| ||
| Lifting 8/15 6 or 800 tons Flight 3/7 16/250 mph Run 7 250 mph Impervious ignores up to 6 Regenerate every 5 rounds | |
|
Offense:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Known Background: When Roscoe Turner Jr. was four years old, his family went on a vacation to New York City. His father, a factory worker in Tennessee, had been setting aside money for several years to afford the trip. Unfamiliar with driving in a big city, on expressways and turnpikes, there were multiple times that Roscoe Turner Sr. got lost on the trip. The last time this happened, the Turners ended up in one of the most impoverished run-down parts of the city. When Roscoe Sr. got out to ask for directions, he was set upon by several gang members. Roscoe Jr. watched in horror as his father was beaten to death, and it would be several years before he'd be old enough to understand what they did to his mother. Roscoe Jr. then grew up in the home of his paternal grandfather, who took care his violated daughter-in-law, as best he could, until she took her own life. It was in this environment, that the boy filled with love, hate, grief and despair came to believe his grandfather's racist views. That the crimes that had destroyed their family had been motivated by greed and envy was lost on both Turners. They were poor as well.
Strong-willed, when he was old enough, Roscoe Jr. joined the U.S. Army, just as his father and grandfather had. It was not a good fit. Roscoe was in danger being sent to Leavenworth, Kansas, when he volunteered for an experimental program. The army had been exploring tapping the energy of the mind for decades, and this was the simply the latest round of experiments. And like so many others, it ended in failure. The volunteers were sworn to secrecy and sent back to their units. In Roscoe's case, he received a dishonorable discharge. It turns out, though, the experiments weren't failures. The process simply had taken longer than anyone had expected. Two years after his discharge, Roscoe was manifesting heightened strength and resilience, and the ability to psionically fly. He did what any country-loving, God-fearing, young man in this situation would do, he put on a red-white and blue, patriotically themed costume and became a super hero. He moved to Nashville and became the Real American. He quickly became known as a very effective hero. He won accolades when he publicly went through paramedic training to be even more effective during rescue operations. However, while an effective crime deterrent, it was because he was brutal. His treatment of criminals, particularly criminals of colour, was far from exemplary. But never lethal. Then there was the incident that made Roscoe infamous within the super hero community. An armoured car had been hi-jacked and was making a midnight escape along I-40. Real American was in pursuit. Separately, Carl Johnston, the Crusader known as Thunder, was in transit to visit family in Houston, after the Havok Disaster, and was in the area. He also was in pursuit. Thunder has always worked in street clothes, eschewing the use of a distinctive costume. He's also a speedster and beat Roscoe to the scene. Real American, didn't recognise Johnston, and, honestly didn't believe him when he identified himself. Roscoe saw a non-costumed parahuman in the company of criminals; a black parahuman in the company of criminals. He also mistakenly believed that the super strength he saw Thunder use came with a greater degree of invulnerability than Thunder possesses. Real American fought hard, and it was brutal. It was after Thunder was gravely injured and unconscious and the real criminals stopped by Turner, that Real American found a magazine in the armoured car, covering the Crusaders, and realised his mistake. He then used his paramedic training to save Johnston's life. Despite the fact that there were no witnesses to this final event of the incident, the Tennessee District Attorney still didn't have enough evidence to pursue a case against Turner over what was perceived by many as a tragic parahuman misunderstanding-turned-brawl. Turner's reputation was never good (not that it deserved to be), but after this incident it was thoroughly trashed. Despite this, he continues to fight the good fight the only way he knows how. Shortly before the Omnisphere Incident, Turner was invited, for the first time, to join a super hero team. Eager for any kind of acceptance, he readily became a member of Rebel Yell.Personality: In most situations, Roscoe Turner is an easy-going kind of guy. He is a helpful, friendly person. Many women find him charming. That said, he has a problem with some authority figures, which led to his problems in the army; he distrusts anyone who is not descended of white Europeans; and he hates criminals with a deeply set passion. He values life, but not enough to change his attitudes towards criminals. Although he is a racist, in most cases that racism takes the form of distrust and apparent indifference. His violent urges are aimed at criminals. He has a smart mouth, and in a confrontation, he is apt to say the thing that is most likely to get the other person riled. He is no saint, by any stretch of the imagination, but he is not the monster that many, most Crusaders in particular, make him out to be. Eager for acceptance for himself, he has always been open about who he is.
Powers/Tactics: Real American's powers allow him, through an act of intense concentration, to greatly increase his resistance to harm. He is also tremendously fast, strong (albeit on the low-end of superhuman strength), and is able to fly. His powers are similar to, but not nearly as powerful as, Captain Victory's, and in fact Turner would know Victory's real name if his intense distrust hadn't caused him to avoid and ignore the man in the next bunk during the experiments. His main tactic is to fly in quickly, and then hit his enemies hard. He is a hand-to-hand-combatant, through and through, and a puncher, not a grappler. He will use his smart mouth to anger his foes and not fight their best.
Appearance: Roscoe Turner stands six foot one, with strawberry blond hair. His taste in hair styles stalled out in the early-nineties, and still favours a mullet. Despite this, he is still quite handsome. His costume is a blue jacket with white trousers, with a red and white cape. His cape and gloves are red.
Real American was created and designed by Ken Hallaron and Andy Fox. He is an NPC.
© Copyright 1988, 2024 - Andrew C. Fox, Kenneth G. Hallaron
Back to the Welcome to the RCU page
Last updated on 4 July 2023