History
In the glory of His name...
- — Conrad Bennett
- — Conrad Bennett
Born in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1960s, Conrad James Bennett's parents were notably absent for the majority of his childhood, being pre-occupied with work and the like. This left him vulnerable to the influence of his grandfather, Aloysius, a World War I veteran who lost his left arm during the Hundred Days Offensive that brought the war to a close. Aloysius Bennett was a virulent religious fanatic, his experiences in the war having influenced his opinion. He denounced secularism within the government, believing that the Bible should be the rightful ruling text of the land, instead of the Constitution.
Conrad was a confirmed Christian by the time he was 12, but remained skeptical of his grandfather's more radical opinions regarding religion and its place in society. Even after Aloysius passed away, Bennett remained dubious of his ideas.
That all changed when Bennett was drafted into the Gulf War in the early 1990s. Though the conflict was brief, Bennett was held as a prisoner of war by the belligerent Iraqi forces. While held in military prison, Bennett witness the torture and deaths of his comrades. Thus, in an ironic twist of fate, Bennett fell down a similar path as his grandfather, and his experiences in the Middle East set the stage for his slow conversion into an authoritarian dictator.
After the war, Bennett returned home a changed man. He acted coldly towards his wife, and began treating her in a 1950s family values sort of way. This treatment extended to his son, who Bennett showed little affection for in an effort to turn him into an "ideal soldier".
The straw that finally broke the camel's back for Bennett regarding his opinions on the "secularist beast" of the United States government was their treatment of his fellow P.O.W.s after they were returned home. Their poverty and seeming abandonment made Bennett believe that the existing form of government had to be destroyed in order to "save the country".
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Ultimex Rays: Concentrated, artificial lightning that Babylon fires from his eyes. They do not generate heat and rely purely on concussive force to inflict damage.
- Levitation: He is able to displace objects and raise them into the air. He can even do this to make himself fly for limited periods of time.
- Superhuman strength and speed: Granted to him through cybernetic enhancements that enable his body to move and react quicker to threats than most humans. They also triple his strength, enabling him to overpower heroes like Spider-Man and go toe-to-toe with Thor.
Abilities
- Master tactician
- Experienced military leader
- Expert hand-to-hand combatant
Strength level
Thanks to the cybernetic enhancements wired through his skeleton and tissue, in addition to his airburst abilities, Babylon can lift anywhere between 14 and 17 tons
Weaknesses
- Babylon's cybernetic enhancements are also a vulnerable point. Since they are imbedded into his body, if they are struck with any sort of electromagnetic pulse, the enhancements will short circuit, leaving Babylon extremely vulnerable to attack.
- Babylon's flight is not unlimited, and he requires concentration to maintain it. Breaking this concentration can cause him to fall out of the sky.
Paraphernalia
Equipment:
- Babylon Armor
Transportation:
- Barbarossa
Weapons:
- Variable
Notes
- Despite his authoritarian nature, Bennett despises historical fascists such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. This was displayed by his begruding alliance with the Hate-Monger (Rob Dylan); in exchange for Dylan's help in overthrowing the United States government and installing a dictatorship, Bennett would allow Dylan a small section of land within the continental U.S. to rule under his own domain, and Dylan himself wouldn't be prosecuted for his own criminal activity.
- In addition, Bennett's personal warship, the Barbarossa, was named after Operation: Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany in 1941
- Bennett's favorite kind of apples are Fiji Apples.
Trivia
- Babylon's personality was influenced by Osama bin Laden and Ronald Reagan, while his facial features were based on Dolph Lundgren.
- Babylon's Ultimex Rays are inspired by the Toho character SpaceGodzilla's Corona Beam, thanks to it's wild, squiggly, lightning-based appearance.
See Also
- Appearances of Conrad Bennett (Earth-TRN356)
- Character Gallery: Conrad Bennett (Earth-TRN356)
- Quotations by Conrad Bennett (Earth-TRN356)
Discover and Discuss
- Search News for: Babylon · Conrad James Bennett · Conrad Bennett (Earth-TRN356)
Links and References
- None.
.