Ace Anarchy

***Spoiler Warning***

*This article contains major plot details from the Renegades series.*

**Ace Anarchy**, real name **Alec Artino**, was an extremely powerful and feared prodigy. He was the founder of the Anarchists and the greatest enemy of the Renegades. He was killed at the end of *Supernova*.

## Recent Events

### Pre-Series

As a prodigy, Alec Artino saw (and likely experienced) the oppression shown to other prodigies before the Age of Anarchy. He gathered the most powerful prodigies he could find to form the Anarchists. With their help, began to overthrow the government of Gatlon City in an attempt to create total anarchy. Alec employed his brother, David Artino, to create him a helmet to amplify his telekinetic abilities. Its power allowed him to bring about a global revolution.

Alec, now referring to himself as Ace Anarchy, maintained the Anarchists after achieving his goal. He also kept good relations with his brother and his brother's family, bringing them food and looting toys and medicine for his nieces. However his brother was in contact with the Renegades; a small crime-fighting group consisted of prodigies and an enemy of Ace and the Anarchists. Ace hired a hit man to kill his brother, and arrived to "rescue" his prodigy niece, Nova Artino, and enlist her in the Anarchists.

Soon after, the Renegades challenged the Anarchists in the brutal Battle for Gatlon. The details of the battle were never specified, but nearly all of the Anarchist members perished, leaving only eight total survivors.

As it was described by the Dread Warden, near the end of the Day of Triumph, Ace stood atop the cathedral, attacking Renegades from above. He remained uninjured until Captain Chromium confronted Ace with a baby, Max Everhart, strapped to his back. Captain Chromium took advantage of Max's ability, power absorption, to sap Ace's ability and weaken him. The Renegade was able to take Ace's helmet away from him. Ace then jumped from the top of the cathedral into a fire below. Ace Anarchy was presumed to have died.

### *Renegades*

In the end of *Renegades*, Ace was revealed to be alive, though severely weakened and continues to deteriorate. He had been living in the catacombs beneath his ruined cathedral, supported by the surviving Anarchists for the ten years since his supposed death.

### *Archenemies*

Near the beginning of *Archenemies*, Ace appeared advised Nova Artino to retrieve his helmet from the Renegades Headquarters. He showed great trust and faith in her, encouraging her to continue working against their enemies. Later, Ace met with her again, discussing the recent announcement of Agent N with her and the other anarchists, when a butterfly appeared. Nova explained that it was Monarch, a Renegade spying on them, and that they must capture it to prevent her from transforming and revealing that Nova was truly Nightmare.

Near the end of *Archenemies*, Ace was discovered by Sketch in his Sentinel suit, Red Assassin, and Smokescreen. He fought them for a time, but was eventually drained and was captured. Additional Renegades retrieved Ace and sent him off to Cragmoor Penitentiary before Nova was able to deliver him his helmet.

### *Supernova*

After being incarcerated, Ace was kept in solitary confinement until it was announced to the inmates that they would be "taking a trip" to the Arena, where they would be publicly neutralized—removing their abilities and status as a prodigy. During the announcement, he spots Nova among the inmates, and encourages her to avoid admitting that she was Nightmare. Ace Anarchy and Nightmare were to be executed rather than neutralized. A few days later, Nova's charges were deflected by the Mirror Walker and she was removed from the prison.

When Ace was brought to the Arena to be executed, he gave a speech about the perseverance of anarchy, believing he was about to die. But when the other inmates were given Agent N, they were not neutralized. The Rejects and the Anarchists executed a planned attack on the Arena; primarily using Queen Bee's bees and wasps to neutralize the gathered crowd of Renegades.

Amidst the chaos, Nova delivered Ace's helmet to him. With his strength almost instantaneously restored, he started to tear the arena apart. During the fight, he killed Blacklight, crushes Tsunami with a platform, and traps Renegades using his telekinesis. After the battle had been clearly won, Nova convinced him to spare the remaining Renegades.

He, the Anarchists, and the Rejects retreated to his cathedral, which he rebuilt from the ground up using his helmet. He surrounded it with a dome barricade made out of debris to hold off the Renegades, who were receiving backup. Ace began to rally up his followers, revealing his plan to rule Gatlon City. Though this directly went again the Anarchist ideology, all the Anarchists except for his niece agreed. Some of the Rejects, such as the Mirror Walker, hesitated and he bid them to leave.

