Marcus Aelius (New Earth)

{{DC Database:Character Template
 * Image                  = Alpha Centurion 01.jpg
 * RealName               = Marcus Aelius
 * CurrentAlias           = Alpha Centurion
 * Aliases                =
 * Identity               = Public
 * Alignment              = Good
 * Affiliation            = Team Luthor
 * Relatives              =
 * Universe               = New Earth
 * BaseOfOperations       = Metropolis, Rome


 * Gender                 = Male
 * Height                 = 5'8"
 * Weight                 = 165 lbs (75 kg)
 * Eyes                   = Blue
 * Hair                   = Blond
 * UnusualFeatures        =


 * Citizenship            = Roman
 * MaritalStatus          = Single
 * Occupation             =


 * PlaceOfBirth           = Rome
 * Creators               = Dan Jurgens; Karl Kesel; Barry Kitson; Stuart Immonen
 * First                  = Zero Hour #3


 * Overview               =  Alpha Centurion is a Roman superhero, who gained his powers from years of extensive alien training after being abducted in the 2nd Century. Due to the unique properties of intergalactic travel, he returned to Earth almost 2,000 years later, and became a resident of Metropolis, where he would meet Superman.


 * HistoryText            =

Origins
Marcus Aelius was a Roman Centurion during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (c. A.D. 117-138). A race of aliens, the Virmiru selected him to learn from their advanced civilization after he was proven as the most worthy prospective Warrior in the Olympics. After over ten years of learning from the Virmiru, he was returned to Earth, where he was supposed to act as a hero on what was then the world's biggest city. Due to the scientific properties of intergalactic travel, he actually found himself over 2,000 years in the future, and to his disappointment, the world's leading city was no longer Rome, but Metropolis. Nonetheless, he became the city's protector, in a world that did not feature a Superman. Already displaced thousands of years from his own time, the Centurion had a very public identity.

Zero Hour
The Alpha Centurion originally appeared during Zero Hour as a member of an alternate timeline and met Superman as well as other heroes. He was the sole protector of Metropolis, operating out of what would regularly be LexCorp Tower, and even maintained a steady relationship with Lois Lane who had given him the name "Centurion". In his timeline, the Metropolis Police Force was an alternate good version of the 100, still featuring such members as Maggie Sawyer and Jim Harper. He met Superman when the two of them teamed up in Centurion's Metropolis against Bloody Mary. He also helped in the battle against Extant and Parallax, although the resulting temporal chaos erased him and his timeline from existence.

Regular Arrival
Eventually, a Marcus Aelius showed up in the regular timeline. His origins however were the same and he also learnt about Superman's heroics from Pax Romana, becoming impressed. Superman touched his ship and was shocked, delivering an EMP wave in the surrounding area and disabling Lois' helicopter. He rescued her and was impressed by her beauty. Superman called him "Alpha Centurion", but learnt he was a different Aelius. She suggested "Centurion" as a name, but he liked the name Superman called him more. After being interviewed by he, he expressed interest in exploring Metropolis and Superman agreed to guide him around, after growing uneasy of him liking Lois and promised to meet her again with him at Pier 18, though she thought Clark was acting strange. Superman told him that she was already engaged to a reporter, but he thought it was okay for him to try to woo him as she was in love with Superman too. After Lois was trapped due to a tanker unexpectedly exploding near Pier 18, Superman stopped him from rescuing her. Aelius was angry but understood his feelings, stepping aside. He drowned the tanker before it completely exploded and was saved by the shrapnel from Superman, who apologized for his earlier action. He was later hailed as a hero. Clark tried to tell Lois that he had eyes for her, but she told him not to worry as she wasn't from the same timeline he had met the other Aelius in.

