Ethan Avery is Damage, a highly destructive anti-hero. He has the ability to transform into an unstoppable behemoth once a day for an hour, although he has no control over this creature known simply as Damage.
History
Origin
Ethan Avery was born to Dale and Helen Avery, and grew up in the city of Atlanta. He idolized superheroes like Superman and the Flash for the good deeds they did, when he was old enough he joined the United States Army as he saw it as a chance to be a hero. Ethan served one tour in Afghanistan where he earned a reputation of excellence. After his tour had finished Ethan volunteered for the Damage program, an experimental procedure which would give Ethan superpowers. Colonel Marie Jonas interviewed Ethan and accepted him into the program due to his beliefs about heroism.[1] After several trials and tests in a secret facility known as the Burrow Ethan was given the Damage serum, a concoction designed by Doctor Vess which was based off of the Miraclo Formula.[2] This serum would allow Ethan to transform into a hulking behemoth known as Damage for one hour a day, although he would have no control over his actions.[3]
Ethan would go on several missions as Damage where he would completely obliterate the hostile force. His first mission comprised of eliminating a Vlatvian fascist military group, which he was able to accomplish in eight minutes and thirteen seconds. Another one of his missions was to massacre a militant group in the African nation of Bialya, which he also succeeded in doing. Ethan began to doubt his role because he could never remember what he did as Damage, each time however Colonel Jonas would tell him that every bullet he took as Damage would save a soldier who would've been killed in his place. Eventually Ethan lost faith in his cause, believing it to be unjust to kill with such maliciousness and brutality.[1]
On the Run
After one mission Ethan suffered from genetic malfunctions, and so was transported back to the Burrow. During the journey to the Burrow Ethan transformed into Damage and broke out of the plane transporting him. He lands in Atlanta and is attacked by Liggett. He manages to defeat Liggett and escape.[3]
A day after the events in Atlanta, Ethan found himself waking up in a homeless shelter and was shocked while watch the news when he rampaged in there as Damage. He then went out to calm himself but his positions immediately tracked by the Task Force XI team which intent to capture him. He tried warned them to leave him alone, but was suddenly attacked by Parasite who tried to absorb his life force. However, Parasite eventually collapsed because he was unable to absorb so much energy. Soon after he turns into Damage, Ethan engaged in a fight with the Task Force team and has easily defeated them. With the situation getting worse, Wonder Woman appears and asks the team to step aside so she can face the monster herself.[4]
Damage and Wonder Woman engaged in fierce battle where their strength seemed to be evenly matched. Wonder Woman tried to hold Damage with her magic lasso only to discover that the creature was human. When her lasso became loose, Damage again attacked Diana and caused the buildings behind them to collapse, right as the time-limits of Damage's transformation ran out. Diana informed the League about her confrontation with the creature. Batman promised to continue his investigation into the origins of the creature. The next morning, Ethan, who has returned to his human form, was seen in a coffee shop while watching the news about his fight with Wonder Woman. He decided to leave the city soon after.[5]
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Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Transformation: Once a day, Ethan Avery transforms into the hulking behemoth Damage for an hour. During this time, Ethan has no control over his actions though he can communicate with Damage.[3] When Damage turns back into Ethan he loses consciousness, often leaving him exposed.[3]
- Superhuman Strength: Damage possesses incredible physical strength, with the limits of which are still unknown. He is strong enough to lift a car over his head and throw it towards his opponent. He overpowered Grundy's brute strength, has defeated Parasite by overloading him with too much energy,[6] and has held his own against Wonder Woman.[5] Damage was even strong enough to fight and ultimately overcome 3 semi-successful Bialyan Damage Project subjects simultaneously in under 6 minutes.[1] He is also strong enough to break free from Green Lantern constructs with minimal effort.[7] His strength is also able to rival a Kryptonian's.[8] Both Wonder Woman and Superman remarked on having never experienced such strong attacks before.[5][8]
- Super-Leaping: Damage can make use of his powerful bodily muscles to launch himself into the air in a chosen direction. He was able to leap over half of Atlanta in a single bound.[5]
- Superhuman Speed: Regardless of his size, Damage is capable of running and moving at speeds greater than the finest human athlete.
