worm
This article is about the parahuman known as Hero. You may be looking for the cape alignment, Heroes.
“ Everyone has their baggage. [...] But this is a fresh start, understand? I’m pretty mellow, believe it or not, but I’m going to be upset if I hear that anyone’s holding any of that stuff against a teammate, or if you’re letting it hold you back. Understand? This is a second chance for everyone. You’re here to support one another. ”

—Hero to Chevalier, Reed, and Mouse Protector, Interlude 24.x

Hero was one of the founding members of the Protectorate.

Personality

Hero was a genial, encouraging man who secretly supplied the first Wards team with video games and movies so that they could have an enjoyable pastime between their work as heroes and after school.[5][6]

Riddled with health problems from an early age, Hero considered Cauldron heroes after the formula they gave him cured his illnesses.[2]

He had a leadership position in the early Protectorate, even though he believed that he would not be suited to one.[7]

Appearance

Hero had blond hair.[2] He wore a golden helmet and body armor with blue chain mesh,[8][9] or blue body armor with gold detailing, depending on the year. The PRT emblem was worked into one shoulder, with wings drawing attention to it.[10]

His helmet had a golden, heavily tinted visor, and could be removed while leaving the visor in place.[10]

Abilities and Powers

Known as the first real Tinker[3] with a tool for virtually every occasion,[9] Hero's specialty involved a lot of 'white-gold energy' that became part of just about everything he built.[11] This 'Stilling' energy manipulated wavelengths and was very versatile,[12] resulting in a power so broad that he did not even realize he had a focus or specialty.[13] Only after Hero's death (i.e., once tinker specializations were being considered) did others such as Legend correctly guess his specialty was related to wavelength manipulation.[3]

Like other Tinkers, the creation process paces out Hero's power level (e.g., need for blueprinting, resources, build time, etc.). However, his methodology does not have further restrictions to properly limit his specialty, resulting in an otherwise unrestricted Tinker with a 'lite' version of Scion's Stilling power. Cauldron also gave him an endless budget to assist him material-wise.[13]

Known Tinker Creations
  • Power Sources - Are small and surprisingly effective.[7] Wildbow speculates it involved 'white-gold energy', i.e., 'Stilling' energy, that runs through all his tech as a kind of stabilizing, restraining thread.[11]
  • Helmet - His helmet had a visor,[10] camera,[14] and could connect to a communications channel.[15]
  • Body Armor - Hero wore a bodysuit with tech and some degree of armor integrated into it.[16] This body armor was lighter than Iron Man's armor, but more in that direction than the power armor worn by WH40k space marines.[10] During Hero's first/last fight against the Siberian, her attack pierced through his chest armor.[17]
  • Weapons - Hero created various weapons such as ray guns,[10] a disintegration gun, small and surprisingly effective explosives, and sonic weapons.[7] Wildbow speculates his blasters could shoot 'Stilling' energy.[11]
  • Mobility - For flight, Hero created a jetpack[9][3] and jet boots.[10] Wildbow speculates his jetpack shot out 'Stilling' energy.[11] During his first/last fight against the Siberian, Hero did not evade her fatal lunge.[17]

Shard

Hero drank a vial that connected him to Eden's version of Scion's Stilling power.[18] Eden always intended to hand out this shard to see how the host species would explore this power; she already configured it so that its future host would effectively be a Tinker with a 'lite' version of Scion's Stilling. However, she died before she could tailor the restrictions/limitations associated with that tinker's methodology.[13]

Chevalier saw Hero's power as a four-legged creature with legs so long that he could not see its main body. The base of each leg had finger-like appendages that carved diagrams and ideas as it walked.[19]

History

Background

For much of his early life, he was beset with terminal health problems such as organ problems, diabetes, tremors, and chronic headaches until an unmitigated Cauldron formula cured him of his illnesses. He developed diabetes at 22. He was one of the earliest Cauldron capes, shortly after Scion's first sightings in 1982.[2]

Career

Hero was said to have been the first real tinker.[7]

In 1988, Hero was introduced to Alexandria and agreed to her idea of forming a government-regulated superhero team with Cauldron's backing.

Hero was present when Behemoth emerged for the first time in 1992.

In 1993, he was sworn in alongside Alexandria, Legend, and Eidolon as one of the founding members of the Protectorate.

