Red Raven

Origin:

Red Raven is primarily a normal human, though a human who was raised by aliens that gave him a funky flight suit, a suit that he uses to fight injustice! Of course, that's not all, for the Red Raven seemingly has something of an age suppression factor, for he has remained relatively young through his many years as a costumed adventurer and leader of Sky Island.

Known Powers:

Longevity: though he is otherwise a perfectly normal human, the Red Raven seems to have something of an age suppression factor, for he is just as spry as he was during his time with the Liberty Legion. This may simply be a result of advanced medical science available within Sky Island, but the Red Raven nonetheless has this power at least at Feeble (2) rank, though his eventual lifespan is as of yet unknown.

Equipment:

Mace: over the last couple of years, the Red Raven has risen to command of Sky Island and those who dwell within it. As such, he has taken to using a kingly (to him) weapon, which is basically a large, spiky steel ball on a stick - though it may actually be a custom-built, one-piece item. Either way, he can use it to inflict Good (10) Edged Attack damage in melee.

The Red Raven Suit: his primary claim to fame, the Red Raven suit is the vehicle by which Red Raven fights evil and participates in the actions of Sky Island society. Though it is a construct, and thus marks its wearer as something less than a true native of Sky Island, Red Raven wears it with pride, as it allows him to fly at a respectable speed, and has several other useful functions. They are:

* Winged Flight: by far the main feature of the suit, these mechanical wings allow the Red Raven to fly at Typical (6) air speed - approximately 90 m.p.h. The wings gain lift via microscopic, anti gravity generators, though their actual forward momentum and maneuverability come from the flapping motion of the wings while the Red Raven is in flight.

* Shield: the wings of the Red Raven suit themselves are of at least Unearthly (100) m.s., as they've withstood the direct flames of the Human Torch on at least one occasion. With a successful shield maneuver, Red Raven can add +2 CS to the protection his uniform already provides - which has kept him alive on more than a few occasions!

* Armor: the Red Raven suit is, of itself, made of a 'reinforced synthetic stretch fabric'. This fabric weave provides Red Raven Typical (6) protection from physical attacks (gunshots, knives, etc...). The Red Raven suit offers no inherent energy resistance by itself, though its overall defense is raised to Excellent (20) if Red Raven successfully uses his wings as a shield.

* Gun Feathers: hidden within the long pinion 'feathers' of the Suit's wings, these twin pistols can be used to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage to an opponent, if Red Raven deems it necessary. The barrels can also be used to bludgeon opponents, inflicting Good (10) Blunt Attack damage per strike, which he typically prefers in battle - less deaths on his conscience.

Quirks:

Alien Customs: the Red Raven grew up on Sky Island, a sort of floating city that has been completely isolated from the rest of human civilization until only recently, save for a few unpleasant incidents. As such, he's possessed of a slightly alien mindset, one more practical for a person with his background and more likely to cause him to behave strangely, as compared to ordinary humans.

Talents:

Aerial Combat: having spent a lifetime flying about in the air, Red Raven is naturally rather skilled in airborne fighting techniques. Having honed his skills with the citizens of Sky Island for years and years, he can make any attack roll while in the air at a +1 CS (whether it applies to Ftg or Agy). As such, he naturally attacks an opponent from the air, for he has a natural edge in that regard.

Contacts:

The Red Raven was a member of the Liberty Legion, and as a result, a member of the Invaders. He can rely on surviving members of the Legion (or anyone that was in the All-Winners Squad) for aid should he need to. These days, he seems to be in charge of Sky Island, and can depend on its citizens and industrial base to offer him aid in a pinch; he also seemed to get along with Nova, the Human Rocket.

Costume:

The Red Raven wears a primarily red suit with red wings, boots, gloves, and a partial mask (head covered, but face exposed). It is complemented with yellow stripes on the ends of his boots and gloves, a yellow belt, and yellow 'Y' straps running from the front center of his belt to his wings. Lately, however, Red Raven has taken to not wearing a mask, allowing his long red hair to flow free.

His actual wings tend to vary between feathery and leathery in nature, depending on circumstances at the time.

Personality:

Back in the Golden Age, the Red Raven was portrayed as an inexperienced, yet extremely willing hero, more than ready to put villains in their place. In his later years, he has gone to great lengths to protect the people that he has come to lead, going so far as to actually invade the 'surface world' in order to ensure that Sky Island's citizens can live a normal, peaceful life.

