Jonathan Phaedrus
| Jonathan Phaedrus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Abilities | Epic |
| 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]
History
Prior to the arrival of Calamity he was a fifth-grade science teacher. At some later time his school was destroyed by an Epic while still in session. It is unknown whether or not the Epic in question is, in reality, himself.[3] He has an unexplained hatred of Steelheart, more so than of any other epic. Sometime prior to the events of Steelheart, was part of a team of "hero" epics consisting of himself, Lincoln, Abigail Reed, and Amala. However, in an unexplained scene, Lincoln became the Epic Murkwood and Prof had to kill Amala. Sometime later, Phaedrus founded the Reckoners.
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. 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 and tries to kill David Charleston, but is stopped by Firefight.
While consumed by his powers, Prof went to Ildithia and continued Regalia's plan. He faced off against David's team twice, but soon David reedeemed him by making him confront his weakness.
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 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.
- Accelerated Healing
- Disguised by the Harmsway. 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
His weakness is failure, and the risk of failure.