Adrian Everhart, Captain Chromium's adopted son, was captured trying to infiltrate the cathedral. Ace used him as a hostage to hold off the Renegades (who had received international back-up) and encourage Captain Chromium to neutralize himself. When the Captain was unaffected by the serum, he ordered Nova to kill Adrian. She betrayed him and refused, thus enabling the Renegades to storm the cathedral without consequence.

Ace Anarchy fought on and off with Captain Chromium for an unspecified time on the roof of the cathedral. During a brief break, Ace obtained Nova's bracelet, having discovered that its gem was a powerful artifact that worked alongside the helmet. He gained immense power, and with it, the additional ability to lift people and chromium. He immediately overpowered the Captain by using his weapons against him. From his vantage point, he used both items to levitate Gatlon City in a show of power.

In a final and complete act of rebellion, Nova tried to neutralize Ace. Though he anticipated it, he slipped up and allowed her to inject him with Agent N. In his rage, he seized her and went to throw her off the roof. Captain Chromium stopped him by impaling Ace through the chest with his Silver Spear. Ace Anarchy was killed almost instantly. His body fell off the roof, and he was later buried in the catacombs in a chromium coffin with the helmet.

## Characteristics

### Physical Attributes

After spending most of his time in the catacombs, Ace was described to be very pale and gaunt. He is said to have dark eyes and thinning black hair.

### Personality

Though Ace Anarchy was best described as determined and powerful, he was also extremely clever and witty, as well as persuasive. He was most notably ruthless and sociopathic, and though he kept a remarkably cool head, he could get carried away destructively.

Ace claimed anarchy, equality, and freedom were his one and only motive. He did not agree with the villain gangs' violence, as he said it was selfish and counteractive, yet he frequently acted violently and narcissistic towards others. After his downfall, his main goal was vengeance under the guise of rightfulness.

## Description

*"Nova’s Uncle Alec was her only living relative after her family was killed. Better known as Ace Anarchy, he was the leader of the Anarchists during the Age of Anarchy in Gatlon City. His power of telekinesis was made stronger by a helmet that Nova’s father welded for him in their youth. Ace was killed during the final battle for Gatlon City against the Renegades, and the Council seized and destroyed his helmet—the thing that made his power almost unstoppable. Nova misses him every day, and wants to take down the Renegades in his name."*

## Skills & Abilities

* **Telekinesis:** Ace possessed the ability to levitate objects and is described by Nova to be one of the most powerful telekinetic prodigies of all time. The only things he could not levitate were other people (excluding himself) and chromium weapons. A portion of his power was stolen by Max Everhart.

## Possessions

### Weapons

* **Helmet:** His brother invented a helmet for him which heavily amplified his power. He used it to win multiple battles. After Ace's "death," the helmet was taken by the Council, who were incapable of destroying it.

### Property

* **Cathedral:** His home-base and fort when in battle. For a decade after the Day of Triumph when he was claimed to be dead, he hid in the catacombs underneath.

## Relationships

### Nova Artino

Ace looked after his niece Nova, the only member of his brother's family who survived the hit man he sent after them. Though he had only saved her to utilize her ability, he still cared about her. He spent time a lot of with her when she was with him before the Day of Triumph, supporting her when she stopped sleeping and affectionately calling her "Nightmare", which later became her alias.

He did not love or trust her fully, and manipulated her often. He quickly became cold towards her when she tried to talk him down from destructiveness, or when she showed weakness or hesitation. When she betrayed him and neutralized him, he attempted to kill her in a violent rage.

## Trivia

* Before it was taken from him, Ace always wore his helmet except for when he was meditating above the ground with candles being suspended in midair.

## Quotes

* *"I know, little Nightmare. I have faith in you. And when you succeed, we will rise again. We will all rise again."*

- Ace Anarchy in *Archenemies*, pg. 111

* *"I am proud of you, my little Nightmare. I know this has not been easy, but your trials are nearing an end. Soon, I will be strong again, and I will take the torch that you have lit and lead us into a new era."*

- Ace Anarchy in *Archenemies*, pg. 361

• *“I believe in a man’s freedom to craft his own life, to make his own choices, without the meddling of a higher power. Without The interference of arbitrary laws. Without the forced imposition of someone else’s principles, all under the guise of providing for a ‘greater good’.”*

-Ace Anarchy in *Supernova*, pg. 384