Aleksandr Menshikov

Vasily Menshikov (brother, deceased)

Piotr Menshikov (brother, deceased)

*"A leader's purpose is to serve, not to rule."*

*-Aleksandr Menshikov to Victor Flynn*

Alexsandr Menshikov, better known as the Red Son, is one of the most powerful metahumans on the planet, largely believed to be second only to Supreme in terms of destructive capabilities. The most potent telekinetic in the world, Menshikov is a veteran of the Second World War, having fought for the Russian motherland against the Nazis, before being granted superhuman abilities by the Soviet government using stolen I-3 ichor. Thanks to his slowed aging process, Red Son has remained a prominent figure in the international superhero community, being one of the highest ranking members of the International Superhero Association.

## Biography

### Early Life

Aleksandr Menshikov was born in the city of Stalingrad, to a pair of factory workers. The eldest out of three sons, Aleksandr, like other Russian children at the time, attended school to be taught of the greatness of the communist party and of the indomitable might of their leader, Joseph Stalin. In the midst of the Second World War, during the Battle of Stalingrad, Aleksandr's family was killed by a German shelling attack, which obliterated the factory his parents worked at, as well as his family's nearby home.

### Joining the Military

Following the death of his family, Aleksandr enlisted in the military at the tender age of sixteen, joining the 64th Army . Despite his youth, Aleksandr was possessed of unyielding courage, sharp intelligence, and a fierce charisma that inspired the men around him. Within a few short months, as the Battle of Stalingrad raged, he had risen to the rank of Sergeant, and been given command of his own squad.

As the 64th Army was promoted to the 7th Guards Army, Aleksandr continued to serve with distinction, eventually rising to the rank of junior lieutenant by the time the war ended.

### The Red Guardians

After the War, Aleksandr continued to serve in the Red Army, and by 1950, was a captain serving as an aide to Marshal Georgy Zhukov. Due to his exemplary service record and leadership qualities, Aleksandr was selected to receive a dosage of ichor, brought to the Soviet Union from the United States by a group of disgruntled scientists from the Federal Office of the Abnormal.

Aleksandr volunteered himself to receive the largest (and therefore most dangerous) dose of I-3 ichor. The formula was administered by doctor Kuklov Makarovich, and caused Aleksandr to go into a brief cardiac arrest, followed by a twelve day coma. After waking, he found that he had grown five inches, gained around fifty pounds of muscle, and most importantly of all, developed potent metahuman abilities.

Due to his leadership experience, charisma, superior power, and movie star looks, Aleksandr was chosen to be leader of Russia's first superhero team, the Red Guardians.

### The Death of Stalin

After three years of leading the Red Guardians, Aleksandr became disillusioned with the Chairman of the Soviet Union, having observed the abject terror that the citizens of Russia experienced under Stalin's boot. Covertly, Aleksandr used his telekinetic powers to burst the blood vessels in Stalin's brain, resulting in a hemorrhage that eventually lead to his death. Aleksandr stood by as Joseph Stalin met his end, and contemplating whether or not he should take his place.

Were he to do so, no man in Russia had the power to stop him. He imagined his country as it might be if he took power, dreaming of a peaceful land, devoid of Stalin's terror and filled with fat, happy children. And yet, having seen what power had done to Stalin, and so many other men throughout history, Aleksandr decided against such a course.

However, when the time came for Nikita Khrushchev and Marshal Zhukov to stage their coup against Lavrentiy Beria, Aleksandr lent them his support, personally killing Beria's metahuman bodyguard, Dmitri Malkovich, and later, on Kruschev's orders, purging the NKVD of metas still loyal to Beria.

## Physical Appearance

Before his augmentation, Aleksandr's stature was not particularly imposing, as he stood at 5'10'' and weighed 176 pounds, though he was fit and well built. After receiving a large dose of the I-3 ichor formula at the end of the Second World War, his height increased to 6'3'', and his rapidly put on a great deal of dense muscle, which remains to this day, as he now weighs 227 pounds.

Despite being over a century old, Aleksandr's superhuman vitality is such that he retains the appearance of a man far younger. His straight hair is usually combed against his head, though what was once jet black is now streaked with silver. The Red Son possesses deep blue eyes and strong, chiseled features that were plastered on innumerable Soviet propaganda posters throughout the Cold War. Though his face is more lined than it was in his youth, he has aged rather gracefully, and despite being biologically equivalent to a man of about fifty, most who see him would put his age at perhaps a decade younger.

