Nobody

* Vigilante
* Civilian

"*I will **never** stop. I **can't** stop. Because I will **never** let...you...win!*"
—Nobody battles the Crooked Man[src]

**Michael Keene** is rideshare driver, former vigilante and one of the first recorded metahumans in the 21st century. While attending college in N.Y.C, Michael suffered a traumatic brain injury during a robbery that left him in a coma. Upon awakening, Michael discovered he now possessed a photographic memory, able to memorize every second of his life from then on; as a side effect, his injury had left him with extremely violent urges and a reduced pain response. Dropping out of college, Michael began spending his days watching action movies, unaware that his memory was installing the combat and choreography from these movies into his instincts, making him a superior fighter. Forming an alliance with NYPD officer Adrian Sheppard, Michael became a violent vigilante known as **Nobody**, sometimes referred to by the city's poorer residents as the **Grey Knight** or the **Phantom**. While initially deciding to work alone, Nobody gradually assembled a team of vigilantes known as the Syndicate to act as New York City's brutal guardians.

Nobody's crusade began by rescuing a young girl, Cassidy Lynn, from rapist and kidnapper David Crank. His mission earned the attention of NYPD detective Adrian Sheppard, who, while not agreeing with Nobody's brutal methods, agreed to aid in his campaign against crime. Together, they took down arms dealer Iosef Barnes and uncovered his connection to Archie Shaw, the Crooked Man, the city's most powerful crime lord.

Two years later, Nobody began a mission to apprehend the Empire Killer, a sadistic serial killer targeting young families throughout New York. Over the course of the investigation, Nobody encountered and befriended nurse Stephanie Grimes, who helped him uncover the killer's identity: a series of men infatuated with Marie Anderson, a mayoral secretary who wished to punish families for the deaths of her own.

Six months after Anderson was apprehended, Nobody's close friend, Joseph Hertford, lost his mind and declared war on Michael and the entire city, transforming into the insane terrorist "Handsome Joe". With the help of Adrian, Stephanie and Cassidy, Nobody was barely able to bring down the relentless Handsome Joe, who apparently felt neither pain or fear. Another year later, Nobody faced the combined ferocity of Joe, the Crooked Man and the murderous Penance, resulting in his supposed death.

After three years of living in exile while New York City suffered under the regime of the Crooked Man and Handsome Joe, Michael finally returned to retake the city, donning an upgraded suit and more hopeful message. Once both the Crooked Man and Handsome Joe had fallen to his wrath, Michael retired the Nobody persona, leaving the city in the hands of mayor Thomas Lynn and new commissioner Adrian Sheppard before departing with Stephanie at his side.

## Biography

### Early Life and Background

Michael Keene was born in the mid-1990s in Brooklyn, New York City. His father was absent and his mother held multiple jobs, so Michael spent most of his time with his elder brother Robert, who practically raised him. Michael also had a close relationship with his grandmother Angela, a semi-famous street racer who would often spend time with Michael by working together on her Dodge Challenger. Michael grew up in the poor, crime-ridden neighbourhood but nonetheless was academically talented, especially compared to his peers in the area. From a very young age, he aspired to become a teacher and serve as a role model to others, and this aspiration would guide many of his decisions in his life, including the decision to move to Manhattan to attend college at NYU and commit himself to social studies, where he met and became best friends with politics student Joseph Hertford. The two of them began renting an apartment in Greenwich Village, both working tirelessly in order to afford it.

#### Attack, Coma and Recovery

At the age of 22, during his final year in college, Michael headed down to the grocery store to pick up some beer for a party. While there, the store was robbed by three masked men, one of which was a younger Deacon Shaw. While trying to stop the robbers from attacking an elderly man, Michael was in turn attacked by the trio, with the masked Deacon grabbing a bottle and smashing Michael around the head before beating in his skull. Although Michael survived, he fell into a coma. He underwent extensive surgery that rebuilt his shattered skull and thankfully left him with few scars, but he did not wake up till a year later, to the shock of the doctors, who believed Michael would not wake up for several more years.

Michael's recovery was slow but steady, with him regaining the ability to walk just a month after waking up, again to the surprise of the doctors, who gave him the prognosis that he would never walk unaided again. After leaving hospital he began growing his hair out to hide the scars from the surgeries that repaired his skull.

#### Powers Emerge

"*...I started remembering **everything**. One time I read a dictionary, for an essay, you know...and the next day I started to recite the entire thing. The teacher stopped me after three pages,*"
—Michael recalling the emergence of his photographic memory to Adrian[src]

Michael attempted to complete his final year in college and was initially successful, but began noticing strange occurances. After reading a dictionary while writing an essay, he later found he was able to recite the entire dictionary from memory. He repeated these with several books and found he could do the same with all pieces of text. This ability expanded to him able to recall extremely specific details, often random, from moments in his life following his injury until he realized he was not physically capable of forgetting anything anymore.

