Ben Santini

## Background

### 1978 - 2012: Ben Santini

Benito Santini is the only child of his Italian father & Brazilian mother. The two had been strugggling to have a child so when they discovered she was pregnant with a boy, they picked the name Benito which translates to "blessed."

His father's side of the family was involved in unsavory business in the city of Gotham but he did not want part of that lifestyle. He got himself a well-paying job in construction & made a honest living to help support his family. His mother worked at the local zoo, where Ben frequently spent his weekends.

It was a little bit of a surprise to his parents when Ben decided to go into the military but they supported his decision nonetheless. The summer after his freshman year, his father was killed by a hit ordered from a rival family. His death made it clear to both Benito & his mother that his father was not as distant from his family's lifestyle as they had thought. When Ben when back to his school, he began sending whatever leftover money he receieved to his mother to make for the loss of his father's income.

Upon graduation, Benito was promoted from Midshipmen to Ensign. He served his five year service commitment, reaching the rank of Lieutenant before moving over to Navy Intelligence. He remained there for a year before joining International Operations, an intelligence organization that had no direct oversight. During his time there, he was apart of a small unit under Agent John Lynch, a fomer Navy man himself. Lynch took a liking to Ben, leading to him becoming a mentor of the sorts.

After three years with I.O., Ben followed Lynch to the DEO when he made the switch. When Ben asked why he was leaving, Lynch told him that something fishy was going on with I.O. & that he was going to get to the bottom of it. The two, along with DEO Agent Blake Coleman, were tasked with investigatin the organization but could never find any solid evidence to prove their wrongdoings. During one of their investigations, Ben got a bullet through his knee & his career in the field seemed to end.

Crippled by the injury, Santini refused to accept a desk job in the Intelligence Division & opted to undergo a series of experimental operations to replace his shattered knee with a mechanical one. It was risky but the DEO covered the medical costs & had him fitted with a new knee to get him up & running. The operations proved successful but it took months for Santini to adjust before he was let back into the field. And even then, it was on a trial basis.

Ben continued his investigations into International Operations alongside Lynch & Coleman but still they came up short. The trio were eventually approached by a man named Henry Bendix, who was the founder & leader of UN sanctioned organization known as Stormwatch. He not only offered his help in the matter but also positions for them in his organizations. While they appreicated the help, none of them wanted to leave the DEO. It wouldn't be until Coleman was killed in what was a obvious hit that Ben decided to make the switch, feeling that Stormwatch had more resources that allowed him to bring an end to I.O.

### 2012 - Present: Ben Santini

Ben would be right in his ideology behind joining Stormwatch. He was able to gather much more intel, which he passed on to the DEO as the two orgaizations worked jointly in their goal. Ben's intel allowed for the DEO to send one of their own agents undercover, which was crucial in bringing down International Operations & their Project Genesis.

Since then, Ben has remained at Stromwatch as one of their valued senior agents & frequently leads missions in the field.

## Romantic Relationships

* Victoria Ngengi: Wife (*Unknown* - 2011)

## Powers & Abilities

* **Hand to Hand Combat**
* **Firearms**
* **Leadership**
* **Military Protocol**
* **Tactical Analysis**
* **Stormwatch Gear:** Field agents of Stromwatch are issued a Glock 19M Handgun, Military Issued Bulletproof Vest & Colt M4 Carbine as their primary gear.

### Ratings

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

## Trivia

* He was specifically tasked with bringing in possible agents for Stormwatch from countries other than the United States. He played a role in recruiting Charles Pinckney, Galena Golovin, Marie Grunier, Jaeger Weiss, Khalid Tefibi, Avi Barak, Jukko Hämäläinen & Ajeet Singh.
* Ben joined I.O. in 2006, the DEO in 2009 then Stormwatch in 2012.
* Ivana Baiul asked Stormwatch Agent Khalid Tefibi to run a check on computer security at the DEO under a false name which is why he could never prove that a superior asked him to do it. When the DEO found out about the breach, Tefibi was sent to prison & Baiul was never implicated. This event caused John Lynch & Ben Santini to leave I.O. & join the DEO.

## Notes

* Gabriela Matias is an ally of the Joker.
* Rafael Santini is a Gotham mobster in the pre-*The New 52*.