B A S I C S
Name: Doctor Markus Lazarus Eckhardt (Formerly: Mikhael Echigo)
Alias: Dr. E (Common), The Stone Dragon (Former), HOPE (Unknown)
Age: 32
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 255 lbs
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blond
Handedness: Ambixdextrous
Religion: Gnostic Atheist
Wingspan: 6'9"
Standing Reach: 8'8"
A E S T H E T I C S
Physical: With his massive, imposing figure, it's no wonder Markus earned the title of "Stone Dragon" in his youth. He boasts an impressive muscle mass and figure with as little as 7% body fat. Every single muscle on his body is incredibly well-defined, from his shoulders to his calves. He also keeps his body well-groomed, with no overgrown body-hairs to speak of. That said, he is not completely bald - the man takes some pride in the body he has, hair included. In many cases, he has been likened to a Greek God. (Or Norse, in the case of Thor.)
Facial: An air of confidence and respect is always worn on Markus' visage. His eyes are kind, yet powerful, his gaze unflinching. A smile never leaves his lips, though it is one that holds a mystery, somehow giving off no aura of smugness. Often times, Markus' unwavering grin can seem rather intimidating. A stubble adorns his jawline that never grows out to be much longer than a very light beard. His hair is medium-length, never going far past his shoulders but never cut much higher, either.
Apparel: A man of class, Markus dresses respectably, no matter the occasion. The man has a suit for every situation and will never be found without one. The most casual a person may find him is without his coat, sleeves rolled up to just below his elbow, tie slightly loosened, with his top three shirt buttons undone. Aside from this, Markus always appears rather formal.
Defining Marks: Markus is a man made most notable from his titanic size, imposing figure, and stylish dress. His face is recognizable, though aside from this he remains a relatively clean person with very few features that are out of the norm.
P E R S O N A
Personality: Kind and welcoming, Markus' open nature betrays his imposing physique. He treats everyone with respect, even those who do not show him any, and handles all situations calmly, no matter how dire. Unlike other educators, Markus believes wholeheartedly that the students of 552 must be handled with care, rather than imposing rules that even remotely resemble those of the likes they faced within the District in New York City. As such, he is generally seen as more compassionate. There's hardly a soul in the world he wouldn't treat with care.
Markus is not quick to anger, and he is not quick to befriend. He remains emotionally stoic, offering only a smile to others in any situation. Egging him on will not rile him up, and trying to get comfortable with him will not open him up. He holds an air of mystery about him as a result of this, though when confronted about it he insists that it's being looked into more than it's worth, that he is a simple man who lays his desires out for everyone to see from the get-go.
Mentality: A man with a hero complex, even when he does what the world considers wrong, he believes he is doing it for the right reasons. Markus does what he does with the intention of saving as many lives as he can, and in many ways, this can be against societal standards. In his own eyes, he is entirely pure of heart.
Strengths: Compassionate, level-headed, perceptive.
Weaknesses: Blind to the emotions of others. Self-righteous. So far, incapable of any sort of emotional attachment.
C O M B A T
Fighting Style: Markus is not one to fight easily, but when he does, he moves to dispatch his opponent as quickly as humanly possible so as to prevent a prolonged battle. He aims solely for crit-points and joints and strikes with bone-breaking force. If, in the event three strikes do not bring his opponent down, he goes in for a grapple, intent on utilizing submissions to wear them down with little effort.
Strengths: Concise, controlled movement. Very efficient. Devastatingly powerful blows.
Weaknesses: Slower to make up for damage. Not built to take on range. Predictable.
B A C K G R O U N D
Known History: Markus Eckhardt, born Mikhael Echigo, was a powerful, ambitious figure all throughout his life. During his youth, he attended PHS #774 and served as its School Captain. It, much like 552, fell victim to the violence of gangs, and with a much weaker system, the rules in place were incapable of preventing this. As a result, he quickly lost faith in the Pillar System of those days, and formed his own group of vigilantes, later to be known as the Dragons. The purpose of this group was to create balance with methods that would not work within the law, using a small group of powerful individuals to remove the obstacles which tipped the scales. With him as the Stone Dragon and four others at his side, Markus' Dragons successfully managed to quell the gang violence through methods of their own, many of which were condemned by the public and the police. Still, it was impossible to argue the results.
After his high school career was ended and Markus retired the title of School Captain, it became clear that his notoriety as an infamous Dragon would prevent him from moving very far in life. Now, many in his situation would not have minded this hoop, particularly due to the ripple effect the Dragons had on the criminal underworld, but he had too many ambitions to concede. He attempted to find honest work, and a place at a decent university, for many years. With his stellar academic record, this should have been simple. However, it ended up holding him back for two years, which forced him to relent and hand off the title to another, and change his name.
Leaving the "anarchy" bit behind, Markus finally moved on with his life and eventually earned a Ph.D biological engineering and a masters in education. Once he'd achieved this, the man did all he could to do the opposite of what the public viewed him as doing as a Dragon - he vowed to help the people who would inevitably end up having the largest impact on the country: the youth.
Hearing of what happened in New York City, Markus was one of many to push for San Francisco to accept the students. He even personally funded the construction of the new facilities, and now waits to welcome the students with - figuratively - open arms.
Unknown History: During his time as a Dragon, Markus singlehandedly fought off two gangs whose war began to grow to the point it encompassed the then-Amakusa estate. Having done this, he saved the life of a young Amakusa Takehiro and, as a result, earned the Amakusa Family's favor and later went on to serve as a bio-engineer for Amakusa Industries. A fair amount of their groundbreaking tech has been produced by him.
Markus has direct tie-ins to the man responsible for the FEAR attacks in New York City, and created the toxin himself. He has crafted a new toxin with similar effects, now dubbed HOPE, and intends to use students of PHS #552 to test it.
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