Icon

Icon is a character from milestone comics Created by the late Dwayne Mcduffie and M.D. Bright he first appeared in Icon # 1 in may 1993. But lets go to 1839 There was an alien Starliner malfunctioned and exploded, jettisoning a life-pod in the middle of a cotton field in the American South.The pod automatically altered the appearance of its passenger, named Arnus, to mimic the first sentient life-form who discovered him. That life-form was an enslaved black woman named Miriam, who saw the pod crash land and adopted Arnus as her son. In the present, Arnus is still alive. He did not age visibly beyond adulthood; to disguise this fact, he periodically assumes the identity of his own son.By the late 20th century, he is posing as Augustus Freeman IV, the great-grandson of his original human identity. Still marooned, Arnus /Freeman waits for Earth's technology to catch up to his life pod's. Secretly possessing superpowers that belie his human appearance, he has always performed quiet acts of charity. However, when Freeman's house is broken into, he uses his powers for the first time in decades, an action witnessed by one of the intruders, Raquel Ervin,an idealistic teenage girl who was born in Paris Island, the poorest, most gang-ridden neighborhood in Dakota City. Her prospects seemed fairly bleak until this encounter with Freeman. After seeing Freeman use his powers, Raquel persuades him to become a superhero named Icon, with herself as his sidekick, Rocket. Now here are some of Icon's supporting characters Raquel Ervin/Rocket – Saw Augustus Freeman IV use his powers when his home was being robbed, and convinced him to become a super hero, as well as take her on as sidekick. All of Rocket's superhuman powers derive from her inertia belt, based on tech from Icon's ship. Darnice/Rocket II – Raquel's best friend. Darnice took on the role of Rocket while Racquel was on maternity leave (one insisted upon by both Icon and her close friends). Amistad Augustus Ervin – Raquel's infant son, named for the Spanish slave ship and for her partner, Icon. Rufus T. Wild/"Buck Wild, Mercenary Man" – First appeared in Icon #13 "It's Always Christmas" (May 1994); Buck Wild possessed "belief defyin' strength" and "tungsten hard skin", but spoke as if he came from a blaxploitation film. He was a hero to the local folks, but he also took money for his work. It was revealed in his first appearance that when he received his powers in 1972, his brain had been frozen, which explains his outdated speaking patterns. Wild was clearly a parody of Marvel's Luke Cage, complete with afro, gold headband and yellow shirt unbuttoned to the navel. In his next appearance, he is recruited to take Icon's place—costume included—when Icon returned to his home planet. Rocket (Darnice) used her Inertia Belt to carry him, making him appear to fly. Buck's time as Icon II was short-lived, as he gave his life in order to stop Oblivion, a mass murdering alien foe of Icon. In an issue devoted to his funeral, it is revealed in a series of eulogies from his enemies (although it is unclear how trustworthy these eulogies are) that he had taken several other costumed identities, all of them parodies of other famous black superheroes. According to these eulogies, Buck once used an experimental growth serum which turned him into the gigantic "Buck Goliath" (a pastiche of Black Goliath). While working with a Captain America-type known as Patriot, he called himself "Jim Crow" and wore a winged costume allowing him to fly (as with Falcon). As "Buck Lightning" (Black Lightning), Buck wore a wrist apparatus that generated lightning bolts. At the funeral, Kingfish (a take on Kingpin) used the legendary Ruby Begonia gemstone to bring him back to life, now able to generate green smoke, the sound of drums tolling doom, and a ghost-like double which could possess others and make them do his bidding (Brother Voodoo). Darnice, however, tells him that his time on earth is over, at which Buck removes the Begonia stone and allows himself to die. Icon recounts that Buck serves as an example to all of us of how we can be heroes wherever we are. In terms of powers an abilities Icon's lifepod altered his DNA so he would resemble a normal human being, thus enabling him to blend among Earth's natives. A side effect of this process was the maximization of his now human/alien genetic structure. Thus, Icon possesses a variety of superhuman abilities that are unusual even for a Terminan. Superhuman Strength: Icon possesses vast superhuman strength that is nearly on par with Superman's. Superhuman Speed and Reflexes: Icon possesses the ability to think, move, and react at superhuman speeds.[1] Superhuman Stamina: Icon possesses highly efficient musculature which produces almost no fatigue toxins, granting him almost limitless stamina in all physical activities. Flight: Icon flies by manipulation of gravitons, manipulation of magnetic fields, control of his absolute molecular movement, and utilizing his superhuman speed. Icon can fly far beyond supersonic speeds, but it is unknown if he can achieve nearly the speed of light. Superhuman Senses: Icon possesses superhuman senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. Enhanced Mental Perception: Icon possesses the ability to sense & comprehend things on levels that far exceed human capabilities. Invulnerability: Icon seems to possess high-invulnerability & durability, being capable of withstanding tremendous impact forces, high caliber bullets,exposure to temperature and pressure extremes, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining injury. He is even capable of surviving in the vacuum of space unaided. Icon's invulnerability has not been portrayed consistently. If he is not expecting an attack, he can be injured more easily. For example, in Icon #2, he sustains a bloody nose from getting hit in the face with the butt of a rifle that surprised him. After being injured by Payback,Icon began wearing alien body armor to grant him further protection. Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his nigh invulnerability to injury, it is possible to injure Icon. If injured, his body is capable of quickly repairing damaged tissue with much greater speed and efficiency than the normal human body. Energy Generation: Icon has the ability to generate and control a radiant energy based on positrons. He can manipulate this energy for various effects. Concussive Force Bolts: Icon can release positron energy from his hands as bolts of concussive force. Stun Bolts: Icon can project low-energy bolts that render human beings unconscious by disrupting the electrical impulses in their nervous systems.Icon can also use these bolts like an electromagnetic pulse to overload electronic devices. Energy Enhanced Punches: Icon can focus positron energy into his fists, which he can then use to shatter virtually any substance.[ Energy Pulse: Icon can release all of his body's positron energy as a massive omnidirectional pulse of devastating power. Positron Field: Icon can detect the presence of Bang Babies within his vicinity by flooding an area with a field of positrons. The field interacts with the invisible quantum well surrounding a Bang Baby, who then glows as he or she gives off mild gamma particles. Hence, Icon can use these fields to distinguish Bang Babies from other metahumans as well as normal humans According to Icon, he possesses powers that all humans will possess once they evolve past their limitations. Icon possesses extraordinary longevity, enabling him to age at a vastly slower rate than that human beings. Hence, though centuries old, he appears to be no older than forty. Icon's lifespan is typical for a Terminan and the only power that is not the result of his genetic maximization. Now many forget this is the man who punches Superman out of the watchtower back to earth Batman asks if he is alright and Clark replies "that really Hurt" chew on that big blue fans I'm kidding Icon is a Fascinating hero an the one reason we haven't seen Icon in the New 52 universe beside a couple of cameo mentions in Static Shock. We lost the Great comic writers of our time Dwayne Mcduffie who was a talent of his own and made us love heroes and even appreciate the villains also he is missed. I say if you get the chance check out some collected editions starring Icon you might like what you see maybe we can start a petition to have Icon brought into the New 52 who knows.