Dr. Metropolis

Where he came from is a mystery and, if he has answers, he’s not providing them. Still, Dr. Metropolis is the hero with perhaps the strongest ties to Freedom City, and he takes the protection of “his” city very seriously. Dr. Metropolis first appeared in the aftermath of the Terminus Invasion. As rescue workers and military personnel sifted through the rubble looking for survivors and surveying the damage, a group of them saw a humanoid figure rise up out of the wreckage. His body was made of concrete and metal, the very substance of the materials around him. He looked at them with glowing green eyes and said, “I am Metropolis.” Although he would offer no further explanation, the mysterious figure agreed to speak with the authorities. Although he did not respond to questions regarding his origins, the city-entity was intent on helping Freedom City, and help he did. He began working with the scientists and rescue workers investigating the effects of the Terminus Invasion on the city. They in turn studied him, and eventually dubbed him “Dr. Metropolis,” a name he accepted as his own. His ability to “connect” with the environment of the city allowed him to sense things throughout the area, so he directed emergency personnel to injured people and away from dangerous instabilities. He could also control and shape the material structure of the city at will, helping shore up damaged buildings, repair broken water mains, and restore streets to allow emergency vehicles access where they were most needed. When the relief work was complete, Dr. Metropolis helped make Mayor Michael O’Connor’s dream of a new Freedom City a reality, repairing the damage to the city in record time, literally rebuilding it from the rubble. As a direct result of Dr. Metropolis’ efforts, Freedom City features architecture unparalleled across the world and an infrastructure the envy of cities everywhere. Dr. Metropolis initially accepted an offer to join the Freedom League, largely because it was a way to actively help protect his city. Some Leaguers believe he was also looking for friends who could understand him, a hunch that has proven at least moderately true. Since then, Dr. Metropolis has won the trust and respect of his teammates, some of whom have made the effort to reach the gentle, artistic soul they sensed beneath his cold exterior.

Physical Description

Special abilities

Some have described Dr. Metropolis as a “city spirit.” His inhuman body is an amalgamate form of concrete, metal, and glass. By all rights, he shouldn’t even be able to move, much less think or talk, but he does, animated by the same mysterious force he passes on to the materials he controls. He ignores most human concerns, having no need to breathe, eat, or rest, and his body is incredibly strong and resilient. When damaged, Dr. Metropolis can rapidly “repair” himself using his powers, drawing substance from the urban materials around him, if need be. Dr. Metropolis can “meld” into any city structure, his body passing harmlessly into it and disappearing. While melded with the city, he can sense ongoing trouble that harms the city (tracking for radiation, sensing the use of superhuman powers, or even listening for a particular sound) and then reform at the site of the problem. He also has a powerful “empathy” with cities, Freedom City in particular. He can sense things happening throughout the city, sometimes in the form of visions, but usually as vague premonitions of important events. Metropolis can bend the physical structure of a city to his will, animating and reshaping parts of it. At Dr. Metropolis’ command, lampposts reach down to grab fleeing criminals; streets buckle and ripple like waves; broken window-glass fails to touch innocent bystanders; and sidewalks grow hands to restrain opponents. No matter what happens, Dr. Metropolis makes sure everything goes back to normal, at least in terms of the physical status of the city. If not for his presence, the Freedom Public Works Department would need ten times the number of personnel working around the clock to keep up with the damage the city sustains. Dr. Metropolis’ powerful “urban empathy” comes with a price: His connection to the urban environment is so strong that he weakens when removed from it for any length of time. A sojourn through a park or greenbelt has little effect, but time out in a rural or wilderness area affects Metropolis like a progressive illness. Within hours, he weakens, and within a day or so lapses into a coma-like state, his form beginning to crumble, rust, and collapse. If this persisted long enough, it is possible Metropolis might not be able to reconstitute himself and would “die” (whatever that means for an entity such as him).

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Dr. Metropolis is an innocent in many regards, a true tabula rasa when he first appeared. Although he is aware of a great deal about Freedom City and its people, human nature is still a mystery to him in many ways. Intensely reasonable, his manner can seem brusque, even cold, but is merely reserved. Metropolis does indeed experience the full range of emotions, although some of the darkest amongst humans, like hatred, are difficult for him to understand. Dr. Metropolis treats Freedom City much as a gardener tends his prize garden, or a caretaker the property in his charge. He seeks to not only protect and repair the city, but to preserve its character and history, while also advancing its best qualities. The places and buildings of Freedom are as individual to Metropolis as the people (more so, in some regards), and some of them are creations of his imagination, the works of a great urban artist.

Current Location

Freedom City

Year of Birth

1993

Eyes

Green (Glass)

Hair

None

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Granite

Height

6'

Weight

400lbs

Aligned Organization

Freedom League