "Ryu"), a boy similar in age to her with the power to control wind. After several months, with Esher's fixation on Casey, Holden and Sabre were able to devise a plan to escape their own captivity, though they vowed to come back and save Casey and the others. Once back home, their efforts were unsuccessful as the strain the UN put on the Justice League and their foreign intervention prevented the League from taking the twos' claims seriously, with Queen Perdita's national security sweeps being unable to find anything matching up to Holden and Sabre's story despite not being able to account for the disappearances that occurred after the STAR Labs bus crashed. During the time of Casey's disappearance, Sarah waited a long time for authorities to try and find her. Eventually, she staged her own suicide, deciding to turn to alter ego Incense full-time in order to try and find her. She became more aggressive as time went on and no leads were found, establishing herself as a serious threat to the League and the general safety of the populace.

Esher, in his last effort to gain the secret to immortality from Casey, modified a batch of the Bedlam Syndicate's Tar and drowned Casey in it before reviving her in the Lazarus Pit. The result caused a hyper mutation of her metagene, making her morph into a monster upon revival. In her monstrous form she devoured Esher and attempted to kill Adonis, and in an unhinged rage destroyed the castle, though she used her mass creation of limbs to save the other captives. After taking them to safety, she fled, continuing to wail in pain. Zan, Jayna, and Ryu were recovered and taken to STAR Labs to give their statements on their captivity, and were promised by the League they'd try to "save" Casey.

As the days passed, Casey's monstrous form and erratic behavior receded, leaving her lonely and scared. She was horrified at her actions and believed she'd be punished for killing Esher despite what he had done. Over time, she had found herself in Markovia, Sabre's homeland. Knowing of Casey's good-hearted nature, the Light knew that she would ultimately side with the Justice League and the heroes, and sent Psimon to track her down. Using his powers, he manipulated Casey into morphing into a monster and going on another violent rampage, making her believe she was still trapped in Esher's castle. Holden and Sabre were in Markovia at the time, trying to devise a plan to find Casey after hearing of the recovery of Esher's other captives. Sabre tried to use her powers to contain Casey, but Markovian authorities fatally shot Holden as he attempted to protect them. Holden and Sabre's cries freed Casey from Psimon's control, but by the time she came to her senses Holden was already quickly dying from his wounds. He succumbed to his injuries just as the Justice League arrived.

As the League was deciding how to assist the two, Sabre was upfront with blaming the UN and League for Holden's death. She claimed she understood why the League was reluctant to get involved when she and Holden tried to tell them of Esher's plans, but stated she couldn't put her faith in heroes that were held back by politics. Despite her own misgivings, she asked the League to look after Casey, believing that with her new, unstable powers, she would need help in starting a new life. With her mother's "death" and no other known relatives, Casey was kept in the Watchtower for awhile, and worked with various heroes on controlling her powers, the violent nature of her powers keeping her from being sent to the Meta-Human Youth Center. As the Light planned, Casey's "rehabilitation" after her destructive outburst in Markovia over incarceration fueled personalities like G. Gordon Godfrey to cast doubt on the League's decisions on how to handle criminals as well as criticize Queen Perdita's rule over Vladava for letting Esher's activities go unnoticed.

Upon meeting the Team, she was enthusiastically greeted and hugged by Bart Allen. In the distant future, Bart had known Casey as a kind-spirited entity hidden underground, known for healing the wounds of prisoners and providing food she foraged for. With the Reach's invasion in his original timeline, Casey's captivity and spurts of rampage were left unchecked for a long time, and by the time she gained stable control over her powers she was too weak to help fight against the Reach's army, instead resigning to try and protect those who remained for years to come. Time had caused her to lose her human form, but even as a more monstrous creature, she still demonstrated great kindness and warmth that Bart found comforting in his youth. She was eventually found and killed by the Reach. After hearing Bart's recollection of these events and seeing Casey's docile behavior and quickly developing control of her powers, Barry Allen offered to allow her stay with him and Iris and their children. Some others questioned this, including a slightly outraged Iris herself, but Casey soon proved herself to be an asset to the household with helping with chores and taking care of Don and Dawn. She was enrolled in Keystone High School with Bart.

