Tether Tyrant

Background

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Powers & Abilities

Through unknown means, the Tether Tyrant gained superhuman strength and durability. While his exact strength level has gone unquantified, he hits hard enough for an opponent with Viltrumite levels of durability to actually feel the blow.

Symbiosis

The Tyrant has augmented his already formidable strength by forming a long-term partnership with a symbiotic alien. He wore this creature on his chest for years. For most of their career the symbiote  formed a temporary telepathic bond with the Tyrant and fulfilled his needs and wishes.

The symbiote itself was made up of 30 mentally controlled flexible, elongated and prehensile strands. These “tethers” were capable of adhering to any surface that they came into contact with.

The pliancy and tensile strength of the tethers was remarkable. In two separate instances they grappled the young Viltrumite Invincible with sufficient strength to prevent him from breaking free.

Since the Tyrant and the Symbiote have formed a permanent bond, the tethers have not only gained in strength. But they also have taken on a harsh edge.

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History

In 2004, the Tether Tyrant started working as hired muscle for the crime lord, Machine Head. In his first appearance, he found himself in the middle of a fierce battle between Machine Head’s forces and the Guardians of the Globe.

The Tyrant made the mistake of engaging the young Viltrumite hero, Invincible. Though he managed to land a pair of blows, Invincible took him down in short order and with little effort.

Tether Tyrant ended up in Federal custody within an Utah prison until the Invincible War. One of the Invincible doppelgängers shattered the wall of the high security prison, inadvertently releasing prisoners. The Tether Tyrant and Magmaniac were two of the escapees.

Hitting the mattresses

The two had apparently struck up a relationship while incarcerated, and decided to stick together in the outside world. They laid low in a tiny one bedroom apartment for months. They attempted to go straight while avoiding the attention of the local authorities.

This life grated on the Tyrant and he found himself constantly hinting and cajoling his partner to return to their life of crime.

Eventually, Magmaniac relented. The two attempted a brash armoured car robbery in broad daylight. Unfortunately, they were almost immediately intercepted by Invincible and his younger brother Oliver while in mid-robbery.

The two put up the best fight they could, but within minutes found themselves defeated and unconscious once more.

Muscle for hire

This time around, the two were freed from prison by Titan. This mob boss pulled some legal strings in order to facilitate their release. The reason for their new found freedom was that Titan needed some superhuman muscle to fight off a rival crime-boss.

The Tyrant threw himself into the battle with abandon. But despite their renewed vigour the battle ended up a rout, especially when Invincible appeared on the scene once more. The only good thing that came out of the battle, was that the Tyrant and Magmaniac actually avoided capture by the authorities.

As time passed, the Tyrant and Magmaniac realized that they simply weren’t any good at thinking for themselves. Thus, threw themselves at the mercy of Titan once more. Titan took advantage of their desperation and sent them to assassinate Machine Head in his home in order to regain his favour.

Grieving

The Tyrant and Magmaniac staked out Machine Head’s home, and waited for the moment when he would be the most defenceless. The moment came while Machine Head was doing business with the criminal Vault.

The two entered the domicile full of rage and fury. The Tyrant immediately attempted to overwhelm Vault with his symbiote. But Vault brushed off his attack and murdered Magmaniac right before his eyes.

Tether Tyrant, overwhelmed with grief, finally allowed his symbiote to permanently bond with his body. The two went on a rampage across the city for the next four hours. When he eventually regained control of himself, the Tyrant was surrounded by the entirety of the Guardians of the Globe.

In fear and horror at his actions, the Tyrant surrendered to the Guardians and allowed himself to be returned to prison.

Description

Before joining permanently with his symbiote, the Tether Tyrant’s appearance was similar to a particularly stocky dockworker. He would wear simple black jeans, a nondescript grey top and a grey toque on top of his head.

He had badly cauliflowered ears, a nose that looked like it had been broken more than once and was never clean-shaven. He was also bald. Other than that he is a relatively unremarkable looking man.

Symbiote

He rigged a harness, that resembled a reversed backpack, to hold his symbiote directly in front of his chest. The majority of the symbiote has yet to be seen, but its many tentacled arms have been observed many times.

At first glance, the arms (all 30 of them) closely resemble long, stretchy strips of pink bubblegum. They can be compressed tightly against the Tyrant’s chest or stretch to an extended length away from his body.

Upon allowing the symbiote to permanently bond with his person, the Tyrant’s actual appearance didn’t change, but the symbiote’s did. The symbiote burrowed deeply into the Tyrant’s body and now juts through various points of his skin as strips of the same material that made up it’s tentacles.

Instead of having a smooth gum-like appearance, it has transformed into a harsher edged, almost barbed wire-like shape. The strips cover the Tyrant from torso to toe, wrapped strategically around his form to preserve his modesty.

Personality

Tether Tyrant is not an intelligent or ambitious man. He is a simple creature of habit. He desires nothing more than to have enough money to live comfortably but doesn’t want to work for it. However, make no mistake. The Tyrant may not be a psychopath, but his is sociopathic enough to kill to get what he wants.

In his relationship with Magmaniac, he was definitely the submissive (despite his much larger size) and would ultimately agree to whatever James told him to do.

The Tyrant’s relationship with the symbiote was not clearly explained. The best way to describe the relationship would be to compare it to that of a suitor pursuing a woman. The symbiote desperately wanted to form a permanent bond with the Tyrant, but the Human always had a reason not to.

The symbiote itself was very jealous of Magmaniac. It refused to communicate with the Tyrant if he was in the general vicinity.

DC Universe History

As a minor villain, Tether Tyrant can be inserted wholesale into any venue within the DC Universe.

Quotes

“I call dibs on the pretty boy.”

“We can go out and rob a bank tomorrow if you want. Tether Tyrant and Magmaniac — back in action !”

[Talking to his symbiote] “We gotta do what James says, He’s a smart guy … we gotta lay low, not break any laws. But soon… okay ? SOON.”

“Going straight, abiding the law — is NOT working for us.”

“She’s not going to let go unless she wants to, hero. You ready to give up ?”

By Bryan Gittens

Source of Character: Image Comic Book Series – Invincible, created by Robert Kirkman & Cory Walker

Writeup Completed: March 4^th, 2012.