[hider=The World's Greatest Athlete]
[b]Player Name:[/b]
Zero Hex

[b]Primary Character:[/b]
Mister Terrific (II), "The World's Greatest Athlete"

[b]Secret Identity:[/b]
Michael Holt, public knowledge

[b]Status:[/b]
Reservist JLU. He isn’t the easiest to work with at times but he can be relied on to put the hurt on someone for a good cause.

[b]Age:[/b]
27

[b]City:[/b]
Metropolis, sweet spot between living standards and threat levels, but often patrols The Hub as a “concrete jungle”.

[b]Side Job:[/b]
US Olympian

[u][b]Powers:[/b][/u]
[b]The Build:[/b]
Michael Holt was born a superb athlete, on the upper echelon of those rare few gifted specimens that come once a generation, and he has nurtured his talents beyond the scope of any reasonable human being through relentless training and his constant adventures. Mister Terrific possesses peak physical performance across the board, slightly superhuman even, and has the stamina and endurance to heavily exert himself for extended periods of time. Holt is also exceedingly tough, heals rapidly and has developed a resistance to disease, poisons, toxins and the like.

[b]The Will:[/b]
Mister Terrific has developed a mental acumen to match his physicality, predicated on his unbreakable willpower. Though lacking the supreme intellect of the original, Holt has excellent control over his body’s functions, able to do things such as shut out pain and push himself beyond his reasonable physical limits at times, and attempts at psychic attacks or mental tampering can be about as difficult as trying to fistfight him. He has also trained himself to not rely entirely on his eyesight, using his other senses in tandem in such a way that he can appear to have a superhuman perception for danger.

[b]The Skills:[/b]
Whereas the original Mister Terrific was one of the smartest people in the planet, Michael Holt is instead on the shortlist of greatest athletes in the entire world, with an outstanding aptitude for rapidly mastering and employing practically any physical skill he sets out to. Taking this to its extremes for the sake of his heroic career, Mister Terrific has dedicated much of his talents to an obsessive study of martial arts, stripping away restrictive mentalities of styles and schools and forming his own eclectic fighting method that allows him (in a straight and narrow fight) to best the still fearsome Batman in one of his advanced metahuman combat powersuits.

Matters of form aside, Michael’s skills allow him to deliver superpowered blows capable of rending from reinforced metal structures and deliver effective trauma through rigid armor or ablative defenses. Terrific can also brace himself to take all manner of attacks of similar or even greater potency, with the striking surfaces of his body being even harder to damage, or choose to bend and flow to dissipate or redirect harm. Finally, he can move and react with great speed and agility, allowing him to weave around firefights, but rather than constant motion he is limited to bursts to close distances and adjust positions.

Key to Holt’s superhuman displays is his ability to “read” the flow of battle and his adversaries to an intrinsic, instinctive level, a result of his dedication to combat. With this he cuts down his reaction times and stays ahead of opponents that might otherwise outstrip him physically or through greater variety of powers, and it is through this skill that he can sense flaws and weak spots in targets and exploit them to spectacular results, finding the best timing, placement and manner of attack or defense to all manner of challenges.

[u][b]Weaknesses:[/b][/u]
Despite his talents Holt is still ultimately a human, albeit an unarguably exceptional one, and his talents are rather specialized as well. He can’t and won’t be able to summon the wrath of the elements or project his chi as pure destructive energy, he doesn’t fly outright even if he jumps good, he won’t somehow develop new unrelated powers. He does one thing, and for someone who engages in close physical combat to the level that he does, his durability still hinges more on active defense rather than simple natural tolerance. Finally, Mister Terrific handicaps himself by choosing to not carry weapons even though he would be exceedingly dangerous with them and will rarely if ever use them.

[b]Skills:[/b]
With his knowledge of ninjutsu and general gift for physical skills, Michael can actually be exceptionally stealthy when he chooses to be, and with his travels he has become an adequate survivalist with a fair amount of knowledge on a wide variety of environments. Skilled at operating most mundane vehicles, with a preference for motorcycles, perhaps surprisingly he’s also an adequate cook and gardener, and even though his methods can be rough he isn’t a bad teacher when he isn’t simply rubbing his skills in people’s faces. 

