Dr. Samson Strong

Archetype: First Wave Rockstar Status: Registered Metahuman
Height: 6'4" Weight: 250 lbs Hair: Sable Eyes: Brown Age: 37

Image from the animated series, The All-Star League, which ran from 2001-2005. The ASL was a fictional team of first wave metahumans who never officially worked together, though the individuals depicted were often real heroes or villains. Though Dr. Strong only played upon his given name of Samson for the first two and a half years of his six year career as a superhero, keeping his hair trimmed short after that point, his animated counterpart kept the iconic ponytail right up until the series finale, when the loss of it cost him his superhuman might. As a result of the cartoon’s popularity, some still mistakenly believe that his power was linked to the length of his hair.

One of the most famous heroes of the first wave and one of the first metahumans to undergo forced registration, Dr. Samson Strong was a paragon of his age. Though he didn't appear until a few years after Jupiter flared, his legendary strength, superhuman intelligence, and photogenic nature created a dramatic package that snared him a great deal of apparently unwanted attention. Eschewing a secret identity in favour of using his real name, this transparency of behaviour combined with an obvious concern for public welfare to skyrocket his popularity.

Samson Strong is now a household name. Though his popularity as a super-heroic figure is fading (as sports stars and celebrities are prone to experience in the years following their retirement) his raw physical presence, vast wealth, and far-reaching corporate holdings have kept him at the forefront of both the society columns and the news. From the countless variations on the superhero theme (with profits from lunch boxes, action figures, costumes, and animated movies going to various charities), to his extensive line of healthy convenience foods and sports nutrition supplements, energy efficient household goods, and three best-selling self-help books (The Doctor is In, Getting Strong with the Doctor, Strong Mind in a Strong Body), his presence seems to be everywhere.

Rumours persist of a wondrous sanctum where Dr. Strong toys with innovations in biochemistry, genetics, and physics that trespass across all boundaries of modern science, straying into realms only seen in (undoubtedly) exaggerated cartoon adventures or science fiction movies.

Friends & Foes

Foes

Death Heckler (Active)

A dangerous psychotic with a brilliant mind, the Death Heckler is known for his high-tech inventions (such as his flying smiley face that he sky-surfs on) and utter disregard for human life. He uses his high-tech inventions to sow chaos and take lives, seeming to prefer terrorizing large audiences.

Delilah (Imprisoned)

A beautiful seductress/mastermind who sought to make her name as a super-criminal by defeating the Doctor. To this end she styled herself after the biblical Delilah, having fallen for the ruse of Strong's ponytail. She's been in prison for almost 12 years.

Nucleon (Presumed Active)

Attempted to destroy the San Diego naval base, and decimated a local team of minor heroes in the process. Strong showed up, and it looked like he might beat the nuclear man, but the radiation slowly weakened him until Nucleon held the upper hand. White Star arrived in time to save the day, and the base. Nobody knows where Nucleon is now, but the Doctor hasn't forgotten about him.

Friends

Morningstar (Active)

Daughter of White Star, seeking to follow in her father's footsteps. Possessed of great potential, and likely to become a key figure in the new generation of heroes.

White Star (MIA)

Flag-clad, patriotic superhero who was perhaps the greatest leader of the first wave. Often disagreed on political matters. Disappeared two years ago battling the villain, Void. Father of Morningstar.

Ernie Schwarzenegger (Active)

The 7' tall, crazy, destructive metahuman son of Arnold, and current governor of California. No, really. Fought side-by-side a couple times in the past. Strong views him as a well-intentioned (if dim-witted and ham-fisted) ally who's probably more of an outright danger than an aid.

Laboratory and Miraculous Menangerie

In spite of his public persona, Samson is a very private person, and so very few people have seen his home. His personal living space, formerly in NY City but now located at his new corporate headquarters in L.A., is dominated by a vast laboratory. Along with being well-equipped to handle experiments and do work in multiple sciences, it’s also where his Miraculous Menagerie lives, watched over by Jeeves. Some of the equipment stored there, built from his own designs, is decades (or more) beyond current technological standards. Technological miracles can be worked in the lab, if given sufficient time and inspiration.

The animals that were in the lab with Samson during his transformation were also affected. His Irish Wolfhound, Einstein, was granted super-strength and invulnerability. Unfortunately he’s still dumb as a box of rocks. His cat, Shroedinger, somehow developed the gift of speech along with a vastly increased intelligence, an acerbic sense of humour, and a preference for coffee while he reads the morning paper. Last are the three lab mice, Newton, Tesla, and Hawking, who gained intelligence and invulnerability... which is good, as the cat is perpetually trying to find a way to kill them. It seems that all of the animals benefit from greatly extended longevity.

