One-Man Meltdown
(Ned Creegan) (Profile #3)
Context
Ned Creegan is a very minor DC Comics character. But somehow, he’s had three different, superhuman identities over the decades.
His successive profiles should be read in order. They go :
- Ned Creegan chapter 1 – Bag o’ Bones.
- Ned Creegan chapter 2 – The Cyclotronic Man.
- Ned Creegan chapter 3 – The One-Man Meltdown.
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Background
- Real Name: Ned Creegan.
- Former Aliases: Bag O’ Bones, The Spark-Spangled See-Through Man, the Cyclotronic Man.
- Marital Status: Unrevealed.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: Gotham City (formerly Metropolis).
- Height: 6’ Weight: 175 lbs.
- Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown
Powers & Abilities
Creegan’s radiation powers seem to be similar to what he did as the Cyclotronic Man, albeit stronger or under better control. He was powerful enough to repel the Outsiders by himself for a while.
The One-Man Meltdown could :
- Shoot beams that accelerate the aging of materials to make them brittle, and even turn bullets shot at him into dust.
- Fly at least as fast as a common helicopter.
- Make his body burn hot enough to melt steel.
- Jam radio emissions (that always occurs when he uses his powers).
- Repel people from him hard enough to send them sailing several metres up in the air.
- Use static electricity to have his opponents’ metallic weapons fly to his hand. He could disarm Katana herself this way.
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- Speed up his body’s molecule to counteract Halo’s green aura of stasis
- Shoot beams of heat from his hands.
- Speed up Halo’s red aura of heat to harm her (in DC Heroes RPG terms he just used his Heat Vision Power).
- And presumably could perform previous effects such as augmenting his strength to low superhuman levels, or erecting an immobile protective bubble of force around himself
- Creegan also seemed slightly superhumanly durable and to have developed greater strength, speed and accuracy than ever before.
Creegan’s costume appeared to be quite resilient against heat and electricity, offering some protection against those. Though it may have been part of his powers instead.
History
Corrections officers kept Ned Creegan’s powers under control by being regularly doused in a radiation-dampening solution. Though his power grew to the point where he could burn this goo off, Creegan kept that a secret and obediently served his time.
However, his radiation powers were also killing him. Creegan repeatedly requested treatment using radioactive compounds. The politically-motivated warden denied him. In 1983, with his final appeal exhausted, Creegan had little choice but to escape to procure radioactive elements.
The warden asked for Batman’s assistance. The Caped Crusader and his Outsiders soon caught Creegan (now calling himself a one-man meltdown) near the local S.T.A.R. Labs. Creegan beat them back for a time, but was eventually overwhelmed. At this point he revealed how sick he was while begging for help.
Batman thought from the beginning that the warden’s story didn’t add up. He had Metamorpho (Rex Mason) give Creegan a curative radiation bath, returned Creegan to prison then procured documents showing that the warden was trying to kill Creegan.
Treated and knowing that the warden would be forced to quit the job, the One-Man Meltdown returned to prison to finish his sentence.
He has not been seen since.
Description
Creegan’s new costume was presumably an alternative design from back when he worked with The 100. It’s pretty cool, in a very Bronze Age way.
Personality
The One-Man Meltdown doesn’t want to harm anybody or even really break the law. He just wants to receive basic treatment for his condition and finish his prison sentence. Creegan has known very little in his life aside from crime and prison, but he means well.
Quotes
“I got no quarrel with you – or anybody else ! Just stay outta my way !”
“So help me, all I wanna do is go free ! But if you come any closer… she’ll need a *real* halo !”
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
One-Man Meltdown
| Dex: 07 | Str: 03 | Bod: 06 | Motivation: Mercenary |
| Int: 03 | Wil: 02 | Min: 03 | Occupation: Enforcer |
| Inf: 02 | Aur: 02 | Spi: 02 | Resources {or Wealth}: 004 |
| Init: 012 | HP: 030 |
Powers:
Attraction/Repulsion: 03, Cell Rot: 12, Energy blast: 06, Flame Being: 03, Flight: 05, Force field: 00, Force shield: 00, Heat vision: 07, Neutralise: 07, Power Reserve (STR, all Powers): 05, Stasis immunity: 02, Telekinesis: 04
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Attraction/Repulsion is performed by giving himself a strong positive electrical charge and other objects/people a strong negative or positive charge.
- Cell Rot has a Diminishing Range, but is considered Killing Combat when used against a person.
- Cell Rot can affect non-organic materials – as long as these degrade with age (BC +10).
- Flight carrying capacity is limited by his base STR.
- Force Field is Self Only, and Creegan cannot perform any Action during a Phase while the Field is up.
- Force Shield is only effective against projectiles that would be affected by his Cell Rot Power.
- Heat Vision’s OV is reduced by 1CS when used against people with active heat-generating abilities (+1 BC, since such people will usually be immune to heat).
- Neutralise only works on Radio Communications, and has an Explosive Radius.
- Neutralise is automatically used whenever Meltdown uses his Powers. That does not cost him any Actions, but he probably cannot suspend this effect.
- “Stasis Immunity” protects against effects slowing him down – usually the Time Slow Power.
- Telekinesis is Contingent Upon Attraction/Repulsion, and can only be used to have metallic objects fly to his hand (this is often a Take Away Manoeuvre against a weapon).
Skills:
Accuracy (Telekinesis): 12, Thief (Locks and safes, Stealth): 03, Scientist: 01, Weaponry (Firearms): 03
Advantages
Expertise (Radiation).
Connections:
None demonstrated.
Drawbacks:
MPR (Radiation poisoning), Misc.: Creegan is a strong source of radiation, and Geiger counters can easily spot him when he uses his powers.
Equipment:
INSULATED COSTUME [BODY 07, Flame immunity: 01, Lightning immunity: 01, Shade: 01].
Source of Character: Batman and the Outsiders (1983 run) #4.
Helper(s): Peter Piispanen, Darci.
Writeup revised on the 18th of September, 2014.