However, in addition to his spectacular new memory, Michael also noticed that his temper was becoming shorter and shorter day by day, until he found it almost impossible to control his anger when under even the smallest amounts of stress. After an outburst in public that resulted in him breaking private property, he was ordered by the court to see a therapist. So began Michael's friendship with Minerva Hardy, his court-issued therapist.

Through his sessions with Minerva, Michael worked through his anger issues, but unfortunately they were channeled into a new part of his psyche; his damaged brain would begin transforming his stresses and anger into intensely violent urges that he found extremely hard to control. When the court ruling finished, Michael decided to keep Minerva on as his private therapist. Michael and Joseph eventually moved into a new apartment in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of Manhattan.

### Becoming a Nobody

#### Anger Unleashed

"*I'm gonna **fuck you up**,*"
—Michael to the thugs on the bus[src]
A few years after his assault, Michael finally told the story of his injuries and near-death to Minerva, who thanked Michael for trusting her and finally having the confidence to tell his story.

Riding on the bus once more, he saw the same gang from the previous day harassing yet another woman; despite them speaking Russian, Michael understood them perfectly and realized that they planned on kidnapping and assaulting her. He was threatened off the bus by the gang once more but he told the driver to leave, closing the bus doors and locking them. When the gang continued to threaten him, he brought up his hood and told them that he was about to fuck them up. The gang attacked him but Michael easily dodged and blocked their attacks before furiously beating them.

#### The Campaign Begins

"*This is her. The girl. He had her,"
 "And where is he?"
 "The Bad Man is dead,*"
—The vigilante, Detective Sheppard, and Cassidy respectively[src]
Still overcoming the rush he felt after assaulting the thugs on the bus, Michael was visibly calmer and easier to talk to, having finally been able to unleash his violent urges. The day following the assault, he turned up to work at Home Depot and began daydreaming of the combat abilities he had demonstrated, which he was unaware he possessed. After finishing his duties, he approached a female co-worker to help with a customer's order, only to find his co-worker being held at gunpoint by a man in a grey hood, who was demanding that they hand over all of the cash in the register.
Keeping calm, Michael handed over the cash while memorizing every physical detail of the man, including a tattoo of a black bird on his neck. The man then demanded that the co-worker hand over her diamond ring. In order to not escalate the situation, Michael calmly removed the ring from her finger and handed it to the man, who then left. Michael followed him out to the parking lot and caught sight of his licence plate before calling the police. The responding officer was Adrian Sheppard, who identified the man as David Crank, a career criminal who was linked to several rapes and murders all around New York. Michael withheld the details of Crank's licence plate, intending to search for the criminal himself.

    Returning home, he asked Joseph to search the city records for Crank's licence plate, without asking any questions. Joseph did so but not without complaining to Michael that this was their longest discussion in weeks and it involved Michael demanding a favour from him. Michael ignored him and urged Joseph to hurry up. Joseph finally found an address - a bungalow in Queens - which Michael memorized before leaving.

Michael took a taxi to Crank's address and began stalking his bungalow, searching for an entry. He noticed that Crank was not home and entered through a crawl space. He immediately began searching the house for his co-worker's diamond ring but was forced to hide behind a door as Crank came home. Michael watched him as Crank moved his refrigerator and opened a hidden door before Crank noticed the unlocked floor-door to the crawl space.

When Crank discovered Michael, he immediately made to stab the intruder. For the second time, Michael used his instinctual fighting skills to disarm Crank but found himself hesitant to inflict much damage on him, allowing Crank to temporarily gain the upper hand, knocking Michael onto his knees. Crank then retrieved his gun from a drawer and prepared to kill Michael. However, both were distracted by a muffled cry coming from nearby. Crank struck Michael around the head before opening a hidden door behind the refrigerator; through the gap in the door, Michael spotted a young girl, bruised and bloody, and heard Crank begin to threaten her.

Spurred on, Michael unleashed a fresh attack on Crank, breaking his arm when Crank aimed the gun up to Michael's chest. Michael then silenced Crank's scream by smashing his face into the wall and throwing him across the room. As Crank leaned over the sink, he retrieved a kitchen knife and began slashing at Michael, who managed to dodge the wild swings before catching Crank's other arm and breaking it using his knee. With both of Crank's arms broken, Michael leaned him against his kitchen unit and began to mercilessly beat him, breaking Crank's nose, jaw and left eye socket. Michael restrained himself from killing Crank before falling to his knees exhausted. Her heard another whimper behind him and turned to see the girl, who he now recognised as Cassidy Lynn, the girl who had been missing for weeks.

