Eidolon

{{#if:Eidolon to Doctor MotherInterlude 27.x|

“	This is all I have. It’s my career, my life. It’s my legacy. Some have children, flesh and blood to carry on their name and their memories. I went without, for your sake, for the world‘s sake. I didn’t have children because I wanted to save lives more than anything else, and if I made peace with that, it was because I told myself this would be my legacy.	”
{{#if:Eidolon to Doctor Mother| —Eidolon to Doctor Mother{{#if:Interlude 27.x|, Interlude 27.x}} }} }}

<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Eidolon</default></title>

<image source="Image"></image> <image source="image"></image> <group><header>Basic Information</header> <label>Civilian Name</label> <label>Aliases</label> <label>Gender</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Death</label> <label>Age</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Post-timeskip</label> <label>Ward start</label> <label>Relations</label> <label>Family</label></group> <group><header>Professional Status</header> <label>Occupation</label> <label>Classification</label> <label>Unique Features</label> <label>Alignment</label>

<label>Status</label><format>

Deceased

</format>

<label>Location</label> <label>Teams</label> <label>Previous Team(s)</label> <label>Base of Operations</label></group> <group><header>First Appearance</header> <label>Worm Debut</label> <label>Ward Debut</label></group> </infobox>

Eidolon (pronounced “eye-DOE-luhn,” rhymes with “colon”)<ref>Merriam-Webster dictionary: ī-ˈdō-lən (IPA: /aɪˈdoʊlən/). Also correct: “eye-DOE-lon” where “lon” rhymes with “John” (UK IPA: /ʌɪˈdəʊlɒn/, US IPA: /aɪˈdoʊlɑn/), which is supported by Oxford English Dictionary and Wiktionary.</ref> is one of the founding members of the Protectorate and the leader of the Houston Protectorate. He is generally considered to be the strongest parahuman and the fifth-strongest being on the planet, the first four being Scion and the Endbringers.<ref name="8.1"> When the question inevitably got to who was the strongest, the ‘big five' were generally ruled out, in the sense of ‘well, yeah, but besides them‘. Scion got counted as a part of that group because the powers he did have were head and shoulders above just about everyone else's. - Excerpt from Extermination 8.1</ref>

Personality

He's described as a quiet man, with a calm voice, brimming with the strength of his power, often making people around him feel intimidated.

His sole purpose in life is to help as many people as possible and help in the End of the World scenario - an event for which he is preparing his whole cape life, describing it as his legacy.<ref name="I27"/>

Reputation

Eidolon has an overwhelming reputation given that he's generally reckoned to be the fifth most powerful being on the planet.<ref>Debating the relative strengths of various capes was common enough, in the schoolyard and elsewhere. If Alexandria and Legend fought, who would win? Would Boston’s Protectorate win against Brockton Bay’s team? What if you removed Boston’s weakest members until the sides were even in number?

When the question inevitably got to who was the strongest, the ‘big five’ were generally ruled out, in the sense of ‘well, yeah, but besides them‘. Scion got counted as a part of that group because the powers he did have were head and shoulders above just about everyone else’s. Eidolon was almost the opposite, because he had every power, though he could only hold on to a handful at a time. Then there were the Endbringers, because they mandated situations like this, where even Scion or Eidolon plus multiple teams of capes weren’t necessarily enough.

Sure, some loyal people might argue that Legend was better than Eidolon, or maybe even some other cape like Dragon or Alexandria. Generally speaking, though? Eidolon was a top dog. - Excerpt from Extermination 8.1</ref> People tend to resent his personality, but his sheer power and past records earned him great respect.<ref>There were people who could enter a room, and everyone would stop talking, or the tone of conversation, at the very least, would shift. [...] There were people who had impacted world-scale events who didn’t quite have that presence or clout. [...] There was another class, though. Another type. Eidolon, by all accounts, hadn’t had that underlying character. A lot of people had instinctively disliked him, even.
[...]
But Eidolon? They came away from meetings with Eidolon feeling like they’d never be good enough, not wanting to see him again. In some of the files I’d been given in the big file dump I’d negotiated for, I’d read that a lot of people with sensitive or shaky powers had felt like their powers didn’t like Eidolon. Anecdotal evidence said Scion hadn’t, even.

