Romulus Emanuel Mercury

Real Name: Romulus Emanuel Mercury
Hero Name: Et Bellator
Title: The Man in Black, The Fighter, The Ghost, The Soldier for Good,  The Dark Avenger, al-maharib محارب (The Warrior)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Race: Caucasian  
Hair: Light Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 210 lbs
Blood type: A+


Romulus is neither tan nor is he pale for that matter. Leave him out in the sun for too long and he’ll burn like any self-respecting human but unlike some people he will not fry the moment he steps outside. During the summer season if he is outside long enough he develops a nice light tan but once winter rolls around he starts to lose the tan and the process simply repeats it’s self every year.

He has light sky blue eyes that can be described as sort of ‘mysterious’ or always thinking, and he has a sort of light brown/tan color hair with natural blonde streaks weaved through it. Trust him on this, the streaks are natural he’s had people attempt to ‘wash them out’ more times than he can count. His hair is of course standard military length. Therefore it is neatly groomed on top of his head, and presents a tapered appearance with his sideburns neatly trimmed. (A tapered appearance is one where the outline of the soldier's hair conforms to the shape of the head, curving inward to the natural termination point at the base of the neck.) All the while not falling over the ears or eyebrows, or touching the collar, except for the closely cut hair at the back of the neck.

A sprinters body is the easiest way to describe Romulus’ body type. Strong long legs with a lean yet very muscular body, he uses his size and agility to his advantage in battle. Standing at the height of six foot one t he is considered above average height for a male in America.  As described above Romulus is what one would assume when thinking of a soldier. The man, when not pummeling villains, can usually be seen wearing jeans, or shorts depending on the weather, and a red or black T-shirt and some sort of running shoes. He also is hardly ever seen without his spear on his back, escrima sticks by his side, or brass knuckles in his pockets as he can near flawlessly switch fighting style between the three. Romulus has a scar going down the right side of his face that he gained during his training during what he refers to as the lost years, he gained it through a fight with a pack of wolves.




Romulus lives life head first and woe is the person who gets in his way. He is noted for his courage and leadership qualities, because he is always ready for action. The need for excitement pushes him into new territory -- and as long as he is ahead of others while demonstrating confidence, chances are that they will follow. As self-ordained leader of the pack he fights for what he believes to be important. But it's not that he is fearless. His courage is more of a commitment to face his fears and overcome them. He gets to where he is going, not because he is exceptionally fast or clever, but because he will not be distracted from his goals. The Lion is considered the king of the jungle, and likewise this fighter has an air of royalty and mystery about him. Upon meeting him however he comes off as He comes off as cold, calculating, and distant but this is usually due simply because he is not easily distracted and focuses only on his mission at hand.

Although not naturally charismatic Romulus is however a natural born leader, able to rally up even the most disheartened of troops to follow him into battle. He seems to almost always be two, three, five steps ahead of the enemy and is able to relay information to those following him with strict, accurate, and unwavering precision. He is also an expert combatant, detective, and oddly enough sales person. Don’t ask him how but for some reason he can sell just about anything to anyone.

Flaws/Fears:
Not without Flaws though Romulus is over confident in his abilities, so much so that he could be considered Prideful. Never one to back down or change his view on something he’s said or done even if after the fact he realizes it was wrong you will never hear him admit it. He doesn’t truly believe everything he does is perfect or amazing but when it comes to the things he is good at, he won’t allow someone to slander or talk bad about him when it comes to those things. Romulus is also what some people would call Arrogant. It seems to be that if one is prideful they are nine times out of ten going to be arrogant as well, and in the case of Romulus that just so happens to be true. He displays a sense of overbearing self-worth believing that he is simply better than most everyone else.  

Despite being arrogant and prideful for the most part Romulus is what some people would call Callous or rarely showing any form of emotions in expression. He is described by his peers as cold and unfeeling when it comes to most, if not all, things in every day. Which during the battle can be great it is not exactly what would be described as healthy during a normal setting. Don’t expect a hug or any sign of affection out of him; and laughing? Well you can forget that.

Oddly enough Romulus is also overprotective. Yes, if you somehow wiggle your way into his good side past the cold and calculating exterior he is vastly protective of those he cares about. So much so that it could be said that he would give his own life for the survival of others. However this also falls onto a different side through the saying ‘take a life to save a thousand’ Romulus will not hesitate to dispose of someone if it meant saving everyone else. Unless of course that one person just so happened to be someone he cared about, only then would he question his straight forward motive.

Soteriophobia, or the Fear of dependence on others. Romulus does not depend on others to do things for him. The saying if you’re going to do something right its best to do it yourself applies heavily to the young man even after five, almost six, years of service to the Marines, he still doesn’t give in easily when he has to work with others to get things done and usually takes the position of leadership, leading by example and from the front of course, so that he does not have to feel as if he’s relying on others to get the task done. He likes things done his way, or no way at all.