Powers and Abillities

Regularly Used Gizmos

Though his lab is capable of turning out any number of technological miracles given enough time, Samson has made frequent use of a number of gadgets both in the past and present.

Car

Though it hasn't been on the road in years, and was only used a handful of times, Doc's 'super car' gained a great deal of notoriety among car buffs. Bullet-proof with a portable crime lab and medical supplies, it also contained a number of gadgets and was capable of remarkable speeds. It was surprisingly easy on gas... not using any. It was, of course, painted in the same motif as his costume.

Costume

Made of a material that's octagon-textured, thick as a diving suit, form-fitting, bullet-proof, resists cutting edges, and insulated against shock, flame, and other forms of energy. It provides little 'hard' armour, however, and makes a less than ideal costume for most, as it tends to encumber those without super strength. The bands around his forearms serve to both guard and house a variety of tiny gadgets which change on a regular basis; but he always carries medical supplies for an emergency; pain-killers, adrenaline, antibiotics, needles, limited charge defibrillator, etc.

Jeeves

A hovering, intelligent robot that acts as butler, cook, assistant, and secretary, and has the personality of a perfect English Butler. Jeeves never leaves the vast laboratory complex that Samson calls home, but can be accessed through the Doctor’s com-link. Jeeves makes sure that the animals behave and are taken care of, that appointments are scheduled properly and duly kept, acts as housekeeper, and organizes the lab records.

White Noise Generator

A tiny gizmo that the doctor always carries; it generates a signal inaudible to human ears, distracting to those with enhanced hearing, and drowns out all other sound with audio devices (leaving only a high-pitched alarm-like sound). Once used to foil the machinations of villains, it has since proven invaluable in preventing corporate espionage and foiling the paparazzo’s attempts at eavesdropping.

Neural Dampener

A technology invented to hamper psychic intrusion. It projects 'static' into the minds of psychics who are attempting mental domination, influence, or telepathy when they reach out to another mind, leaving them with a pulsing headache instead. Often in the form of a headband (as the field must surround the target's mind), though a much larger, more expensive version now guards his office.

Hyper Intelligence

The only true Jupiter-influenced ability of Dr. Strong. Old interviews reveal that he's not only operating with an enhanced IQ, but that his mind effortlessly multi-tasks like a computer. This leaves him capable of processing vast amounts of information that other people would find disorienting, such as watching a dozen different news programs at once. He's been known to calculate finances for projects, review employee performance, negotiate the terms of a merger, and run through the permutations of theories in both physics and biochemistry -- all at the same time. It's been speculated that he actually possessed some measure of this ability before the Jupiter flare, but it left his mind a noisy, chaotic mess. The flare allowed him to sort out his thoughts.

Super Strength

The upper limit of Dr. Strong's might is unknown... or if he's tested it, he's not telling anybody. He's legendary among the metahuman community for his strength, having once flipped a tank (50 tons) over, and on a separate occasion lifted a heavy construction crane (120 tons) off of a group of trapped workers.

Durability and Stamina

His capacity to withstand damage is on par with his strength; the Doctor's resistance to blunt force trauma is shocking to behold, with edged or piercing attacks faring little better. His resistance to other forms of attack, however, seems to be somewhat diminished. Exact levels have never been publicly disclosed. In addition, he seems to be quite difficult to wear down, and has displayed the ability to take a horrific beating, stagger back to his feet battered and wounded, and then hammer on his foe yet again. He's particularly dangerous if he can get a second wind. . He recovers his energy reserves astoundingly fast, heals at a remarkable rate, and no longer seems to scar.

Physical Enhancements

A number of other, lesser physical enhancements manifested, very likely as side-effects of his superhuman vigour: he's been seen to manage short sprints of 120 kph/75 mph, effortlessly leap buildings several stories high, and hold his breath for extended periods. Enhanced neural functionality and physicality also seem to have produced mildly enhanced senses, particularly sight.

Skills

Highly skilled in wrestling (making state and nationals at varying points), moderately skilled at football and boxing. His over-active brain has allowed him to pick up a remarkable number of cerebral skills, including a handful of languages, and a surprising amount of trivia regarding many academic subjects. His mastery of the sciences is, however, absolutely inhuman; he does the impossible.

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Jupiter's Children : DrStrong