BlackjackCivilian Name: Jacqueline "Jack" Blake
Origin city/Planet: Gotham City
Hometown: Gotham City
Sex: Female
Race: Caucasian
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 121 lb.
Age: 21
Birth Date: 5/21/1998
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Icon: Ace and Jack of Spades
Costumed Personality: When she dons her costume, Blackjack's personality resembles that of a Terminator; cold, focused, and absolutely determined to complete her mission. She will work with others, but only so long as it advances her cause.
At least, that's the impression she tries to give.
In truth, Jack's departure from her life of crime has left her isolated, and she seeks acceptance from other vigilantes. Having someone understand her might be the key to finding the redemption she craves.
Civilian Personality: Jack is no longer seen in Gotham outside her costume, but she does travel to other cities on a regular basis, both to gather intelligence and make her living in the various gambling scenes. When she does make an appearance, it's under an assumed name and usually in some form of disguise. Her apparent personality changes just as easily, going from "charming socialite" to "underground brawler" in seconds as it suits her. Who she really is remains to be seen.
Super abilities:
-Skills
--1st-
dan black belt in karate (Kyokushin style; fast and hard-hitting)
--Extremely precise marksmanship, aided by powers
--Detailed knowledge of Gotham and its criminal elements
-Powers: Low-level
Probability Manipulation; used unconsciously
-Gadgets: None yet
-Weapons: .38 snubnose revolver, concealed derringer, reinforced gloves
Civilian Occupation: Gambler, formerly criminal enforcer/assassin
Biography---------
On the streets of Gotham City, there are certain names that command respect. Falcone, Bertinelli, Cassamento... but other names inspire nothing but fear. The Blake family was one of the latter. The Blakes had been a fixture in Gotham's underground since the city's founding, and were known for doing jobs even the mafia families wouldn't touch. Assassination, thievery, kidnapping... Whatever you needed done, you could pay the Blakes to make it happen. They never sought to become a power of their own, preferring to profit off the Five Families' power struggles rather than joining in. Their mercenary reputation protected them from full-scale assault by the other families, but more than a few Blakes were felled by the police or by vengeful friends of their targets.
Jacqueline Blake was raised in this world of blood and shadows. Her mother died giving birth to her, and her father only saw her from the other side of a prison window; instead, she was taken in by Alistair Blake, her great-uncle the head of the family, and a killer without peer. He raised her not as a daughter, but as a successor. She was made to train her body and mind for one purpose, and she surpassed Alistair's every expectation.
Jacqueline saw her first murder at the age of ten; at sixteen, she committed one of her own.
From that point forward, she made a name for herself as the go-to enforcer for the Five Families. She cared little for their motivations; in her mind, she was simply a weapon for them to wield as they saw fit. As her notoriety grew, so did the rumors about her. While they came and went, one stood out from the rest: the idea that the aging Alistair intended to name her as his successor. While few doubted her ability to lead the family, many resented the choice due to her age, as well as her gender.
One December night in 2018, that resentment boiled over. Jacqueline was shot by another member of the family, and unceremoniously dumped in the frozen river.
It was at that point that her latent metagene first expressed itself, bending the rules of fate to keep her alive. Against all odds, she awoke upon breaking through the river's icy crust. Even more improbably, she resurfaced by the shoreline, in a small spot where the water moved too quickly to freeze over. She crawled to safety by an abandoned trashcan fire, surviving just long enough to be found and rescued.
She recovered in an emergency ward, faking amnesia to hide her identity from the staff. Once she was released, she immediately set course for the Blake headquarters. Upon arriving, however, she heard something she couldn't believe. Alistair Blake was in the process of naming his new successor... and congratulating him for his ruthlessness in eliminating the competition.
Jacqueline fled in shock, reeling from her father figure's betrayal. She had thought she was unshakeable, but this was something she never could have prepared for. As far as she had known, the Blake family had been loyal to itself... but this proved that nothing was sacred to them. She left Gotham that night, and began living under ever-changing identities to survive.
On May 22nd, 2019, the Gotham City police department began their search for the one who had interrupted the previous night's meeting of the Blake and Falcone families with a hail of bullets. Over the next few months, they would add to the file marked "Blackjack" on an almost nightly basis.
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