Electrifying EKGenius

Context

This character is an original creation. We often call these “homemades” or “homebrewed” – think home cooking or craft beer.

Many of these characters were created to take part in tabletop role-playing game sessions. Others were invented as a creative writing exercise, often as part of a community event.

This specific character came from occasional bits of improv comedy amongst community members.

Background

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Powers and Abilities

The EKGenius’s scientific and technical wizardry are centuries beyond the conceptions of other mortals! (“…though his mental abilities are otherwise unimpressive.” — Fusillade)

Gear

The Cerebral Web

This fine metallic filigree web wrap around the EKGenius’s enlarged cranium. Its jagged patterns resemble the readout of an EKG monitor. The Cerebral Web channels the EKGenius’s mental energies into bolts of physical force.

Ever since inventing this handy Gadget, the EKGenius is never without it.

The Electron Tunneler

This was the very first creation of the EKGenius when he was gifted with his astounding intellect. The Electron-Tunneler is used to create caverns in which to house underground bases. He will use it as transport during a nefarious scheme if necessary, but tries to avoid taking it into combat due to its sentimental value.

The Electron-Tunneler is a simple cylinder with a drill on one end, an airlock on the other, and banded on all sides with treads. The 360° placement of treads and the rotating cockpit effectively render the Electron-Tunneler right side-up regardless of how it’s oriented.

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The Magnetic Resonance Somatic Enforcer

Designed to enhance the EKGenius’s physical durability, this harness ironically resulted in the worst pummeling of the Evil Electromagnetician career. The intent of the device was to channel the Earth’s electromagnetic field around the EKGenius’s body, protecting him from physical harm.

He unknowingly botched the construction and the resulting device only served to root the EKGenius to one spot. During the EKGenius’s next encounter with the Freedom Battalion, Fusillade fired his famous flurry of flying fists at his frightening foe and was startled when the EKGenius did not collapse.

Not realizing that he had in fact beat the EKGenius senseless and that it was only the Somatic Enforcer that kept the villain standing, Fusillade proceeded to hammer at his enemy for several more moments. Only then did he determine the truth behind his suddenly stalwart enemy’s stupendous stamina.

The Electrifying EKGenius spent the next few months in a prison infirmary eating meals through a straw. But he managed to escape just before the officials transferred him to the dreaded Lockdown Maximus.

History

The EKGenius simply emerged full-blown onto the supervillain scene. However, he was soon unceremoniously thrashed by a variety of second-stringer superheroes. None of these fights were particularly remarkable. Howbeit, the EKGenius has managed to earn a certain special ire from the superhero Captain Puritan for reasons unknown.

The most audacious plan the EKGenius joined was GOAL’s (Global Overlords Against Liberty) theft of nukes to blackmail the entire planet. Though it seemed to put the EKGenius’s dreams within his grasp, the plot was really too malign for his tastes. He had pictured more subtle means of taking over the world. This was simply risking too much collateral damage.

He did not voice his doubts but did fail to report a critical hole in the security of GOAL’s island fortress. He told himself that there was no need to mention it because none of the superheroes were smart enough to discover and exploit it. This was of course untrue and the full force of the Justice Legion crashed down on GOAL’s collective heads.

The Electrifying EKGenius was moments away from capture by Captain Puritan before one of his villainous comrades spirited him away to the EKGenius’s everlasting gratitude.

On and on and on

Since that adventure the EKGenius has been fighting a losing battle to keep the spirit of Silver Age  villainy alive. He persevered throughout the grim-n-gritty 1990s but is feeling the pain of being left behind more keenly every day.

Even long-time associates are turning to the more modern ways. The EKGenius bitterly fears that whatever strange power is rewriting his friends’ lives will someday wreak its havoc upon his quaint but quietly noble life.

Description

The EKGenius’s fabulous mutation is evident in his swollen cranium, his skull bursting with thoughts greater than any other man could contain and thankfully bare of the pilatory coverings that betray the ape heritage of his mental lessers (“Uh, you mean you’re bald? Thanks for the newsflash, chrome-dome.” — Captain Puritan).

He towers over most people, his height accentuated by his lean frame and broad shoulders.

