Johnathan Parker

Stuck at a constant state of nearly double human molecular density, John Parker can make himself incredibly dense, to the tune of weighing it at several tons, but can go no lighter than 502 pounds unless he went on a diet. Decades of practice have made John very adept with controlling this ability, though it does mean he can't swim, and he took several structural engineering courses to teach him what was safe to talk on, and what wasnt, when at his maximum density.

Superhuman speed

While he's not the Flash or Quicksilver, John Parker can move and run--and to a limited extent think--far faster than a normal human. However, due to his large normal mass, and the incredible weight and mass he can attain, running at high speed carries great dangers to both himself, and those around him.

One night, to celebrate meeting what had seemed to be an impossible deadline, John took his team out to a local bowling alley for drinks and a few rounds of fun. Being too young to drink legally--not that he'd not been drinking for a few years already--John cleaned up that night in his bowling scores, until in the fourth round, he swung his arm so rapidly that the ball flew nearly three quarters of the lane before touching down. Thinking it a fluke, he shrugged it off, picked a different ball, and went at it again. This time, as he swung there was no great speed, but he did feel a great heaviness, and as his arm carried forward, releasing the ball, he felt as if a ten-ton weight had been dropped upon him. What he came to realize as he fell toward the lane was that the weight was him, and several layers of heavily-varnished and sealed maple shattered and splintered as he crashed through the wood of the lane.

There was no explaining it, and his friends helped him up without problem, but neither of his experiences repeated themselves that night. Still, shaken up, John bid his co-workers good night, and headed home. Over the next few months, John's powers returned more often, and in private he learned to control them. But as they grew, so did his weight, but with no discernible change in physical size. Through the next year he hid it well, but too many signs were being seen at work, and though he was next in line for for the lucrative promotion to department manager, Johnathan Parker left the Ford Motor Company to take a construction job in Westchester, New York.

It was there that he met Dr. Cullen, who was building a school, though from the plans John could see it was far more than just a school. And there were others there, others with strange abilities as well. John began to feel at ease with the doctor, and he stayed on even after the two years the construction took. In that time, John learned that there was more going on than met the eye, and Dr. Cullen discovered John's powers and helped him to focus and refine them, becoming far more skilled than he ever hand been. Eventually, John was introduced to a small group of students that the doctor called the X-Men, and he learned that he could use his powers for more than just personal good.

For three years, Johnathan Parker remained at the school, helping to build and design upgrades when he wasn't on missions with the X-Men. He was given the name "Locksmith" only because at the time he was introduced, he was going to install and key a series of locks in the sub-basement, and Dr. Cullen introduced him as "the locksmith." Beyond that, his name had little to do with his abilities. John was not happy on missions, however, and began to withdraw from active duty. It wasn't that he didn't think that the cause wasn't good, he just didn't like to constantly be put at risk, and be counted on to protect the others and be the heavy hitter of the group. Five years after first arriving in Westchester, Johnathan Parker packed his things and left, bound for the Midwest once more, but he left his X-Man uniform hanging in the basement, wishing to leave that part of himself there.

He returned to mechanical engineering and machining, this time keeping his head down and focusing just on his work. From shop to shop, company to company he roved, eventually making his way to the west coast. Then at the age of thirty-eight, a letter from New York found him, one with a familiar name on it. It was a request to return to Westchester, to Dr. Cullen's Institute, but from a fellow student. After a week of deliberation, John quit his job, packed his things into his van, and drove across the country to return to the school, only to find it very, very different than it had been when he had left fourteen years ago. Dr. Cullen immediately put him to work on many serious upgrades to the facility, and even placed him in a teaching role, both academically, and privately when it came to the X-Men. It took several months before he agreed to take another mission, now with a much different team, though a few faces were the same, but again he did not feel the draw to it as they did.

Five years later, now forty-three years old, Johnathan Parker is a fixture at the institute. Much of the mechanical systems and the newer levels of the sub-basement were designed by him, as well as many of the non-aircraft vehicles. He maintains his teaching role in the realm of mechanics and automotive sciences, but is generally thought of by the students as being the school's caretaker and general handyman. While John does have a few good friendships among the staff--John Rhee being his closest friend--he still feels an outsider sometimes, and often feels looked down upon by the other professors for having no real formal education beyond high school, and for being rough around the edges.