Difference between revisions of "Jonathan Phaedrus"
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== History == |
== History == |
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| − | Prior to the arrival of [[Calamity (Epic)|Calamity]], |
+ | Prior to the arrival of [[Calamity (Epic)|Calamity]], Jonathan Phaedrus was a fifth-grade science teacher. He was involved in a romantic relationship with [[Tia]], who at the time worked for NASA. At some point after the arrival of Calamity, the school where he worked was destroyed by an Epic while still in session. The details of this incident are unclear, and it is possible that the Epic in question was Phaedrus himself experiencing his Rending.{{book ref|Steelheart|34}}. Sometime prior to the events of Steelheart, he was part of a team of "hero" Epics consisting of himself, [[Lincoln]], [[Abigail Reed]], and [[Amala]]. This venture ended in catastrophe as every member of the group other than Phaedrus succumbed to Calamity's corruption. Sometime later, he and Tia founded the Reckoners. |
=== [[Steelheart]] === |
=== [[Steelheart]] === |
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=== [[Firefight]] === |
=== [[Firefight]] === |
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| − | Following the events of Steelheart, Phaedrus travelled with David to [[Babylon Restored]] to take out his old friend |
+ | Following the events of Steelheart, Phaedrus travelled with David to [[Babylon Restored]] to take out his old friend Abigail Reed, now known as the Epic Regalia. Despite being an Epic himself, Prof consistently tells David that all Epics are evil, including Megan, after David tries to assure him that Megan was fighting the corruption of her powers. Due to Regalia's plotting, Phaedrus is forced to use his powers more and more. This culminates when Regalia detonates a bomb made using [[Obliteration]]'s powers to destroy Babylon Restored. Phaedrus is able to stop the detonation but the extensive use of his powers drives him over the edge and makes him a full Epic. He subsequently kills two members of the Reckoners team, [[Exel]] and [[Val]], and tries to kill David Charleston, but is stopped by [[Megan Tarash|Firefight]]. |
=== [[Calamity]] === |
=== [[Calamity]] === |
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Revision as of 06:44, 12 January 2017
| Jonathan Phaedrus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Abilities | Epic |
| Aliases | Limelight, Prof |
| Groups | Reckoners |
| Homeworld | Earth (Reckoners) |
Jonathan Phaedrus, usually referred to as Prof, is the leader of the Reckoners, a group which hunts down and kills Epics.[1] Somewhat ironically, he himself is an Epic of considerable power [2], known under the alias Limelight. [3]
History
Prior to the arrival of Calamity, Jonathan Phaedrus was a fifth-grade science teacher. He was involved in a romantic relationship with Tia, who at the time worked for NASA. At some point after the arrival of Calamity, the school where he worked was destroyed by an Epic while still in session. The details of this incident are unclear, and it is possible that the Epic in question was Phaedrus himself experiencing his Rending.[4]. Sometime prior to the events of Steelheart, he was part of a team of "hero" Epics consisting of himself, Lincoln, Abigail Reed, and Amala. This venture ended in catastrophe as every member of the group other than Phaedrus succumbed to Calamity's corruption. Sometime later, he and Tia founded the Reckoners.
Steelheart
David manages to track down the Reckoners, a rebel group fighting against the Epics, and finds Megan Tarash, a member of the Reckoners, in Newcago. After he helps her as the Reckoners plan a hit on Fortuity, David convinces Jonathan to let him join. Jonathan later plans to free Newcago from Steelheart's influence by killing the Epic after David reveals that he saw Steelheart bleed. Jonathan is revealed to be a High Epic and a Gifter that shares his powers through the guise of advanced technological equipment such as the tensors. He later fights Steelheart and helps David in eventually taking the Epic down.
Firefight
Following the events of Steelheart, Phaedrus travelled with David to Babylon Restored to take out his old friend Abigail Reed, now known as the Epic Regalia. Despite being an Epic himself, Prof consistently tells David that all Epics are evil, including Megan, after David tries to assure him that Megan was fighting the corruption of her powers. Due to Regalia's plotting, Phaedrus is forced to use his powers more and more. This culminates when Regalia detonates a bomb made using Obliteration's powers to destroy Babylon Restored. Phaedrus is able to stop the detonation but the extensive use of his powers drives him over the edge and makes him a full Epic. He subsequently kills two members of the Reckoners team, Exel and Val, and tries to kill David Charleston, but is stopped by Firefight.
Calamity
In the third book of the series, Prof served as the main antagonist of the book. While consumed by his powers, Prof went to Ildithia and continued Regalia's plan of taking Larcener's assumer abilities and replacing Calamity, unaware of the fact the Larcener himself was Calamity. He faced off against David's team twice, but soon David reedeemed him by making him confront his weakness. In the end, he aids David in taking down Calamity and freeing the Epics from the corruption of their powers; however, he grieves from his actions and his murders of Tia, Exel, and Val while he was under the corruption of his powers.
Abilities
- Transference
- As a "gifter" Prof can loan his Epic abilities to non-Epics, often the members of the Reckoners. He disguises his giftings by attributing the effects to various devices. By gifting his abilities to others, he also lessens the psychological effects of being an Epic.
- Matter Disruption
- Disguised by the Tensors. Prof can turn inorganic matter to dust. This dust seems to have less volume and weight than the original substance. He can also carve improvised weapons such as swords using this ability. Because the ability is controlled by the mind, each person has a different mental trick for activating this ability.
- Forcefields
- Disguised by the Jackets. Prof's forcefield is usually sufficient to stop a blow or break a fall, but has more trouble with bullets due to the ratio of force to area. At its full strength, his forcefield is strong enough to protect from an explosive device at point-blank range. The forcefields can also be extended beyond the boundaries of personal protection, for uses such as directing an explosive blast away from certain places, or even creating a forcefield "disc" to fly on. He uses this ability to extend his forcefields and create sharp constructs to attack his enemies.
- Flight: Prof uses his forcefields to levitate and move above the ground.
- Accelerated Healing
- Disguised by the Harmsway. A rare occurrence, Prof is an Epic with two prime invincibilities. His healing factor can heal injuries which would ordinarily be fatal in a matter of seconds. When spread among the team, it can heal critical or traumatic injury in a couple of days.
- Enhanced Strength
- Prof is often described as having a solid build. In Firefight, David states that Prof seems especially strong. This could be another Power, or it could be a form of bio-feedback resulting from his Accelerated Healing. It could also be his forcefields doing the lifting.
Weakness
Prof's weakness is failure, and the risk of it. This can be seen as he refused to enter a contest pre-Calamity and his reluctance to use his abilities in Steelheart instead, gifting them to others.