Michael calmly approached the girl, reassuring her that he wasn't going to hurt her and was there to help. Cassidy was unresponsive, and Michael was so overwhelmed by his discovery that he didn't realize that his hood was down and his face exposed to her. Michael looked her over and spotted the bruises and injection marks on both her arms, before finally seeing the horrific conditions that Crank had been keeping her in. Michael then asked Cassidy if Crank had hurt her, to which Cassidy faintly nodded. Without a seconds hesitation, Michael walked back over to Crank, who now was spitting blood into his sink. Michael grabbed the kitchen knife, held onto Crank's hair, and slit his throat.

Immediately horrified at what he had done, Michael cleaned the blood from his hands before heading back over to Cassidy, picked her up and carried her out of the front door. At that moment, NYPD detective Adrian Sheppard arrived at the house after a neighbour called in a disturbance. Spotting the blood on Michael's hoodie, Adrian ordered him to let the girl down and get on the ground. Michael ignored him and approached Adrian, Cassidy still in his arms. As Adrian recognised Michael from their earlier encounters at Home Depot, he then recognised the girl as Cassidy Lynn. Cassidy then said "The Bad Man is dead" before falling silent again. Taking the girl from Michael, Adrian froze before telling Michael to leave. Michael placed a reassuring hand on Cassidy's shoulder before heading back into Crank's house, where he began cleaning away any fingerprints and finally finding his co-worker's ring. Taking the backdoor out, Michael ran through several gardens and escaped as Adrian called in the discovery of the girl.

#### Do Some Good

"*Answer my question! Answer my **question!**"
 "I'm just...**nobody**,*"
—Martin Frees and the newly-christened "Nobody"[src]

Two days later, still in shock over his murder of Crank, Michael followed the news of Cassidy's rescue, as well as rumours of her rescue by an "unidentified vigilante". The events continued to trouble him as he completed his shift at Home Depot, and almost cut off his finger while daydreaming. He spotted his co-worker as she began her shift at the register and watched as she found her ring in the register, having been planted there by Michael. He smiled, happy that his violent actions had a good result. As he headed outside for a smoke break, he spotted Detective Sheppard watching him from the other end of the parking lot.

With his shift done, Michael decided to walk home rather than take the bus. He stopped for a break in Central Park and sat on a bench. His relaxation was interrupted by Adrian Sheppard, who sat behind him. Michael asked if Adrian was there to arrest him, while Adrian spoke cryptically, saying that they were simply two strangers sitting next to each other in the park. Michael, impatient, then asked Adrian why he didn't arrest him. Adrian then responded "doing the right thing isn't against the law", to which Michael said that he didn't feel like he did the right thing.

Adrian then asked if Michael wanted to keep doing the right thing. Michael demanded to know what Adrian was offering, at which point Adrian reluctantly revealed that he is was detective in the NYPD's Major Crimes unit, which is heavily corrupt with many cops - including Adrian's lieutenant, Patrick Hayward - in the pocket of the Shaw crime family, currently run by brothers Archie and Deacon Shaw. The corruption is preventing Adrian from taking down some of the most powerful criminals in the city, and he wants to enlist someone who can act outside of the NYPD's corrupt authority. When Michael asked why Adrian wanted him, Adrian said that it is an opportunity for Michael to work through his violent thoughts, saying that nobody does what Michael did to Crank without having gone through something damaging. Remembering the conditions in which he found Cassidy Lynn, Michael accepted. Adrian then handed him a burner phone and told him his instructions were on there; before he left, he recommended that Michael wear gloves and a mask, revealing that he cleaned up Michael's DNA from Crank's house.

Returning home, Michael hid the burner phone and began researching Adrian Sheppard, discovering that the detective had a long history of commendations for bravery, and was once honoured by the President for saving several people from a burning building while still a patrol officer, an act that promoted him to detective. He then researched Archie Shaw - the current head of Shaw Enterprises who masked his criminal empire behind several businesses - and Deacon Shaw, Archie's younger twin brother, before continuing with NYPD corruption. Satisfied that what Adrian told him was true, Michael switched on the burner phone.

The instructions on the phone informed Michael that Martin Frees, an employee of arms dealer and close Shaw ally Iosef Barnes, was expected to bring in a delivery of black market weapons at the Hell's Kitchen docks that evening; Adrian requested that Frees and his goons be incapacitated and for Michael to call Adrian on the phone when he was finished. Michael killed time till nightful by watching *Enter the Dragon* before suiting up in his hoodie. He also found a pair of black leather gloves, as well as a paintball mask that had been painted white to resemble a skull. With no alternative, Michael put on the mask and headed out into the night.