Thing was, dislike or no, however instinctual or proud or resentful that dislike was, one couldn’t hold onto that after that one video of Eidolon, holding a bridge up during a disaster, too preoccupied to stop a building from falling down nearby… then shore up the bridge, reverse time to save the building and its occupants, shore up the building, and move on, like it was fucking nothing. Didn’t watch Eidolon taking one shot to execute a supervillain the Kings Men had been trying to keep occupied for an hour, not three seconds after appearing on the scene. Most of that had been early in his career. But it counted, he wore the deeds like some wore capes.

Dislike or no, you knew if the man was in the fucking building. - Excerpt from Sundown 17.2</ref>

Appearance & Equipment

Eidolon wears a blue-green<ref name="8.1e1"/> or possibly green-white<ref name="cast">Eidolon – Member of the Triumvirate and head of the Houston branch of the Protectorate. Viewed by many as one of the most powerful capes in the world, can manifest a handful of powers at a time, with virtually no restrictions, automatically gaining whatever abilities he needs to face a given crisis. Wears a green-white costume with a hood, and a glow emanating from both hood and sleeves. - Cast Page</ref><ref name="e.4 e1">A man in a white hood and cape stood there, the tension in his body swiftly stopping. He had no expression, only a green and blue glow beneath his hood, but his body language was clear. Shock, defeat.

A flash of golden light wiped him out of existence. - Excerpt from Teneral e.4</ref> skintight suit, with a heavy hood and cape built in and sleeves that drape over his hands. The interior of his hood and sleeves are filled with a soft green<ref name="8.1e1">Eidolon stood behind one of the large television sets, staring out the window. He wore a blue-green skintight suit that expanded into a voluminous hood, cape and sleeves that draped over his hands. The interior of the hood and sleeves wasn't shadowy, but illuminated with a soft green light. - Extermination 8.1</ref> or possibly blue-green light.<ref>Legend's white and blue mask, Eidolon's glowing shroud, and Kazikli Bey's red helmet, each twisted to be feminine, framed by the long hair that wove and wound together to form her body.
[...]
Two of Eidolon's hands with the blue-green glow around them were holding a forcefield up to protect her sister, while a white-gloved one focused on using Legend's lasers to target capes who thought flying up and out of the city was a good idea. - Scarab 25.6</ref><ref name="24.5e1"/> There was body armour hidden beneath the costume that gave the illusion of muscle.<ref name="24.5e1"/>

His face is covered by an opaque, glassy helm similar to Clockblocker's<ref name="18.4e1">I used my bugs to feel out the subject. A hood, with the warmth of a faint natural glow from beneath, with the same effect around his hands, with his loose sleeves. I noted that a glass helm like the one Clockblocker wore fit over his face beneath the hood. [...] Eidolon entered the conference room and grabbed the seat just to the right of the one at the far end of the table. He swept his cape to one side before he sat down. - Queen 18.4</ref><ref name="24.5e1">The opaque pane of his mask was heavily shrouded beneath the heavy hood he wore, a dim blue-green glow emanating from within. He was burned, his costume scorched and shredded in places, but the body armor beneath had more or less held. Shaped to give the illusion that he had more muscle than he did, it seemed. I could see blood running along the cracks at one panel of armor, where he'd apparently sustained a heavy blow. He was mortal, after all. Eidolon could bleed. [...] Eidolon turned away from his observations of Behemoth, and he briefly met my eyes. - Crushed 24.5</ref><ref>Eidolon pulled off his mask, brushed at it to clean it of the slime from when he'd been swallowed and then vomited back up.
He stared down at the opaque pane. - Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref> but glowing blue-green.<ref name="24.5e1"/><ref name="I18.3e1">He sat down beside her. He pulled his hood back, letting it fall around his shoulders, then undid the clasp for his mask. He set the glowing mask down on the edge of the roof, beside her cell phone and cigarettes.

