Corbin Underwood

Corbin Underwood, also known as the Rook, was a former vigilante turned public hero. A blue-band Alpha, he had the power to shapeshift. Corbin was a founding member of the Set. He had three sons, Marshal, Matt and Malek. He was killed after apparently returning to his vigilante roots.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Corbin was born in Astoria, Oregon to baseliner parents. He was only a few years old when his power manifested; rather than the usual forms of childhood mimicry, Corbin alarmed his parents by shifting his physical features and mimicking their voices perfectly. His parents pushed him to suppress his power, teaching him that it was wrong to be anything other than who or what he was "born to be". Corbin turned into a bully early on, and if not for John Wright's friendship from the age of eleven, he may never have found peace with himself.
Corbin shares the same basic origin story as Saint Sal and Tygr, two other well-known former vigilantes. All three had cruel fathers, who resented and ultimately murdered their wives for the insult of bringing a not-quite-human son into the world. All three boys had one loyal friend to whom they clung, until their fathers tried to take that comfort away from them too, ordering them never to see their friend again.Bad Things Happen
In Corbin's case, he chose to leave town without telling his friend. The friend got married, had children and lived a happy life; Corbin never saw him again. As he grew older, however, he tried to recapture the feeling his friend had given him — "the pride of knowing that he had made someone’s life better, even if the cost left a lingering bitterness in his mouth". He became a vigilante.
===Vigilante===
By his early teens, Corbin was fighting crime as a vigilante alongside John. They worked internationally, essentially as espionage experts: the Knight was a bodyguard-for-hire and the Rook as a brutally effective mercenary. Corbin did not have any qualms about accepting payment for what he did. As he saw it, "each job he took meant one less scumbag in the world and on the street. If someone was willing to hire him to do it, he didn't turn down the paycheck."The Posterchildren: Nesting
Corbin did most of the dirty work himself, wanting to protect John from the ugly side of the job and not believing that he himself deserved any better. During those days, there was very little that he was "above" doing. His targets never saw him coming; he would most often wear the face of their loved ones when he carried out a hit.
While on a mission in England, Corbin and John encountered Amira bint Balqis, a young intelligence agent who had already been monitoring the Rook and the Knight with some interest. When their mission went pear-shaped, Amira bailed them out. She saw immediately that they were in sore need of guidance, and joined them as their Queen.
As the Set, Corbin, John and Amira were one of the first successful heroic teams, but by the time they were in their late teens and early twenties, the friction between them became too great and they disbanded. Soon after this, Corbin became a father. Marshal's mother, Doris Riley, died in childbirth, and Corbin retired from the game to become his son's primary carer.
At nineteen, Corbin was little prepared for parenthood,quipquipquip: "'Bad Things' Happened And Now Everything Hurts" and Marshal was no ordinary child, displaying superhuman senses, strength and durability from an early age. Nevertheless, Corbin adapted, providing Marshal with a happy, if unorthodox, upbringing.Bad Things Happen
===Public hero===
By the time Marshal turned nine, the Maillardet's Foundation was putting increased pressure on Corbin to come out of retirement and send his son to the Academy. They suspected that Marshal was an Alpha, and if that was the case he would be required by law to receive proper training. Corbin realized, however, that Marshal was unsuited to the Academy's teaching style. He agreed to return to the hero game and go public with his identity on the condition that his son could remain with him, training under his instruction as the sidekick Little Bird. Marshal proved popular with the public, and his presence went a long way towards rehabilitating the Rook's reputation.
Over the next few years, Corbin's small family grew. First he took in Ellie Lark, a young posthuman girl whom he and Marshal had found one night while on patrol. Then he married Amira, who soon after gave birth to a second son, Matin.
When Matt was four, he was kidnapped and murdered by one of Corbin's former enemies, the vigilante Tygr. Marshal killed Tygr in retaliation, and was forced to go on the run with Ellie. Corbin's children were among the few things that made him happy, and the space of a single night, he had lost all three of them. It shattered the confidence and sense of self he had managed to build, prompting him to retreat into the persona of the Rook.