[b]Appearance:[/b]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/EMc9Pwx.jpg[/img]
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Michael Holt cuts a respectably imposing figure as one of the premier athletes of the world, standing at a solid 6ft2 and weighing around 215 pounds, with a slender build for a heavyweight but a physique so well marked that it reminds one of greco roman statues. Typically clad in agreeably smart casual threads and giving off the air of a smooth operator, on a more thorough inspection this hazel-eyed specimen is something of a grisly mess to look at, covered in scars and marks from head to toe from his many battles and with his limbs brutally hardened and calloused from conditioning training.

Costume-wise, Mister Terrific’s full body skintight suit colored in black, white and red bears more than a passing resemblance to a professional wrestling outfit, while his Fair Play jacket adds an urban, sporty feel to the ensemble and his black “T-Mask” is both distinctive and adds a slight intimidation factor by turning his eyes a glowing red. The entire costume can be almost instantly applied on Michael’s body from any number of “quick change” gadgets, as it was designed for him specifically by the original Mister Terrific, and while it doesn’t add much that his natural abilities don’t supply it is comfortable, preserves body temperature and is generally meant to endure the rigors of superhero work.

[b]Bio:[/b]
TLDR: Gifted olympic gold decathlete Michael Holt becomes interested in costumed heroics and receives the unlikely assistance of the heavily aged Terry Sloane, once known as the super genius Mister Terrific, who instills in him a strong sense of justice and helps mold him into the hero they both know he can be before passing away. Taking up the mantle and “Fair Play” motto of his mentor, the World’s Greatest Athlete rises as the new Mister Terrific.

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Marked by the loss of his parents to a traffic accident early in his life, Michael Holt was a troubled foster care kid that needed an outlet for a worrying amount of pent-up energies and frustrations. As is often the case the answer turned out to be sports, but unlike most cases Michael showed outstanding promise from the very start. Young Holt seemed to pick up the nuances of any game, any competition put in front of him with simply stunning speed and only seemed to get better as he got older. When his skills attracted jealousy and got him into a bad scuffle with older kids, he looked into boxing and soon had coaches asking for him to train with them. The kid was gonna be a star.

And a star he was, using his talents to get himself an education and landing himself a spot in the US Olympic Team even as he received ever-mounting offers from professional sports organizations. Michael was king of the mountain at an age where most were still trying to figure out their lives, and he appeared to reach a new height when he set the world record for the Decathlon and was declared the World’s Greatest Athlete at only 22 years old. But even with the accolades, the bright future, the enjoyment he got out of the money and fame, Holt soon felt...empty. There was something missing, he knew he could go higher, he needed a challenge as extraordinary as he felt he was and no sport would provide it.

So it was that Michael Holt came to be interested in superheroics, finding it a fascinating world where he would truly be put to the test and find his limits, not to mention one where he might receive even more fame and fortune. Entirely out of his depth, clad in a makeshift costume and wholly unprepared to deal with the mind-numbing pressures and dangers of heroics despite his talents, the olympian’s first forays were chaotic affairs where he found little success and was lucky to escape alive and with his identity mostly uncompromised. Mostly, because his actions did draw the attention of the Thousand Talents Foundation and its head Terrence Sloane, once known as the superhero Mister Terrific.

The original Terrific had made a short splash on the hero scene in its early days, hailed as a super genius working to save the world in a direct manner, but he was only a passable athlete and field man at best and lacked the all-consuming drive that pushed his compatriots on. Quietly, he had taken to working behind the scenes, acting as a handler and gear supplier for his friends and allies and helping to pioneer many advanced technologies, all the while setting up his organization to scout the globe for outstanding people whose talents might be used to make a better world. People like Michael, whose abilities were everything that Terry Sloane had wished for when the threats and rigors mounted.

