Maverick (Two of Us)

## Maverick

Maverick is the primary protagonist of Two of Us, and the living host for a parasite he calls **Merrick**.

## Powers

* **Super Strength:** Due to the experiments done to him and the connection of him and **Merrick**, Maverick gained some of the abilities **Merrick** provides. While his strength may not be the same as **Merrick**, Maverick is still far above any normal human. His strength easily allows him to lift heavy objects such as vehicles or empty shipping containers, however he does struggle when the object is much larger than him. His strength also allows him to produce enough energy to leap great distances, and even withstand the force of falling, allowing him to also survive falling great heights. His strength also gets amplified when he's angry, due to adrenaline pumping through his body, nearly doubling his strength.
* **Super Speed:** Because of his connection to **Merrick**, he is able to move much faster than any human. While he may be faster than any human, he is not faster than cars going their full speeds. The fastest he was ever able to reach was a little over 40 mph, which is the estimated speed a human can go given their body can take it, so he isn't supernaturally fast. However, if he's in a situation where his adrenaline starts going, he can far surpass even the fastest land animal around, albeit temporarily.
* **Super Agility:** His agility far surpasses humans thanks to his connection to **Merrick**. He can easily jump large distances, climb very easily, react quickly to situations, and perform most acrobatic moves with very little difficulty. His reaction speed to things seems to be faster than most animals in the world, though if he isn't paying attention, he won't react.
* **Super Senses:** His senses seem to be heightened to a degree higher than humans. His sense of smell allows him to pick up hard-to-detect smells. He can even hear people much easier and hear much farther, even if that person is whispering. However, if there are too many sounds or voices going on at once, and he isn't able to focus, he be able to listen to one sound.
* **Super Durability:** He can take a lot more trauma than a human, being able to survive falls from great distances, getting hit by a speeding car, and even having a bat broken over his head. However, he is not invulnerable, so there is a limit. That limit is just unknown.
* **Healing Factor:** His greatest ability of all is his healing. Because of **Merrick**, whenever he gets hurts, he will heal almost instantly. Whether he gets cut, stabbed, breaks a limb, whatever, he will heal from it because of **Merrick**.
* **Pain Immunity:** Being connected to **Merrick**, and after countless experiments, he became truly immune to pain. Though, while he won't feel pain, he can still feel the discomfort where pain should be.
* **Minor Shapeshifting:** While not as great as **Merrick**, he can make his limbs shapeshift and allow them to extend farther lengths, given he wants to. When he does this, whatever limb he extended changes its appearance briefly, no longer looking like human flesh, but red biomass.
* **Tendrils:** Thanks to **Merrick**, he is able to fire tendrils out from his body, though he mostly fires them from his hands. Doing this allows him to latch on to things that are far away and either bring them to him, or bring him to it. Due to the latter, this subsequently allows him grapple around place if he feels like.
* **Tentacles:** Thanks to **Merrick**, he is able to sprout small tentacles from his body, allowing him to grab and throw things around.
* **Merrick:** If Maverick decides to, he can let **Merrick** take control, and **Merrick** is significantly stronger than what **he** lets Maverick do.

## Abilities

* **Martial Arts:** Over the years, Maverick has taken several martial arts classes, not only to keep himself fit, but as a distraction from the parasite living in his body.
* **Telepathic Communication:** Due to **Merrick** living inside Maverick's body, the two can communicate with one another, though only telepathically. No matter how "loud" **Merrick** is, no one else can ever here **him**.
* **Dominance:** Because he is the host, and **Merrick** is the "guest", Maverick has complete control and dominance over his body, stopping **Merrick** from taking complete control.

## Weaknesses

* **Mortality:** Despite being very durable and having great healing powers, Maverick is still mortal and will age, eventually dying from old age.
* **Fire:** Due to **Merrick's** vulnerability to fire, Maverick too will seem to be hurt more by any open flame.
* **Separation of Merrick:** Due to his fusion with **Merrick**, his life and the parasites life are tied, meaning one cannot live without the other.
* **Merrick: Merrick** is always fighting for control over Maverick's body, and should that happen, **Merrick** has the power to destroy the world ten times over.
* **Doctors:** Because he was experiment on by a scientist claiming to be a doctor, Maverick has a justifiable fear in all doctors.

## Trivia

* In a harsh touch of irony, the name "Maverick" means "**An independent man who avoids conformity**." When in fact, Maverick himself is not independent, technically being two people. At times, he even has to do what **Merrick** says to avoid catastrophe, meaning he has to "conform".
* The relationship between Maverick and **Merrick** is very similar to MCU's Eddie Brock and Venom.
	+ Both Maverick and Eddie live with a parasite-like being in them, **Merrick** and Venom respectively. (Though Venom is classified as an Alien)
	+ Both parasites give their human host supernatural abilities. (Maverick's powers from **Merrick** and Eddie's healing from Venom)
	+ Both parasites have a weakness to fire.
	+ Both parasites have the taste for flesh. (Though **Merrick's** is any flesh)
	+ Both parasites take control of the human host. (Though **Merrick** cannot do it as easily as Venom can)
	+ Both parasites have grotesque forms. (Though **Merrick's** is far more graphic and terrifying, as well as red)
* The main difference between the two is Eddie and Venom formed a true friendship, Maverick merely tolerates **Merrick.**