He looked so average. Heavy cheeks, thinning hair, a big nose, thick brows. More ugly than attractive, but not so much that he'd draw attention walking down the street. - Excerpt from 18.z (Donation Interlude #3; Jessica Yamada, Therapist)</ref><ref name="26.3e1"/> His eyes were faintly visible behind the mask.<ref name="24.5e1"/><ref name="26.3e1">He stared at me, the shadows of his eyes only barely visible behind the blue-green expanse of the concave mask he wore. The shadow cast by his hood didn't help. - Sting 26.3</ref> The glow from his mask is provided by LEDs.<ref>Cxaxakluth: His mask is white?
Ridtom: Uhh
Ridtom: I think?
Ridtom: No
Cxaxakluth: no?
Ridtom: Blue-Green glowish
Wildbow: LEDs to illuminate from within.
Wildbow: The inverse of the shadowy face beneath the hood.
Cxaxakluth: thanks bow - conversation on IRC, archived on Spacebattles</ref>

When not dressed up as Eidolon, he is a middle-aged man, with thick eyebrows, thinning hair and heavy cheeks, big nose and ears. People were often struck by how normal, even slightly ugly he looked without his mask.<ref name="I14ye1">Eidolon was the opposite. He had lowered his hood and removed his glowing mask, revealing a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows, thinning hair and heavy cheeks. He looked more like an average family man who was getting dressed up as Eidolon for a costume party than he looked like Eidolon himself. - Excerpt from Interlude 14.y</ref><ref name="I18.3e1"/><ref>Eidolon. I couldn't tell if he was unattractive by nature or if it was just mild deformations. He looked so small, so below average. - Scourge 19.5</ref>

His suit included a camera that recorded footage of his fights for later.<ref>"Make it dramatic enough that they can see from a distance, or stay alive so we can get the logs off the cameras you're wearing."

"I'll try to oblige," Eidolon said, his voice dry. - Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref>

Abilities and Powers

He has the ability to equip himself with a tremendous array of varied powers but is limited to holding a few at the same time. He typically uses three, though he can take more at the cost of potency if required.<ref name="18.7e1">“Eidolon can hold onto about three serious powers at a time,” Tecton said. “If he’s packing flying, danger sense and gravity manipulation, that’s it. Sometimes he does four, but two or three of them are usually pretty minor. Enhanced accuracy, whatever.” - Excerpt from Queen 18.7</ref> The powers he chooses take time to build up, but within minutes he can match the strength of veteran users of the same abilities.<ref name="Cast2">Eidolon – Third member of the Protectorate’s ‘Triumvirate’. Eidolon has the ability to use any power he needs at a given point in time, maintaining a set of two to four powers at a time. Adopting a new power is not immediate, but after minutes, his abilities with that power grow to the point they rival or surpass veteran users of the same abilities. - Cast in Depth</ref>

Even though his power is one of the strongest, he does not have much control over it.<ref name="12.4 c1">Hydrargentium Hg: It’s seems rather clear to me that Eidolon is a highly unimaginative person. Back when Scion showed up, I got the impression that the look of derision he gave Eidolon was not directed at him as a member of the rest of the human race, but as a being with so much power, but without the wherewithal to find a way to stop Leviathan. I’m sure each one of us could come up with 1001 uses of Eidolon’s power to stop people like Leviathan and Siberian. The fact that Eidolon can’t suggests he’s more suited to wearing suits and having pointy hair in a classic Dilbertian workplace than to being a superhero.

Wildbow: That, or his power has a catch. 😉 - Excerpt from Plague 12.4</ref> He is limited to holding tighter to or discarding given powers, which are selected by his shard in accordance with what it perceives David needs.<ref name="24.4e1">"Eidolon's power… he chooses what powers he gets?"

"He gets the powers he needs," Dispatch said. "He can be receptive to new ones, hold tighter to ones he wants to keep, but that's it." - Excerpt from Crushed 24.4</ref><ref name="R1.1"/> As a consequence, Eidolon does not have enough awareness of his complete repertoire of powers.

Although he can use tinker powers, his access to other powers and the long-term element inherent in tinker powers vs. something like a blaster power of the same utility factors into their negligible use.<ref name="R Tinker Trump">Tinkering takes time and brainpower. Eidolon ~could~ get into it, but his power swaps out often enough that it's not worthwhile, and he could just get a power to do much the same thing. GU has ghosts like Bakuda, but they operate distinctly from one another, and don't really merge specialties. Generally it's going to be the same as Eidolon - she'll have one spirit provide the materials and her bakuda spirit puts it together into something slapdash, and that's what she uses. Anything else is arguably a waste of time, unless she's fabricating specialized materials or gear for her costume or whatever else. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref>

His powers' potency, however, has been slowly weakening over time. Powers he summons take longer to build up and reach max strength, their maximum strength isn't as great as they should be or once were,<ref>Interlude 15.z</ref> and he's losing access to more powerful abilities like Matter Destruction.<ref name="I27"/> This leads him to look for a sense of challenge, in order to seek the untapped well of power he can feel when he is fighting.<ref name="18.ze1">“I’m losing my powers. Slowly but surely. If this goes much further, mankind may lose this war.”

