Blackbird



Childhood
Blackbird was born August 25, 1988, in the town of Av Himlen on the planet Aetius. He is the son of two well-respected superheroes: Fireball (father) and Mistress (mother). He never knew his real name until he was much older (only his parents knew his name, naturally), but he goes by the name of “Tiny,” coined by a family friend at the time of his birth. Reason for the nickname is simple: being the smallest baby in the infirmary, the name was a natural fit. He quickly grew into his body, however, and as an adult now, his body size is similar to that of other adults on his home planet.

Aetius is home to a race of bird-like meta-humans. Aetius has been colonized for thousands of years, with early colonists looking more human than the current generation of Aetians do, who look more bird-like. The first birdman was the result of the consummation of a woman and the bird god Avalerion. Since then, each successive generation has been less and less human (in terms of overall genetic makeup), though no one will ever be less than 20% human. Blackbird's genetic makeup is 70/30 bird.

At 3 years old, Tiny’s powers started to fully manifest. One day, while playing with some of his friends outside, fire flew from his hands and ended up burning one of his friends. Distraught at what had just occurred, Tiny quickly returned home to tell his parents what happened. Upon hearing the news, his parents realized that their son had something special. His father, therefore, decided that this power should be controlled and also used responsibly. It didn’t take long for Tiny to learn how to control the fire; he was young enough where it was relatively easy to do so. Had he been a little older, this could’ve become unstable and would’ve therefore been harder to control, if not impossible. After learning to control the fire, his father bestowed him with one very important piece of advice, which he has since lived by: “Power breeds responsibility. Use it correctly and it will never betray you.”

Also among his unique powers are super strength (unaware of until the age of 12) and the ability of flight, the latter of which is possessed by his mother as well (Tiny started manifesting black wings at 2 years old, but couldn’t fly until he was 4.) He is also able to survive in space without oxygen. It is the result of a mutation that some inhabitants have acquired, though the mutation doesn't fully manifest itself until the individual hits adulthood. There is also a secondary effect to the mutation, though how it affects everyone (who has it) is completely different. For Tiny, his secondary effect has greatly increased his flight speed. He is able to travel 10 times the speed of light while in space, but he’s maxed at Mach 2 (1522 mph) while he’s on any planet.

After Tiny turned 4 years old, his wings began growing with his body a little more. Wanting to teach him how to fly, Mistress decided that the easiest way to do so was to take him to the roof of their house and train him there. It started out with Mistress throwing him only a few feet into the air in hopes that he would flap his wings and hover there for a second or two. It took some getting used to, but eventually, Tiny started hovering for longer periods of time. Mistress, then, started flying around their property while holding Tiny. What she was hoping for was that he would start flapping his wings in rhythm with hers and gain a feel for what it’s like to fly. He did just that and eventually, was released from his mother’s arms and, not knowing what to do, panicked. He started frantically flapping as hard as he could, hoping maybe he could stop his momentum and hover long enough for his mom to retake him in her arms. Seeing her son struggle to stay in the air, Mistress quickly swooped down and grabbed him. She then continued with her drill until Tiny’s fear subsided. It didn’t take long for it to go away because he soon realized that nothing bad would happen to him as long as his mother was around. It was after this realization that he started flying around without assistance. As he got older, he developed advanced flying techniques, dive-bombing being just one of many.

War and Escape
Three years later, at age 7, Fireball took Tiny to see the martial arts master Menthu. Menthu was given the responsibility of training Tiny. Through training, Fireball hoped that one day his son would become a great superhero much like him and his wife. At the very least, Tiny was to learn self-discipline. Four months into training, civil war erupted in Av Himlen. A resistance group, who called themselves “The Crew,” rose up trying to overthrow the government. Many well-respected heroes, including Fireball and Mistress, joined forces with the government’s military to try to crush the insurgency. Seven months into the war, in the midst of a very heavy night battle, Fireball and Mistress both died. Word spread through the town very quickly and when it reached Menthu, he was forced to take himself and Tiny and flee the planet as he felt that it was no longer safe. They took an escape pod from a nearby science facility and made haste for Earth.

Training
Soon thereafter, the escape pod landed on Earth about a mile outside of Gotham City. Upon reaching Gotham, Menthu and Tiny decided to settle in the dark city, as it was the closest civilization to them and they were unfamiliar with their new surroundings. Training continued on the outskirts of Gotham for 3 years, until Tiny was 10 years old. Upon turning 10, Menthu, seeing just how much progress Tiny had made in such a short time, decided it was time to train him in weapons.

One day, during a routine training session, Menthu brought out Fireball’s old Bo (which Menthu acquired from the messenger that gave the news that Fireball had died) and gave it to Tiny to have. After handing the staff to Tiny, Menthu had something very important to tell him: the person who killed his parents is someone by the name of Carla Aderyn, aka “Shadow Sniper.” He explained to Tiny that during the war, she was solely responsible for killing them. If she didn’t want to become the ruler of Av Himlen, the war never would have happened, his parents would still be alive and they wouldn’t have had to flee to Earth.

Tiny quickly recognized that this staff was that of his dad’s, and gladly took it. He vowed to use it with honor and follow in his parents’ footsteps and fight evil. He also wanted to avenge his parents’ deaths and vowed to bring Carla to justice one day and restore order on his home planet. After 2 additional years of training with the staff, Tiny was finally proficient enough that Menthu stopped training and had one final test: defeating him in a duel. Knowing this may be one of the few chances he has to prove himself, Tiny accepted the challenge. The duel was intense. Both fighters traded blow after blow with neither giving up the advantage. It wasn’t until Menthu tried his signature move, something he called the "reverse flashkick," that Tiny finally gained the upper hand. With the flashkick ready to connect, Tiny caught Menthu’s leg in midair and with one fell swoop, flung him to the ground. Menthu was sent through the ground about 10 feet, creating a hole about 4 feet across where his body connected with the ground. Tiny had no idea that he had that much power, but this display of power felt good to him. It was just one more thing at his disposal to use for fighting villains. Menthu quickly climbed out of the hole that was made in the ground; though it was clear he was visibly shaken up. Nevertheless, he was impressed by Tiny’s agility and strength, and decided to end the duel.

