Shadow Stalker

<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Shadow Stalker</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>

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<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> Shadow Stalker is a member of the Brockton Bay Wards.

Personality

Sophia is a mean spirited, hot tempered and violent teenager who finds anything but negative consequences as encouragement to continue.<ref name="SB1"> archived conversation on reddit</ref> She has nothing but disdain for those she perceives as weak and hates anyone she can't beat in a fight. When Taylor was revealed to be Skitter (thereby proving Sophia's philosophy wrong), Sophia was enraged and later tried to convince herself that she was responsible for what Taylor became. Surprisingly, she admitted to Taylor that she was resentful that Taylor had a parent who actually cared for her enough to actually attend the meeting.

A lot of her personality comes from the influence of her shard, as noted by Taylor.<ref name="28.4"/>

Relationships

mother<ref name="I10"/><ref>Venom 29.5</ref>

emma Taylor

Appearance

Sophia was dark skinned, slender, and athletic, owing to her membership on the track and field team<ref name="1.1">Gestation 1.1</ref>, and likely her nighttime activities in the city.<ref name="Cast1">Cast (spoiler free)</ref>

As Shadow Stalker, Sophia wears a heavy black cloak and skintight black bodysuit with metal kneepads, gauntlets, and a black mask<ref name="9.2">Sentinel 9.2</ref>. Before joining the Brockton Bay Wards, her mask was a modified hockey mask<ref name="19.z">Interlude 19.z</ref>. After joining the Wards, her mask was made of metal<ref name="9.2"/> and took the shape of a woman's face with a stern expression.<ref name="Cast2"/>

Powers & Equipment

Sophia was capable of shifting herself into a "shadow state" which allowed her to pass through walls and made her lightweight. She could pass on these attributes onto her equipment, including shots fired by her crossbow bolts.<ref name="9.2"/> It was unknown exactly what her upper limit was. For example, while she was able to 'shadow' a fold-up chair and launch it through a wall where it would materialize as a projectile, it was unknown just how much effort this cost her.<ref name="27.3">Extinction 27.3</ref>

It was stated that her powers affected her personality after she triggered, her behavior becoming more aggressive and violent as a result of her trigger event.<ref name="28.4">Cockroaches 28.4</ref>

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Early version with hockey mask.

As Shadow Stalker, Sophia carried two crossbows with both lethal and nonlethal bolts.

She was vulnerable to electricity in her shadow form, possibly even more so than in her normal form. As a Ward, she had lenses built into her mask that could detect electricity.<ref name="9.6">Sentinel 9.6</ref>

If she "stalled" inside a solid object, she lost forward momentum and suffered excruciating pain. She also suffered as badly as anyone from pepper spray or other aerosols if she changed back while they were still inside her, if not worse.<ref name="9.6"/>

History

Background

Once a cape with a vigilante bent, Shadow Stalker was caught after having nearly killed a man, pinning him to a wall with her crossbow bolts. When given the option, she chose to join the Wards as a probationary member rather than be sent to juvenile detention. As a condition of her parole, she was given probationary status in the Wards and required to use nonlethal ammunition, a requirement she usually ignored when the Wards aren't looking.

She fought Behemoth in the attack prior to the Battle against Leviathan, although she mostly did search and rescue,<ref name="27.3"/> presumably alongside the Wards.

In her civilian guise, she was Emma’s best friend and one of Taylor’s tormentors, as well as a member of the high school's track and field team. She wasn't liked by many, beyond Emma and Madison, as she was fairly notorious for being mean spirited. Her brand of bullying tended more towards the physical than any of the other girls – tripping, punching, kicking, shoving, and so on.<ref name="Cast2">Cast (in depth)</ref>

Story Start

Sophia helped to bully Taylor as a member of the Trio. She helped Madison pour juice on Taylor, laughing "like it was the funniest thing in the world".<ref name="1.1"/>

During the curfew necessitated by the ABB's rampage, she was stationed at a shopping mall along with Battery. After seeing the concussed Taylor shove Emma unprovoked, she put her bullying victim in zip-ties and admonished the teen's father to keep a hold on his daughter.

After seeing the loser that was Taylor Hebert kiss a very attractive guy, Sophia stalked her to a bookstore and violently confronted the nerd. She was then stopped by Taylor's boyfriend.<ref name="7.6">Buzz 7.6</ref>

Post-Leviathan

As Shadow Stalker, she mocked and threatened Vista. She met Flechette on patrol, and shocked the other Ward with her violent personality.<ref name="9.2"/>

She was accused of violating probation shortly after Arc 10 and sent to juvenile detention.<ref name="I10">Interlude 10</ref>

Golden Morning

She was freed and joined Taylor's group hunting down villains for a time after Golden Morning. She was successfully used as bait to message to the Simurgh due to her particularly active shard. During the voyage in the Firefly, she was consistently a voice of dissent in the group, going so far as getting into a fight with Lung.

She fought in the Cauldron siege, killing multiple Case 53's. When Zion visits the base, she revolts and leaves the team.

Post-GM

Sophia was spotted stalking Imp from the rooftops of a nearby building. Imp confronts her, and she admits she felt that Taylor doesn't deserve the respect she earned post GM due to how she used her powers as Khepri. Imp retorts by saying she'll be remembered more then Sophia ever will, and leaves her to stew in her anger.<ref name="e.2">Teneral e.2</ref>

Quotes

• (To Taylor Hebert): "It's not that I feel driven to win, I simply hate losing!"

• (To Taylor Hebert): “Funny how it all turns out. This, for one thing. That I can’t anticipate you anymore. And… that it’s just you. There’s nobody to mourn me when I'm gone. Family doesn’t really care. No friends left. No teammates, even. I'm left to console myself with the idea that, if I die, I'll at least annoy the depressing, creepy little geek from high school.”

References

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