Romulus has a nasty scar going down the right side of his face that he gained during his training , he gained it through a fight with a pack of wolves It is perhaps the most distinguishable physical appearance on the boy as it goes completely from the top of his right eye down across his nose to the top left side of his lip. This injury left him with an irrational fear of wolves, momentarily freezing him up when he sees them. However the extent of how far the deeply rooted psychological effect of the scar goes is unknown even to him.

Likes:
Things to go his way, nightly strolls on the beach, learning new things, most forms of art, a good mystery novel, and of course being right. There aren’t very many things Romulus doesn’t like but those listed are simply some of the things he particularly likes and couldn’t see himself without.

Dislikes:
As for dislikes, well that list is just a tad bit longer. He severely dislikes disloyalty, traitors, liars, thieves, and scoundrels. Criminals of all shapes and forms are best to avoid the son of Rome if they intend to stay alive. As for more humane things he doesn’t enjoy works of science fiction instead preferring science fact, as well as anything and everything he deems to be untrue. He considers himself an Agnostic leaning towards Atheism due to the fact that he believes if there truly is a God he has a sense of humor or is a cruel God for letting the world slip into the chaos that it is.


Romulus Emanuel Mercury was born in Las Angeles California on July 12th, 1998 to Trinity Mercury and a father who was never quite there. He was a good child who tried his best to impress his mom and do whatever he could to help her, but being a single mother and already working two jobs to support them she never truly had the time for Romulus. Things of course became even worse when it came time for the young boy to start school. His mother being the caring lady she was didn’t want Leo to turn out like she did and so of course tried to put him in any private school that would take him. Sadly, none did and she was just about to give up when the dean of a boot camp for troubled but gifted, in the normal sense, students decided to open its doors to the young family.

They were both quite surprised as Romulus had displayed no signs of being either of those two but the boy was sent off anyway and it was there that things started to get a little tricky. At first the newest and perhaps youngest cadet was bullied at the start of his stay being the "odd ball" and weakling there but things started to change when it was apparent that perhaps he wasn’t as powerless weak and as everyone thought. Within his first few months there he was bullied constantly day in and day out until one day he decided he had very much so had enough. Taking action into his own hands the young man retaliated against his attackers and was able to quickly disarm and defeat all of them. An action that did not go unnoticed by the Commanding Officer of course who decided to take interest in the boy.

So much so that during the beginning of his second year at the boarding school/boot camp he was sent to the dean’s office where a therapist was sent in to judge the boy’s mental state and see just what was going on. When the therapist was shown to have little effect on the boy and it was as if her seasons didn’t work as well as planned they were finally able to determine that perhaps maybe the boy simply reacted the way he did due to the pressures placed upon him due to being different than everyone else. However, they were able to recognize his advanced intelligence. Due to this the boy was spear headed into the advanced classes and was brought up to be made sure he would join the military upon being eligible to do so.

It was during his fourth year at the boarding school, now nine years old, that Romulus started to truly appreciate the life he was being led to live. Rising through his class rankings and even skipping two grades the boy showed potential that was remarkable for kids’ years older than he was and this of course attracted attention to him. Attention a boy with a mother he only got to see once a year, soaked up and took at full value, until the bullying started up again, not to mention his mother died in a mugging incident that he was unable to even witness due to being at the school. Something he blames himself for to this day.

This time though it didn't matter that only he was smart or resilient because the kids were of course two years older than him. The staff and faculty did nothing about it as the Dean/Commanding Officer wanted to see just how far they could push the boy, and so it continued for two more years. Two long years Romulus suffered bullying by kids older than he was until he started to stop doing everything by the books once again and fought back. It wasn't often at first but the few times he did fight back it was apparent being a bookworm and a 'nerd' finally paid off, as he also acceded at hand to hand combat. Needless to say, by the end of that year the bullying stopped and Leonardo was able to continue life as he wanted, even getting a few friends here and there.

At the age of Fourteen he was shot into the boarding school's Marine ROTC program, graduating at age sixteen as the programs Cadet Battalion Commander with the rank of Lt. Col. Following in the footsteps that were placed out for him, still thinking it was his own decision, Romulua took the ASVAB scoring a perfect score of 99 he quickly joined the Marines at the officer rank of 1st Lt. For four years he served as a special operations officer for the United States Marines until an unfortunate incident, involving a rouge gang in a hostile territory, resulted in the loss of his entire platoon of soldiers. During the psyche evaluation, he was deemed unfit for combat and discharged from the Marines.

Now, at age twenty the man took what money he had left from the Marines as he had simply stockpiled his fortune and took off. He went off the map for eight years, eight long years that people who know him only describe as the ‘lost years’ because he had no contact with civilization and it was as if simply disappeared off the face of the earth. In truth he was out studying, expanding his already extensive knowledge in both physical and mental ways. He learned different fighting styles from an assortment of masters moving from country to country never slowing down. He had already lost so much, he had already left so many families broken, never to be the same again and he swore that he’d never let that happen again. He’d make it so no child would go to sleep at night wondering where their dad or mom or siblings were. He would look out for the little guy and protect anyone he could.

