David Charleston

David Charleston
by Jamie Knierim
Born	~18 years before Steelheart
Titles	Steelslayer
Groups	Reckoners
Residence	Newcago
Homeworld	Earth (Reckoners)

This page or section contains spoilers for Calamity!

This information has the ability to potentially ruin elements of the plot for the reader. Proceed with caution if you have not read this book.

David Charleston was a member of the Reckoners on Earth, holding the position of Pointman. He is the point of view character in the Reckoners series.

History

When David was eight years old, he witnessed his father, Blain Charleston, be killed by the High Epic Steelheart on the Day of Annexation. After a short time living homeless and alone in the city of Newcago, David was taken in by a Factory, where he, along with many other children, worked in exchange for food and board. During this time David became obsessed with researching Epics and finding their weaknesses, particularly that of Steelheart.

Steelheart

David manages to track down the Reckoners when they plan a hit on Fortuity in Newcago and convinces them to let him join. He tells them that he had seen Steelheart bleed, and convinces them to target Steelheart next. Together, they successfully execute a plan which results in the destruction of Steelheart's government and the eventual death of Steelheart himself.

Mitosis

After the death of Steelheart, the Reckoners have to defend the city of Newcago against Epics from elsewhere in the world. Upon fighting Mitosis, David realizes that Epic weaknesses always have to deal in some way with the Epic's past.

Firefight

The Reckoners learn that Epics are being sent to Newcago by a High Epic in Babilar, formerly New York City, so David, Prof, and Tia travel to Babilar to take on Regalia. In Babilar, David meets more members of the Reckoners and learns that the Epic weaknesses

Calamity

With Prof turned, David must lead the Reckoners on a desperate chase to recall their mentor, destroy Calamity, and save the world.

In Firefight's Universe

In the parallel universe from which Megan pulls Firefight, David was killed by his father, potentially on the Day of Annexation.

Abilties

Up through most of Firefight, David had no superhuman abilities and fought using a rifle and tensors.

After Firefight and beyond, when David was approached by Calamity at the urging of Regalia, David had the Epic Powers of Steelheart. These powers came with an Epic Weakness unique to David.

Epic Powers

• Wind Manipulation: David can move anything in the wind, including himself.
• Steel Transfersion: David can turn almost anything into steel.
• Impenetrable skin: Nothing can peirce David's skin.
• Super Strength: That ability david is still developing, but it's there.

Epic Weakness

• The Ocean: David used to fear the depths, but not too much anymore; practically what David describes an uneasy truce.

Metaphors

He is notoriously bad at metaphors, and vastly prefers rifles to handguns.

Trivia

According to Megan, David's bad metaphors are actually bad similes.

Another notable ability is that when he was being turned into an Epic at the end of Firefight, Regalia, a high epic, remarked that Epics had no choice in becoming an epic or not. David was able to stay human, and Regalia later states that Calamity won't tell her how David resisted the process. He later finds out that he's an Epic with Steelheart's powers. After he probably killed Calamity, however, Epics don't go dark and David accepts the powers.

He hates being called a nerd and has an infatuation with Megan Tarash. He runs point most of the time.

He has killed many epics, including Mitosis, Instabam, Sourcefield, Steelheart, Regalia, Newton, Loophole, Swiper, and maybe Calamity.

Notes

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