Gordon Raines

**Gordon Michael Raines** is a former Cortech scientist and super-villain currently serving time in the Fenrook Penitentiary in New Metro City. Dr. Raines was originally a paraplegic scientist working at Cortech Industries. Normally amiable and friendly, Gordon secretly dreamed of one day regaining the ability to walk through artificial means, specifically the use of a Cybernetic Human Enhancement project called "Project Alpha".

However, a disastrous fire destroyed the majority of Gordon's life's work consisting of over 20 years of research. The intense shock and stress of the aftermath turned his hair grey and made him go insane. Soon after the accident, he was approached by a mutating Henry Holton, who gave Raines the authorization to use the now-fully completed Project Alpha.

## Biography

### Early Life

Gordon Raines was born on July 3, 1956, to Ryan and Rachel Raines in Albany, New York. As a young boy, Raines had the best of both worlds: he was gifted at both academics and athletics. Despite this, he always preferred sports and his parents supported this. In middle school, he was the star player of his school's soccer team and led his teammates to many a victory. As he continued to excel in sports, his grades started slipping as his focus shifted.

In his junior year of high school, Gordon's team was in the middle of their championship game. They had won all of the previous games and had a winning streak like no other. However that day, Raines was struck by a cruel accident. During a scuffle for control of the soccerball, Raines and three opposing players fell and the three players fell on Gordon's spine, paralyzing him for life. The now-wheelchair-bound Gordon Raines was kicked from the team and fell into a deep depression. Encouraged by his parents, Raines shifted his focus once again to his academics and graduated at number 6 in his class.

Adjusting to life in a wheelchair was a big challenge for Raines. He was continuously made fun of, being called "Robo-boy" and "Metalhead". This frustration buried itself deep within him, never breaking through the surface until later in life.

### Joining Cortech and the Accident

After graduating from the University at Albany in 1980, Raines was immediately offered a job at Cortech Industries because of his gifted mind and incredible work ethic. Working on various projects, Gordon found some amount of happiness but nothing that could stave off his depression. Within a few years of starting work, Raines decided to take matters into his own hands and create his own side project in secret, something that would restore the use of his legs and make him "whole" again.

However, a disastrous fire destroyed the majority of Gordon's life's work consisting of over 20 years of research. The intense shock and stress of the aftermath turned his hair grey and made him go insane. Soon after the accident, he was approached by a mutating Henry Holton, who gave Raines the authorization to use the now-fully completed Project Alpha.

## Personality

Before his turn to darkness, Dr. Gordon Raines was a very kind and gentle man. He was very amiable and a very likable man overall. He was extremely generous and would give you the shirt off of his back. However, his exceptional kindness may have been a way to cope with the loss of his legs, which sent him into a deep depression.

He was also very secretive about his project to regain the use of his legs. He would sneak research documents home from work and even stay at the laboratory overnight, hiding in closets until the security left. The project became somewhat of an obsession of his, taking focus from all other aspects of his life.

After the fire destroyed his research, he went insane and became racked with stress. He became angry at the world for continually cursing him with bad luck his entire life. After being given the Silverback mech by Henry Holton, Raines went mad with power, having received not only legs but incredible other powers as well.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Incredible Strength:** While in the Silverback mech, Raines possesses incredible strength, able to lift objects weighing multiple tons in weight and support the entire weight of the mech with one hand. The mech is capable of deliver devastating attacks to his enemies, knock cars into the air, and cause insane amounts of property damage. While large objects would normally be susceptible to crushing themselves under their own weight, the Silverback mech is capable of sustaining high running speeds and performing impressive acrobatic maneuver without tearing itself apart.
	+ **Climbing Abilities:** The Silverback mech is capable of climbing large structues such as construction equipment and skyscrapers with the same agility and nimbleness of the great apes such as orangutans and chimpanzees. While hanging off the side of a building, the Silverback mech can hold its own weight with one hand, making it difficult to knock Raines off.
	+ **High-Jumping:** Despite its impressive size and weight, the Silverback mech is able to leap to incredible heights and across great distances. The maximum jumping height is approximately 60 feet and the maximum jumping distance is approximately 100 feet. This is due to hydraulic pressure launchers built into the mech's feet, which are capable of pushing the suit great distances.
* **Missile Launchers:** Built into the Silverback mech's shoulder are a pair of hidden missile launchers. These launchers can rise up from the soldiers at the push of a button and can each fire up to four homing missiles that seek out body heat. These missiles are deadly and can destroy both enemies and any structures that get in the way.

### Abilities

* **Genius-level Intellect:** Outside the mech, Dr. Gordon Raines possesses an impressive intellect about all manner of robotics. He also is capable of piloting a mech, meaning he has an expansive knowledge of the mech's interior. His being able to pilot it immediately after synching up with it also means that he is extremely quick with learning and can improvise well on the fly.

## Relationships

* Rachel Raines

Allies* Cecil Balkey
* Henry Holton
* Rick Krueger
* Alistair Haze
* Holly Brooks

## Trivia

* The name Gordon starts with "gor", just like the word gorilla.
	+ The last name Raines refers to the rainforest.