Marine Marauder I
Context
The first Marine Marauder is an obscure, very minor DC Comics super-villain who fought Aquaman during the late 1970s. He can command sea life.
Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed (possible last name Simmonds).
- Marital Status: Unrevealed (Presumed Single).
- Known Relatives: None (Dr. Marlene Simmonds; sister, unconfirmed.)
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: A hidden wooded cove, somewhere on the East Coast of the United States.
- Height: 6’ Weight: 185 lbs.
- Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown
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Powers and Abilities
The Marine Marauder’s power lies solely in his gadget-based ability to control sea life. Despite their Limitations, the Marauder’s Telepathic Sending Devices allow him greater control over ocean-going mammals than even the King of the Sea, Aquaman. These devices seem to be the product of the Marauder’s own scientific endeavors.
The Marauder is a perceptive and quick-witted foe who succeeds in keeping one step ahead of his Atlantean enemy during the course of their one encounter. He directs his ’troops’ from the back of a huge sperm whale.
History
Callous seagoing criminal the Marine Marauder was once a “lowly marine biologist” who somehow discovered the principles behind telepathic control of marine life.
Using this discovery to build his Telepathic Sending Devices, the scientist created a costumed identity and began a short-lived career as a pirate.
With a school of whales, porpoises, and dolphins under his command, the Marauder attacked and captured a freighter carrying an important medical shipment to Europe. Seeking to ransom the much needed vaccine back to its intended recipients, the Marauder secreted the ship in a secluded cove.
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Against Aquaman
When a second shipment steamed for Europe with a NATO escort, the Marine Marauder gathered his forces to attack and sink the cargo ship thereby protecting the value of his own hijacked medicine.
But Aquaman and Mera, notified of the Marauder’s crime by the Sea King’s JLA teammate the Flash, arrived just as an attack squad of whales bore down on the freighter’s NATO escort vessels.
The Atlantean’s own command of sea life could not match the criminal’s, however, and while Arthur freed himself and his wife from the jaws of a mind-controlled sperm whale, the freighter was sunk.
Discovering that the Marine Marauder’s equipment interfered with the Sonar systems on the NATO escort vessels, Aquaman was able to uncover the pirate’s base of operations. The Marauder was protected by a school of telepathically controlled dolphins who battled the Sea King and alerted their villainous master of his approach.
Fearing capture, the Marine Marauder sent a whale on a collision course for the captured cargo ship knowing full well that Aquaman would try to save the vital vaccine shipment, allowing him time to escape. Aquaman strained mightily with his telepathic powers finally succeeding in overriding the Marauder’s control and saving the vaccine.
The Marine Marauder escaped capture and has not reappeared although the Ocean Master did use a Marauder robot in one of his campaigns against Aquaman.
Description
The Marine Marauder wears a two-tone green costume; dark green on his arms, upper chest, and back and lighter green on his lower chest, abdomen, and legs. A large black “M” is emblazoned on his chest. The vertical lines of the M reach down to form stripes on either side of his legs.
His boots are black as are his cuffs. He does not wear gloves.
The Marine Marauder’s Telepathic Sending Devices are sewn into the inside of his black cowl. The cowl features a yellow rimmed visor. On his abdomen, at about the level of a belt buckle, is a dark green four-pointed star. On his back, at roughly the same level, is the star in light green.
Physically, the Marine Marauder is a fit male with an athletic build. Under his cowl, he has wavy brown hair and an attractive face.
Personality
The Marine Marauder was a cold-blooded criminal willing, for example, to allow the death of thousands to disease if his demands were not met. He seemed to have an almost foolhardy faith in his Telepathic Sending Devices and was eager to pit their Power against that of Aquaman.
When the Sea King started to win, however, he adopted a “Discretion is the better part of valor” mentality and escaped.
It is surprising that he never returned to bedevil Aquaman. Though defeated by the hero, he did not seem discouraged even when fleeing the scene.
Quotes
“You’ve had it now, Aquaman ! No one interferes with my plans and lives !”
DC Universe History
With only one pre-Crisis appearance to his credit, the Marine Marauder’s post-Crisis status is unclear. Two factors obscure his status even further.
Shortly after the Crisis, a female Marine Marauder appeared and battled the Outsiders. This Marauder, whose real identity was Marlene Simmonds, claimed to be a doctor of oceanography who invented a method of telepathically controlling all sea life.
Using some of her brother’s money to help finance her criminal career, she donned a slightly altered Marine Marauder costume and began robbing cruise ships.
The original Marine Marauder is never referred to in any of the second Marauder’s appearances although DC Who’s Who Update ’87, vol. 4 suggests that Simmonds’ brother might be the villain who fought Aquaman. If this is the case, the male Marauder may have spent his long years out of the criminal spotlight eliminating the Limitations of his Telepathic Sending Devices.
An additional problem with the Marauder’s Adventure Comics’ appearance is in its central conflict; its telepathic struggle between the villain and Aquaman. The post-Crisis Sea King did not discover his ability to directly command sea life until much more recently in his career.
Thus, the very nature of his climatic struggle with the Marauder must be altered from “Aquaman strains his powers to the utmost in order to turn back the rampaging whale” to “Aquaman places his life in danger as he tries to help the rampaging whale break the Marauder’s control.” Much of the drama is lost, unfortunately.
