The Black Spider

Throughout the mid-to-late Twentieth Century, the Underworld was terrorized by one man, known only as the Black Spider. A violent costumed vigilante, who often took justice into his own hands.
==Dawn of Vengeance==
Born in 1912, the man who went by the made-up name 'Benny Kovacs' was said to be the son of an honest cop who tried to fight the mafia-controlled corruption of his city during the Prohibition Era. Like some would-be Elliot Ness, he took a stand and the mob cut him down right in front of his family (using men he thought he could trust). Benny was ten at the time. He never forgot that day (some say not much else either after that). From that day forward he dedicated himself to exterminating evil and injustice wherever it stood. During this time, (pre-teens) came under the care and guidance of his Uncle, a former soldier who had fought in World War I.
To say that the Spider owed much of his early development to this strict son of a bitch is an understatement. May not have been the greatest/keenest analytical mind... but from how his nephew was acting the older man (a trained soldier) could tell what his charge intended to do. But instead of trying to steer him away from such things, this Uncle supported his nephew, helped him refine his natural abilities as well as trained the young man in the art of fighting and war.
==The War Begins==
In the early days of 1930, the Spider began his war... a campaign of violence against criminals (and the occasional 'supervillain') that lasted decades. While primarily centered in Centennial Ridge, he would often find himself in Angel Falls as well, chasing down criminals (mistakenly) hoping to find refuge in a city without his immediate presence... much to the displeasure (at times) of the local heroes. Had frequent interactions with the heroine Amazonia. 
His activities didn't go unnoticed by the government, (especially so after he took care of various Nazi Bundists during the War) and he was one day (in the post-World War 2 period) approached to help put together the 'Protectors Project'. While he would've personally preferred staying in his own neck of the woods, (fighting the evils that spawned there) he couldn't overlook or ignore the crime/evil permeating abroad, so the Spider agreed to help. While he was difficult to work with at times, (especially his violent tendencies) he was (for quite some time) one of the few repeat members.
For the next few decades, the Vengeful Spectre divided his workload between his bloody crusade in Centennial Ridge, and his (on-again/off-again) dedication to the Protectors. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, he eventually managed to break the back of the criminal powerbases that held the majority of power in his city.
Then in the early days of the 70's, (in circumstances not readily available to the public) the Vengeful Spectre was paralyzed from the waist down. But despite this setback, he (through his civilian alias) continued fighting crime, using his amazing analytical mind to aid the authorities in various cases as a 'consulting detective'.Benny Kovacs, the Black Spider, died (under mysterious circumanstances) in his apartment room in 1991.
==Personality==
Gruff, Stubborn, frequently Aggressive, and seemingly Cold to the outside world. As one can imagine, a man like the Spider wasn't the best people person. He can come off as rude, hostile or arrogant at times to those (in the hero community) who have interacted with him. But despite his rough exterior, he truely does care (though he'd never openly admit it) about those he considers a friend or teammate.
When in his "Benny Kovacs" persona/alter ego, is almost a complete opposite. Nice, Cheerful, Joking, coming across as "the nice guy next door". His voice even seems to change when he's 'Benny'. Can be a bit unnerving to those who know of this duality.
==Powers & Abilities==
Skilled Marksman: Deadly Accurate, verging on Bullseye's level of skill. While skilled in just about every firearm that can be held by human hands, his preferred/trademark weapons are his Colt Model 1911s. They once belonged to his uncle.
Amazing Deductive/Observational Capabilities: Think like a mixture of Sherlock and the main character from Psych. Could just "read" people. Their movements, clothes, body language, and other small details are like an open book to him. This naturally led to problems, as he couldn't NOT do this, even amongst his friends/teammates in the Protectors.
Proficient in Boxing, Savate and Bartitsu
Category:Heroes
Category:Golden Era
Category:Protectors