“I don’t understand.”

Against the Endbringers, there are really only two individuals who can stop them, drive them away. Scion is one. I’m another. Each of us is worth a hundred other capes, if not more. I’m not boasting when I say this. But my powers are getting weaker every day, little by little. Whatever vast, improbably deep well parahumans tap into to use abilities, I suspect mine is running dry.”
[...]
“When I fight, Mrs. Yamada, I feel as though my lost power is somehow within reach. Reserves I have not yet touched, maybe. Or a fresh well. It is something, but it is there. The problem is that I rarely get to truly fight. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I think so.” - Excerpt from 18.z (Donation Interlude #3; Jessica Yamada, Therapist)</ref> In the meantime, he's been using Cauldron vials as booster shots.<ref name="I14y">“You want another booster shot?”
“Probably another Endbringer attack coming up, it’s best if I’m in top form.” - Excerpt from Interlude 14.y</ref> Eidolon speculated that Ignis Fatuus was not as restricted as he was, and perhaps if Glaistig Uaine claimed his power, she would not be as well.<ref name="I27"/> Skitter, however, speculated that Ignis Fatuus was enhancing his power using a variant of Scapegoat's power.<ref name="19.6e1">The flickering. Was that some variant on Scapegoat’s power? More broad? Paging through realities to find the state he wanted to be in? Uninjured, dressed?
There were a lot of ugly possibilities with that one. Could he affect how he was accessing powers? -Excerpt from Scourge 19.6</ref>

He is later able to restore his energy reserves by digging up the power to sense and drain the shards of other parahumans, based on advice given to him by Glaistig Uaine.<ref name="I27"/>

{{#if:Tattletale|

“	Eidolon’s some kind of exception, on a lot of levels. His power works by different vectors, the innate limits aren’t there… something broke, and I’m betting the Endbringers are tied to it. Like, this entity is fissioning off into countless fragments that impregnate hosts and somehow a little extra gets tacked on. Or Cauldron’s method of replicating the fragments gets that little extra.	”
{{#if:Tattletale| —Tattletale{{#if:|, {{{3}}}}} }} }}

Glaistig Uaine referred to Eidolon's shard as the "High Priest".<ref name="27.x eHighPriest">"Can you tell me why you call me the High Priest, before I put my life in your hands?"
[...]
"Some lead by logic, by law, by order and organization. Others lead by the abstract. By faith and the imagination of the public. Yes?"

"You're talking about leading… the passengers, the agents?"

"Naturally so. Plotting, raising the faerie up as objects for worship. They are chosen, cultivated, as the situation demands, to suit the world outside, to best manipulate it. The pantheon in the temple."

"Me. I'm this temple?"

She nodded. "Mmm." - Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref> It is the Thinker's counterpart shard to the Warrior's Queen Administrator.<ref>Post on Reddit that Wildbow confirms.
Wildbow: Yeah, pretty sure I already confirmed this elsewhere, but this is a great summary of it.</ref>

Relation to Endbringers

Main article: Endbringers

Eidolon is the unwitting<ref name="27.y c1" /> creator of the Endbringers.<ref>Her creator was an administrator of the highest order, and she had been selected out of a pool of emergency resources. All of her kind had. Behemoth had been created to break stasis, Leviathan to take away resources in space and land, forcing communities into conflict as they were made to relocate. - Infrared 19.z</ref><ref>She had other drives. To go to war against her creator. To these ends, she created a nemesis. She made him better. He freed people, upset the system, disrupted the process, and in that, he created the chaos that would keep her simulation from being too sterile. - Infrared 19.z</ref> His power gives him what he needs;<ref name="24.4e1" /><ref name="Cast2" /><ref name="cast" /> according to Scion, Eidolon subconsciously needs worthy opponents.<ref name="27.y e1">“You needed worthy opponents.” - Excerpt from Interlude 27.y</ref><ref name="R1.1">Some people don't believe it's the case, saying that Scion only said it because it was a way to blow Eidolon's mind. Some say it was truth.

