Half-Life
(Anthony Masterson)
Context
This Half-Life (no relation) is a minor foe of the Hulk, working with the Leader. He appeared but a few times in 1987/88.
Background
- Real Name: Tony Masterson.
- Marital Status: Widowed.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Ally of the Leader.
- Base Of Operations: Mobile.
- Height: 5’10″? Weight: 140 lbs?
- Eyes: Green Hair: Green
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Powers and Abilities
Half-life has immense vampiric powers based on his gamma mutations. He can very effectively drain any gamma-powered being to the death and grow strong himself in the process. Normal humans he will usually drain completely so that they become green mummies also.
His limbs, if ripped off, are fully functioning as ordered by his mental commands. These limbs will usually be ordered to return to him. It would seem it’s possible to detach the limbs by sheer force of will only on the side of Half-life, not needing to be ripped off.
Half-life is extremely hard to kill. Ripping him to pieces, smashing him asunder and even completely mummifying him and putting him into a coma doesn’t kill him. He will resurface sooner or later after a defeat in which he is utterly crushed.
History
Tony Masterson alias Half-life used to be a college professor in English Literature. Accidentally, he fell victim to an experimental gamma bomb invented by Dr. Bruce Banner alias the Hulk.
The massive radiation mutated Masterson giving him vampiric powers. His skin was bleached into a light green color and his hair became dark green as did his eyes. Due to massive shock Masterson believed himself killed by the gamma-bomb and resurrected artificially.
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He now called himself Half-life, because he felt he was half living-half dead. During daytime, he fell into suspended animation and again woke up during the night. This resulted in him being buried all around the country. Whenever he woke up, he went into searching for ways to get his old life back, including finding his wife Barbara.
Take me to your Leader
One night as he woke up in a cemetery, he was greeted by the Leader. The Leader told Half-life that he would return to his old self if he could just absorb all the gamma energy of the Hulk.
Thus, Half-life went searching for the Hulk in the New Mexico desert, where he found him. The two of them fought and the fight ended with Hulk ripping off Half-life’s limbs after which he left, believing Half-life to be permanently out of the picture.
Howbeit, slowly did the limbs return to Half-life. And he was soon again contacted by the Leader. The Leader provided him with a titanium armor, which would prevent anyone from ripping him apart again. It also included a video-camera which could send visual information to the Leader.
Half-life was again sent against the Hulk. This time, Masterson almost killed Banner. But Hulk tricked Half-life into overtaxing his powers. He then lashed back at Half-life, releasing all of his absorbed energy, leaving him into a skeleton.
Whether Half-life ’survived‘ that ordeal remains to be seen as he has not been seen since.
Description
Tony Masterson alias Half-life II looks like a living mummy. He has light-green skin and dark-green eyes. The hair is quite voluminous, long and green. The skin is wrinkly and all his teeth are fully visible. His nails are long, green and looking like claws.
While wearing the titanium armor only his head and hands are non-covered. The armor is metallic yellow in color. It consists of metallic bands going around all limbs systematically. At the front of his chest he usually wears a mounted video-camera.
Personality
Half-life is not afraid of death and he thinks that he cannot be destroyed. “If you are already dead what else can happen to you?” All defeats and extreme violence tend only to drive him further into insanity, if that is even possible. Masterson is thus completely and irreversibly insane.
He believes he was killed in the gamma-bomb blast and that he was artificially resurrected. He is completely loyal to the Leader and would neither hurt him any way nor drain his powers.
While having some spare time for himself he usually keeps looking for his former wife Barbara. Most women he encounters are immediately mistaken for Barbara. Only after they die from his draining touch leaving a bare skeleton, he realizes that he was mistaken.
Other traits
His greatest wish is to return to his old life to his wife and his work as an English Literature college professor. Unfortunately this is not realistically possible, but Half-life does not realize this through his madness.
He also thinks that gamma-radiation is his salvation in this quest to normalcy since he becomes more normal looking as he grows in power. He thus wants to completely drain the Hulk of all his radiation, believing himself to permanently turn normal in the process.
Unfortunately, Half-life has not understood that the effects of his powers are always only temporary. Seemingly, Half-life thinks that the Leader can help him to attain this goal as long as they cooperate. After having fallen into suspended animation, again, and buried, again, he tends to wake up in different graveyards around the country. He sees that as routine.
While happy and in high spirits, which is usually after absorbing power or after winning in combat, he usually quotes some English poetry that he remembers from his college days. It remains to be seen what turn this character will take next.
Quotes
“Wait, you’re not Barbara.” (having just killed the woman) “My mistake. I see her over there.”
“Here a sheer Hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling , the darling of our crew; no more he’ll hear the tempest howling, for death has broached him to.”
“I am this thing with mud for blood, slime for skin. The gamma rays absorb whatever’s around me, including all the graves I’ve been tossed into. There’s nothing human left. Of course I am crazy. The crazy thing would be if I still were sane !”
DC Universe History
Half-life is another part of the Hulk mythos and fits best there. He could possibly be connected to some radiation-powered DC character such as Rampage. Half-life’s leader would of course then be Brainiac. Half-life is bizarre enough a character to participate in a Doom Patrol campaign also.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
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Half-Life (Anthony Masterson)
| Dex: 04 | Str: 04 | Bod: 07 | Motivation: Psychopath |
| Int: 04 | Wil: 04 | Min: 03 | Occupation: Henchman |
| Inf: 04 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 03 | Resources {or Wealth}: 000 |
| Init: 014 | HP: 035 |
Powers:
Anatomical Separation: 09, Invulnerability: 20, Power Drain: 22, Regeneration: 04, Vampirism: 06
Bonuses and Limitations:
- If Half-life succeeds in draining 8 AP’s of any power by Power Drain its Range increases to Area Effect instead of Touch only until drained Powers are at below 8 AP’s again (+1).
- Half-life is allowed one Power Drain attempt with at least 4 abilities each turn with no multi-penalties (+3).
- Power Drain is also usable with physical and mental attributes (+2).
- Power Drain is usable only against gamma-based powers and characters, such as for example, the Hulk, the Leader and the Abomination (-1).
- Power Drain Power has a Range of Touch only (-1).
- Anatomical Separation may only detach limbs and head and unwilling detachment will occur by ripping his limbs apart which requires that Half-Life’s Body is punched to at least -6 AP’s (before rolling Invulnerability) (-2).
- If Half-life fails a Pushing attempt of Power Drain the power ’backfires’ and is instead attacking all of Half-life’s own Powers, STR and BODY except for Invulnerability. He can be intimidated to try this out by Character Interaction (-1).
Skills:
Artist (Writing:) 04, Martial artist (Grappling): 08
Advantages:
Misc. Advantage (Strange Appearance Drawback is temporarily lost during massive use (20+ RAP’s totally drained) of Power Drain power (5 pts)), Scholar (English Literature).
Connections:
The Leader (Low).
Drawbacks:
Catastrophic Psychological Instability, “Married” (Always looking for Barbara), Strange Appearance, Unluck, Misc.: There are some indications that Half-life can only be ’alive‘ and active during the night. He seems to fall into suspended animation during the day.
Equipment:
TITANIUM ARMOR [/BODY/ 14, Eye of the cat: 15, Radio communications (scrambled): 15, Bonuses : Radio communications can carry information for Eye of the Cat (+0), Limitations: Eye of the cat can only be used *on* Half-Life with the Leader’s equipment (-1) and has No Range (-1), Advantage: Hardened Defenses].
Helper(s): Sébastien Andrivet.
Source of Character: Hulk comics (Marvel Universe).