Stands at 5'6", weighs approximately 120lbs (most of his body mass is muscle, there's very little fat/flab), and his brown hair is typically messy looking. He has green eyes which are normally hidden behind large black-rimmed glasses (his mask has special contact-lenses built into the eye coverings so he doesn't have to wear glasses while in-costume).
Name:
Matthew John Anderson
Alias:
The Spider The Arachnid The Web Spinner The Black Spider (name viable to change)
Age:
20
Race:
Human with stable Cross-Species DNA
Personality tendencies:
Matthew is very polite to everyone he meets, male or female. Most girls find it hard to tell if he's flirting or just being nice. Matthew can be odd at times, but that's just because he tries to see the world from every outlook. Even though he smiles, he sometimes feels that nobody really gets him except for a select few. Matthew's a hopeless romantic, but hopes to one day finally make the girl of his dreams happy (as soon as he meets her, that is). He is also very adventurous. Matthew's also a bit of a nerd and loves all kinds of video games, movies and television shows. He's trustworthy and honest, taking it upon himself to act like a gentleman whenever he can. However, he can also be a smart-ass at times (a side of his personality that is mostly seen when he's in costume)
Power/s:
• Wall Climbing
• Web slinging via Web cartridges and homemade Web shooters
• Enhanced speed, agility, strength and eyesight. (All proportionate to that of a Spider in a human body).
• "Spider-Sense" - an ability that allows him to detect whenever danger is near or something is wrong in his surroundings.
• On top of being able to fire webs from his web shooters, his body can also produce natural webbing that is about 10x stronger then the artificial stuff, but he rarely uses it for two important reasons:
1. It requires him to squeeze down on his wrist with his other hand, applying pressure depending on how far he wants the webs to go. On top of the pressure, he needs to continuously press down in order to keep the webs coming.
2. The webs that are produced naturally come directly from an area in his wrists (like the way they were produced in the 1st Spider-Man movie) and as they are fired, they cause a massive burning, painful sensation in his wrist. This usually drains him of energy and makes his wrists extremely sore.
He only uses his natural webs when needed (ex. Pinning down gargantuan villains so they can't squash him, creating an extreme durable temporary shield that will hold a falling building so he can try to rescue as many of its residents as possible).
Skills:
• Hand to hand Combat - Matthew took fighting classes growing up, so he's a bit of a capable fighter. He's still not the best, but he can handle himself (plus having super strength and reflexes helps when fighting crime)
• Hacking - Matthew is a pretty capable computer geek (having spent most of his high school years online), so he knows his way around a security system.
• Stealth: Due to his low bodyweight and light-footedness, Matthew is able to sneak around quietly and quickly both on walls or on the floor. His suit also helps him blend into the shadows.
Weapons:
None, but if he has the time to do so, he can try to create weapons out of Webbing (clubs, spikes, boxing gloves etc).
Weaknesses:
Bullets, Knives, Mind Control, Having his power's sucked out of his body, Explosions, and pretty much anything that would kill a normal human being. He's also a little cocky when it comes to fighting bad guys. His wise ass remarks normally get himself and those he cares for (or his teammates) into trouble, but aside from that he's not immune to anything (except maybe small doses of radiation).
Goals:
To use his powers to help those in need and punish those who would do wrong. Basically, to become a superhero that inspires good in people. Although real life still gets in the way, which sucks.
Bio:
~~ Matthew's Life ~~
Matthew Anderson had a relatively normal childhood growing up. His father, Thomas, was a scientist who had been working on some kind of research dealing with cross-species mutation at M.A.X. CORP. Apparently, the project was supposed to create new medicines and health-aids (ex. growing back limbs with the help of Lizard DNA), but Thomas always warned Matthew that his work could make bad men show up. He told Matthew to never let them near his work and didn't even allow his son to glance at his progress, despite the young boy's love of science and learning. Most of the time, Thomas was off working at the M.A.X. CORP Building, so his family rarely saw him except on weekends. Matthew's mother, Vanessa, was a local dentist. She was also constantly working, but whenever the family managed to get extreme periods of time off work, they would spend it together to try and make up for lost time.
Matthew wasn't the most popular kid when it came to school, but he wasn't a nerd either. He fell into his own sort of social group along with his other friends, whom they decided to call "Inbetweeners", meaning they weren't popular, but they also weren't outcasts. He has a small circle of friends that have been with him since he was 6 years old. They all had various interests and opinions on certain things, but somehow they worked well as friends. Together they formed a sort of odd friendship that most people would think was absolutely strange. They all had their places in the group: there was the "pretty one", the "super nerd", the "sports enthusiast", and so on. Matthew fell into the category of the "smart-ass" for his opinionated views and takes on various things. Plus, Matthew had always been able to make humorous remarks about almost everything, so it seemed fair to give him a new trait category.
Sometimes stuff goes right for him, sometimes things don't. He's just your average teenage guy with spider-like superpowers trying to make it in the world.
~~ Origin Story ~~
Two years ago, Matthew was involved in a serious accident. In his senior year, his high school took a field trip to the world-renowned M.A.X. CORP Research and Development building, the same place where his father worked. During the tour, a security officer approached the guide and ordered the group to leave the premises, claiming that the building was shutting down prematurely because of a safety drill. While the rest of the school started to leave, Matthew and a group of students hung around in order to figure out what was going on. Matthew's father hadn't alerted him of a drill, so he suspected something was going on. They managed to find and disguise themselves as lab-assistants before they were forced down to the lower labs by a security team. The teens were (re) informed that "Project: OZ" was about to commence and they were supposed to be in the control booth monitoring the event. When they reached the lab, Matthew was met with the sight of his Father and a group of men working on a half-human half-reptilian creature with completely pale skin (they called it "The Chameleon", given it's ability to change appearance). The experiment seemed to be going well, with sedatives being given to the creature in order to soothe it. At one point, it even began to speak, asking the researchers for food (a live mouse), which it consumed in one gulp. The experiment ended with extremely positive results, showing that the hybrid creature had grown properly and showed no signs of violent tendencies... Unlike previous test subjects. At this point, the experiment was concluded and the building ended its lockdown. Then, Matthew's father realized that his son and three students had broken into the lab after the proper lab-assistant's showed up, having previously stepped out for pizza before the experiment began.
