Lawdog
| Lawdog | ||||
| [[Image:|300px|]] | ||||
| The "Fixer" | ||||
| Creator: | David 2/Battlerock X | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Appearance: | Furia and the Guardians #14 | |||
| Game: | City of Heroes | |||
| Personal Data | ||||
| Real Name: | Benjamin Lawton | |||
| Known Aliases: | Bear | |||
| Species: | Human (mutant) | |||
| Age: | ' | |||
| Height: | ' | |||
| Weight: | ' | |||
| Eye Color: | ' | |||
| Hair Color: | brown | |||
| Biographical Data | ||||
| Nationality: | American | |||
| Occupation: | Paragon City Police Officer | |||
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City, RI | |||
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI | |||
| Marital Status: | ' | |||
| Known Relatives: | ' | |||
| Appearances | ||||
| Furia and the Guardians, Task Force Twilight | ||||
| Known Powers | ||||
| ' | ||||
| Known Abilities | ||||
| ' | ||||
| Equipment | ||||
| Police Equipment | ||||
| ||||
Lawdog is a character in the now-defunct City of Heroes MMO.
He serves as a "fixer" for the Paragon City Police Department.
Character History
Benjamin “Bear” Lawton was always “big”. He was given the nickname “Bear” as a child because of his size and also because of a rumor that floated around that he once punched a bear while vacationing in Vermont. He really didn't, but it made for a good story.
Bear played football for Rhode Island University, but was ineligible for the NFL when it was discovered he was a low-level mutant. He dropped out of college when he realized he could not play in the “big leagues”. But by then, the First Rikti Invasion happened. Civilization was devastated. People didn’t care about football then.
Bear joined the Paragon City Police Force when it was being rebuilt under Police Chief Conrad Bochco. Bochco loved having a big guy working for him, and he was the one that dubbed Bear the “Lawdog”. If someone needed straightening out, Bochco would call the Lawdog. If a problem needed to go away, Bochco would call the Lawdog to get it done.
Bear loved working for Bochco. He was given a lot of autonomy. He worked when he was needed, and nobody questioned or challenged his actions. If they did, they'd have to answer to the chief. He could drink and fight and make new friends and still get paid and be considered "on duty". His uniform dress code consisted of a sleeveless uniform jacket with his badge. It was great for him.
After Bochco was forced to resign (sometime after 2007), Bear’s role in the police force diminished greatly. He was still “needed”, but nobody really could call on him without getting in trouble. He was passed on from one zone to another, going where he was “needed” but not being wanted enough to stay.
Eventually, Bear ended up in Independence Port, working with the docks to keep the Family in check. His rough handling of the Family and the Council made him popular with the yard-workers. Finally he was someplace where he felt wanted.
Bear still did “Lawdog” work, especially with Deputy Chief Wield resurrecting Bochco’s secret groups. If something needs to be “fixed”, they knew to call the “Lawdog”. This includes killing, which he had no qualms doing.
One of his most recent "fixes" involved the murder of Rose Vesta, who was one of many victims of the predatory Lieutenant William McCade. Her death officially "closed" the active investigation on him under the doctrine of "NWNC" or "No Witness, No Case". He was then asked to "fix" the investigation of the corrupt Blue Dog Squad, which he did by killing several registered heroes who witnessed or reported illegal Blue Dog activities. However, most of the "fixes" were done away from the attention of the media, with the exception of Defenseman, who was killed in public as a "warning" to the hero community.
Downfall
Still fresh from his "fixes" of other heroes, Bear then was asked to silence Karen Manning, otherwise known as Streetangel, another one of McCade's many victims. However he did not know that he was being led into a trap arranged by Jason Knight. With Bear's "support" being taken down by TashaTiger and Cardinal Syn of the Guardians of the Dawn, Karen was safe and under the protection of Furia Powers. As Bear was taken into custody by Bulldog Powers, Jason himself executed a legally-obtained search warrant of Bear's residence, where he found evidence of several recent murders, including the murder of Defenseman.
Rather than be held in city custody, Bear was held under federal custody, marking the first time in years that the Federal Bureau of Superpowered Affairs exercised their authority in city affairs. It also circumvented a lot of steps normally used to keep Bear and the other corrupt officers free from facing charges.
Death
In "Task Force Twilight" #1, we learn that Deputy Chief Wield had to pull some federal strings of his own to get Bear released from federal custody on bail.
The next day, however, Bear encountered the brutal enforcer Despair at his favorite club in Independence Port. Despair quickly and brutally murdered Bear and then placed just enough evidence to blame Jason Knight, whom he had already incapacitated and was waiting to kill next to complete the "narrative" that was set by Deputy Chief Wield.
Powers and Abilities
Lawdog is a low-level mutant with some strength and regenerative abilities. This accounts for his large frame, as well as his preference for hand-to-hand combat.
He received standard police training and he excels in the use of the police baton.
Lawton’s specialty is disguising himself as a gang member to carry out his brutal attacks. Then the other officers would find some career criminal looking for a lifetime stay in prison that would eagerly admit to the killing. This allowed him to carry out his assignments without question, since the police and their "friend" within the Judicial Center would ensure a speedy conviction for the lifer that would eagerly go to prison for his actions.
Related Information
Lawdog first appeared in "Furia and the Guardians" #14. According to writer/creator David 2, he is based on the Champions Online character Kodiak.
