Ajax
The year was 1943. The Nazis were everywhere in the Netherlands, including the Amsterdam Kommandantur, celebrating one of their victories with Dutch collaborators. With a bag full of papers stolen from the Nazis carefully hidden under her evening gown, Bloeme had yet to fulfill the remaining part of her mission: sneaking out of the party and delivering the documents to the Dutch Resistance. Every exit from the hotel was heavily guarded, but perhaps there was a way…. this tall muscular Nazi officer called Der Übermensch. A smile, a wink, some seductive talk, and soon the big blond was escorting her to his car. The mission was a success.
The story should have stopped there, but morning sickness a few weeks later told Bloeme that it was far from over. The brief encounter required for her escape had resulted in pregnancy. Nine months later, Jan Witteveen was born “of unknown father.” But Jan was not a normal kid: he was stronger and tougher than any other child, and soon he displayed the disturbing ability to “guess” what other people were thinking. Believing himself a mutant, the young Jan was devastated years later when his mother finally told him the truth of his birth. While he sought and found his biological father, Superior was less than willing to accept him. His father harshly rejected Jan, calling him a hindrance and potential weakness he wouldn’t allow himself.
Superior telepathically instructed his son to seek Ultima Thule, the city of his people (because he did not want to see the youngster wander unchecked). The Ultima welcomed him as a lost relative, and for many years Jan studied the culture and technology of the hidden city. He even built a suit of armor that allowed him to harness the cosmic power inside him.
As the years passed, Jan noticed he was not seen as a normal member of the race. People were kind, but talked down to him because of his relatively minor powers. Finally, during a dispute where harsh words were exchanged, someone called him “the half-blood son of a traitor.” Hurt deeply, Jan decided to leave the city and wander the world to find his true place. For most of the 1980s and ’90s, Jan drifted from location to location, often living a normal life, but sometimes adopting a heroic identity. In Canada he was known as the Prime Ranger. In Argentina, el Caballero Andante. In New Zealand, Cosmic Spirit. And in Spain, Maximo, the identity in which he had a hand in defeating the dragon Sugaar. After his mother passed away, he returned to Amsterdam and took the name Ajax. The Amsterdam Ascent forced him to assume the position of mediator and peacekeeper, which he maintains today.
Ajax appears to be a tall blond man in his thirties. He possesses most of the physical attributes of the classic Ultiman, but lacks their cosmic energy control. He must rely on his costume to channel his inner energy to better effect.
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