|IDENTITY| Elliot Caldwell
| Origin & Backstory | -
Early lifeThe man who would become Wrath was born in Gotham City to career criminal Jamie Caldwell, a low-level mobster who managed to upgrade to hitman. His mother died in childbirth and as she lay dying, she made her husband promise to never abandon his son. It was a promise that would shape the boy before he ever drew his first breath. As time went on and Elliott grew older, his father's body count grew, and his arrogance increased.
His father began to get sloppy, began to start leaving a trail the GCPD could follow. While this was going on, Elliott was oblivious to his father's criminal life, believing himself to be just an ordinary rich kid with a dad more attentive than most. He went about school with a happy disposition, never realizing the dark side his father possessed, or of the tragedy that was to come.
Months passed, weeks went by, until one day came, one day that would forever change ED. Caldwell's life. The GCPD had been working around the clock to catch the hitman working for the Falcones, and they had sufficient evidence to warrant an arrest. Unfortunately, Carmine Falcone had already gotten word of Gotham PD's plans to arrest Caldwell Sr. and had ordered his men inside the Police to shoot on sight.
Elliott D. Caldwell wasn't supposed to be there that night. He was supposed to be sleeping over at a friend's. Had his father chosen to abandon his son and run solo, the Wrath might not have been born. But Caldwell Senior had planned to run with his son, and promised the boy's mother he would never abandon his son. So young Elliott was picked up early, and the Caldwells raced home, making haste to pack and only take what they could. Circumstances had other ideas. The police had known where Caldwell lived and a team of cops were covertly parked outside his home. When father and son were inside the house, their lawn was turned into a police barricade.
Seeing no way out, Jaime opened the door, hands raised. The corrupt cops under Falcone's thumb opened fire. Elliott Caldwell watched as his father died in a hail of police bullets, enraged but unable to do anything.
Somehow the beginnings of a new mission, a new purpose was born that night. It was a spark he took and blew into a flame.
The intermittent yearsDuring the months after the murder, Elliott spent his time in seclusion, thinking on his father's death and the loss of control he felt. He vowed never again to feel like that. On his father's grave, he swore that he would rid the city of its greatest evil: corruption.
Due to his father's wishes, the money he had made-the blood money- was put into a blind trust and the legitimate funds he had acquired over the years was put together to make Elliot Caldwell the second-youngest billionaire in Gotham.
Six months after his seclusion, he finally went back into the world, but this time he saw Gotham for what it really was: A corrupt city, feeding on the greed of men, indulging in the vices of people like his father, like the GCPD.
TrainingLeaving Gotham on his 18th birthday, he sought out the best men and women to further his purpose. The first was a man named simply Sensei. Under Sensei, Elliot learned philosophy and martial arts, coming to realize that justice is a ruse, that the only way to save Gotham is to control it. To control the evil that had taken his father's life, he must become it. With that realization, he began his martial arts training in earnest.
After two years of his training under Sensei, Elliot left and went to study under a tracker named William Doggett. Under Doggett, he learned how to hunt someone down, as well as how to become a ghost. When he had learned all he could from the bounty hunter, he killed the man. He next spent four years traveling the globe, honing his skills, becoming the man he needed to be.
Year OneComing home on his 25th birthday, he was greeted well by a hail of press reporters all clamoring to be the harbinger of Eliott Caldwell's return. He declined to comment however, and instead retired to his home.
Three months after his return, he started his own company, Caldwell International, and as it turned into a profitable company, he knew he had a way to fund his crusade.
Almost immediately he began to put his purpose, his plan into motion, converting the basement as a base of operations, and setting up a private computer able to tap into any information database and almost any computer feed.
Still, despite his extensive training, he suffered a loss early in his career. Something was missing, something important. But what? That night as he lay there, bruised and bleeding on his chair, an anger unlike any other surged at his failure to keep the promise he made on his father's grave. Wrath was born.
His next step was to create the suit, and fashion an armory for himself.
His first night was by comparison, a failure. His injuries that had inadvertently led to the creation of his alter ego had been mild, but enough to send him home. His debut as Wrath was, by all accounts, inauspicious.
Over the next six months, Wrath fought against organized crime, forcing them to fold into organized crime ruled only by him. The war turned fierce and as Wrath began mounting a body count, The GCPD began to compose a case for the arrest of "the Mafia Killer." Headed by Harvey Bullock, the Organized Crime Task Force looks into these strange killings, unsure of whom kills these mobsters.
Nevertheless, Wrath still takes to the streets, taking pains to make sure Batman and the GCPD do not notice the shadow-war he wages.
| Character Notes | - Appearance: Elliott Caldwell/The Wrath is a tall man that stands at six feet three inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. Due to his crusade as Wrath, he keeps a peak physical appearance, and he possesses blond hair and green eyes. As The Wrath, he wears a black suit with a black cape and brown military camouflage detailing. Image:
| Powers & Abilities |
Master Martial Artist: through his training with Sensei and other experts in the field, Eliott is an expert martial artist and master of hand to hand combat
Detective: After Years spent abroad mastering criminology and the investigative arts, Elliot has quite the exceptional detective skills on his own.
