Name:Charles Victor Sage
Nicknames:Vic. This is both his preferred name among his friends and what he uses professionally.
Alias:The Question
Age:38
Sex:Male
Appearance:
Picture courtesy of Ammotu
Vic is a fairly tall Caucasian male. He has a fair complexion and dirty blonde hair, which he wears about as long as professionalism allows. His face might charitably be described as rugged- he's clearly been on the wrong end of some fists.
When operating as The Question, Vic releases a gas that changes the colors of whatever clothing he is wearing and a mask of artificial skin that makes him appear to be faceless, instead having blank skin where his facial features would normally be.
Backstory:Charles Victor Sage never knew his parents. Cliche though it is, Vic was an orphan, a child of the system, moving through a series of foster homes in his hometown Hub City. He never found anyone to adopt him- he was a violent, unpredictable wild child. However, he was bright and physically capable, managing to find academic and athletic scholarships to a reputable state university, where he studied journalism.
It was in college that he finally met someone who reached out to him- his chemistry professor Aristotle Rodor. The older man connected with Vic on a personal level, becoming a lifelong friend and mentor. He also met fellow journalism student Myra Connelly, with whom he began an on-again, off-again relationship that has continued since.
Vic's first foray into vigilantism was in college, when Professor Rodor came to him for help. Rodor had invented an artificial skin, intended to be used as a bandage and skin graft all in one. Rodor discovered the artificial skin to be toxic when applied to open wounds, however his unscrupulous business partners attempted to market the dangerous product anyways. Vic donned a mask of the artificial skin, and between his fists and a chemical smokescreen that also changed the color of his clothes, managed to “convince” the greedy businessmen not to sell a dangerous product. The experience left Vic exhilirated and wanting more- he was doing good while releasing his inner anger on the deserving. And so, at the tender age of 21, Vic became The Question, Hub City's only superhero.
Juggling superheroics with his career as a muckraking journalist was surprisingly easy- one aided the other. But Hub City was not an easy place to be a superhero- it was worse than Gotham, worse then Bludhaven. There were few out-and-out costumed supervillians, the enemies were often harder to spot. The police were corrupt, the politicians were corrupt, the corporations were corrupt. Crushing poverty forced otherwise honest people into crime. The Irish Mob and various biker gangs had more members than the police force. Vic did his best, but the evils just kept coming back. As they years went on, he became more and more frustrated and angry at his inability to do any real lasting change to the city.
Finally, Vic met his match in the shape of a corrupt trade union. Attempting to find evidence for an expose piece, The Question was ambushed. Shot in the head, savagely beaten, and dumped in the river, death seemed certain.
Somehow, though, Vic managed to cling to life as he was swept downstream. Call it luck, call it destiny, but eventually his unconscious body washed up hundreds of miles south, on the property of the reclusive and semi-retired martial arts master Richard Dragon. Dragon recognized him as Hub City's superhero and nursed him back to health. The next three years were spent in an exhaustive study of Oriental martial arts and philosophy. Once Dragon felt Vic had obtained the fighting skills and mental discipline necessary to truly protect Hub City, Vic was sent on his way, back to the cursed, stinking town he called home.
Vic returned to find the situation in Hub City even worse than when he had left. Organized crime was worse than ever, unemployment had skyrocketed, and the same union racketeers that had nearly killed him had put a useless drunken mayor in office as their puppet. Polluting and cutthroat companies like AmerTek and Stagg Enterprises had been invited into Hub City, building dangerous factories and towering office buildings on the bodies of countless abused workers. Drugs ran rampant. Biker gangs did a better job of imposing order in their territories than uniformed police officers.
With a new outlook and a better punch, Vic went to work.
Ten years have passed since The Question began to walk the streets of Hub City for the second time. Things have improved a little bit because of his influence. Only a little. Between the Question's fists and Vic Sage's pen, some vicious criminals have been taken down. For the first time in a century, the chief of police (one Izzy O'Toole) isn't on the take. And Vic's longtime companion Myra Connelly now sits behind the mayor's desk, working tirelessly to move Hub City out of the “national joke” slot.
But it's still not safe to walk the streets even in daylight.
Vic is trying to accept that he's not the answer.
He's only The Question.
Motivation for joining the League?:Lately, Vic has been suffering from what might be called burnout. He finds it difficult to meditate or contemplate philosophical questions. While behind the mask, he often finds himself wondering where “the line” is- while he has never used lethal force in his career, a voice in the back of his head keeps telling him it would be a permanent solution, a way to prevent him from fighting the same thug only a month later.
Accordingly, Vic has decided that working with the Justice League might be a way for him to affect lasting change. With the Big Seven (plus Batman) MIA, someone has to step up and do something. This might provide him with the affirmation he needs to carry on, a reminder of what is good in this world.
What do you bring to the League?:Detective: Vic's time as an investigative journalist and masked crimefighter has given him a lot of experience in piecing together massive problems. He has excellent deductive and observational skills, as well as the patience for sifting through information.
Contacts: When his own skills fail him, The Question knows experts in numerous fields all around the country who will gladly do him favors. History, chemistry, linguistics, law enforcement, music, botany- he knows at least one person who will lend him a hand in many different disciplines.
Smokescreen: Vic carries small pellets that release a thick and swirling smokescreen when crushed or broken. He will often use them to confuse an opponent or make an escape.
Martial Arts: The Question is an expert in many different schools of Eastern martial arts: Wing Chun, Shorinji Kempo karate, judo, Chow Gar, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, Pencak Silat, Vovinam, Zui Quan, Aikido, and of course good old-fashioned Hub City gutter brawling. He carries no weapons, instead preferring to let the moment provide for him. Vic is perhaps among the top ten martial artists in the United States.
Experience: Finally, and this is not to be frowned upon, The Question has been fighting crime for around seventeen years in what might be the worst city in America. He knows all the tricks, what to look for, when to hold them and when to fold them.
NotesVic is a smoker, going through up to a pack of cigarettes a day and passing out expensive cigars to celebrate a major victory.
His major confidant and adviser is the scientist Aristotle Rodor, and he is romantically involved with Myra Connelly, the current mayor of Hub City. Both are aware of his secret identity and provide him with emotional and material support.
Vic is naturally distrustful, cynical, and guarded. While he recognizes the importance of having allies, it is difficult for him to make true friends.
Etrigan, however, is counted among his friends- at Batman's urging the two once worked together to prevent Karkull from taking over Hub City with an army of zombies.