When she became an official member of the Team and asked to think of a codename, Casey thought back to when she was resurrected in the Lazarus Pit and how she was filled with anger and pain at the man that spent his life sacrificing others in his pursuit to "become a god". She only slightly hesitated in admitting she devoured him in her monstrous form, and decided to call herself "GodEater" as a vow to punish those who will go to such lengths in putting themselves above others. Sarah eventually discovered her daughter's survival, but continued working for the Light (not knowing of Count Vertigo's involvement in Casey's capture), knowing she had gone too far as Incense to be able to return to a normal life.

Sabre, along with Jayna, Zan, and Ryu moved to Central City as their base of operations. Elana decided to continue Holden's research in solitude, desiring above all else for Holden's dreams of advanced healthcare at the assistance of metagenes to be seen to fruition, even at the cost of some less-than-legal methods. The twins and Ryu joined her after the incident with Casey in Markovia, believing with Sabre in the failed justice of the League having caused them and Casey so much pain and resigning to not do the same with their powers. The three became an amateur superhero team in Central City, named the Ultimen, until Maxwell Lord decided to sponsor them and Sabre. Elana, going by a new alias "Andromeda", knew of Lord's plans to try and exploit the young heroes' popularity and shared as much with the trio, but they agreed to go with it to let him fund Sabre's research in the meantime. Lord, also distrustful of Sabre's intentions with their partnership, worked with Cadumus to produce an altered clone of Virgil Hawkins from retrieved DNA that was extracted from him during his Reach captivity. The clone was named James Vulcan with the hero alias "Juice" who joined the Ultimen. Ryu and James started attending Keystone High School with Bart and Casey where Ryu frequently tries to coax Casey into joining the Ultimen, though she turns down the offer every time. She is still on good terms with him and the twins, however, and hangs out with them regularly.

Over the course of the following year, the Ultimen grew weary of Lord's influence over them and him monotizing their hero personas, which they felt made them be taken less seriously than the Justice League. James, though originally loyal to Lord and Cadmus, began to have doubts as he grew to bond with his teammates. When one of Sabre's questionable experiments came to public light, Lord quickly used her as a scapegoat to the media, thinking James's influence over the Ultimen would draw them to his side and he'd have total control over the team. The plan backfired, especially when James discovered he was a clone over his own person, and the team and Sabre went into hiding. The Ultimen, less conscious of their reputation because of their public scrutiny, became more violent when fighting crime, ready to maim or even potentially kill criminals in the pursuit of justice. The social pressure to stay in hiding became hard for the group to handle, and Ryu and the twins decided to attack what they believed to be the "root" of their problems, and started further investigating their original abductions in Vladva. Discovering Count Vertigo's role, they began tracking down other villains in the pursuit of finding him and "the Light" they found traces of. A former accomplice they managed to find was Incense, and Ryu managed to impale her with steel beams with his wind powers. The Ultimen attempted to interrogate her as she slowly bled to death, but on being unmasked, Ryu recognized her as Casey's mother. Sarah tearfully revealed that up until that point she had had no idea of the Light's involvement with Casey's kidnapping, admitting she was a fool for choosing the path she did in supporting them when she had just been a pawn all along. She asked the group to continue to look after Casey, and gave Ryu an heirloom bracelet to give to her the next time they met. The Ultimen, horrified that their pursuit of revenge led to them killing their friend's mother, fled before authorities could arrive.

