Nathan Never

Nathan Never is the best special agent of Agenzia Alfa, a private vigilance organization supported by the government, and the main character of the "Nathan Never
== Origin ==
Nathan Never was born in the city of “Galadas” and grew as an orphan, since his parents where killed by the Yakuza when he was a child.
As an adult, after a training in the Space Infantry, Nathan joins the the police Corps Of the East City and later he marries Laura Lorring known during the period in army.
But the continued absence of Nathan and his betrayal with another woman, the district attorney Sara McBain, determine the crisis of the marriage, which will end tragically: Laura in fact is killed by a psychopathic criminal named Ned Mace (escaped to Nathan), who, at the same time, also kidnapped Nathan's young daughter Ann.
Nathan wasn't able to prevent this because at the time of the murder he was with her lover.
The shock suffered by Nathan is the cause of white hair and of the terrible guilt that accompany him in the later years. After that Nathan takes refuge on Terpsichore, an orbiting space station founded by Shaolin monks and he dedicates himself to the martial arts until he is tracked by Edward Reiser, the director of the Alfa Agency, a private security organization. He tells to Nathan that is lost child Ann was found and now she is hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic the “ Sinclair Asylum”.
His Daughter witness of the murder of her own Mother is in state of shock, she apparently becomes autistic , Reiser offers to Nathan to become an agent of his private vigilance Agency in order to pay the expensive Sinclair Asylum for Ann.
Then Nathan Never is forced then to became an private agents of the Alfa Agency
=== Personality and historical setting ===
Nathan Never is depicted as an athletic, attractive man of 40-45 years with pointy sideburns, an unkempt beard, and white hair (caused by the shock of seeing his wife murdered by the psychopath criminal Ned Mace ).
He is an ex-cop and he have, like almost all the Alfa Agents, a terrible story behind.
Nathan Never is a traditional hero, upright man hardened by work, his adventures take place in the near future, in a society dominated by technology and constantly struggling with problems such as pollution and the excessive power of the mass-media.
the cities have taken the form of endless metropolis and the state, realizing that the state police alone can't deal with the rampant crime, has encouraged the establishment of private agencies founded in part with public funds , the Alpha Agency, for which Nathan works, is one of them.
The city where Nathan lives and works has no name, in the comic is simply call ” the City", it is clearly inspired by the Los Angeles of " Blade Runner" and the Gotham City of "Dark Knight" by Frank Miller.
The mission in Nathan Never take place in different areas like large Deserted lowlands burned by the sun and by radioactivity, on the moon (base of mining settlements and of a super-prison) or on orbiting stations, real space islands suspended in the darkness of the cosmos.
The Nathan personality is in balance between the old figure of the hero without blemish and without fear and the new figure of the anti-hero, cynical and ironic.
Nathan Never has only the physical strength and athletic body that come from training, he don't bionic implants or extra-sensory powers and he uses his gun only when no alternative.
His special agent salary, while high, does not make him rich: his money was used for years only to pay for the expensive treatment of his daughter.
Currently in the comic book story Ann is healed, she went to space, and now Nathan can uses his economic gains to build a new life.
Nathan fought for justice, but it is not a crusader. One of the characteristics of the series is that all the characters, heroes or criminals, are characterized as people who ( right or wrong) have reasons to do what they do. There are no totally good people or bad, there are only good or bad actions.
=== Friends and Partners ===
Nathan makes a lot of friends during the series; among the deepest friendship you can count:
The beautiful and deadly security system Specialist “Legs Weaver“ and the Polish computer specialist Sigmund Baginov and Jack O’Ryan.
The relationship between Nathan and Legs is very confidential, despite the different personality they are good teammates they have a strong bond of deep affection.
Nathan has also a good relationship with all his colleagues, with the exception of Andy Havilland, whom he does not share the ruthless methods and lacks of scruples.
== Creation ==
Nathan Never is the protagonist of the Sergio Bonelli “Nathan Never”, the first science fiction comic of the Italian Publisher. Nathan never was created by Michele Medda, Antonio Serra and Bepi Vigna, already writers of some Martin Mystere stories for the editor Sergio Bonelli in 1985.
The First issue of Nathan Never is published in 1991 entitled "Il Numero Zero" in very few copies. In fact later will be reprinted and sold attached to the number 7 of the comic series.
Initially the name chosen for the series and the main character was Nathan Nemo but was renamed Nathan Never. Nemo is anyway the current code name of the protagonist during the communication with the Alfa Agency in mission and is also the name of his clone in the "Doppio Futuro" saga of the comic.
