Statesman
| Statesman | |||
| |||
| The Iconic Hero of Paragon City | |||
| Creator: | Cryptic Studios | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Appearance: | "City of Heroes" (Dark Horse Special) | ||
| Game: | City of Heroes | ||
| Personal Data | |||
| Real Name: | Marcus Cole | ||
| Known Aliases: | ' | ||
| Species: | Human (enhanced) | ||
| Age: | ' | ||
| Height: | ' | ||
| Weight: | ' | ||
| Eye Color: | ' | ||
| Hair Color: | blond | ||
| Biographical Data | |||
| Nationality: | American | ||
| Occupation: | Superhero | ||
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City | ||
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City | ||
| Marital Status: | Widowed | ||
| Known Relatives: | Monica Cole (wife, deceased), Alexis Cole (daughter, deceased), Megan Duncan (granddaughter), John Cole (son) | ||
| Appearances | |||
| "City of Heroes", "Justice-Knights", "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" | |||
| Known Powers | |||
| Flight, super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability, electrical melee | |||
| Known Abilities | |||
| ' | |||
| Equipment | |||
| ' | |||
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Statesman is the iconic in-game superhero of Paragon City and founding leader of the Freedom Phalanx.
In-Game History
(From the City of Heroes website)
Statesman is one of the first heroes of Paragon City.
He is the leader of the Freedom Phalanx as well as one of the co-founders.
Born Marcus Cole, he began his transformation from a poverty born child to world hero after serving in the US Army during World War I.
Instead of coming home in 1918 he headed east, bent on exploring the world now that he'd had a taste of it. Where he went and what happened to him during that lost decade remains a secret to this day.
What is no secret is that when his ship pulled into Paragon City port in 1931 he was much more than the young private who had shipped out to fight for freedom in Europe.
Cole claimed to have unlocked the power of his own Inner Will, an obscure explanation at best. Whatever their true origin, it was undeniable that Cole possessed something that hadn't been seen since the age of the Greek Heroes: superpowers.
Cole was strong beyond human limits and impervious to fists, knives and even bullets. However he'd come by these powers, Cole now found a cause to which he could apply them: saving his beloved Paragon City from itself.
The would-be hero took on the name Statesman, an identity that personified all the values and ideals that Paragon City currently lacked.
Statesman went after crime head on, going after gang bosses, corrupt politicians and other lowlifes with a vengeance. His costume allowed him to hide from police while still leave behind an indelible impression on the city's populace.
In a few short months he had begun to make a difference. But his initial successes only served to unite the city's criminals against him. The tide began to turn when other costumed heroes appeared in the city. Extraordinary men and women, inspired by Statesman's example, were rising to meet the challenge.
On July 4th, 1932, Statesman collected these new heroes under the banner of the Freedom Phalanx.
The group battled together throughout the 1930s, taking down numerous criminal operations, including the gangs ruling Kings Row. Statesman's successes led to the Crime Fighting Act of 1937, which made the Freedom Phalanx a legally recognized crime fighting organization.
Death
In January of 2012, Statesman was killed by Darrin Wade as part of the ex-Midnighter's quest for power.
(Read Positron's eulogy for Statesman.)
Additional Information
Family
Marcus married Monica Ricter (sister to Stefan), who was also known as Maiden Justice. They produced a daughter named Alexis Cole, who became Miss Liberty. Alexis had a daughter named Megan Duncan, otherwise known as Ms. Liberty.
Sometime in the 1980's, after the death of his wife, Marcus was seduced by an Arachnos agent. The end result was an illegitimate son named John Cole. The parentage was kept a secret for decades, partially because John was working for Arachnos at the time. Father and son briefly met, and the revelation of his connection to Statesman was the reason why John walked away from Arachnos.
Other References
Statesman appears as a cameo in the one-shot Dark Horse Promotional Special as well as a key character in the Top Cow incarnation of the City of Heroes comic series.
He appears in the Justice-Knights series as one of the heroes under the influence of Obedience.
He appears in several issues of the Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight series.
(See his Paragon Wiki entry for more information.)
Alternate Versions
As an iconic character, there are several alterate versions of Statesman in other universes.
- In the Praetorean Universe (Upsilon Beta 9-6), Marcus Cole's career as Statesman took a turn for the worse during the Cold War, and he would respond by taking over that planet. There he is known as either Emperor Cole or simply Tyrant.
- In the universe designated as Delta-Zeta 24-10, Marcus Cole sides not with America, but with the Axis powers, becoming the evil Reichsman and taking over the United States and ruling it for almost fifty years before coming to the Primal Universe looking for new lands to conquer.
- In the universe designated as Omega Xi 6-4, Marcus Cole did not gain superhuman abilities as magic was considered illegal. Instead, he served as capatin of the Royal Guard for the Global King. His daughter, however, would use illegal magic to become a revolutionary known as Miss Liberty. His granddaughter Jessica would later follow in her mother's footsteps as the second Miss Liberty, only serving at the side of King Maximus Rex instead of conspiring to overthrow him.
