Manpower
| “ | I’m tough to hurt. Do you really want to test it? Sure. Why the hell not? |
” |
| {{#if:Neil and Damsel of Distress| —Neil and Damsel of Distress{{#if:Eclipse x.5|, Eclipse x.5}} }}}} | ||
<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Manpower</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><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> Neil Pelham or Manpower is a member of New Wave.
Personality
Neil was reckless enough to play chicken with a previously unfamiliar parahuman.<ref name="E.x.5">Eclipse x.5</ref>
He gave sparring and fighting lessons to Victoria Dallon<ref>Had I used my strength, the Wretch would have torn him to shreds. This was the scenario Uncle Neil had been preparing me for when he’d sparred with me. - Gleaming 9.3</ref><ref>I’d fought big before. I’d grown up roughhousing with Uncle Neil. Manpower. - Polarize 10.13</ref><ref>You’re forgetting your lessons, I told myself. You had this exact same sensation as you tried to spar with Uncle Neil, and he recovered too quickly.
[...]
Remember the lessons Uncle Neil taught you about fighting, and stay inside their reach. - Blinding 11.8</ref><ref>I’d been through enough sparring lessons in my life. With my mom, with my dad, with uncle Neil. - Breaking 14.1</ref><ref> If we balked, if we stopped… we lost. Hesitation when parrying an incoming strike was death. My early sparring with Manpower had taught me that much. - Last 20.8</ref> before and after she had powers, teaching her how to fight bigger and stronger individuals.<ref name="II19.10 eSparringBeforeAfter">“In my old sparring matches with my uncle Neil, before I had powers, and even after, he taught me how to fight someone bigger and stronger than you. If you’re fighting someone like Ashley, like Swansong, you can’t take what she’s dishing out, so what do you do?”
“Pray,” Rain said.
“You get out of the way,” Chris said. - Infrared 19.10</ref>
Appearance
Neil is a powerful seven-foot tall blond man with an athletic build. As Manpower, Neil dons a primarily white costume with yellow lightning bolt designs<ref name="cast2" /> that followed the general pattern of other members of New Wave.<ref name="WoG1" /> He used a ridiculous amount of hair-styling products.<ref name="E.x.5ap">“Big guy,” Damsel said. “Don’t pick on a girl half your age and a third your mass.”
The man turned her way. It was weird to see a cape without a mask. He was older, thirty-five or forty, and his blond hair was styled, slicked into position with something that hadn’t faltered in the heat of this skirmish. - Excerpt from Eclipse x.5</ref>
Abilities and Powers
Neil’s powers come from an ability to manipulate electromagnetism, though only at point-blank range.<ref name="cast">Manpower – Member of New Wave, Lady Photon’s husband. A manipulator of electromagnetism, primarily at point-blank range. The ‘bruiser’ of the team. - Cast Page</ref> He has a personal electromagnetic shield around his body<ref name="7.9 eCrash" /><ref name="15.x eShield" /><ref name="WoG1" /> that significantly augments both his strength and durability.<ref name="cast2">Manpower, Neil Pelham (Deceased) – Lady Photon’s husband. Had an electromagnetic augmentation allowing for superstrength and durability. Wore a white and yellow costume with a lightning bolt motif, but perished in the Endbringer arc. - Cast (In-Depth)</ref> Neil can also attract nearby metal objects to his hand (e.g., store shelf).<ref name="IIx.5 eThrow" />
Super Strength
Neil has super strength<ref>He advanced on Angel, shoulders alternating back and forth as he walked. There was a lightness to his step that suggested super strength. - Excerpt from Eclipse x.5</ref> greater than that of Victoria Dallon.<ref name="II19.10 eSparringBeforeAfter" /> He can also discharge his shield to deliver high impact or electrified hits.<ref name="WoG1" /> For example, Neil can impart explosive strength when he throws an object to hurl it faster than what is possible with super strength alone.<ref name="IIx.5 eThrow">He twisted his hand around, and the shelf snapped over, the thicker midsection of the shelf slapping into the palm of his hands, fingers gripping it.
He hurled it, and it wasn’t just that he was strong enough to treat it like it weighed nothing- he used his power to thrust it out. Damsel aimed to shoot it out of the air, but with the speed it flew, it connected with her hand a moment before the power annihilated it. Flecks of shelf struck Damsel’s face and shoulders. - Excerpt from Eclipse x.5</ref>
Enhanced Durability
Neil is tough to hurt.<ref name="IIx.5 eToughHurt">“I’m tough to hurt,” he said.
“Do you really want to test it?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said. “Why the hell not?” - Excerpt from Eclipse x.5</ref> His shield allows him to take consecutive hits from Marquis's bone scythe,<ref name="15.x eShield">That left Marquis to duel with Manpower, striking the hero over and over with a massive scythe of bone that extended out from his wrist. Manpower was strong, and he was durable thanks to his electromagnetic shield – sparks flew as the scythe hit home over and over. Even so, the hero didn’t try to fight back.
