Random

[Navarre]

Random

Jack Random is a bounty hunter by trade. Very little is known about him.

His accent clearly marks him as Irish yet he has revealed little about his life. He has apparently lived in the United States for some time though his citizenship status is unknown.

It is quite likely that Random is not his given surname but one that he has adopted based on his power. He has more experience than his teammates and has traveled extensively.

Random in some unknown fashion affects the probability of events occurring around him. Good fortune seems to favor him.

This effect does not always appear to be active nor can he consciously control it. It is essentially a high degree of “good luck”.

However, negative events seem to occur to those in close proximity to him for any length of time. Jack has used this ability to his advantage on several occasions, both in his profession and in everyday life.

The effects of his luck generally allow him to avoid unseen hazards and fight against superior odds without undue harm. It also provides him with more subtle advantages such as finding lost items or winning at poker.

It does not appear that Random’s power literally alters probabilities but instead that he possesses a preternatural awareness of the odds of any given event, allowing him to choose the best course of action in an instantaneous and subconscious fashion. He is, however, considered a very lucky person.

This may be due as much to his confidence as to his abilities. Yet it is possible that his powers may be vaster in scope because of the seeming bad luck of those around him.

Although there are times when such bad luck of his foes might be attributed to the power of suggestion, it seems even his friends and allies suffer from some degree of frequent misfortune in his presence. This makes any association with Random a mixed blessing.

Jack Random has earned a reputation as a carouser and a scoundrel. He enjoys the company of women and is a flirtatious womanizer. His approach to women, coarse though it may seem, nonetheless finds him with frequent female companionship.

Random rides a custom-built chopper and is easily recognized by his heavy Irish brogue and turn-of-the-century manner of dress. His canine companion, a bloodhound named Brodie, generally accompanies him.

Jack is a very proficient hand-to-hand combatant though his style appears to be little more than unorthodox street brawling. He is as content to bash a man’s head with a trashcan as strike him with his fists.

Random also carries several throwing knives that open switchblade-style. His throwing accuracy borders on the uncanny, again perhaps attributable to his luck ability.

Jack Random is considered one of the best, though certainly not the most professional, bounty hunters in the world. His reputation is only exceeded by his professional archival, Morgan Wade Graves aka Widowmaker.

The combination of his ability, physical prowess, and lust-driven ways has earned him the nickname of “Lucky” Jack Random. Jack likes his nickname and uses it to his advantage when unnerving his quarry as well as bedding his next conquest.

The reason for Random’s presence at the institute is not entirely clear. Though his abilities are worth studying, he has made frequent innuendos to an “arrangement” between him and the institute’s Director of Operations, Adrienne North.

If any secondary arrangements do in fact exist, Ms. North has not been forthcoming about them. Random seems to enjoy his teammates' speculation.

[chrysalis]

Have you decided how your characters will meet each other? Will it be at the institute or before hand?

[Navarre]

I think the institute is going to contact Crimson, Summer, and Maelstrom directly. They will be the first of the team.

Wraith and Random will come in soon after but as part of the plot of the comic itself. At least, that's my plan.

[Rob]

Random will be the breakout character of this saga.

[Navarre]

Yeah, I kinda guess he will. It's always the mysterious, loner bad-boy types that get all the press.

I wanted to go with my Anti-Comic theme and not have a Wolverine/Gambit type of guy...but, like Summer's sex appeal, you gotta use what sells.

[Navarre]

I posted a link in the Longbox column about the different categories of Motives superheroes have for doing what they do. The link is here:

http://lorendiac.livejournal.com/4010.html#cutid1

Trying to place each of my characters in one of these categories I think Random fits in the Greed category. Reposting that below:

Greed

"I've got special abilities and I aim to use them to make money! But to show what a great guy I am, I'll let honest citizens bid for my services instead of just using my strength to rob armored cars!"

Various super-powered individuals have worked as bounty hunters, private investigators, bodyguards, etc., charging the customers whatever they think their unusual powers and abilities are worth on the open market. Luke Cage and Danny Rand used to be the Heroes for Hire. Back in the early 1990s, Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad shifted from being an official (but secretive) federal program to a group of freelance troubleshooters-for-hire, as I recall. On a similar note, and more recently, Kurt Busiek offered us the Power Company. I'm not saying that all of the characters involved in those various enterprises were only interested in making money, but I am pointing out that the chance to cash in on their unusual abilities was definitely a motivating factor in their decisions to keep wearing the costumes and risking their necks fighting supervillains and other riffraff!