===Death===
Corbin was 49 years old when he died.  His funeral was held in Portland, Oregon in December, with a eulogy delivered by members of the Set.  There were protesters at his funeral.Origins, Issue #1  Following his death, the moniker of Rook was permanently retired, preventing any future poster from registering themselves with the BPHA under the name.quipquipquip: "Are the big power guys at the foundation's monikers based off the chess pieces names?"
==Personality==
As a shapeshifter, Corbin's gender and physical form are fluid. Unfortunately, he was born into a time of rigid gender roles and his upbringing left him with a lot of internalized misogyny. He has struggled with self-hatred, and it took him years to get to the point of being comfortable even in his fairly androgynous natural form. With time, and the aid of Marshal, Amira and other women in his life, he was able to move closer toward accepting the full spectrum of who he is. Nevertheless, he prefers male pronouns and uses them almost exclusively, except when he undercover in a female persona.quipquipquip: "Corbin's pronouns..."
Corbin would deny it fiercely if anyone accused him of being the type of person who needed someone to take care of and protect, but he was. The Posterchildren: Nesting
==Physical appearance==
In his natural form, Corbin has black hair and brown eyes that require glasses. He is of average to slight build, standing at around 5'6". In his Rook-shift, he gains seven inches of height and around sixty pounds of muscle.
==Powers and abilities==
Corbin has the power of shapeshifting. His abilities are classified as blue-band rather than orange, because rather than manipulating existing cells, he is able to rewrite the reality of who and what he is. When he shifts form, he changes on a complete level. He is limited to human forms, however.
Corbin can mimic simple orange-band abilities, provided they are built into the makeup of that body. However, he usually avoids shifting into forms that require him to use powers other than his own, as each posterpower is unique and can take a lifetime to master: "It'd be like someone who has never played basketball suddenly gaining the height and athletic form of an all-star — he might have the goods, but he doesn't know the rules." As a general rule, when Corbin has to mimic another post human, he prefers to build his own form, copying only their face.quipquipquip: "If Corbin shifted into someone with poster powers would he get their powers because the poster powers are genetic?" Corbin does not have to concentrate on a shift to hold it, and can remain in any given form indefinitely; however, the act of shapeshifting does require a good deal of energy and concentration.
Corbin's Rook-shift is stronger, faster and more durable than a baseliner's, with enhanced senses. He finds the form tiring to maintain, however, as he burns a lot of energy while using it and often does not remember to eat properly beforehand. As a result, Corbin is usually exhausted after a full night of patrolling and in dire need of food and sleep.quipquipquip: "Does Corbin have to concentrate on his shift?"
==Relationships==
===Marshal Underwood===
===Mal Underwood===
===Ellie Lark===
===John Wright===
===Amira bint Balqis===
===Sal Santini===
==Trivia==
*Corbin is better at chess than the average person, but playing against Amira isn’t even fair. Thankfully, he appreciates a tactical domination, and Amira is the best.http://quipquipquip.tumblr.com/post/62381091595/so-i-made-some-tpc-sims-and-ive-been-told-im
*Corbin got the moniker "Rook" not from the chess piece, but as a result of his scavenger-like habits.
*At some point, Corbin was an Acting teacher at Maillerdet's.quipquipquip: "Will the adults be getting as much screentime as the kids?"
*If Corbin were at Hogwarts, he'd be a Ravenclaw.quipquipquip: "Hogwarts houses"
*Corbin is terrified of spiders.quipquipquip: "Remembering that Corbin Underwood is terrified of spiders..."
==Appearances==
*Origins (mentioned)
*Bad Things Happen
*Secret Identities
*Castling: Part One (POV character)
*Castling: Part Two (POV character)
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:Blue-bands
Category:Alphas
Category:Public heroes
Category:Vigilantes
Category:Bad Things Happen characters
Category:Castling: Part One characters
Category:Castling: Part Two characters
Category:Secret Identities characters