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"