Sleeper

"There was no long-term, and trying to cling to one would only spoil it all."

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

Sleeper is an S-Class threat of mysterious nature.

Abilities and Powers

Little is known about Sleeper's abilities, but he possesses a global reputation for having a great and terrible power.<ref name="I26.x" /> He is compared to The Endbringers, the Slaughterhouse Nine, and Nilbog<ref>Queen 18.4</ref> and to Ash Beast and the Three Blasphemies, and he is described by the Number Man as a living example of the fact that the increasing number of parahumans would inevitably lead to cataclysmic events.<ref>Extinction 27.2</ref>

In addition, Khepri declined to capture him while collecting parahumans during the battle against Zion, believing him to be "more trouble than he was worth".<ref name="30.4" />

His power seems to be related to some form of matter creation, which uses brains or perception as an attack-vector, since Wardens sought out All-or-Nothing brutes with resistant/non-typical brains and absolute matter annihilators to deal with him.<ref>“I don’t suppose any of you feel brave enough to go up against Sleeper? Absolute invulnerability better than Alexandria’s, special brains, absolute annihilation powers?” - Excerpt from From Within 16.2</ref>

From the safe distance his power manifested as a 'storm', with colors taking on a rainbow sheen of impossible colors. The storm disrupts communications in the affected area, and can grow in size considerably.<ref name="Zcamp">She’d heard about what it was, she’d seen pictures. When everyone at the Zayin settlements had still been getting set up, that same cloud had swept over them. Nobody had been able to get a message to them to warn them. They’d fled, but communication had been all over the place, a few people had been left behind, most of the others hadn’t fled far enough. The storm had swelled in size, and it had encapsulated every settlement in Zayin. It hadn’t been a large area, but it had still been mostly everyone, and it had included the portal the rest needed to get back. - Excerpt from Last 20.b</ref> Other effects of this storm are unknown but it was enough to immobilize and contain the Simurgh.<ref name="storm"/>

History

Background

Sleeper has been known to move around though usually in Russia.<ref name="23.5 c1">Sleeper roams, but primarily Russia. - Comment by Wildbow on Drone 23.5</ref> He eventually settled in Mordovia.<ref name="27.3"/>

Post-Timeskip

Dragon and by extension Saint constantly monitored Sleeper's activity, including even the slightest shifts, despite his apparent dormancy.<ref name="I26.x">26.x (Donation Interlude; Saint)</ref>

Gold Morning

The Mordovia Bubble was hit at the beginning of Scion's rampage, rousing Sleeper.<ref name="27.3">Mordovia bubble hit. Sleeper has been roused, last tracked en route to Zayin portal. Casualties unknown.Extinction 27.3</ref> He then traveled to Earth Zayin by portal and effectively cut it out from the greater humanity by settling near the portal and submerging nearby settlements in his power.<ref name="Zcamp"/>

Using the Clairvoyant, Khepri found Sleeper sitting on a lawn chair on a balcony in Earth Zayin, reading a book out loud to himself. Deeming him too troublesome to collect, she let him be.<ref name="30.4">Speck 30.4</ref>

Early Ward

Since the events of Gold Morning, Sleeper stayed in Zayin.<ref>Interlude 5x II</ref> But apparently, was still uneasy enough to occupy The Wardens attention and resources.<ref>Beacon 8.2</ref>

Reported by Lisa Wilbourn to be "active".

Post-Attack on Teacher

Sleeper was confirmed as active, and was ranked as a non-immediate threat by The Wardens.<ref name="16.2II">From Within 16.2</ref> Legend was able to dissuade him from approaching by scorching out no man's land.<ref>“Sleeper.”

“Restless but still around. Earth Zayin in the palm of his hand. He started to emerge, Legend faced him down. [...] Leveled about thirty square kilometers of city.”

I nodded. “He’s dormant now?”

“For now. If he had motivations for making one attempt, he’s going to budge again soon. But I don’t have the instinct he’s our threat. He’s background. Someone else’s problem.”- Excerpt from Sundown 17.9</ref>

The Ice Breaks

The Wardens attempted to utilize Sleeper against Simurgh and the Titans. It had little effect by itself,<ref name="II20.9">Last 20.9</ref> but following the intervention from Titan Fortuna the Sleeper's storm was able to capture the Endbringer.<ref name="storm">The Simurgh lay prone within the storm that was the Sleeper. Unmoving. That hadn’t been him. That had been Dauntless, acting with the benefit of Titan Fortuna’s sight, guiding the direction of the blast.

The storm crackled, boiled, popped, the colors taking on a rainbow sheen that somehow felt it shouldn’t make sense with the way the colors unfolded. - Excerpt from Interlude 20.a II</ref> Following that the Sleeper had returned to passivity.<ref>“First of all, the Sleeper is retreating. He is not an immediate danger, and we will let you know as soon as we can, if that changes.” - Excerpt from Last 20.b</ref>

Trivia

Wildbow has stated that Sleeper was included in Worm as a result of a fan's comment that not every character should be fully explained.<ref>"Wildbow: Sleeper was written in as a response to a fan saying that I shouldn’t go into detail and explain every character. He featured in a snippet I wrote back in the day (I spent ten years writing bits and pieces of superhero stuff before settling on the story I wanted to write) and seemed like a good one to drop in. He does have a power, but I think it’s best left unsaid, perhaps until the sequel." - Interview with Wildbow by t4nky</ref>
In the parahumans list, under Sleeper's power, Wildbow had a message with a caesar shift of 5, saying "As if I'd really put something here. For real."
Sleeper's name seems to be a reference to "let sleeping dogs lie" proverb, whose equivalent also uses the same sleep-metaphor in Russian language too, except with a specific evil bogeyman in place of dogs.

References

Site Navigation

v • eS-Class Threats
Endbringers	Behemoth {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Leviathan {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Simurgh • Khonsu {{#switch: unknown	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Tohu {{#switch: unknown	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Bohu {{#switch: unknown	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }}
Titans	The Kronos Titan {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Titan Eve {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Titan Fortuna {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Nemean Titan {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Titan Arachne {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Titan Oberon {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Ashen Titan {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Titan Skadi {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Ophion Titan {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Strange Titan {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Auger {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Titaness Amenonuhoko {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Flowing Titan {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Drillbit {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • The Liminal Titan {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Pouffe {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Valkyrie {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Morgana {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Yakshini {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Ashoka {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Ghast {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }}
Groups	The Slaughterhouse Nine {{#switch: former	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Three Blasphemies • The Machine Army
Parahumans	Ash Beast {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Echidna {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Khepri {{#switch: former	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Nilbog • Pastor {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Scion {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }} • Sleeper • The Tower {{#switch: deceased	deceased=^†	noncanon=^≠	former=^‡	unknown=^*	#DEFAULT= }}