Detective Christian Walker

The series started in 2000, and this profile was written in 2002 or 2003. Thus, it only covers the first three story arcs, up to and including “Little Deaths”.

There are S P O I L E R S about these stories, including an early, key one about Walker.

Background

Advertisement

Powers and Abilities

Walker is a top homicide cop. Nerves of steel, authority, experience, reflexes, an excellent ability to notice minor details, intelligence, strong willpower. He’s also a big guy, with unusual strength that may or may not be borderline superhuman.

He is strongly intuitive. Often he “just knows”.

History

Christian Walker is the lead detective in The city for cases involving superhumans. Superhuman activity is as strong as in the DC or Marvel universe, and the police in The City has a policy of cooperation with registered superhuman “concerned citizens”. However, wearing a costume or having powers is a misdemeanor if you’re not registered.

Another difference with the DC or Marvel universe is that “superheroes” are all-too human, often fallible. They are much like TV or music celebrities in our world, with a tabloid press hounding them in hope of exposing lurid scandals.

They can also die. Not very often, given the odds. But from Walker’s point of view, since he works on most cases of superhuman death in The City, they seem to die pretty often.

Advertisement

Diamond in the rough

Walker knows the superhuman scene well. It is obvious the scandalous and popular superheroine Zora has something for him. The legendary hero Triphammer calls him by his first name. And Det. Walker knew the first name of America’s darling super-heroine, Retro Girl.

Secretly, Walker was formerly the high-profile superhero known as Diamond. Diamond’s former exploits are not documented at this point. He lost his powers a few years ago during a particularly savage fight. Why is a mystery. But he just couldn’t be a superhero anymore, despite still being quite strong.

He joined the police under undisclosed circumstances. Walker quickly became a widely respected homicide detective, with the support of his captain.

Watching the detectives

Walker first worked with detective Kutter. Kutter apparently leaked Walker’s past to a few persons, although it’s still far from general knowledge. Walker then requested to work alone for an undisclosed amount of time until Det. Deena Pilgrim requested to be assigned to him.

Walker didn’t really appreciate having a partner. His initial relationship toward Deena fluctuated chaotically from cordial and constructive to stormy, mostly due to Pilgrim’s peculiarities. Still, they bonded over time.

Their first case together was a huge, career-making-or-breaking one. Beloved super-heroine Retro Girl (somewhat comparable to the pre-Crisis Supergirl or Mary Marvel) was found dead with her throat slit on the playground of an elementary school.

Amidst national mourning, Walker and Pilgrim successfully closed the case. Doing so unearthed a strong anti-superhumans movement among the general population.

They also solved the case of live-action roleplayers (wearing illegal super-heroes costumes) being assassinated one by one. Then the mysterious death of Olympia (somewhat comparable to Supreme) amidst a sexual scandal regarding his private life. Plus other high-profile cases.

Description

Walker pretty much always wear a white shirt, dark blue pants and a slightly loose black tie. He carries his gun in a macho shoulder holster. He’s also very big and broad-shouldered.

His costume as Diamond is also illustrated at the bottom, since it’s a neat costume.

Personality

The strong, silent type. He’s quietly competent, but does not enjoys the sound of his voice. Walker mostly communicates in short, utilitarian, effective sentences. But he doesn’t sound harsh or impatient – just quiet.

Being in cop mode nearly 24/24, he often seems distant or even socially awkward, with something of a temper. He was very awkward when he had to take care of a kid called Calista during a few days after her mother disappeared. Det. Walker obviously strains to stay calm when verbally provoked.

Walker rarely opens, but can be quite talkative when he does. His hostage negotiation quotes below are an example of this. He also talked a lot the one time he confided in Pilgrim. Walker probably think being talkative too often would ruin his tough cop persona.

Other traits

Despite the apparent temper, Walker is a patient, tolerant man. His Motivation is clear – although he hates it when it is pointed out he’s an obviously good and considerate man.

He’s driven in solving his cases, and pushes himself to be as competent as he can.

He’s quite likeable in a gruffish, quiet, bearish but very dependable and nice-hearted way.

While he’s a huge guy with a lantern jaw and a cop stare, it’s obvious that he’s intelligent and observant. But he still looks and acts damn tough and professional.

Walker is sometimes seen as being pro-supers, or even “soft on supers”. Especially by anti-supers activists and some cops. He tends to react with anger to this, in part because he feels that threatens his secret past.

Quotes

Suspect: “Confess ? To you ?”
Det. Walker : “We are the arresting officers. Kind of customary”

“The next time you don’t understand something about the way I do what I do – ask me.”

“So, the thing is — is that I don’t just want to solve this. I owe [Retro Girl]. I owe her this. And to have worked so hard and still have nothing… it kills me.”

(Negotiating during a hostage crisis) “Today’s a shit day, Flinch. I swear to you – I swear to you I know that kind of day. But you gotta look at it another way. A day like this – a day like this is when you find out what you’re made of, right ? Any asshole can keep their shit together on the good days. But the shit day ? That’s when you show your character. Today’s the day you show everyone what you’re really made of. And I damn well know you’re made of better than this, right Flinch ? You’re gonna let a girl drive you nuts like this ? Roll it off and be a man. All you done in your life – all the stuff that made you… you — and you wanna be remembered as some schmuck that held a little girl ? Hell no, am I right ? This is silly shit.”

DC Universe History

One big reason why Powers is not set in the Marvel universe is the deaths. Powers need the deaths of superhumans, including high-profile ones, for things to happen. And those deaths can be banal, such as a heart attack, or even sordid.

However if your campaign is set in a universe where super-heroes can and do die (often viewed as a necessary element in supers RPG campaign, so the players face an actual risk), Walker and Pilgrim can easily be used. They might even work on the case of a dead PC – which might be a boon or a bane for the survivors on the team.

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: Powers comic series by Brian Bendis and Michael Oemings.

Helper(s): Roy Cowan.