Name: Max Calhoun [Birth Name: Erik Heidrich]
Alter Ego: Librium
Abilities: gravitational and magnetic manipulation
Amalgam:
Marvel: Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr)
DC: Prometheus
This
was an idea that was born from a brainstorming session between myself
and Miles Yagami. Initially when I designed this Amalgam, I was
thinking of merging Magneto with Two Face, but in my discussions with
Miles it was suggested that I needed a different villain. Someone who
was villainous but acted with self-righteousness. With that in mind, he
suggested Prometheus from the Batman comics. I liked it immediately
and started drawing him and during a small riff session with Miles I
basically came up with a rough backstory.
Back-story I thought of
is a mixture of his and Erik’s. The son of Polish immigrants. He and his
family got hassled, bullied and threatened a lot not only for being
German but for being Jewish. Especially by a Westboro-Baptist-like
group. Got worse when at a rally by these hate wackos, his powers
manifested and thus the group lived up to their threats. After the death
of his parents at the hands of this group, he came to the conclusion
that evil like theirs must be eliminated so that which is good may
flourish. “If justice is balance,” he reasoned, “then I must act as the
counterweight.”
Max eventually enters into college where he meets
with Alfred Xavier, a genetics student who is working towards his
PH.d. During their time together they grow fond of each other and
eventually develop a romantic/sexual relationship and learn of each
other’s abilities. But then things fall apart at an anti-meta rally.
The
rally sparks memories within Max about a similar group who killed his
parents. He is about to use his abilities on the crowd but Alfred steps
in.
Alfred: Max. Don’t give in to the hate like they have.
Max: No. As long as they exist, we can never be free.
And
Alfred had to get in the middle of it. Max is about to rain down metal
spikes on the crowd. He manages to enter Max’s mind to deflect most of
them, but one is left over coming down on one protester. Alfred leaps in
and is impaled through his lower back right into his spine.
After
the accident, Max leaves college and creates his own group called “The
Meta Fellowship“ while Alfred continues his work towards his PH.d, and
creates the Xavier Academy and eventually forms “The X-ers”.