But Eidolon's power gives him what he needs. Scion says Eidolon needed worthy opponents. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref> Tattletale speculates the Endbringers gave him the opportunity to use his abilities to their fullest and make a unique difference,<ref>“They say loneliness breeds the best masters, and it’s awfully lonely at the top,” Tattletale said. “Nobody that can really put up a fight, no excuse to flex his abilities to their fullest, nothing that can really give the man any real stature, next to Legend, who had all the face time with the media. No real role to play, compared to Alexandria, who was managing the PRT. Odd man out.”

I thought of Eidolon, the first time I’d seen him in person. Meeting in preparation for the Leviathan fight in Brockton Bay… Eidolon had been standing off to one side, in a corner, lost in thought.

“Symbiotic, odd as it sounds, what with you trying to kill him and him trying to kill you.” - Cockroaches 28.4</ref><ref>"Let's face the facts, Simurgh. Ziz. Israfel. Ulama. Whatever you want to go by. You started acting funny pretty much right away, after Eidolon bit it. Maybe that’s mourning. Maybe you respected him as an enemy, ’cause he was one of only two individuals who could really give you guys a run for your money. Or maybe you had a different relationship.”

Tattletale let the words hang in the air.

“Maybe a parent-child relationship? Maybe he created you.” - Cockroaches 28.4</ref> i.e., a true fight.<ref name="18.ze1" /> This subconscious need might be a result of his savior complex,<ref>“I hope that tonight is one of those moments. I hope to fight, to fight seriously. With the information we have about this threat, I can feel confident that the situation would be salvageable if I fail. Even in the worst case scenario, this could be ended with a strategic missile strike. In my absence, the heroes would have weeks to adjust, to change their battle plans and compensate, before the next Endbringer arrived.”

“You’re talking about dying?”

“Here, at least, I can fight this monster, and where I might never make the gamble against an Endbringer, I hope to fight this thing to the death. Hers or mine.”

To the death.

He continued, “If I can find that untapped well of power, then it will be worth it. If I can’t, then there’s no point to me existing anyways.”

“Surely you have something else to live for.”

He gave her a look that was both incredulous and pitying. She felt a pang of sympathy for Vista, and how she’d reacted when she felt like she was being condescended to.

Maybe life doesn’t offer anything suitably interesting or profound to a man who’s been as powerful as Eidolon is, she thought. - Excerpt from 18.z (Donation Interlude #3; Jessica Yamada, Therapist)</ref><ref>“Sit this one out, for all of our sakes.”

He broke eye contact first. His eyes fell on Foil and Kid Win.

“Please,” I said.

He didn’t move, looking across the street at the others.

Then, as if the courtesy of the please had given him the ability, he spoke. His voice was quiet enough that I was probably the only one who could hear.

“I live for this,” he said. “It’s what I do.”

It was an admission of weakness, not a boast. - Sting 26.3</ref><ref>“When the shit hit the fan, when my clone divulged the ugly details to the public, I made sacrifices there too. I walked away, so the Protectorate could stand. Gave up everything.”

“And I’m afraid I must ask you to give up this as well.”

“This is all I have,” he said, his voice quiet. “It’s my career, my life. It’s my legacy. Some have children, flesh and blood to carry on their name and their memories. I went without, for your sake, for the world‘s sake. I didn’t have children because I wanted to save lives more than anything else, and if I made peace with that, it was because I told myself this would be my legacy.” - Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref><ref>He met her eyes. There weren’t tears in his eyes, but that fact was more surprising than not. He felt like he wanted to cry. When he spoke, he almost wished the words would bring the tears. His voice was tight as he said, “I’d rather die in a blaze of glory than go out ingloriously. I just- It feels like it’s something I need to do. I can’t put my finger on why.”

“We need you, David. We can’t lose you, gloriously or otherwise.”

“I know.” - Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref> an eagerness to prove his usefulness,<ref>“You tried to take your life. The army, it was something you wanted?”

“I just- I know I’m not in any condition to fight, to do drills or any of that. But there’s other stuff I can do. Desk jobs.”