Holt, for his part, was fascinated by this ancient man that should have barely been alive but seemed to irradiate vitality as he recounted tales of heroism and self-sacrifice. He was especially shocked that this famed intellect, who seemed to have the entire world within his reach, would have such respect for him and his abilities. The two bonded over their parallel gifts and painful awareness of their own flaws, and for the next few years Sloane moved heaven and earth to ensure that Michael became the hero he knew he could be. It wasn’t until Terry felt he had found a worthy successor to the name of “Mister Terrific” that he finally passed away, drifting into the next life peacefully in his sleep.

Sloane left nothing else to Michael, it would’ve been an insult to their strange friendship and their rags-to-riches lives. The Thousand Talents, built on foundations of trust and altruism, would carry on its labor as it had for years, and Holt had no desire to involve himself in the workings of a machine he couldn’t grasp. It wasn’t his place, it wasn’t his style, and he did not want to burden them should his own public image go sour. Instead he stepped out into his own limelight once more. Adapting the Terry’s slogan of “Fair Play” and a nod to his status as the World’s Greatest Athlete, Mister Terrific set out to do good the best way he could.
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[b][u]Story Arcs:[/u][/b]
[b]-A Terrific Return!:[/b] After vanishing from the public eye for five years, olympic gold decathlete Michael Holt finally returns to the limelight! Specifically in the Metabrawl, an illegal bloodsport for costumed contestants run by the mysterious femme fatale Roulette. Though the setting might seem strange, it is the perfect stage for the new superhero Mister Terrific to make his presence known as the World’s Greatest Athlete and keeper of Fair Play. Broadcast around the world, Holt makes an impact by taking down current champion The Sportsmaster as police shut down the operation, and though Roulette escapes his notoriety and credentials make him a natural pick for a tryout as a Justice League reserve. (Flashback Day 1 story, solo).

[b]-Where in the World is Richard Dragon?:[/b] Mister Terrific is a spectacular fighter no doubt, but has based himself heavily on his sports origins and accessible mundane instruction and never studied under a true, blue martial master of the heroic world. Wishing to expand his skills further, Terrific finds himself dragged into its ancient intrigues and blood feuds and it all begins with a simple question: where is Richard Dragon? A search for a master held in high regard by the Batman himself and what his disappearance might signify (Teamup).

[b]-The Hundred Man Kumite:[/b] Supervillains rarely forget an offense and Roulette has not forgotten how Terrific ruined one of her operations to kickstart his own career. The femme fatale behind the costumed combat events has arranged for the hero to face a gauntlet of 100 opponents in the tradition of japanese martial arts, and even if he could escape Michael's competitive spirit won’t let him run from the challenge, he must step to the arena while his allies find a way to ensure his release and the downfall of the organization (Teamup).

[b]-Rise of the Manhunter Council:[/b] Once thought destroyed by their own agent Paul Kirk during Batman's active days, the Manhunter Council is a hidden cabal that seeks to bring about their vision of a Perfect World unhindered by outside interference. Commanding an army of genetically enhanced clones armed with top of the line equipment, they strike out to harvest the world's foremost minds, technology and physical specimens, and without Justice League intervention who knows what the madmen might attempt. (JLU story)

[u][b]Supporting Characters:[/b][/u]
[b]-Where in the World is Richard Dragon?:[/b] Richard Dragon, Monkey Fist Cult, interested PCs.

[b]-The Hundred Man Kumite:[/b] Roulette, a list of fighting-type B-listers and small time metahumans (need to parse a fairly large number of them, you understand). Other PCs up for dismantling an underground superhuman fight ring.

[b]-Rise of the Manhunter Council:[/b] Batman and any willing Bat characters, any characters interested in such a story, Sportsmaster, Manhunter (Paul Kirk), Manhunter (metal mask version), Nemesis (Better Than You Powers version).

[b]Additional Notes:[/b]
I don’t much like characters who are perfect at everything and Terrific always looked more like an athlete than a science man to me, hence this. Thought it’d also be a good play on passing down a mantle to someone who isn’t a replica of the original.
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