Sharkfin
NAME: Rex Choi
AGE: 30
EYE COLOR: Blue
HAIR COLOR: Blue
OCCUPATION: Superhero, Surf Instructor
PLACE OF BIRTH: San Jose, CA
POWERS:
- Aquatic Empowerment - able to thrive in water and swim at superhuman speeds.
- Shark Spirit - imbued with mystic energy and totemic shark-like qualities.
Who is Rex Choi? Where did he come from? What is his purpose? These are questions no one anywhere ever asked because for most of his life, Rex could be summed up with a single word: unimportant. It's hard to overstate just how mediocre he was. He was a high school graduate, but not a particularly smart one. He was a surf instructor, but not a particularly talented one. He was average height, average weight, average all the way down. No one in all the realms could have ever predicted such a vacant vessel would have a divine destiny.
Living in a van by the water's edge, Rex was always alert as soon as a 'good wave day' cropped up. Eager, he'd grab his board and paddle out -- and he did so for years without incident. That changed when the sea saw fit to send him a visitor. It wasn't a very choppy day in the water or anything when Rex's path crossed with that of an enormous, cerulean shark. He'd seen documentaries about how other surfers dealt with such an encounter, but this was different. It was like the shark was pursuing him directly -- hunting him down despite the fact there was no blood in the water.
The bite was more painful than anything Rex ever experienced. It was like the shark's jaws were digging into his very soul and soon his vision was overtaken by a flash of gold. Regaining consciousness on the shoreline, Rex had no idea how he was still alive. Even stranger, he could see the scar from where he was bitten, but the wounds had already closed up. Over the next few days, Rex fell ill the longer he stayed out of the water and he soon realized he had a superhuman connection to it. That was the origin of Sharkfin, Rex's new heroic identity, but the mysterious circumstances of the shark attack he experienced would not be revealed until later. You would think Rex would be curious to figure it out, but... no. He just assumed the shark was irradiated or something.
The truth was actually quite different. Long ago in ancient times, the Assyrian seas were ruled by the goddess Atargatis. She was called many different names in many different cultures and pantheons, but most often she would simply be referred to as 'the first mermaid.' Those that devoutly worshipped her and the other sea gods were eventually strengthened by her magic, becoming a tribe of people known as the Mers. These sea-faring nomads eventually found themselves on the doorstep of the Nile -- the lifeblood of the kingdom of Egypt. It was there that the Mers would meet their end, destroyed by Osiris in a conquest to demonstrate his godly might.
A vengeful Atargatis bided her time as the gods slowly departed from Earth at the end of the Age of Wonder. Her temples fell to ruin and memory of her dwindled into historic antiquity. Centuries later, however, when Osiris himself reincarnated into the mortal realm and joined alongside the Vanquishers, the so-called 'first mermaid' decided she would choose a champion to herald her own return. Conjuring a 'spirit shark' of divine magic, she released the beast unto the ocean so that it would choose a warrior fit for her goals.
She got Rex. Time would have to tell if the apparent nobody would live up to the epic proclamation placed upon him. Could he really be a Champion of the Sea? Was there something more to him than meets the eye? Did Atargatis pick a total dud? Though answers remain elusive, the questions are now being asked. Unimportant no more -- such is the story of Sharkfin.
Sharkfin operated as a 'port-based' hero in Paragon City for several months. That primarily meant he defended the ports from any water-based crime. It wasn't a very demanding job. In fact, the one time there actually was a water-based crime, Sharkfin wound up oblivious. The terrorist group SCION high-jacked a US military vessel and sailed it out to sea right under his nose. Seeking redemption, Sharkfin ineffectually helped the Vanquishers get the ship back, and during the after-party he misconstrued an offer of friendship from Ace as an invitation to join the team as a 'reserve member.'
Overnight, Sharkfin's popularity skyrocketed as he claimed he was going to join the Vanquishers. He went from a D-List water-based nobody to the cover of TIME Magazine. Ace eventually corrected the record and distanced the group from Sharkfin, but not before there were dire consequences. Reanimator, the criminal scientist behind the resuscitation of Limbo had begun targeting the Vanquishers with undead assassins -- and due to Sharkfin's affiliation, an aquatic zombie was sent after him. The ensuing attack led to Sharkfin going MIA and being presumed dead.
Eventually, the Vanquishers found Sharkfin healing near Cyprus at a temple of Atargatis. She made her connection to the doofus hero known and claimed she would use him as her puppet. Though the godly beef between Atargatis and Osiris remained unresolved, the group managed to wrest Sharkfin out of her domain, restoring his autonomy over his own body. They then promptly told him to leave them alone and went their separate ways.