Apologies for my late arrival. Will have Hannibal's opening post up soon. Working on it now.
Real Name: Avery Wright
Alias: Hannibal
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Champion City
Occupation: Museum Curator, Historian, Mixed Martial-Artist
Physical Appearance: 6'7'' tall, lean, very toned. Blond hair, blue eyes. Avery usually keeps a professional appearance, tending to wear formal business attire such as suits, ties, etc.
Costume: Hannibal's crime-fighting attire consists of semi-bullet proof materials such as advanced plastics, and hardening liquid packets which can stop small-arms fire from lower-caliber pistols and ranged buckshot. The suit is arranged and customized to appear as a stark black suit of ancient Greek Hoplite body armor. The technologically advanced riot-shield he carries has a built-in outward-facing flashlight, as well as a holster for a 9mm pistol near the shield's grip. The Shield itself is made of sturdier stuff than his armor, and can block more deadly attacks. Unlike most ballistic riot-shields, Hannibal's is circular, and mimics the Hoplon shield wielded by the phalanxes of ancient Greece. Hannibal is also equipped with a steel Xiphos longsword, kept sheathed on his back, and a black-shafted spear. Topping off his crime-fighting gear is a helmet in the traditional Spartan style, obscuring his face and protecting his head, and a black cape.
Skills: Hannibal is a master of the ancient Greek fighting style Pankration, which is a mixed martial art that is essentially a combination of boxing, kick-boxing, and wrestling. This makes him an exceptionally effective hand-to-hand combatant. He is knowledgeable in military tactics, having studied the arts through tomes left by some of the greatest tacticians in history, and is able to apply and modify those tactics on the fly, to great effect. He has a vast knowledge of history and warfare, and skirts the bounds of a genius level intellect.
Equipment/Resources: As the Curator of the Champion City Museum of Ancient History, Avery sits on a cushy yearly income of about $75,000 per year. This gives him more than enough monetary resources to afford the rather unique services required to keep up his crime-fighting, such as the metallurgy services required to make his weapons, and the expensive materials required to maintain and repair his armor.
Weaknesses:
-Vanity: Avery is prideful and slightly egotistical, looking down on the uneducated and the corrupt. This judgmental mentality makes it slightly difficult for Hannibal to "make friends" in the vigilante community.
-Showmanship/Theatricality: Hannibal uses dramatic presentation as well as violence to instill fear in the villainous. As useful as this can be, it can sometimes bite him in the rear when sheer brutality would be more effective against an opponent. His flare for the dramatic has gotten hi into more than one dangerous situation.
Base of Operation: A secret basement in the Champion City Museum of Ancient History.
Biography: Born to wealthy parents in Champion City, a mother in architecture, and a father who was a retired archaeologist, Avery grew up on tales of great historical figures and their exploits. Alexander of Macedonia, Hannibal, son of Hamilcar, Julius Caesar, Ramses II, these were Avery's heroes. Naturally, considering his obsession with history's greatest idols, Avery began studying them with a passion. sent to the best private school his parents could afford, Avery excelled academically, and, perhaps due to a need to compare himself to his idolized historical figures, excelled physically as well.
After highschool, Avery felt drawn to walk in the footsteps of his heroes, and left home, much to the frustration of his parents, who insisted he go straight to college instead of pursuing wild fantasies. On his pilgrimage to the lands of antiquity, Rome, Greece, Egypt, he had what he would later call a spiritual awakening. Feeling that he was chosen to be his generation's hero, he returned to the states after several years abroad. When he returned, he began taking courses in Harvard, studying several courses of interest. Upon receiving a Master's degree in History several years later, Avery returned to Champion City.
His family home welcomed him back, and his parents were glad to have put him through college at such a respectable establishment. Avery, meaning to pursue a career that would allow him to keep a low profile, while also giving him a decent income, got a job at the Museum of Ancient History, as an apprentice to the then-curator. For several years, as the streets of Champion City began to overflow with crime and violence, Avery watched and waited, planning for his debut as a vigilante in order to counter the masked villains that had begun to plague his city. As he waited, he gathered resources, built his suit, created his vigilante identity, and began to secretly remodel one of the lower-level basements in the Museum.
Eventually, his mentor retired, giving him the position of Museum Curator. At around this time, the Green Skull emerged on the scene, much to Avery's frustration. All his years of planning, and he hadn't imagined that somebody else would emerge into masked vigilantism before him. Shortly after Green Skull's emergence, Avery donned his armor, and became Hannibal. After assisting the police in several take-downs and shoot-outs, resulting in several arrests, and a few deaths, Hannibal was interviewed by the media. During the interview, he was asked several questions, but the one that would cement his reputation was, "Why the name Hannibal?" Hannibal's response was as follows,
"Long ago, when the Republic of Rome moved to conquer the various kingdoms and city-states surrounding them, few were capable of resisting. There was one general, Hannibal of Carthage, who stood out among those who resisted Rome's advance. Hannibal was so successful in his war against the Roman forces that the phrase Hannibal ante portas was coined by the Romans. The phrase was used when somebody was in great distress. It literally translates to Hannibal is at the Gates. You see, Hannibal taught the corrupt of Rome the meaning of fear. I have chosen his name, because I intend to teach the corrupt and vile of this city the same lesson. Indeed, let those who would prey on the week and innocent in this city lament my coming. To those who would do evil, I say this: Hannibal is at the gates."
After the interview, Hannibal continued to gain fame while fighting crime, despite the degradation of the city, and the argument that it was a losing battle. For several years he has fought hard to uphold the law in Champion City. For this reason, he was elated when he received the invitation to meet with Green Skull. It was time, perhaps, to strike at the root of corruption, as opposed to it's symptoms.
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