She nodded. “I can offer you better than a desk job.”
[...]
He glanced out the window again. He felt so ashamed of himself he couldn’t meet her eyes. “The army wasn’t the thing.”

“No?”

“I wanted to go do something of my own will. Take charge, take action. Stop living a life where everything is decided for me.”

“By joining the army?” the Doctor raised an eyebrow.

He laughed a little. “I know. Stupid.” - Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref><ref>“Help’s on the way.”

“Help?”

“Eidolon. We tried to keep things quiet, keep everything off the radar, but he caught on. Legend’s at the other site with Pretender.”

“Turn them away!” I hissed the words. - Sting 26.3</ref> and a desire to leave behind a positive legacy to others.<ref>He realized he was staring at the floor, raised his head to meet the Doctor’s eyes. She was managing to look sympathetic. It pained him.

“I’m not- being famous was never a focus. I never begrudged Legend his status in the Protectorate, never put my status or any of that above saving lives. Understand that.”

“Oh, I understand,” the Doctor said. “It hasn’t always been pretty, but you’ve never wavered.”
[...]
“Maybe I’m not a good man, but I hope the people I’ve saved can do enough good to make up for that. Does that make sense?”

“Yes,” the Doctor said.

“So I hope you don’t mistake me. I hope others don’t mistake me, when I say that it does matter, still. The legacy. That I want people to remember me at my best, not as someone withered.” - Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref><ref>“I…” Jessica said, “Why me? What am I doing?”

“You know, now. If I die, you can explain what happened. But I’ve read you, and I don’t think you will tell others until the fight is over, and you won’t tell others what I planned if I succeed, tonight.”

She stared at him.

“If you were a priest,” he said, “I would have you say a prayer and bless my endeavor tonight. I will settle for having you wish me luck.” - Excerpt from 18.z (Donation Interlude #3; Jessica Yamada, Therapist)</ref><ref>Greendoor65: Oh man, poor Eidolon. Really, he should've had his own staff therapist and people observing his mental health. He's a national asset and one of the most powerful heroes ever-it's kinda screwed up that he needs to get therapy by sitting on the roof with a child psychologist on break.

Wildbow: Eidolon isn't looking for therapy. He's looking for a priest - someone who will listen and bless his endeavors. - Conversation with Wildbow on Reddit, archived on Spacebattles</ref>

His power hooks up Endbringers to its well and allocates them vast energy reserves.<ref name="reddit eHookDrain">You could also argue he [Eidolon] was hooked up to three (later five) pretty massive energy drains. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref> The addition of these massive energy drains arguably explain why his powers weakened over time;<ref name="reddit eHookDrain" /> more Endbringers would accelerate this drain.<ref name="reddit eProduceNew">Medium-term consequence: the shard network begins producing Endbringers that Superman can't stop that Eidolon could. [...] Eidolon gets to be more of a hero with worthy opponents (but the power drain starts accelerating). - Wildbow on Reddit</ref> Only when fighting against Endbringers<ref>“Why isn’t it working?” He asked.

“I…” she had to stop for breath, “I don’t care. Whatever it is.”

“I was supposed to get stronger, and there’s nothing. Nothing at all to reach for.” - Interlude 18</ref> can he sense these energy reserves and thus feel as if his lost power is within reach.<ref name="18.ze1" /> In theory, the creation of more Endbringers and the resulting drain could eventually push Eidolon to the point where he would learn (without the help of Glaistig Uaine<ref>It’s mine. Ours. But you’re stronger than I am. I can see it. The issue, High Priest, is that you need to open your eyes.”

“My issue is that the well has run dry. I can’t tap it for power anymore. My best abilities are gone, and I’m spending the remainder with every minute I fight.”

“Refill the well, then,” she said. - Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref>) how to drain the shards of other parahumans.<ref name="reddit eRefill">This may lean to Eidolon being forced to tap into the real power source and start draining capes. Cue some back and forth on morality and whether it's right, even when Eidolon limits himself to taking the lives and power reserves of capes who are already dying (maybe at first when they've given consent in advance, but throw in edge cases and Superman believing he can rescue people, and ramping pressure from the new Endbringers...), cue a few Eidolon vs. Superman conflicts. Eidolon's powers give him the strength he needs to match and even beat Superman - a worthy opponent without needing an Endbringer. - Wildbow on Reddit</ref>

History

Background

David was born with a severe illness and was confined to a wheelchair for most of his life, facing regular seizures.