The end of the duel also signaled the end of Tiny’s training, at which time Tiny was allowed to go out on his own when he felt like it. Menthu knew that Tiny was responsible enough, even at 12 years old, to do what was right and avoid trouble.

Madness in Metropolis
When Blackbird was 21, he started becoming more proactive in his heroing duties. One day, while in Metropolis on vacation, he witnessed an event that would eventually lead to joining up with a group of like-minded heroes. As he was sitting on a bench in Centennial Park, taking in the sun that was beating down on the ground on a warm spring day, he was soon attacked by a woman. After a brief tussle with her, he was able to fight her off and immediately took to the sky to survey the surroundings. What he saw surprised him; everyone had seemingly lost control of their own bodies and were running around attacking one another. He took off and began scouting the city, trying to locate the source of the disturbance. As he was flying, he saw a flash of light out of the corner of his left eye. Following the direction of the light, he was led to the coast. There, he met a fellow hero named Silence. After being told what was going on, Blackbird saw some smoke off in the distance, in the direction of Stryker's Penetentiary. Blackbird and Silence took off towards the prison.

Landing on the edge of the prison, they are met by another hero, a woman who appeared to be half-human/half-lizard. She introduced herself as Azurei. She asked what was going on and Blackbird filled her in on the madness in Metropolis. Blackbird and the others then began taking down rioting prisoners, trying to restore order and find the true source. There were other heroes present as well: Supreme Will, Manic Harbinger, Whirl-Wind, Breakneck, Eccentric Zoom, Psi, and Justice. Together, they all began taking down the prisoners, trying to restore order. After a while, Blackbird saw a villain by the name of Mind Droid standing over a bloodied and defeated Eccentric Zoom. After a brief battle, Blackbird was able to take Mind Droid down and took Eccentric Zoom to the roof of the prison to recover. Meanwhile, the other heroes had their hands full with the villain Parasite, who they eventually took down.

After the exterior of the prison was cleared, Blackbird and the others made their way inside the prison to finish up. Justice, after being tipped off about Gorilla Grodd inside the prison as the main source, was able to take Grodd down relatively easily. Blackbird and Whirl-Wind found an unconscious Silence inside one of the prison cells and helped him to his feet, where shortly beforehand Silence had taken down a man by the name of The Warden with a major psychic blast. Once they were finished in the prison, all of the heroes exited where the Justice League were waiting. Supreme Will explained to Wonder Woman that they were the ones who had quelled the uprising, to which Wonder Woman commended them on a job well done.

Return to Av Himlen
Having established a life on Earth, Blackbird began searching for a way to get home; he wanted to avenge his parents death by taking down Shadow Sniper. One day, while in his secret lair The Birdcage, he began looking through a number of databases and searching for both his home planet and a means to get there. He ended up finding his home planet of Aetius located 20 light years away from Earth, and also a science facility to get him home. He ends up heading to the NASA Science Center in Florida. It is there that NASA has a ship built that is able to get Blackbird home in 6 months, due to vast improvements in space travel.

When he finally lands on the surface of Aetius, Blackbird steps out and surveys his surroundings. Nothing is like he remembers it when he was last there 15 years prior. After seeing the destruction that has been caused, he notices a giant temple in the distance, which he assumed must be the home of Shadow Sniper. He proceeds towards the temple steps, quickly dispatching of the guards that were at the base of the steps. He then makes his way to the top of the steps and heads inside the temple.

Inside, he sees Shadow Sniper, high up on her throne. A giant battle ensues between the two, with Blackbird having the upper hand for the most part. He was stronger and quicker than Sniper was. He did stumble at one point, though. Sniper took advantage of his mishap by grabbing a sword and thrusting it towards his heart. Blackbird recovered just in time to see the sword about to pierce his chest and stopped Sniper's hand before the tip of the sword could reach his chest. Using his strength, he pushed her back and began an all-out assault in which Sniper couldn't recover. Having knocked her unconscious, Blackbird pulled out a sedative and injected it into Sniper's neck, knocking her fully unconscious. Blackbird knew that the sedative was only good for a couple hours, so he had to work quickly. Wanting to look for possible survivors, Blackbird made his way towards some steps in the back right corner that led down to the dungeon.

When Blackbird reached the dungeon, he was met with resistance in the form of more guards. He quickly dispatched of them and then continued looking for anybody he could find. As soon as he reached the end of the hallway, he heard someone call out for help. He turned to find his childhood friend Cammy Vogel locked up with her hands shackled to the wall. He quickly broke through the door, rushed to her side, freed her hands and asked what had happened. She explained everything that had happened to her since he had left 15 years prior. She explained that she had been captured and tested on. After having 1000 volts of electricity surge through her body, it changed her molecular structure and she could now harness the power of electricity and lightning from her hands. She fought her way out of the temple and back into hiding. After crafting a new suit and guns that were powered by her lightning powers, she had struck back at Sniper as the hero "Jolt." Attempting to take on Sniper, Jolt explained that she was defeated, locked up and suffered brutal beatings once a month at the hands of both Sniper and one of her guards because Sniper thought that Jolt knew where Blackbird was, but she had no clue. Once Jolt was finished with her story, Blackbird carried her out of the dungeon and back to the main floor, where Sniper laid unconscious. Jolt regained her strength and was able to get herself to the ship while Blackbird carried Sniper, who was slung over his shoulder.