He’s only been back in the states for a year and has already made good on his promise. The people of Chicago regard him as a myth, a legend of sorts. His story just now beginning to unfold but like all rumors the tales are exaggerated and don’t have very much basis in facts due to there being no actual photographic evidence of the man in black. All the people and criminals know is that he is some sort of Dark Avenger, a ghost that swoops in and protects the helpless. No one who thinks themselves above the law is safe. Creeps, Crooks, and Cowards beware. Romulus is on the case and he isn’t intent on taking it lightly.


1. Endurance
2. Strength
3. Reaction
4. Agility



N/A


Weakness 1:  As one would expect Romulus is over confident in his abilities, so much so that he could be considered Prideful. Never one to back down or change his view on something he’s said or done even if after the fact he realizes it was wrong you will never hear him admit it. He doesn’t truly believe everything he does is perfect or amazing but when it comes to the things he is good at, he won’t allow someone to slander or talk bad about him when it comes to those things. The man is also what some people would call Arrogant. It seems to be that if one is prideful they are nine times out of ten going to be arrogant as well, and in the case of Romulus that just so happens to be true. He displays a sense of overbearing self-worth believing that he is simply better than most everyone else.

Weakness 2: He's human. Although highly skilled and trained he is just like you and me. He is human and can be killed just like an average human, a bullet or sword to the head or heart, or most fatal wounds will kill him just as easy as it would anyone.

Spoiler:

Indomitable Will: While Romulus has no known superhuman powers, he does have an almost superhuman "force of will". His unstoppable determination and strength of will enable him to function while tolerating massive amounts of physical pain, this also allows him to resist most forms of telepathy and mind control.

Expert Interrogator: Romulus is trained in the use of interrogation techniques, employing anything from law enforcement and military methods to outright torture. From his more nightly outings the techniques can include anything from hanging a person over the edge of a building by one leg or chaining a person upside down and beating them into a state of unconsciousness. At times, he has needed nothing more than his frightening appearance to get answers.

Expert Intimidator: As stated above Romulus is very well versed in the art of intimidation. Through intense training during his times with the Marines as well as during his ‘Lost Year’s he is able to intimidate even those that are generally considered more dangerous than him. A tactic he has no problem using on the criminal underworld.

Peak Human Conditioning: Through intense years training and a specialized diet, that began during his time at the boarding school and carried on into the ‘Lost Years’. Through this Romulus represents the pinnacle of human physical prowess; with physical attributes (strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, durability and senses) exceeding that of any Olympic level athlete that has ever competed. He engaged in an intensive regular regimen of rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, and simulated combat) to keep himself in peak condition, and because of this he has often defeated opponents whose size, strength, or other powers greatly exceeded his own.

Spoiler:

Expert Martial Artist: Having trained for battle his entire life Romulus is a master combatant. Expertly versed in a multitude of fighting’s styles including but not limited to:
Marine Corps Martial Arts Program,
boxing,Karate,
Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do,
Savate,Krav Maga,Ninjutsu, Judo,Aikido, Shurikenjutsu, Sombo, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido,Capoeira,Brazilian Jujitsu, Arnis, Roman Spear Fighting, and The Doimo Brawling Fighting Style

Weapons Master: Through his years of combat training Romulus has become an expert with most forms of weapons. Able to pick up and use most modern and historic weapons with little to no problem.

Master Marksman: Not only does the former Marine excel at close range combat he is also gifted in mid to long range weaponry. From slings to guns his skill and aim honed through years of intense lifelong training is nearly superhuman.

Master of Stealth: His ninjutsu training has made him a master at stealth capable of breaching high-security facilities with ease and without being detected.

Genius Intellect: Romulus may have been bread for war but this does not discount the fact that he did score a perfect 99 on the ASVAB. Romulus is a quick learner, able to pick things of easier than most and the term monkey see monkey do takes an almost literal meaning with him.  Not only that but he has a genius level intellect and a master’s degree, or the equivalent of, in various fields of study including but not limited to: Criminal Science, Forensics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, and Engineering. Additionally, he has an Eidetic Memory and Hyperthymesia, one of very few on the planet, which allows him to remember every detail of his life.

Master Detective: As a vigilante Romulus is capable of observation, forensic investigation, and inductive and deductive reasoning of the highest caliber with human intuition being one of his most effective tools.

Master Tactician & Strategist: What Romulus truly excels at though is the art of war, he is a near perfect tactician having trained his entire life to always outthink his opponents. He is a brilliant, virtually peerless, detective, strategist, tactician, and commander.

Escapologist: You don’t live through the things Romulus has without learning a few things about escaping from almost any given situation. The training taught to him by the Marines black ops special forces was only amplified during the training he partook in his ‘Lost Years’ allowing him to be just as good as the likes of Houdini.

Master of Disguise: First as a black ops information specialist and then later on afterwards Romulus is highly adept at altering his appearance through the use of disguises, make up, and other items to create new aliases for himself.

Expert Driver/Pilot/Mechanic: Through ingenuity and teaching Romulus is able to drive and repair a wide variety of vehicles be the land, sea, or air.

Multi-Lingual: He is able to speak Spanish, French, Latin, German, Japanese, English, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Italian.