Black Mamba

* Vigilante
* Civilian

"*Maybe the mask **does** make the hero,*"
—Stephanie as she puts on her "Black Mamba" costume for the first time[src]
**Stephanie Grimes** is a night-shift nurse at the Metropolitan Hospital Center in Manhattan. After meeting, treating and seeing the face of the Nobody vigilante, she becomes another of his list of allies in his hunt for the Empire Killer, and eventually one of his closest friends. Following the final confrontation with Marie Anderson, Stephanie decides to continue her covert vigilantism under the codename "**Black Mamba**", joining the Syndicate to bring down Handsome Joe.

## Overview

### Personality

Stephanie is a highly compassionate and friendly woman. Upon seeing the injured vigilante Nobody arrive at the hospital, she did not hesitate to take him in and care for him despite the risks she faced. She went to similar lengths to help Adrian when he was seriously injured despite both of men being complete strangers to her. Stephanie is often practical, down-to-earth and sarcastic.

Whilst her initial lack of special abilities could make her a liability, Stephanie makes up for this with her medical background and humanity, acting as the moral compass amongst the Syndicate. Eventually instead of fighting it, she accepted that assisting the vigilantes was her calling in life. Due to her unbending sense of right and wrong, Stephanie has been there when Nobody, Adrian and Cassidy came close to breaking their own code as she knows the line between a vigilante and a criminal is a thin one.

However, Stephanie is not without a dark side; she expressed satisfaction that Nobody purposely dropped Iosef Barnes to his death, as well that Archie Shaw was nearly killed and would be in excruciating pain for the rest of his life after being beaten to near-death by his brother Deacon.

## Powers, Equipment and Abilities

### Powers

Stephanie is not known to possess any superhuman powers.

### Equipment

#### Armour and Apparel

* **Vigilante costume:** Stephanie's "Black Mamba" costume consists of a white jumpsuit over a Kevlar vest, covered in a black cloak. She covers the lower half of her face with a black cloth, and the top half with a jet black mask.

### Abilities

* **Peak Physical Condition:** Stephanie is an ordinary human being with no superpowers but is a skilled fighter and combatant. She has demonstrated the ability to fight men much stronger than her along with surviving a gunshot to her abdomen by one of Joe's followers.
	+ **Martial Artist:** Due to months of training with Michael, Stephanie is a skilled martial artist and has demonstrated immense fighting prowess in combating the Handsome. Stephanie demonstrates an eclectic fighting style consisting of precise strikes, including punches and kicks, along with grappling techniques like throws, sweeps and takedowns to disable her opponents.

## Relationships

### Michael Keene

"*No one man can save this city. **Not even you**,*"
—Stephanie comforts Michael[src]

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.