#### The Hero We Need

"*I'm learning to live with a lot of things,*"
—Nobody after dropping Iosef Barnes[src]

### Second Year

#### Deal with the Crooked Man

"*Why so quick to agree?"
 "I'm **desperate**. [...] Besides...I got a bone to pick with your brother,*"
—Archie Shaw and Nobody[src]

#### Hunting Deacon

"*Why the **fuck** are you doing this!"
 "This is **personal**. [...] Remember me? You **made** me!*"
—Deacon Shaw and Nobody during their fight[src]

Having made his deal with Archie Shaw, Nobody immediately began searching for Deacon, driven both by Archie's promise of eliminating the AVTF and his own thirst for revenge for what Deacon did to him several years prior.

Finding the dockyard where Deacon was hiding, Nobody quickly dispatched of his minions and drove Deacon himself out by detonating his pipe bombs, destroying Deacon's stash of cars in the process. Nobody then confronted Deacon directly and told him that he was bringing Deacon to his brother to face the consequences of his actions. Deacon roared at Nobody, telling him that he was going to finally kill him; Nobody taunted him, saying that no matter how strong Deacon was he still hadn't been able to kill Archie.

The pair engaged in a fierce and brutal fight, where Nobody's speed, agility and combat prowess was equally matched with Deacon's brute strength and determination. Although Nobody's gear offered extra protection, Deacon was still able to beat him nearly to death by throwing him against cargo crates and hard onto the ground before beating him repeatedly with a metal pole, all the while ranting about how the city did not deserve heroes.

Determined to bring Deacon down and finally get his revenge, Nobody disarmed Deacon and used his knuckledusters to beat him into submission, telling him that New York City was his home and he would not allow Deacon, Archie or anyone else to destroy it. Barely able to stand due to the beating he had received, Deacon mocked Nobody's attempts to make a difference to the city all on his own while wearing what he had called a "silly little costume". However, Nobody instead used these insults to fuel his rage, beating Deacon until he was barely conscious.

As Deacon spat out blood, he demanded to know why Nobody was helping Archie. Nobody simply said that his motive was personal, and then removed his mask. Nobody said a final "Remember me?" at which point Deacon remembered what he had done to Michael so many years ago. Nobody then screamed "You made me!" before kicking Deacon across the face, knocking him out. Nobody caught his breath as he stood over Deacon, triumphant.

#### Manhattan Psychiatric Center

"*I'm not gonna kill you...but I'm also not gonna **save** you,*"
—Nobody's final words to Marie Anderson[src]

While Sophie recovered in the next room, Michael gathered all of his allies in order for them all to finally deduce where Marie had taken her hostages. Michael began by describing the series of events that led to Marie becoming the mastermind behind the Empire Killer, including that the diary that they had recovered was, in fact, Marie's and not Hendrik's. After establishing the death of her husband and children as the cause of Marie's psychological break, the team then began connecting clues that might point to her current whereabouts.

Thanks to Joseph's talks with Marie, the team established that Marie most likely persuaded the support group to meet her by calling a meeting at an abandoned building, their preferred method of meeting in public. When trying to figure out which of the many abandoned buildings in N.Y.C she would have chosen, Adrian realized that the hospital where Marie had been kept - the Manhattan Psychiatric Center - had been shut down and abandoned, so the team decided that they had no other option and that they needed to check it out. Michael then instructed Minerva to bring the evidence of Marie's guilt and Jake Hendrik's previous record to the NYPD while Michael, Adrian and Stephanie would head to the MPC. Michael said a last goodbye to Joseph before putting on his costume and heading out.

Nobody, Adrian and Stephanie drove out to Wards Island and stopped outside of the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, where they found Marie's van. Adrian searched the van and found nothing, meaning they had no choice but to enter and confront Marie. As they entered the building, they immediately smelt leaking gas, which could destroy the entire building if even a small spark ignited it, and decided to split into two teams: Adrian and Stephanie, and Nobody alone. As they began searching, Adrian and Stephanie were attacked by Paul O'Neil with a machete. Adrian called out to Nobody to find Marie while he dealt with O'Neil. Nobody headed deeper into the hospital, where he finally found Marie, holding a gun to her head with the members of the Club tied to chairs, crying for help.

