Rex Tyler

## Background

### 1950 - 1975: Rex Tyler

Reginald "Rex" Tyler was born & raised in New York City by his two loving parents. With his father as a chemistry professor, it was no surprised that Rex found an affinity for the sciences at a young age. He particularly enjoyed chemistry like his father but also developed a skill in biology. After graduating high school, he enrolled himself at Ivy University & studied his passion of chemistry & biology. He got himself a job at Bannerman Chemicals, researching & testing the company's vitamins & hormone supplements.

Through a series of trials & errors, discoveries & accidents, Rex discovered what he called the "miraculous vitamin" or Miraclo for short. Making himself his own test subject to quicken the vitamins' approval, he learned that concentrated doses of that "vitamin" increased his strength, vitality & speed to super-human levels. The only setback was that because of how the body processed the "vitamin," the enhanced physiology only lasted for a little over an hour a time before returning the subject to human strength levels.

### 1975 - 1984: Hourman

Feeling that the Miraclo-induced abilities should be used for good purposes, he decided to use the abilities to help those who needed it.   Keeping the drug a secret from all his family & friends, he decided to patrol the city as Man of the Hour. Choosing the name due tot he duration of his powers, he later changed it to Hourman for simplicity reasons.

Hourman soon became known as the hero always helping "the common man," as no crime was too small for him to help. On his own, he stopped many crimes but he did make a few superhero friends along the way. He also joined a secret society that his family had been part of decades, that worked behind the shadows for the good of humanity.

In addition to gaining a new found family in the JSA, Rex also began to date theatre actress Wendi Harris. He kept his alter-ego from her from the most part but after having to save her from a crazed fan, he revealed his secret to her. He thought that would be the end of their relationship as he knew it but instead the pair married the next year.

For nearly a decade, the group worked together fighting crime & receiving accolades from the government for their good work. Things worked well between until their final encounter with Dr. Ian Karkull. Many of the members, including Rex, had been systematically kidnapped by Karkull. He had discovered their civilian identities & had captured all of them in their residences. They were subjected to torture, mostly by radioactive energy that Karkull was testing at the time. Rex & his teammates were saved by the recently retired Citizen Steel & Doctor Fate, though at the cost of Steel's life. After delivering the news of Steel's death to his wife, Rex took a brief break from the forefronting of crimefighting.

### 1984 - Present: Rex Tyler

With Rex's pause from heroics & Wendy's retirement from theatrics, the pair decided to move to his family's hometown of Opal City. Rex soon fell into a depression, blaming himself for the death of his close friend & teammate. Now obsessed with the idea that he could have somehow prevented, he began more studies on Miraclo. He further strengthened its properties, leading to him slowly becoming addictive. The drug made him anxious & talkative, worrying his wife Wendi. During one case, his heart gave out due to the toxic side effects of the drug. Wendi reached out to Doctor Fate, who was able to cleanse Rex's body through mystical means. After seeing the damage he caused to his life & marriage, he locked Miraclo away & began focusing on life away from capes & masks.

Having been clear for nearly a year, Wendi voiced her desire to have a child. Due to his previous vigilantism & her former occupation as an actress, neither of them were looking for kids when they got married. But with a recent change of events, Wendi decided she wanted them to try now that Rex had gotten his act together. The two were soon blessed with a son, naming him Richard.

Rex then devoted his time & effort to biochemical advances. When an intrinsic explosion destroyed New York City & his employer Bannerman Chemical with it, he used independent patent royalties to purchase what remained & renamed it Tyler Chemical Company (or TylerCo). With branch labs around the US, Rex had little time to do anything other than work & focus on his family life.

To Rex's dismay, Rick grew up showing no interest in things academic, instead leaning towards sports & art. This was a major source of friction between father & son for most of their lives. But Rex still had high hopes for his son & believed that maybe he would one day take up the good cause & fight for justice. Rex began secretly tailoring the Miraclo formula, using genetic engineering so that it could only be used by Rick & his descendants. He kept them locked away, never telling Richard about the Miraclo Pills other than a letter than was to be given to him upon his death.

In 2009, Rex Tyler suffered a heart attack. His good friend Dr. Charles McNider looked at charts & came to the conclusion that Rex had developed an enhanced immune system due to years of his Miraclo use. However, that did not mean he should dismiss the severity of his heart attack. At the urging of his wife, he stepped down from TylerCo & left the business to his neiece Rebecca to run. Many were surprised that he passed on his son but Rick had made it clear that while he wanted to involved with the company, he had no desire to be the one in charge. With his company taken care of, Rex now lives in semi-retirement with his wife Wendi.

## Romantic Relationships

* Wendi Harris-Tyler: Girlfriend (1977 - 1979); Wife (1979 - )

## Powers & Abilities

* **Science:** Gaining this skill from his father, Rex had a natural affinity for science, particularly biology & chemistry. He used what he learned to create Miraclo & further advance his findings for years.
* **Miraclo Use**: Hourman derives all his superhuman abilities from the "miracle vitamin" Miraclo. The active ingredient is a special form of phosphorus, which bonds temporarily with the ATP in muscle cells to create a "Adenosine Quad-Phosphate" which energizes the cells. The energy released gives him increased/heightened strength, durability, stamina & agility.
* **Wealth:** After Rex used independent patent royalties to purchase what remained of Bannerman Chemical to turn it into TylerCo, he became a wealthy pharmaceutical tycoon. With his guidance, TylerCo has become a leader in the fields of human biochemistry & artificial organ research, thus contributing to his growing wealth.

### Weaknesses

* **60 Minute Time Limit**: After a 60 minute time period, the "AQP" burns itself out, and the waste toxins generated need to be eliminated in the bloodstream over about a 24 hour period.
* **Drug Addiction:** He was formerly addicted to Miraclo.

### Ratings

* **Intelligence:** Unknown
* **Strength:** Unknown
* **Speed:** Unknown
* **Occult:** Unknown
* **Weapons:** Unknown
* **Range:** Unknown
* **Strategy:** Unknown
* **Combat:** Unknown
* **TOTAL:** Unknown