Blackbird originally wanted to transport Shadow Sniper back to Earth, but at the urge of Jolt, and also knowing that Sniper would be conscious within a couple hours, decided against it. Instead, he created a makeshift prison out of a lot of giant rock columns. He places the columns about an inch apart and in a circular fashion. Once he finished, he placed Sniper at the bottom of the "prison." With Sniper locked away, Blackbird hoped that the people of Av Himlen can retake the city and turn it back into a democracy. He then turned and headed over to his ship so that him and Jolt could head back to Earth.

Before reaching the ship, however, Blackbird got to thinking about the technology on the planet. He knew that his race was more technologically advanced than the people on Earth were, so he wanted to see if there were any improvements in the past 15 years. He came across an abandoned science facility. The inside looked like it hadn't even been touched because everything there looked to be in great condition. After looking around for half an hour, Jolt came looking for Blackbird wondering where he went. After finding him in the science center, she showed Blackbird how much improvement there has been in the past 15 years. She shows him a pair of teleporters and tells him to go stand on one, proving that they worked, with no ill side effects. After testing them out, Blackbird took one of them and tucked it away deep underground where no one would find it. He took the other teleporter with him so it could be placed in his lair on Earth, which would then provide quick, easy travel back to Aetius should he feel the need to do so. With teleporter in hand, Blackbird and Jolt finally begin to head back to the ship for their journey back to Earth.

Inside the ship, Blackbird set the reverse course for Earth. After the ship took off and began its course back to Earth, him and Jolt went into the makeshift bedroom to enter another deep, coma-like sleep. He was at peace now that his parents' deaths were avenged, his nemesis was locked away (for what he hoped would be a fairly long time) and he was reunited with his childhood friend (now girlfriend) turned hero.

The Invasion and The Vanguardians
A year had passed since Blackbird had returned home and freed his hometown of Av Himlen from his arch-enemy Shadow Sniper. He ended her reign of terror and freed his childhood friend (now girlfriend) Cammy Vogel (aka Jolt) and they were now living together in Gotham City.

One night, while he was in his lair, The Birdcage, he saw a news report saying that Solomon Grundy had escaped from Arkham Asylum. It had appeared that numerous other villains had also escaped from Arkham, with Grundy being one of many. As he was leaving to take down Grundy, Jolt was all suited up and prepared to go with him as she saw the news report as well. Blackbird convinced her to stay at home and protect it in case anyone came that way. She obliged knowing that he knew what he was talking about.

Catching up with Grundy, a battle ensued between the two. Both fighters were powerhouses, so the hits one another took were full of force and each one hurt. After a while, Blackbird realized that he wouldn't be able to wear down Grundy on his own. As he continued battling, Electron had arrived to help him. Blackbird recognized him from the battle at Stryker's Prison in Metropolis, where he and a group of other heroes had taken down an uprising. Together, the two were able to outsmart Grundy and take him down relatively easily. After the battle, the two heroes said their goodbyes as Electron returned to Metropolis and Blackbird took Grundy back to Arkham Asylum before returning home.

The next day, Blackbird and Jolt were at the park in Gotham attending a free performance put on by some street performers. After the performance, they decided to go out for lunch at a nearby outdoor restaurant. Blackbird's identity is publicly known, so it came as no surprise that the waiter recognized him when he came to take their order. As they were sitting down eating their meal, about halfway through it, a giant shadow began covering Downtown Gotham. A giant ship had arrived and robotic-looking aliens were pouring out of the hatches of the ship, wrecking havoc on the city. Blackbird and Jolt quickly sprung into action, ditching their civilian outfits and revealing their hero costumes. Before they took off in separate directions, an arrow was released from a different hatch on the side of the ship, headed straight for Jolt's heart. Blackbird calmly caught it and noticed poison on the tip, realizing that his nemesis Shadow Sniper was on the ship with the aliens.

She hopped out of the ship and spotted Blackbird immediately. She referenced the aliens as her "new friends" and then called for a group of them to surround Blackbird and take him down. With Blackbird pre-occupied, Sniper leapt away, heading to a different part of the city. As he was battling, Blackbird was joined by other heroes, some he knew previously and others he didn't know. Joining in the fray, helping to beat back the alien invasion, were Lightkeeper, Pyra, Silence, ArachKnight, Electron, Eccentric Zoom, Breakneck and Mega Thunder. Blackbird and Lightkeeper dispatched a group of aliens before Blackbird briefed Lightkeeper on the situation. He explained that Shadow Sniper had arrived with the aliens and that he was the one she wanted, so he must take her on alone. He mentioned that he didn't exactly know why she came to Earth, but he was determined to find out. After being joined by Pyra, the three headed to Blackbird's neighborhood after Blackbird received a call from Jolt mentioning that the area was being attacked.

As it turns out, the robotic aliens were only a distraction for the actual aliens themselves. These aliens were living, breathing beings with protective armor and were much more deadly. Arriving at his neighborhood with Pyra and Lightkeeper, Blackbird noticed 5 aliens hovered over Jolt, ready to kill her. Forcing them off of her, and containing them momentarily in a ring of fire, he helped Jolt to her feet before having her scout the city looking for Shadow Sniper. With her safe and now looking for his nemesis, Blackbird went to work dispatching the aliens that were attacking. After they were down, Blackbird went into his house to grab some anti-venom vials which he would need for the impending battle before taking off to look for Sniper.

He stopped in Crime Alley where some thugs were hanging around. One of the thugs approached him, knife drawn. Blackbird quickly disarmed the thug before dislocating his elbow and forcing information out of him as to the current location of Sniper. After some forceful coaxing, the thug explained that she had stopped by earlier, saying that she wanted to build her ranks. The thugs laughed at her, at which time she killed three of them: two with her sword and another by nailing him in the head with an arrow fired from her bow. He said that she had taken off towards Blackgate Penitentiary, at which time Blackbird left the thug that he bruised and battered to suffer as he went to hunt down Sniper.

