Michael Stern
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 California Mutant Registry Name
MICHAEL STERN Aliases
STERN / LIGHT KNIGHT / NIGHTLIGHT Ability
LIGHT GENERATION AND MANIPULATION, LIGHT SPEED TRAVEL Registration Date
06/02/2009 Last Known Location
LOS ANGELES, CA Threat Level
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
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Contents |
In Character
Powers
Michael Stern's powers center around his ability to generate his own light. He uses the light he generates to blind opponents, illuminate darkness, and can use it in a limited extent to attack. Stern can focus the light into a point, much like focusing the sun through a magnifying lens. Given enough time, Stern can catch fabric and hair, and other flammables on fire. He refers to this technique as an Archimedes Blast, owing to the myth in which Archimedes focuses the sun to destroy a fleet of invading ships.
Stern can also strain out particular wavelengths of light, causing his hair to change color. He can use these wavelengths for a variety of purposes, such as bluffing a laser scope.
Stern uses his ability mostly to move from place to place. Stern refers to this as a "light jump." He can enter a high-energy state where his body becomes light. He then transports directly to where he wants to go and materializes. Though it is not clear how he knows where to stop and when, it is most likely that he makes the light speed jump the way he would run or walk normally. It is also suspected that he maintains something of his consciousness when he is in light form due to his attempt to light jump from London to JFK airport and instead materalizing near Anita Florence, who was on his mind at the time of the jump.
Lastly, Stern's mutation has altered his ability to see. His pupils are dilated to the point where they take up the entire area of his visible eye. With no way to reduce the amount of light that contacts his eyes, Stern must wear goggles with a heavy tint to keep out most of the light in nearly any environment. He can take them off in places with little to no illumination, when he can see with startling clarity.
Weaknesses
Stern is achluophobic, meaning he has an irrational fear of the dark. He does not like to go out at night or even sleep in the dark. This fear is curbed by his power, but staying in pitch darkness for any length of time causes him to panic.
Stern's power is also fueled by the sun. The more time Stern spends in light, the more he can use light. When placed in an area with no light Stern will burn out. While burnt out, Stern cannot use any of his mutant powers aside from his vision. However, without his light to buffer him from the darkness it is difficult for Stern to do anything.
Also, Stern's body retains its injuries when he transforms from light to his normal body. Stern also retains any foreign objects stuck in his body when he light jumps.
Past
Michael Stern grew up in Secaucus New York with his parents. Stern's childhood was like most: he went to school, played recreational sports, joined the Boy Scouts, and was active in his local church. Stern grew up Catholic owing to his devout parents and grandparents. Throughout his life Stern was content to let things come as they were and did not make many plans for himself or set high goals in his life.
Stern's powers manifested on a day when the sky was so black with clouds there was no sun. The stress of his achluophobia triggered his powers during Mass. The priest, Father Bennett Maxwell, excused the event as a miracle and set out to discretely help Stern acclimate to his powers. Through the priest's help, Stern managed to control the degree to which he shed light and filter out the basic visible wavelengths of light. During his mutation his eyes developed their extreme photo-sensitivity and his hair turned clear. With these changes came insults and ridicule, which Stern bore with patience or ignored completely.
Stern took a few years between high school and college to adapt to his powers and find a school that would accept a mutant. He also applied for several scholarships and grants, but ultimately was turned down due to his mutancy. At last he earned a scholarship from the church in exchange for studying to be a priest. Stern had nothing else in mind for his life, so he accepted the scholarship. From there he made up the rest of his tuition with student loans and began his college career at Empire State University.
During his years at Empire State University Stern was just as undirected as he was before. He had no major of study and no plans for himself. His fellow college students saw him as a "cute" mutant with harmless powers. This didn't bother him, but the discrimination against him earned him names like "light bulb" and "glow-worm." Stern also met Anita Florence while at ESU when the Cullen's librarian was running an errand. The two became quick friends.
During his sophomore year of college he attended the ESU commencement ceremony to watch his friends graduate. During the event a mutant terrorist named Aslan threatened to blow up the stadium where the event was held. Stern fought Aslan, but was unsuccessful in stopping the madman. The failure on his part advanced his mutation, allowing him to travel at light speed. He woke up in Pakistan several weeks later.
Stern's stay in Pakistan yielded several benefits to his power mastery. Stern began to perfect his ability to travel at light speed and also perfected his Archimedes Blast. His time in Pakistan also yielded some changes to his personality: Stern obssessed about revenge against Aslan and discovered a love of fighting dirty. He became driven and more aggressive while he attempted to travel across the Middle East and Europe to get home. His time in Europe gave him time to ruminate on his life and he began falling in love with Anita.
Stern joined the NYPD as a member of the mutant crimes division.
Due to his experiences with the NYPD, he is being reassigned to LA to assist the police department there with the sudden increase in mutant activity.
He is married to Anita Florence.
Out Of Character
| Mutants, Unite |
|---|
| Michael Stern : Klaus Heidegger : Feral |
| Star Wars |
| Wei Wu Wei |
