Tag: villains

#3 – Darius Mandrake

Darius Mandrake was supposed to be it. The man, the next big thing. When Darius discovered his abilities at age 12, he immediately became “the next big thing” to come along in the superhero community. Prodigiously gifted, standing 6’2“ in 9th grade, with super-strength, near-invulnerability, and the ability to manipulate time, his potential was said to be nearly limitless. He was to be a era-defining superhero, if he lived up to his abilities.

“If” has come to define Darius’ life. If he actually worked at making the most of his gifts. If only he had better friends. If only he had surrounded himself with better people. If he’d had someone to guide him, to teach him about the wages of fame. So much was expected of him, so much was given to him immediately because of that potential ability.

Darius was being “recruited” by the biggest superhero groups across the globe, told he was the second coming. It all came far too much, too soon, too fast for Darius. By 14 he was a handful, by 17 he was beyond anyone’s control. He came to believe the hype about himself. He ceased working to perfect and understand his abilities, taking them for granted. He partied, openly feuded with other heroes, had repeated skirmishes with the police and generally acted above the law, above society, as if he was something wholly different to everyone else.

Darius is 25 now, a living “cautionary tale”, the object of derision. He has squandered several chances to make a life for himself, getting thrown out of no less than three superhero collectives already in his short life. He still prioritizes his vices over actually doing anything material, and finds himself with even less understanding and control of his abilities than he did when he was a teenager.

For all of this, however, Darius blames everyone else. He blames “the system” for treating him unfairly, when he says he was living in a way that all other heroes were. He blames other heroes for spreading rumors and lies about him, for publicly shunning him from their community. He still believes he is earth’s greatest hero whenever he wants to, he simply justifies his apathy by believing that there is little out there that poses enough of a challenge for him to genuinely engage with it.

Darius has surrounded himself with a small entourage that act more as enablers and Yes Men than friends or helpers. He still has his loyal fans, and is still capable of commanding a certain amount of celebrity, but few doubt that his life is already on the downside. Darius is bitter, petulant, cruel, and unwilling to take responsibility for anything he’s done. He still believes his redemption is just around the corner, even as it slips away with each passing day.

Darius still looks the part of the hero, now standing 6‘7“, with the physique of an olympian. The only thing he has committed himself to is his look and his style. He still demands to wear only the finest, cutting-edge fashion. Darius’s face, once warm and inviting as a child, has darkened, but he still retains a certain leading-man look, with his square chin and inviting eyes.