Timeshadow

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Powers and Abilities

Timeshadow seems to be a fit man, trained to fight. Given the location of his first appearance, the stats assume that he has a military background. This is an unsupported hypothetical, but it doesn’t have much impact anyway.

Timeshadow can displace himself in time a millisecond at a time, vanishing in the time stream and popping back. He can do that in rapid succession. The actual applications have been:

• Surround persons with illusionary afterimages. He chronoports  so quickly that the eye still registers him as being present in multiple close locations. This is his most distinctive ability, and makes it difficult to attack him. Ordinary senses can’t tell which is the original and which is an afterimage. In DC Heroes RPG terms that’s Illusions (Mirror Image).
• Timeshadow is adept at deploying his afterimages for tactical advantage in melee combat. He’s good at duping opponents into facing an afterimage so he can punch them from an unexpected angle. In DC Heroes RPG terms this is modelled as Martial Artist, since the tactical options (especially the AV and EV boosts) are a good fit for what he does.
  If an opponent describes action that result in turning their back on the original, a Blindside Bonus will further bolster Timeshadow’s attacks.
• When on the defensive, Timeshadow can dodge attacks by disappearing into the time stream for a millisecond. He has done so against telekinetic bolts and optic blasts. Our game stats assume that he could blink through almost any attack. In DC Heroes RPG terms, the defensive bonus of this is better than the one from Illusion (Mirror Images) but it is less useful to attack.
• Timeshadow can use his Powers very quickly, their effects are confusing and stressful, and they grant him an unclear mobility advantage. This speed and upper tactical hand are best modelled as a high Initiative.
• In his later appearances, Timeshadow apparently could teleport. This Power could easily have a number of Bonuses and/or Limitations, or different APs. We barely saw it.

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History

Timeshadow was one of the mutant mercenaries assembled as the Alliance of Evil. These were to serve Apocalypse against X-Factor.

Along with the Alliance and under demonic influence from the Inferno invasion, he later rioted against the Mutant Registration Act. Timeshadow hasn’t been seen since, and was not part of the version of the Alliance that worked for A.I.M..

Since he was a patient in a US military detoxification center when he encountered Michael Nowlan, it is likely he was some sort of soldier before he became a merc. Perhaps he was handed back over to the US military.

Description

See illustrations.

Personality

Along with Frenzy, Timeshadow was one of the professionals within the Alliance of Evil. He seemed calm and capable.

Timeshadow being limited to hand-to-hand attacks, he focuses on whichever opponent seems to be the least tough physically.

Although he makes a show of having a potent power, he’s actually cautious. His tactic against Marvel Girl was to Lay Back and surround her with illusory forms to see what she would do. Meanwhile, his real form stayed behind her. After she unleashed a telekinetic barrage he moved in to clobber her from behind, using Martial Arts EV and the Blindside his tactic had gained him.

Quotes

“Calm down, little girl ! You might accidentally kill him if you throw one of your bolts !”

“Timeshadow’s the name, woman ! Even with your formidable abilities, you can’t possibly distinguish my phase-forms from the real me ! I’m always a millisecond ahead of you !”

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: Marvel Universe.

Helper(s): Gareth Lewis, Chris Cottingham. Mirror Images mechanics by Eric Langendorf and John Colagioia.