After a few minutes, he caught up with Shadow Sniper, who was walking on the bridge leading to the prison. After a brief discussion about why she arrived on Earth, the two battled. Early on, Sniper had the upper hand. She had sent Blackbird into the road of the bridge, dazing and disorienting him. She nocked and fired an arrow towards Blackbird, hoping that it would pierce his skull and kill him. Blackbird, however, was playing coy with her. He knew what was going on, and ended up catching the arrow before it got close to his head. Breaking the arrow's shaft in half, Blackbird grabbed the upper hand in the fight by going on an assault of Sniper. After trading blows, he prevented Sniper from getting another shot in. He took her to the ground and after pinning her, knocked her out. Now that she was defeated, he transported her to Arkham to be incarcerated.

After she was taken care of, Blackbird went back to Downtown where he saw the rest of the heroes together and the mothership that brought the alien armada gone. They had beat back the invasion and the heroes realized that their being brought together again was not a coincidence. They decided then and there to join up as a team and thus, The Vanguardians were born.

Marriage
Six months after Blackbird beat back an alien invasion and defeated his hated nemesis Shadow Sniper for a second time, the relationship between him and Jolt began getting a little more serious than it previously had been. One night, while laying on a rooftop, looking at the stars, a shooting star streaked across the sky. Jolt told Blackbird to make a wish, at which time Blackbird wished to make Jolt his wife. That night, while they were asleep at home, Blackbird was woken up by Mother Superior, a telepath who lived in Av Himlen, his hometown. She mentioned how she had watched the relationship between Blackbird and Jolt grow and evolve over the past year and a half and thought that it would be a good idea if they were joined in marriage. Blackbird mentioned that he indeed wanted to marry Jolt and said how the shooting star he saw was a possible sign that it should happen. Mother Superior replied saying that she indeed thought that it was a possibility and set a date for five months from then to hold the ceremony.

The next day, Blackbird left the house very early in the morning to think about what Mother Superior had told him the night before through their telepathic conversation. He knew that the marriage was going to happen, and didn't want to keep Jolt in the dark about it the entire time. As he was perched on the edge of a rooftop, a siren rang through the sky. About 12 hours earlier, Blackbird had ignored a similar siren after seeing the Bat Signal, deciding to let Batman handle it. This siren, however, he wasn't going to ignore. Diving towards the ground, he quickly spotted a getaway car leaving a jewelry store. Grabbing the bumper of the car, he picked it up and slammed it to the ground, before grabbing the two thugs and ascending about 50 feet in the air. After intimidating them a little bit, he knocked them out and grabbed the bag of jewels. Once he returned the jewels and escorted the thugs to jail, he headed back home so that he could tell Jolt what was going to go on.

Returning home, he spotted a note on the table just inside the door. It was a ransom note from Scaramouche and Bismillah, two twins who were expert criminals. They had kidnapped Jolt and were demanding $500,000, money which Blackbird didn't have. The note said that he had two weeks. Figuring out that the twins probably tailed them home last night, he slammed his fist on the table, breaking it. Calming down, he pocketed the note and dialed up Pyra, one of his teammates on The Vanguardians, needing her help.

The two heroes and friends met in Centennial Park in Metropolis minutes later. Showing her the note, Blackbird explained that he thought that the money wasn't important at all to the twins. It was a moot point and he was the one that they really wanted. He said that Jolt probably didn't go down without a fight when she was being abducted and that the twins probably figured out a way to render her electric powers useless. When Pyra asked how the twins knew she could harness the power of electricity and lightning, Blackbird said that she had been with him on a number of occasions when he took on Scaramouche and Bismillah, so they saw her powers first-hand. After having lunch together to plan, the two heroes went back to Pyra's apartment to draw up more battle plans and possible escape routes, should they be necessary.

That night, they went to Suicide Slums where Jolt was being held. They reached a building with a skylight on it. Blackbird instructed Pyra to wait at the skylight until he gave her the signal to crash through it and join the fight. Walking through the door, he immediately spotted Scaramouche. Asking where their money was, Blackbird quipped asking if his courier ever showed up. Scaramouche snapped back saying that he never saw a courier. After pressing a button on some crane controls, Jolt was brought into view. She was in a rubber suit and her hands were tied behind her back and she had tape over her mouth so she couldn't scream. Grabbing his Bo, Blackbird motioned for Pyra to join the fray. She crashed through the window and went straight for Jolt. Bismillah, in his dark blue power armor, interrupted her, sending her flying hard into a wall. Watching Pyra take a hard hit, Blackbird got a serious look on his face, starting his assault of the twins. Quickly taking down Scaramouche, Pyra regained herself and stood at Blackbird's side looking down at one of the twins. Blackbird told Pyra to free Jolt while he kept Bismillah occupied.

Reaching Jolt, Pyra called over to Blackbird saying that there was a bomb strapped to Jolt and they only had 3 minutes to free her before they were all blown sky-high. Working quickly, Pyra was able to untie the bomb from Jolt's body and tossed it through the skylight, seconds before it exploded. After freeing Jolt from her rubber prison, the two heroines joined Blackbird in the fight. Together, they were able to take down Bismillah, after which time, Blackbird collapsed on the floor, out of breath and energy and in pain.

While Pyra took the twins to prison, Jolt tended to Blackbird. She asked him why he had left so early in the morning, and Blackbird explained the conversation he had with Mother Superior. Asking if she wanted to get married, Jolt was ecstatic, immediately saying "yes." When she asked when the ceremony was, Blackbird told her it was in 5 months time. Once he recovered, the three heroes stayed at Pyra's for the night so that Blackbird could fully recover.

Three months later, Blackbird and Jolt, while watching television, were visited telepathically by Mother Superior. She asked how many they were expecting to be there and what the dress code will be. After saying that only 3 others would be there, Blackbird was then asked if he remembered how the ceremony was run. He said that he had been on Earth for so long that he forgot as he hadn't witnessed one of Aetius' rituals in a long time. Jolt knew how it was run, however, so she was in charge of explaining to Blackbird what the ceremony entailed. Once the conversation was done, the married couple-to-be resumed watching their television program.