Marie, now completely delusional, confirmed Nobody's discoveries that her goal behind the Empire Killer was to avenge the deaths of her family by slaughtering others, and she was now going to commit suicide as there was nobody else in the world to understand her pain. When Nobody ordered her to let her hostages go, she promised she would if he removed his mask. With no other option but to talk her down, Nobody did so and revealed his face. Shocked that her friend Michael was the vigilante, Marie paused and stuttered. Michael began to reassure her that there were still people in the world who cared about her, and that she didn't have to hurt others. He then said that he had been living in anger and pain every single day of his life because of what happened to him, and that he continues his vigilantism in the hope that someone else can find hope in his actions. He then begged Marie to see the light and let her hostages go.

Although Marie appeared to briefly relent, she suddenly cried out that she didn't deserve punishment for what she had done in her past and raised the gun to her temple. At that moment, Adrian shot O'Neil dead, triggering a small explosion that knocked everyone to the ground. With Marie distracted, Michael used the opportunity to throw a knife into Marie's arm and charge at her. The two wrestled for the gun and Nobody was able to temporarily incapacitate Marie, but he was attacked by Jake Hendrik before he could rescue the Club members. While Nobody fought Hendrik, the tied-up Club members began sliding the gun between them to stop Marie from grabbing it and setting off the explosion.

Eventually, Nobody defeated Hendrik and confronted Marie once more, only to discover she was now holding Stephanie at gunpoint. Nobody was about to attack until Carla McKenzie, who had escaped her bounds, crept up behind Marie and attacked her; in the chaos, the gun was thrown across the room and fired, triggering a small but devastating gas explosion that shook the building. As the ruined hospital began to collapse, Nobody, Adrian and Stephanie quickly began to rescue the hostages and escort them from the building. They were slowed by Marie, who had recovered from the explosion and was now firing randomly, trying to trigger another blast.

Nobody was forced to stop her but sustained a gunshot to the abdomen; nonetheless, the vigilante was able to easily defeat Marie. She demanded that he kill her, saying, if he didn't, she would come after Cassidy Lynn. Enraged, Nobody told Marie that he wouldn't kill her, but he also wouldn't save her. He then abandoned Marie, who began screaming in rage before being silenced as the room collapsed on top of her. Nobody escorted the last few Club members out of the building as it was reduced to rubble.

Although completely exhausted, Nobody left the hospital and headed to the other side of Manhattan, arriving at Cassidy's house. Despite her injuries, she was ecstatic to see him. Recognising that Cassidy had potential, Nobody finally decided to train her in combat, on the condition that she wouldn't use her skills for vigilantism. Before he left, he removed his mask and revealed his true name.

Finally getting home, Michael started putting away his gear before he heard sobbing from Joseph's bedroom. As he approached the door, he saw blood seeping from under the door. Bursting in, Michael was horrified to see Joseph sitting beside the dead body of Sophie, a bloody pillow in his hands. Michael asked what Joseph had done, and in response Joseph said that he wanted her to "feel better" about her face before revealing what he had done to himself: he had cut off his own face with a knife. Joseph began cry-laughing and proclaimed "she called me her Handsome Joe!" and began laughing maniacally as he literally held his face in his hands.

### The Rise of Joe

#### Old Friends, New Beginnings

"*I feel...**different**. After Marie Anderson, everything that happened...something's different. I don't feel as **cold**. I don't hate everyone I see. You know, **normal** people,*"
—Michael explains the improvements to his mental health to Minerva[src]

Six months after solving the crimes of the Empire Killer, Michael has improved his ability to balance his civilian and vigilante life, and has continued to train Cassidy in martial arts, fulfilling the promise that he made to her. After one such training exercise, Casssidy accuses Michael of going slow during their duels, to which Michael responds that she is just getting faster. He reiterates the sole condition for their sessions continuing: that Cassidy does not use her new skills for vigilantism.

As Michael begins to re-set the training course, he receives a call from Adrian, who tells him that another arson attack has occured in East Harlem. Telling Cassidy to return home, Michael grabs his gear and heads off towards the scene.

#### One Long Night

    With Adrian, Stephanie and Minerva now captured by Joe, Michael wakes up to Cassidy attempting to treat his burns. As he becomes aware due to the pain, he compliments her on her knowledge to use hydrogen peroxide, to which Cassidy says that Stephanie told her that. He gets out of bed and stumbles as Cassidy tries to help him up. He places his hand to his side to find one of his stitches has opened and he is bleeding once more. He limps over to his kitchen to find his costume, badly damaged by fire and knives. He begins to try to put it on, but Cassidy stops him, telling him that he is no state to fight Joe.

