Red Rush

Character Information

Real name: Josef

Occupation: Adventurer

Identity: Secret

Legal status: Citizen of Russia with no criminal record

Known aliases: None

Place of birth: Unrevealed

Marital status: Unrevealed

Known relatives: None

Group affiliation: The Guardians of the Globe

Base of operations: The Guardians of the Globe Headquarters, Utah

Height: 5' 11"

Weight: 180 lbs

Hair: Auburn

Eyes: Brown

Strength level: Red Rush possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height and build who engaged in regular exercise.

History

Almost nothing is known about the background of the Red Rush. How he got his ability of super-speed is a mystery. It is possible he was born a mutant, or that he was a test subject for genetic engineering experiments by the Russian or soviet government, or that he was mutated through exposure to intense radiation from a nuclear accident, such as the Chernobyl disaster. Possibly, he simply received his powers through a one in a million freak accident.

Creating a masked identity for himself, the Red Rush became Russia's greatest crimefighter, based in the nation's capital, Moscow. The name of his costumed persona is derived from his red costume and superhuman speed. The American news media translated his Russian alias as Red Rush, as a pun on his national origins: he was a rushing Russian. (The color red was also popularly associated with Communism in the Soviet era.)

The Red Rush accumulated a rogues gallery of colorful costumed adversaries, such as Kursk, who repeatedly tried and failed to elaborate efforts to capture and kill him.

In his true identity, the Red Rush was romantically involved with a patient, loving woman whose has not been reveled. It is not known whether they were married or not. She knew his dual identity and was fondly tolerant of his insistence on squeezing as much crimefighting at super-speed into his day as possible. (She was known to joke that sometimes she wished he was a slowpoke who never got anywhere on time, instead.)

The Red Rush's fame spread far beyond Russia, and he became a member of Earth's leading team of superhuman champions, the original Guardians of the Globe. The Red Rush's amazing career came to a sudden stop when he was betrayed and murdered by his ally Omni-Man..

Powers and Abilities

Red Rush possessed the superhuman capability to move at great speeds. He was able to alter the composition of his atoms in such a way as to affect his body's ability to travel at fantastic velocities. Red Rush appeared able to mentally control this on a bodily level, so that (for example) all his atoms could be given a net gain in inertia in just one direction. This allowed him to move his entire body at great speeds simply by willing it. His body was particularly sturdy, resilient to the stresses and effects of high speed travel. The extreme strengthening of normal physical processes was due to subtle changes in mass and energy within each atom of his body. His ability to breathe normally while moving at greaat speeds was achieved via smart atoms creating a protective barrier around him that compensated for changes in pressure and resistance while actively altering oxygen molecules for normal absorption into his body, which enabled Red Rush to travel at speeds of well over 400 mph and maintaining them for hours at a time without any adverse effects. The Red Rush's practical reaction times were about 10 times faster than an Olympic level athlete, and the speed at which his brain processed information was heightened to a level equaling his bodily speed, enabling him to perceive his surroundings while traveling at high velocities.