Hometown Hero
| Hometown Hero | |||
| |||
| Self-righteous "hero" in name only | |||
| Creator: | David 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Appearance: | Future's Guardian #16 | ||
| Game: | Champions Online | ||
| Personal Data | |||
| Real Name: | Jeffrey Kruger | ||
| Known Aliases: | Jeff Kruger | ||
| Species: | Human (thug) | ||
| Age: | 20's | ||
| Height: | ' | ||
| Weight: | ' | ||
| Eye Color: | ' | ||
| Hair Color: | blond | ||
| Biographical Data | |||
| Nationality: | American | ||
| Occupation: | construction worker | ||
| Place of Birth: | Grand Rapids, Mi | ||
| Base of Operations: | Millennium City, Mi | ||
| Marital Status: | single | ||
| Known Relatives: | unnamed parents | ||
| Appearances | |||
| Future's Guardian | |||
| Known Powers | |||
| none | |||
| Known Abilities | |||
| raw fighting | |||
| Equipment | |||
| construction-related, red hat | |||
| |||
"I'm your average hardworking American who is sick of all of the liberal crap out there. All of those liberal Satanists with their lies that let the criminals run wild. I'm here to save America from them and their kind, one criminal at a time."
- The "Hometown Hero"
The Hometown Hero is a registered hero in the world of Champions Online MMO. Although he is considered a "hero", he really is a conservative thug.
Character History
Early Life
Jeff Kruger was an ordinary guy living in Grand Rapids with little going on for him. He was okay playing baseball, but he wasn’t good enough for athletic scholarships. His parents were hard-working people, and they couldn’t afford to help him go to college. So, instead of pursuing higher education, Jeff went to work.
He joined his father in the construction business, building houses, and occasionally taking part in the local baseball league. He and his father listened to conservative talk radio, they shared the same ultra-conservative talking points, and they both believe that America is under attack from magic-wielding Satanist liberals.
Then they saw gang members break into the construction site early in the morning. Jeff’s father spoke up, trying to chase the gang members away. They ignored him. Infuriated, Jeff and his father began to confront them. One of the gang members then drew a gun and pointed it at Jeff while the others viciously assaulted his father.
His father was hospitalized but would survive. However, he would not be able to hold anything heavier than a coffee cup, and he had some brain damage. This rendered him permanently disabled.
Jeff was incensed by the whole ordeal. The police knew who the gang members were, but they were unwilling to pursue the matter any further, instead blaming the injuries on the Krugers for trying to confront the assailants instead of calling the police. The local heroes in Grand Rapids were “too busy” to bring the gang members to justice. Jeff knew he needed to do something.
He put on some of his work equipment along with a cheap domino mask. He found out where the gang members where, and he followed each of them to their homes and then proceeded to assault them in the same way as they did to his father. The gang leader was then attacked and personally driven to the police station. When asked who he was, Jeff simply said he was your local “Hometown Hero”.
The publicity was short-lived. Jeff wasn’t ready to be a “hero” per se. He thought they were idiots and glory-hounds dressed up for cosplay.
But then he was goaded by an “unknown source” to go to Millennium City, for reasons that would soon become clear to him. In the engineered scandal on John Battle, Jeff was given his mission: bring in the “Legacy Warrior”.
Battle with John Battle
His first confrontation was brief. He told Battle he was a fraud and had no place in the city. Battle ignored it, but he grabbed Battle’s arm to emphasize his message. Battle threatened to break his hands if he ever tried to touch him again.
His next stop was Club Caprice, the hero hangout. Jeff knew that Battle was dating DJ Risque so he taunted her when she showed up at the bar. This led to a warning from Elite Ice, one of Battle’s teammates, not to go after her. He left rather angry.
Outside, he tried to get Battle’s home address from the SOCRATES system, only to be contacted by his “unknown source”, who promised to arrange a direct confrontation with Battle.
His second confrontation with Battle was only slightly longer than the first. He used a containment field used for dueling to keep Battle from running away. He then assaulted Battle, but he was not strong enough to cause any kind of injury. Battle refused to fight back until Jeff threatened to go after his girlfriend and all her friends as well. He said he would do anything and everything to bring Battle down. This only resulted in Battle fighting back. With three pulled punches, Jeff was on the ground, his hands broken, his jaw broken, and suffering from a concussion. Battle then called the police and had him arrested for assault and terrorist threats.
Jeff was taken to the hospital while still in custody. Battle dropped the charges and the police declared the confrontation a “hero versus hero” incident, even though Battle was not operating as a hero when the fight took place. Jeff was ordered by the police to not confront John Battle again and was told to go back to Grand Rapids.
Jeff, however, has decided he will go after Battle through his girlfriend.
Powers and Abilities
The Hometown Hero is basically a brawler wearing the cheapest of outfits and a red hat. He has no formal skill or training. He just attacks. His flying elbow move is inspired by professional wrestling, which he used to watch as a child.
His hardened gloves and steel-spiked boots protect him from much of the damage he inflicts. However, he does not have any protection anywhere else.
After his first attack on John Battle, his hands had to be repaired. He had to have screws and pins in his fingers, which makes his hands hurt when he has to fight. But he lives with the pain as a reminder of what he went through.
Personality
Hometown Hero is a staunch conservative. He spent most of his life listening to conservative talk radio and watching conservative cable TV and hanging out in conservative social media.
He firmly believes in the extremist idea that liberal Satanists are killing America. While he doesn’t agree with The Nationalist and his attempted coup in 2013, he does believe that the Nationalist was right in his crusade against mystics and “demon liberals”.
He is arrogant, thinking that his willpower and aggressive attitude is more than enough to win any battle.
Related Information
The Hometown Hero represents many so-called "conservative" voices in America who believe that might makes right. This can be visible with the red ballcap he wears.