## Overview

"*Please, listen to me. I know **pain**. I know **loss**. I live it **every. Single. Day.** And it makes me angry. It makes me so **fucking** angry...that **I** have to suffer in silence. To suffer **alone**. And it makes me want to **hurt**. To **kill**. Just so everyone else can know my pain. But I know...**I know** that isn't right. And I know that **you do too**. This - hurting others, killing them, ruining them - **will not** bring you peace. I know that because I had to realize that too. No matter what I do...**I won't find peace**. But I do it...because maybe...**just maybe**...someone else **can**. Please, Marie...let that person...be **you**,*"
—Michael tries to talk down Marie after revealing his identity[src]

At his core, Michael is kind, empathetic and trustworthy, qualities that shined through before his attack. In the years following the assault, however, Michael's personality is taken over by a short-tempered, brooding, reclusive, paranoid and unfriendly persona. Although he has managed to control his anger and temper through therapy, his damaged brain has instead began channeling these feelings into extremely troubling violent impulses that he finds difficult to control. Although Minerva does not consider Michael a danger to himself or others despite this, as his urges to inflict violence are almost always directed towards criminals, these impulses can sometimes be involuntarily directed towards those Michael cares about in the form of intense, prolonged outbursts. Even on a good day Michael is reclusive and impatient, with most of his focus directed to controlling his impulses and leaving him with little time or effort to appear friendly and outgoing to those he genuinly cares about.

After he begins his vigilante campaign, Michael significantly mellows out as he now has a method to unleash the built-up violent urges he is normally forced to contain. Despite this, his violent actions obviously have an effect on him, with him feeling guilty for the pain he inflicts even on those who deserve it. After he kills David Crank, Michael is so troubled by his own actions that he adopts a single rule: never take another human life. Only on one occasion has he broken this rule: when he dropped Iosef Barnes from the top of the Shaw Building to stop him from hitting the detonator to a bomb hidden in the subway.

Over time, Michael has adopted a far more brutal and unforgiving approach to fighting crime; while he continues to refuse to kill his enemies, he has no issue with severely injuring criminals, often to the point that he believes he has killed them.

## Powers, Equipment & Abilities

### Powers

Although Michael initially believes that his photographic memory and related abilities were a consequence of the damage to his brain, thanks to Zhao he discovers that his powers are, in fact, superhuman, making him one of the few superhumans left in existence following the end of the Golden Age.

* **Photographic memory:** Following a traumatic brain injury, Michael woke up to discover he could remember every single detail of every moment of his life from that moment. This was initially restricted to reciting entire books from heart, including a dictionary, but eventually expanded to him being able to remember the fighting techniques and choreography from action movies. His memories of such scenes are instantly implanted in his muscle and nervous systems, giving him a natural instinct for hand-to-hand combat, stealth and other important skills. As revealed by Zhao, Michael's memory ability is, in fact, a superhuman ability "unlocked" by the trauma Michael went through during his assault.
	+ **Retention:** Michael's retention ability amounts to what some would consider a superhuman level, being able to remember every detail of every moment of his life after waking up from his coma. He is not able to do so for moments before his injury, however.
	+ **Recitement:** Michael is able to recite huge pieces of text after only reading it once; he is able to recite several books from memory, including the dictionary.
	+ **Physical Movement Prediction:** Michael is able to accurately predict the next move of his opponents, effectively making him unbeatable; however, those who prefer improvised fighting methods, such as Deacon Shaw, Jake Hendrik and Handsome Joe, pose more of a threat to him as they are nearly impossible to read.
* **Reduced pain perception:** Again a consequence of his brain injury, Michael has a reduced pain response, allowing him to endure pain that normal people would not be able to withstand. However, he can often not realize that he has sustained a significant injury as a result.
* **Enhanced strength:** Although Michael normally possesses above-average strength, in *Season 3* Michael discovers that his enhanced strength is actually superhuman, with him becoming stronger whenever he becomes angry, to the point he is able to punch and damage materials as hard as steel and concrete. Additionally, he has undergone strength training recommended to him by Adrian, and by the time he faces Iosef directly he has built up to have above-average strength without his superhuman edge. In *Season 2*, he proves strong enough to defeat Deacon Shaw, the man who had initially crippled him.
* **Improved senses:** Michael's retentive ability has made him very sensitive to stimuli around him, allowing him to quickly pick up on slight sounds, smells and sights that may indicate danger.

### Equipment

Michael starts out his vigilante campaign with little equipment, all of which is basic. After he forms a partnership with Adrian, he is granted access to more heavy-duty equipment in order to perform better in fights.