Two months after the final preparations were set, Blackbird and Jolt were busy setting up their house for the company that would be coming by in a few short hours. After getting their house set, they went out for a quick bite to eat, knowing that Mother Superior would arrive very shortly. Returning home, they were greeted by Mother Superior, a white bird/woman. Soon thereafter, Blackbird's teammates, Pyra, Electron and Maiden America arrived at his house. With everyone now there, Mother Superior decided to start the ceremony.

In order for the ceremony to succeed, Blackbird and Jolt, with the help from Mother Superior, had to appeal to Aetius' god Avalerion. Avalerion had to deem the couple worthy before they were officially made husband and wife. After repeating the ceremonial chant, Blackbird and Jolt's souls were joined together as one, meaning that Avalerion has heard them and has allowed for the marriage to take place. After it was completed, they were congratulated by Pyra and the other Vanguardians who had arrived to witness the marriage. Now that they were officially married, Blackbird and Jolt started the next part of their life together.

Note: the marriage ceremony that joins two individuals together is eternal. There exists no divorce once two individuals from Aetius are joined in marriage.

Riddle Me This
Wanting to keep himself sharp and focused, Blackbird spent time in The Vanguardians Headquarters inside the training room. Loading up 10 enemies, he used them a a training tool to make sure that he was up to par. As he was halfway through his workout, his communicator rang. Pausing his simulation, he answered it. Pyra was in Keystone City and needed Blackbird's help. She found a dead body, but was unable to find a possible cause of death.

Arriving in Keystone City, Blackbird and Pyra looked at the scene, though finding nothing. Blackbird then, found black spots on the stomach and legs. They decided to take the body back to Blackbird's place for further observation. Using a black light, Blackbird scanned the spots on the body. The spots began turning different colors before turning black once again. Blackbird then concluded that this person was killed by the Snuff, an undead magician that usually places spells upon his victims as his trademark.

A little while later, Cammy entered The Birdcage with a letter, handing it to Blackbird. Opening it, the letter was a riddle by the villain Madness. The letter gave the current location of Snuff and Madness, but in order to find them, they must first figure out the riddle.

That night, Blackbird and Pyra scanned the sky for the constellations that are in the letter. Blackbird then figured out that the constellations weren't what they were looking for. He mentioned that the letter referred to two restaurants in Keystone City, which made sense considering that was where Pyra found the body. The two then took off for Keystone, hoping to find and stop the two villains.

Arriving in Keystone City, they find the Cassiopeia Cafe and hover above the roof of the restaurant. They find the second restaurant mentioned, the Polaris Pizzeria about 50 feet east of their location. Looking over the letter one final time, Pyra comes to the conclusion that their desired location sits in-between the two buildings, about 25 feet away. They soon come across a building that looks very rundown and worn on the outside. Entering the building, they are met with a very different view than what is on the outside.

Once they entered, a man with white face paint, dressed in a maroon outfit with a lime green jacket hops on the nearby television. The man was Madness. He mentioned that as soon as they entered the building, they triggered a timer on a bomb. In order to reach him and Snuff, they had to solve 5 riddles. Blackbird and Pyra had one hour.

The two heroes solve the first two riddles fairly easily before being stumped on the third. As they tried to figure out how to solve it, the room began getting colder by the second. Blackbird said that Snuff must've charmed the rooms. Pyra lit a fire and placed it around her body as well as standing close to Blackbird's body, to the point that she almost wrapped her arms around him to try and trade off heat. Meanwhile, Blackbird, after 20 minutes, figured out how to solve the riddle. After solving the fourth riddle, they came upon the bomb, which was integrated into a briefcase and proved to be their final puzzle. They were able to solve the riddle and stop the timer on the bomb with 1 second remaining.

Entering the final room, Blackbird and Pyra finally faced off with Snuff and Madness. Snuff, after a while, imbued Pyra with a mind control spell. He turned her on Blackbird, forcing the two heroes to fight each other. Both of the villains watched as Blackbird and Pyra tried to put one another down. As Blackbird attempted to put Pyra down by putting her in a sleeper hold, Madness pulled out a whip from his jacket and sent it cracking towards Blackbird, hitting him in the wrist and forcing him to let go of Pyra. After another brief tussle, and Madness being inadvertently knocked out after Pyra threw Blackbird into him, Blackbird was finally able to knock out Pyra after putting her in another sleeper hold.

It was then one on one as Blackbird and Snuff went at it. Blackbird was able to quickly dispatch of Snuff. After the battle, Blackbird went back over to help Pyra to her feet. She had no recollection of what had just happened. Blackbird then, after taking care of the two villains and dialing up Cammy, followed Pyra back to her place in Metropolis and stayed with her for the night as support.

A Blast From The Past
Blackbird and Jolt are invited to participate in the first ever "Star City Heroic Tournament." It was a tournament of 64 heroes, with the winner receiving a trophy with their name engraved on it. There is no monetary value, just prestige. Blackbird and Jolt ended up squaring off in the finals, with Jolt winning after using her guns to create a stream of electricity that she then used to choke out Blackbird, taking his air supply away and knocking him unconscious.

Once they got home, they placed the trophy in The Birdcage near Blackbird's former costumes along with his father's Bo. Blackbird then began drawing up a new costume after his current one was torn beyond repair in the tournament. After a while, he settled on a design that he was happy with. Before he could begin to gather materials for his costume, he was contacted by Mother Superior. She mentioned that she was tracking a man by the name of "Savage" and he was headed for Arkham Asylum to initiate a breakout. Blackbird, putting on his current costume for the final time, took off to confront and stop Savage.

After a lengthy battle, one which Blackbird took a pounding because of the speed and power of Savage, he eventually came out on top after Savage's serum ran out, reverting him back to his normal form. After having Savage incarcerated in Arkham, Blackbird returned home. He told Cammy that Mother Superior wanted him to return home as she had something important to tell him. Cammy suited up, changing into Jolt and they used the teleporter in The Birdcage to return home to Aetius.