- Superhuman Agility[citation needed]
- Superhuman Reflexes: His speed extends to his reflexes, due to which he was able to hit the Flash who was moving and attacking him at supersonic speed, though he did have some trouble in intercepting him.[7]
- Invulnerability: Damage's body possesses a high degree of resistance to physical injury. He is able to endure bullets, rockets and drops from several hundred feet.[3] His skin is also impervious to conventional blades.[5] His durability is strong enough to resist the touch of lava.[9]
- Energy Resistance: Damage can withstand extreme energy forces like Superman's heat vision without being injured at all.[8]
- Regenerative Healing: Despite his great physical resilience, it is possible to injure Damage. However, he is capable of rapidly regenerating damaged or destroyed tissue with much greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human.[citation needed]
- Superhuman Stamina: Damage's highly advanced musculature produces almost no fatigue toxins, granting him almost limitless physical stamina during physical activity; he can exert himself at peak capacity for about one hour before return to human form as displayed in his fight with Wonder Woman[5] and other super powered beings.[10]
- Magic Resistance: As Damage, Ethan seems possesses slight resistance to magic. It was seen when he was not affected by Echidna's fusion magic, when she tried to combine Damage's body with other living beings.[9]
- Superhuman Strength: Damage possesses incredible physical strength, with the limits of which are still unknown. He is strong enough to lift a car over his head and throw it towards his opponent. He overpowered Grundy's brute strength, has defeated Parasite by overloading him with too much energy,[6] and has held his own against Wonder Woman.[5] Damage was even strong enough to fight and ultimately overcome 3 semi-successful Bialyan Damage Project subjects simultaneously in under 6 minutes.[1] He is also strong enough to break free from Green Lantern constructs with minimal effort.[7] His strength is also able to rival a Kryptonian's.[8] Both Wonder Woman and Superman remarked on having never experienced such strong attacks before.[5][8]
Abilities
- Military Protocol: Ethan served in the U.S. army and as such has a rich understanding of its workings and protocol.[3]
- Adept Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Ethan received basic military training in hand-to-hand combat.[3]
- Firearms: Ethan received basic U.S. army combat training and as such is efficient with many types of firearms.[3]
- Swimming: Ethan and Damage are both capable of swimming long distances.[10]
Weaknesses
- Time Limit: Avery can only stay in his Damage form for approximately one hour each day.[3] It is theorized to be the results of the limitations of the human body and the Hourman drug the experiments were based on.
- Dual Personalities: Since gaining his powers, Ethan has developed another personality in his subconscious, the Damage persona, which always tries to get out and go berserk. So far he can maintain his human consciousness (though not as a dominant personality) when he turns into Damage. While not able to completely control his Damage form, he is able to prevent harm to others.[4]
- Vulnerability to Psionics: Despite his incredible strength, Damage seemingly was susceptible against psychic attack such as Mind Control / Telepathy which can affect his mind and actions. In this state he can be psychically manipulated by exceptionally powerful telepaths.[11]
- Vulnerability to Morphogenetic Field Energy: While Damage is near physically invincible, he shares the Kryptonian vulnerability to certain forms of quantum manipulation.[4] Such was the case when he was exposed to the animal themed energies The Red or the plant based forces of The Green.[2]
Notes
- Damage is a pastiche of Marvel's Hulk.
Recommended Reading
Related
- 23 Appearances of Ethan Avery (Prime Earth)
- 27 Images featuring Ethan Avery (Prime Earth)
- 6 Quotations by or about Ethan Avery (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Ethan Avery (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Damage Annual (Volume 2) #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Damage (Volume 2) #4–5
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Damage (Volume 2) #1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Damage (Volume 2) #2
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Damage (Volume 2) #3
- ↑ Suicide Squad (Volume 5) #35
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Damage (Volume 2) #11
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Damage (Volume 2) #12
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Damage (Volume 2) #16
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Damage (Volume 2) #7
- ↑ Damage (Volume 2) #6