His exploits became the hottest story in town and met Lois on the roof of the Daily Planet for an exclusive interview to make front-page headlines. He warned her that Superman won't be pleased, but she stated it was her job just like Superman's job was to stop Skyhook. While going to clear a pile-up on Route 4, he took Lois with her and she was able to cover his adventures as well as engagements for a day. Jimmy however beat her to the punch by covering Superman's battle with Skyhook. While dealing with crime in Metropolis, he also met the high-class residents of the city. His exploits gained the interest of Contessa who directed LexCorp into promoting his image and lavishly treating him, while making sure that hed company's name will be promoted as well. Aelius marvelled at how the world has changed yet remained different in some ways. He was impressed by Contessa's beauty upon meeting her. While examining an old estate of Lex Luthor with her, he met Superman again. The island however exploded as it had been trapped by Luthor, but everyone survived.

Finding Superman
He was put in charge of Team Luthor, which he renamed and remodeled after himself, calling them the "Centurions". Marcus led them against the Parasite after Superman had been drained and the SCU officers were in danger. During the fight with the Parasite, he let the Tribunal take Superman into custody. After realizing that the Parasite had absorbed Dr. Torval Freeman, he told the Centurions to bring Freeman family while he held the Parasite down in a gravity well. The Parasite regurgitated Freeman's body upon the pleas of his wife Rachel, but luckily fled just as Centurion was unable to hold him down anymore and became exhausted. This caused his popularity to increase. He later told Lois that Superman had been abducted by aliens who had mentioned the Eradicator, whom he helped her in locating, though she was annoyed by his advances and warned him.

As the crime wave started rising, he started forming a team to rescue Superman, fearing the criminal elements would get encouraged by his absence. He first recruited Steel whom he rescued in Washington, D.C.. He also contacted Superboy and Supergirl to help him, informing them that The Tribunal had takn Superman. While telling Lois to not publish story about Superman's abduction and slyly suggested having sex with him, for which he was slapped in return. He and his team them went to Nekrome and rescued the Outsiders from those posessed by Eclipso, before taking The Eradicator with them. Since they didn't know where the Tribunal's planet was, he decided to scan the area and located distress signal from Mope's ship. He stayed behind while the team went to check it, but left after The Cyborg baited him.

He was captured by the Tribunal and lodged with Superboy, and later disabled the geneti-lock cuffs on them both. Superboy, who had assumed him to have been The Cyborg all along, however attacked him, but Aurelius was able to stun him by throwing him at the force field barricading their prison cell. Superboy refused to listen to him but the fight waa stopped by the guards who took Aurelius away for interrogation. Marcus after disabling hos genti-lock freed the rest of the team, but found that The Cyborg had taken control of all the technology of Tribunal World. Cyborg restrained him so his own team will kill him thinking he's Superman, but the team stopped the fight after he launched Superman into orbit towards his death. They were saved by Superman who had managed to free himself.

The Tribunal nonetheless sentenced Superman to death, but he and the whole team decided to leave. After realizing that Mope had been left behind, Superman told Centurion to retrieve his ship along with steel while he and others went to rescue his friend. The team was defeated by the Cyborg, under control of Tribunal Prime, but rescued by Marcus. Everyone assumed Superman had died when the eocket he was strapped to exploded in the radioactive remains of Krypton, but in actual he had survived. They headed back to Tribunal World and subdued Tribunal Prime after the other judges pronunced him guilty. When Superman was allowed to go free, he carried the whole team back to Earth and announced to everyone what had happened. Superboy meanwhile apologized and was forgiven, with Aurelius' respect of Superman greatly increasing.

He had a brief falling out with the others, since they mistakenly believed for a time that he was the Cyborg Superman in disguise. After arriving back on Earth, he was publicly embarrassed by Lex Luthor and quit Team Luthor before leaving Metropolis. He later tried to move on and reconcile with Superman, attending his wedding with Lois. He was last seen in Washington D.C..


 * Powers                 =
 * Abilities              =


 * Strength               =
 * Weaknesses             =


 * Equipment              =
 * Alpha Centurion Armor
 * Transportation         =
 * Pax Romana
 * Transportation         =
 * Pax Romana
 * Transportation         =
 * Pax Romana


 * Weapons                =

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 * Notes                  =
 * Trivia                 =
 * Wikipedia              = Alpha Centurion
 * Links                  =
 * Alpha Centurion at Tripod
 * Alpha Centurion A at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
 * Alpha Centurion B at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
 * Alpha Centurion at Cosmic Teams