#### Armour and Apparel

"*You're not **nobody**...you're a **hero**. [...] We won't tell anybody,*"
—The hostages giving Michael back his mask[src]

* **Vigilante costume:** At the end of the first season, Michael creates his new crime-fighting outfit, comprising of a set of riot gear combined with his white mask, grey hoodie, black gloves and an overcoat. After his costume is damaged by both Pyro and Handsome Joe, he creates an upgraded version from a homemade reinforced set.
	+ **Combat armour:** In the final episode of *Season 1*, Michael is told by Adrian that a bag of new equipment is waiting for him in a hidden location. Retrieving it, Michael discovers that it is a set of anti-riot gear and enlists Joseph to repaint it. The armour provides protection against small blades and gunshots, and limited protection against heavier fire such as from shotguns and automatic rifles.
		- **Helmet:** Michael's helmet provides significant protection from close-range fire. It most notably came in handy when he was shot in the back of the head by Iosef and was merely knocked out for a few minutes, although he did have a concussion afterwards.
		- **Bulletproof vest:** The vest of the riot gear makes Michael impervious to small arms fire and small blades.
	+ **Mask:** First worn to hide his identity from Martin Frees, Michael's mask is painted white to resemble a skull. He later pairs the mask with the riot helmet. The mask also prevents him from leaving saliva samples at the scene of his assaults, although this is mostly to stop Adrian from having to clean up evidence.
	+ **Hoodie:** Michael wore his dark grey hoodie when he beat up the thugs on the bus and later when he stalked David Crank. It later becomes his main piece of apparel alongside his mask, using it to further conceal his identity. When he gains the riot gear, Michael continues to wear the hoodie with the gear and an overcoat over the top.
	+ **Overcoat:** Michael wears a prototype overcoat with a thin Kevlar lining, originally designed for use by undercover detectives. The coat has been dyed black by Joseph.
	+ **Black gloves:** In order to not leave fingerprints and also to shield his knuckles, Michael wears a pair of black leather gloves, later combining them with the riot gear into his final costume. In *Season 2* he combines the gloves with his homemade knuckledusters.

#### Weapons

Michael uses few set weapons consistently, preferring to use whatever items are available at the scene so as to not carry a lot of heavy equipment and reduce potential evidence. There are some weapons that he tends to prefer over others.

* **Knuckledusters:** In the year following the beginning of his life as a vigilante, Michael creates his own knuckledusters by welding a set of screws and nails to a pair of steel brass knuckles.
* **Knives:** Michael is proficient with bladed weapons and carries a set of throwable knives to attack targets at a distance quietly.

#### Gear

* **Police scanner:** Michael owns a police scanner which he keeps at his apartment, using it to track crimes all over the city. Michael later brings the scanner to his new warehouse.
* **Burner phones:** Michael uses multiple burner phones to communicate with Adrian and avoid detection. Both typically only use a single phone once before destoying and discarding it. He later combines these phones with an earpiece.
* **Walkie-talkie:** Michael carries several walkie-talkies tuned to the same signal as his police scanner, keeping him updated on crimes and the movements of the police, allowing him to safety slip away and stay one step ahead of the AVTF.

#### Vehicles

* **Honda Accord:** Michael's civilian vehicle is a Honda Accord that he uses for his daytime job as a rideshare driver from *Season 2* onwards.
* **1971 Dodge Challenger:** From *Season 3* onwards, Michael is the owner of his grandmother's 1971 Dodge Challenger, which has been heavily modified for street racing.

### Abilities

* **Expert hand-to-hand combat:** Thanks to his photographic memory, Michael is able to remember, copy and use fighting techniques from a variety of action movies perfectly, making him an exceptional fighter despite having little training.
* **Endurance:** Aside from his strength training and his reduced pain response, Michael is extremely physically durable, first demonstrated by the fact that he was able to walk just a month after waking up from his coma. As a vigilante, he is able to give chase over long distances across a variety of environments - from the sidewalk, back alleys and rooftops - before becoming tired.
* **Firearms:** Michael is talented with smaller weapons such as handguns and less so with larger weapons such as rifles, preferring to move quickly and minimize casualties. He prefers to use his fists and melee weapons against opponents, as these provide greater release of his violent urges.
* **Parkour:** In addition to learning fighting skills from movies, Michael has also picked up parkour abilities, enabling him to use stealth efficiently and give chase across rooftops.
* **Costume design:** By reading police manuals and online prepper guides, Michael has become an accomplished costume designer, enabling him to constantly upgrade his costume and create new ones for his allies. He is responsible for making the costumes of both Black Mamba and Pyro.