Arriving in Mother Superior's citadel, they both sat down in her quarters as she explained why she called them back home. Blackbird's parents, Fireball and Mistress, were businesspeople who ran a very successful technology company named "Karasu Technologies." Its sole purpose was to advance the quality of life. She mentioned that she was entrusted with their money and when they died, she kept their estate secret, away from the knowledge of Shadow Sniper. Their estate, worth an estimated $750 million, was now Blackbird's as he was the sole surviving heir. After she finished with that, she asked Blackbird if he ever knew his real name. Replying no, Blackbird mentioned that Tiny is all he's ever been called. Mother Superior then said that his real name was Victor Karasu, Jr. He was named after his father, and that up until now, besides his parents, only herself and Master Menthu knew his real name. Before Blackbird and Jolt left, however, Mother Superior had one final thing for him.

Walking into the next room, where Mother Superior keeps watch over the entire universe, she led Blackbird over to a dresser. Opening it up, she showed Blackbird his new costume. It was the same one that he drew up at home, and specified as he wanted it. She said that she watched as he drew up the costume and then had one of her tailors put it together. After putting it on, the screen, written in an ancient that only Mother Superior and a few others know how to decipher and read, came to life. There was a disturbance in Metropolis and she wanted Blackbird to check it out.

After arriving back on Earth, Blackbird and Jolt took off for Metropolis. Upon reaching the city limits, they broke off in different directions, not sure what they were going to find. Blackbird mentioned that he was going to visit a former ally of his named Ion. Blackbird, shortly thereafter, arrived at "The Light," an upscale restaurant owned by Ion. Walking in, he made his way towards the back of the restaurant, where Ion's office was. After he walked in, the two had a quick discussion. Blackbird asked if Ion had seen or heard anything unusual, to which he denied. Blackbird knew Ion was hiding something, but he couldn't assault him in his own restaurant. Upon leaving, Ion dialed up Viper, telling him to contact Eyece as he felt that Blackbird was onto them and they needed to kill him.

Once Blackbird left the restaurant, he had a quick discussion with Mother Superior. She said that she knew all along Ion was the source of the disturbance. She then said Ion and the others were planning on killing him, which didn't surprise Blackbird in the least. Mother Superior said that she would keep an eye on them and warn Blackbird when they were planning to strike. Returning home, Blackbird explained to Jolt his former alliance with Ion and the others, and how they were now planning to kill him.

A couple months later, Mother Superior told Blackbird about Ion and how they were on their way to his house. He dialed up Pyra to help even the odds. After coming up with a plan, all three of them took their places around the house: Jolt taking point by the door, playing the role of scout, while Blackbird and Pyra hid on the roof. After Ion, Viper and Eyece arrived, they were ambushed by Blackbird and Pyra, with Jolt not too far behind. It was a 3 on 3 battle, and after a while, Blackbird, Jolt and Pyra ended up defeating the former members of V.I.B.E. Transporting the three to Blackgate, they then went inside and down to The Birdcage because Blackbird was busy developing a training room and they were finalizing the design of the room.

Attack Of The Rogues
Cammy and Tiny, now with their newfound wealth, have restarted his parents' company. They've named it "Lightning Bird Indsutries," changing the name to preserve his parents name. Tiny is the CEO while Cammy is the CFO. Tiny receives a call from Cammy, who was at home. After a brief discussion (and argument), they ended the phone call. Tiny then dialed up a friend of his: a weapons supplier who lives in San Antonio, Texas, named JT. Tiny mentioned that he wanted a new Bo, and JT replied saying that he could get a new staff to him in a week.

A week later, his Bo arrives. After testing it out, an alarm in his lair activates. After pulling up one of the satellites, Blackbird notices his two most hated enemies, Shadow Sniper and Snuff, being chased by police cruisers, having escaped from Arkham Asylum. Intercepting them, Blackbird was able to easily take them out and take them back to Arkham.

Inside the prison, Sniper says how she's taken on Blackbird 3 times now, and was defeated each time. Snuff was in the next cell, and after teleporting out of his cell and just outside her cell, he freed her. Snuff then began scouring the prison for all of the villains who comprised Blackbird's Rogues Gallery. Sniper, meanwhile, took control of the guard post in that wing of the prison. Once Snuff rounded up the villains, guards flooded the wing, hoping to recapture them. All of the villains, 7 total, were able to kill all of the guards and escape. Arriving in Crime Alley, Snuff disappeared only to reappear a few minutes later, this time with the final 3 villains in Blackbird's Gallery. Now that the group was complete, they began formulating a plan to kill Blackbird.

Blackbird finished up his training room, able to craft it and stabilize it. After running a diagnostics and stability test, he left the training room, happy.

The next day, he received a letter from the mayor of Gotham City. He was invited to a private event for him only, and he was told to wear his hero outfit. The letter was a trap set by Shadow Sniper, but he didn't know that. Showing the letter to Cammy, she warned him that it was probably a trap and he should be mindful of his surroundings.

A few days later, Blackbird took off for Wayne Tower, where the "celebration" was being held. Arriving in the ballroom, he was ambushed by his entire Rogues Gallery. He was able to fight off and defeat 6 of the 10 villains, leaving Shadow Sniper, Snuff, Madness and Savage as the only ones still around. Together, they were able to take down Blackbird, with Snuff taking control of Blackbird's body, preventing him from fighting back. They broke almost all of his ribs and left him severely bruised and bloodied. Blackbird ended up passing out, but before he did, he sent a distress signal out to his Vanguardian teammates, calling for help. Before he could be impaled by Shadow Sniper's sword, Justice and Supreme Will, two of his teammates, arrived on the scene. They were able to easily take down the remaining villains, saving Blackbird. They transported him to the infirmary at The Vanguardians Headquarters, where he was placed in a medically induced coma to minimize the pain. They contacted his wife, Jolt, along with Pyra. Jolt was the first to arrive and when she saw Blackbird's body, she couldn't control her emotions. She tried to fight back tears, but couldn't. When Pyra arrived, Jolt sobbed even more, with Pyra trying to console her. After a few minutes, Jolt was left alone with Blackbird.

