Keeper of Infinite Earths - The Protectors

Created by Matt Parmenter

Archer

Alter Ego: Drake Emerald
Occupation: Super-hero
Known Relatives: Major Dexter and Alison Emerald, Parents (deceased), Valerie Stream-Emerald-Energy Woman (wife)
Melody Emerald-Piercer (half sister)
Group Affiliation: The Protectors

Background/History: Drake’s father was an overachiever, striving to be better than anyone else by any means possible, and that meant volunteering for the most demanding training and dangerous missions. His risk taking limited his ability to advance in the military, as did his willingness to disobey or creatively interpret direct orders. In the early 60’s, an attempt was made to recreate the Stars and Stripes Formula that gave Star his powers and Dexter volunteered. It failed to produce any noticeable results and he returned to active duty. The strain of constant travel and his attitude made life rough on his young wife, Alison, and her pregnancy was tough by any standard. She never fully recovered from the birth of their only son, Drake, and passed away while he was an infant. He grew up as a military brat, traveling from base to base with his father, never making roots or lasting friendships. Spending much of his free time alone, Drake concentrated on athletics and took up archery. He excelled at both and quickly began to realize he was better than anyone had a right to be, better to the point of being superhuman. His father had come to the conclusion that he would never advance in the military beyond the point he was at and he simply could not tolerate that fact, so he left the service and became a mercenary, leaving Drake to fend mostly for himself. He got a job assisting one of his father’s armories, Emil Rodriguez. Emil was fascinated by Drake’s uncanny prowess with the bow and began designing specialized arrows for him. Then, one of Dexter’s jobs went wrong. He was betrayed by a South American government official who set him up against drug lords as a cover for his corrupt dealings and sold him out. With advance warning, Dexter and his men were slaughtered upon arrival as an example to any who opposed the drug traffickers. Drake may not have had the best relationship with his father, but he was the only constant in his life and now he was gone. Emil knew from the first report that something was not right and used his contacts to discover the scheme. Drake put on a mask, took the arrows that they had worked up, and left to avenge his father. They never knew what hit them. He took out the drug cartel and exposed the official who was behind the plot. He never really cared for the mercenary life and knowing that his staying with Emil could endanger both of them, he decided to return to America with enough of an inheritance to start a new life. He enjoyed using his talents to avenge his father and decided to continue wearing a mask and fighting evil as the Archer. A sort of Robin Hood-esque swashbuckler persona evolved and he traveled the country helping people. He joined the Protectors and entered into a love-hate relationship with Energy Woman. As his feelings for her grew, so did his fear of commitment, so when Protectors West was announced, he volunteered to go to California. Eventually, the bi-coastal relationship was too much and he returned to the Protectors and married Energy Woman.

Personality/Motivation: Drake was very distrustful of people due to his lack of roots and masked it with an aire of nonchalance, the ‘I don’t care’ attitude that made it even harder for him to make friends. His father demanded perfection from his only son and generally received it when he paid any attention. Drake nurtured his abilities in secret, competing only against himself because he had never seen anyone close to his skill level. Putting on the mask let him be more open and made him more at ease in public since he could always remove the mask and be left alone. Other that his mentor, Emil, who still supplies him with arrows. He had no lasting friendships or relationships until he joined the Protectors which contributes to the volatility of his marriage.

Quote: "My aim is true"

Champions Character Sheet