It took her only a moment to realize why. Each swing of the scythe was calculated so that if the movement followed through, it would strike either the crippled Flashbang or Lightstar. - Interlude 15.x</ref> run into spears of bone,<ref name="I15.x eSpears">Manpower wasn’t so adroit. He managed to stop himself, slamming one foot through the mahogany floor to give himself something to brace against, but it was too late to keep him from running into the spears of bone. Shards snapped against his skin and went flying. - Interlude 15.x</ref> and be thrown through a brick wall to little or no effect.<ref name="7.9 eCrash">A crash behind me made me duck. Manpower, a powerful seven foot tall athletic figure decked out in white and yellow, had been thrown through a brick wall. Maybe more than one. He seemed unhurt, but he was a fairly durable guy. Personal electromagnetic shielding, if I remembered right. He was still struggling to his feet after we left him behind. - Buzz 7.9</ref> That said, his defense is not All-or-Nothing.<ref name="IIx.5 eDischarge">Another forcefield had materialized in front of where she’d been about to stumble, positioned to make her landing an uncomfortable one. The blast that she fired tore the forcefield to shreds. She stumbled back into a shelf near the registers, loaded with impulse buy items, including a ridiculous number and variety of protein bars.
She hurled herself forward.
“Neil!” the forcefield woman shouted, her voice nasal with her hand still at her nose. “Get back!”
Damsel blasted. The big guy was already getting out of the way, throwing himself into the ground in a roll. He collided with another shelf, and energy arced out, connecting with the metal shelves.
“That went through my field like it was nothing,” the woman said. “You can’t take that hit.”
Damsel smiled, as the man’s expression went cold. - Excerpt from Eclipse x.5</ref>
History
Background
Manpower was a natural trigger.<ref>Comment by Wildbow on Spacebattles</ref> His trigger entailed a physical confrontation with someone.<ref>“When Sarah triggered, she hurt people, badly. I did the same.” - Excerpt from Infrared 19.9</ref>
Neil and Sarah met at the physical therapy, where he was recovering after his trigger and she from her riding injury.<ref>“Neil had the accident, which you know about” my Aunt Sarah said. I knew. They’d met in the physical therapy after. Her for a riding injury, him for his trigger. - Excerpt from Infrared 19.9</ref>
He was the leader of the Brockton Bay Brigade.<ref name="WoG1" />
At some point possibly had an affair with Brandish.
When Marquis asked Brandish why he would want to stand down, as he had beat the Brockton Bay Brigade in all of their previous encounters, Manpower told him that he had nowhere to run and that they had got him where he lived. Marquis told him that he had plenty of places to run and that it was just a house. He then advanced alongside his teammates before Marquis started to reach down after asking them if he could finish his wine.
Manpower and Brandish charged Marquis who then used his power to turn himself into a sea urchin. He managed to stop himself, but was unable to prevent himself from running into the spears of bone.
After Marquis shielded a closet from Lady Photon's attack, she asked him what he was protecting and Marquis told her that they wouldn't believe him. He then asked if they could change venues before Manpower told him that they should take every advantage they could. Marquis agreed that it would increase their chance of success if they didn't, but said that they shouldn't.
Marquis fought Manpower with a bone scythe he had grown from his wrist that he took with his electromagnetic shield. He didn't try to fight back because, if he didn't take the hits, Marquis would either hit Flashbang or Lightstar. He called for Brandish and told her to use the same plan, but with just him and her. After Brandish stepped in to block the scythe and Marquis broke it, Manpower charged him.
Marquis burrowed into the ground before he emerged between Brandish and the closet door. After Marquis fell, Manpower asked him if that was where he stashed his illicit goods. Marquis told him that he was protecting the most precious treasure in the world.
It was later revealed that treasure was in fact Marquis' daughter. Marquis told her that the Brigade would take care of her before telling them that he didn't want her falling into the hands of his enemies. Manpower told him that his enemies wouldn't need to know before Marquis told him that they would find out about her.
Later, Manpower said that they should call the PRT to get Marquis into custody and then, after Marquis requested it, medical assistance.<ref name="I15.x">Interlude 15.x</ref>
Boston Games
Almost got himself killed.<ref name="E.x.5"/>
Story Start
When the Empire Eighty-Eight went on a rampage following the release of their identities, Manpower went out to confront them alongside his teammates. He was thrown through a brick wall and then struggled to his feet.<ref>Buzz 7.9</ref>
Manpower later traveled to the meeting place alongside his teammates after Armsmaster and Dragon's program predicted that Leviathan would hit Brockton Bay. He listened as Legend addressed the assembled capes and then received an armband from the Brockton Bay Wards. He joined the group of combatants that thought that they could take a hit from Leviathan, led by Alexandria and Dragon. Manpower was eventually killed by Leviathan.<ref>Extermination 8.4</ref>
His name was later added onto the Endbringer monument.
Chapter Appearances
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References
<references/>
| Leader | Lady Photon (Unofficial) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members | Brandish • Flashbang • Fleur {{#switch: deceased | deceased=† | noncanon=≠ | former=‡ | unknown=* | #DEFAULT=
}} • Glory Girl {{#switch: former |
deceased=† | noncanon=≠ | former=‡ | unknown=* | #DEFAULT=
}} • Laserdream • Lightstar {{#switch: former |
deceased=† | noncanon=≠ | former=‡ | unknown=* | #DEFAULT=
}} • Manpower {{#switch: deceased |
deceased=† | noncanon=≠ | former=‡ | unknown=* | #DEFAULT=
}} • Panacea {{#switch: former |
deceased=† | noncanon=≠ | former=‡ | unknown=* | #DEFAULT=
}} • Shielder {{#switch: deceased |
deceased=† | noncanon=≠ | former=‡ | unknown=* | #DEFAULT=
}} |