### Weaknesses

* **Invasive eidetic memory:** The official diagnosis of Michael's photographic memory is "invasive eidetic memory", which is a memory visualization ability so strong that it begins to overwhelm other thoughts and memories to the point it causes anxiety, distress, and sensory overload. Michael's diagnosis has been called "the most severe case ever seen".
	+ **Sensory overload:** As eidetic memory is primarily based on visualization and recall, Michael's senses can quickly overload, to the point that he can start to dissociate from his current time or place.
	+ **Migraines:** Michael regularly suffers from migraines due to the sensory overload induced by his condition, ultimately resulting in many of his temper and paranoia issues.
* **Impulse control:** Because of the damage to his brain and the psychological changes associated with it, Michael deeply struggles with impulse control, although this has improved after he adopted his vigilante campaign.

## Associated Deaths

### Murders committed by Nobody

* David Crank - throat slit
* Iosef Barnes - dropped from the top of the Shaw Building

### Murders connected to Nobody

* Martin Frees - suffocated by Iosef Barnes after being attacked and put into hospital by Michael

### Deaths connected to Nobody

* Marie Anderson - left behind by Michael and crushed by the collapse of the Manhattan Psychiatric Center

## Relationships

### Adrian Sheppard

"*And what do I get out of this 'arrangement'?"
 "Well...the chance to do some good. To break a routine. And work through some of your...**more violent thoughts**. [...] Come on, nobody goes through what you did, does what you're doing, without having some kind of darkness that they need to let out,*"
—Michael and Adrian discuss the possibility of a vigilante partnership[src]
Michael and Adrian have a strong, near-unshakeable alliance born from their shared desire to reduce violent crime in New York City by any means necessary.

### Joseph Hertford

"*You wouldn't hurt your old buddy Joe!"
 "No. I wouldn't. But **you**...are not **him**. So no matter what it takes...I will stop you. I will hurt you. Even if it **fucking kills me!***"
—Handsome Joe and Nobody before the final stage of their fight[src]

Michael and Joseph are best friends and roommates turned bitter enemies fulfilling different roles in their conflict: Michael symbolizes order and justice as Nobody, while Joseph symbolizes chaos and terror as Handsome Joe. Whatever remains of their friendship has been completely destroyed, leaving behind only their brutal war.

By the start of the series they had started to drift apart due to Michael's reclusiveness and temper due to his injuries. By 2020, the two friends barely talk, with Michael watching movies in the evening and Joseph working on his art business. When Michael begins his vigilante campaign, Joseph visibly appears worried for his mental and physical state, at one point directly accusing Michael of being the vigilante, which Michael violently denies in an attempt to protect Joseph.

### Minerva Hardy

"*I ain't ever gonna let you die. You're too important to me,*"
—Michael to Minerva talk during the events at the Shaw Building[src]

### Cassidy Lynn

"*Okay. I'll do it. **I'll train you**. But the **second** that I think you're doing anything dangerous, it's over. Got it? [...] Oh. One more thing...**Michael**. My name is Michael,*"
—Nobody agrees to train Cassidy and finally reveals his identity to her[src]

Michael appears to care greatly for the wellbeing of Cassidy after he rescued her from David Crank and saw first-hand the things he did to her. He begins looking out for her after her rescue, primarily out of guilt for killing Crank in front of her.

### Stephanie Grimes

Michael and Stephanie have a friendly relationship. They first met when a badly-injured Michael came to the hospital while still wearing his vigilante outfit, and Stephanie discovered and decided to treat him. Michael revealed his face to her but nothing else about his background while they chatted and Stephanie tended to his injuries. Stephanie says that she appreciates Michael's efforts to defend the residents of N.Y.C. They later meet again when Michael picks her up while on shift as a rideshare driver. After he defeats the Empire Killer, Michael breaks up with Elise upon learning that Stephanie has broken up with her own partner, suggesting that he harbours feelings for her despite their limited interactions.

## Quotes

"*I'm just...nobody,*"
—Michael's passing words to Martin Frees, leading to his vigilante name[src]

"*I told you...I'm nobody. I'm just...**really fucking mad**,*"
—Michael to Iosef Barnes[src]

## Trivia

* Nobody is inspired by comic book superheroes such as Batman, Moon Knight, the Punisher and the Taskmaster, with Nobody's abilities being heavily inspired by the latter.
* Michael appears to suffer from a severe form of Borderline Personality Disorder, which is characterised by emotional instability; disturbed patterns of thinking or perception; impulsive behaviour; and intense but unstable relationships with others, factors that all apply to Michael.
* Michael's favourite movie appears to be *Enter the Dragon*, from which he learned most of his fighting techniques.

## References

1. ↑ Succubus
2. ↑ Crash Land
3. ↑ Autopsy in "*Some Good*"
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Photographic
5. ↑ BPD - Symptoms