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Is Kinetik's identity known to the public?
purplerainman
Posts: 15 Arc User
Hello again. I was just wondering, does Kinetik have a public identity?
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bulgarex
Posts: 2,310 Arc User
As of the last writing on the subject (published 2010, in Champions Universe), Kinetik's civilian identity is secret from the public. His costumed identity is widely recognized, though, and he's one of the most popular Champions in Millennium City, especially in the black community where he's considered a role model. Kinetik takes that role very seriously, always trying to conduct himself honorably, and going out of his way to attend to black neighborhoods.
BTW his secret ID isBrendan Grant, an accomplished scientist in Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Physics, working for Dew Chemical Company. And yes, Dew is the CU analogue to Dow Chemical.0
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His similarities to Barry Allen are notable, although as I mentioned elsewhere, he's nowhere near the Flash's class speed-wise. Despite his moniker, Kinetik is described as a laid-back and well-adjusted guy. No great trauma behind his becoming a superhero, just a genuine desire to serve and protect. Although both his parents died during the Battle of Detroit, so he became the breadwinner for his younger siblings to keep the family together. Probably a great contributor to his sense of responsibility.
Never go in against Red Snake when Martial Arts is on the line!
Different. Kinetik is more superhuman than Redsnake. As far as pure martial art technique goes, Redsnake is more skilled and versatile. But Kinetik's moves are optimized for someone who can cover a lot of ground very rapidly, and hit with high velocity.
(This is based on comparing the latest PnP games stats for Kinetik in Champions Universe, and Redsnake in Vibora Bay.)
EDIT: Try watching it at 2x normal play speed.
As for court testimony, the Stronghold source book goes into detail about how the American legal system has adapted to supers. Beyond simply having one's identity and powers registered with the US government, a superhero can actually be "sanctioned" by the government, i.e. granted federal police powers equivalent to an FBI agent. A sanctioned hero is permitted to testify without revealing their true identity in open court, provided some other means exists of proving they are who they say they are. The down side of sanction is that the hero is then restricted as law enforcement generally are in determining probable cause, gathering evidence, use of force, and so on.
Um, not to my knowledge.
A government database which has never been breached OR used inappropriately? That blows my suspension of disbelief out of the water. Yes, even in a setting with superheroes. Superheroes are way more plausible than responsible government.
Even though in principle any superhuman in Champions America who doesn't register with the government is breaking the law, in practice that's not really enforced when it comes to superheroes who otherwise behave responsibly. Not only do superheroes enjoy general public support, but the US government has needed them time and again to help counter critical threats. Instead the government adopted a policy of attrition, requiring registration as the price for superheroes wanting or needing government cooperation or resources, which they often do. Over time that policy has proven effective, and the superhero community as a whole has grown more tolerant of and trusting in the registration system. The government stands to lose a great deal if that trust is violated.
Nonetheless, I acknowledge that Champions Earth is rather more idealistic and optimistic than the real Earth we know today, and humanity's various factions tend to work together more positively there. However, keep in mind that this is an Earth that's faced multiple alien invasions from other planets, other dimensions, other times; a roster of home-grown megalomaniacal supervillains and globe-spanning conspiracies fully capable of conquering the world; and more than one apocalyptic event that could have ended the human race or all life on this planet. Every generation has to have had impressed on them the need for cooperation for mutual survival. At the same time, the extraordinary things the human race has survived and achieved must have bolstered morale and confidence.
But make no mistake, government corruption and malfeasance, familiar societal unrest and conflicts, are still very real and present on Champions Earth. They're just not as pervasive and dominant there as we tend to see them as being here.
The registration database, and responsibility for registering superhumans, was turned over to PRIMUS when it was formed in 1986. And we are talking about the United States government; it can afford to contract as many super-geniuses as it needs. Moreover, all of them would have motivation to contribute to making that database as secure as possible.
But ultimately, the database is secure and not abused because, for world-building purposes, it has to be. At least until a particular Game Master decides that for the story they want to run, it isn't.