On September 15, 2000, Siberian bisected him in a confrontation between her and the core Protectorate. Eidolon attempted to heal Hero, but he ultimately died.[20]

Legacy

His loss splintered the Triumvirate, resulting in the members going their separate ways.[21]

Hero remained in the public eye even after his death, recognized as both the first Tinker and one of the best. Because of this, other Tinkers, such as Kid Win, strive to emulate his model.[7]

Chapter Appearances

Worm Chapter Appearances
Snare
1. Snare 13.1 Absent
2. Snare 13.2 Absent
x. Interlude 13.5 (Donation Bonus) Absent
3. Snare 13.3 Absent
4. Snare 13.4 Absent
5. Snare 13.5 Absent
6. Snare 13.6 Absent
7. Snare 13.7 Absent
8. Snare 13.8 Absent
9. Snare 13.9 Absent
10. Snare 13.10 Absent
y. Interlude 13 Screen
Prey
1. Prey 14.1 Absent
2. Prey 14.2 Absent
3. Prey 14.3 Absent
4. Prey 14.4 Absent
5. Prey 14.5 Absent
6. Prey 14.6 Absent
7. Prey 14.7 Absent
8. Prey 14.8 Absent
9. Prey 14.9 Absent
10. Prey 14.10 Absent
11. Prey 14.11 Absent
x. Interlude 14.x Absent
y. Interlude 14.y Mentioned
Colony
1. Colony 15.1 Absent
x. Interlude 15.x Absent
2. Colony 15.2 Absent
3. Colony 15.3 Absent
y. Interlude 15.y Absent
4. Colony 15.4 Absent
5. Colony 15.5 Absent
6. Colony 15.6 Absent
7. Colony 15.7 Absent
z. Interlude 15.z Appears
8. Colony 15.8 Absent
9. Colony 15.9 Absent
10. Colony 15.10 Absent
i. Interlude 15 Absent
Imago
1. Imago 21.1 Absent
2. Imago 21.2 Absent
3. Imago 21.3 Absent
4. Imago 21.4 Absent
5. Imago 21.5 Absent
6. Imago 21.6 Absent
7. Imago 21.7 Absent
x. Interlude 21.x Mentioned
y. Interlude 21.y Absent
Cell
1. Cell 22.1 Absent
2. Cell 22.2 Absent
3. Cell 22.3 Absent
4. Cell 22.4 Mentioned
5. Cell 22.5 Absent
6. Cell 22.6 Absent
x. Interlude 22.x Absent
y. Interlude 22.y Absent
Crushed
1. Crushed 24.1 Absent
2. Crushed 24.2 Absent
3. Crushed 24.3 Absent
4. Crushed 24.4 Absent
5. Crushed 24.5 Absent
x. Interlude 24.x Flashback
y. Interlude 24.y Absent
Extinction
1. Extinction 27.1 Absent
2. Extinction 27.2 Absent
3. Extinction 27.3 Absent
4. Extinction 27.4 Absent
5. Extinction 27.5 Absent
x. Interlude 27.x Mentioned
y. Interlude 27.y Absent
Venom
1. Venom 29.1 Absent
2. Venom 29.2 Absent
3. Venom 29.3 Absent
4. Venom 29.4 Absent
5. Venom 29.5 Absent
6. Venom 29.6 Absent
7. Venom 29.7 Absent
8. Venom 29.8 Absent
9. Venom 29.9 Absent
x. Interlude 29 Appears

Trivia

Fanart Gallery

References

  1. ↑ September 15th, 2000 - Excerpt from Interlude 15.z
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 “Hey,” the blond guy said, “I spent my entire life with this heart problem, you know? Heart going a little too fast, reedy, thin heartbeat. Reminding me it could pop at any moment. Organs are garbage, diabetes at twenty-two, liver problems turn me yellow if I’m not careful, throwing up bile every morning and every night. Every moment of every day, there’s something making me miserable. Except, right now, I’m sort of feeling every part of my body, and the heart’s good, no headache, nothing in my throat, nothing in my gut. No tremor in my hand…” - Excerpt from Interlude 29
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 “He was the first real tinker, you know.”

    “Before we knew tinkers have specializations,” Kid Win added.

    “I’ve thought about it.  The disintegration gun, the jetpack, the sonic weapons, the power sources and explosives that were surprisingly effective for their size.  I suspect his specialty tied into manipulating and enhancing wavelengths and frequencies.” - Excerpt from Interlude 14.y
  4. ↑ Ridtoria: Since the original group has been disbanded/killed, if you would mind bow, how did the Triumvirate+Hero (I guess just Protectorate) function as a team in the early days? Did they stick to their singular cities and occasionally team up for big events, or did they travel around the nation with Cauldron's help to promote themselves in heroics?