The League struggled with how to tell Casey that it was discovered her mother had been alive only through her death, also revealing her past as a villain, but they agreed that she should be told as soon as possible. Dinah took the responsibility of breaking the news, and after a short outburst, Casey spent the next several days in shocked silence. Through the support of the League and the Team, she was eventually able to come to terms with Sarah's actual death and resolved to become stronger. Ryu still has the bracelet, and while the other Ultimen believe he should give it to Casey as per Sarah's wish, he worries doing so will be the last time he'll be able to see her, as she'll be too enraged to forgive them for their actions. The trauma of killing Sarah caused the Ultimen to rethink the decisions they had made, and became wary of Sabre's research. They tried to discourage her, but when she showed no signs of changing her methods, they left her as well. The Ultimen spent months in isolation; still fighting crime when able at Ryu's behest, they struggled with finding regular shelter and food without being financially supported. The physical and emotional strain took a toll on all of them, but Ryu in particular, feeling more residual effects from Esher's experiments, began to become extremely short-tempered and experienced unstable spikes in his powers and his ability to control them. By fate, they tried to bust a large money laundering ring on the same night the Team planned on doing the same. They worked together long enough to apprehend the criminals, but Ryu's warped attitude caused him to turn on the Team, claiming they had been manipulated by the Justice League and if it wasn't for the League's shortcomings then they wouldn't have killed Sarah. His speech convinced the twins and James to attack the Team. In the midst of the fight, the Team slowly gained the upperhand, but eventually the unstability of Ryu's powers and mental health rapidly peaked, causing them to call for backup. Half of the Team, Zan, Jayna, and James evacuated the building while the others tried to fight Ryu, though they were quickly overpowered until reinforcements, including Casey, arrived. With her abilities, she was able to withstand Ryu's onslaught and let her reach him and her comforting presence calmed him.

The Ultimen were apprehended by the Team and taken to the Hall of Justice for the League to determine their fate. Some believed the extremes of their actions warranted a sentence to Belle Reve, while others were convinced the Meta-Human Youth Center was the best place for them. Casey spoke up, believing they had enough control over their powers and had only ever wanted to do good and they should be forgiven for their actions. She said the Team and, by extension, the League were full of well-meaning individuals who could help guide them. The group, convinced by Casey, offered the Ultimen a chance to join the Team. The four were shocked that Casey was able to forgive them for killing her mother, especially Ryu, and graciously accepted the offer.

CHARACTER SUMMARIES/EXTENDED LORE

Casey Korew / GodEater--After her self-recovery metagene was hyper mutated by Esher's experiments, Casey gained the ability to morph into monstrous forms in a body horror, eldritch monster fashion. Mild testing from the League on the exact nature of her current abilities reveal her powers stem from the rapid creation and absorption of cells, the strain of which exhausting her easily in the beginning stages of her hero career. She grows more powerful as time goes on, gaining the skills to heal others instead of just herself and growing into larger, more imposing forms, though she loses more and more of her human form as decades pass. By the time Bart knows her in the future, she has turned into a complete eldritch monster, though prisoners of the Reach hail her as an angel from archaic lore before her ultimate death in Bart's original timeline. Before her capture in Vladva, although she was helping Holden and Sabre with their medical research, she was looking to follow a career in business, specifically to become a tycoon known for luxurious hotels and resorts; she's still following the path out of familiarity, but unsure if it's still what she wants to do. For hobbies she loves hands-on activities she can get lost in, like soap-cutting, wood-carving, and crochet.

Sarah Korew/Incense--A foster child, Sarah developed her fog-generating metagene at an early age. Her foster parents, though apathetic over abusive or loving, ran an illegal weapons smuggling business from their home, taking in several foster kids to cover their image. After getting pregnant in her early twenties, Sarah dropped out of college and returned home. She discovered her parents' business and stole the info and clientele before anonymously turning them into proper authorities and assumed their lost roles in the underground to raise Casey after she was born. She never trained in combat, even when more prominent villains propositioned her for her abilities to use in heists, and mostly kept to a business persona. After Casey's own powers developed, she backed off of her dealings, having saved enough to keep them comfortable, though she took the occasional odd job. After Casey's capture, she faked her suicide and resumed her role as Incense in order to track her down, unaware the villains she aligned herself with had aided in her daughter's kidnapping. She became a more violent criminal, and eluded the Justice League for so long she became a priority target for arrest should she be encountered. When Casey was found, Sarah continued her life of crime, believing her faked suicide and criminal attention would prevent Casey from living happily with her. She was eventually killed by Ryu and the Ultimen, and became a catalyst in them regretting their extreme methods in pursuit of justice.