Thomas scolded his son and the others, explaining that they had witnessed highly classified information and could get him and the rest of the researchers in serious trouble if they revealed what had happened there to the world. (What actually
did happen was that The Chameleon had been genetically created by combining the DNA of multiple South American reptiles with a human being, successfully creating a creature that could be just like a human. The American military was funding the project so M.A.X. CORP could create the perfect espionage agent, one who could expertly blend in with the enemy and take them out from the other side). Using a military developed device, a few researchers wiped the memories of the other teenagers, but Matthew (being the son of a researcher) was allowed to keep his. The other teens were sent home immediately, while Thomas reluctantly agreed to keep Matthew around until he left. Just as the father and son were going to leave, the doors sealed shut and a deafening alarm began to echo through the lab. Security officers ran over to the inner sanctums and told the scientists to get out, but it was too late. While the Chameleon was being escorted to its containment chamber, it had apparently turned violent and murdered its escorts. After stealing the identity of one of the soldiers and transforming itself, the Chameleon unlocked the security cells of the "Other Hybrids", releasing the highly dangerous test subjects that had survived the gene-construction process. These hybrids, however, were extremely violent and had been scheduled for gene-recycling that day (a process that completely disassembles the particles in a creature's body, destroying them permanently and "humanely"). As the sentient ringleader, the Chameleon orchestrated the breakout of the experiments in hopes that they could seek revenge against their creators (as the Chameleon claimed, they were nothing but freaks). The Seven experiments (aptly named after their creatures of origin: the Arachnid, the Lizard, the Scorpion, the Wasp, the Piranha, Vermin, and the Chameleon) wrecked havoc upon the research facility, slaughtering scientists, security officers, and anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the brawl. Matthew hid in the observation room, Thomas and his partner, Gordon Greene, tried to access the ventilation system and flood the lower laboratory with a deadly neurotoxin (designed specifically in the event of a breakout).
However, just as the neurotoxin flooded the lab, one of the creatures, the Arachnid, managed to enter the observation room and attacked Matthew, sinking it's teeth into his neck in an attempt to drain him of any bodily fluids. The venom in the Arachnid's fangs paralyzed Matthew, making him unable to defend himself while it feasted. However, a new security team (equipped with gas masks) arrived on the scene and shot down the Arachnid to rescue Matthew. When the team arrived at the control room to try and rescue Thomas and Gordon, they discovered that Thomas had been murdered by a previously unknown experiment and Gordon was later found unconscious with signs of physical trauma. Only the Chameleon was unaccounted for, so it was assumed it escaped as a desperate last attempt to save its life.
A few days later, Matthew woke up in the hospital, surrounded by his family and friends. He had no idea that the venom in his system forced him into a comatose state for days, but he also learned of his father's gruesome murder at the hands of a previously unknown hybrid creature. Thomas had apparently been disembowelled and partially eaten by the beast, but nobody knew exactly what creature it was. Based on a bloodied footprint left behind, it resembled some kind of creature with taloned-feet. None of the hybrids had talons, so the authorities thought it must've been the Chameleon taking on an unrecognizable form to throw off anyone who might've followed it. As compensation to the families of those who died in the break out, M.A.X. CORP shut down Sector B and paid for all of the funerals.
In the weeks that followed, Matthew began to notice some strange occurrences. During a gym class in which he was required to play dodge ball, Matthew discovered his reflexes had enhanced overnight by 100%. He was faster, stronger, and more agile. He also felt this strange feeling in the back of his skull, almost like a tingle. Matthew soon realized that the tingle told him when something negative (such as being hit) was about to happen to him. After a dodge that forced him into a wall, he opened his eyes to see the students staring at him with disbelief. Matthew thought he had seriously hurt himself because he was seeing things as if he were lying on the floor sideways. Then, he glanced to the floor and saw that was apparently stuck to the wall, hanging onto the padding like a frightened cat. He quickly dropped off the walls while the students begged him to teach them how to hold onto a flat surface like that. Immediately after discovering these advancements to his body, he decided to test out his new skills when he got home. After some more tests, Matthew discovered he could also fire a thin, sticky substance that resembled thread from his wrist. Upon further inspection, he discovered that the threads were actually webs, like that of a... Spider.
Matthew it was then that he realized that "the Arachnid" had somehow transmitted its DNA to his body. It might've been the venom, which was slightly irradiated as the doctors in the hospital told him. The radiation wasn't enough to kill him or even affect him negatively, but it had clearly given him some kind of genetic enhancement.
This immediately gave him an idea: he had read comic books for practically his entire life and now he was suddenly gifted with incredible powers. Knowing that crime is always an issue, Matthew decided that he could try and make a difference by becoming a symbol for the people. A monster had taken away his father, but he couldn't allow the modern-day monsters to ruin the lives of other people. Although vigilantism was technically illegal, Matthew knew it would be a waste to use these powers for anything other than benefiting those who needed help. So, using his knowledge of comic books, Matthew created an alias for himself and got to work on the costume. He became,
"The Black Spider" (name still pending).
(Can't pick a costume just yet, I'll keep both options here so I can get some input from you guys. The second one in the black and white costume is wearing a wig, hence why Matt doesn't have brown hair in that image).
(Sorry it took so long!)
