Roberto da Costa

**Roberto da Costa**, also known as Sunspot, is a mutant that was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is 5'8" and weighs 170 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. When he uses his powers, his body becomes cloaked in darkness.

## Relatives

* Emmanuel da Costa (father, deceased)
* Nina da Costa (mother)
* Reignfire (genetic copy, deceased)

## Powers and Abilities

**Solar Radiation Absorption:** Da Costa absorbs solar energy and can utilize it for physical strength. The cells of a normal human body convert energy from foodstuffs into a form of energy usable by the body. This energy is stored through converting molecules of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) in the cells into adenosine triphosphate (ATP); the energy is released when necessary by breaking a chemical bond in the ATP molecules, converting them back to ADP. Apparently, da Costa can store solar-derived energy in his cells through the same, or a similar method, and release it when necessary to enhance his physical strength. His body is cloaked in darkness because he drains all the ambient light from his skin.

* ***Solar Re-Channeling:*** He has the ability to re-channel the solar energy which his body absorbs, by which he takes the solar energy and uses it for a variety of related purposes.
* ***Flight:*** She has the ability to fly by propelling himself through the air by generating thermal updrafts. Da Costa has also refined this ability to be able to hover in the air without leaving a heat trail and can reach speeds of up to 150 miles per hour maximum without over exerting himself.
* ***Enhanced Strength:*** When da Costa's cells are powered by solar energy he has the superhuman ability to augment his physical strength. The original limits of his strength was that of 25 tons. Since then, however, his strength has increased to 50 tons. Before his superhuman strength could only be accessed when he was in his solar powered form but da Costa has been seen using his strength when out of his darkened form. The limits as to how much strength he is able to access outside of this form are unknown.
* ***Limited Durability:*** Da Costa is one of the interesting powerhouses of the universe due to the fact that he is one of the only that does not have a heightened sense of invulnerability. Oftentimes, da Costa's team mates would remind him that he was super strong but not super durable. Although da Costa has not been seen able to deflect bullets, his limited durability does provide his body the needed protection to be able to lift the massive weight that his super strength allows him to. Recently, da Costa has been seen to withstand the impact of a eighteen-wheeler moving at 100 miles per hour and remain nearly unharmed.
* ***Thermokinesis:*** He has the ability to project heat in intense wavs when he absorbs and re-channels solar energy from any part of his body to raise the temperature. Da Costa can also absorb heat into his body to lower the temperature in his immediate area. He can also project and absorb heat directly into/from people, causing intense discomfort at their fluctuating body temperatures.
* ***Thermokinetic Concussive/Energy Blasts:*** During da Costa's time with X-Force, he was kidnapped by a supervillain named Gideon who performed various experiments on him. Gideon exposed da Costa's body to massive amounts of solar energy in order to test the limits of his solar absorption. After these experiments, da Costa's body was overloaded with solar energy and he later gained the ability to fire blasts of heat and concussive force.
* ***Limited Photokinesis:*** He has the ability to project light in intense waves when he absorbs and re-channels solar energy and absorbs ambient wavelengths.
* ***Dark Solar Plasma Blasts:*** He has the ability to project concussive dark plasma energy blasts from his hands with about 20 tons of force behind them at their most powerful.
* ***Fire and Heat Immunity:*** As is the norm with most pyrokinetics, da Costa is immune to all forms of heat and fire as they simply add to his abilities and his mutant metabolism is able to simply convert these two forms and augment his abilities. This includes heat powers that are directed at him as well as heat that is present because of weather conditions. Da Costa has also been seen with the ability to absorb the energy that fire gives off and has remained unharmed while walking through it.

Previously, da Costa would quickly exhaust his energy if he was not in direct sunlight. This no longer applies to his current state. With his increasing age and experience, he has become able to absorb sunlight even at night if there is a moon, as moonlight is nothing but refracted sunlight.