Elana Sabre/Andromeda--Originally a native of Markovia, Elana studied medicine in college and went on to become a protegee of Dr. Marcus Holden in Taos, fascinated by his research of metagenes and how they might translate into the medical field. Shortly after her arrival in America, she developed her own metagene that allowed her telekinetically "collapse" objects like a black hole. Holden was ecstatic that his own assistant turned out to be a metahuman, helping her develop her powers in a safe environment. Elana grew to fall in love with Holden, but never acted on her feelings, fearing he saw her as merely a coworker and not wanting to jeopardize their friendship. When captured by Dr. Esher, Elana was the subject of many experiments that advanced her abilities, but the company of Holden made her determined to hold out hope. She felt guilty of initially leaving Casey behind when she and Holden were able to escape, but she was positive they'd be able to come back for her and the other captives in short time. The UN and Justice League's refusal to intervene and the events that lead to Holden's death caused Elana to become jaded, and she developed an obsession with continuing Holden's research. She became known under the alias "Andromeda" and started resorting to illegal trades and research methods, and eventually became funded by Maxwell Lord in order to monetize the Ultimen and make a profit. Though no longer supporting the Justice League, she regularly worries about Casey's health, having become attached to her over time. Elana feigned guilt when Casey's mother was killed by the group, but internally justified that some sacrifices were necessary.

Tatsuya "Ryu" Toshio/Wind Dragon--A Japanese-American boy the same age as Casey, Ryu's mother worked in the military, which caused them to move a lot during his childhood before he and his father settled in Metropolis and his mother continued international tours of duty. She was stationed in Vladva for two years and, during a summer to visit her, Ryu was captured by Adonis and taken to Esher's castle. He developed his aerokenisis in captivity and met Casey, Elana, and Holden a few months later when they were captured as well. Being similar in age, he grew close to Casey and felt a responsibility to try and protect her. As time passed, he slowly became infatuated with her when she displayed kindness to new prisoners and stubborn determination to see them not harmed if she could help it. When Casey saved him and the others from the castle, he argued to go after her after she fled in her monster form, but the others wouldn't let him and they were eventually retrieved by the Justice League. After being promised they'd save Casey and the failure to do so before Psimon caused her rampage that resulted in international backlash against her and metahumans, Ryu grew a similar distrust of the League as he and the twins tracked down Elana and vowed to become their own team to uphold justice. Once Casey settled in with the Allen family, he convinced Elana to set up their operations in Central City to be close to her, and started attending Keystone High. His infatuation with her grew stronger over time, and although he regularly flirted he never had the courage to say he outright loved her. He felt the most guilt when the Ultimen killed Sarah, and kept the bracelet she asked him to give to Casey out of fear Casey won't forgive him for his actions. When Casey forgave them and allowed them to join the Team, Ryu gave her the bracelet and confessed his love for her, but asked her to let him prove he was worth of redemption before responding to his confession. After being inducted into the Team, he gains the motivation to return to his family in Metropolis and go back to attending high school there.

Jayna/Shifter and Zan/Downpour--Twins from the planet Exxor, their ship crashed on Earth in Vladva, close to Esher's castle. This resulted in their capture for his experiments, and a hindered understanding in Earth's norms for the years they spent in captivity. They initially rebuffed the other prisoners and all attempts made to interact with them, but Casey's fear made Jayna pity and try to comfort her. Zan was more reluctant, but Casey's self-healing ability fascinated them and they grew worried over the amount and severity of experiments she was put through because of it. They found comfort and entertainment in her stories about the "outside world" and it reignited their determination to stay alive and escape the castle one day. Like Ryu, they wanted to follow Casey after she saved them and the other prisoners, but felt she would've wanted them all to stay and be found together. At learning of the politics that prevented the Justice League from being able to stop Esher sooner, the twins became distrustful of the heroes associated with the League, believing they should be determined to do the right thing no matter what. They joined Ryu in forming a superhero team of their own called the Ultimen. The team was soon discovered and funded by Maxwell Lord, who introduced them all to James Vulcan. Alien in appearance and not knowing any magic users to gain glamour charms, the twins were unable to attend Keystone High with Ryu and James, instead helping Elana with her experiments and studying Earth in their spare time. Being unable to interact with her at school, the twins often compete for Casey's attention when they're all together, wishing they could spend more time with her. The twins were exceptionally distraught at killing Sarah; they worried Casey would hate them, but believed the right thing to do was be upfront with their actions. They were convinced by Ryu and James not to do so, though avoiding Casey greatly frustrates them. Once they joined the Team, Zatanna provided them with glamour charms to allow them to go to Happy Harbor High School with Violet and Forager.