Six hours later, Blackbird woke up. After a brief discussion with Jolt, Pyra and the others, Blackbird said that Jolt was in charge of the company until he could recover from his wounds. It would be a month, at most, until he was back on his feet.

Isolation
Following the near death experience at the hands of his Rogues Gallery, Blackbird began having nightmares, reliving that night. The nightmare would repeat itself an average of 10 times per night, creating very restless sleep and doubt about his resolve and psyche. Needing a way to rid himself of the nightmare, Blackbird decided to go into isolation, much to the dismay of Jolt.

Promising Jolt that he would return as quickly as he could, Blackbird left Gotham City and went to a hidden base in Vladivostok, Russia that he created as an emergency base. Upon reaching the base, which is protected by numerous security measures along with a cloaking device, Blackbird shut out all light in the one room base and lit 20 candles that were placed around a large rug. He then proceeded to meditate and enter a state of Zen, clearing his mind.

A month and a half into his isolation, Blackbird was woken up from his Zen state. He was visited by the spirits of his parents and also his martial arts master, Menthu. After a discussion with them, Blackbird came to the realization that he's allowed the near death experience to consume his life. He vowed to never again let an event like this destroy him, instead moving on knowing that there's nothing he can do to change what has already happened.

Once their spirits disappeared, Blackbird locked up the base and proceeded back home to Gotham City. When he got home, he surprised Jolt, who wrapped her arms and legs around his body, ecstatic that he was finally home after 6 weeks away. Blackbird said that he was free of the nightmare and was free to live his life again.

Serenity
Blackbird was contacted by Mother Superior to investigate Metropolis. Initially, nothing was happening, but she needed him to head there to stop whatever would happen before it started. Suiting up, him and Jolt made their way from Gotham to Metropolis. Once they reached the city limits, they broke off in different directions, scouting different sections of Metropolis.

As Blackbird was flying through the Tomorrow District, he noticed two thugs escape from a bank with a bag full of money. Following them into an alleyway, Blackbird quickly took them out and took the money, ready to return it. Walking out of the alley, he was being watched by a woman on a nearby rooftop. Before Blackbird could completely leave the alley, the woman attacked him. After a brief tussle, Blackbird was able to pin her on the ground and get answers from her. She introduced herself as Wyntra. She said that she was tipped off about something in Metropolis and was to investigate. Blackbird mentioned that he was told the same thing from his source. Wyntra then called a friend of hers (and fellow hero) The Earthmother while Blackbird called Jolt. They decided to band together and investigate together as it appeared that they were looking for the same thing.

Hearing a scream, they were able to trace it to a nightclub in Downtown. Police and paramedics were on the scene. They talked with the police chief who mentioned that two bouncers were dead inside the club. Surveying the area where the bodies laid, Blackbird concluded that whoever killed the bouncers used a sword as the gashes were too long to be a knife or dagger wound. Stepping back outside, they talked with one of the girls who was in the nightclub at the time of the attack. She mentioned that she noticed a woman dressed in all silver with a silver mask walk in and sit in one of the corners of the club. She said that shortly thereafter, she lost control of her body and began running and screaming for no apparent reason.

Figuring that the woman in silver was the one they were looking for, Blackbird and the others took off, investigating a different quadrant of Downtown. Wyntra ended up finding the woman, who called herself Disdain, and dialed up Blackbird and the others. After they all arrived on the scene, a battle ensued. Disdain was quickly taken down thanks to The Earthmother, who wrapped her in vines and constricted them, placing an excruciating amount of pressure on her body. Before they could fully defeat Disdain, she escaped, vowing that she would return and that this wasn't the last they've heard of her.

Welcome To The Family
Flying home from a conference on the west coast of the United States, Blackbird received a call from Jolt as he was halfway home. She announced that she was pregnant, having found out earlier in the week while he was at the conference. She didn't want to tell him until the conference he was at was over and he was headed back home.

The next day, Blackbird received a letter in the mail. It didn't have a return address, but once he opened it, he knew exactly who it was from. His nemesis, Shadow Sniper, had a proposition for him. After reading the letter, Blackbird took off for the Blackgate Penitentiary, where Sniper was waiting. She said that he was to surrender his child to her the day it was born, or else she would kill him and Jolt and take the child by force. Refusing, Blackbird promised that Sniper wouldn't get within 100 feet of the hospital room.

Four months later, Blackbird contacted his friends and teammates Pyra and Justice along with his new allies Wyntra and The Earthmother. Collectively, the four of them were going to defend the hospital on the day that Jolt goes into labor. Blackbird also found out, via an ultrasound, that him and Jolt were going to have a girl. They decided to name their daughter Angelina, after Blackbird's mother.

Five months after setting up the necessary defenses, the day finally arrived. Jolt's water broke as she was taking a shower, forcing her to cut the shower short and call for Blackbird. After dialing up Pyra and the others, Blackbird and Jolt headed for Gotham General Hospital. Blackbird and Jolt went into the delivery room as Pyra and Justice defended the exterior and Wyntra and The Earthmother defended the interior of the hospital.

Meanwhile, Blackbird's four most dangerous enemies - Shadow Sniper, Snuff, Savage and Madness - now calling themselves The Fiendish Four, attacked the hospital. Pyra and Justice were able to dispatch Savage and Madness, but were taken down by Snuff. Before he could finish them off, Sniper stopped him, telling him to leave them alone as Blackbird was the one they wanted. Blasting a hole in the hospital roof, the two remaining villains descended into the hospital, only to be confronted by Wyntra and E.M. Noticing that E.M. was also an archer, the two squared off to see who had the better aim. Meanwhile, Wyntra took down Snuff relatively easily thanks to some quick thinking using the storms that she can conjure.

