Bruiser and Bender

Trayvon and Reese Williams, better known as **Bruiser** and **Bender**, are African-American teenage superheroes who grew up in Zone 13 and are members of the superhero team the Youngbloods.

## Biography

### Early Life

Born around the time of Crimson Cowl's emergence in Zone 13, the Williams brothers grew up in poverty, raised by a loving but troubled widowed mother, Keke Williams, who, in an attempt to hide them from danger, told them that their father deserted them, when in reality he was the hero Proton, killed at the hands of Miasma and Scourge.

Only one year apart in age and forming a close bond by their shared hardships, the brothers are fierce friends, though they have disparate personalities. Trayvon is athletic, popular, and rambunctious, a star linebacker of their high school's football team, though he struggles academically, while Reese is intelligent but awkward, a loner who is often bullied despite his brother's attempts to protect him. As they grow older and their social positions become more apparent, they begin to grow apart, with Trayvon resenting having to look out for his brother all the time, and Reese feeling abandoned by his only friend.

### Tragedy in the Family

One night, after Trayvon has a fight with his mother, he storms out of their apartment, leaving the door unlocked. This allows a neighborhood junkie to break in, threatening Reese and his mother with a gun. When Reese tries to fight back, the attacker fires wildly, fatally injuring Keke and paralyzing Reese. However, Reese's telekinetic powers awaken, tearing the attacker limb from limb in a wild psychic frenzy before passing out. Trayvon finds them and calls an ambulance. Reese will survive, but their mother is in critical condition. On her deathbed, she tells them the truth about their father.

As Reese deals with no longer being able to use his legs as well as his newfound powers, Trayvon wonders if he has any of his own, and tackles with the dilemma of college, being offered a scholarship to play football.

During a party attended by members of multiple high schools, Trayvon is lured into the woods out back and attacked by student of another school who want to sabotage him by breaking his legs before the district championship game. They strike him with a crowbar, but are shocked when the crowbar simply bends against his body. He tackles one, smashing them through several trees. One of the other students pulls a gun, but bullets prove ineffective as well. He pummels all of them before leaving.

He goes home, breaking down from the realization that he could have saved his mother and brother if he had been there that night, and that despite feeling superior to his brother, Reese did more for their mother than he ever did, making him more of a man despite all of his accomplishments. The two reconcile and become friendly rivals. They decide to take the Hero Certification Exam, but agree to hide the fact that Proton is their father so that they'll only be judged on their abilities, not their pedigree.

### Recruitment

They find themselves hopelessly outmatched by the fellow prospective heroes, not in ability, but in execution. They have no knowledge of strategy to rescue civilians or even how to fight against those trained to do so. As such, they pass, but have terrible scores. Luckily, they are recruited into the Youngbloods, of which they are still members.

## Abilities

Bender has telepathic abilities, while Bruiser has super strength and nearly impenetrable skin. At first, Bruiser wears a device on his head that amplifies his powers, as he is only able to fully harness them in moments of rage, but later he is able to use them on his own.