## Personality

*"There has never been a god who serves the will of the people."*

Growing up in Stalin-era Russia with a pair of lowly factory workers for parents, Aleksandr Menshikov knew what it was like to be powerless. He never lost his respect for power, even when he became one of the most powerful men in the world. An idealist to core, Aleksandr believes in duty, righteousness, and hard work, though over the years, he has recognized that oftentimes, doing the right thing is rarely easy or clear cut. One thing he is certain of is the fact that might does not make right, and fears the corrupting effect that ruling over others has on a man. As a result, he is vehemently opposed to taking any sort of rulership position, worrying about what might become of him were he to seize power. His own fear of corruption lends his morals strength, acting as the mortar in the foundation of Aleksandr's ideals.

None of his secret worries are apparent in Aleksandr's day to day interactions, however. The Red Son is altruistic and humble, always willing to stop for a photo with a fan, visit a hospital of sick children, or rescue an old woman's cat from a tree. In his view, doing such mundane heroics that other superheroes might keep themselves above helps keep him grounded and connected to the people he serves.

Personable and charming, Aleksandr finds conversation easy, and he can dance with princes and paupers alike, quick to smile and able to talk in detail about a variety of subjects, but also perfectly willing to listen to others. In conversation, he is eloquent, polite and genial, doing his best to set whoever he is conversing with at ease, which he achieves with regularity thanks to his considerable charisma. In addition to being a natural crowdpleaser, Menshikov is also an able leader, always making sure he gets to know people he works with, and winning their loyalty by sticking his neck out for them and being considerate of their needs, encouraging their talents and working to overcome their fears.

While not prone to most conventional forms of vice, Aleksandr does have one thing he does love to indulge in: the arts. He is a connoisseur of painting and sculpture, and a savant of music, theater, and dance. Whenever he has free time, he enjoys reading novels at home, or visiting art galleries and opera houses. However, oftentimes, he forgoes these pleasures of his, as he considers his various duties to be more important than his own happiness. He retains the collectivist ideal of putting the community first at the expense of the self, a belief instilled within him by the propaganda of his youth.

## Powers

* Regenerative Healing Factor: Aleksandr is possessed of superb healing abilities, which enable him to recover from severe injuries in a matter of hours, and mild ones like scrapes and bruises within a few short minutes.
	+ Delayed Aging: As a result of his healing factor, Aleksandr ages extremely slowly. It has been calculated that he ages around three times slower than an ordinary human.
* Superhuman Durability: Every part of Aleksandr's body is inhumanly resilient thanks to the ichor flowing in his veins. Low caliber rounds are able to pierce his skin, but are tend to be unable to fully penetrate heavily muscled areas of his body, and glance off his bones, leaving cracks instead of ripping through as they would on a normal human. High caliber rounds are able to tear through him, however.
* Superhuman Speed: No, speedster, Aleksandr's speed is still enhanced well beyond human limits. At a full sprint, he is capable of reaching speeds of up to forty miles per hour. Additionally, his reflexes are also superhuman, and he is able to avoid projectiles such as arrows or thrown weaponry with ease.
* Superhuman Strength: While super strength is not Aleksandr's most impressive ability, and is not often employed, his physical might is superhuman, and he is able to lift about one and a half tons at his peak.
* Telekinesis: Aleksandr's most prominent ability is his telekinesis, which is the most advanced manifestation of the ability on the face of the Earth. No other telekinetic can match him for raw power, which enables him to rip apart or throw a skyscraper with ease. The precision of Aleksandr's ability is also tremendous, as he is able to covertly induce brain aneurysms, as he did with Joseph Stalin.
	+ Force Fields: Aleksandr is able to generate near impenetrable force fields, being able to place them around his body or anywhere else within his sensory range. Over the years, he has trained himself to create a constant layer of protection around his body, only a few millimeters from his skin. Additionally, he also wears a secondary force field, not so strong as the first, a few feet from his body, which allows slow moving objects to pass through it, but blocks and holds anything moving faster than a punch.
	+ Flight: Through the use of his telekinesis, Aleksandr is able to lift himself and others into the air and fly. When doing so, he is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 4.
* Omnisense: Aleksandr is gifted with a sixth sense, which allows him to detect the flow of kinetic energy around him down to an extremely minute level, allowing him to perceive his surroundings and employ his telekinesis with absolute precision.

## Stats

**Threat Level:** Alpha

**Durability:** Class 2

**Flight:** Class 5

**Regeneration:** Class 2

**Speed:** Class 1

**Strength:** Class 2

**Telekinesis:** Class 5