The major innovation introduced by Nathan Never Comic is the “continuity of the story”: unlike most comics of the same publisher, in Nathan Never the stories are not auto conclusive, but any mission or event are related to the other, thus giving continuity to the plot of the series.
The character was partially inspired by Rick Deckard, The protagonist of the Movie Blade Runner the “Replicant Hunter “, which shares some characteristic of the physical appearance but also the pessimistic and cynical vision of is futuristic world.
The comic in general have in common different element of the atmosphere of the film , in fact most of the stories of the comic take place in crowded Futurist Metropolis, characterized by large slums where crime is a commonplace.
== Major Story Arcs ==
=== The First Missions of the Alfa Agent ===
In the early issue of the comic, Nathan Never is in constant struggle with his past and is regret for the events that led to the death of is wife and the kidnapping of his daughter.
He has several romantic relationship one of the most important is with Susan Connery, Nathan meet Susan during a undercover mission in a Starship Troopers Land base.
Susan for is obsession to please her father, makes extensive use of drugs to alter her metabolism and that of her man in order always excel in any type of mission or situation.
Though basically lesbian, Susan falls in love with Nathan, they start a serious relationship but during the final battle against “Agente Alfa” she dies.
Susan will come back to life years later thank to the genius of Mr.Jinx.
After that she will be able to copy the mind of Nathan Never in an advanced computer and take a genetic sample of the “Agente Alfa”. From this Sample, years later, Nathan's daughter Ann succeeds to create Nemo, a clone of Nathan Never.
Nathan in this period of the story is obsessed by the memory of Susan, and his resurrected ex-lovercan kidnap him with the intention to kill and resurrect him like her, but her crazy plan is foiled by Legs and May Frayn.
=== The Healing of Anna and the Relationship with Hadija ===
After the relation with Susan Connery, Nathan starts dating the Alpha Agency secretary Janine Spengler in love with him since the first number of the comic this other relationshiplasts until he meets Hadija Hab 'Ahmal, an engineer that has rented the apartment in his own building.
They starts a serious relationship and after a few months they began to live together in Hadija beautiful Villa. in this period of the story after the battle against the Technodroid “ Selena”, finally is daughter Ann recovers from is autismand unexpectedly she also grows instantaneously and becomes an adult, after that she decides to go with the Shadow Brotherhood on a journey to space.
=== A New Life and the War against the Orbiting Stations ===
At this point of his life Nathan has no longer to pay for the expensive treatment for his daughter, and he reflectsif he must continue to work for the Alfa Agency. At the end, he decides to continue to work and to trust the new Director of the agency Solomon Darver.
Meanwhile is relationship with Hadija, after a lot of ups and downs, totally collapse when Nathaniswrongly accused of murder and his beloved finds some pictures of his alleged treason.
Later Nathan will becompletely exonerated and Hadijawill attempt a reconciliation, but the agent , betrayed , a this time decides to leave her permanently.
On the eve of the war against the orbiting stations Nathan try to get in contact with Hadija, but she sold her house and she left without leaving contact details.
After that during the mission on Bathsheba, Nathan meets Hadija and he discovers that she is working on the missile shield project of the colonies, but their meeting is suddenly interrupted by the agents Mr.Alfa, Havilland and Logan. In this occasion Havilland kills Hadija in front of Nathan’s eyes.
After that another events contributes to disturb the psychological balance of Nathan: an anti-war protesterstarts to run toward the seat of the Security Council with an object that looks like a bomb in the hand Nathan to avoid danger is forced to kill him.
=== The Postwar ===
Nathan is psychologically destroyed by the events of the war, he is persecuted by the memory of Hadija's murder and by the protester that he kills.
If this were not enough, Legs leaves the agency and their friendship deteriorates, but to ease the pain, Nathan starts a new relationship with Sara McBai .
Nathan however continues to desire revenge against Andy Havilland, the man that killed Hadija.
During the Saga Spaziotemporale story arc, Nathan's new colleague, special agent Nicole Bayeux, is trapped in the 1950's, while Nathan Never, in the issue n.199 "La vendetta", finally has the chance to face Andy Havilland.
After a short fight he kills Havilland with a shot to the head, but he is resurrect by the ghost of Luke Sanders. Nathan doesn't get the hoped revenge, but thanks to the ghost of Luke Sanders, is however free from the obsession of Havilland and manages to return on the lost path of the moral correctness. This event close the saga "Spazio-Temporale" started in the issue n. 194.
After the end of the saga, Sara McBain, his lover, decides to remain on earth in the area of " Il Territorio" to help the "Terra Mater" activists, and sadly ends the relationship with Nathan." comic series published by "Sergio Bonelli Editore"