Before being approached by Doctor Mother he wanted to become more independent, applied to the army and was subsequently turned down, which made him try to commit suicide.<ref name="I27"/>

When Eidolon gained his powers, he was one of a rare few who did not forget the vision of the Entity they saw. Doctor Mother speculated that his passenger had not been limited, unlike most powers.<ref name="29.7">Venom 29.7</ref>

As Eidolon, he was a founding member of the Protectorate. After Hero's death, he became the leader of a smaller team based in Houston.<ref name="R1">Around the time that they were a group, they were simply 'the Protectorate' or 'the guys at the top'. You could say, perhaps, that the loss of Hero splintered the team. They didn't hate each other or resent each other, but it was about time, and served as the catalyst to the group each going to their own individual cities - New York, LA, & Houston. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref>

In 2009 at Madison, Eidolon was a major part in fighting The Simurgh off and was recognized as such.<ref name="R3.1">In the aftermath, he gets a lion's share of the credit in the Endbringer defeat like Eidolon did with the Simurgh in Madison. - Comment by wildbow on Reddit</ref>

Battle against Leviathan

During the fight he worked with Myrddin to mitigate the effects of tidal waves created by the Endbringer, along with helping the wounded heroes.<ref>Excerpt from Extermination 8.3</ref> After Scion makes the appearance Eidolon helps pin down Leviathan with the manipulation of the water, freezing it into walls around the Endbringer.<ref>Excerpt from Extermination 8.5</ref>

New Delhi

During the whole encounter, he's noted as being at the epicenter of the fight along with Legend and Alexandria.

At the beginning of the fight, he works in coordination with Legend to slow down the Endbringer's movement. After Alexandria's (Pretender) arrival he adopts more of a hit-and-run approach with a melee powerset and a time bubble slowing down Behemoth's movement, to help Alexandria's own efforts in hitting the Endbringer hard enough to topple and drive him back. Their coordinated efforts are noted to throw Behemoth off his game and with the help of Clockblocker's frozen strings they are able to deal substantial damage to his body.

He's involved in Weaver's and Phir Se plan of killing the Endbringer. He creates an inviolable forcefield, which contains Phir Se's light to an area surrounding Behemoth. In the final stand in the Temple, he creates a green field around the structure, which keeps it from collapsing.

After Scion's arrival, Eidolon helps keep the Endbringer from retreating, arresting his momentum in the sky with a violet forcefield and he stands witness to the destruction of Behemoth with Scion's golden light.<ref>Interlude 24.x</ref>

Post-Timeskip

Tried to help against the Slaughterhouse Nine Hold Apartment Hostage but was turned away by Weaver, who pointed out that while she could be put down if she became evil, Eidolon would be much harder to contain.<ref>Sting 26.3</ref>

Gold Morning

Eidolon participated in the oil-rig battle alongside the rest of the Triumvirate.<ref name="27.5">Extinction 27.5</ref> Glaistig Uaine taught him how to drain other parahumans, bringing him back to his peak strength. Together, they drove Scion across dimensions. Scion, increasingly hard-pressed, used his path-to-victory ability to convince Eidolon to give up.<ref name="I27">Excerpt from Interlude 27.x</ref> Glaistig Uaine harvested Eidolon's shard<ref name="29.2">Venom 29.2</ref> keeping him in the fight.

Post-Fallen Fall

After Gold Morning, Eidolon's energy reserves are nearly spent: Valkyrie did not use his shade as she believed the cost of replenishing it was too high.<ref>The Simurgh, was the reply.

Almost instinctively, another spirit deep inside her shifted, agitated. Eidolon. David. The man’s battery was nearly spent, and the cost of replenishing it was high.