    Wildbow: One city as HQ, traveling to sites as situations demanded. - Conversation with Wildbow on IRC, archived on Spacebattles
  5. ↑ Interlude 24.x
  6. ↑ Wildbow: I think Hero was a genuinely good guy. He was genuinely interested in doing good and addressing problems, and his particular stance and focus could have put Cauldron on a different tilt, more focused on improving things than on surviving.

    Wildbow: He was angry when we see him because he was starting to plant his feet and get ready to push for better things. Not happy with the direction things were taking, and savvy enough to see hints of the problems in Cauldron's approach. - Comment by Wildbow on IRC, archived on Spacebattles
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Interlude 14.y
  8. ↑ Kid Win smiled a little.

    “You remind me of Hero.”
    [...]
    “I sort of modeled myself after him.”

    Legend studied the boy.  Red and gold body armor and a red-tinted visor.  There were additions that seemed to be more recent, judging by the lack of wear and tear, but if he looked past those, if he imagined the boy with a helmet covering that brown wavy hair, replaced the red with blue chain mesh, he could see the resemblance. - Excerpt from Interlude 14.y
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Protectorate had been smaller, then. The lead group had consisted of four members. Legend, Alexandria, Eidolon and Hero. Hero had been the first tinker to take the spotlight, so early to the game that he could get away with taking a name that basic and iconic. He’d sported golden armor, a jetpack, and a tool for every occasion. His career had been cut short when Siberian tore him limb from limb in a sudden frenzy of blood and savagery. He’d been scooped up by Eidolon, who tried to heal him, who continued to hold the man as he joined in the ensuing conflict. - Excerpt from Interlude 13
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Hero has body armor in blue with gold detailing or vice versa, depending on the year, with a jetpack, ray guns, jet boots, etc. Lighter than Iron Man armor, but more in that direction than power armor (which would be more like you might see a WH40k space marine wearing).

    Visor, gold & heavily tinted, built into a helmet, which can be removed while leaving the visor in place.

    PRT emblem would be worked in via. gold, with wings peeling off of the sides of the logo & drawing attention to it, at one shoulder. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit, archived on Spacebattles
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Wildbow: Hero's specialty involved a lot of 'white-gold energy'. Boosters, blasters, all with a kind of stabilizing, restraining thread running through them.

    girl bowser: Would that be reflected in stuff like his action figures, posters, etc?

    Wildbow: In what sense?
    I'd say like, jetpack and two columns of white-gold light stabbing down from the back. Gun and white-gold light shooting from it. Maybe with ripples or helixes around the light.

    girl bowser: Like, if someone were to sell like "Hero color t-shirt" would it feature white and gold, like how Iron Man stuff features his blue Arc Reactor energy?

    Wildbow: His tech would be in line with his costume for materials. Legend talks about this while observing Kid Win
    And any t-shirts emulating that would stick to the same schema
    Possibly with light shining through. - Conversation with Wildbow on Cauldron Discord
  12. ↑ Scion equipped himself to be able to fight pretty much any threat. His big weapon is a very versatile 'stilling' ability, which lets him cancel out wavelengths, which can be applied in a variety of ways, defensive or offensive - it lets him counteract, manipulate, and cancel virtually any parahuman or human generated effect. He can cancel out heat, eliminate sound, break Grey Boy's ability, disintegrate molecular bonds, etc. He can do so with beams, thrown orbs/bullets, a light he emanates, and a personal forcefield, among a variety of other mechanisms. - Comment by Wildbow on Spacebattles
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 este_hombre: What makes Hero worthy of the Triumvirate?

    I know we don't hear much about him other than he was the greatest Tinker in the world at the time(Legend theorized his powers had to do with wavelength manipulations). Other than that we hear he had a disintegration gun, sonics, and a jet-pack which just sounds like stuff Legend can do but better.

    Wildbow: Keep in mind that wavelengths are referenced specifically by Scion in relation to Jack and Jack's secondary power. They're also mentioned frequently in the context of Scion - ripples and waves. Finally, it's also suggested that they didn't even really realize he had a focus at all - he was broad in what he could do.

    Do you see how these ideas connect?