The EKGenius’s gaunt aristocratic features are complemented by a trim, pointed beard that gives him a satanic cast.

His shiny spandex costume consists of a billowing high-collared light green cape, light green wide-brimmed boots and gloves, and a light blue body stocking with light green trim running out of the boots along the inner thighs, up the center of the chest, and across the shoulders into the gloves.

Personality

The Electrifying EKGenius is a classic old-school “out to rule the Earth” supervillain, though such an uncouth appellation would pain him to no end. He envisions a world in which he is an absolute monarch providing needed leadership to the masses, who genuflect in appreciation of his benevolent dictatorship as they toil in the course of carefully controlled but safe and secure lives.

He has no actual plans of action for his global governance. He simply assumes that having the planet run by a mastermind such as himself would be a Good Thing.

He is an extreme socialist combining the worst traits of a fascist and a hipster doofus, thinking the planet would be better if smart and caring people with the proper ideology were the only ones with a say in the government, convinced he’s the best smart person for the job, and absolutely oblivious to any of the philosophical or practical contradictions in his thinking.

Soft genius

For all of his devotion to the idea of conquest, the EKGenius is really a mellow dude. He never uses Killing Combat and would be offended by any supervillain who did, though threats to do so are seen as an unfortunate but necessary part of the business. Even then a serious threat to the public such as GOAL’s nuclear blackmail scenario is way too heavy for him, as his subconscious sabotage demonstrated.

He seems most comfortable talking about his exploits with an uncritical audience of fellow supervillains at any one of the numerous vacation resorts they frequent between schemes.

Put most simply, the EKGenius is a dilettante. He would be perfectly happy doing nothing more than holding court in a lounge on the Riviera, but he subconsciously senses the need to maintain his credibility among his peers by engaging in the occasional nefarious scheme. Deep down, he knows that no one wants to listen to the empty braggadocio of the supervillain equivalent of an ivory-tower egghead.

Because of the twin currents of fascist ideologue and groovy hippy running through the waters of his mind, the EKGenius seems almost schizophrenic in his self-expression. In public he’ll make grand-standing third-person speeches rife with the pomposity typical to a Silver Age megalomaniac supervillain. But in private company he’ll sound like an aging hippie who often bemoans the angst of his lifestyle.

The EKGenius has a slight fascination with mental energy and electromagnetism. This interest isn’t reflected in any significant way other than his tendency to slap “electro” or “magnetic” into the name of everything he builds. Even if it has no correlation whatsoever to the operating principles of the device in question.

Quotes

“With the astounding mental abilities at the Electrifying EKGenius’s command, the grateful citizens of this chaotic world will at last know order !”

“The unique radiations of the Magnetic Resonance Somatic Enhancer will render the vessel that houses the EKGenius’s extraordinary intellect immune to all conventional damage !”

Captain Puritan: “Why is it all you crazies gotta slather tinfoil over your domes at every opportunity ?”
The EKGenius: “Do you truly believe that the electrifying EKGenius would apply such ostentatious metallic garb to his cranium were it not… *scientific* ?!

(Speaking to an old friend): “All you do is threaten to rain destructo-droids down on people like all the other post-modern nihilist supervillain sell-outs we used to laugh at. It’s like you don’t even *want* to rule the world anymore.”

Telling his colleagues about the pummeling he took from Fusillade: “Dude, I knew I was in trouble when I realized I could taste my own spinal fluid. Between that, the hospital food, and looking a long sentence at Lockdown in the eyes, I thought I’d never taste a fine wine again.”

DC Universe History

The Electrifying EKGenius was only a third-banana solo operator. Even when working with teams of supervillains only occupied a supernumerary role. He would have been seen in the filler stories of anthology comics where the villain pops up and is handily defeated in the space of eight pages.

The EKGenius would also have made a few appearances as a minor part of an ad hoc supervillain team or two, coming together for one big plan and dispersing as soon as it fell apart. Most every supervillain will be vaguely familiar with him in the same way a professional athlete might remember a benchwarmer that was on the same team that they were.

By Roy Cowan.

Source of Character: Me.