Nobody knows where the Supra-Man came from. Preliminary research by the United States government has returned nothing but the following: he seems to have leapt out of the pages of an old cancelled comic book from the late 1930s. The work had all the makings of a hit, but with the emergence of superheroes in the real world, nobody wanted to read about fictional ones.
As for the superhuman upending the status quo in cities around America? Little is known publicly. His alias, logo, bright red cape, and powers correspond roughly to those of the obscure protagonist featured in the old funny book - but can the same be said of his intentions? Eyewitness reports describe him as a reassuring presence, a guardian angel who darts in to help those in need against danger. He helps with everything he can, his utter invulnerability contributing to a devil-may-care attitude when dealing with authority figures. No one can say for sure who or what he is - but they're all glad to have him around.
The truth is far more complex.
Robert Adams - Bob - is not his real name. That name is forgotten, left in the future from whence he came.
A possible world distant from the now, the Earth of Tomorrow was a place of plenty and peace - but also, repressed decay. Static and incapable of change, its society soon faced devastation, the rigid orthodoxy that had overtaken its superhuman population contributing to the decline. Unable to deal with a world-ending threat, a family of scientists made an impossible decision -
- sending their only son back in time, where he might survive and avert the devastation that had befallen the future. To dream new dreams and find a better way forward - that is his destiny. Found on the outskirts of Gothic City and taken into foster care, he grew up in a challenging environment, but was nonetheless possessed by an unshakeable optimism.
A true posthuman, his body manufactures and emits powerful energies that allow him to accomplish mighty feats. With the development of his powers comes instinctual memories - he began to remember the future world he came from.
His task is to build an even better one.
The transhuman engineering of the future imbued the distant population of Far Earth with unquestionable vitality. Each generation developed specialized glands which could release drug-like substances to induce adaptive change in the body - the most advanced of which being capable of developing spontaneous superpowers as a defense mechanism. Robert's trip through time necessitated adaptations the likes of which Far Earth had never seen, amplifying his innate durability and saturating his cells with energy-absorbing microstructures.
The most potent aspect of his posthumanity has been dubbed the Alpha Effect.
The natural trend of all matter in the universe is towards entropy. Entropy is the measure of matter which cannot produce work - that which causes it to lose heat and energy as it goes about its daily function. Eventually, the theory states, entropy will result in the heat death of the universe - everything will reach thermal equilibrium and nothing will move. Entropy is what causes us to grow old, the fatal flaw in all things which promises decline over time.
Robert's body is anti-entropic. He actually produces and emits energy in violation of the second law of thermodynamics, the apex of far-future engineering capable of undoing entropy itself.
As such, he can continually produce power. This power has supercharged his muscular structure and heightened his senses beyond human capacities, enabling him to catch bullets, leap above the clouds, crush steel in his hands, and more. He can perceive the smallest changes in his environment and pick up on cries of distress from many miles away. It also provides his body with a constant supply of energy needed for critical life functions, including healing from injury. He is a self-sufficient biological system, a thermodynamic miracle.
This power must be expended. It calls for use, growth. Thus it is always escaping from him in one way or another, be it through heat, light, or muscular expenditure. Through concentration, he can emit focused rays of intense heat and light from his eyes. His body is continually adjusting itself; sleep is actually a period of doubled renewal, in which his dreams scrape dimensions previously unknown to humankind. The glands of his advanced brain can be stimulated to alter his appearance...after a period of a month, give or take, he can change the way he looks to others.
The anti-entropy aura his body exudes has done more than heighten his physical endurance. It also constrains his power, ensuring that his high-speed movements do not devastate his environment. This process is entirely natural, a product of his quick-acting adaptation to the present. The anti-entropy effect is embodied in him, and it has also affected his mind - unlike humans, who must continually work to avoid a condition of suffering, Robert's mind seems to have been instilled with a perpetual optimism. Just as his body is always healing itself, so too is his fundamental sense of hope - his will not only to live, but improve his situation - constantly renewed.
Robert's bulk apperception dwarfs that of a 21st Century human being. His comprehension, memory, reaction time, and cognition are all enhanced.
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