Genius Level Intellect: Elliot is exceptionally smart, having designed and built his suit personally. He is also a master tactician.
Stealth: Ninjutsu has taught him the value of the shadows
Marksman: despite his distaste for guns, he is an excellent marksman, able to throw Razorangs with deadly accuracy.
Peak Physical Stature: after years of discipline and forceful training, Elliott
| How is this character different? | honestly I pulled inspiration from Batman: Year One for how he chooses the moniker of Wrath. His mission is similar to Bruce's in that he wants to save Gotham but where he differs is this: he thinks that the only way to save Gotham is to control not just the criminal aspect, but all of it. It, to me is a dark perversion of Bruce's mission: bring it not into the light, but to evil. He's not so much an anti batman as he is a darker batman.
| What is your goal with this character? | to create a character that can oppose Bruce but still be able to have his own missions and adventures, can be the dark reflection of Bruce, without being dependent on him. I also wanted to take a character in my niche and expand my character library while simultaneously providing story.
|Sample Post|
Gotham.
Four hours before the new year.
This is my home now. This Gotham City is different, yet familiar. Crime still ravages it like a plague, a cancer that can't be eradicated. It must be controlled. That is why I sit here, perched atop a building like a gargoyle, waiting for this meeting to take place. The Dimitrovs have suffered heavy losses against Batman, and as such, have taken great pains to hide themselves from him. They can't hide from me.
My name is Elliot D. Caldwell, and to Gotham's citizenry, I am CEO of Caldwell International. To these thugs and Gotham's criminal element I will be known as Wrath.
Time passes, and still the black stretch limos bearing the ruling members still sit beneath the bridge, waiting for their security to be assured. Finally, a break occurs. Two men step out of the limos, both flanked by at least four guards. All of them are armed.
"Father, why do you call me here, so late into the year? I should be at home with my wife and daughter waiting to ring in the new year." The first man to speak is Anatoli Dimitrov, the boss' son. Rumor has it that he only gained his position thanks to nepotism.
"Anatoli. You know why it is we meet like this, so late into the night. The cops cannot hear us beneath the expressway. We are safe to do as we will." Vladimir Ilyich Dimitrov, aging head of the Dimitrov crime family. Their rackets go from murder and extortion to information brokers and car thievery. If there's money to be made, the Dimitrovs have a hand in it.
"True, father, but the Batman-" "Is nothing more than gangland myth." I snort silently. He's real enough, and a problem that might have to be dealt with. With the matter at hand however, I decide it is time to make my move.
Leaping from my perch, the cape behind me extends back in the updraft, slowing me down. I land feet first into one of Anatoli's guards, using his body weight and my momentum as a springboard to launch into my next foe, driving my fist into his face. He goes down, taken out by a fractured jaw. Lashing out behind me I connect a boot to the gut of the guard behind me.
3 down, Five left. I use the cape as a distraction, drawing the attention of the guards who've managed to draw their weapons and fire while readying a razorang. It snaps open with a metallic ring. Ears perk up, but have little time to react. I sink my weapon into a guard with pinpoint accuracy. He screams and falls, clutching at his leg. Maiming them is the better option here; bodies would draw attention I don't need.
Four down, four left. So far I've been using the element of surprise to throw them off guard, but the ones still standing have time to react. I need to act quickly if I'm to maintain the advantage. Unfortunately I catch a fist across the jaw. Ears are ringing, but it isn't the first hit I've taken. A fist to the gut makes him lose his breath, but he isn't down. An elbow to the head sends him unconscious to the blacktop.
Another one comes up behind me, but now they know it will take a lot to put me down. So they revert to guns. Cold steel touches the back of my cowl. I react instantly, moving to my right, bringing an arm up to deflect the gun, which goes off into his compatriot's shoulder. At the same time I grab his shoulder and heave him behind me, crashing him into the ground. Before he can mount any sort of defense, I pull his elbow back into my knee. A sickening crunch is heard.
Two left. A flicker of my cape and an razorang appears in each hand. Both find their targets. The fight ends, leaving me standing over a group of unconscious men, and I turn to the father and son. I choose the son, dragging him behind me, ignoring his father's indignant shouts.
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One Hour to midnight.
I pull up to the Kane family estate in a black Savile Row suit and present my invitation to the doorman who promptly shows me in. I take in the brightness of the decor and the luxury of the mansion. It reminds me of my own home and of the Gotham I have irreparably left behind.
Like the new year, however, this is a new beginning. A new start for me. As an acquaintance of Phillip Kane, I managed to procure an invitation to the party he has thrown to celebrate the new year. His wife, Bethany, shows me around the socialites, introducing me to her family as "the businessman" in a room full of businessmen and CEOs.
Truth be told, the party and its company is rather dull, until Bethany introduces me to a man with black hair to my dark blonde albeit blue eyes instead of my green. "Elliot, this is Bruce Wayne. Bruce, this is Elliot Caldwell."
For a moment I have a look of surprise on my face, albeit one that disappears as quickly as it came. I stick my hand out and smile. It is a smile with none of the rich veneer, but sincerity.
"Good to meet you, Bruce."