Real Name: unrevealed
Occupation: adventurer
Legal Status: no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none known
Group Affiliation: leader of Sky Island, former member of the Liberty Legion

Height: 6'
Hair: red
Eyes: blue
Weight: 180 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none

Story:

Many, many years ago, one of the earliest trans-Atlantic flights disappeared into a dense cloud-bank, never to be seen by humans again. While it was thought that the plane had crashed into the ocean, it had in fact collided with Sky Island, a floating land created and maintained by an offshoot race of Inhumans, all of which wished to isolate themselves from both the Inhumans and regular humanity.

Everyone on the plane died, save for one lucky youth that the natives decided to raise as one of their own. As he lacked wings and the physical structure necessary for flight, these citizens of Sky Island, the 'Bird-People' made him an advanced flight suit that gave him abilities similar to their own. However, the youth eventually wanted to experience his own kind, and left Sky Island to meet them.

This youth eventually landed in America, and decided to make it his home away from home. During World War II, the young hero (having taken the name Red Raven) happened upon a German plane flying high over Pennsylvania, and decided to do something about it. However, when he boarded the plane, he was laid low by a blow to the head, but was eventually rescued by the Thin Man.

This hero, also changed during a chance encounter with a hidden civilization, defeated the villains who downed the Red Raven, and saved him from an untimely end. Once these Germans were dealt with, the two heroes then responded together to a call for help from the well-known sidekick of Captain America - Bucky - who needed help to save the captured Invaders!

Arriving in New York to help in any way they could, Red Raven and Thin Man joined the nascent Liberty Legion to save America from a mind-controlled group of Invaders. After several battles up and down the east coast, the Liberty Legion finally cornered and freed the Invaders. After this encounter, the Liberty Legion continued on as heroes who fought internal troubles, while the Invaders battled evil abroad.

Over time, though, the two teams sort of blurred into one big association of heroes, fighting super-threats much more effectively. Thankfully, however, the second World War eventually ended, and many of the heroes in this rather large assembly of such were no longer needed to keep the peace. As such, the Red Raven returned to Sky Island a changed man, much wiser about the ways of the outside world.

Years later, the Red Raven launched a campaign to hide his people from humanity, mainly by placing them in suspended animation for a time, and submerging Sky Island beneath the sea. Sleeping alongside his fellows, Red Raven built an android duplicate of himself to watch over things, and this artificial entity clashed with various super humans, including Angel, Namor and even the villainous Diablo.

Though his android was destroyed in battle with Diablo, Red Raven and the people of Sky Island rose shortly after in a rebuilt home. Of course, things were not to go smoothly for Red Raven and his people - or his newly found daughter, Dania - who has taken his role for a short time during his slumber. The problem was that the greatest threat to Sky Island was... Sky Island.

You see, a Sky Island fringe group called the Bloodraven Cult was attempting to summon the Wayfinder to our world, to bring about its annihilation. Red Raven would've noted this sooner had he not been beset by various issues on the surface world, including encounters with Nova, the Human Rocket, and the Maha Yogi - both of which served to distract him until it was too late.

When a cursed group of Defenders arrived to stop a mysterious threat, they ultimately rooted out the Bloodraven Cult, but not before they could set their plan in motion. When the Defenders failed to stop their dread equipment, a mammoth portal opened into some nameless, sanity-rending void - and as all could easily see, the Wayfinder was answering the call to come visit destruction to our world.

As the Defenders and his own people attempted to stop the calamity, Red Raven made a desperate gambit and rammed the whole of Sky Island into the portal his errant subjects had wrought, and with Doctor Strange's help, the doorway was sealed, at least for a time. And though he promised to help end the menace awaiting Sky Island, Doctor Strange returned months later with... other goals in mind.

When he and his cohorts in the Defenders devolved into the tyrants known as the Order, they commandeered all of Sky Island for use as their own headquarters, reshaping it to suit their needs and displacing the entire population. Red Raven and his people were not freed until after the so-called Order were finally made to come to their senses, and abandoned their aims at world conquest.

Presumably, the small problem of their city being jammed into an immense interdimensional hole was repaired at this time, though undoubtedly Red Raven and his Avian fellows were exceedingly unhappy about the whole situation - and are likely even less to look favorably on mere surface dwellers from here on out. Red Raven's activities since these trying times have yet to be documented.

Extra Goodies: