Ms. Liberty

Megan Duncan, AKA Ms. Liberty is the grand-daughter of Paragon City's signature hero Statesman, in the MMO City of Heroes. Ms. Liberty inherited her title and magic girdle from her mother Alexis Cole-Duncan, AKA Miss Liberty, who had inherited it from her mother Monica Richter-Cole, AKA Maiden Justice before her. Megan is eager to live up to her family's legacy as a super heroine. When she is not following her grandfather's lead she is running her own team, The Vindicators, a team of apprentices/sidekicks to the Freedom Phalanx members.
==Girdle of Hera==
The Girdle of Hera was one of the artifacts Marcus Cole and his friend/foster brother Stefan Richter found when they uncovered the legendary Fountain of Zeus. After drinking of the Well of the Furies and becoming Incarnates Marcus and Stefan found several artifacts, among them Pandora's box, opening it released the bound up wonder of destiny into the world and ushered in a new age of super-powers to be reborn into mortal-kind. Along with the box, or perhaps because of it Marcus found a girdle, the girdle of Hera, vested with magical properties that gave the wearer the resilience and speed of a goddess. Marcus took the girdle as a gift for Stefan's sister Monica upon their return. Stefan would leave without Marcus to attend to his own matters before returning and when Marcus returned to the United States he gave the girdle to Monica as a gift, soon Marcus began courting Monica and soon enough the two were married. Stefan had applied his own Incarnate powers to get rich through various crimes and had persuaded Marcus to join him, however when the crime turned to more than simple theft and people started getting hurt Marcus could no longer help Stefan and in an attempt to make amends for what he had done prior Marcus began to fight crime, taking up the identity of "The Statesman", Monica joined him as "Maiden Justice" and used the girdle to fight crime along-side her husband. Stefan became enraged, not only had Marcus left, he was also actively fighting against him and even persuaded his own sister to join in the crusade. Stefan left Paragon City with the money he had and began to build his fortune elsewhere.
Maiden Justice fought crime for years and even pioneered meta-human rights in the mid-70s but eventually passed on the girdle and her powers onto her daughter; Alexis Cole in-turn Alexis patrolled Paragon City for a few decades as "Miss Liberty" until she had a daughter of her own, Megan. When Megan came of age her mother retired and bestowed the girdle to her. Megan took up the title "Ms. Liberty" and began fighting along side her grandfather, who as an Incarnate had not-aged a day since getting his powers.
== Vindicators ==
For her first few years Ms. Liberty functioned as Statesman's devote sidekick but eventually was ready to strike out on her own. Members of her father's team, The Freedom Phalanx had apprentices and sidekicks too and many of them were still green by the time Megan had fully come into her own. Megan proposed that the sidekicks untied, able to help each-other out without having their confidence undermined by their mentors, thus were the Vindicators created.
In addition to Ms. Liberty the Vindicators also had Mynx, the nimble cat girl, Swan, the winged psychic, Luminary the cutting edge sentient android, Valkyrie the high-tech warrior, Infernal, a half-demon warrior-mage, Aurora Borealis the former host for Sister Psyche' and Malaise, the formerly mad hypnotist. Together the Vindicators tried to support each-other as they left the proverbial nest and became full fledged super-heroines and heroes.
== Skills and Abilities ==
Ms. Liberty has mastered a couple of different forms of martial arts and uses the increased speed and strength her girdle affords her to deliver blows all the quicker and harder. Ms. Liberty is highly resistant to physical harm and it takes some substantial fire-power just to knock her off her feet. Thanks to the Girdle of Hera Megan can jump over buildings with ease and land gracefully. She can project lightning from her wrests, enough to either strike a single target or stun a small group. Ms. Liberty's signature power is called the Liberty belt, it not only can make her even more resistant than normal to damage but helps shield her mind against psychic manipulations. Lastly Ms. Liberty possesses a sword, the blade of Excalibur, entrusted to her by Hero-1 before he left to lead the task-force against the extra dimensional Rikti invaders. Though Hero-1 has yet to return, Ms. Liberty has sworn to keep Excalibur safe for him and has never drawn the blade, reserving that right for the blade's true owner.
==Family Gallery==
Maiden Justice.png|Monica Richter-Cole AKA "Maiden Justice",Megan's Grandmother.
Miss Liberty.png|Alexis Cole-Duncan AKA "Miss Liberty", Megan's mother.
Ms. Liberty CoH.png|Megan Duncan AKA "Ms. Liberty", current holder of the Girdle of Hera.
==Trivia==
*Ms. Libert's original first name was Jessica and later-reworked as Megan, however old info-descriptions on early badges and the official website, still refer to her under the name Jessica Duncan, presumably these additional bits of lore were never updated after the alternate name was decided upon.
*Megan's mother, Alexis, becomes an official meta-humans mediator after her retirement.
*Though Ms. Liberty's identity is not secret, she continues to wear her mask as part of her out-fit as a whole to honor her mother who did need to wear it to hide her identity at first.
*Ms. Liberty accidentally caused an oil-spill while fighting Captain Mako off the coast of Port Oaks in the Rogue Isles.
*Ms. Liberty is the only hero of Paragon who still maintains that her great-uncle, Lord Recluse, could be redeemed from villainy.
*Villains of the Rogue Isles maintained policy that Maiden Justice and Miss Liberty were never to be attacked with lethal force without Lord Recluse's say-so, Ms. Liberty however is one extra-generation removed from him and so no such considerations needed to be taken for her.
Category:City of Heroes Heroes
Category:Video Game Heroes
Category:Comic Book Heroes
Category:Sidekicks
Category:Martial Artists
Category:One-Man Army
Category:Elementals
Category:Legacy
Category:Leaders
Category:Paranormal
Category:Related to Villain
Category:Patriots
Category:Guardians
Category:War Heroes
Category:Loyal
Category:Legendary
Category:Hope Bringers
Category:Female
Category:Lawful Good