Specialist 2099
Context
The Specialist appeared in the early issues of Spider-Man 2099. The 2099 cluster of books depicted one possible future of the Marvel Universe. It was generally a cyberpunk thing, but with a number of superhumans.
Back in 1993 I bought the first ten books as they were released, so we have some old material about the early Spidey 2099 villains.
Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed.
- Marital Status: Presumed single.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Stark/Fujikawa corporation.
- Base Of Operations: Mobile.
- Height: 6’4” Weight: 235lbs.
- Eyes: Brown, sometimes red Hair: Black
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Powers and Abilities
The Specialist is a highly gifted athlete and martial artist.
His physical prowess reaches peak human levels in most areas. And he’s highly proficient with various martial arts weaponry of the 21st century.
History
The Specialist is an elite field operative/assassin for Stark/Fujikawa, operating mostly in the spirit of the ancient samurai.
He first met Spider-Man 2099 when the later was attempting to protect known agitator Kasey Nash (who happened to be the girlfriend of Spider-Man’s brother). In actuality, the Specialist had been covertly manipulated by Tyler Stone, of the Alchemax corporation, to fight Spider-Man, who had just defeated an elite agent of Alchemax named Venture.
While Spider-Man 2099 thought a person without cybernetic enhancements would be easy to beat, he was defeated and almost unmasked in short order. Still, he fought long enough for Kasey Nash to steal a police vehicle and make her getaway with him. Unfortunately, the Specialist grabbed Spider-Man before they could completely lift off.
They fought on, but crashed into a wall, stunning the Specialist. Spider-Man 2099 attempted to save the Specialist from a deadly fall, but his opponent then attempted to kill him. In a fit of anger, Spider-Man involuntarily slit the Specialist’s throat. It is probable, however, that the Specialist was hospitalized in time and is still alive.
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Description
See illustration.
Personality
The Specialist acts according to a reasonably credible version of the Bushido while doing his job. He’s almost fastidious, or possibly obsessive, about it – see the quotes.
While he’s a hired killer, he’s above everything else a professional. He will offer numerous chances to surrender to his opponents, but will never hesitate to fight to the death. He has a slight, threatening sense of humor, but is mostly businesslike.
When irritated, he curses in Japanese.
Quotes
“It would not be honorable to kill a man who is anonymous. However, a man of honor does not hide his identity. This one will make you into an honorable man by removing that mask. Once this one has seen the face of his enemy, he may then kill him in a manner befitting a warrior.”
DC Universe History
Given the timelessness of his honor code, the Specialist could come from any time period. Still, he’s more interesting as a living anachronism.
Note that, with his skills, he’s pretty interesting as a time travel agent, especially if the method of time travelling prohibits bringing gear with the traveller.
Among other things, he could be a denizen of the alternate future seen in Hex (which is bound to exist somewhere in Hypertime ).
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
The Specialist
| Dex: 08 | Str: 05 | Bod: 05 | Motivation: Samurai |
| Int: 05 | Wil: 06 | Min: 05 | Occupation: Field op for Stark/Fujikawa |
| Inf: 05 | Aur: 05 | Spi: 05 | Resources {or Wealth}: 06 |
| Init: 022 | HP: 040 |
Skills:
Martial Artist*: 08, Military Science: 05, Vehicles (land, air)*: 08, Weaponry (martial arts weapons): 10
Advantages:
Free Access, Iron Nerves, Lightning Reflexes, Security Clearance (Stark/Fujikawa, Medium).
Connections:
Stark/Fujikawa (High).
Drawbacks:
CIA toward honour.
Equipment:
- BODY ARMOR [/BODY/ 09].
- Energy-enhanced Katana [BODY 10, EV 09].
- Energy-enhanced Nunchaku [BODY 06, EV 08, Force shield: 04, Limitation : Force shield is only usable against projectiles and energy blasts (-2)].
- Energy-enhanced Shuriken [BODY 04, EV 06, Gliding: 01, 9 shots, Limitation: Gliding only to increase thrown range].
- Rope [BODY 06, Snare: 05, Limitation : Snare can only be as high as half the relevant Weaponry score of the wielder].
Source of Character: Spider Man 2099 #4 and 5 (Marvel Universe 2099).