Inside the delivery room, Jolt gave birth to hers and Tiny's daughter, Angelina. Afterwards, Blackbird exited the room to confront Shadow Sniper. Blackbird was able to defeat her easily. He forced information out of her as to how she knew Jolt was pregnant. He then broke her wrist as she was reaching for her sword. After she was taken care of, he helped Pyra and Justice to their feet, who were on the roof, recovering. Before he joined everyone in the delivery room, he banished Snuff back to the Underworld, preventing him from causing terror until he decided to return.

Attrition
A new threat was rising back on Blackbird's home planet of Aetius. A new leader of The Crew had emerged. His name is Paschendale and he was the former right-hand man of Shadow Sniper. He planned to attack Av Himlen, declaring war on them, causing a second civil war. He called upon the leaders of Giao Chu and Lesyeyen to help overthrow Av Himlen.

Mother Superior contacted Blackbird telling him what was being planned, and that he was to head to Av Himlen as quickly as possible and bring backup. Mentioning his newborn daughter, who was only a couple weeks old, Mother Superior said that she would look after Angelina while he was involved in the war. After dialing up Pyra and the others who helped when Jolt was giving birth, they all headed to Av Himlen.

Upon arrival, they saw Paschendale's army gathered about half a mile from Mother Superior's citadel. After dropping off Angelina with Mother Superior, Blackbird and the others joined Av Himlen's army. The commander of the army said that their scout estimated Paschendale's army to be about 100,000 troops strong. Av Himlen's army had about half that number. Not wanting to tarry any longer, Blackbird led the way as the two sides converged on each other.

After a long day's battle, Blackbird called everyone to retreat and regroup. Paschendale had unleashed his secret weapon for the war, which he dubbed "The Equalizer." It was a specialized gun that was able to destroy telepathic shields and also destroy the mind of the individual. He had used it on Pyra, forcing Blackbird to take her to the ground to shield her and call for the retreat. With the day's battle over, Paschendale had a night operation planned for 10 of his troops.

At the camp that Av Himlen's army had made, it was attacked by Paschendale's men. Blackbird and Jolt were able to fight off the attackers at the entrance to the camp before they got through. After the attackers were taken down, Blackbird had a message for Paschendale. He told one of Paschendale's men to tell him that Blackbird and Jolt were coming for him and that they would take him down. He then picked up all 10 men, one by one, and threw them back east, where Paschendale's men were camped for the night.

Five days later, Blackbird and Av Himlen's army had turned the tide of the war. As the fighting raged on, Blackbird noticed Paschendale getting away. He and Jolt took off after him, intercepting him before he got too far away. After a brief battle, Paschendale and Blackbird became locked in a swordfight. Blackbird was able to force Paschendale towards a cliff. He disarmed Paschendale and forced him to the ground, with part of his body hanging over the cliff. Paschendale surrendered, knowing that he was cornered and wouldn't be able to defeat Blackbird and Jolt. After that, he, along with the 25,000 remaining members of The Crew, were all thrown in one of Av Himlen's high security prisons as the war was brought to an end. Paschendale was thrown in solitary confinement, where he would remain for the rest of his life.

Schooling
Between all of the training that he received, Tiny attended school in Gotham. He ended up graduating high school near the top of his class and went on to attend college at Gotham University. He remained under Menthu’s watch until he turned 18, at which time he got his own apartment, though he would frequently visit Menthu for advice until Menthu’s death a year later. In college, Tiny continued to excel. He graduated Gotham University in just 3 years with a structural engineering degree near the top of his class (just like high school.)

While he was in college, Tiny began to design an underground base for himself. He took inspiration from Batman, who he would run into from time to time. The design was to be as technologically advanced as the Batcave, or as near to advanced as Tiny could allow, given his financial position. Once he graduated from college, he moved himself out of his apartment and into a house. Shortly after moving in, he began work on his private quarters. He has dubbed his lair “The Birdcage.” It is there that he tracks the events that are happening throughout not only Gotham, but around the world as well, ready to spring into action should the need arise.

Flight
His wings manifested when he was 2 years old and he could fly at 4 years old. He can travel 10 times the speed of light while in space and a max of Mach 2 (1522 mph) while on any planet, thanks to a mutation in his body that fully manifested once he hit adulthood.

Super-Strength
Blackbird is able to send a normal human being more than a mile through the air. He's also able to lift/maintain objects weighing upwards of 20 tons with relative ease. He can push himself to a maximum of 25 tons if it's necessary to do so.

Expert Martial Artist
Went through 5 years of training and had to win a duel just to complete training. Very adept at hand-to-hand and other forms of martial arts. Also very flexible so he's able to pull off moves that no normal human would ever think about trying. He's mastered 6 forms of martial arts thus far, and they are as follows: Aikido, Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Jujitsu, Capoeira and Taekwondo. He is constantly training in different martial arts disciplines and is continues to work towards mastering many forms of martial arts.

Weapons Expert
He knows how to use a variety of weapons effectively and doesn't hesitate to use weapons in combat. His weapon of choice is the Bo, which was also his father's main weapon. He can also use nunchaku, Sais, swords (all varieties except for 2-handers), and escrima sticks.

Pyrokinesis
His mastery over fire, thanks to his father, allows him to conjure fire from his hands and make it into whatever he wants it to be (giant column, fist, etc.) He can also manipulate any flames that may be around him, thus allowing him to avoid harm from fire. Also, since he gained his fire powers through genetics, he never needs to recharge through the use of sunlight or any other kind of light in order to keep using his fire powers. However, direct sunlight will increase the power of his fire abilities, up to double the normal power, and when not in direct sunlight, he has a normal amount of power.