    Eden was the scholar, Scion the soldier. They had the same tools, but empathized different ones. So picture Eden taking the primary tools that Scion had and giving them to a tinker so the human could use human ingenuity to explore those tools. Naturally it would be paced out by needing to design and tinker and find materials, using those materials in a sorta kludgy way (ie. have to carry the items, pull triggers, type stuff in), and would have some limitations she tacked on. Except she broke down before she could tailor the restriction part, leading to a vial giving some Scion Lite tools to an otherwise unrestricted tinker, who then joined/helped form an organization that gave him endless materials. That's Hero. - Conversation with Wildbow on Reddit, archived on Spacebattles
  14. ↑ “So that was him?”

    “Almost certainly. He gave his daughter one of our higher quality formulas, and she couldn’t handle it. When he realized what he’d done, realized that he couldn’t hide it from us, he took one formula for himself and fled. I didn’t know what it had done for him until tonight. The resemblance between Siberian and Manton’s daughter is subtle, but it’s there, and the footage from Hero’s helmet-camera has been run through every facial recognition program I could find.” - Excerpt from Interlude 15.z
  15. ↑ “Shit,” Hero’s voice came over the communications channel.

    “What?” she responded.
    [...]
    At least he’s too slow to dodge or get out of the way of trouble.

    “Guys back home say we’re close to some major oil fields.” - Excerpt from Interlude 15.z
  16. ↑ Power armor is actually mechanically powered movement. As in, if the power was cut off, the wearer couldn't actually move, or would move at a fifth the rate they might outside the armor. Tecton wears power armor & runs into this at one point (IIRC post-shatterbird). Think Space Marine rather than Iron man. Regular tinkers, Kid win, Gallant, Armsmaster, Hero and the like generally wear bodysuits with tech and some degree of armor integrated into them.

    Toybox, the sentai elite, Dragon and some scattered Endbringer fight participants have mechs. Distinguished from power armor in that they're closer to being vehicles that can walk and usually have cockpits or control panels.

    Power armor is usually relegated to combat-heavy tinkers, but maybe half of tinkers can work toward it eventually, if they want to research in that direction. Mechs are, barring it being an actual specialty for the tinker, halfway along the road between normal tinkerings and megaprojects. The culmination of half a year to a year of research, work, fabrication, resource gathering & other hurdle jumping (including in keeping the shard happy). Maybe 1 in 20 tinkers can theoretically & readily make mechs without taking a convoluted path, and maybe half of those who have careers long enough to count actually do so at any point. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit, archived on Spacebattles
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Eidolon cast out a cluster of crystal that exploded into a formation around Siberian on impact, encasing her.

    Siberian shrugged it off like it was nothing, lunged forward, going after Hero.

    Alexandria dove to intervene, to guard her teammate, but Siberian was faster. She reached Hero first, her hands plunging through his chest cavity. When she pulled her arms free, she nearly bisected him.

    Eidolon screamed, flying close to scoop up the two pieces of Hero, carrying them outside.

    Siberian leaped after them, missed only because Legend shot his comrades with a laser to alter their trajectory. - Excerpt from Interlude 15.z
  18. ↑ He had tinkertech with Eden's version of Scion's golden beams and stilling energy.
    He was good at things. :laughing: - Comment by Wildbow on Parahumans Discord
  19. ↑ Chevalier watched the exchange carefully. His eyes fell on the figure behind Hero, and he tried to focus his attention on it. It moved with glacial slowness, a four-legged creature with legs so long that the ‘window’ around Hero didn’t even show its main body. Finger-like appendages at the base of each leg carved diagrams and ideas into the ‘soil’ beneath as it walked. - Excerpt from Interlude 24.x
  20. ↑ Interlude 15.z
  21. ↑ Around the time that they were a group, they were simply 'the Protectorate' or 'the guys at the top'. You could say, perhaps, that the loss of Hero splintered the team. They didn't hate each other or resent each other, but it was about time, and served as the catalyst to the group each going to their own individual cities - New York, LA, & Houston. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit, archived on Spacebattles
  22. ↑ Hero does have other aspects that mirror Superman, but it's a little more abstract.
    Superman used to be a 'can solve anything' type, in a way that didn't quite go with the Eidolon power of asspull. He has moments where he tinkers up solutions. But more abstract, he's hope on a much wider level. For humanity, for what powers mean. Gold Morning is, ironically, the sun setting on powers. Hero, with Scion's power distilled into technology, is the sunrise. - Comment by Wildbow on Parahumans Discord

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