Aliases : Vandar Adg, Julius Caesar, Cheops, Ghengis Khan, possibly Rasputin.
Base of Operations : Mobile.
Tag : vandal savage
Important Plots : Seeds of Eternity, The Savage Land.
Journal(s) : proto_humanist
Status : Played

Powers and Abilities : Vandal Savage's most noteworthy ability is his regenerative capacity - he is effectively immortal, able to recuperate from nearly any injury. This capability is defective, in that it has a limited reservoir of regenerative capacity, and then must be recharged by feeding on the flesh of humans with dormant metagenes. Vandal's body converts those cells with the dormant metagene into a kind of super-stem cell, which allows him to regrow tissue. Savage's strength is above human norms as well, thanks to his enhanced metabolism and his violent lifestyle. He is capable of lifting a few tons.

More dangerous than his physical capabilities, however, are his mental faculties. 50,000 years of experience have honed his mind, and he is a skilled scientist, and strategist. He has dabbled in sorcery from time to time, and is a competent, if unexceptional, spellcaster. He has a mastery of several forms of martial art, many of which he may actually have invented.

History : Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe was a mighty warrior. His people were warlike, and he was one of the most violent among them. When a chance encounter with a radioactive meteorite managed to activate his dormant and defective metagene, it created a menace who would go on to conquer and terrorize for millennia.

In the Watchtower's adjusted history, the White Martians had come to Earth in the distant past, to experiment on its people. The metagene present in humanity was detected, and partially neutered - making its transmission unreliable, and its activation difficult. Vandar Adg would change all that. The meteorite that activated his metagene also repaired the gene's ability to pass itself on. Still, his potential was not what it should have been - the White Martian tampering had lessened his abilities. Instead of an unrestricted ability to regenerate from injury, Vandar discovered instead that his power was limited, and had to be refueled by the blood of his descendants.

Over the thousands of years, Vandal would come into conflict with many different groups - waging war against the alien intrusion of the White Martians on Earth, and against the Atlantean sorcerers who may well have established a peaceful dominion over the Earth, if not for his intervention. Vandal viewed the Earth as his rightful possession and inheritance, and looked unkindly upon anyone or anything that might interfere with that vision. He would often be found at the side of history's most famous conquerers, guiding their hands, or in some cases, assuming their identities for himself.

In the centuries preceding the modern era, Vandal became interested in humanity's metagene - the source of his powers. He stole Martian research on the subject, and has done further research of his own. He is one of the world's foremost experts on the metagene.

Vandal's flirtations with conquest were cyclical, and to some extent, he savored the challenge of trying more than the actual rulership. Thus, when the metahumans began to flourish in the early part of the twentieth century, his interest was once again piqued, by the Justice Society. The JSA presented him with a kind of obstacle he'd never before faced, and which presented a unique challenge. He would frequently battle Green Lantern or the Flash, and often he would come into conflict with the entire team.

Most recently, Vandal engaged in an alliance with Dr. Light, which facilitated the spread of a custom-engineered plague - the primary effect of which was to repair the metagenetic potential of those exposed, insuring the transmission of the gene to their children. (Seeds of Eternity) With such a wide exposure, he's insured that virtually the entire population of Earth will possess a metagene (though dormant) within a thousand years. Currently, he's working on another insidious plot, the goal of which has yet to be revealed. (The Savage Land)

Savage's manipulations have touched the lives of many heroes, directly and indirectly. He and his associates were responsible for the sinking of Atlantis, home of Arion. His experiences in Egypt brought him into conflict with Prince Khufu (Hawkman I). He discovered and manipulated the alien scarab sent to this planet by the Reach, which would ultimately pass to Jaime Reyes (The Scarab). In response to that threat, sorcerers (possibly including Nabu or Shazam) would create their own scarab to empower a defender. That scarab would later pass into the hands of Daniel Garrett, and then to Ted Kord (Blue Beetle II). His efforts against the White Martians share some strong links with the background of the Line of Vulcan. His scientific manipulations using the stolen genetic material of the JSA lead to the empowerment of the superhero known as Damage.

Other Sources :

• Vandal Savage at the DC Database Project
• Vandal Savage at Wikipedia

Divergences : Vandal Savage's history has been expanded and adjusted to touch on some other themes - of course, 50,000 years gives one lots of wiggle room to add details. Also, notably, the ludicrous idea that he actually needs to indulge in organ transplantation to sustain his immortal life has been disregarded. His powers have been tweaked accordingly. Because of certain sociological facts, it is probable that every living human on the face of the Earth is a descendant of Vandal Savage - therefore, his dependence to feed on the flesh and blood of a 'descendant' has been further specified - what he actually requires is the flesh and blood of a descendant with a dormant metagene.

Disclaimer - unless otherwise noted, all characters are property of DC Comics, used here only for roleplaying purposes.