Regardless of how he is written into post-Crisis DCU continuity, the Marine Marauder represents another great opportunity to place a PC group in a difficult environment; the ocean. With his ability to summon assistance from the largest living animals on the planet, the Marauder can easily keep even a large group of heroes busy.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
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The Marine Marauder I
| Dex: 03 | Str: 03 | Bod: 03 | Motivation: Mercenary |
| Int: 06 | Wil: 06 | Min: 04 | Occupation: Marine Biologist / Pirate |
| Inf: 04 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 04 | Resources {or Wealth}: 05 |
| Init: 13 | HP: 35 |
Skills:
Animal Handling (Riding): 04, Gadgetry: 07
Advantages:
Genius, Scholar (Marine Biology).
Drawbacks:
Secret Identity.
Equipment:
TELEPATHIC SENDING DEVICES [Body: 01, Animal Control: 18, Animal Summoning: 12, Speak with Animals: 12, Telepathy: 10, R#: 02]. Note: The Telepathic Sending Devices are sewn into the Marine Marauder’s cowl.
- Miscellaneous Bonus: Once the Marine Marauder has used the Telepathic Sending Devices to establish a telepathic link with an animal or animals, the Devices will maintain the link even if the Marauder unmasks provided that the Marauder; 1) remains within Range of the animal and 2) remains within 0 APs of his cowl.
- Power Restriction: All Animal Powers only work on marine life.
- Power Restriction: Telepathy can only be used in conjunction with Speak with Animals.
- Power Restriction: The Telepathic Sending Devices’ Animal Control Power is impeded, but not completely canceled, by water. In order to place an animal under his control, the Marine Marauder must use Animal Control while it is at the surface (after first using Animal Summoning, if necessary, to draw the animal to him.) Once he has made a successful Animal Control Roll against an animal he may maintain that control even if the animal submerges.
Because of this Limitation on the Devices’ ability to establish control over animals, the Marauder’s pawns are exclusively whales, porpoises, and dolphins; animals that are more likely to breach the surface of the sea. No doubt, their relatively high intelligence makes them more easy to communicate with than most other sea life anyway, adding to their value as tools. - Drawback: The Telepathic Sending Devices give off waves of energy that interfere with Sonar equipment. This Drawback can be used to give advanced warning when the Marauder is going to strike. To simulate this interference roll an Attack using the Devices’ Telepathy APs as AV / EV and the APs of Sonar as OV / RV whenever the Marauder is within 10 APs of active Sonar equipment (or a character using the Sonar Power.)
RAPs gained from the Attack are subtracted from Sonar APs until the Marauder moves out of this 10 APs range. [Note: This is an uncontrollable side effect of the Devices’ Powers and should not be counted as one of the Marauder’s Actions. It is more than likely that the Marauder is unaware of this defect in his equipment.]
Design notes
Adventure Comics #449 is a classic example of a story wherein textual information is directly contradicted by visual information.
Early in the issue, the Marauder explains that he can only control seagoing mammals (as opposed to all sea life) because his “radio waves” will not travel through water. Later in the same issue, the Marauder receives a telepathic warning from a submerged dolphin guard that Aquaman is on his way.
I have attempted to reconcile this seeming inconsistency using appropriate Power Restriction Limitations.
Also, as usual, heights and weights are best guesses.
Game Stats — DC Adventures RPG
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Marine Marauder I — Averaged PL3.4
| STR | STA | AGL | DEX | FGT | INT | AWE | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 01 | 03 | 02 | 01 |
Devices
Telepathic sending devices ● 45 points (Removable) ● Descriptor: Psychotronics
Array:
- Summon marine life 8 (Horde, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 2, Variable general type (marine life), Limited to in or near water.
- Comprehend Animals 2, Mental Commubication 4, Limited 1 to marine life.
The Array also has a Feature (may work if the Marauder is unmasked), a Quirk (control must be established whilst the animal isn’t immersed) and another Quirk (sonar interference) explained in the DCH stats.
Combat Advantages
Defensive roll 1.
Other Advantages
None demonstrated.
Skills
Athletics 2 (+2), Deception 1 (+2), Expertise (Marine biology) 9 (+12), Insight 3 (+5), Perception 3 (+5), Technology 8 (+11) (Limited 1 – no Security or Demolitions).
Offense
| Initiative +0 |
| Unarmed +3, Close, Damage 0 |
Defence
| Dodge | 03 | Fortitude | 03 |
| Parry | 02 | Toughness | 01*/02 |
| Will | 04 |
* Without Defensive Roll
Complications
- Secret Identity
Powers Levels
- Trade-off areas. Attack/Effect PL 2, Dodge/Toughness PL 3, Parry/Toughness PL 2, Fort/Will PL 4.
- Points total 82. Abilities 16, Defences 8, Skills 11, Powers 0, Devices 45, Advantages 2. Equiv. PL 6..
Notes
He’s a summoner, so his direct PL isn’t the most useful thing among the seven seas.
Source of Character: Adventure Comics #449 published by DC Comics.
Helper(s): Dr. Sean MacDonald for comments that led to the clarification of the Marauder’s gadget’s stats.