Normalcy

Detective Norman Mann, better known by his superhero alias Normalcy, is an NPC from The Saviors of Sunset City. He is a human and member of the Echelon Eight.
== Personality ==
Normalcy is a cunning and hard-boiled detective, specializing in superhero cases. He is cold and calculated, barely changing the expression on his face (what of it is visible) nor the tone in his gruff voice.
== History ==
=== Origin Story ===
Norman Mann was a private eye, working in cases that involved super-powered people. He didn't engage in active superheroics (i.e. cases unrelated to his job) until the death of his wife, Jean Mann, in collateral damage in a battle between Mr. Superior and Lord Threxus, which caused him to want to actively seek out supervillains to fight.
=== Normalcy #87 ===
Normalcy took a job from a woman to help deal with her niece, known in the comic as Lily, who was slowly killing the woman's sister, Lily's mother, with a radioactive field she involuntarily emitted. He took the young girl out for the day, promising he would do whatever she wanted as long as she held his hand. They went out to get ice cream together, him buying two cones of her favorite flavor, mint chocolate chip, a flavor he did not care for but ate to make Lily feel happier. After a short walk, Normalcy took Lily out to a strangely blank warehouse. He told the girl it could be scary in there, so she could hold his hand tighter if she needed to. He had to walk Lily into a containment chamber, and as he let go of her hand and the doors closed, Lily began to cry. Normalcy was not happy about what he had to do, but he had to take the money to pay his bills.
Normalcy took one last look at Lily, her still crying, and for the first time since his wife Jean had died, felt something. A tinge of sadness swept over him, something he wanted to mask. He couldn't. He slowly walked back to his car, trying not to think about what had happened: having to condemn a girl to solitude due to powers she couldn't control. A girl who would be visited by people, yes, but not people who could offer to her what he could offer: a friend.
=== The Saviors of Sunset City ===
Normalcy first contacted the Eight when Soulshaker was running amok, due to Normalcy not being able to remove Soulshaker's powers, due to them being magic, not superpowers. He aided them in dispatching the wizard and joined the Eight as an honorary member.
Normalcy stayed at base, likely watching their prisoners (only Moth Mogul by that point, due to Hindsight being shanghaied and Hot Rod being in Elm Tower Memorial Hospital) until Hader Labs was raided by Matter Man. He accompanied the Eight there, but was not able to remove Matter Man's powers, due to them being part of his innate anatomy. He witnessed the accidental murder of Void Empyrean by Spinflux's hands, reacting with shock and fear.
Normalcy stayed at base after this, and was shocked to see Void back in the flesh. When Oracle asked him how he felt, he told her that he was shocked and scared after Void's death, but is relieved now.
Normalcy was brought along to fight The Aces, Glassmaker and Prankstermind, though couldn't do much in either encounter.
During the battle with Golden Boy, Normalcy was able to strip the villain of his powers, tossing him into a sinkhole. For some reason, Normalcy was the first target of active shooter Nolan Porter, having his shot blocked by Big Red, had it hit in the first place.
Normalcy was present for the battles with Lifeblood, Blight, and Flood, not doing much of note in either, other than having a hit targeted at him from Lifeblood blocked by Oracle's shield. He was present for the investigation of Hopkins House, but did not do anything of note there either.
After Spinflux bought a copy of Normalcy #87, 10 questioned how Normalcy felt about the story being publicized. He said he thought it was stupid that the Author would know about it and publish it, but was at least glad it was anonymized.
Normalcy aided Spinflux, Flood and 10 in rescuing the scientists from the collapse of Hader Labs, being fused with by Spinflux to become Normalflux. He cut down the debris as 10 collected the survivors, and later came with them to find Dr. Nicholson at the epicenter. He reaffirmed to Dr. Nicholson that it was indeed him in there. Normalcy later recalled that Dr. Nicholson took a sample of his blood to do her research with, and questioned if Soulshaker was attempting the same when he fought him. Thanks to 10 asking, Soulshaker confirmed these suspicions, though could not tell them why the Operator wanted Normalcy's blood.
Normalcy was present for the Eight's adventure helping Drasticman, but did not do much of note. Normalcy was present for the battle against the invading Ging Gongs, but was delegated to a background fight and not the main one the core members of the Eight participated in. Normalcy helped investigate the murals and exhibits created by the Curator, but did not do anything of note.
Before the Eight investigated the phenomenon later to be known to be caused by Phantasm, Normalcy was nominated as Mayor Strongarm's replacement in the official Echelon Eight lineup. Norman gladly accepted, and shook Big Red's hand.
Normalcy was cast aside for a stint, returning for a stint to help the party battle Life-Form, negating his powers for a mere second, with his arm getting re-coated in his fleshy outer shell. not long after.
Normalcy gained a lead tying The Operator to Dollface and The Aces, which the party helped him follow, alongside Owlet and Scavenger. He did nothing of note in this encounter, however, leaving it to Big Red and 10. Normalcy never got to encounter The Operator himself.
=== 10 and White Lion's Duo Session ===
While not appearing in the session itself, Normalcy was cloned by Gene Plicer to fight 10.
== Notable Moments ==
* Condemning a girl to solitude due to powers she couldn't control
* Failing to cancel the powers of both Soulshaker, Matter Man, and Glassmaker
* Cancelling the powers of Golden Boy and tossing him into a sinkhole
* Fusing with Spinflux
* Getting inducted into the Eight
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Power Disruption/Removal ===
Normalcy's mutation, oddly enough, is to temporarily disrupt or remove any powers of a Super that aren't external technology, skills, or part of the Super's biology.
For example, Normalcy could theoretically remove Oracle's psychic abilities, due to those being powers, but could not remove her agility, due to that being a trained skill. He also could not remove Big Red's immunity to fire, due to that being part of Big Red's anatomy, nor Holo-Girl's holograms, due to that being external technology.
== Trivia ==
* Normalcy was inspired by Cicada from the CW's The Flash.
Category:Characters
Category:NPCs
Category:Humans
Category:The Saviors of Sunset City
Category:The Echelon Eight
Category:Mutants
Category:Friendly NPCs