Supervillain
From birth, Malachai Vance was destined for greatness. Born to two supremely wealthy parents who demanded nothing short of absolute excellence, Malachai was forced to a childhood of non stop studying, training and practice. His formative years consisted not of play, but work. Constant, thorough, and meticulously planned work. While most children his age were learning to ride bicycles, Malachai was reciting classical literature from memory and playing the violin so well it’d make Mozart blush.
Simply put, Malachai was a diamond; Forged by the extreme amount of pressure put upon him by overbearing, impossible-to-please parents. By the time he graduated high school he was fluent in four languages, played multiple instruments, was an Olympic-level wrestler and gymnast, and an established polymath.
When it came to universities, he had his pick of the litter. Colleges tripped over themselves courting Malachai. It wasn’t just due to his brilliance. It was the prestige of his lineage. Malachai’s family came from old money. The kind of money where a million dollars spent was an average weekend out.
When his father passed away, Malachai inherited the family business and the wealth that came with it. Possessing the intellect, wisdom, and business savvy of a man twice his age, Malachai expanded his father’s empire tenfold. Vance Dynamics became one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world. The world was his oyster.
So how does one of the most brilliant, charming, wealthy, and philanthropic individuals the world has ever seen become a supervillain? It’s simple really.
Show him someone better than him.
Though his generosity was well documented, Malachai was also vain, narcissistic, and egotistical. He was just smart enough to hide it from the public. He absolutely despised being seen as inferior. “Second place is just first loser”, was an axiom his father drilled into him as a child.
One day, the supervillain known as Doctor Bionic and his minions set siege on Vance Dynamics’ headquarters, intending to take Malachai and his personnel hostage. But Malachai would have none of it. He told his employees that even though they worked for him, he viewed them all as his family. And as such, their safety was his responsibility. They all applauded the selflessness and bravery of their fearless leader as he stood his ground. In the face of certain death, Malachai didn’t blink, challenging the villain to end him on the spot. The defiance of an average man caught the doctor off-guard and it was that momentary hesitation that cost him. Malachai had stalled the villain just long enough for the cavalry to arrive in the form of the uber powerful superhero known as Valiant, who easily defeated the devious doctor.
To Malachai’s shock and awe, his staff immediately left him to crowd around Valiant, begging for his attention. For autographs and selfies. It was as if they’d forgotten everything he’d just done for them. His own life he’d almost given up for them. And as Valiant slowly ascended into the air, his cape fluttering in the breeze, he solemnly looked down at Malachai before he flew away. Angered at the hero’s perceived arrogance and the sudden abandonment of his “family”, Malachai made a vow.
For months, Malachai stewed in the irritation of being considered lesser. The audacity of anyone to view heroes like Sensation or Marathon as “better” than him. Why? Because they could lift cars or run fast? He donated millions to build schools in impoverished nations. His company made technological breakthroughs and developed cures for illnesses that had plagued the world for decades. No, if people viewed simple might as power, he’d show them real power.
He tasked his entire biotech division to develop a method to infuse a person with superhuman abilities. And when they balked at his demands, claiming the task was both “silly and unethical”, he fired them all and took the matter into his own hands. After all, Malachai was a man of pure will, focus, and determination. So naturally, he succeeded.
One proprietary treatment consisting of cosmic radiation bombardment, a cocktail of strength-enhancing steroids, extensive gene-altering therapy and he’d done it. He’d given himself superpowers. He was now superhumanly strong, fast, and nearly invulnerable. But instead of using these new abilities to help those in need, Malachai devoted his energy to one-upping superheroes in an attempt to receive the adulation he viewed they’d stolen from he and people like him.
He even resorted to causing disasters so he could swoop in and rescue those in danger. And for a while, it worked. Malachai had fooled the world into believing he was a superhero, all the while creating the very calamities he pretended he was ending. It was during one of these manufactured disasters when everything came crashing down. A passing superhero attempted to aid Malachi in the rescue of several dozen citizens. But the hero’s “interference” actually revealed the entire thing was a scheme, devised by Malachai.
Refusing to surrender, Malachai used his abilities to evade capture and just like that, one of the world’s greatest heroes became one of its most fearsome villains.
Through a radical combination of experimental treatments, Malachai managed to imbue himself with a host of superhuman abilities that made him extremely powerful.
STRENGTH: Malachai possesses vast superhuman strength, granting him the ability to lift (press) far in excess of a fifty tons with little effort.
SPEED: Malachai possesses the ability to think, move, run, and react at superhumanly fast, from plucking bullets out of the air to running at well over supersonic speeds.
DURABILITY: His bodily tissue are much harder and far more resistant to physical injury than that of a normal human. Malachai is highly resistant to penetrative wounds, even from high-caliber machine gun shells. He can also withstand tremendous impact forces such as falling from great heights, being repeatedly struck by superhumanly strong opponents or breaching planetary orbit and making re-entry without being hurt.
FLIGHT: Malachai is also able to fly through the air at great speeds. His flight speed at "normal" levels is enough to outfly than most military aircrafts.