Stirred to life by the mere mention of his long-time opponent. - Interlude 9 II</ref>

Trivia

• For many many drafts, Eidolon was simply "Mary Sue", a woman who had an idolization aura on top of Eidolon's powers.<ref>TELUTTT: Each draft featured rotating viewpoints attempting to incorporate everyone I’d added into the story by that point in one overarching story. First draft focused heavily on Faultline, introduced Scion, Legend, Narwhal, Hero, Alexandria and a major heroine named Mary Sue.
  [...]
  Schism/TELUTT v4: Everyone. Mary Sue gets a sex change and becomes Eidolon. Same power, minus the ‘everyone adores me’ aura (unless he needs it). - Comment by Wildbow on Prey 14.8</ref> Wildbow made the change to Eidolon relatively recently in the drafts.<ref>Regarding #5, the Undersiders were a relatively late creation in the setting. In terms of general progression, just going by story title (skipping stories below 5 pages in length and the ones I have handwritten on paper rather than hard drive)…
  
  Runechild, Runechild v2, Guts & Glory, Guts & Glory v2, The Events Leading Up to That Thursday (TELUTTT), TELUTTT v2, Supreme Earth, Cat and the Canary, The Wards, TELUTTT v3, Guts & Glory v3, Finding Fault, Sovrano Academy, Lucky Girl, Heartbreaker, Sovrano v2, Dealer, Versus Dragon, Ziggurat, Ward v2, Daddy, Doll, Caprice, Travelers, Guts & Glory v4, Circus Triumph, Slaughterhouse, Grue, Grue v2, Schism/TELUTTT v4, Circus vs. Elite… - Comment by Wildbow on Prey 14.8</ref>
• Wildbow has speculated that Eidolon could theoretically defeat a composite version of Superman from the animated series and movies.<ref name="reddit eSuperman" />
• "Eidolon" can mean an unsubstantial image, an ideal, or an idealized figure.

Fanart Gallery

<tabber>Accurate=

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  Illustration by DerTodesbote on DeviantArt
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  Illustration by TheDeviantObserver on DeviantArt
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  With Behemoth. Illustration by sandara on DeviantArt.
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  Illustration by lonsheep on DeviantArt
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  Illustration by YunYunHakusho on Reddit
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  With the Simurgh. Illustration by DerTodesbote on DeviantArt
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  Illustration by foust2015 on Reddit
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  Illustration by Kuraitormentus on DeviantArt
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  Illustration by TheKrustacean on DeviantArt

|-|Nonaccurate=

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  Illustration by Juilian Bautista
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  Illustration by pabelandnine on Tumblr
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  Illustration by a friend of DellSalami on Reddit
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  With Leviathan. Illustration by kuraitormentus on DeviantArt
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  With Alexandria and Legend. Illustration by Zhaomeng on DeviantArt

</tabber>

References

<references/>

Site Navigation

Cauldron
Leader	Doctor Mother {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }}
Members	Alexandria {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Balminder {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Contessa {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Clairvoyant {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Custodian {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Doormaker {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Eidolon {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Harbinger Clones {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} (Harbinger I {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Harbinger II {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Harbinger III {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Harbinger IV {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Harbinger V {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }}) • Hero {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Legend {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • William Manton {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Number Man {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Pretender {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Slug {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }}

The Protectorate
Founders	Alexandria {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Eidolon {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Hero {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Legend
Leaders	Legend • Alexandria (Second-in-command) • Chevalier • Rime (Second-in-command)
Anchorage	Cask • Horizon • Lightslinger • Rail • Snaptrap
Atlanta	Cinereal
Baltimore	Mayday • Turtleshell • Aerobat
Boston	Bastion
Brockton Bay	Adamant • Assault • Armsmaster • Battery • Challenger • Clockblocker • Dauntless • Dovetail • Miss Militia • Sere • Triumph • Velocity
Chicago	Anomaly • Brazier • Campanile • Gauss • Myrddin {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Revel • Shuffle • Stardust
Detroit	Horizon
Houston	Dispatch • Eidolon {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Exalt
Las Vegas	Blowout {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Floret {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Leonid {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Nix {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Pretender {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Ravine {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Satyrical {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Spur {{#switch: former	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }}
Los Angeles	Alexandria {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Arbiter • Rime • Usher
Louisiana	Fidelis
New York	Astrologer • Cache • Clay • Legend • Prism • Ursa Aurora
Philadelphia	Chevalier
Raleigh	Cask
San Diego	Prefab
Seattle	Fume • Gasconade • Snubnose
Toronto	Grumman • Narwhal
Unknown Location	Albatross • Chubster {{#switch: deceased	deceased=†	noncanon=≠	former=‡	unknown=*	#DEFAULT= }} • Leister • Pinpoint • Scroll • Tomcat